Anushka and Karan, Africa, Asia, and Europe
One month, three continents and eight countries - this couple’s honeymoon was the stuff of dreams!
A honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and to make the most of it, Anushka and Karan decided to go all out! Be it nature, adventure or cityscapes, their month-long holiday across half the globe covered it all! Anushka shares with us the luxurious details of their lavish vacation that spanned Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, UAE and South Africa.
How They Met
“Karan was my cousin’s classmate who introduced us to each other in our hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia. That was only the beginning of our 13-year long-distance relationship since he eventually moved to the US for higher studies while I was in Australia. We managed to keep the relationship going despite the crazy time difference (even our seasons were different!). We managed simply because we were best friends before anything and we trusted each other.”
Honeymoon Planning
“Karan and I were looking for different experiences on our honeymoon. I wanted city life, and he wanted nature. So we combined the two and selected destinations that would make both of us happy despite the distance among the countries. We started with Bali because it is just an hour away from Jakarta and we wanted to start our honeymoon on a relaxing note after all the wedding events. Then we went to Sydney only because Karan wanted to experience the new Singapore Airlines’ Suites. Morocco was the next stop since it was Karan’s dream to visit the Sahara Desert and mine to visit the Blue Medina of Chefchaouen. To please our sides that enjoy history, we stopped by Egypt and Kenya to get a little taste of nature and adventure. As a nod to our love story, we visited South Africa – Karan had popped the question at a winery in Australia, so we thought of going to a winery there and reliving those moments. Inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton’s honeymoon we decided to relax in Seychelles. We also covered Dubai and Abu Dhabi since they were stopovers on our way to Los Angeles.”
Honeymoon Highlights
“We went to Morocco since we had read so much about the country and we did not regret that decision. This country had beautiful scenery, tasty food, hospitable people, and the simplicity of life that is rare in our days. Most of the places there felt like a scene from Disney’s ‘Aladdin’! In Egypt, the Great Pyramids, Sphinx, and Mummies won us over, while in Kenya it was the visit to the Masai Mara Reserve. South Africa, on the other hand, won us over with its beautiful waterfronts and delightful gastronomy. Karan is an aviation geek, and he wanted to experience the Emirates Suites with an onboard shower at 30,000 feet! But before we took that flight from UAE, we visited the Ferrari World and the new Warner Brothers’ World in Abu Dhabi.”
Best Meal of the Trip
“It is impossible to pick one between our meal at Thali Restaurant in Cape Town and the Ling Ling Restaurant in Marrakech. The former only has set menus of Indian tapas served in a thali. Their service was fantastic and our favorites from that day were fried fish tacos with peanut puree and smoked dal tadka with chili jam. The latter is owned by Alan Yau who also owns Hakkasan, a food chain that we love. The restaurant’s interior was beautiful with an open kitchen. The must-haves at Ling Ling Restaurant are the cocktails (all of them!), black truffle roll, Moroccan style dumplings, and dark chocolate dim sum.”
Most Romantic Moments
“There were plenty but here are my two most memorable moments. It was the last day at the safari and Karan secretly arranged to stop in the middle of the wild savannah. I was initially freaking out, wondering why we were stopping there. When I got down from the vehicle, I saw that he, along with the ranger, had set up a picnic with a bottle of champagne. We popped the bottle in the middle of the savannah at sunset with an ostrich, elephants, and wildebeests near us! It was such a magical and heart-racing moment. The other memorable moment was when we stayed at the Sahara Desert. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, and it was so quiet that we could even hear a pin drop! At night, we gathered around a campfire and gazed at the stars. The night sky was so bright because there was no air pollution in that part of the world and we could easily spot shooting stars too! We star-gazed and laughed at jokes that were shared by the locals; the mood was just perfect.”
Advice For Couples
Must-experience
“Couples must try out these options – partying at the Omnia Dayclub in Bali, ‘glamping’ in an African Safari resort, a hammam spa in Marrakech, feeding giant tortoises in Seychelles, the Stellenbosch wineries in Cape Town, one night in the quiet Sahara Desert and the sunset bridge climb in Sydney.”
Can-avoid
Avoid driving at nights in certain suburbs of Cape Town, especially near the airport. There are always alternative routes.
Must-avoid
“Please avoid people approaching you asking to be your tour guide at the Medina in Marrakech. They will take you around for 15 mins and charge a hefty fee in dollars! When visiting the pyramids, be cautious of tour guides deceiving you. They can get pretty annoying and ignoring them will help.”
Hotels They Stayed At
Park Hyatt Sydney, Australia
Four Seasons Resort Marrakech, Morocco
Riad Fes – Relais & Châteaux, Morocco
Marriott Mena House, Giza, Egypt
Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Kenya
Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa, Seychelles
Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
