Houseboat Honeymoon

The luxurious 75-foot houseboat comes with a gas fireplace, hot tub, and satellite television. While this top-of-the-line boat is exceptional, it is just one example of how houseboat rentals have evolved over the years. (Photo courtesy Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas)

Imagine a honeymoon cruise made for two—one in which you and your spouse are the captain and "first mate" on your very own houseboat rental. Dance under the stars on deck if you like, or cozy up in your private cabin. Make your own gourmet meals together on board, or make your way to an out-of-the-way waterside restaurant in a cute little village. Explore hidden coves and inlets. Go fishing, or fall asleep to the sound of waves lapping at the hull.

Don't worry—you don't need any boating experience; some minimal training is usually provided. And if the word "houseboat" conjures up images of a leaky old tin tub outfitted for a bunch of guys on a fishing vacation—well, those still exist, to be sure, but these days you're just as likely to find houseboats outfitted as nicely as most hotels, with televisions, stereo systems, nice furnishings, queen-size beds, kitchens, and more. Lake Powell Resorts and Marina on Lake Powell (Utah) even offers the ultra-luxurious 75-foot Odyssey, with 948 square feet of cabin space, a gas fireplace, hot tub, satellite television, and wet bar, among other amenities. Fun 'N The Sun Houseboat Vacations, located on the upper Mississippi, offers "affordable luxury": full bathrooms, air conditioning, TVs, deluxe furnishings, and oversized tinted windows; the interior photos of their houseboats look like a well-appointed hotel suite.

You can rent a houseboat on almost any large body of water, so decide where you want to go, and then look for houseboat rentals (pair the name of the body of water with "houseboat rentals" on your favorite search engine). Two interesting destinations are Lake Powell, located in the

Houseboats on Lake Powell.

Lake Powell is like no lake you've ever seen before. Formed by the Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell is a long body of water with 1,960 miles of coastline and some 90+ canyons. All that water set amid towering red-rock cliffs, including the world's largest natural stone bridge, makes for a surreal boating experience.

You might just encounter an old-fashioned steamboat if you rent a houseboat on the upper Mississippi. (Photo by Scott Flaherty courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

The upper Mississippi, with its towering wooded bluffs, historic river towns, and a maze of islands, sandbars, and backwaters, offers a completely contrasting experience. The area between Red Wing, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, is steeped in history; the little towns along its banks are packed with antiques, stained-glass tours, Amish wares, picturesque church spires, and some surprisingly good gourmet restaurants. The Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge is here, providing shelter to the many birds who migrate along the Mississippi flyway. Mark Twain wrote about the area's natural beauty in Life on the Mississippi: "And above Winona," he says, "you'll have lovely prairies, and then come the thousand islands, too beautiful for anything. Green? Why, you never saw foliage so green, nor packed so thick; it's like a thousand plush cushions afloat on a looking-glass, when the water's still." You might even see an old-fashioned paddlewheel steamboat, like the Delta Queen or the Mississippi Queen, on your trip.

Cost

Rates vary widely depending on the location and the quality of the houseboat, but here are some sample prices. Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas features rates running from $823 to rent the 44-foot Explorer for three days during the off season to $9,499 per week for the ultra-luxurious 75-foot Odyssey. Fun'n'Sun Houseboats offers houseboats on the Mississippi from $850 for their smallest boat (a 42-footer) for three days, to $4,400 for their 58-foot houseboat for a week during the high season.

Links

Writer Ethan Watters recounts his various houseboating experiences and mishaps in this nostalgic essay from Outside Traveler magazine.

This article from Raising Arizona Kids is family-focused, but offers a great account of what it's like to explore Lake Powell by houseboat.

A great site, even if you're not planning to rent from them: check out the made-up trip journal to get a good idea of what it's like to rent a houseboat.

Your honeymoon story

Have you done this trip (whether on your honeymoon or other travel)? We'd love to hear about your experience so we can share it with others . . . just drop us a line.

honeymoon ideas

Cost

Links

Your honeymoon story