Love nests

It’s never too late for love and soon we’ll be able to reschedule that long-awaited Valentine’s celebration. The Good Hotel Guide knows the country’s best romantic boltholes. Jane Knight selects her favourites...

SHORT HAUL

■■Greece from £1,784pp: save £315pp on a seven night all-inclusive getaway at the four-star Club Med Gregolimano in Evia. Depart Manchester on July 3. clubmed.co.uk 0845 367 6767.

■■Cyprus from £1,259pp: jet away from Newcastle on August 12 for a fortnight on all-inclusive at the four-star Atlantica Oasis Hotel in Limassol. Includes transfers, use code SAVE150. firstchoice.co.uk

■■Greece from £616pp: a seven night half-board stay at the five-star TUI BLUE Insula Alba adults-only hotel in Analipsi, Crete, departs Manchester on July 9. Includes transfers, use code SUMMER100. tui.co.uk

■■Seychelles from £1,939pp: seven nights staying half-board at the five-star Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa comes with flights from Gatwick on selected dates in September and saves up to £950 per couple. travelbag.co.uk 020 7001 4112.

CRUISE

■■British Isles from £681pp: join Sky Princess in Southampton on October 5 for a 10 night round trip itinerary calling at Portland, Cobh, Greenock, Belfast and Liverpool. iglucruise.com 020 3553 3140.

STAYCATION

■■Dorset from £267: save 50% on a four-night, self-catering getaway at Rockley Park, near Poole. Price based on a family of six sharing deluxe accommodation and arriving on June 14. haven.com

■■Cumbria from £645: save £115 on a self-catering week at Hesket House Cottage (sleeps four) in Port Carlisle. For arrival on May 28. sykescottages.co.uk 01244 617683.

STAR BUY LONG HAUL

■■Dubai from £394pp: fly from Southampton on September 15 for an 11-night room-only stay at the downtown five-star AVANI Deira Dubai Hotel. Newcastle, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Aberdeen departures also available. holidaypirates.com.

*Prices correct at time of publication

Yes, it’s set in what was a former convent, but it’s sensuous rather than spartan in this 11-room bolthole with bistro. Little luxuries are everywhere in the striking blue-grey interiors, from the Penhaligon toiletries to the complimentary jar full of cookies in each room. Best of the bunch is the Chapel suite, with stained-glass windows and a roll-top copper bath, but the Mother Superior suites are almost as good.

Some have views of Alnwick Castle, whose ramparts can also be seen from the terraced garden, with its fire pit and cosy cigar shack.

■■ B&B doubles from £165 cookiejaralnwick.com

Jeake’s House, Rye, Sussex

In love but not in the money? Find beams and oodles of atmosphere in this B&B in a 17th-century merchant’s house and adjacent listed buildings.

The best of the 11 bedrooms have four-posters and a roll-top bath – try the Conrad Aiken room, named after the writer who owned the house. Help yourselves to drinks in the theatrical bar or snuggle by the log burner in the parlour. Breakfast is served in the former chapel.

■■B&B doubles from £100 jeakeshouse.com

Portobello Hotel, London

This citadel of Notting Hill bohemia is as decadent as ever, overflowing with exotic fabrics, flamboyant furniture and finds from nearby Portobello market. It’s hard to choose from the eclectic collection of 21 rooms, one with a mural on the wall, another with a Moroccan theme, ranging from cosy attic garret to a spacious suites with a circular bed.

Downstairs lies an honesty bar whenever a toast to love calls, and when you hunger for more than romance, order a sharing plate or snacks in the room. ■■B&B doubles from £250 portobellohotel.com

mirror.co.uk

Peru’s 15th century sanctuary of Machu Picchu is nothing short of extraordinary.

The sprawling citadel built by the Inca civilisation, nearly 8,000ft above sea level, is stepped across dramatic jagged mountain peaks shrouded by swirling mists and wispy clouds. It was abandoned when the Spaniards conquered the Inca Empire in the 16th century and left unknown to the outside world until 1911 when it was discovered by Hiram Bingham.

There are around 200 buildings, ranging from religious to ceremonial and hundreds of architectural terraces.

The city had been meticulously planned with a lower and upper part separated by a large square.

Across its landscape are some of the rarest flora and fauna including orchids and ferns, alongside wildlife including a vast array of birdlife and llamas who bound over the terraces.