A honeymoon is the one trip you book nine months out and cannot move. Which makes getting the month right worth more than getting the destination right — the Maldives in July and the Maldives in February are two different holidays, and only one of them is the one in the photographs.
Which honeymoon destination should you pick for your month?
Pick the month first. January to March suits the Maldives, Thailand, Saint Lucia and Costa Rica's Pacific coast; April and May open Kyoto's blossom, the Cook Islands and the Seychelles; June to October is the window for Bora Bora, Tanzania and Sri Lanka's east coast; from November, the Maldives, Thailand and Saint Lucia come back into season.
So this list is sorted by what you actually want from the fortnight, and every entry leads with the months. The season dates come from national meteorological services and tourism boards rather than from other travel articles, and where the two disagree we have said so.
Read this before you book anything
Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, peaking on 10 September. That is NOAA's National Hurricane Center, and it governs the entire Caribbean. A September Caribbean honeymoon is a gamble with a date attached.
Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs 15 May to 30 November, peaking in late August. Relevant to Costa Rica's Pacific coast and to Mexico.
The South Pacific cyclone season runs from November to the end of April. New Zealand's NIWA names both the Cook Islands and the Society Islands — that is Bora Bora — on its risk list. Booking Bora Bora for January is the single most common expensive mistake on this page.
And the one that is not a storm problem at all. The Seychelles tourism authority states that all but its remotest southern islands lie well outside the cyclone belt. For a trip booked a year ahead, that is worth real money.
The twelve, by what you want
Barefoot and nowhere to be
1. Maldives
2. Seychelles
3. Cook Islands
One big splurge
4. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
5. Saint Lucia
Adventure together
6. Tanzania: Serengeti and Zanzibar
7. New Zealand
8. Costa Rica
Culture, food and walking
Barefoot and nowhere to be
1. Maldives
1,192 islands spread over 871 kilometres, which is the geography that makes one-resort-per-island possible. Average high 31.5°C, average low 26.4°C, every month of the year. The only variable is rain.
Go January to March. Avoid mid-May to November.
The months, from the met service rather than the brochure. The Maldives Meteorological Service puts the northeast monsoon, the dry season, at January to March, with December and April transitional. The tourism board's looser "November to April is generally sunny" is optimistic at both ends. The southwest monsoon, which is the wet one, runs mid-May to November, and the southern atolls get the most rain.
The tax everyone gets wrong. Green Tax is USD 12 per person per day at resorts since 1 January 2025, per the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority. The tourism board's own site still shows the old USD 6. On a fourteen-night honeymoon that is a $168 difference for two between the two figures. Children under two are exempt.
Transfers are a real decision. Resorts near the airport are usually reached by speedboat; others need a domestic flight. Ask which before you book, because it changes both the cost and the first day.
Airport. Velana International, Malé. You will also need a Traveller Declaration Form through IMUGA before you fly. Official site: visitmaldives.com. Compare Maldives resorts on Booking.com.
2. Seychelles
The one tropical destination here that sits outside a cyclone belt, officially. If you are booking twelve months ahead and the thought of a storm season keeps you up at night, this is the answer.
No bad month. Pick by whether you want flat water or dry days.
The trade-off, officially stated. Northwest trade winds blow October to March, bringing calm seas and winds of 8 to 12 knots — and the wetter weather. Southeast trade winds blow May to September, bringing drier, cooler weather but 10 to 20 knots and rougher seas, especially on southeast-facing coasts.
So choose by priority. Flat water for swimming and boat days: October to March. Dry days and cooler air: May to September. April and the October to November turn sit between the two regimes, which in our reading makes them the sweet spots — though that is our conclusion, not an official recommendation.
The cyclone point, in their words. All but the remotest southern islands lie well outside the cyclone belt. Temperatures seldom drop below 24°C or rise above 32°C.
Airports. Seychelles International on Mahé, plus a separate airport on Praslin. Official source: seychellesairports.sc.
3. Cook Islands
The South Pacific at a fraction of Bora Bora's price, with whale watching built into the best months. The tourism board says there is no bad time to visit, which is almost true and needs one footnote.
Go April, May, September or October
The shoulder months are the answer. April, May, September and October are officially described as warm and dry. July and August average a comfortable 25°C but are also the busiest months, along with late December and early January.
The footnote. December to April is the rainy season, and it sits inside the South Pacific cyclone season, which NIWA puts at November to the end of April with both the Southern and Northern Cook Islands on its risk list. January and February are the warmest months at 29°C, and the riskiest.
Time it for the whales. Whale watching runs July to October, which overlaps the dry shoulder perfectly. Kite surfing runs May to October.
Official site. cookislands.travel. We could not confirm airport details from an official source, so check your routing carefully.
One big splurge
4. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
The lagoon, the overwater bungalow, Mount Otemanu behind it. It is the picture everyone has in their head, and it is only the picture for seven months of the year.
Go April to October. Do not go November to March.
The dry season is April to October, the austral winter, per Météo-France Polynésie française. November to March is the wet season, when rain is abundant and winds are sometimes strong and sustained.
And it is worse than just rain. Those same months sit inside the South Pacific cyclone season, and NIWA's risk list names the Society Islands specifically. If you are getting married in December and flying straight out, Bora Bora is the wrong choice; go in April instead and take the honeymoon late.
The practical bit. Bora Bora is 50 minutes' flight from Tahiti, so it is a genuine add-on rather than a lost day. Fly into Faa'a International on Tahiti.
Our full guide. Bora Bora for couples: 12 things to do, with real prices, from the lagoon safari to the thirty-minute flight.
Official site. tahititourisme.com. No prices or tourist taxes are published; budget generously. Compare Bora Bora resorts on Booking.com.
5. Saint Lucia
Two volcanic spires rising straight out of the sea, 770 and 743 metres, with sulphur springs between them. The most dramatic landscape in the Caribbean, and the clearest lesson in hurricane-season maths.
Go December to April. May and June are the value play.
The season. December to April is the driest and busiest. The rainy season runs June to December, with more rain in the rainforest than on the coast, and showers that are usually brief. Hurricane season overlaps it — 1 June to 30 November, peaking 10 September, per NOAA.
The honest bargain. The tourism authority itself points to May and June for lower rates, with some resort rooms under $200 a night and temperatures in the high 70s to 80s. That is early in the hurricane season, which is the trade. Published range: 23 to 31°C.
What makes the trade safer. Saint Lucia runs a Holiday Guarantee that lets you cancel or reschedule before arrival at no cost if a hurricane or similar event occurs. For a honeymoon that is a genuinely meaningful piece of protection.
The Pitons. UNESCO-listed since 2004, a 2,909-hectare site near Soufrière, including a geothermal field with sulphurous fumaroles and hot springs.
Entry. No visa for US, UK or Canadian citizens. Complete the Online Immigration Form before arrival, no more than three days ahead. Departure tax is included in the ticket. Fly into Hewanorra International. Official site: stlucia.org.
Adventure together
6. Tanzania: Serengeti and Zanzibar
A fortnight with a safari at the front and a beach at the back is the best-structured honeymoon there is. The catch is that both halves want the same narrow window, and that window is July to October.
Go July to October. Avoid March to May.
Why July to October and nothing else. The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism puts the dry season at June to October and says plainly that June to October is the best time to visit. Kenya's tourism board puts the Mara River crossings — the dramatic part of the migration — at July to October. One window serves both halves of the trip.
What to avoid. The Masika long rains run March to May, per the Tanzania Meteorological Authority. The Vuli short rains run October to December, which nibbles at the end of the good window, so October is a judgement call.
The Serengeti, from UNESCO. 1.5 million hectares of savannah, inscribed in 1981, with an annual circular trek of about 1,000 kilometres by well over a million wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras.
Budget blind. We could not verify park fees, visa costs or the Zanzibar nightly levy from any official source that would load. Get those in writing from your operator rather than from a blog. Official sites: zanzibartourism.go.tz. Compare Serengeti safari lodges on Booking.com. Book a Serengeti safari on Viator or GetYourGuide.
7. New Zealand
The honeymoon for couples who would rather hike than lie down, and the one on this page with a shoulder season the tourism board openly recommends.
December to February for warmth, March to May for value
Summer is December to February, 20 to 25°C in the daytime, with January and February the hottest. Autumn, March to May, runs 17 to 21°C and is explicitly recommended by Tourism New Zealand for travellers who want sunshine with fewer crowds. That is a sourced shoulder-season recommendation, which is rarer than it should be.
What to avoid, and why. Winter is June to August at 12 to 16°C, with July coldest — fine if you want snow sports, wrong for a touring honeymoon. Spring, September to November, is 16 to 19°C but officially carries high rainfall.
The fee nobody budgets for. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy is NZD 100 per person since 1 October 2024, non-refundable, charged with your visa or NZeTA. The NZeTA itself is NZD 23 online or NZD 17 through the app. Note that an older government page still shows NZD 35; Immigration New Zealand's figure is the current one.
Official site. newzealand.com.
8. Costa Rica
Two coasts with opposite weather, which means Costa Rica works in any month as long as you pick the right side of the country. Almost nobody tells you this.
Pacific December to March. Caribbean September to October.
The Pacific. Dry season December to March, with March the driest and hottest and April a transition month. The rainy season is May to October, and September and October are officially the rainiest.
The flip. The Caribbean side has no clear dry season at all, but it is relatively drier in February to March and September to October — exactly the Pacific's worst months. December is its wettest. So a September honeymoon in Costa Rica is perfectly good; it just has to be on the Caribbean coast.
The bargain month nobody mentions. The tourism board names the veranillo, a genuine dip in the rain during July and August inside the Pacific wet season. Low-season prices, decent weather.
Airport. Juan Santamaría International at Alajuela. Official site: visitcostarica.com.
Culture, food and walking
9. Kyoto, Japan
The most precisely dateable peak season on earth, and the reason Kyoto has to be booked nine to twelve months out. The Japan Meteorological Agency keeps the numbers.
Blossom around 26 March to 4 April. Avoid June to September.
The numbers. On the JMA's 1991–2020 normals, Kyoto's cherry blossom flowers around 26 March and reaches full bloom around 4 April. That is roughly a ten-day window. They are thirty-year normals, not a forecast, and real dates swing by one to two weeks — which is exactly why you book early and accept what you get.
Do not go in summer. The baiu rainy season runs roughly 6 June to 19 July in the Kyoto and Osaka region. Then come the typhoons: on JMA normals, August has the most formations at 5.7, August and September tie for approaches to Japan at 3.3 each, and September has the most landfalls at 1.0. Add very hot, humid summers and you have the worst three months of the Japanese year.
The other good season is October and November for autumn colour, though we could not retrieve the JMA's foliage normals, so treat specific dates with caution.
Spread out. The UNESCO listing covers seventeen component parts — sixteen shrines and temples plus Nijo Castle, 198 buildings and 12 gardens over 1,056 hectares — and spans Kyoto, Uji and Otsu. In blossom season, the ones outside central Kyoto are the ones you will enjoy.
10. Sri Lanka
Two monsoons on opposite coasts, which means some part of Sri Lanka is always in season. It is the only destination here you can honeymoon in during any month, provided you move.
Southwest coast December to February. East coast May to September.
Four seasons, officially. Northeast monsoon December to February, first inter-monsoon March to April, southwest monsoon May to September, second inter-monsoon October to November.
So, by region. Southwest coast: December to February, clear skies and calm seas, with whale watching. East and dry zone, including Trincomalee and Arugam Bay: May to September, exactly when the southwest is washed out. Cultural triangle and hill country: March to April. Interior highlands: October to November, lush, with occasional heavy showers.
Avoid. The southwest coast and hills from May to September, and anywhere coastal in October to November, when the seas are rough. The tourism board recommends checking Disaster Management Center alerts before travelling.
Entry, and it is good news. Nationals of 40 listed countries get the tourist ETA free of charge for 30 days as of 25 May 2026, with two entries permitted inside that window. Fly into Bandaranaike International. Official site: srilanka.travel.
11. Vietnam
Three climates in one country, and the north and south are out of phase. March to May is the only window that works everywhere at once, which is why every good Vietnam honeymoon lands there.
Go March to May. Avoid central Vietnam September to November.
The one national answer. Vietnam's official tourism site names March to May as the best weather countrywide.
The expensive mistake. A Hanoi-plus-Hoi An trip in October. Hué floods September to November, and Hoi An's rainy season runs September to January with tropical storms from September. That is where most honeymoons go, and it is the wrong month.
Region by region, officially. Ha Long Bay: April to June or September to November, stormy June to August. Hanoi: April to June or September to December. Hoi An: March is excellent, February to August sunny. Nha Trang: January to August. Da Lat: November to May. Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong: December to April. Phú Quóc: October to June, with December and January especially pleasant.
Pairings that work. Hoi An in March with Hanoi in April to June. Or Phú Quóc with the Mekong in December to January. Official site: vietnam.travel.
12. Thailand
The easiest of the long-haul options to organise and the cheapest to do well, with season dates published by the government rather than inferred from a travel site.
Go mid-October to mid-February. Avoid mid-May to mid-October.
The official seasons. The Royal Thai Government portal gives winter as mid-October to mid-February, summer as mid-February to mid-May, and the rainy season as mid-May to mid-October. It also notes the rainy season can start one to two weeks earlier or later, so do not book the edges tightly.
For the Andaman coast — Krabi, Koh Lanta, Phang Nga — that gives a dry window of roughly mid-October to mid-April. Be aware the Andaman and Gulf coasts run out of phase with each other, though we could not confirm that split from an official source, so check your specific island.
Why it suits a honeymoon. A fortnight splits naturally into a few days of food and temples and ten days on an island, with short, cheap domestic flights in between. Compare Thailand beach resorts on Booking.com.
Which months work where
Read down your month and pick from what is green.
| If you are going in... | Book these | Avoid these |
|---|---|---|
| January – February | Maldives, Sri Lanka southwest, New Zealand, Costa Rica Pacific, Saint Lucia, Thailand | Bora Bora, Cook Islands (cyclone season) |
| March | Maldives, Kyoto (from the 26th), Vietnam, New Zealand, Costa Rica Pacific, Saint Lucia | Tanzania (long rains begin) |
| April – May | Kyoto (to about the 10th), Cook Islands, Seychelles, Vietnam, New Zealand autumn, Bora Bora opens, Saint Lucia value | Tanzania, Maldives (wet season starts) |
| June – August | Bora Bora, Cook Islands, Tanzania, Sri Lanka east coast, Costa Rica veranillo | Kyoto (rainy season then typhoons), Caribbean, Maldives |
| September – October | Tanzania (river crossings), Kyoto autumn, Bora Bora, Seychelles, Costa Rica Caribbean | The Caribbean (10 Sept is the Atlantic peak), central Vietnam |
| November – December | Maldives and Sri Lanka southwest open up in December; Saint Lucia from December; Thailand | South Pacific closes for cyclone season |
The five expensive mistakes
Bora Bora or the Cook Islands in January. Peak cyclone season, peak rain, peak price because it is the northern winter.
Kyoto in late April expecting blossom. It is normally over by about the 10th. Late June is worse: that is the rainy season.
Anywhere Caribbean in September. The Atlantic hurricane season peaks on the 10th. If the dates are fixed, Saint Lucia's Holiday Guarantee is the mitigation.
Central Vietnam in October. Hué floods, Hoi An rains, and that is exactly where the itinerary wants to go.
Budgeting from the tourism board's tax page. Two of the twelve publish out-of-date figures. The Maldives Green Tax is $12 a day, not $6. New Zealand's visitor levy is NZD 100, not 35.
Season dates come from national meteorological services and official tourism boards, and storm season dates from NOAA's National Hurricane Center and New Zealand's NIWA, all checked in October 2026. Cherry blossom dates are Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals, not a forecast. Where we could not verify a fee or an airport from an official source, we have said so rather than guessing. Always check the official source before booking.
Questions couples ask
What is the best month for a Maldives honeymoon?
January to March, the dry season, with highs around 31°C. Avoid mid-May to November, when the southwest monsoon brings the wettest weather, especially in the southern atolls. Budget the Green Tax at USD 12 per person per day, the rate in force since January 2025.
When should you avoid Bora Bora?
November to March is the wet and cyclone season in French Polynesia. The dry season runs April to October, according to Météo-France. If your wedding falls in December, delay the honeymoon to April rather than paying peak northern-winter prices for rain.
Is a Caribbean honeymoon safe in September?
September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs 1 June to 30 November and peaks around 10 September. If your dates are fixed, Saint Lucia's Holiday Guarantee lets you cancel or reschedule at no cost if a hurricane or similar event occurs before arrival.
When is cherry blossom season in Kyoto?
Around 26 March to 4 April on Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals, though real dates shift by one to two weeks each year. Book nine to twelve months ahead and avoid late April, when blossom is usually over, and June to July, the baiu rainy season.
Which honeymoon destinations are the cheapest?
Among the twelve, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand give the most for the money, and Saint Lucia drops below $200 a night in May and June. Bora Bora and the Maldives sit at the top; the guide's "one big splurge" category exists for a reason.
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More for two: our guides to 15 nature getaways for couples and 12 romantic long weekend getaways.
When are you going? Tell us the month in the comments and we will tell you honestly whether it works.
Hazel writes the guides at Glided Getaways: short, deliberate trips for two, researched from official sources, with real dates and prices and an honest note on what to skip. About Hazel and how the guides are researched.
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