Joan Scalessuggests 10 top spots
1 ItalyLake Garda is one of the loveliest places in Italy - and close enough for day trips to Venice and the opera at Verona if you go in the summer.
Topflight recommends a two-centre honeymoon: a week in Lake Garda, at Hotel du Lac, then a flight to Naples for a private transfer for a week half-board at the Minerva Hotel in Sorrento, with its beautiful and romantic coastline (below), from €2,999 per person, www.topflight.ie.
Abbey Travel suggests a combination of France and Italy for a honeymoon to remember. Fly direct to Nice for five nights in Cannes, at the Martinez Hotel, then four nights at the Fairmont in Monte Carlo, followed by a four-night wellness break, half-board, at Hotel Bagni di Pisa, an ideal base from which to explore Tuscany, including nearby Florence. From €1,550 per person. www.abbeytravel.ie.
2 South AfricaFrom a leisurely meander through the vineyards of the south, swimming in dolphin-friendly waters or gambling in Sun City to the excitement of a wildlife safari in Kruger National Park, in the north, South Africa has an incredible variety of places to see and things to do. Fabulous landscapes, timeless beaches, world-class golf courses and terrific food everywhere. The quality of hotels and guest houses in South Africa (below right) is excellent, and the prices are amazing.
A 10-night trip to South Africa with five nights at the five-star Table Bay Hotel, two nights at the five-star Lanzerac Hotel, in Stellenbosch, and a safari at the gorgeous Lion Sands River Lodge, all-inclusive, with six days' car hire, costs from €3,480 per person from www.sunway.ie.
3 MexicoRacing up the popularity stakes is Mexico and, in particular, the resorts of Yucatán Peninsula. Cancún is a good value resort with lively nightlife. Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya have white sandy beaches, sunshine and beautiful blue sea - plus very-good-value restaurants.
A week at the three-star Holiday Inn Cancún Arenas costs from €932 per person. The Gran Caribe Real in Cancún costs from €1,032 per person for a week, all-inclusive, with Caribbean Collection. www.caribbean collection.ie.
4 CubaAn ideal place to try your hand at diving and snorkelling. In recent years there's been a boom in resort-type accommodation and a better selection of places to stay. Sunway has a variety of packages to Cuba, staying at resorts such as Sandals Royal Hicacos or Tryp Peninsula, with prices for a week all-inclusive from €1,505. www.sunway.ie.
Tropical Places has a two-centre trip to Cuba with Air France and Melia Hotel. Three nights in historic, crumbling Havana, at the Melia Cohiba Hotel, plus bed and breakfast and seven nights at Melia Varadero Beach, all-inclusive, from €1,548 per person. www.tropicalplaces.ie.
5 CaribbeanThe seriously fabulous Caribbean will always be a favourite, but which island to go to? They're all gorgeous, and the quality of accommodation is fantastic though not cheap.
Tropical Places have an all-inclusive week at Rex Resorts' three-star Halcyon Cove, on Antigua - well served by flights from Europe - from €1,055 per person for a week. www.tropicalplaces.ie.
Budget Travel begins weekly flights to the Dominican Republic on November 1st; they'll run until the end of April. Prices for two weeks in November begin at €999 per person for an all-inclusive holiday. www.budgettravel.ie.
Classic Resorts is selling a week at the five-star Dreams La Romana Hotel, in the Dominican Republic, from €1,450 per person all-inclusive. www.classicresorts.ie.
Sandals Grande Riviera Beach resort, in Ocho Rios, is the picture-perfect Jamaican hideaway. It costs from €1,675 per person for nine nights, inclusive of food, entertainment and activities, from Travel Focus. www.travelfocus.ie.
Or try Jamaica's Negril resort. Tensing Pen Hotel (www.tensingpen.com), a tiny treasure, has rates from $178 (about €130) per room per night. You can fly to Montego Bay with Virgin Atlantic (www.virginatlantic.com) via London.
6 Indian OceanThe islands of the Indian Ocean - Mauritius, Seychelles, and Maldives (right) - are all very beautiful and quite unspoilt by mass tourism. The Maldives is a collection of more than 1,200 coral islands, each surrounded by a white sandy beach, a reef and a shallow turquoise lagoon, home to myriads of colourful fish. They are an ideal place to learn to scuba-dive or snorkel.
Trailfinders is offering seven nights in the Maldives at €3,159 per person, with two free nights, saving €1,364 per couple. Seaplane transfers and flights with Emirates are included in this package; the hotel is the five-star Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Valid for departures May 1st to July 13th 2009. www.trailfinders.ie. Sunway is offering 10 days at the five-star Legends Hotel in Mauritius for from €3,330 (for the groom) or €2,340 (for the bride). www.sunway.ie.
In the lush green Seychelles - 115 islands in all - the four-star Coconut Del Mar resort, on Praslin Island, costs from €1,767 per person for a week, bed and breakfast. www.tropicalplaces.ie.
7 Thailand and MalaysiaThailand is returning to popularity after the upset of the 2004 tsunami, and lots of resorts have come back even better than before. There is nothing to compare to the beautiful seas and beaches of Thailand and the warm welcome from the smiling Thai people.
Combine a city break in Bangkok with a week on the beach in Phuket from €1,279 per person with www.tropicalplaces.ie.
Classic Resorts has a week in the lovely Malaysian five-star Tanjong Jara resort from €1,835 per person. www.classicresorts.ie.
8 United StatesWhether you choose New York and Florida, on the east coast, or head west to California, you'll be spoiled for choice.
A California fly-drive combined with a Mexican Riviera cruise allows you to see San Francisco, Monterrey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Marina del Rey, followed by a seven-night cruise, from €1,899 per person with www.touramerica.ie.
Las Vegas and Hawaii are a great combination for mixing entertainment and sun-lounging. Five nights in the desert followed by a week in the tropics will cost from €1,999 per person with www.touramerica.ie.
9 South AmericaThis is the destination for couples seeking not only a honeymoon but also an adventure. Trips usually last three weeks, combining many experiences with lolling about.
Explore Argentina and Brazil on a two-week honeymoon that will visit Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, along with some great trips and experiences, from €2,775 per person with www.abbeytravel.ie.
10 CruiseCruising has become very fashionable. Options range from the most intimate yachts to 3,000-passenger ships (below left). Read the brochure carefully to make the right choice. Some ships are very formal, with dressing for dinner; others are more casual, with 24-hour room service. Still others like to provide education and adventures.
You can explore cruises in more depth on www.cruisecritic.com or by talking to the staff at a travel agency that specialises in cruises, such as John Galligan Travel. www.jgt.ie.
Royal Caribbean ships are popular with honeymooners who like the Caribbean. Cruising in Liberty of the Seas or Freedom of the Seas costs from €1,689 per person, including a stopover in New York, from www.cruiseholidays.ie.