5 Of The Most Surprising Places For A Couples Retreat

Everyone loves travel, and an incredible £6.4 trillion is spent in the travel and tourism sector every year. Many of us like to travel with our loved ones, yet most couples are pretty unimaginative when it comes to city breaks, getaways and retreats – they flock in their masses to queue up for a blurry photo in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to gaze up at the billboards in New York’s Times Square, and to smile outside a red telephone box in bustling London. Or, if they prefer a more relaxed trip, they head to the beaches of the Caribbean. But sometimes it can be nice to take the road less traveled. In this post, we put together a list of five surprising places for a couples retreat.

Little Karoo, South Africa

Little Karoo, a few hours from Cape Town, is an arid stretch of semi-desert full of dramatic mountain ranges, sheep farms and beautiful criss-crossing rivers. It feels like the middle of nowhere in the best possible way. There are many affordable hotels and guesthouses, and a variety of wonderful wildlife to see (including zebras and ostriches, some of which reach two meters in height and weigh over 100 kg).

Etosha National Park, Namibia

When you hear the word ‘safari’, you probably picture Kenya or South Africa. But head instead to the hidden gem that is Namibia. Etosha National Park, famous for its salt pans, spans over 22,000 kilometers and contains a kaleidoscopic range of wildlife including African bush elephants, Southern white rhinoceroses, springboks and lions. Travelling to this hidden gem on the Southern coast of Africa need not be extortionate if one is savvy about booking flights.

Barichara, Colombia

Barichara is known as the prettiest town in the whole of Colombia. This verdant little haven is located on the edge of a canyon and is full of cobbled streets, colorful architecture and pretty churches on every corner. Its impressive Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion is built of sandstone and turns a beautiful burnished orange in the Colombian sunset. We recommend hiking from Barichara along the old road to the village of Guane. You should also find the time to visit the viewpoint called El Mirador on the edge of the city. It overlooks the Suarez River Canyon and there’s nothing better than sitting there with your loved one watching the sun go down behind the Andes.

Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

This is a place you probably won’t have heard of before. Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the Kashmir region and is administered by Pakistan. Full of breathtaking, snow-capped mountains, it offers plenty of opportunities for trekking, mountaineering and hiking – and also boasts wildlife like snow leopards, ibexes and markhors.

Chisinau, Moldova

Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is a charming hidden gem and the least visited country in Europe. This well-kept European secret destination has a moderate climate and long, hot summers; with the weather often topping 40 C. It has sprawling grasslands, magnificent beaches (sometimes with cave churches) and, randomly, the world’s biggest wine cellar. Its capital, Chisinau, was destroyed during the Second World War and has since been rebuilt. It boasts a pretty Orthodox cathedral as well as the Grand National Opera and Ballet Theater and the Government National Palace. Don’t miss the fascinating National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History while you’re here!

If you would like to suggest any places for a couples retreat, tell us about it in the comments section.