Where will you spend Valentine's Day?
Winter 2010
Why not lie back and let your imagination go wild as you plan a day which will take you anywhere in the world at any time of the day with the love of your life.
6.00am: Woken by the sun streaming through the sliding glass of Room 312 in the Sydney Park Hyatt hotel. Roll over and look directly at the Opera House as the sun rises over the sparkling roof, then doze off for another hour or so.
7.00am: Wake again and draw a bath in the all-wood bathroom of Villa 32 at Soneva Gili in The Maldives. Pull back the windows and expose the entire room to the elements then soak in the bath whilst gazing out to the reef beyond.
8.30am: Smoked salmon bagels and eggs benedict for breakfast on the private terrace of Eucalyptus Cottage at San Ysidro near Santa Barbara. JFK and Jackie O married here as did Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. Eucalyptus sits secluded, by the waterfall where the river tumbles down the mountainside.
11.00am: Stroll to the Spa at Parrot Cay on Turks & Caicos. There are no pirates on this Caribbean island – only pampered lovers basking in his and her massages and playing on the powdered porcelain sand beach.
1.00pm: And so to lunch. Bedarra Island sits on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Take a small boat and potter round to your own hidden, private bay. Your solitude might be disturbed by the occasional passing reef shark who will befriend you in return for a bite of your langoustine. At least he’s not after your Bollie but it wouldn’t matter if he were because on this island Bollinger flows more freely than water.
3.00pm: It’s time to shop for those all-important Valentine’s gifts that say, “I love you”. Meander along Rome’s Via Condotti and slip in to La Perla for some sexy underwear. Prada, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Chloe are all conveniently close, interspersed with tiny street cafes to rest your weary wallet.
6.00pm: Back for a bath before sunset in one of the ornate suites of , the beautifully restored fort near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. Another favourite of the stars, Devi Garh was chosen by Liz Hurley for her wedding.
7.30pm: Sit by the crystal clear waters edge and watch the local fishermen secure their tiny fishing boats then return to shore in their even tinier canoes whilst the sun sets over Montenegro. Fini Porat is a small bar / pizzeria in the fishing village of Przno. Sip a G&T, a beer or a glass of local wine – it doesn’t matter which – just sit back and enjoy the moment as the sun disappears behind the distant mountains.
9.00pm: Make sure you reserve a table well in advance at Lonestar, the best restaurant in Barbados. A beach-side table is essential for your perfect romantic dinner. The waves lap against the shore beyond the palms trees, which are lit by flaming torches along the beach. Enjoy fish fresh from the sea in the balmy heat of the evening whilst you stay cool with chilled chardonnay, or more champagne.
11.00pm: After a quiet dinner à deux enjoy a cupid’s eye view of the world from Distil, 64 floors above Bangkok. Kick off your shoes and curl up with a cocktail on one of the super wide sofas, 700 feet in the sky, soothed by ultra cool hypnotic grooves.
1.00am: And so to bed in a plush Bedouin tent at Kasbah Agafay in Morocco. Exhausted and exhilarated, what better way to end your perfect Valentine’s Day?
6.00am: Woken by the sun streaming through the sliding glass of Room 312 in the Sydney Park Hyatt hotel. Roll over and look directly at the Opera House as the sun rises over the sparkling roof, then doze off for another hour or so.
7.00am: Wake again and draw a bath in the all-wood bathroom of Villa 32 at Soneva Gili in The Maldives. Pull back the windows and expose the entire room to the elements then soak in the bath whilst gazing out to the reef beyond.
8.30am: Smoked salmon bagels and eggs benedict for breakfast on the private terrace of Eucalyptus Cottage at San Ysidro near Santa Barbara. JFK and Jackie O married here as did Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. Eucalyptus sits secluded, by the waterfall where the river tumbles down the mountainside.
11.00am: Stroll to the Spa at Parrot Cay on Turks & Caicos. There are no pirates on this Caribbean island – only pampered lovers basking in his and her massages and playing on the powdered porcelain sand beach.
1.00pm: And so to lunch. Bedarra Island sits on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Take a small boat and potter round to your own hidden, private bay. Your solitude might be disturbed by the occasional passing reef shark who will befriend you in return for a bite of your langoustine. At least he’s not after your Bollie but it wouldn’t matter if he were because on this island Bollinger flows more freely than water.
3.00pm: It’s time to shop for those all-important Valentine’s gifts that say, “I love you”. Meander along Rome’s Via Condotti and slip in to La Perla for some sexy underwear. Prada, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Chloe are all conveniently close, interspersed with tiny street cafes to rest your weary wallet.
6.00pm: Back for a bath before sunset in one of the ornate suites of , the beautifully restored fort near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. Another favourite of the stars, Devi Garh was chosen by Liz Hurley for her wedding.
7.30pm: Sit by the crystal clear waters edge and watch the local fishermen secure their tiny fishing boats then return to shore in their even tinier canoes whilst the sun sets over Montenegro. Fini Porat is a small bar / pizzeria in the fishing village of Przno. Sip a G&T, a beer or a glass of local wine – it doesn’t matter which – just sit back and enjoy the moment as the sun disappears behind the distant mountains.
9.00pm: Make sure you reserve a table well in advance at Lonestar, the best restaurant in Barbados. A beach-side table is essential for your perfect romantic dinner. The waves lap against the shore beyond the palms trees, which are lit by flaming torches along the beach. Enjoy fish fresh from the sea in the balmy heat of the evening whilst you stay cool with chilled chardonnay, or more champagne.
11.00pm: After a quiet dinner à deux enjoy a cupid’s eye view of the world from Distil, 64 floors above Bangkok. Kick off your shoes and curl up with a cocktail on one of the super wide sofas, 700 feet in the sky, soothed by ultra cool hypnotic grooves.
1.00am: And so to bed in a plush Bedouin tent at Kasbah Agafay in Morocco. Exhausted and exhilarated, what better way to end your perfect Valentine’s Day?
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
