Top 10 romantic places to vacation
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Where are the most romantic places in the world? Depends on what you’re looking for. Whether your a beach person or a city lover, a hiker or a culture vulture, one of the following destinations is sure to provide the perfect setting for romance to blossom.
It’s better in the Bahamas
(Photo via flickr cc)
Take your one and only to the One and Only Ocean Club on
Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
The beautifully landscaped former private estate features a full-service spa and fitness center, a championship golf course and six tennis courts. This luxury resort delivers champagne and strawberries to your room, where your private private butler can serve it. Eight private spa villas are available with side-by-side massage tables and whirlpool baths for two.
When you get to the resort, you may find that it looks familiar. The One & Only was shown in several scenes in Casino Royale, the 2006 remake of the James Bond film.
Splendor in Big Sur
If your idea of romance includes breathtaking scenery in splendid isolation look no further than The Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California.
Enter your ocean view room, light up the wood-burning fireplace, fill your private spa tub, order room service and enjoy. There are no televisions or alarm clocks to distract you. There are no children at the resort, either, your own or anyone else’s, which makes this hotel a perfect place for couples. You do, however, have a choice of 45 digital music channels if the noise of the surf from your private deck starts to bore you.
Each room at the Post Ranch Inn is unique. The seven Tree Houses are built nine feet off the ground on stilts with a stairway leading to each entrance. The Coast Houses were designed to resemble the nearby redwood trees and offer partial or full ocean views. The Ocean Houses offer amazing ocean views and a two-side fireplace.
The hotel is located on 98 acres, perfect for romantic walks or picnics. A heated pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean is available for swimming. There is also a private massage studio and fitness room, where you can take a variety of classes. You and your significant other can arrange to have a couples massage in your room. Or you can take a couples massage class to learn how to help each other release tension.
Dinner at the Sierra Mar Restaurant features organically grown seasonal ingredients and a menu that changes daily. Every night from 9pm to 10pm guests can observe the stars above Big Sur through a telescope.
The nearest airport is Monterey, about one hour by car. You can rent a car at the airport. Post Ranch Inn is 150 miles south of San Francisco. For more information, visit the hotel’s website at www.postranchinn.com.
Luxury at Lake Como
There’s scarcely a region in Italy unsuitable for romance, but if you want to treat yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime experience, head to the Villa d’Este on Lake Como.
In 1568 Tolomeo Gallio, Cardinal of Como, built the hotel’s main structure, known as the Cardinal’s building, which was owned by a a ballerina, a Napoleonic General and a queen beofre being transformed into a hotel. The entire hotel from the guest rooms to the public rooms are decorated with antique furnishings and works of art. The hotel sits in a 25-acre park with beautiful gardens and an outdoor pool floating on the lake.
There are 125 guest rooms available in the Cardinal’s building. There are also private villas available. A separate structure known as the Queen’s Pavilion has 27 rooms. Every room is air conditioned and features period furniture and oil paintings, linen sheets and silk drapes and upholstery. There is a health club with indoor pool, gym, Turkish bath, sauna, massage and beauty salon. Eights tennis courts are available on the hotel grounds and seven 18-hole golf courses are nearby.
Tranquility in the middle of Waikiki
In the middle of the busiest part of what’s become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world stands the
Halekulani, five acres of tranquility smack dab in the middle of Waikiki.
Ninety percent of the hotel’s 455 rooms face the ocean. Each room features a a separate sitting area and a lanai. The hotel is spread over five buildings that are connected by courtyards and tropical gardens. When you arrive, you won’t stand waiting at the desk to register. Instead, you’re immediately escorted to your room, where your registration is conducted in privacy.
Spa Halekulani offers therapies of the Pacific islands. A heated 46-by-82 foot fresh water pool overlooking Waikiki Beach, known as the Orchid pool features a mosaic at the bottom of a Cattleya orchid, comprised of 1.2 million pieces of imported South African glass tiles.
The hotel sports three restaurants: La Mer, Hawaii’s only five-diamond rated restaurant, offers Neoclassic French cuisine; Orchids was named Hawaii’s number one spot for brunch; and House without a Key, which offers indoor and outdoor dining, features traditional Hawaiian music nightly.
Halekulani is only one of Hawaii’s romantic destinations. See here for more information on romantic Hawaiian hotels and attractions.
Wine and food in Napa Valley
If you’re not in the mood for the beach, but want to experience nature, how about a trip to California’s Napa Valley? Auberge du Soleil, which opened in 1982 as the valley’s first fine-dining restaurant, has become known as one of the best small luxury hotels in the country. It’s like a trip to Provence without the horrific exchange rates.
Perched on a slope overlooking the Valley, the hotel features 50 rooms and suites, each with french doors opening to a terrace with views of a nearby olive grove. For the ultimate in romance, book one of the private cottages, which come with a sunken hot-tub, living room with fireplace and a dining alcove for candlelit dinners.
The inn’s spa is modeled after a centuries-old monastery and features fountains, private gardens and soaking pools.
The poetry of the Lake District
Scenery of a different sort can be found in the UK’s Lake District at the Linthwaite Country House Hotel. The 27-room hotel, set on a hilltop overlooking Lake Windermere and the surrounding Lakeland fells, is probably among the more modest offerings here. But the scenery is the best that money can buy.
An Edwardian gentleman’s home converted into a charming hotel with modern amenities, Linthwaite’s restaurant offers modern British cuisine made from local ingredients. The hotel sits in 14 acres of beautifully maintained gardens and private woodland. Hiking, fishing and sailing are among the activities available.
The English Lake District has always been known for its beauty. The district was made even more famous by literary figures connected with the area, such as Beatrix Potter and poet William Wordsworth whose nearby home is available for touring. The district is home to England’s largest lake and its highest mountain, Scafell Pike.
There’s no place like Paris
If city life is more your thing, how about a trip to the most romantic city in the world? The Hotel de Crillion is situated right on the Place de la Concord, right in the heart of Paris.
This 18th Century building was renovated in Louis XV style by Paris designer Sonia Rykiel. It’s got old world grandeur–hand-painted ceilings, Baccarat crystal chandeliers and marble fireplaces–with all the modern amenities. The hotel has a gym, personal trainer available upon request, spa services and several places to eat. It’s owned by the Tattinger family, makers of the famous champagne so the wines are top notch. The hotel’s 147 guest rooms and suites include a Presidential apartment that’s reportedly so expensive that the cost is only revealed after you’ve confirmed your reservation. If you have to ask you can’t afford it.
Le Crillon’s location couldn’t be better. Across the street is the Faubourg Saint Honore shopping area, all the major museums are nearby and, if you’re lucky. you can see the Eiffel Tower from your bathtub.
A renaissance jewel
A holiday in Dubrovnik, Croatia offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in history or loll along the Adriatic. The place to stay here is Pucic Palace in the walled Old Town. Old Town is known for its beautiful Renaissance palaces and the Pucic, is a fine example.
The 300-year-old palace has been restored with wood-beamed ceilings, wrought-iron balustrades and green marble. The Italian mosaic bathrooms are stocked with Bulgari toiletries and feature freestanding copper-encased baths. The Cafe Royal, with tables facing Gundulic Square, provides a great place to people-watch. In addition, guests can take advantage of a private yacht for hire–a picnic comes with the cruise.
A grand hotel along the grand canal
Perhaps you’d prefer to see the Adriatic from Italy? If that’s the case, the Bauer Hotel on the Grand Canal is the place to stay. The rose-colored lobby features antique panels, Murano-glass chandeliers and a ceramic map of 15th century Venice. Guests can stay in the modern Bauer hotel or at the Bauer Il Palazzo, a boutique hotel in an 18th-century palazzo.
A newly opened spa on Giudecca Island, where the palazzo is located, has eight treatment rooms and offers a variety of services. Guests at the modern hotel can reach the spa by taking a complementary eco-solar shuttle boat to the island. The hotel restaurant, De Pisis, offers intimate gourmet dining, either indoors or on the terrace. The B-Bar has live music in the evenings. The hotel offers 91 guest rooms and 18 suites, furnished with a combination of mid-century modern and Venetian pieces.
Take a bite of the Big Apple
There’s no shortage of things to do in New York City–from the theater to museums to shopping to world-class restaurants–but if you’re staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, you may never want to leave the hotel.
The I.M. Pei-designed building is the city’s tallest hotel with 386 rooms, most with views of Central Park and the city’s skyline. In a city filled with luxury hotels, the Four Seasons stands out. Rooms are soundproofed and feature giant wall-mounted televisions and Bose CD players; there’s a CD and DVD library downstairs. The massive beds are furnished with Frette linen and goose-down pillows. Baths feature large marble soaking tubs that fill in under 60 seconds.
The restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, is small: Just 26 tables, plus 20 counter seats. It’s run by world renowned chef Joël Robuchon, and features a tasting menu that is highly recommended. The spa offers a variety of treatments and services and you can also book private appointments in your room. You can also schedule a one-on-one with a personal trainer, or take a class in the hotel’s fitness center. The Four Seasons is located on East 57th Street, near some of the city’s most exclusive stores including Prada and Bergdorf Goodman.
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