These are my top picks for high romance for 2012 so go ahead and add these amazing locations to your Love List for cupid days, your honeymoon or just a magical place to escape to with your lover.
Moorea, Tahiti
If you’re looking for somewhere close to home yet with all the exotica of France to romance your true love, then this tiny Tahitian Island will be perfect. Legends of Moorea is a villa resort with your own private balcony, complete with dining area enclosed with floaty cotton curtains and your own cool-water Jacuzzi to soak in the French Polynesian sun.
The resort is set on a hillside overlooking the coral reefs and sparkling ocean with so many shades of blue, it should be framed. A self-contained kitchen means you and your lover need never leave the nest – except to shop at the nearby supermache for supplies or pick up a heat-in-your-room dinner from the resort restaurant. If you do want to come up for air, you can dine in the main restaurant or even walk down the hill across the road to the Intercontinental for a lavish dinner or couples spa treatment.
Read a bunch of my other stories on Tahiti here >>>
More on Moorea here, at Tahiti Tourisme >>>
Desert Nights Camp, Oman
For something a little more honeymoonish or trip-of-a-lifetime, this Bedouin style luxury tent resort in the Wahiba Sands is about two hours drive south of Muscat. It is set in a picturesque valley between two golden sand dunes and will be a memory to last a lifetime.
There are 24 individual chalets with separate lounge/bedroom/bathrooms under a tented roof with a centre pole reminiscent of a circus. On your veranda are colourful woven beanbags to laze in with a glass of wine – that’s if you’re not up on top of the sand dune to capture the amazing sunset. Take dinner under the stars or in the air-conditioned dining room. Tasty cuisine ranges from Arabic and Indian to Chinese and continental. And for a bit of fun you can ride camels or quad bikes and the girls can have henna tattoos.
Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica
This historic art deco hotel is in a brilliant location on the famous Santa Monica waterfront with its extraordinarily wide sandy beach and 100-year old pier. Book a room with an ocean view of the sunset and ask for a bottle of champagne with chocolate-dipped strawberries, and you’ll be set for the night.
Built in 1933, this heritage hotel is unique in Los Angeles and has had many a famous Hollywood star frequent its elegant rooms and lobby bar. Dine on the veranda at the entrance and people-watch while sipping their signature art deco martini the Georgini.
Club Med, Bali
This may not smack of a romantic holiday for only two, but Club Med has moved on from the days of all-in-together group activities to exclusive, all-inclusive resorts. Their Bali property is the flag-ship multi-million dollar revamp of how the new-look Club Meds are rolling out.
Luxurious cabanas are dotted all over the beachfront property at Nusa Dua, a new circular bar has been built beside the swimming pool for all inclusive drinking (except champagne – you’ll need to spring for that for your lover). Three restaurants, a luxury spa and plenty of activities on the water and off will keep you busy if really want to be, plus excursions to far flung villages can be booked if you want to go exploring. And while these are also ‘family resorts’, the success of kids’ clubs means you never see the children!
Royal Livinsgtone, Zambia
The ultimate destination of luxury, love and incredible African charm, this colonial-style hotel is built along the mighty Zambezi River only a kilometre (an easy walk) to Victoria Falls. Expect monkeys to play in the gardens (and in your room if you inadvertently leave your door ajar), zebra to graze on the lawn by the pool at dusk and giraffes to lope through the trees next door.
The Royal Livingstone is set in a national park facing the iconic sunset and with luxurious tents for massage on the river’s edge, followed by dinner under the trees, there is nothing more romantic. As part of the Sun International group, they also actively support several local projects: an orphanage, a hospital for the terminally ill, a local village farm growing produce and more.
The town of Livingstone is 10 km away, named after Dr David Livingstone, the first white man to discover the falls, and while tiny, has an international airport.
Read more (and watch video) on Crazy tourists dive into Victoria Falls >>>