ROMANTIC RETREATS Follow your heart, fall in love
Roaming through Provence Enchanting hilltop villages (and an endless supply of rosé) make the South of France the perfect place for a glamorous summer road trip from Nice to Aix-en-Provence via Grasse, Gordes, Arles and Avignon. Is there anything more idyllic than driving through rolling fields of lavender and sunflowers with the roof down and your lover by your side? Chic pit stops include Villa Baulieu, La Mirande and Baumanière les Baux de Provence, which has a Michelin-starred restaurant. www.villabaulieu.com; www.la-mirande.fr; www.beaumaniere.com
Sailing at sun set on Lake Como With impeccably manicured gardens and sumptuous interiors, it’s not hard to see why Villa d’Este on Lake Como is beloved of George and Amal Clooney, who own a mansion nearby. You can catch a glimpse of their home on a sunset cruise aboard the hotel’s private vaporina, an elegant wooden boat that offers unparalleled views of the historic waterside villas. www.villadeste.com
A Maltese fairy-tale palace Fronted by painted wooden balconies known as galla riji, the 13-room Palazzo Consiglia offers dreamy boutique accommodation in the heart of Malta’s capital, Valletta. www.palazzoconsiglia.com
The Black Pearl of the Mediterranean The volcanic Italian island of Pantelleria provided a dramatic backdrop of dark rocks, natural hot springs and mud pools to the film A Bigger Splash, starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson. You’ll also find enticing scenes at Sikelia, a nearby 20-suite hideaway that sits high on a hill and produces award-winning wine from Unesco-protected vineyards. www.sikeliapantelleria.com
Living la dolcevitaon the Amalfi Coast A necklace of exquisitely seductive towns, whose very names – Portofino, Atrani, Ravello – evoke sunshine and music, thread their way along this coast. Here, flower-festooned houses, built centuries ago into the rocks, cling limpet-like to the craggy cliff-face, garlanded with perfumed lemon-trees. The superb Il San Pietro hotel offers celestial luxury, while the family-owned Villa Scarpariello Relais combines the charm and drama of this astonishing place. www.ilsanpietro.it; www.villascarpariellorelais.it
We’ll always have Paris ....
Best for a mini break
The ultra-hip Hoxton, whose breakfast bag-drop lets you stay in bed all morning.
www.thehoxton.com
Best for a honeymoon
Dalí’s favourite hotel, Le Meurice, overlooking the Tuileries on
the Rue de Rivoli. www.dorchestercollection.com
Best for an anniversary
Le Bristol, where you can enjoy a champagne cocktail in the
flower-filled garden. www.oetkercollection.com
Honey moon in gona yacht in the Galápagos Follow in the footsteps of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco aboard M/Y Grace, the English motor-yacht given to them as a wedding present by Aristotle Onassis. The newly married couple spent their honeymoon aboard this glorious ship, and now you can do the same. Recently refitted and modernised, with every inch of her original regal glamour and comfort restored and enhanced, the vessel sails 18 fortunate guests around the Galápagos, the world’s most remarkable archipelago. www.quasarex.com
A castaway Caribbean treat The island paradise of Petit St Vincent offers a chance to be marooned on one of the many tiny atolls with a picnic, safe in the knowledge that you will be rescued before the champagne runs out. Book at www.elegantresorts.co.uk
Opulent Arabian nights Despite being the largest One&Only resort in the world, with eight restaurants and six bars, Dubai’s Royal Mirage retains an intimate boutique-hotel feel, thanks to its mosaic-tiled corridors and candlelit walkways. www.oneandonlyresorts.com
Taking a grand tour of New Zealand Plot your route across spectacular landscapes – from shimmering lakes to rolling fields and dense forests – with Scott Dunn, staying at luxury lodges in the Bay of Islands, Taupo, Hawkes Bay, Christchurch and Glenorchy. www.scottdunn.com