| Ask any bride-to-be and she'll quickly tell | | | | authentic northern Italian cuisine. |
| you that honeymoon dreams come true in | | | | |
| Hawaii. This tropical paradise has been king | | | | You won't want to leave without participating |
| of the hill when it comes to honeymoon | | | | in Carnival. Remarkably, the term "carnival" |
| destinations for nine straight years. But | | | | comes from the Latin "farewell meat!" |
| this year, the king was dethroned. Instead | | | | Similar to Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, |
| of finding Hawaii as big kahuna, Italy took | | | | Carnival began the practice of throwing huge |
| the lead. | | | | parties in order to use up all the meat, eggs |
| | | | and butter before the fasting of Lent |
| In previous years, Italy ranked third, but in | | | | started. To make Carnival unique, Venetians |
| the 11th annual Modern Bride survey for 2007, | | | | wore masks to disguise themselves. This way |
| it surpassed Hawaii, followed by Tahiti, | | | | they could participate in all types of |
| Costa Rica, Mexico and France. The 11th | | | | debauchery without being found out. While |
| annual survey was conducted through a network | | | | Carnival today is much more civil, the |
| of 6,000 luxury travel agents who ranked | | | | enormous levels of fun still run high. |
| their 50 favorite honeymoon spots. The | | | | |
| results appear in the magazine's August | | | | Capri |
| September issue. But what doesn't appear is | | | | |
| the answer to the question "why?" | | | | Another unique destination in Italy is Capri. |
| | | | An island (as is Venice), this region has |
| According to Hawaii's state Department of | | | | wooed the world for decades. Countless |
| Business, Economic Development and Tourism, | | | | movies have been made on Capri, emperors have |
| the trend has been building over time. The | | | | visited and honeymooners have strolled along |
| number of honeymoon couples traveling to the | | | | her hillsides. Part of the allure of this |
| Aloha State fell to just over 200,000 as of | | | | island lies in the aromatic fragrances that |
| June this year. That's a 1.2% drop from 2006. | | | | overtake you as soon as you arrive. |
| Hawaii certainly has beauty and a playground | | | | |
| with enough adventure and romance to keep | | | | The scent of ripe natively grown lemons in |
| couples busy for weeks. But Italy is | | | | addition to the intense perfume of indigenous |
| beginning to be appreciated for many of its | | | | basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley and thyme |
| unique features. | | | | waft through the air with every breeze. It's |
| | | | something almost everyone is pleasantly |
| Venice | | | | surprised by. |
| | | | |
| For instance, Venice charms young and old | | | | One of the most popular attractions is The |
| alike with magical waterways stretching | | | | Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) - a must-see. |
| throughout the entire city. The gentle | | | | As daylight enters through an underwater |
| trickling of water through the canals is | | | | opening located immediately below the |
| romantic on its own. Add to that a dreamy | | | | entrance to the cave, the light is filtered |
| gondola ride and you've set the mood for the | | | | by the water. The red tones are absorbed, |
| entire trip. Truth be known, Venetians | | | | leaving only the blue ones to pass into the |
| travel by gondola because there are no cars, | | | | cave. The result is an astonishing aura of |
| not because of the romance! You also won't | | | | blues that simply defies words. |
| find any motorbikes or motorized scooters. | | | | |
| Why no cars? Because there are no roads to | | | | Whichever you choose as your top honeymoon |
| drive them on! | | | | spot, you'll find plenty to do and see. |
| | | | Cruising to your destination offers the |
| What you will find in Venice is gorgeous | | | | flexibility to see more of the region for |
| scenery along with palaces, museums and art | | | | less than you might think. Explore online |
| collections. Open-air food markets are also | | | | first and then decide which location will |
| plentiful and make for wonderful shopping. | | | | offer more of what you and your spouse-to-be |
| Or, of course, you can dine at any number of | | | | will love. |
| restaurants where you'll delight in truly | | | | |