Sophisticated dining, to-die-for shopping and luxurious spas are what make city honeymoons stand out. Rachael Oakes-Ash scours five of B2B's favourite cities for the best spots to sleep, eat and shop!

Hong Kong

Hong Kong inspires desire. This 24-7 city believes in the best of everything and indulgence is its middle name. The best of Asia's dining, shopping, day spas, clubs and hotels are found in this city of seven million. Whether it's trekking the Dragon Back parkland, kayaking the outer islands or quaffing champagne on a Victoria Harbour cruise, Hong Kong will fulfil all your big city dreams. The city is divided between the central island and Kowloon on the mainland. Wherever you stay make sure it's near the water - the nightly laser light show is an event unto itself.

Sleep over

• Kowloon - The InterContinental looks back across the water at the city skyline, has a rooftop spa and pool with equally fabulous views and is home to Spoon, an Alain Ducasse restaurant. www.intercontinental.com.hk
• Central - The Landmark Mandarin Oriental may not have the water views of the seriously swanky Four Seasons but it has one of the best spas in the city. Two floors of pure princess pampering. Add hi-tech suites with floor-to-ceiling glass and a decadent bathtub built for two. Room service? www.mandarinoriental.com

Chow down

• Yum yum cha - Maxims at Star Ferry terminal serves up daily dim sum with a grand view and mammoth dining room. www.maxims.com.hk
• Traditional twist - Hutong serves modern Peking cuisine and views forever. www.aqua.com.hk
• Love, love me do - Toscana at the Ritz Carlton is old school dining, Italian style. It's tres plush so mind your P's and Q's. www.ritzcarlton.com

Charge It - It's rude not to bring your credit card to Hong Kong. Be warned, you'll use it. London favourite Harvey Nichols opened last year and Shanghai Tang is worth a visit for the Ginger Flower scent alone. Add high-end IFC, Chater House, Pacific Place, the outlet stores of Wan Chai and antique shopping on Hollywood Road for major retail therapy.

Time Out - The Plateau at the Grand Hyatt is a residential spa - book into a spa suite overnight for in-room treatments. Mere mortals can visit by day and experience the magic hands of the beauty therapists, spa cuisine on the terrace and a sauna with a harbour view. www.plateau.com.hk

Getting There - Virgin Atlantic flies to Hong Kong from Sydney. www.virginatlantic.com.au

Quintessentials

• Take the Star Ferry from Central to Kowloon and back again - it's romantic, takes less than 10 minutes one way and costs under a dollar return.
• Tram it to the Peak for a mountain top view of the city below. www.thepeak.com.hk
• Order up seafood at Lantau Island for an afternoon in the sun.
• High tea is a must at the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon - eat twee cakes and sandwiches and sip tea from fine bone China. www.peninsula.com Or, for a more Cantonese-style, head to Langham in Mongkok for Oriental High Tea served in sweet Chinese drawers. www.langhamhotels.com

Melbourne

Melbourne's back lane culture is just built for romance. All those hidden laneways where lovers can steal a kiss and share a moment. Australia's gourmet capital has something for all the senses especially taste - it boasts 70,000 restaurant seats within a five kilometre radius of the CBD. Wander the laneways for morning coffee, afternoon tea, pre-dinner cocktails, tapas, Greek, and degustation dining then dance it off in a smooth basement bar.

Sleep over

• The best service in town is found at the riverfront Langham Hotel. Nothing is a problem and beds are built to lose yourself in. www.langhamhotels.com
• Funky folk bed down at Hotel Lindrum with its clubby billiard room, cigar bar and pillow menu. www.selecthotels.com.au
• Lovers of design choose The Prince in St Kilda with its Aesop bath products, clean lines and Circa Restaurant. www.luxehotels.com

Chow down

• Latino love - Step into Movida and you'll think you're in Madrid with its eclectic decor, cheeky service and tapas by the plate. Book early as there is a queue on Friday nights just for the bar. www.movida.com.au
• Glamorama - Frock up and head to Taxi Dining Room with its disco glam lighting, Pirelli rubber floors and DJ mixing dining tunes. Australian Japanese fusion with the best view in Melbourne. www.transporthotel.com.au
• Dining with a conscience - The city's first 'veg-aquarian' restaurant, SOS, serves up Italian-style vegetable dishes and ethically harvested seafood meaning no ocean floor was damaged and no ocean over farmed. It sounds more earnest than it is though, and the cocktails are seriously worthwhile. www.sosmelbourne.com.au

Charge It - Start at Flinders Lane for cutting edge Melbourne designers then head up to GPO, QV, Melbourne Central, Little Bourke Street and Little Collins Street. By now you'll need a porter to carry all those bags home.

Time Out - You don't get better than the rooftop Aurora Day Spa at the Prince Hotel in St Kilda. Couples treatments, all-day pampering, pick-me-ups, polish ups and rub downs - it's all here so don't even think of lifting a manicured finger. www.aurorasparetreat.com

Getting There - Virgin Blue flies to Melbourne daily from all capital cities. www.virginblue.com.au

Quintessentials

• St Kilda's Acland Street for cakes.
• Lygon Street for coffee Italian-style.
• Chapel Street for people watching and Greville Street for quirky shopping.
• Catch an AFL match, the prefered game of the Victorian people.
• Play blackjack at the city's Crown Casino or take in a show.

Paris

French kissing was named after, well, the French so they must know a thing or two about romance. Peruse the cobbled laneways of Paris and marvel at the art, architecture and style and you'll understand why Paris is a honeymoon fave.

Spots to smooch are plenty: a bridge crossing the Seine, the Champs Elysee, beneath the Eiffel Tower, at the Arc de Triomphe, outside the Louvre, inside the Pompidou Centre, at a cafe table sipping Pastis and then again on the flight home.

Sleep over - Sofitel Scribe was featured in The Devil Wears Prada and is in the heart of Paris, close to the Opera Garnier but more importantly, close to Les Galeries Lafayette for fabulous French shopping. The Louvre is a mere kilometre away and the Champs Elysees just two. The Scribe is pure Parisienne chic with interiors by darling designer Jacques Grange. Add two restaurants and spa and ooh la la. www.sofitel.com

Chow down

• Brasserie Dahlink - La Bofinger is a classic brasserie: Think stained glass domes, banquettes, mirrors and a sweeping staircase. www.bofingerparis.com
• Buzz buzz - Spoon, Food and Wine on the Champs Elysee is filled to the brim with French media types ho'ing into Michelin three star chef, Alain Ducasse's take on global dining. www.spoon.tm.fr
• Sod the mortgage - A table on the terrace at the Restaurant de Palais Royal guarantees a night of loving. +33 1 4020 0027

Charge It - Three words: Le Bonne Marche. It's arguably the world's best department store and a mere hop, skip and a Parisian jump from L'Hotel on the Left Bank. The Champs Elysee is a must for cliched designer window shopping, Paris style. Haute Couleur is found at By Terry in St Germain de Pres, where YSL's former director of make-up, Terry de Gunzburg mixes up colours just for you. +33 1 46 3400 36

Time Out - Anne Semonin's combination of seaweed, essential oils and plant based products is sought after by French socialites and those seeking a jetlag cure. Facials are all about lavender, ginger, lemongrass and the like, and leave you smelling of Paris in the Spring. www.annesemonin.com

Getting There - Emirates flies to Paris via Dubai ex Sydney and Melbourne. www.emirates.com

Quintessentials

• Visit the Puces de Saint-Ouen, the world's largest flea market.
• Hot chocolate at Angelina's. Coco Chanel, Proust and George V have all frequented Angelina's chocolate haven, founded in 1903. www.angelina.fr
• Take in a show at the Moulin Rouge and a side trip to the Musee de l'erotisme, a multi-storied exhibition dedicated to the art of erotica.
• Spend a day with the masters at the Louvre, arguably the world's best art gallery.
• The Eiffel Tower - climb it if you don't mind the queues, take a snap from below if you do.

New York

Harry met Sally in New York City, Cary Grant searched for Deborah Kerr at the top of the Empire State Building in 'An Affair to Remember' and Big romanced Carrie in a horse drawn carriage in Central Park. The Big Apple delivers the goods when it comes to city honeymoons, from Broadway shows to celebrity dining in the Meatpacking district to a free trip on the Staten Island Ferry with a bird's eye view of the Statue of Liberty.

Sleep Over - SoHo House in the Meatpacking district sports it's own rooftop pool for after hour dips, a private cinema, Cowshed Spa and a cool restaurant. Think Swarovski crystal chandeliers, mammoth sofas and sunglass- clad famous folk. At 29-35 Ninth Avenue. www.sohohouseny.com

Chow Down

• Recline and Dine - Go to BED, literally, at this reclining restaurant. Guests eat on cushioned platforms draped with muslin, wearing BED slippers, with a skyline view. 530 West 27th Street www.bedny.com
• Princess perfection - Feed your inner girl (and boy) at Magnolia Bakery, Charlotte from Sex and the City's favourite cake place. Cupcake heaven. 401 Bleeker Street
• Tell me you love me - Casa la Femme is Casablanca in New York. Middle Eastern cuisine served up in tented private dining cubicles and loaded up with candles. Play it again, Sam. 1076 1St Avenue, New York. +1 212 505 0005

Charge It

• Home to the world's best department stores, New Yorkers with style shop at Barneys for the shoes alone. Hubby can peruse Barneys for Men next door. www.barneys.com
• Head downtown to SoHo and neighbouring NoLita where the streets are lined with to-die-for boutiques. (Don't miss the Rem Koolhaas-designed Prada store.) For eclectic housewares and luxe linens in an eccentric 19th century warehouse setting, visit ABC Carpet and Home at 888 Broadway. www.abchome.com

Getting There - Air Tahiti Nui flies direct to New York City via Papeete, Tahiti. www.airtahitinui.com

Quintessentials

• Set a date for the top of the Empire State Building. Tickets are US$18 and can be purchased online www.esbnyc.com
• Take a horse and carriage ride at dusk around Central Park. You'll find the fillies and steeds on 59th St. Should set you back US$35.
• The exterior of the Guggenheim Museum is under wraps for restoration until the end of 2007 but the art inside is still on view. Plus art lovers can rest easy: The Museum of Modern Art reopened last year. 11 West 53rd St.
• Don your ice skates at Rockefeller Centre for some Torvill and Dean action. www.rockefellercentre.com

Shanghai

Enter Shanghai and be dazzled by the futuristic skyscrapers: from the disco hypodermic needle known as the Pearl TV Tower to the Sofitel Pudong with its circular space ship that has landed on the top, this city of more than 20 million is moving ahead, fast.

The city of old Shanghai can still be found in the French quarter and down on the Bund, the original riverside boulevard that housed the first colonial financial institutions from Britain and Europe. There's an exciting blend of old and new, east and west in today's Shanghai. Witness the Shanghai skyline after dark with its coloured lights and cruising river boats while dining on fusion cuisine and wonder what took you so long.

Sleep Over - Sofitel Hyland sits on Shanghai's number one shopping destination, Nanjing Road, so it's not far to carry your bags. Book into a club room for exclusive access to the club lounge and free canapes and drinks daily. 505 Nanjing Road East. www.sofitel.com

Chow Down

• Just the two of us - Perhaps the world's most romantic dining destination, Cupola is a dining destination for two. With private butler and a riverside view across the Bund, Cupola boasts an average of two marriage proposals a week. Tom took Katie here when in Shanghai to launch Mission Impossible, Samuel L. Jackson has been here too. Seriously private dining. www.threeonthebund.com
• Taste of Australia - Michelle Garnaut is an Australian ex-pat with a flare for hospitality. M on the Bund has one of the best terraces in Shanghai and a menu to match. The Glamour Bar on the floor below is home to the annual Shanghai Literary Festival and is a stylish space for those wanting to sip cocktails after dark. www.m-restaurantgroup.com
• Fine dining - Degustation dining is at Laris where the rich folk play so bring your credit card. Fresh contemporary cuisine with an inner sanctum, The Vault, for cocktails. Delish homemade chocolates come with the bill. www.threeonthebund.com

Charge It - Shanghai is shopping. Peruse the antique markets for some dynasty retail. If you prefer fakes to real then beware, the city's infamous copy market closed down. You can still find high-end copies on the ground floor at 'The Pearl Centre' where Ferragamo, Chanel, Gucci, Prada and their faux friends can be found in bags and sunnies.

Time Out - Evian Day Spa is a must when in Shanghai. The first of its kind outside France, recline on white leather chairs and sip ginseng tea while waiting to be pummelled and pampered. www.threeonthebund.com

Getting There - Qantas flies direct to Shanghai from Sydney and Melbourne daily. www.qantas.com.au

Quintessentials

• Xin Tian Di for night life. Two blocks of restaurants, shops and bars filled with city suits and well shod girls. www.xintiandi.com
• The Shanghai Museum is a must-see for an impressive collection of ancient ceramics, calligraphy and Chinese history. www.shanghaimuseum.net
• Catch an opera at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, a building that when viewed from above resembles five blossoming petals. www.shoac.com.cn

Photography (shown in accompanying gallery): WM Patrick Cranley, David Shen, Charlie Xia, Greg Girard, Andrew Loiterton, Adrian Bradshaw