HOTEL CARUSO BELVEDERE
Ravello, Italy
The Amalfi coast is justly famous around the world for its spectacular scenery.  While most visitors head to the beaches of Sorrento and Positano, connoisseurs of refined elegance head to the summit of the coast’s cliffs to take up residence at Hotel Caruso Belvedere, where gravity is defied along with limits of expectation in a hotel experience. Located on a promontory with some of the most impressive views in the world, the Orient-Express property occupies a former palace transformed into a gracious hotel where general manager Franco Girasoli leads a team of experienced staff who take to their work with gusto. Housekeepers bound into the room gushing with friendly enthusiasm; bellmen deliver DVDs from the hotel’s film library on a silver tray, and everyone is smiling 24 hours a day. This being southern Italy, the food is incredible. Lucky guests will be able to enjoy fresh burrata cheese from the old man who lives down the road who charmingly only makes cheese when he feels like it. If it’s not a cheese day, take solace with any of the other delicious dishes on the menu at Hotel Caruso’s Belvedere restaurant for a dinner never to be forgotten in one of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth.
www.hotelcaruso.com  

THE ST REGIS, ROME
Rome, Italy
Valentine’s Day evolved to honour the martyr Saint Valentine, who was imprisoned for defying canon law and marrying soldiers who at the time were forbidden to take wives. His skull, crowned with flowers, is on display at Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, making The Eternal City a Valentine’s Day destination made even more special with a stay at The St. Regis Rome, one of the most sophisticated hotels in the city. While the hotel’s famous lobby shows off the nation’s love of ornate décor, its top suites, – namely the Designer Suite, Bottega Veneta Suite and the Couture Suite – offer sleek accommodation in a fresh design unexpected in Italian hotels, where carved wood and ormolu are the general rule. The St. Regis is situated in an ideal spot to enjoy the sights, but remains isolated enough from the masses of Rome’s tourists in a relatively uncrowded neighbourhood. For memorable transport, make use of the hotel’s Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, perhaps to have your beloved toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain or do a bit of shopping on the Via Veneto, which is within walking distance of The St. Regis but seems further away on the return when laden with goodies from the street’s irresistible boutiques.
www.stregisrome.com

MONTAGE BEVERLY HILLS
Beverly Hills, USA
Montage exudes a sense of refinement and elegance, recalling the grandeur of an era when those secure in their wealth and position felt no need to broadcast their status to the world. Accommodation at Montage ranges from stylish rooms to expansive suites. Also expansive is the menu at Scarpetta, the west coast venue of chef extraordinaire Scott Conant, who takes culinary expertise to new heights. Atop Scarpetta is £10, Montage’s exclusive social lounge. If taking your other half shopping is part of the fun, why not go to the world’s ultimate shopping destination? Rodeo Drive is just a block away from Montage; the hotel’s in-house fashion stylist, the remarkable Joe Katz, can see to it that Montage guests enjoy a level of beyond-VIP service only available to insiders in the know. Of course, the merchandise can be brought to your special someone rather than the other way around. After a pre-arrival consultation, Katz can arrange for the closets of the suite to be stocked with clothes in the sizes and preferences required; the guest simply takes home what is liked and leaves behind what is not. On the grounds of the hotel is the flagship store of bespoke jeweller Michael Beaudry, whose one-of-a kind creations, like Montage itself, are unlike anything else in the world.
www.montagebeverlyhills.com 

HOTEL DES TRES COURONNES
Vevey, Switzerland
A jewel of a different sort is Hôtel des Trois Couronnes. Even at the highest level of hotel management, few establishments enjoy the synergy of extraordinary accommodation, refined service, and spectacular location exhibited at Trois Couronnes. Located between Lausanne and Montreux in the impossibly charming town of Vevey, Trois Couronnes exists in its own rarefied world of excellence, where nothing is impossible. Connoisseurs of fine timepieces will love a private flight arranged in partnership with retailer Lionel Meylan for a daytrip to visit a watch workshop in the Vallée de Joux, the birthplace of Swiss horology and still home to the country’s top watchmakers.  Hôtel des Trois Couronnes’ suites are a home-away-from home for guests who seek domestic bliss in a property with the feel of a private mansion, which in a way it is, since the former owner, a Danish countess, still lives on the premises.  Impressive as the building may be, in Vevey the spectacular views of Lake Geneva, the French Alps, and Switzerland’s Dents du Midi are the stars of the show, especially in February, when the snow-capped peaks make a stunning background for a memorable wedding proposal. Trois Couronnes, will you marry me?
www.hoteltroiscouronnes.ch

THE SIAM HOTEL
Bangkok, Thailand
The Siam (see-ahm) has redefined the definition of luxury in Bangkok, where beautiful but somewhat staid properties have ruled the top of the city’s hotel rankings for years. A new-build complex located in the Dusit district near the Royal Palace, The Siam was constructed with assiduous attention to detail, a term often associated with pleasant touches to decor but not to the location of pipes and beams. And yet, that is the luxury of building from scratch and making everything perfect, from the concrete pillars to the silk pillows. The Siam’s private pool villas are individual miniworlds of luxury, with flawless decor and bathtubs big enough for two on the inside, and intimate pools, garden courtyards, and sundecks on the outside. An unforgettable experience.
www.thesiamhotel.com 

BATELEUR CAMP
Maasai Mara, Kenya
There are many luxury safari camps springing up around Kenya these days, and few reach the echelons of style and service of andBeyond’s Bateleur Camp, an enclave of excellence located in a private conservancy on the edge of Maasai Mara National Reserve. Served by its own airstrip, Bateleur Camp is accustomed to arranging private flights for transfers from Nairobi and taking care of other such details for its guests. Daily itineraries can be created to meet exact specifications with regard to preferred safari times, dining experiences, and other activities inside and outside the camp. Often sighted among the elephants, lions, and zebra on the vast Maasai Mara plain are affluent honeymooners, who come for a trip of a lifetime.
www.andbeyondafrica.com

FALKENSTEIN GRAND KEMPINSKI
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt suffers from the same lack of romantic notions as Zurich, but what could be more romantic than a private dinner prepared by a Michelin-starred chef enjoyed next to a roaring fire in a historic villa of one’s own? Falkenstein Grand is a preferred hotel for power-brokers and other leaders in their fields who are regular visitors to Germany’s biggest city. The level of service knows no limits here; when a guest scouring Europe high and low in search of a hard to find piece of sheet music expressed a lack of success to a hotel employee, the item was found and delivered without delay to the guest as a surprise gift from the hotel. Watch for the upcoming unveiling of Falkenstein Grand’s new presidential suite; the former private apartment of the owner is currently being transformed into one of the most luxurious hotel suites in Europe.
www.kempinski.com 

LA MAMOUNIA
Marrakech, Morocco
One of the most romantic hotels in the world, La Mamounia emerged from a three-year renovation in 2009 in exquisite form. Accommodation, dining experiences and staff are all impeccable, as is the immaculately maintained garden. For total seclusion, take one of the three riads located in a sequestered area of the expansive grounds away from the main building. How many hotels have their own literary awards? Fitting it is, then, that La Mamounia’s lifts are lined in fine, embossed Moroccan leather like a classic book on the shelf of a distinguished library. La Mamounia’s spa is an ideal venue for a Valentine’s Day couples’ massage.
www.mamounia.com

SONG SAA PRIVATE ISLAND  
Cambodia
Located on a private island off the coast of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Song Saa’s 27 villas, each with its own pool, constitute the inventory of this all-inclusive but very exclusive destination. For lovers of fine dining, the isolated location is no hindrance to culinary excellence; food here is carefully prepared and exquisitely presented. Executive chef Neil Wager and his outstanding team in the kitchen work hard behind the scenes to make every dining experience a supreme pleasure. The main restaurant, Vista, occupies its own pavilion, accessible via an over-water walkway. Dinner under the stars – zillions of them – is a supremely romantic experience. One of the unexpected specialities of the house at Song Saa’s Driftwood beachside bar is pizza, prepared with a variety of toppings like duck, hoisin, and chorizo. For those romantics reluctant to leave the privacy of their villas, order the goods to go; the pizza will soon appear at the front door in a stylish box quilted with banana leaves.
www.songsaa.com 

PAVILLON DE MADAME
Paris, France
In a city famous for love and romance, there is nothing else like the peerless Pavillon de Madame. A three-bedroom apartment with both summer and winter living rooms right on Place des Vosges? Keep dreaming...or make a enquiry about the hotel in which you are the only occupant. Though some guests prefer to emulate a residential experience with minimal contact from staff beyond the housekeeping service, any and every service can be arranged as desired; this includes a private chef to prepare meals and a private concierge to arrange transport, tours, and everything else. So discreet is Pavillon de Madame that no contact phone number is provided; after receiving the initial e-mail from a prospective guest, the owner decides whether or not the apartment is available.
www.pavillondemadame.com

THE WIDDER HOTEL
Zurich, Switzerland
While Lake Geneva is famous for its romantic views, few people associate Zurich with affairs of the heart. Obviously, these cognoscenti have not heard of the intimate Widder Hotel, a landmark in Swiss hospitality and high style in the city’s Old Town, and part of The Leading Hotels of the World. No expense was spared in the creation of The Widder, and the immense effort is clearly evident in the finesse displayed at every turn. Swiss designer Tilla Teus has transformed the nine houses joined to create Widder into a showcase of splendid interiors highlighting the buildings’ rich history by contrasting it with eclectic furnishings. No two rooms at Widder are alike, and the many return guests each have their favourites. For a romantic escape, Widder’s extraordinary penthouse, with its private rooftop deck reigning over all of Zurich, is the ne plus ultra of stylish accommodation in the city. The exclusive shops on Bahnhofstrasse are a block away, but for the obligatory heart-shaped box of chocolates, Widder can arrange a special Valentine’s visit to the Lindt factory in nearby Kilchberg.
www.widderhotel.ch