When people as rich and famous as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce their engagement and the zeitgeist fills up with speculation on their wedding and honeymoon, prepare to read words like “luxury” and “remote” a lot. Planning their honeymoon — and to be clear, they haven’t asked, but we’d be delighted to help! — means that no destination is too far and no price tag is too high.
When selecting hypothetical destinations for Mr. and Mrs. Swift-Kelce’s (or Mr. and Mrs. Kelce-Swift’s, if they go that route) honeymoon, we were inspired by her lyrics, his heritage, and of course, as much decadence as we could pack into a week or two. (This list incorporates suggestions from two high-end travel companies, the trip-planning outfit Black Tomato and the luxury travel adviser network Virtuoso.)
You might say the rest of the world is black and white, and they deserve a trip in screaming color.
Tanzania and Zanzibar
It was 1975. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got married (for the second time) in Botswana and went to the Chobe Game Lodge in Chobe National Park for their honeymoon. Forty-two years later, Ms. Swift wrote “He can be my jailer/Burton to this Taylor,” in “ … Ready for It?” so it stands to reason that a honeymoon in Africa might be in the cards. And if Ms. Swift has any plans to be “Standing in a nice dress/Staring at the sunset” as she sings in “Wildest Dreams,” there may be no better place than the western corner of Serengeti National Park (a few countries north of Chobe). Let’s say they start their trip at & Beyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge, a solar-powered luxury conservation lodge with 10 suites (each with its own pool) and a reliable place to see hippos, lions, Nile crocodiles, even the Great Migration river crossings, especially if they’re willing to wake up at dawn for a hot-air-balloon safari. Then the newlyweds could fly southeast to & Beyond Mnemba Island — a spit of sand less than a mile wide off the coast of Zanzibar. The barely-an-island has next-level bungalows, a coral reef and an abundance of marine life. The hotel operates a program called Oceans Without Borders with their community development partner, Wild Impact, to preserve the local ecosystem.
Pacific Northwest
“I want a wild otter so bad,” Mr. Kelce said recently on “New Heights,” the podcast he hosts with his brother Jason. “I want it, too, honestly. Who doesn’t?” Ms. Swift seconded. Add that desire to her lyrics about “salt air and the rust on your door” from “August,” and you arrive at the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, the banks of Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island’s wild west coast. The only structure for miles is Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, an off-grid, luxury eco-lodge that sits on 600 acres of a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve that is packed with black coastal bears, gray whales, orcas, dolphins, sea lions and yes, a thriving population of sea otters. The eco-lodge runs on solar power and each of the 25 white canvas safari tents are taken down at the end of each season to minimize Clayoquot’s environmental impact. Most visitors get in and out by seaplane (boat transfers from Tofino, 45 minutes away on Vancouver Island, are also available), but Mr. Kelce and Ms. Swift could charter their own boat with Nicholson Yachts in case they decide to sail off to the San Juan or Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea, or just into the sunset.
Antarctica
Most famous person on the planet, meet the most remote place on earth. Thousands of miles from paparazzi, fans and the rest of the world’s population, the White Desert only exists for a few months a year. To get there, guests start in Cape Town — maybe spending a few nights at the Silo Hotel or the Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel — before flying to Antarctica and landing on Wolf’s Fang, a runway made entirely of compacted blue ice. White Desert is a carbon-neutral luxury hotel (if you don’t count the plane rides) with two camps: Whichaway (on a freshwater lake) and Echo (overlooking striking rock formations), and some of the proceeds from the hotel go to research and conservation efforts in Antarctica. Each camp has half a dozen futuristic pods in the middle of nowhere surrounded by whiteness — a place Stormtroopers might go on vacation. Should the Kansas City Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl, however, this one is off the table: The hotel is only open between November and February when the camps are dismantled and removed, leaving the area to the thousands of emperor penguins who call it home.
Bhutan
By some estimates, Ms. Swift traveled more than 100,000 miles for her Eras Tour. So let’s assume she doesn’t have a fear of flying. (Anyone who does might want to skip this one.) The journey starts by flying into Paro, Bhutan — one of the only flights in the world with a view of Mount Everest — and a distinctly difficult landing. Bhutan is one of the few carbon negative countries on earth, which means sustainability is taken as seriously as meditation. Mr. and Mrs. Swift-Kelce have options: stay at Gangtey Lodge, a remote, 12-suite luxury lodge overlooking the Phobjikha Valley, or Six Senses Paro, which is built inside 15th-century stone ruins and a good starting point for a trek to Taktsang Palphug Monastery, more commonly known as the Tiger’s Nest, a monastery built into the side of a mountain about 10,000 feet above sea level. Wherever they stay, they’d probably want to go to Gasa Village by helicopter to visit Gasa Dzong, a spectacular Dzong monastery built in the 17th century. Or the couple could go for broke — which would take them a while — and bounce between Aman hotels: Amankora Paro, Amankora Thimphu, Amankora Punakha and Amankora Gangtey, treating themselves to sound baths, fire blessing ceremonies and private dinners in the middle of the forest.
Croatia
Imagine roaming around the Cyclades 50 years ago — great food, sparkling beaches, relatively sparse crowds — and you’ll get an idea of what island hopping in Croatia is like today. Some companies organize tours through the archipelago, but Ms. Swift and Mr. Kelce, who has Croatian ancestry, will probably want something more tailor-made. (Or, Taylor-made, if you like.) This is where the boat comes in. A luxury yacht, like Satori means exploring wherever you want — maybe the coves of the Pakleni Islands or the windy cobblestone streets of Hvar or the harbor at Korcula where they can spend a few nights in the Lesic Dimitri Palace. Somewhere in there, the pair might want a few nights at Lopud 1483, a 500-year-old monastery that has been converted into a high-end resort. Or they could book a few spa treatments at San Canzian Hotel & Residences in Istria. For their final stop, we’d suggest cruising over to the One & Only Portonovi in Montenegro.
Versailles
If Swift’s “Enchanted” is an anthem for every romantic, then few places capture the fairy tale — that “this night is sparkling” — quite like Versailles. The 17th-century palace — built by Louis XIII in the 1620s and later immortalized by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette after they married in 1770 — remains a superlative for royalty in all its forms. Within its gates there’s a secret hiding in plain sight — a single hotel on the palace grounds. Staying at Airelles Château de Versailles Le Grand Contrôle comes with private access to the palace and gardens, a restaurant by Alain Ducasse, a five-star spa, and the general impression that you should always be wearing a ball gown or a tux. Since Paris is less than an hour away, the happy couple could dash off for dinner at Anona or Chez André or the more casual Fontaine de Mars. Ultimately, it’ll be time to get back to writing songs and playing football. Let’s agree the Belmond Express is the world’s nicest train and the perfect way to get down to Italy before flying home.
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