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"   Brides, some of you are hiding a honeymoon secret. You bury your head in the sand at the thought of a beach, all-in makes you want to opt out and a sun bed sends you to sleep. You don&amp;#039;t want a honeymoon holiday; you want a honeymoon adventure. So ditch run-of-the-mill for thrills, swap the done sights for new heights and find your own way to fabulous. The adventurer: Safari star Hearing the heartbeat-like thuds of charging baby elephants is one of those unexplainable &amp;#039;wow&amp;#039; moments \u2013 like the first time you locked eyes with your man and &amp;#039;just knew&amp;#039;. To call safari magical sounds like a clich\u00E9. Yet there&amp;#039;s something about the beautiful expanse of African plain \u2013 and the vast blue skies that seem to swallow you whole \u2013 that makes magical the only word to use. For reluctant nature lovers (you will be converted), Kenya is a game destination as its speedy internal flights let you hop from camp to city to coast in a flash. Porini Safari Camps offer just the right amount of roughing it. Yes, you will be camping, but think tents extraordinaire \u2013 double beds, en suites, electric lights, free wine. OK, no socket for your straighteners, but nothing makes you forget your do quicker than spotting a zebra grazing beside your sundeck or cuddling up under a sky glowing with a million stars. Stop the jeep for sundowners as the sun sets, scour the early-morning sunrise for cheetahs (they are oh-my-god beautiful) and prepare to complete your Big Five countdown (so much quicker than the wedding checklist). Kenya&amp;#039;s adventurous side comes as much from its cities as its carnivores. Nairobi&amp;#039;s a newcomer on the tourist trail, but already offers a scattering of five-star hotels (try colonial-styled Fairmont The Norfolk). For fun activities, go all Accessorize-eat-your-heart-out and buy unique necklaces from Utamaduni crafts centre or feed and hug the most gorgeous giraffe at the Giraffe Center. You will fall in love. Away from the capital, Mombasa&amp;#039;s bustling and brightly coloured old town is also well worth exploring. Even if you&amp;#039;re not a beach babe, don&amp;#039;t be too quick to skip the coast. Destination Adventures offers beachside retreats that are anything but the norm. Cove Treehouses is a collection of six on-the-beach suites built around huge trees, each with a four-poster bed, open-air Jacuzzi and a personal butler (warning: they will ply you with wine 24-7). Here, forget itineraries, schedules and modern life. You&amp;#039;re given a beach, a pool and the finest Kenyan hospitality. The rest is yours to discover.  For more information visit Kuoni.co.uk. Kenya Airways flies from Heathrow to Nairobi. For internal flights, visit safarilink-kenya.com. Learn more at magicalkenya.com.   The adventurer: Snow queen Put the champagne on ice, literally, with a winter break in snow-capped Austria. Home to wedding-cake-white glaciers, diamond-bright icicles and the cosiest pine-scented love nests, Austria appeals as much to loved-up &amp;#039;mooners living for the apr\u00E8s-ski as competitive couples seeking adrenaline-pumped action. The western region of Otztal is an excellent choice for all levels of skiers: its slopes are graced by the national team (as well as those after the bar-propping type of piste!) and, occupying one of the Alps&amp;#039; highest points, it offers 365-day skiing in places. Visit the resort of Obergurgl / Hochgurgl from mid-November to early May to soak up the best of its 110-kilometers of from-your-doorstep skiing and quaint, quirky bars. If skiing leaves you cold (it&amp;#039;s the dodgy goggle marks, right?), Otztal offers a wealth of romantic activities to make you snug with warmth and smug with love. The cute town of Oetz is home to the prettiest little church and a maze of picturesque trails that wind to Piburger. See \u2013 a mysteriously beautiful hidden lake where you can ice skate in seclusion.  Film buffs (OK, chick flick fans) can recreate that wonderful moment when Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack finally get together on the ice in Serendipity. Another brings-you-closer moment is a nighttime glacier hike. Rent snowshoes and join an organised tour where you can trek across fairytale white landscapes under a duvet of dazzling stars. Taking in Otztal&amp;#039;s dazzling mountain views is an activity in itself \u2013 you&amp;#039;ll feel like you&amp;#039;ve been flown to an untouched, glitter-covered planet. Find the best photo and &amp;#039;we&amp;#039;re on top of the world&amp;#039; feeling at Top Mountain Star \u2013 a futuristic glass viewing platform and restaurant situated 3080m above sea level. You&amp;#039;ll get a bird&amp;#039;s eye view of the Otztal Alps and 360-degree views that stretch to the Dolomites in the south. Any mountain adventure calls for one of those cuddling-by-the-fire moments when you&amp;#039;re so warm and comfy and content, you don&amp;#039;t think you&amp;#039;ll ever be able to move. Hohe Mut Alm is a wooden lodge of sheepskin, antlers and sparkling chandeliers where you can lounge by crackling logs, sunbathe on a cocktail terrace or book a romantic evening fondue for two (pick a Wednesday \u2013 there&amp;#039;s live music til 10.30). Calling all spa fans \u2013 even treatments get an adventure-over at Otztal&amp;#039;s spa centre and hotel, the Aqua Dome. A striking space-ship-shaped wonderland of outdoor whirlpools and hot tubs, you can dip in baths of herb-infused fog, tropical waterfalls and ice chambers, or explore the &amp;#039;sauna canyon&amp;#039;, which has exciting flashes of thunder and lightning. And the homemade desserts, freshly squeezed juices and Shiseido treatments aren&amp;#039;t bad either \u2013 action heroines need a pit stop of pampering too! Another spa-and-stay option is the Central Spa Hotel, voted Austria&amp;#039;s best spa in 2008. As well as superb treatments for men, women and couples, the hotel has an esteemed chef who runs afternoon cookery courses for 50 euros. Whether you&amp;#039;re driven by price, piste or passion, Austria has no shortage of rustic and romantic alpine retreats. Top by name and rating, Top Hotel Hochgurgl is a plush five-star pad offering uniquely designed suites with stoves and fireplaces, and good-enough-to-lick chocolate spa treatments \u2013 yum! The young and funky Josl Mountain Lodging is less than 100m from the ski lifts and has a swanky glass-panelled spa area and schnapps-tastic apr\u00E8s-ski bar. Recently renovated, super-modern The Crystal has brand new penthouse suites, weekly wine tastings, three pools and a special four-night honeymooners package with daily afternoon tea, spa sessions, sparkling bubble baths and a la carte dining.  EasyJet flies from London Gatwick to Innsbruck (85km from Otztal). For car hire in Austria, visit hertz.com. For more information, visit austria.info or oetztal.at.   The adventurer: Water babe Jump on the wave of the latest honeymoon craze and make your adventure wet and wild. Forget surfin&amp;#039; USA, Cornwall&amp;#039;s come over all Hawaiian with its first stand up paddleboard school (Harlyn), \u2013 a traditional Hawaiian sport where you balance upright on a board and propel yourself with a paddle. The moment you think &amp;#039;I&amp;#039;ve got it!&amp;#039; expect to fall straight in. Soothe your aching (but terrifically toned) limbs in eco-hotel The Scarlet. Instead of bland massage rooms, its spa has lantern-lit treatment tents, cocoon-like relaxation pods that hang from the ceiling and a log-fired hot tub situated on a cliff&amp;#039;s edge. So perfect for star or storm watching. Adventure might not immediately make you think &amp;#039;Maldives&amp;#039;, but along with the Red Sea it offers some of the world&amp;#039;s most colourful diving sites. Swap the snorkel for an air tank and get serious \u2013 from your base of the gorgeous five-star Diva hotel you can make chums with parrot fish, sting rays, barracudas, turtles and 20-foot whale sharks (anyone else hearing the Jaws theme tune?!). Two diving sessions are organised daily, which take in beginner and advanced-grade sites and offer PADI and NITROX training.   The adventurer: Desert diva Say howdy to your new partner and saddle up for some horsing around with an authentic desert adventure. Scottsdale in Arizona is ideal for wannabe cowgirls or grooms who want a second shot at conquering tequila after the stag do \u2013 as well as offering hardcore action in the Sonoran desert, it has world-class resorts and a (literally) red-hot culinary and cocktail scene. Get all gaucho with a horseback ride at MacDonald&amp;#039;s Ranch, where wranglers guide you across the dessert by day or by night on the days before or during a full moon.  Have a running joke about each other&amp;#039;s driving skills? See who&amp;#039;s the wheel deal by racing the desert in a Hummer or a quad bike from Desert Dog (azadventures.com) \u2013 just watch out for cacti! Make your high point a thrilling hot air balloon trip over the desert (see unicornballoon.com). To come down to earth in luxury, check in to the ultra-luxe InterContinental Montelucia Resort &amp;amp;amp; Spa, which has a poolside bar offering 12 types of chips (including ones you dip in chocolate sauce!). Find hip design at W Scottsdale or celeb credentials at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, where Beyonc\u00E9 and Jay Z honeymooned. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/travel/reviews/a18623/alternative-honeymoons-adventure-destinations-for-bride-and-grooms/>