Recommend June 2017 - 38

Europe
Butterfield & Robinson
offers a self-guided
walking tour in
Burgundy.

Honeymoons on the Go:
By Boat, On Foot, By Bike

Carla Hunt

For active honeymooning clients, consider
this trio of self-guided adventures.

or gondola to go touring around must-see
and -savor Venice.

By Boat

On Foot

Few places are as romantic as Venice. In full
agreement with that premise is Shannan
Brennan, head of distribution and marketing,
US, Canada and Latin America for Le Boat,
a 40-year pioneer in self-drive cruising. Not
surprisingly, she believes that "a boating
vacation just for two is the most romantic
of couples' getaways, and certainly the
enchanting city of Venice mixed with our
self-drive cruising among the surrounding
islands and waterways of the Venetian
Lagoon adds up to a fun-filled, culturally rich,
leisurely romantic honeymoon." Brennan
points out that "just last year we introduced
our new state-of-the-art Horizon cruisers,
designed exclusively for Le Boat with couples
in mind." The smallest of the Horizon
series-air conditioned and heated-has two
cabins-one master and one smaller that can
be used for storage-fitted with USB ports;
bathroom with separate shower cubicles;
roomy comfortable saloon and kitchen with
generous headroom and oversized windows;
sunbathing area; bow and stern thruster for
easier handling; and wide walkways.
Self-drive cruising means freedom to
explore the Veneto almost like a native:
park at any number of islands where fishing
still thrives and sip some vino at a waterside
osteria; head north to the Friuli region with
golden beaches and lively nightlife; cruise
to Murano for glassware, Burano for lace,
and the lovely Brenta Riviera to tour Villa
Pisani; enjoy a special Le Boat culinary
experience focused on learning to cook
Veneto specialties; or hail a vaporetto

Butterfield & Robinson (B&R) provides
tender loving care of your honeymoon
guests who come to experience the romance
of France in style on its Burgundy SelfGuided Walking itinerary. Between GevreyChambertin and Dijon, the 6-day amble
about this historic, bucolic and quintessential
wine region combines luxury boutique hotels,
can't-miss meals and events, and beautiful
hiking routes with detours to local markets
and time out for picnicking.
Couples explore Burgundy's finest wine
tract, the northern half of the Cote d'Or,
including the famous Clos de Vougeot. They
spend a night in Gevrey-Chambertin at Les
Deux Chevres, a boutique hotel tucked into
a converted winery; walk through villages
that lend their names to renowned bottles
and stay in the iconic Burgundian town of
Beaune at the charming L'Hotel de Beaune.
They'll hike the vineyards of Pommard and
Volnay and enjoy a private wine tasting;
spend two nights in southern white wine
country at La Cueillette Meursault, an 18th
century castle where by day couples can
meander through the vineyards and villages
of Chassagne and Puligny before toasting
each other by candlelight during a Michelinstarred dinner. On day six, they'll take a
private shuttle to the Dijon train station for
high-speed connections to Lyon or Paris.
Priced from $2,995 pp sharing; B&R takes
care of transporting luggage.

38 june 2017

By Bike
A self-guided cycling honeymoon is a

memories-making adventure in discovery.
One destination to consider would be
enchanting Ireland, whose real treasures are
not found at the end of a rainbow but in the
rich culture, stunning landscapes, bucolic
country inns, incredibly hospitable people,
pubs-and more pubs. Pure Adventures has
designed Ireland - A Bike Tour on the Wild
Atlantic Way, a superbly scenic, 7-day, selfguided cycling tour that explores Ireland's
west coast, from Galway City to County
Clare, embracing the Aran Islands and
Connemara and following the Wild Atlantic
Way, which at approximately 1,550 miles,
is the world's longest defined coastal touring
route. Highlights include the Galway farmers
market; Dunguaire Castle near Kinvara; the
Cliffs of Moher; unique lunar landscapes and
flora of The Burren; colorful villages from
Ballyvaughan to Clifden; ferrying to and
staying on the Aran Islands, rich in historic
and pre-historic sites; and artisan foods and
deliciously fresh seafood all along the way.
Hybrid bikes are available, and rentals
include extras from GPSs to helmets; further,
this self-guided adventure (for moderatelevel bikers) is supported with the services of
a trip manager and luggage support vehicle.
Touring also includes hearty Irish breakfasts
in the price (from $1,348 pp dbl) when
staying in charming guest houses; however,
upgrading hotels (with tour then priced
from $1,850 pp dbl) to include such lodgings
as Gregans Castle Hotel in Co Clare and
Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Galway, is
definitely a very romantic enhancement. ■
Contact Information
Butterfield & Robinson: butterfield.com
Le Boat: leboat.com
Pure Adventures: pure-adventures.com
recommend.com
http://butterfield.com http://www.leboat.com http://www.pure-adventures.com http://www.recommend.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2017
