Dream hotels for a romantic holiday
These properties offer the perfect place to connect for Valentine’s Day.
Nothing feels more romantic than checking into a luxury hotel, in a beautiful new location with a partner. Whether its an adults-only hideaway secluded from the rest of the world, a boutique stay in a historic property, or villas built over the ocean, we’re really spoilt for choice. Here’s our pick of some absolute gems for those travelling as a pair.
Borgo Pignano, Tuscany
With rolling hills, vineyards and pretty medieval towns, there’s something endlessly romantic about Tuscany, situated in the heart of Italy. Borgo Pignano, set in a 750-acre organic estate, dates back to the 12th century. A short drive from the hill towns of Volterra and San Gimignano (and in easy reach of Florence and Siena) this five-star hotel is made up of rooms in the tastefully restored main house, which still has a traditional feel, alongside smaller villas and maisonettes.
An infinity pool overlooks the glorious scenery of luscious hills, but the hotel still feels suitably secluded for a romantic getaway – and comes with an in-house Michelin-starred restaurant.
Make like the Romantic period artists drawn to the Tuscan hills and take a private drawing lesson together as part of Borgo Pignano’s art programme (there’s also a huge art collection on site). Alternatively, ride off together into the sunset on a horse-riding excursion in the rural countryside. As an added bonus, the hotel has some impressive eco-credentials – it’s heated on 100% renewable energy made in-house.
Rooms start at £304 (€350) per night based on two adults staying in a villa, on a B&B basis (borgopignano.com).
Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
Jade Mountain brings the outdoors in, making guests feel like they’re in nature – while remaining as luxurious as it gets.
The best rooms are the suites known as ‘sanctuaries’, which have only three walls, ensuring complete privacy from your neighbours but open-air views of the Caribbean Sea, and the jewel of St. Lucia, the Piton Mountains.
Waking up with the fresh air, immersed in nature, guests of the sanctuary rooms can take a dip in their private, in-room infinity pools, before breakfast (in bed, if desired) – it really is a private haven for couples.
Big nature provides an excellent backdrop for romance here – there are no TVs, radios or in-room phones to encourage disconnection from the outside world (and other people).
Indulge in a couple’s massage or another holistic wellness treatment in your own room and embrace farm-to-table dining with a meal made from the hotel’s very own farm, where they grow most of their own ingredients.
Nightly rates start from £1,350 in a Sky Sanctuary on a room-only basis. jademountain.com.
La Valise Tulum, Mexico
On the Riviera Maya, where jungle meets azure shores, Valise Tulum offers suites with spectacular views – many with direct beach access or a private infinity pool. King-size beds are on wheels so that the beds can be rolled out onto private decks, making for an ultra-romantic stay where you can sleep under the stars – and wake up with the sunrise.
Made up of just 11 beachside and 11 jungle-side suites, each with private beach access, a natural cenote, and private plunge pools – they’re all romantic in their own way – the beachfront master suite is perhaps the most unique, comprising a luxury bathtub in the middle of the room and a seven-metre elevated palapa roof.
Take part in a wellness ceremony aimed at couples; the couple’s lunar ceremony, which includes a massage evoking the energy of the moon; and the couple’s fire ceremony, where guests can renew their connection with a cacao massage and exchange of vows.
Rooms at La Valise Tulum start from £399. Visit lavalisetulum.com.
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman
Private beaches and clear seas may be romantic, but for something a little different, Oman offers dramatic landscapes for more adventurous couples. Perched on the majestic Green Mountains, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar claims to be the highest luxury resort in the Middle East – so expect incredible canyon views.
For something truly romantic, couples can enjoy a private dining experience at The Royal Edge, a clifftop platform overlooking the canyon, with dishes served by candlelight. The mountain trails are perfect for quiet sunset strolls, before returning to the hotel for a couple’s treatment at Anantara Spa.
Oman temperatures can be sweltering in coastal areas, but here in the mountains, it stays cool year-round, making it a luxurious base to explore the culture, history and landscape of this extraordinary corner of the country, just two hours from the city of Muscat.
Rooms at Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar start from £300 per night. Visit: anantara.com.
Finolhu, Maldives
A longstanding favourite for couples and honeymooners is the Maldives, with its impeccable white sands to stroll hand-in-hand along, impossibly turquoise water to swim in, and over-water villas.
Finolhu, set within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, offers a night under the stars, entirely away from anyone else. Located on a long, private sandbank, surrounded by the ocean, the ‘Beach Bubble’ stay is the first of its kind in the Maldives archipelago, where couples can sleep out on the sandbank, the ocean lapping beside them, dozing off with the stars above.
First though, as the sun sets, a private chef will prepare a BBQ on the beach, before couples can wake up in the morning with unobstructed views of the Indian Ocean before enjoying another private beach breakfast.
Alternatively, have dinner on Five Degrees North, a wooden platform in the middle of the resort’s tropical lagoon, located five degrees north of the equator.
Rates from approximately £392 per night in a Lagoon Villa on a bed and breakfast basis. The Beach Bubble is from £710 per night for two. Visit finolhu.com.
Words by Lauren Taylor, Press Association
