Valentine's Day travel: Romantic breaks you’ll both adore
IMPRESS your loved one in Leap Year with an extraordinary trip for Valentine’s and beyond.
❤ That’s amore
Set in the heart of Valle D’Itria in Italy, Villa Trulli Isabella has a private heated outdoor pool, perfect for sunset swims. Couples can enjoy intimate dinners in the gazebo-covered dining area, pick their own herbs from the garden and enjoy aperitivos while overlooking the Pugliese countryside. It’s just 15 minutes from Martina Franca, where there are excellent weekly markets.
● From £281pppw. villaplus.com
❤ Ice ice baby
Combine a winter city break with adrenaline-fuelled activities in Swedish Lapland. Starting with two nights at The Grand Hotel Stockholm, then fly to Kiruna for a sleepover in the famous Icehotel, followed by husky sledding. Guests continue to Pine Bay Lodge, on the coast of the Luleå archipelago. Here, adventurers can speed across the frozen lake on a hovercraft or snowmobile. Final stop is The Tree Hotel to stay in a treehouse, visit a Sami village and enjoy dinner in a heated tipi on a frozen lake.
● From £2,900pp including hotels, experiences, transfers and flights. scottdunn.com, 020 8682 5030
❤ Love is in the air
Jet off on a scenic aerial adventure with Wingly private plane and helicopter tours. Date ideas include a Champagne sunset flight for two over London in a Cessna 172, or to the south coast and the Isle of Wight from £83pp. Or view the film set of Downton Abbey from the sky, taking in the North Wessex Downs and Highclere Castle, with a lunch-stop in the Cotswolds from £102pp.
❤ Fall in love in the Forest
If you go down to the woods today, Forest Holidays’ 10 rural retreats around the UK will provide the romance. In Golden Oak cabins, robes are waiting in the en-suite and a private hot tub is bubbling on the decking. Book an in-room spa treatment, order in zz and chocolates, then chill with movies on-demand. If you have to take the kids, there are activities including cycling, archery and walks.
● Book by February 3 for 15 per cent off. Three nights from £790. forestholidays.co.uk
❤ Beach Bliss
Cuddle up with your loved one to watch the sunsets and the storms at Tolcarne Beach Village, a collection of beach huts and a boutique hotel on the sands in Newquay, styled to re ect their wild surroundings. Facilities include a surf school, beauty treatments, restaurant, private boat tours and airport transport in the village’s original 1920s convertible Bentley. ●Two-nightValentine’s deal from £295pp includes breakfast, dinner, owers, prosecco and chocolates.
❤ Sweetie, darling
If your Valentine is a chocolate lover, check out the offerings on Princess Cruises - the Willy Wonka of the cruise industry. Its Chocolate Journeys partnership with chocolatier, Norman Love, offer exquisite desserts on board, chocolate-flavoured cocktails and wine and chocolate pairing. If you want to smell like a candy bar, indulge in a chocolate body treatment in the Lotus Spa.
● Seven-night Aegean and Mediterranean fly-cruise on Enchanted Princess departing August 22 from £1,599, including meals, entertainment and flights. princess.com
❤ Going Dutch
Dazzle your date with design at the award-wining Generator Amsterdam, a former zoological university building-turned hipster hotel overlooking Oosterpark. Featuring a café adorned with wall graphics by local artists, a multi-level former lecture hall converted into a chill-out lounge and a secret basement bar, it’s perfect for pairs seeking a stylish and affordable break in the heart of Amsterdam’s social scene.
● King room from £83pn. Sky suite from £157pn. staygenerator.com
❤ Grand gesture
Treat your beloved to a romantic break in a historic house. Brimming with period charm, the Hand Picked collection is a group of 19 heritage hotels set in acres of grounds. Properties include Stanbrook Abbey Hotel, Worcester, Crathorne Hall Hotel, North Yorkshire, and New Hall Hotel and Spa in Sutton Coldfield. Romantic Getaway packages include Champagne, chocolates, dinner, breakfast and late-check out.
● From £174 per room. handpickedhotels.co.uk
❤ Hidden depths
The Hidden Lodge is a converted barn tucked away among the hills of Yealm Valley, Devon.
Dating back more than 200 years, the renovated property retains its character with stone walls, wooden beams and a spectacular solid oak and glass staircase. Set in four acres of grounds, it has its own fishing lake and cedarwood hot-tub.
● From £995pw in February. thewowhousecompany.co.uk, 01242 220006
❤ J’adore, mon amour
With its half-timbered houses, criss-crossing canals and UNESCO-recognised Old Town, Strasbourg is perhaps France’s most romantic city - and the perfect backdrop for hosting the Mon Amour Festival, a 10-day celebration of lurve from February 7 featuring concerts, gourmet dinners, pop-up bars and exhibitions.
● From £449pp for four nights’ B&B at the Hotel Regent Contades and first class rail from London to Strasbourg. planetrail.co.uk, 01347 82 52 92
❤ NYC for lovers and haters
Single or loved-up, New York City’s Moxy Chelsea has got you covered. With the Floral Filled Valentine’s Day package, a room filled with roses, Moxy candles, chocolate-covered pretzels and a bottle of bubbly awaits. Alternatively, single guests can go for the Anti-Valentine’s Day package, with food at Feroce Bocce and Pizza and entry to Bar Feroce’s exclusive game night with the chance to “shred their ex” on a dartboard in exchange for a shot at the bar.
● Both packages from £167pn. moxychelsea.com
❤ Sail into the good books
For a truly opulent cruising experience at a surprisingly low price is Cunard Line’s two-night Southampton to Hamburg cruise on Queen Mary 2. Following its stylish refurbishment in 2016, QM2 feels like a ve-star hotel.Taking guests back to the golden age of travel, you can dress for dinner, walk the promenade deck and dance in the Queens Room.
● From £299pp including meals, entertainment, sparkling wine on arrival. Sets sail July 13. Flight back to UK from Hamburg. cruisecritic.co.uk
❤ Undying love
Romance your beau with a clear conscience at Bournemouth’s award-winningThe Green House Hotel.A stone’s throw from the beach, the 32-room Grade IIVictorian villa was developed on sustainable principles – from the building materials to the beehives on the roof.The wallpaper, designed by students at London’s Central St Martins, was printed on FSC paper using vegetable inks. Electricity is mostly produced on-site.Try imaginative, locally sourced, organic food in the restaurant.
● From £99pn. thegreenhousehotel.co.uk