Ultimate Round-The-World Honeymoon: San Francisco, French Polynesia & Sydney

The next three days are all about easing into honeymoon life and savouring the scenic and cultural delights of enchanting San Francisco. Between rolling green hills and cable cars, the city’s iconic colourful Victorian residences unfold from Union Square to Golden State Park and from Lombard Street to Fisherman's Wharf port. You can trace the city’s legendary ‘Summer of Love’ (when, in the summer of 1967, nearly 100,000 young people flocked to the bohemian streets of San Francisco for a hit of free-spirited hedonism) with a stroll through trendy Haight Ashbury and Alamo Square. There is also Union Square for shopping, Ocean Beach for leisurely walks and the districts of Castro and Mission for bar-hopping. At some point over the next three days you’ll have the opportunity to cycle from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito in the company of a clued-up local guide. This is one of the best ways to take in the magnitude of the legendary Golden Gate Bridge (which you’ll be cycling across), as well as to admire the charming streets and port of Sausalito. Our team can also arrange for you to visit Alcatraz or head out with a local resident for an insider’s walking tour.

Today you’ll be swapping the hustle and bustle of San Francisco for the utter peace and serenity of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel this morning, you’ll be privately transferred back to the airport to catch an eight-and-a-half hour flight to Papeete, the archipelago’s capital. Settle in for one night in a beautiful hotel tucked away from the city, bordering the lagoon and a white-sand beach. Spend the rest of today enjoying your new exotic Polynesian surroundings. We recommend enjoying a stroll along the beach and a dip in the sea before tucking into a tasty meal at the hotel this evening.

After a lie in and a relax this morning (you’re on island time now after all), you’ll be privately transferred to the airport where you’ll board a ten-minute flight to neighbouring Mo'orea. A private driver will be waiting for you on arrival to greet you and whisk you off to your home for the next three nights: a beautiful hotel on one of the most paradisiacal beaches of the archipelago, with stilted bungalows perched directly above crystal-clear turquoise waters. The rest of today is yours to spend relaxing in your new home. We recommend heading out for a swim in the sea before curling up on a plush lounger with a good book. For an extra dose of romance, we’ve arranged for you to enjoy a champagne aperitif on the pontoon this evening.

The next two days are all about slowing down and experiencing the laidback lifestyle of Mo’orea. The island has long attracted painters, sculptors, writers, poets and travellers with its otherworldly scenery and fascinating traditions and culture, all of which you’ll be able to sample. You can watch traditional dance performances, sample the staple mahi-mahi fish dish on the beach, snorkel to see multicoloured fish, walk through fragrant pineapple fields, explore the seas on a catamaran, cycle around the island and enjoy a tiare flower treatment at the spa.

The time has come to bid farewell to Mo’orea and journey on to the next stop on this epic honeymoon adventure: Bora Bora. After breakfast this morning you’ll be privately transferred back to the airport to catch a fifty-minute flight over the South Pacific to Bora Bora. On arrival, hop onto a boat to reach your next property: a beautiful hotel that combines luxury, hospitality and exotic Polynesian decor, where you’ll be hanging up your hat for the next three nights. The hotel is complete with plenty of the iconic wooden pontoons stretching into the ocean that have come to characterise the island.

You have two full days to soak in the dreamy world of Bora Bora, a quintessential Polynesian island fit with dramatic green mountains, palm-tree fringed beaches and aquamarine waters. On one of the days you’ll have the opportunity to discover the luxuriant lagoon on board a privately skippered boat. This is a great way to admire black tip sharks and swim with majestic mantas, stingrays or leopard rays. You can also don a mask and snorkel to observe the flourishing marine life in To’opua. If you want to take things a step further, our team will be happy to organise a beginners diving lesson, as our experts at Original Diving know the best dive centres on the island. Spend your evenings resting and rejuvenating at the hotel before savouring a delicious gourmet meal at the in-house restaurant.

Return to Papeete, where you will have a room for the day in a lovely hotel on the island, nestled between gardens and the lagoon. Your flight to Sydney doesn’t leave until late this evening, so you can enjoy one last full day in French Polynesia, either relaxing at the hotel or heading out to explore the island. You could opt to take a tour to discover the lesser-known riches of Tahiti: its black-sand beaches to the east and white-sand beaches to the west, but also its vast mountains in the centre of the island. You could also take the time to stroll through the city centre of Pepeete to enjoy a last taste of local specialities and to hunt for some souvenirs before bidding farewell to the South Pacific. Tonight you’ll be privately transferred to the airport to catch an international flight to Sydney.

The final chapter of your epic round-the-world honeymoon adventure is set against the backdrop of Sydney, an effortlessly cool city that juggles surf beaches and national parks with fashionable neighbourhoods and must-see attractions. At some point over the next three days you’ll have the opportunity to head out for a walking tour of the city with a clued-up resident to see the city through the lens of a local. The walk is laid-back and based around you, so you can be totally spontaneous. You could hit the beaches, stroll through the centre of town or head out to some quirky neighbourhoods. This is also a great opportunity to learn a little more about local life in Sydney: its customs, history, politics, art, food… whatever comes to mind!

The rest of your time in Sydney is yours to play with and boy is there something for everyone. You can walk from the bays of Bondi to Bronte via a scenic coastal path, try your hand at surfing or skimboarding, stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens (Australia’s oldest scientific institution), soak in the sky-high architecture of the CBD or visit the Museum of Contemporary Art to check out pieces by Emily Kane Kngwarreye, Fiona Foley and Peter Kennedy. If you fancy seeing the city from a different vantage point, then our team of specialists will be happy to arrange a private cruise of Sydney Bay. Food is also central to local culture – the Sydney Fish Market lays out the best of the ocean on its beds of ice and scores of restaurants turn the ultra-fresh into the ultra-delicious. When evening falls it becomes clear that Sydney has slice of nightlife for everyone, whether that means a food market or Michelin-starred restaurant, a beer brewery or wine bar, a jazz lounge or techno club.

Most flights to Sydney depart in the early hours of the morning and have a brief layover in Aukland. This means you’ll be on the go for about ten-and-a-half hours in total, so make sure to have a travel pillow and good book in your carry-on luggage. A private driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals area to whisk you off to the final hotel of your honeymoon: a characterful yet elegant property in the heart of the arty Chippendale district, where you’ll be staying for the next four nights. Spend the rest of today settling into your new Australian surroundings. After a relaxing snooze at the hotel, head out to take the pulse of this happening neighbourhood. Everything here is hip, trendy and seriously stylish – a rhapsody of alternative art galleries, creative eateries and colourful shops.