Planning Your Great Escape

3. Sure, we want sunshine and pampering. But forget lying on an empty beach all day—we’re more the active, outdoorsy, explorer types.

 

Book one of the outrageously sexy bungalows at Mauna Lani Resort and Spa on the Big Island. (We promise this won't be your parents' Hawaiian honeymoon.) As a bungalow guest, you'll have your own pool, your own hot tub, and yourown garden. You won't want to leave, but should you choose to stay true to your active roots, your private butler can arrange sea kayaking, rain-forest hiking, and volcano trekking in addition to a full range of water sports, from snorkeling and diving to windsurfing and deep-sea fishing. There's also golf, tennis, and yoga. Hula lessons, anyone? You get the picture. Soothe your worn-out muscles with side-by-side massages in an outdoor hut, or opt for a mud wrap in the spa's open-air, sun-warmed lava sauna.
Details: February to March is the rainy season. 800-628-7815; maunalani.com; bungalows start at $5,000 a night.

4. We take honeymoon-worthy trips all the time. Las Ventanas? Been there. The Georges V? Done that. How can we kick it up a notch?
Known for their eerily skilled trackers and over-the-top approach to luxury in the bush, CC Africa has surpassed even themselves with a new series of high-end mobile safaris in Botswana, Namibia, and Victoria Falls. The idea behind these Expeditions safaris is to spend just a day or two seeking out the wildlife in one area before driving, flying, or boating on to the next. By not being confined to the boundaries of an established safari camp or lodge, travelers are able to go deep into the wilder, less-traveled areas of the bush. Guests stay in spacious domed canvas tents equipped with teak furniture, en suite toilets that flush, hot bucket showers, and comfortable beds with thick mattresses and down duvets. The CC Africa staff will disassemble your tent for you, pack your belongings, and have your new room set up in the next location before you even arrive - ensuring that all the details are the same, from the position of your book by the bedside to the order of your clothes in the closet. Gourmet dinners (think South African curry or fillet of Botswana beef) are served around a campfire. Additional touches include leather-bound journals, free laundry service, and a well-stocked library with board games.
Details: High season in Namibia and Botswana runs July through October; Victoria Falls has idyllic weather year-round. 888-88-237422; ccafrica.com; from $785 for four days and three nights.