Australia, the ultimate honeymoon destination

A honeymoon is a special occasion, a celebration and concretization of the love and lawful bond that is shared by two people. As such every year hundreds of thousands of couples scour the web and inspect brochure after brochure and talk to travel agent after travel agent to find the experience that is right for them.

Sometimes it can be difficult to choose a destination that compliments both of the individuals’ wants and needs. If the bride would rather a remote beach break while the husband had envisaged a bustling city adventure then the trick is often in defining a single location that can offer a compromise between the two.

For a place that offers something for everyone then I can think of nowhere but Australia. A relatively young nation in terms of its modern incarnation; the world’s largest island nation in offers an eclectic mix of sun, surf, sand, busy cities, sleepy townships, rugged desert and lush forests. That’s not to mention some of the most iconic and instantly recognisable geological and industrial landmarks on the planet. With a year round climate and the peak season arriving during the European winter no matter when it is you decide to honeymoon Australia awaits you.

The country boasts some of the friendliest and most vibrant communities in the Southern Hemisphere from Melbourne and Sydney to Brisbane, Cairns or Perth. Each of Australia’s five territories has a distinct individuality and flavour that makes navigating through the country an exciting and hugely rewarding experience.

Sydney is obviously a big draw for many honeymooners who look to explore the sights, sounds and smells get those much prized snaps of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Tower. Within an hours train ride of the city the beautiful Blue Mountains rise up from the landscape defiant and mythical with unmistakably ethereal blue haze.

The East Coast of the country is by far the most popular route for tourists who travel to Australia with such sights Byron Bay, Surfer’s Paradise, Rainbow and Airlie Beach, Fraser Island and Cape Tribulation to name just a few. One of the biggest draws for tourists is of course the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s natural wonders which nestles just off the coast of Northern Queensland. Some of Australia’s most remote and most romantic private island resorts can also be found in this area with the likes of Capella, Lizard, Orpheus and Bedarra Island all promise intimacy and seclusion with an unrivalled air of luxury.

An escape to the outback provides a different kind of experience with the rugged and awesome expansiveness of the landscape manifesting a real pioneering sense of adventure. Enjoy the stillness and peace of the Northern Territories or venture to Ayre’s Rock to embrace its legendary spiritual magnificence.

Another area of Australia that is often overlooked by honeymooners but which could offer the ideal marriage of privacy and intimacy with beautiful scenery and charming local communities is Tasmania. Hobart is a fashionable and colourful capital of the territory, the skyline dominated by the looming Mt Wellington. Tasmania boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in Australia with the likes Cataract Gorge, Cradle Mountain and Freycinet National Park with the striking Wineglass Bay. If you are looking for an alternative honeymoon retreat during your stay Down Under, the Tasmania could be just the ticket.

Jamie is an experienced travel writer, for more honeymoon advice and information he recommends contacting The Turquoise Holiday Company
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Finding Maluhia in Kauai

Kauai is the oldest and most remote of the major Hawaiian Islands. It is where Pele, the goddess of fire, fell in love with the mortal prince Lohi’au, and where the mythical Menehune people live in the hidden forests and valleys above the taro fields. It was the last holdout when King Kamehameha sought to unify (a/k/a take over) the islands, and I think it is the most magical and serene place on earth.

The north shore of Kauai is home to an eclectic mix of folks; celebrities and vacation homeowners from every state on the mainland, tourists who aren’t looking for high-rise hotels or condos (no building on Kauai can be taller than a coconut tree), and locals who choose the ultimate laid-back lifestyle to surf and coexist with the land of aloha spirit. It is here, in Hanalei town, I meet an artist who paints with his mouth. I have been walking the beaches of Hanalei and riding waves by the iconic pier for days. I am looking for a way to slow down deeply after a year that hardly bears recollection. Na ke Akua e ha ‘awi mai I ka maluhia … God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change …

Completely disabled, he is not physically a pretty site, however, he is anything but a sad man. He tells me God closed one door when he was paralyzed after a car accident in 2002, but opened another. What might sound cliché is his simple reality. He tells me he did not take his art seriously enough and spent most of the time surfing, but that has all changed now. He earns his living with his mouth – not by songs or words, which seems a profound irony. His name is Moses and I find its spiritual significance interesting: his art astounding. His painting of the Hanalei pier is a fusion of light and sea. It would be very difficult for Moses to go out there on the pier now, to see the sunlight and clouds play together in the shadow of the vast Napali cliffs. Perhaps his mind, his eyes, his heart and at final turn his mouth, have bonded with spirit of Lohi’au, because I can see so much fire and passion for this island in his painting. Most importantly, it is filled with both the aloha and maluhia he has found in his life and art.

I am home now and it is grey, but I am not. My resolution for the new year is working well, something I would have formerly thought impossible. Each morning I look at the painting Moses created with his mouth and find inspiration in his reflection of a place I was honored to experience. I move more slowly, savoring a bit more of the moment: my life, my love, my family, my work, my friends. I vow to chuck away just one stupid and needless stress each day and move one more tiny step toward maluhia. I think it is working.

Mahalo Moses!

Copyright 2010

Christine Scioli

All Rights Reserved

Christine Scioli owns Zan Media, a film and video production company, http://www.zanmedia.com

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