It seems a bit of a strange move for the Maldivian government to push for the closure of their luxury spas given that they are such a dab hand when it comes to the industry, but following protests it is looking as though that is what will happen.

Aside from general disappointment from aspirational travellers, this will no doubt come as a bit of a blow for many a bride-to-be as well.  The Maldives have long been a favourite honeymoon destination, and with so many people kicking off the New Year with a sparkling new ring on that all important finger, no doubt thoughts of back massages overlooking white sand beaches and turquoise waters are abounding.

With the idyllic isle’s reputation resting on luxury, and spasthemselves being a key factor, the island’s romantic appeal may well suffer, not least of all because there are plenty of other destinations more than prepared to pick up the slack – after all, the Dominican Republic isn’t short on white sand, and Mauritius will happily give its Indian Ocean counterpart a run for its money when it comes to turquoise waters, while both retain the added benefit of glorious spa facilities.

Of course for some, the stress of that long distance flight might completely defeat the point of the paradisiacal pampering that awaits at the other end, in which case something a little closer to home will be a welcome alternative; the romantic, but more seasonal shores of Croatia prove you don’t have to go far to find breath-taking sea views.

If none of those appeal then you are a tricky customer to please, but fortunately the world is a big place, with plenty of spas in it.  Sometimes standard utopia simply will not suffice so for a bit of a twist to celebrate matrimonial bliss or frankly just to get away (again) a view of the Arabian Sea in Goa is hard to beat.

So the Maldives’ loss may well be the newlywed’s gain, after all if this is going to be the holiday of a lifetime then why not use it to explore somewhere you hadn’t considered before?

For alternative spa destinations visit Spabreaks.com or contact our team on 0800 043 6600