10 Most Expensive Honeymoon Destinations, Ranked by Real Nightly Cost

Editor's pick

Bora Bora popularized the overwater bungalow and commands the corresponding premium. At the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, Superior Overwater Bungalow Suites start around $1,500/night and Pool Overwater Villas reach $3,130/night and above, per the resort's accommodations page; the St. Regis and InterContinental Le Moana span similar to slightly lower ranges. What makes Bora Bora the most expensive destination by raw rate is not just the villa but the dining: nearly all food is imported, and fine dining at resort restaurants runs $220–$330+ per person per day, since almost no property here offers an all-inclusive model. Add a lagoon boat transfer of $100–$200 per person to reach the resort motu, and the effective all-in nightly cost for two lands at roughly $1,900–$3,800. The unreplicable draw is the scenery — the profile of Mt. Otemanu rising over a turquoise lagoon — which the flat-coral Maldives simply cannot offer. The honest tradeoff: the lagoon is deeper and sandier than a Maldivian house reef, so snorkeling directly from the deck is less rewarding, and rates rarely discount even in the wetter November–March window.

Best for

Couples who want the most iconic, scenery-driven overwater honeymoon and can absorb à la carte dining

Pricing

$1,900–$3,800 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Four Seasons

The Maldives' ultra-luxury properties rival Bora Bora on real nightly cost once the tax-and-transfer stack is counted. Overwater villas at the top tier exceed $1,500–$3,000/night, but the villa is only part of the bill. Per the 2025 Maldives tax guide, a 17% Tourism GST (effective July 1, 2025), a mandatory 10% service charge, and a $12/person/night Green Tax together add roughly 27% to every room rate. The bigger shock is the transfer: seaplane transfers to South Ari and remote atolls cost $400–$745 per adult round-trip, per Prince of Travel's cost analysis — Conrad Maldives charges about $526/adult, the Waldorf Astoria $738/adult by luxury yacht. Amortized over seven nights, that alone adds $100–$200 to the nightly figure. The effective all-in for two at the ultra-luxury tier lands around $2,100–$4,100. The upside is real: the Maldives delivers a superior house-reef experience, better all-inclusive options than Bora Bora, and more consistent year-round weather. The tradeoff is the 18–22 hour journey from the US East Coast and the compulsory transfer premium.

Best for

Couples who prioritize marine life and privacy and can absorb the transfer-and-tax premium

Pricing

$2,100–$4,100 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

St. Barts (Saint-Barthélemy) is the Caribbean's ultra-luxury benchmark, a French-flavored island where villa and boutique-hotel rates rival any tropical destination outside the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Peak-season nightly rates at leading properties and private villas run $1,200–$3,000, with holiday-week premiums pushing far higher, per luxury-travel cost analyses. Unlike the Maldives or Bora Bora, St. Barts has no compulsory seaplane transfer — most guests connect via a short flight from St. Maarten — but the destination's expense comes from a different source: nearly everything is imported and priced for a wealthy, yacht-set clientele, so dining, wine and provisioning run at Parisian-plus levels. The effective all-in nightly for two lands around $1,600–$3,600 depending on season and whether you book a hotel or a villa with a chef. The draw is a rare combination of French gastronomy, chic beach-club culture and genuine privacy within a few hours of the US East Coast. The honest tradeoff: St. Barts is expensive in a way that rewards spenders rather than experience-seekers — the beaches, while lovely, are not objectively superior to cheaper Caribbean islands, and the value proposition is the scene as much as the setting.

Best for

Couples who want French-Caribbean chic and privacy close to the US and value the scene

Pricing

$1,600–$3,600 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

Fiji earns its place through Likuliku Lagoon Resort, the country's only property with authentic overwater bures — traditional bungalows built from locally sourced hardwood with glass floor panels revealing the reef below. Overwater Bures start around $1,759/night and Deluxe Beachfront Bures with plunge pools from about $1,481/night, per the resort's rate page. Crucially, those rates are fully inclusive of three gourmet meals per day, non-motorized water sports and cultural programming — which is what makes Likuliku the lowest real nightly cost among true overwater destinations. In Bora Bora you would pay $220–$330 per person per day for the dining that Fiji bundles in, so the effective all-in for two lands around $1,600–$1,950, below both the ultra-luxury Maldives and Bora Bora. Likuliku is adults-only and Fijian-family-owned, a rare combination in the South Pacific, and honeymooners staying three or more nights receive Champagne and floral touches. The tradeoff is limited inventory — only ten overwater bures — which requires booking well ahead, plus a catamaran, water-taxi or seaplane transfer from Nadi, and a cyclone season running November through April.

Best for

Couples who want the overwater experience at the best real value, with meals included

Pricing

$1,600–$1,950 real all-in nightly for two (meals included)

Source: Likuliku Lagoon Resort

The Seychelles archipelago — 115 islands off East Africa famous for granite-boulder beaches and rare endemic wildlife — sits firmly in the ultra-luxury tier, with leading resorts on Mahé, Praslin and private islands running $1,000–$2,500/night for two. What drives the real cost up is inter-island logistics: reaching a private-island resort like North Island or Frégate Island requires a helicopter or private-boat transfer that can add hundreds of dollars per couple, and even the main islands involve ferry or short-flight connections. Factoring transfers and dining, the effective all-in nightly for two lands around $1,300–$3,000. The Seychelles' distinction is scenery unlike anywhere else — the sculpted pink-granite formations of Anse Source d'Argent are among the most photographed beaches on earth — paired with a strong conservation ethos and giant Aldabra tortoises. The honest tradeoff: the Seychelles is a long haul from the US (typically 18+ hours via Europe or the Middle East), lacks the overwater-villa concept that defines the Maldives and Bora Bora, and its dispersed geography means seeing more than one island adds meaningful transfer cost. It rewards couples who want beach-and-nature grandeur over the overwater aesthetic.

Best for

Couples who want dramatic beach-and-nature scenery and private-island seclusion

Pricing

$1,300–$3,000 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

The Amalfi Coast delivers Mediterranean luxury without overwater bungalows, and its real nightly cost lands below every true overwater destination on this list. Le Sirenuse in Positano commands €800–€1,500/night and the Belmond Hotel Caruso in Ravello €700–€1,200/night, per Belmond's property page; budget-accessible four-star Positano boutiques run €300–€500/night. The hidden costs are smaller than in the tropics but real: a city tax (tassa di soggiorno) of €3.50–€5 per person per night in Positano, a coperto (cover charge) of €2–€5 per person at restaurants, and private boat charters of €500–€800 for a full day. Fine dining runs €300–€450 for two at a top terrace. Factoring these, the effective all-in nightly for two lands around $900–$2,400 at a mid-to-high tier. The differentiation is cliffside grandeur, historic architecture and extraordinary cuisine rather than beach-and-water. The honest tradeoff: the Amalfi Coast is crowded and hot in July–August, its towns are vertical and stair-heavy (challenging for some travelers), and the beaches are pebbly and small — this is a scenery-cuisine-and-culture honeymoon, not a swim-and-sunbathe one.

Best for

Couples who want Mediterranean grandeur, culture and cuisine over beaches and water

Pricing

$900–$2,400 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Belmond

Anguilla is the Caribbean's low-key ultra-luxury island, famed for 33 powder-soft beaches and a roster of high-end resorts that price alongside St. Barts without the yacht-set scene. Leading properties run $900–$2,500/night for two, and the real cost climbs with resort service charges, government taxes and à la carte dining — most Anguilla resorts are not all-inclusive, so meals at their acclaimed restaurants add substantially. Factoring these, the effective all-in nightly for two lands around $1,150–$3,000. Anguilla's draw is a rare combination of world-class beaches, a genuinely relaxed atmosphere and a surprisingly deep culinary scene for a small island, with easy access via a short ferry or flight from St. Maarten. The honest tradeoff: Anguilla is quiet by design, with little nightlife and few organized activities beyond the beaches, so couples who want energy or excursion variety may find it sleepy. It is also flat and arid, lacking the dramatic topography of a Bora Bora or the Amalfi Coast — the product here is the beach and the calm, priced at a premium because of the resort quality rather than any unreplicable natural set-piece.

Best for

Couples who want top-tier Caribbean beaches and calm, and value quiet over activity

Pricing

$1,150–$3,000 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

Aman is less a destination than a philosophy, but its flagship properties belong on any expensive-honeymoon ranking — and they span the widest price range here. Amangiri in Utah runs $3,700–$9,450/night for standard suites, with private-pool suites reaching $6,000–$12,000 and the Mesa Home at $15,000–$25,000, per luxury-hotel rate trackers; Amanjiwo near Borobudur in Java is comparatively accessible at $1,086–$1,450/night. Aman has no loyalty program and few tiered categories — even entry suites are large with private outdoor space — and meals are generally included, so the tax-and-dining stack is smaller than in the tropics. The real cost driver is excursions, which are priced aggressively ($700+ per person for guided canyon or cultural experiences). Factoring these, the effective all-in nightly for two ranges from roughly $1,300 at Amanjiwo to $10,000+ at Amangiri's top suites. The draw is architecture and place: Amangiri is hewn into the Colorado Plateau, Amanjiwo offers exclusive dawn access to Borobudur. The honest tradeoff, per independent reviews, is that Aman's product is the design and setting rather than the gastronomy or conventional service polish — one 2026 review scored Amangiri high on ambiance but flagged food and service as relative weaknesses.

Best for

Design-driven couples who prize architecture and setting over amenity count

Pricing

$1,300–$10,000+ real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

Santorini is Europe's most-requested honeymoon destination by search volume, and its caldera-view boutique hotels price accordingly. Cliffside cave-suite properties in Oia and Imerovigli run $600–$2,000/night for two at the high end, with the most photographed infinity-pool suites at the top of that range. The real cost drivers are peak-season premiums (June–September rates run well above shoulder months) and the fact that the best caldera-facing rooms with private plunge pools command a steep surcharge over standard categories. Factoring dining and the modest Greek accommodation tax, the effective all-in nightly for two lands around $800–$2,400. Santorini's draw is unmistakable: whitewashed Cycladic architecture cascading down volcanic cliffs, sunsets over the caldera that are genuinely world-class, and easy pairing with Athens' classical sites. The honest tradeoff is crowds — Oia's sunset viewpoints are famously packed, cruise-ship day-trippers flood the main towns midday, and the island's popularity has pushed some couples toward quieter alternatives like Paros. Santorini is also not a swimming destination in the conventional sense; its volcanic beaches are dark-sand or pebble, and the appeal is the view and the ambiance rather than the water.

Best for

Couples who want iconic Aegean views and culture and can travel outside peak crowds

Pricing

$800–$2,400 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel

Big Sur closes the list as the domestic entry that rivals international ultra-luxury on nightly cost, driven almost entirely by scarcity. The stretch of Highway 1 between Carmel and San Simeon has only a handful of luxury properties — Post Ranch Inn and Ventana among them — and their limited inventory, protected setting and demand push rates to $1,000–$3,000/night for two. There is no all-inclusive model and no transfer premium, but dining at the marquee properties is expensive and the effective all-in nightly for two lands around $1,200–$3,400. Big Sur's draw is a coastline widely considered among the most beautiful on earth: redwood forests meeting the Pacific, dramatic cliffs, and a sense of remoteness within a day's drive of San Francisco. For US couples it offers a passport-free ultra-luxury honeymoon with no long-haul flight. The honest tradeoff is that the value proposition is entirely the setting and the scarcity — the properties, while excellent, do not offer the beach, water or all-inclusive ease of the tropical entries, and the weather is cool and often foggy, so this is a scenery-and-seclusion honeymoon rather than a sun-and-swim one. Book far ahead; the best rooms sell out months in advance.

Best for

US couples who want a passport-free ultra-luxury coastal honeymoon focused on scenery and seclusion

Pricing

$1,200–$3,400 real all-in nightly for two

Source: Prince of Travel