Sexy Hideaways for couples | Restaurants for Lovers | Places to get Lost in
First a warning: the word romantic used here refers to a couple seeking two primary characteristics in their choice of places: solitude and luxury. Thus, for the sake of this discourse, sharing an expensive bottle of champagne discretely left bedside by a tuxedoed waiter is more romantic than either party padding to the hotel's minibar for a €6 Coca Cola.
For Romantic Traditionalists: Venice
Cupid's arrow could hardly fail to pin the object of one's desire to Venice, no matter how ineptly launched. You can't go wrong by taking a room or suite at a luxury hotel in Europe's romantic capital. There are two benchmarks for Luxury in Venice:
The Cipriani and the
Gritti Palace. They'll cost you dearly, but what's love worth anyway?
Romantic Tuscany
Let's say you wish to have a fine meal set in front of you while your gaze is focused only upon your lover. Before hand you fret over the details: Will the restaurant give you a table near the bathrooms where your eyes will be diverted by diners frantic for relief and your nose by the cloyingly fragrant scent of urinal cakes? Will the jerk next to you make a scene over his overcooked sole?
Don't worry, I have the answer--a very small called
Sole per Due, meaning "only for two." Two people are served per night. You can even stay on the premises if you like.
And in case you want to stay somewhere more luxurious and find the idea of Florence titilating to your sense of romance, you can stay nearby and still eat at Solo per Due. How about another hotel in the Orient Express Chain (like the Cipriani) called
Villa St. Michele? It's in Fiesole, Florence's cooler sister city. And it really is a villa.
Love among the Ruins: A History of Love and Tears in Portugal
How about a hotel that isn't just a tourist bureau's idea of a charming love nest, but one with a tragic history of love and tears? It's called Quinta das Lágrimas, meaning "Estate of Tears." Here's a short history from the website:
It was here, in the XIV century, that the forbidden love of Prince D. Pedro and Inês de Castro was dramatically played out.
According to the legend, it was in "Quinta das Lágrimas" that Inês de Castro cried for the last time, while being pierced by the daggers of the three noblemen who had been ordered to kill her, by D. Afonso IV, King of Portugal.
Her blood still stains the stones of the spring which sprang from her tears.
Well, if this whole tragic scenario hasn't freaked you out, I'll go on to tell you that the hotel is located in Coimbra Portugal, between Lisbon and Oporto. More on the
Quinta das Lágrimas Hotel website. We also have some
picturesfrom the gardens.
Romantic France: Love Among the Dunes
At the Atlantic edge of France's Bordeaux region rest the shifting sands of the Dune du Pyla, the largest dune in Europe. For a romantic evening, try feasting on seafood at nearby resort town Arcachon (an hour's drive from the dune), then clamber up to the top at sunset with a bottle of wine, a couple of glasses and someone to share it all with. The dune is also used as a base for hang gliding, for those of you with higher athletic pursuits in mind.
In the Lapa of Luxury: A Palace in Portugal
Yes, the staff at the Lapa Palace in Lisbon will not only cater to your every whim, but they'll arrange special trips for you. Horseback in the countryside? No problem. A vintage port tasting in your room? An open air massage? A Caviar Body Treatment? All could be yours, as long as you don't mind fish eggs all over you. Read the Review of the Lapa Palace.
Keeping Your Love Afloat: The Astarte Temple, an Amsterdam Houseboat
Whisper sweet nothings in your lover's ear while lounging in your own private garden on the roof of this
houseboat moored in the center of Amsterdam's Jordaan district. And it's got a computer with internet access. What more do you need?
Love on the Road: Germany's Romantic Road
If your idea of romance is to be transported in time to the late medieval complete with a tiny tinge of exhaust gasses, the Romantic Road might fit the bill. Check out our
Romantic Road links for more. If you'd like to stay in a romantic village and skip the traffic, try
Rothenburg.
Solitude Plus Madcap Geology: Iceland's Ring Road
If getting away is paramont to your erotic desires, perhaps a trip on desolate roads is just the thing. Iceland's Highway 1, the
Ring Road, goes all the way around the island and is said to be as lonely as it is beautiful.
The Emporer has no Clothes! Nudism in Europe
Perhaps the peacock in you wishes to display the glories of creation. (This display certainly must be romantic, otherwise my email box wouldn't be full of hairbrained schemes to make certain parts of me stand out like a bloated baseball bat in public.) In any case, check out our
European Nude Beach links if buttered-up naked bodies are sexy to you. You can also get nekid right in the middle of
Munich at the Englischer Garten.
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