Italy dethrones Hawaii as top honeymoon destination

Sunny destinations are favored in the Modern Bride survey

NEW YORK » After reigning for a decade, Hawaii lost out to Italy this year as the No. 1 honeymoon destination in a survey by Modern Bride magazine.

The 11th annual "World's Best Honeymoons" survey was conducted through a network of 6,000 luxury travel agents who ranked their 50 favorite honeymoon spots. The results appear in the magazine's August/September issue.

Italy was ranked third on last year's list. This is the first time the country has come in first on the honeymoon survey.

Second on the list was Hawaii, which was the top destination in the Modern Bride survey for a decade. Tahiti came in third, followed by Costa Rica at No. 4 (up from No. 10 last year), Mexico, France, the Maldives, Anguilla, Fiji and Greece.

Other "bests" on the list were Caneel Bay, St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, for resort with best beach; the Setai in Miami, for resort with best bar; the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for resort with best spa; and the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco for most luxurious bathrooms.

The Premier Overwater Villa at the St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, was cited for having the "ultimate honeymoon suite."

Mexico, Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic were named most affordable honeymoon destinations, and Costa Rica, South Africa and New Zealand were named best places for adventure.