ESCAPE to paradise with a honeymoon in the sun-drenched Cook Islands. Found in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands are just what you might conjure up if you imagine mountains festooned in jungle plants, waterfalls, lagoons and white beaches.

 The Hotel: Rumours Resort, Rarotonga

Rarotonga is one of the most inhabited of the Cook Islands and boasts some outstanding beaches. At the centre of the island are the eroded remains of a once mighty and now inactive volcanic pyramid, whose crags are now covered in lush jungle greenery.

Rumours Resort is world class, offering some of the largest private villas in the islands, each with breathtakingly luxurious touches.

Rumours Rarotonga has little in the way of facilities other than the villas, but does have a small spa, and VIP extras that make it ideal for a honeymoon escape.

All honeymoon couples staying for a minimum of five nights receive a free champagne lunch hamper and two massages at the spa (subject to availability).

Accommodation:

This is the stuff that dreams are made of. Pass through your own gated entrance and over your own bridge to your two bedroom, two bathroom villa.

All villas include a private pool, lagoon, indoor waterfall and even a movie theatre with a projection and sound system (and yes, they provide popcorn too).

The beachfront villas have four poster super king beds and incredible circular showers with glass ceilings.

Other facilities include – a canopied day bed, full kitchen, more than 300 DVDs and CDs, kayaks and snorkelling equipment, hand-painted dinnerware, air conditioning and fans, an outside private courtyard, a two-person hammock, huge decks, two barbecues, outdoor showers, sunloungers and outdoor dining equipment.

Let’s face it, with all that to look forward to, you might not want to go home!

Food:

There are no restaurants at the resort, but there are eateries just 15 minutes by foot or three minute by car from Rumours.

A self-cook American-style breakfast or ready-prepared continental breakfast is delivered daily, while other dining options can be arranged.

Have one of the resort’s chefs visit your villa to cook and serve you a delicious barbecue, with dishes such as chermoula chicken, chilli lime prawns and caramelized bananas.

Or opt for a cheffed gourmet dinner, paired with fine wines. Dishes include smoked chicken, green papaya and peanut salad, pan-seared tuna with a broccoli and pea salad and kumara puree, and coconut-scented crepes with zested papaya and palm sugar syrup.

Things to see and do:

This really is a place to lose yourselves and relax. If, however, you fancy a bit of action visit the dive centre at Aroa Beach for some of the island’s best snorkelling and lagoon dives.

There are also lots of walking trails, botanical gardens and villages to see.

Plus, you can fly to most of the other 15 islands if you can bare to steal yourselves away from your cocoon of paradise.