Places of the heart

Romantic destinations around the world

by PETER GREENBERG

Romance is where you make it, I have heard it said, but it never hurts to have a little help with the right ambience. Here are a few of my favourites.

Fiji

Just the phrase “South Pacific” evokes romance. And Fiji, with 333 islands, offers an abundance. In Fiji, it’s not about day-to-day deadlines, but about celebrating time together. Time to discover secluded palm-fringed beaches, intimate thatch-roofed resorts and glittering, clear Pacific waters. Time to share a kiss under one of the many waterfalls. Time to treat yourselves to a Sunday church service, where you’ll be gently serenaded with some of the most beautiful a cappella harmonies you’ll ever hear.

Saint Lucia

The teardrop-shaped island of Saint Lucia is a picture-perfect blending of coconut-laden palms, secluded sandy coves, waterfalls, romantic sunset cruises and the pastel gingerbreadstyle buildings in the island’s capital, Castries. Have a toes-in-the-soft-sand wedding or an intimate mountainside ceremony. For a truly sensuous experience, head for the Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano for a do-it-yourself mud bath at Sulphur Springs Park, then rinse off together under a waterfall.

End your perfect day with a tiki torch–lit romantic dinner on a private deck overlooking the water at Rock Maison, where Champagne is delivered on a zip line from the hotel above.

Paris

Paris is where you fall in love, profess your love and, years later, reclaim and reaffirm your love. You linger in intimate cafés, walk through little alleyways, stroll along the Seine at night, as Paris’ landmarks seem magically lit. Have a drink at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, hop on a small bateau mouche for a sunset cruise on the Seine. Visit Le mur des je t’aime (The I Love You Wall) in the small Jehan-Rictus Garden in Montmartre, where tiles spell out the phrase of endearment in more than 300 languages.

Romantic reflection in Paris
© EKATERINA POKROVSKY

Napa Valley

Napa Valley, California, is all about savouring life, which makes it a great place for a wedding or honeymoon. The 48-kilometre-long valley is a tapestry of vineyards, Michelin-starred restaurants and award-winning wineries, making Napa a feast for the senses. And love is in the air—literally—when you and your partner take in the natural beauty of the region’s rolling hills with a hot-air balloon ride.

a couple holding a glass of wine sitting in a field

New York City

There are endless romantic things to do in the city that never sleeps. Rent a boat at the Lake of Central Park. Wander the gardens of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and explore the magical glass-domed conservatory built in 1902. In summer, have a romantic picnic dinner-and-a-movie date in Bryant Park, a green oasis behind the beaux-arts New York Public Library. Inspired to read poetry to your sweetheart? Borrow a book from the library carts scattered around the park. And then, cross the East River to Brooklyn Heights and stroll along the tree-lined riverside promenade with stunning views of Manhattan.

Love on the water

River cruising is all about intimacy. Small ships allow you to, literally, just go with the flow, drifting by the constantly changing scenery in hand-holding bliss as you share an intimate perspective of romantic destinations from Italy and France to Germany and the Netherlands. Although river cruising first gained popularity in Europe, there are exotic cruises on rivers on several other continents as well, from the Peruvian Amazon to the Nile, the Ganges and the Mekong.—PG

HANDE BAYAR

Peter Greenberg is the multiple–Emmy Award–winning travel editor for CBS News and host of The Travel Detective on public television (petergreenberg.com).

Costco Connection: Costco Travel offers vacation packages, as well as cruises, car rentals and hotel-only options for destinations in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. To learn more, visit CostcoTravel.ca or call 1-855-863-0357.