Eco-friendly honeymoons

I decided it was high time I introduced some guest bloggers to my little patch of blog land and I thought it would be good for my clients to get some inspiration from other wedding experts. And so henceforth, I give you Emma from The Honeymoon Project.

In her own words, The Honeymoon Project is written by Emma Gibbs, a travel writer and editor for Rough Guides, the UK’s best-known series of guidebooks for independent travellers. Having recently planned her own honeymoon – a four week road trip around South Africa – Emma set up The Honeymoon Project to help other couples plan their own trips by drawing on her extensive travel knowledge.

So enjoy, but be warned, looking at these photos when it's freezing outside is somewhat challenging.

Eco Friendly Honeymoons

''With global warming an ever growing concern, it's no surprise that an increasing number of couples are looking for more environmentally friendly honeymoons these days. Fortunately more and more environmentally conscious hotels and resorts are now opening up. The most obvious way to be eco-friendly when you travel is not to fly - there's no escaping the fact that air travel isn't exactly great for the environment. But if you've got your heart set on an exotic desitination then you don't have to completely rule it out - tourism is, after all, something that many countries are dependent on. Stay in locally run hotels and resorts (rather than international chains), eat local food, travel overland (rather than take internal flights), and make sure your trip has a positive impact on both the country and the people, and you'll have gone some way to balancing out the fact you flew to get there.

Here's a few of my favourite choices for an eco-friendly honeymoon:

The Scarlet, Cornwall




It's not often that a hotel makes me go, "wow, I have to go there", but The Scarlet isn't really like other hotels in the UK.First there's the beautiful location, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, which affords all of the rooms stunning sea views. Then there's the restaurant, headed by a Michelin starred chef and serving up acclaimed locally sourced and seasonal food. Then there's the spa where you can unwind with yet more outstanding vistas of the sea. But it's the combination of striking modern design and eco-credentials that really makes The Scarlet impressive, and the wood-fired outdoor hot tubs (big enough for two of course), situated on top of the cliffs are probably reason enough to make this your honeymoon destination. Best of all you can get here easily by train (to Bodmin station) and then take an 'eco-taxi' from the station to the hotel. From £180 per night.

Live like a local



One of the best ways of really getting to know a destination is by staying in a self catering house instead of a hotel, not least because it offers a lot of freedom. Though you might not want to cook much (or at all) on your honeymoon, staying in an apartment probably does mean that you'll use local shops than you would otherwise, which is obviously great news for the local economy. One of my favourite places that I've stayed, which can be reached easily from the UK, with minimal or no flying, and would be perfect for a honeymoon is La Estralla, in the stunning Alpujarra mountains in Andalucia, Spain. The start of the show is definitely the sun drenched terrace, which looks out over the village's white washed buildings and the beautiful valley, and which is the perfect place to enjoy a dinner made using local ingredients from the fantastic local shop.

Lapa Rios, Costa Rica



Costa Rica is really leading the way when it comes to eco-friendly places to stay - when you consider just how rich the country is in terms of nature and wildlife. Lapa Rios is one of the county's most celebrated eco-lodges, set in an absolutely gorgeous private nature reserve that runs right up to the sea. There's just sixteen bungalows here - constructed out of wood to perfectly blend with the surroundings - all with balconies from which to really soak up the beautiful position. The lodge is really commited to sustainable tourism, which includes protecting their surrounding 1000 acres of rainforest, conserving energy as much as possible and helping ot educate local kids about he environment. Lots of tours are offered here, allowing you to make the most of it's position - whether exploring the area by kayak, hiking through the rainforest, or enjoying a spot of dolphin watching. From £168 per person per night.''

Oh to be somewhere warm and sunny now! A massive thanks to Emma for this post (she actually sent me more but I'm going to save them for another post), and I'd love her to do a post on budget weddings so please be super nice to her!

What do you think then ladies? I think the self catering in the Alpujarra mountains is where I'd like to be right about now.