The Engagement Minimoon is the act of going away to celebrate your engagement before the months of saving for the wedding begin! Think of it as the last hurrah before all your plans are overwhelmed by seating charts, centre pieces, venues and dress-stress. A post-engagement honeymoon if you will, or a pre-wedding get-away.
We asked a few of our favourite bloggers to provide us with some inspiration of their own engagement stories and how they combined it with travel in order to make the most of their time together. There’s nothing like a weekend away from it all, to strengthen your love and remember that Bridezilla is just a phase.
Engagement minimoon in London
11 Cadogan Gardens
Close to London’s prestigious Knightsbridge, No.11 Cadogan Gardens is a boutique hotel designed to make your stay memorably luxurious. Surround yourself, and your love, with fluffy carpets, velvety furniture, crystal chandeliers and all the trimmings of an 18th century London townhouse.
Take Afternoon Tea in the stately drawing room, spend a relaxing time in the library or head to the terrace/conservatory to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne to celebrate your impending union. Filled with natural light and comfy sofas, the conservatory is a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere offering a quiet oasis from the bustling city.
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The hotel has a myriad of private dining rooms, perfect for celebrating your engagement with friends or smaller spaces for just the two of you. Courtesy of Tartufo, the hotel restaurant, you can enjoy fine dining with seasonal ingredients, paired with signature cocktails. Whatever your whims, the staff are also more than willing to help you customise your event, so that it exactly fits your needs.
Romantic escape in Edinburgh
The Principal
A delightful converted Georgian mansion in Edinburgh’s prestigious George Street, The Principal exudes Scottish charm, with male staff dressed in kilts and many of the rooms embodying earth tones mixed with heather-tartan furnishings. From the hotel’s private rooftop terrace you can take in the views across the Royal Botanic Garden and the Fife of Forth.
The hotel hosts a beautiful event space perfect for weddings or civil unions. The magnificent centrepiece is a contemporary light installation giving the whole room a kind of magical glare. So perhaps on your stay you might want to take a quick peak – just for inspiration purposes…
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When you’ve finished your busy days exploring Edinburgh, the hotel restaurant The Printing Press offers traditional homemade fare with a contemporary twist.
Romantic getaway in Paris
Hotel Particulier Montmartre
A monument to Parisian hedonism, the Hotel Particulier Montmarte is a boutique hotel located in Paris’ exclusive Montmartre district, surrounded by lush green vegetation on a hillside. A family home dating back to the 19th century, the hotel offers opulence, warmth, comfort and excellent service.
Back in March 2016 the hotel transformed into a pop-up event for an entire month hosting talks, DJ’s, workshops, and acoustic sessions. So, depending on when you go, you may find yourself wanting to stay at the hotel all evening.
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For an especially romantic time, book the suite Vitrine, which features an entirely marble bathroom and a bed surrounded by cushioned walls, with deep tufted buttoning, to give the effect of a luxurious and velvety love nest.
“We got engaged in Prague, at sunrise (to avoid the crowds) at the foot of the Charles bridge. It was a magical moment that took me two years to plan.
And yes, I – the woman – proposed to him. He said yes. It was perfect for us. Our love of travel is one of the things that connects us.
And of course, Prague is one of the most magical cities out there. Unlike most large capital cities of Europe, Prague escaped the ‘grid’ implementation that Napoleon created. So, it’s still a city with small tiny streets that you can get lost in. I find that romantic and one of my favourite things to do when we travel.”
Sonja, travel blogger at Montecristotravels.com.
Photo credit: Montecristo Travels by Sarah Stein for Flytographer
Engagament minimoon in Prague
Boscolo Hotel
If you are looking to impress, then the Boscolo Hotel in Prague is certainly the place to leave quite an impression. An imposing building on a palatial scale, the Boscolo will make you both feel like royalty with high ceilings, plush furnishings, crystal chandeliers and some sharply-dressed hotel staff.
Luxuriate in the ginormous pool with blue-tile mosaic flooring, which is surrounded by relaxing loungers and dedicated treatment rooms, offering anything from massages to high-tech hydro-massage tubs. Once you’ve finished being pampered, head to one of the four drinking and dining spaces inside the hotel. The Fine Dining Salon Restaurant – with private booths in case you want to pop a certain question. The Inn Ox Lounge, a more relaxed dining experience, the Opera Ballroom – perfect for the wedding, or the Cigar bar to sample full-bodied wines and a precious collection of cigars.
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Romantic minimoon in Venice
PalazzinaG
Spend your engagement mini-moon luxuriating in a 16th century palace in Venice at the PalazzinaG. Picture yourself and your love being serenaded down the canals of Venice eating glorious amounts of pasta, washed down with only the best wines, whilst taking in some of Europe’s most stunning architectural feats.
The hotel offers 15 rooms and 7 suite apartments each featuring a seamless combination of romance and modern style. For fabulous views over the Grand Canal, head to the Krug lounge for champagne whilst watching the world sail past.
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The hotel can arrange for a beautiful private room just off the Krug lounge, to be exclusively for your personal use. It’s a wonderful opportunity to combine a proposal with fine dining from a special seasonal tasting menu, plus a bottle of Krug, your own personal waiter and the option to choose your own music. A truly tailored engagement mini-moon.
Engagement getaway in Rome
Isa Hotel
A design hotel in the heart of Rome, Isa Hotel is just a few steps away from the Vatican City and St Peter’s Basilica. The hotel boasts a welcoming atmosphere, with a mainly monochrome palette allowing for a clean and modern aesthetic whilst still appearing warm and inviting. The hotel features a selection of rooms and suites, but the best choice to allow romance to blossom is the Exclusive room with Jacuzzi, where a Jacuzzi is fitted within walking distance of the king-size bed.
Head to the Roof Garden for breath taking views over Rome and a delicious buffet breakfast, serving hot and cold food with home-made cakes, pastries and the best of Italian coffee. When the weather is nice, it’s the perfect spot for you and bae to relax in the sunshine and simply enjoy the scenery.
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Engagement minimoon in Salzburg
Goldgasse Hotel
If music be the food of love, then surely the birth place of Mozart must be one of the most romantic cities on Earth to spend your engagement mini-moon? Nestled in the Austrian Alps, Salzburg is a beautiful city and the Goldgasse hotel sums up its renaissance charm with modern accents such as wooden Danish-design furniture, modern art and feature wall paper, juxtaposed against old-fashioned shuttered windows that look down on to a cobbled stone lane.
If you are looking to push the boat out, then book the rooftop suite to enjoy a large apartment with a unique rooftop terrace taking in the historic city rooftops. Picture flutes of champagne, sunsets and maybe even church bells…
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“I don’t think it’s the holiday particularly that makes the experience so special, but the memories that you’ve shared in a particular location.
Whilst travelling as a couple sometimes helps strengthen your teamwork while getting lost in a city, or your patience while figuring out a map together, it is the trips that take us into the nature that bring us closer. Travelling as a couple allows us ample time and a relaxing atmosphere to grow closer.
I’ve been living abroad for quite some time so it was a special moment back in August 2016 when my partner of four years proposed to me on the water near Buckhorn, Ontario. It is memories like these that last forever.”
Jenna is a Canadian Sustainable-travel blogger at Give for Granted.
Looking for more romantic destination inspiration? Check out these Top 10 winter honeymoon spots…
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