If you are planning your dream honeymoon, you may not wish to miss out on the many romantic destinations up and down the beautiful U.S. East Coast, where everything from skiing in Vermont to hiking or a whale-watching getaway is possible. Here are our favorite East Coast honeymoon destinations.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island offers quintessential New England charm for a wonderful honeymoon by the shore. Its proximity to Boston has turned it into the summer playground for some of the East Coast elite, so it knows how to cater to those who enjoy a bit of pampering. It is a yachting and maritime center, with Acadia National Park to enjoy and explore. The park’s landscape includes thousands of acres of coastline, mountains, and forests with an abundance of wildlife.
Bar Harbor itself is known for its museums, cruises, whale watching, and music festivals. Then there is that incomparable Maine seafood.
Accommodations:
The Bar Harbor Inn by Frenchman Bay has a history of elite guests, a fabulous ocean view, daily breakfast, and fine dining in its two onsite, waterfront restaurants. It is surrounded by lovely gardens. Those in the know have been coming here since 1887.
Rooms are available in three different buildings, each with spectacular views, a heated pool, and a jacuzzi. The spa has a special couple’s massage room for physical and mental relaxation. Daily yoga by the bay is tradition.
Activities in Bar Harbor
Visitors have been creating memories in Bar Harbor for over a hundred years. Summer attracts the most visitors, and the town becomes more peaceful in the fall when the heat abates but the weather remains comfortable.
Acadia National Park offers a rugged New England coastline, pine forests, and lakes to keep visitors entertained year-round. There is snowmobiling and skiing in the winter and beaches during the summer. Cadillac Mountain is the tallest point on the North Atlantic coast with a premium view. Eagle Lake offers fishing and Bubble Pond has great photographic opportunities.
There are over 120 miles of hiking trails suited for all types of hikers. To raise the bar on romance, take a carriage ride through Acadia and see all the major sights.
Bar Harbor Cruises are a must as they cater to every interest. The Lulu Lobster Boat provides a tour of lobster sources before serving one of Maine’s famed delicious crustaceans to its guest. The Acadia Photo Safari tours Bar Harbor’s most picturesque sights for Instagram memories. The Diver Ed’s Theater Cruise guides guests through Maine’s underwater life, complete with a camera and microphone.
Saratoga Springs, NY
Saratoga Springs in New York is a health spa town. Historically, people came for the waters to take “the cure.” Of course, the proximity of the Saratoga racecourse and casinos didn’t hurt the town’s popularity, either. Sarasota Springs’ distinctiveness can be enjoyed in such movies as The Horse Whisperer and Seabiscuit. It has been a favorite of the racing crowd for so long, downtown has always been a vibrant place to stroll and seek some local entertainment.
Saratoga Springs is at its most expensive, and most fun, during racing season, from July to September.
Things to do in Saratoga Springs
The Roosevelt Baths & Spa is the grand dame of spas with hydrotherapy treatments since 1935 using the town’s well-known natural effervescent healing mineral water.
Kayak Shack of Fish Creek takes the town’s wellness concept and runs with it. Here, people can rent kayaks. They conduct stand-up paddleboard yoga classes in the middle of the creek. Probably not for the faint-hearted.
Visit the Saratoga Casino Hotel with its luxury rooms and onsite casino. The casino’s romance package includes a luxury suite, champagne, a box of chocolates, and chocolate-covered strawberries.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center hosts the New York Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra for special performances.
Racing fans can visit the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, with emphasis on the 13 Triple Crown Winners since 1899. It’s a museum for only the top racing winners.
Cape Cod, MA
Although Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is usually considered a summer beach getaway, couples should not discount it as a winter wonderland experience for a honeymoon destination.
Cape Cod in the summer is all about the fabulous beaches along the Cape Cod National Seashore with their dunes and lighthouses. If you come here to celebrate your honeymoon in the winter, be prepared for the Cape’s romantic seasonal celebrations, with tree lighting, concerts, Polar Express train, and First Night festivities in Provincetown and Sandwich.
Accommodations
Candleberry Inn in Brewster offers more than gentle ocean breezes if you are looking for luxury. This bed & breakfast pampers its guests with Turkish robes and high-count sheets, along with a multi-course breakfast and treats in the afternoon. They will happily arrange for a couple’s massage.
The Inn loves honeymooners. Its special package includes a chilled bottle of champagne, flute glasses, truffles, and a dozen roses.
While in Brewster, couples have a choice of eight beaches to stroll and enjoy.
Dining in Brewster
It should come as no surprise that Cape Cod has the best and freshest seafood. When in Brewster, check out Cobie’s Clam Shack with its legendary clam plates, lobster rolls, and 30 ice cream flavors.
For fine dining, Boston Magazine has called Chillingsworth in Brewster “home to one of the most enchanting dining experiences in all of New England…” This award-winning restaurant offers multi-course meals as well as a la carte.
Things to do on Cape Cod
Live shows can be enjoyed at the Cape Rep Theater, the Elements Theatre Company, and the Cape Playhouse.
Cape Cod Haunted Tour
No honeymoon is complete without a certified ghost, and Cape Cod has several fun haunted tours. The Barnstable Village Haunted and History Walking Tours combine history with some annoying local spirits that may be lingering at the local cemetery. The Barnstable Tavern seems to have its own resident ghost. (A cold brew should calm the nerves.)
Provincetown Ghost Tours combines the history of Provincetown with some of its more obscure past residences. The stories are based on real people.
Dead of Night Ghost Tours takes place by lantern light with tales of the macabre and intrigue, including a stroll through the 1829 Trask Museum, known as “one of Plymouth’s most haunted places.”
Cape Cod Whale Watching
Whale watching is one of Cape Cod’s prime attractions, especially between April and October. The Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary is one of the top 10 whale watching destinations in the world.
Tours to see these magnificent beasts leave from Plymouth, Barnstable, and Provincetown.
Stowe, Vermont
A beach honeymoon is great for the summer, but what about a winter honeymoon destination? Stowe, Vermont, with its natural charm and splendor, is the ideal winter paradise, whether for skiing or sipping a cocktail by the fireside or enjoying the view of the Green Mountains.
Accommodations
The Stone Hill Inn is the place to celebrate the start of your life together, with Jacuzzis and fireplaces in every room. Stone Hill Inn has won the 2021 and 2020 Travelers’ Choice “Best of the Best” awards and is considered one of the top 25 inns in the US. Yankee Magazine called it “Best Romantic Getaway.”
The Inn has several packages from which to choose:
- The Inn will guide guests on a 2-hour hike through the Green Mountains with its splendid waterfalls. Enjoy beer by the fireplace when you return.
- The 2-Night Romance Package includes a 60-minute private couple massage and dinner for two, roses, and a bottle of champagne.
Things to do in Stowe
Take a hot air balloon ride over Vermont while enjoying champagne. The owner happens to be a justice of the peace, so if anyone should be popping the question, he can marry people in mid-air.
Absorb the winter wonderland while cuddling beneath a blanket and riding a dog sled for a glorious snowy vista. It will seem like a different world – because it is.
Visit the Trapp Family Lodge – the family of The Sound of Music Fame. The property is huge, with a farm, several buildings, lodgings, and a restaurant. You can sing about your favorite things or yodel for your dinner. The view from the lodge is stupendous.
A Recommended Resort: Naples – LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort
LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida was created for a fairytale romance. It was voted the number one most romantic resort in Naples and the third best hotel in Naples by U.S. News & World Report.
Each of the 189 suites and rooms has a four-poster bed with a view of the beach or the bay. For some special romance, request the Premium Beachfront Guest Room with a whirlpool bathtub.
Spend the day luxuriating in you in your own cabana by the stunning Gulf of Mexico before enjoying the resort’s fine dining. Baleen, one of Naples’ top restaurants, offers romantic dinners right on the beach, where a butler will tend to your every need while you wriggle your toes in the sand.
Couples love the bonfires in the evening, where relaxation takes the form of preparing s’mores and sipping a cocktail while the marshmallows melt.
Activities include kayaking, jet skiing, paddle boarding, fishing tours, dolphin and sunset cruises, and the resort’s 18-hole golf course. If these activities become exhausting, simply relax in the SpaTerre outdoor Japanese Relaxation Tubs before enjoying a couples’ massage.
