This was published 15 years ago
World's most romantic getaways: a many splendid fling
Pack your best lingerie and breath mints - here are some of the world's most romantic getaways.
What's your idea of romance? Travel+Leisure has spanned the globe for unique experiences that will put you in just the mood for love.
Secret villages
Otago Peninsula, New Zealand Driving along low-lying Portobello Road, waves lapping at the car tyres, you really feel like you are getting away from it all in this South Island locale.
This area has a ruggedly handsome quality and its diverse landscape, from sheltered coves to wind-pummelled cliffs, is home to myriad local wildlife.
The best-known is the Royal Albatross colony on Taiaroa Head but the cute yellow-eyed penguins at Penguin Place also make a good excuse for a romantic ramble at sunset when the petite sea birds bravely battle their way onshore. For the ultimate getaway accommodation, stay at Kaimata Retreat (kaimatanz.com; doubles from $315), an amazing lodge hewn from local timbers and perched high above the Papanui Inlet. Snuggle next to the central fireplace, play a game, read a book or search for seals on the rocks below.
Chassignolles, France Lost at a head-clearing elevation of more than 900 metres in the Livradois-Forez, France's largest national park, 30 kilometres south-west of Lyons, Chassignolles invites long, extravagantly lazy days spent communing with cows, admiring the accidental land art created by a farmer with some hay bales and stopping to smell the rock roses that fringe the lanes.
There is only one place to stay: Auberge de Chassignolles (Le Bourg; aubergedechassignolles.com; doubles from $90; dinner for two $68). The eight rooms are basic but the views are ravishing, either of the village's 12th-century church or the surrounding wildflower meadows. The English chef-owner Harry Lester, an early and important crusader in the gastropub campaign, will be chalking his menu board with dandelion-and-marigold salad, a citrusy fresh goat cheese and a cherry-and-almond tart.
Urban retreats
Istanbul, Turkey Open-air restaurants, crowded bazaars and a swoon-inducing location on the Bosporus - this is a city made for wandering. You'll find Istanbul at its most alluring in the quaint neighbourhoods on the European side of the strait. For lunch, try the sea-bass sandwiches at Mangerie (69 Cevdetpasa Caddesi; +90 212 263 5199, lunch for two $85), a rooftop spot in the Bebek district.
In the waterside Arnavutkoy area, Dilara Erbay dishes up grilled fish at Abracadabra (50/1 Arnavutkoy Caddesi; +90 212 358 6087, dinner for two $120), housed in a wooden mansion. The nearby Rumeli Hisari fortress has panoramic views of the strait, making for a picturesque detour. After dark, there's Anjelique (5 Salhane Sokak), a sultry waterside club set against the glowing Baroque Ortakoy Mosque. Take your pick of the new hotels, including the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus (28 Ciragan Caddesi; +90 212 381 4000; doubles from $850), in a breathtaking 19th-century palace.
Buenos Aires, Argentina Though its grand boulevards and Belle Epoque-style palaces give Buenos Aires a genteel air, underneath lies an unmistakably bohemian heart. Nowhere is this more apparent than in up-and-coming San Telmo, famous for its Sunday antiques market.
Along the narrow cobblestone streets, faded mansions have been transformed into hotels, such as the sweet Cocker (458 Juan de Garay; thecocker.com; doubles from $155) and the loft-style Moreno Buenos Aires (376 Moreno; morenobuenosaires.com; doubles from $160).
Restaurants run the gamut from the innovative La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar (865 Bolivar; +54 11 4361 4709; tapas for two $125), where chef Alejandro Digilio plays with foams and candied lacquering in his pint-size space, to old-school parrillas (grills) like Desnivel (858 Defensa; +54 11 4300 9081; dinner for two $38). This is prime tango territory and if you can't make a show at the sultry Bar Sur (299 Estados Unidos; +54 11 4362 6086), catch a mini-performance in the windows of one of San Telmo's many dance schools.
On the waterfront
Bali This is a land of impossible beauty: wide beaches, elaborate Hindu temples and terraced rice paddies unfolding in a checkerboard against the mountains. The resorts here are tailor-made for escaping into the landscape; among them is the five-month-old St Regis Bali Resort (Kawasan Pariwisata, Nusa Dua; stregis.com; doubles from $700), where villas open onto private pools, a blue-tinged lagoon and Nusa Dua's white-sand beach.
On nearby Jimbaran Beach, order lobster, shrimp or squid grilled over coconut husks at Jimbaran Fish Grills (lunch for two $30). Afterward, continue to the southernmost point of the island's Bukit Peninsula for the views from one of Bali's most sacred temples, Pura Luhur Uluwatu, which sits commandingly atop a plunging cliff.
Patmos, Greece Just 36 square kilometres, the tiny island of Patmos in the Dodecanese archipelago is only accessible by boat. From the port town of Skala, head to Chora, a walled hilltop village that's a maze of interlinked courtyards, chapels and whitewashed mansions - one of which serves as the town's only hotel.
At the 17th-century Archontariki (archontariki-patmos.gr; doubles from $395) you'll find six modern rustic suites with stone archways, teak furniture and private rooftop terraces overlooking the Aegean Sea. Patmos has countless hidden coves and deserted beaches along its jigsaw coastline. Don't miss a stroll on secluded Diakofti Beach - then try the fried zucchini balls at the shorefront food stand. At dusk, make your way to Benetos (+30 22470 33089; dinner for two $77), on the edge of Sapsila Bay, for fish dishes such as herb-crusted seared tuna with wasabi and seaweed.
Desert getaways
Fez, Morocco Though often overshadowed by Marrakesh, its fashionable neighbour to the south, this medieval city is the real soul of Morocco. And with new boutique hotels opening in restored riads and dars, Fez is quietly coming into its own. Housed in a 17th-century palace, Riad Laaroussa (3 Derb Bechara; riad-laaroussa.com; doubles from about $300) has seven suites with mosaic floors and antique Fassi furniture, all looking out on an orange-tree-shaded courtyard.
At Dar Roumana (30 Derb el Amer, Zkak Roumane; darroumana.com; doubles from about $170), a century-old manse on a hillside, you can take Moroccan cooking lessons. Within the city's crumbling walls, 30,000 artisans fill the streets, brandishing everything from exquisite tiles to hand-worked leathergoods.
San Camp, Botswana The middle of nowhere one of the sexiest places on earth? Only in Africa - the stark Makgadikgadi Pans in northeastern Botswana, to be precise. The Uncharted Africa Safari Company's legendary San Camp (+27 11 447 1605; doubles from about $3040), which opened in 1994 and is a favourite of safari enthusiasts, has been completely updated.
The tented main lodge is now far more roomy and luxurious, without sacrificing a shred of the original San's sensual charms: extra-long chaise longues in buttery leather; swing beds big enough for two. On the perimeter, six very private white-canvas tents are appointed with tall four-poster beds and hand-woven textiles. If you want to see more of Botswana, Uncharted Africa arranges multi-day safaris through the Okavango Delta, where zebras and cheetahs roam along dried floodplains, and the Western Kalahari lands of the Bushmen.
Mountain hideaways
Telluride, Colorado Snowcapped mountains surround this mining-village-turned-ski-resort, where the scent of pine fills the air. Its streets are lined with 19th-century gingerbread houses and family-run shops.
At Honga's Lotus Petal, home to the town's best apres-ski scene, bartender Sean Garatt mixes potent mojitos. For an intimate dinner, reserve a table at La Marmotte (150 West San Juan Avenue; +1 970 728 6232, dinner for two $130), a 125-year-old former icehouse.
Book one of the new hotels in nearby Mountain Village; the easiest way to get there is by gondola, especially atmospheric at dusk, when the valley lights up from the glow of streetlights. At Lumiere (118 Lost Creek Lane; lumierehotels.com; doubles from $319), all residences and penthouses come with a fireplace and oversize soaking tub.
Or consider the 100-room Capella Telluride (568 Mountain Village Boulevard; capellatelluride.com; doubles from $295), set to open this month.
Kenya Part of the romance of the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club (fairmont.com/kenyasafariclub; doubles from $370) is its history as an international haunt for Hollywood's A-list. Created by actor William Holden in the 1960s, this once-private members' club became so popular as a getaway that Holden set up a studio in the grounds to shoot African-based epics. Stephanie Powers and John Hurt still have adjacent properties.
The Mountain View Bar and Lounge, which has seen more parties than most of us have had hot breakfasts, has the added thrill of being situated precisely on the equator so you can choose which hemisphere to imbibe your tipple. For a memorable start to the day, take a horse ride to the base of the mountain past albino zebras to a multi-course breakfast.
Edited by Clark Mitchell and Clara Sedlak
For the full list of Travel+Leisure's top 20 romantic escapes, visit travelandleisure.com.au.
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