The hip hotel specialists i-escape.com have revealed their top romantic escapes ahead of Valentine's Day - get booking!
360 Leti, Uttarakhand, India
This is an amazingly remote retreat with panoramic Himalayan views that will make your soul soar. The jagged peaks of the Heeramani glacier can be seen to the north, while to the east Nepalese snowcaps can be glimpsed in the distance. Bed down in one of four futuristic glass and stone cabins and while you take in the view from 7,314 feet (2,230m), enjoy living in the lap of solar-powered eco-luxury.
The journey here is worth it; an overnight train journey from Delhi and a lengthy car ride bring you to the tiny mountain village of Leti. From here, it’s an hour's walk along a narrow track but porters will carry your luggage. You will feast on gourmet cooking and fine wines, then retire to a cabin containing giant beds covered with duvets and pashmina blankets. This really is a once in a lifetime type of place. Rates are £834 per night per cabin – all inclusive. i-escape.com/360leti.php
The Boathouse at Knotts End, Lake District
The Boathouse at Knotts End is the perfect boathouse bolthole for two, with its own private lakeshore that boasts stunning Lake District scenery. It's tucked away, yet a mere 15 minutes from the M6. There are no neighbours, no passing cars, a private stretch of waterfront and unbroken views all around.
Enter the arched oak doors of the stone building and you will discover a Tardis-like interior. There’s a gleaming, modern bathroom and a swish kitchen that lead into the bijou living area with its battered leather sofa and wood-burning stove. The bedroom has arched French windows opening to a balcony and glorious views. Furnishings are mix of old and new; Moroccan lamps, Indonesian chests, modern oak - with bright silks adding shots of colour. Rates are from £225 per night for the house accommodation only.
KuanguKuangu, near Solitaire, Namibia
This is a remote self catering retreat for two located in the corner of the lunar Naukluft mountains. The name Kuangukuangu - from the Ovambo word for Milky Way - was born of a Frenchman's love for the region's landscapes where the Namib desert runs up to meet the Naukluft mountains. The wood and stone cabin is located in a remote farmland and thanks to the all-glass frontage, you will feel at one with all around you.
The cabin is solar powered, with a simple rocket boiler, bathroom open to the elements. Your neighbour is the Barchan Dunes lodge, where great food and fascinating conversation are guaranteed if the isolation gets too much. Bed down in the large double with a feather duvet and triple bank of pillows and cushions. This is the axis round which the cabin turns, positioned so you awake to see the valley bathed in the first light of dawn. Rates are from £90 per night, accommodation only - i-escape.com/kuangukuangu.php
The Beach Hut, near Galle, Sri Lanka
The Beach Hut is an idyllic beachside retreat for couples only 10 minutes from Galle. It's a modern house on 2 floors, with the master bedroom and a smaller bedroom if you do have kids in tow. Outside are lush gardens with swaying palms and sandy grass, a trickling fountain bridged by railway sleepers and a romantic gate which opens onto a strip of sandy beach. All of this is yours and yours alone.
As well as seclusion you also get bags of style. The inside-outside living space has polished stone floors, arty bits of driftwood, vivid Sri Lankan artwork and handmade sofas; upstairs the master bedroom has a romantically netted four-poster bed with comfy sofas for relaxing in front of the TV/DVD. With restaurants and bars just a short walk along the beach and the delights of Galle Fort ony a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride away you could easily while away a week here. The villa is priced from £228 per night.
Villa Metato, Umbria, Italy
Villa Metato is a ravishing bolthole located in an 18th-century building in the rolling hills on the border with Tuscany above the Upper Tiber valley. You’re surrounded by acres of private garden, timeless views, and your own pool. The 18th-century building has been renovated with style: huge windows frame the view and there are great 20th-century designer pieces furnishing the open-plan interior. Fig trees stand on the hill, a Bocce court is shrouded in vines, and for those with the energy or inclination you can explore this undiscovered spot by hiring scooters. The villa is priced from £170 per night.
