Top minimoons near Perth and around Western Australia

Thinking about a minimoon destination near Perth? Or not quite sure what a minimoon is? We explore the mini-honeymoon wedding trend and share some of the most popular couple’s retreats and micro-honeymoon locations in Western Australia, including Margaret River, Exmouth, Broome and The Kimberley.

Smiths Beach Resort | Margaret River, WA

Even simple weddings come with long to-do lists, so at first it could seem odd that many couples, looking to embrace and enjoy the wedding planning process, are adding an extra element to their schedule — the minimoon. This emerging wedding trend offers couples an opportunity to reconnect, reflect and recharge during the busy wedding organisation stage though, or to recover immediately once the excitement is over. ABIA’s wedding and travel writer Tanya Bywater takes a closer look at this evolving wedding phenomenon and shares some of our favourite locations for a mini-honeymoon near Perth, Margaret River, Exmouth, Broome and The Kimberley in Western Australia. 

 | 

El Questro Homestead | The Kimberley, WA

So, what’s a minimoon?

Also commonly called a mini-honeymoon or micro-honeymoon, these romantic couples’ getaways are basically short breaks that give engaged couples or newlyweds a chance to press pause during the busy wedding planning process, or to slow down and savour some precious alone time immediately following the excitement of the wedding celebration.  

Typically two to five days in duration, minimoons usually aim to minimise travel time and coordination, so take place near a couple’s wedding destination or home. To mark the significant transition, they usually also centre around high-end, luxury accommodation or stays in extraordinary locations that allow for a few days of retreat and recuperation.

COMO The Treasury | Perth, WA

Is a minimoon the same as a honeymoon?

While there’s some overlap, minimoons and honeymoons do differ in a number of ways. Time and timing are the main distinctions, with simpler, shorter minimoons generally taking place before the wedding date, or straight after the big day. Minimoons can replace a honeymoon, but many couples are choosing to combine the two for a range of practical reasons.

Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa | Broome, WA

Reasons couples take a minimoon

Weddings are dreamy, memory-making occasions, but even during this important life stage reality often comes into play and work commitments, busy lifestyles and budgetary limitations can mean that a minimoon interlude becomes a logical solution.

• Wedding dates and seasonal honeymoons — like beach escapes, white wintry retreats and European summer getaways — don’t always correlate from a timing perspective, so a minimoon can be a lovely way to commemorate the big event while waiting for the right time to take that fantasy honeymoon.
• Unlimited work leave isn’t an option for many, so for those who’ve maxed out their leave entitlements in the lead up to the big day, a minimoon can be the best way to celebrate their newlywed status straight away, while planning their longer honeymoon for a later date.
• Spending priorities can also make minimoons a more viable solution for couples who prefer to blow their budget on the wedding day and save for the honeymoon of their dreams a little later.

Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef | Exmouth region, WA

Favourite minimoon destinations and couples' retreats near Perth and around Western Australia

Smiths Beach Resort

Margaret River, Western Australia

Image @Dylan_alcock

Watching, with the sky aglow, as the sun dips into the Indian Ocean may be the ideal pre- or post-wedding antidote, and Smiths Beach Resort’s exquisite location invites couples to do just that. Set on a stretch of pristine sand in Yallingup, in the heart of national park and the Margaret River region, the architecturally-acclaimed boutique hotel offers eight differing styles of accommodation.

Ocean View Villas, combining pared-back open-plan living with luxury furnishings and private, glass-balustraded balconies — complete with barbeques — are a favourite with minimooners who can choose to make use of the self-catering amenities, dine at onsite Lamont’s Restaurant or request the services of a private chef.

In-room massages and yoga are offered here too, and a heated infinity pool, professional tennis court and easy access to the area’s renowned Cape to Cape walking track provide options for couples looking to keep active. While the nearby wineries and gourmet delights of the Margaret River region offer more leisurely distractions.

Images courtesy Smiths Beach Resort

Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

Exmouth, Western Australia

Extraordinary comes in many guises and nearly-wed and newlywed couples chasing a unique minimoon experience may find it off-grid at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef from March to November. A short flight, or one-hour drive, from Exmouth, it’s camping, but not as most of us know it. Here 16 eco-luxe safari tents, camouflaged upon decks in the sand dunes, open to spellbinding views of the Indian Ocean. Inside are comfortable Jarrah timber-framed beds — a four-poster in the more-secluded Honeymoon Tent — and well-appointed bathrooms. Outside are nap-inducing hammocks and expansive vistas of the pristine coastal wilderness.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, footsteps from the tents and submerged just beneath the gently lapping waves, is the real lure for adventure-seeking couples though. Home to turtles, dugongs and hundreds of species of coral and colourful fish, at certain times of the year it is also the playground of whale sharks and humpbacks, and swims and close-up encounters with these magnificent creatures are, perhaps, the highlight of the many memory-making moments available.

Use of snorkelling gear, paddleboards, kayaks and wetsuits form part of the all-inclusive package here, as do guided tours of the surrounding Cape Range National Park and meals — all locally-inspired, chef-prepared gastronomic delights served in the lantern-lit communal lounge.

Images courtesy Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa

Broome, Western Australia

Broome’s iconic Cable Beach is famed for its evening camel safaris, and for duos looking to ride off into a golden Indian Ocean sunset, just before or after their wedding day, Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa offers an idyllic paradise in which to base themselves.

Just a 2.5-hour flight from Perth, the resort getaway blends lush palm-fronded gardens and palatial swimming pools with a range of accommodation configurations, but adults-only Villas are the pick for those on minimoon.

Offering supreme solitude, these expansive enclaves combine exotic dark timbers and tropical interiors with a king-sized bed, spa bath, lounge zone, kitchenette and private courtyard replete with gazebo and plunge pool.

Beyond their Villa’s seclusion couples can opt to commune at the adults-only lagoon-style Ocean Pool, partake of tennis or minigolf, work out in the gym, seek solace in the Buddha Sanctuary, savour the delights of the resort’s assorted restaurants and bars or luxuriate in signature treatments, like the Kimberley Dreamtime massage and facial ritual, from the menu at onsite Chahoya Spa.

Images courtesy Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa

COMO The Treasury

Perth, Western Australia

Minimooning couples keen to explore Perth’s city centre, will find it right on their doorstep at COMO The Treasury. The grand edifice of Perth’s historic State Buildings has hosted government meetings, a post office and a treasury over the years, but these days it serves those with a more amorous agenda, as one of the latest additions to Perth’s five-star hotel scene.

Within each of the luxury hotel’s 48 rooms and suites, minimooners are immediately soothed with a symphony of biscuit, buttermilk and limewashed hues, which simultaneously underscore the ornate architecture of the buildings’ original interiors. Each room is unique and, depending on position, the likes of vaulted-ceilings, French doors, sash windows, fireplaces and balcony access feature, though spacious layouts, king-size beds, Egyptian cotton sheets, in-room yoga mats, up-to-the-minute tech and bathrooms with freestanding tubs and heated travertine floors are ‘standard’.

Beyond these calming couples’ oases, COMO Shambhala — a wellness centre with heated indoor pool, fitness centre, steam room and holistic spa menu — calls. So too do local and international delights, dished up at onsite Post café and Wildflower restaurant and artful afternoon teas offered in the Cape Arid Rooms. 

Images courtesy COMO The Treasury

El Questro Homestead

The Kimberley, Western Australia

It’s easy to understand why nature-loving couples, called by the remote mysteries of The Kimberley, find themselves seeking sanctuary at El Questro Homestead. While the ‘wet season’ renders it inaccessible at other times of the year, during the months from April to October this is a minimooner’s haven — easily accessible by air, or often by 4WD for more adventurous types — and an ideal base from which to explore the spectacular surrounding landscape.

Welcoming only 20 adult guests, the 10 suites here vary but all indulge creature-comforts with inviting naturally-inspired interiors, and many feature decadent baths and beds cantilevered over the spectacular Chamberlain Gorge and River — perfectly positioned for savouring the sweeping panoramic vistas, and spotting the occasional crocodile on the riverbank beneath.

Immersive experiences with the wildlife and spellbinding scenery of this area form part of the all-inclusive packages, with the likes of river cruises, gorge tours, 4WD safaris and swims in nearby thermal springs offered daily. A cooling swimming pool, gourmet meals and most beverages are included too. They’re offered communally under the property’s star-lit skies and shaded verandahs, though minimooners with a preference for privacy can opt to dine at one of the impressive cliff-top table settings.

Images courtesy El Questro Homestead

Discover more popular mini-honeymoon spots in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

You'll also want to check out ABIA if you're planning a wedding anywhere in Australia. As one of the country's most-trusted wedding planning platforms ABIA gives engaged couples access to more than 600,000 reviews and ratings written by newlyweds after their own real-life wedding experiences. Inside the ABIA Directory couples can find wedding services and wedding vendors in most regions of Australia, including ceremony and reception venues, celebrants, photographers, caterers, decorators, florists, planners and coordinators, transport providers, hair stylists, make-up artists, videographers, cake designers,  live music and even dance teachers and photo booth hire. The site also overflows with wedding inspiration, ideas and articles on subjects like finding the perfect wedding dress, choosing wedding flowers, sustainable wedding suggestions, destination wedding venues and multi-day wedding planning. There are also links to the best honeymoon destinations in Australia, and an online wedding registry to give guests a way to help pay for your chosen holiday or experience in place of traditional wedding gifts.