Melania Trump's Honeymoon Destination After Marrying Donald Was Surprisingly Underwhelming

With all the money and access that the Trumps have, it's safe to say that they could vacation anywhere they'd like. So, for the honeymoon that followed their lavish 2005 nuptials, one would expect that the couple jetted off to some far-flung location that most people can only dream about. But in reality, Donald and Melania Trump's honeymoon destination was underwhelming because they didn't go anywhere at all. They tied the knot at Donald's exclusive beach club, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, and there they stayed for the week or so following their wedding before flying back to Trump Tower in New York City. 

"We stayed in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach," the POTUS told the titular host of "Larry King Live" at the time. "Somebody said, 'Where are you going for the honeymoon?' And our attitude was, why would we leave Palm Beach with the most beautiful — you know they don't call it Palm Beach for no reason. We have the most beautiful palm trees, right? So why are we going to leave our gorgeous, beautiful house called Mar-a-Lago and venture out into some tropical island where things aren't clean?" He confirmed his logic while speaking to the New York Post just after the wedding: "I don't want to go anywhere else because this is the best place to be." 

To each their own, and it's understandable that you'd want to have the most relaxing honeymoon possible when your wedding was a spectacle complete with Getty photographers, brand endorsements, and members of the public lining the streets to get a good view. Several A-listers were also in attendance at Donald and Melania Trump's wedding (and many made our worst-dressed list). Still, with all the gorgeous destinations on the globe, we probably would have taken off for the Maldives, Bora Bora, or a luxury resort in Kenya given the chance. 

If you'd rather spend your honeymoon at a residence where you live some of the time anyway, then it must be pretty spectacular. And to be fair, Mar-a-Lago has its perks. Home to an exclusive beach resort and golf course, the property spans 17 acres, with the mansion itself where Donald and Melania Trump honeymooned sprawling across more than 62,000 square feet. So, while Mar-a-Lago might not be the most exciting place, the newlyweds were hardly roughing it. Picking your perfect honeymoon destination just got a lot easier if staying home is a contender!

Donald purchased the estate in 1985 as a private residence, but it ended up costing him too much to maintain (around $3 million every year), so he developed it into a members club that could charge fees. And it's remained an important part of the Trump family since then. Mar-a-Lago served as the location for the nuptials of Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany Trump, and will almost certainly be a venue contender for Barron Trump if he ever ties the knot. 

The family holds celebrations there, from Thanksgiving to Easter, and Donald has also held press conferences there as POTUS. Mar-a-Lago serves as a refuge for Melania, in particular, who routinely stayed there for long periods during her husband's first term as president. When the property was raided by the FBI in 2022 as part of an investigation into certain documents that the president allegedly brought with him from Washington, the FLOTUS told the press that she was "angry" about the "invasion of privacy" (via The Hill). The idea of not going anywhere for your honeymoon might sound like a letdown, but it's clearly one of Melania's happy places, even after all these years. Now, check out the red flags in Melania and Donald Trump's marriage that have popped up in the years since their honeymoon.