Close your eyes. Imagine the most romantic place in the world. Is it a sugary beach that frames an azure sea? Does it involve a canoe for two on a secluded mirror-like lake? Perhaps a mountaintop picnic comes to mind, that bottle of champagne kept cold in a nearby snowdrift. Read on to pursue the dream.
Beach Bumming
Who needs shoes? Barefoot glamour reigns at Acqualina Resort & Spa, in Miami, where you can step from your ocean front suite onto a crescent of bone-white beach or splash in any of four pools. With hammocks galore; ruby red umbrellas for shade; and torch-lit, private waterside dinners, this resort on the seductive Florida Riviera knows how to pamper. Spend an entire morning in the ESPA’s Private Spa Suite, where a private terrace invites you to linger over a long lunch after your treatments. The warm caress of the sun is complimentary. acqualinaresort.com
Like a musical soundtrack to your coquetry, the waves whisper a lullaby at Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach, California. The only SoCal property poised on the sand, this intimate hotel seems to hover above the sea. Watch the sun set from the bar, where high tide encircles the structure, giving the impression you’ve set sail in a boat. Or, let the balcony butler stock your suite’s veranda with gourmet snacks and bubbly for a personal sundowner. Sneak out to explore the town, known for its art scene. Splurge on a souvenir painting to commemorate your union. surfandsandresort.com, visittheoc.com/maps-and-information/oc-weddings
Active couples can expend calories aplenty at Four Seasons Maui at Wailea in Hawaii, snuggled between other resorts on one of the island’s best-known beaches. Golf, snorkeling and outrigger canoe trips tempt here, but slow down for the individual instructional massage course taught in the beachside hales (huts). After a day spent stand-up paddleboarding, or SUPing à deux, reward yourself with the hotel’s coddling private dining experience at the “adults only” Serenity Pool, the perfume from Plumeria trees wafting in the breeze. fourseasons.com/maui
Lake Languor
Glamp like the Gilded Age at The Point, a Relais & Chateaux retreat in New York’s Adirondacks. Built by the Rockefeller clan as an escape to nature from urbanity, this log mansion hideaway epitomizes the romance of rustic resplendence. It lords over a lake, framed by a pine forest. Interiors, festooned with art and fine antiques, justify the suggested black tie evening dress code. But, by day you’ll don active wear to ply the bounty of the woods. In winter, ice fish or snowshoe. In summer, pull your canoe into a remote nook, picnic basket loaded with supplies. Book the Boathouse, so you can canoodle by moonlight on its wrap around porch. relaischateaux.com/gb/united-states/point-saranac-lake
Mountain Moments
Even the moose feel an affinity for the way Jackson Hole’s Amangani in Wyoming melds into the mountainscape. They’ll stare enviously as you cavort in the long-as-a-river infinity pool. Sleek, minimal, architecturally savvy, this opulent hotel showcases nature’s handiwork with astonishing vistas of the Grand Tetons from every angle. In winter, ride the private dinner sleigh up the butte for an al fresco repast beneath the impossibly starry sky. Staff will arrange rose petals on your bed, chilled champagne on your terrace or bubbles in your semi-sunken tub — just ask. www.aman.com/resorts/amangani
Mud’s nothing new in Telluride, a former mining town turned celebrity beloved ski resort, ensconced in a stunning box canyon in Colorado. But slathering it all over your body makes for a novel couple’s spa treatment at Madeline Hotel and Residence’s M Spa, where the Mountain Love Journey ends in intimate, mud cleansing, soak in the tub for two. Opt for a one-bedroom balcony suite. Its fireplace comes in handy after a dog sled ride or a day well skied or hiked. Ask the Bath Barista to customize your boudoir with house infused oils (we love the juniper), bath salts and beauty potions. madelinetelluride.com/spa-menu.php
The razzle dazzle is real in Aspen, a mélange of all things chic and cosseting. Experience the chic chi factor best at St. Regis Aspen, where the brand’s penchant for tony hospitality reaches Rocky Mountain heights. Take a capacious Presidential Suite complete with a baby grand piano. There, the hotel can arrange for a local musician to tap out a tune while you find nourishment in the St. Regis Aspen Resort signature midnight feast. A butler stands by to make a crackling fire or iron your eveningwear, though you’ll have to do the actual skiing yourself. stregisaspen.com
Coastal Craft
Forgot to get married? The captain of the Love Boat can remedy that. Exchange your vows aboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess or Crown Princess as you sail from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a wine-tasting extravaganza. Pop into wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara on this California oastal voyage. At sea, expect champagne and strawberries delivered, breakfast in bed, an invitation from the captain to visit the bridge and happy hour canapés — all part of the Honeymoon package. Between ports, yield to a couples’ treatment in the uber luxurious Lotus Spa. princess.com
Entirely Urban
In Miami, Como Metropolitan is the perfect hotel to absorb the city’s contrasting angles. Just a breath away from the South Beach buzz, part of the historic district, this re-invented Art Deco hotel has a voguish tranquility. Pistachio accents and geometric shapes refer to its Jazz Age past, while contemporary Asian elements portray the Singapore-based hotel group’s sophisticated provenance. With a wellness focus, Metropolitan promises fresh-squeezed juices, abundant aromatherapy and Balinese-influenced spa treatments. But hedonist can root into the sultry beach, the gin drinks at Traymore’s Bar, and the welcoming lethargy of poolside sun loungers. comohotels.com
Desert Deliverance
You know what to expect in a town evocatively called Carefree, Arizona. Worries abate in this otherworldly Sonoran Desert landscape, where 12-million-year-old, immense red rocks mottle the terrain, and anthropomorphic cacti soar to the sky. Dusk sets the horizon afire like nature’s fireworks show. Watch the evening arrive in style from Promise Rock at The Boulders, an unforgettable resort near Scottsdale. You’ll bunk in individual casitas, spacious Southwestern-style adobe cabins with fireplaces and desert views. Tee off at either of the two award-winning golf courses, fly in a hot air balloon and renew your soul in the spa with a Native American-influenced global shaman treatment. theboulders.com
River Repose
It’s timeless. And, if your luxury tent were not so lush, you might get away with pretending to be part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who forged through this very unsullied landscape. At The Resort at Paws Up, 45 minutes northeast of Missoula, you’ve checked into Pinnacle Camp for its romantic digs, which feature heated floors; a sybaritic bathroom; king-sized, cushy beds; and butler in waiting. On the Black Foot River, he’ll cast a fly, while she rides a horse (or vice-versa). At days end, you’ll meet up at the spa — then proceed to the main restaurant for an epicurean, wine-paired meal. Tomorrow, you’ll river raft with a guide, and watch the hawks make circles in the sky. pawsup.com
The National Park
Thanks to President Woodrow Wilson the United States sports a treasure trove of national parks. With 59 national parks extending from Maine to Hawaii, it might be difficult to decide which one best matches the vastness of your love. Consider Ahwahnee at Yosemite National Park (California), the queen mother of national park lodges because it was constructed to be a celebrity-ready upmarket hotel in the 1920s. With lodge-style rooms, its main house stars as the crown jewel. Rock climbing, horseback riding, hiking and biking are just some of the activities for honeymooners. Across the nation, just outside Maine’s Acadia National Park, look for whales from your room on Frenchman’s Bay in Bal Harbour. At the Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina, you can play tennis, sea kayak or board a yacht for a sunset cruise. Slumber in a sea-facing balcony room. Spend the days exploring the rocky beaches and hiking trails of breathtaking Acadia. Save some for the charming hamlet’s antique stores, cafes, galleries and boutiques. A lobster roll goes without saying. nps.com, theharborsidehotel.com
