Holidays are not about getting away but getting in touch, so to rekindle the romantic in all of us, here is a selection of all-time great Valentine escapes. They don't come cheap, but we think you will agree that these vacations with your loved one are worth saving up for!

Barefoot cruising

CHAMPAGNE breakfasts in the lagoon shallows, dinner under the stars, movies on a motu and cocktails on deck as the sun sets. The French Polynesians have a word for this type of heavenly holiday: "nomade" yachting. Bora Bora Cruises do nomadic in style on their Ti'a Moana, sailing from Bora Bora to sister isles in French Polynesia. Unlike cruise ships, the Ti'a Moana is small – just 50 passengers – so the crew can dispense with many formalities. If Tahiti islands aren't romantic enough, champagne cocktails on deck or dining under the stars should lull you into a state of bliss.

COST: €5000 (about $A8200) for a seven-day cruise; with food, wine at lunch & dinner, and most excursions.

Champagne flight

THERE'S something about floating in the still morning sky in a hot-air balloon that brings out the romantic in all of us. Unlike planes, there is no real sensation of flying, just a silent rise on the morning's still air. Best of all, if you take a romantic balloon flight for two, there are no other passengers to disturb you.
In Queensland's tropical north, Ballooning with Hot Air flies 12 balloons, which can carry two or a wedding party. Packages begin with a pre-dawn limousine pick-up from your hotel in Cairns, Port Douglas, Palm Cove or beaches between. These pilots see several weddings a month and numerous proposals, so they know how to make your day special.

COST: From $410 per person for luxury balloon tour; $1990 a basket for one, two or three passengers for a private charter balloon.

Royal retreat

MONEY can't buy you love, but it can buy romance. And what could be more romantic than a former royal retreat with ensuite private swimming pool? For the well-heeled, Amansara resort in Cambodia's Siem Reap is a cosy delight of just 24 rooms, with fine dining restaurant, spa, frolic pool and lap pool. Once Prince Sihanouk's guest house, Amansara is a tuk-tuk ride to the wonders of Angkor Wat and a dollar or so to the cafes and bars of this friendliest of Cambodian cities.

After a day clambering over the ruins, come back to a steaming, aromatic bath before a loll in the most private of private pools or a vigorous Cambodian massage or other spa therapy.

COST: Pool suites $1100-plus a night.

City of love

CAN there be anywhere more romantic than Venice? Hard to imagine, even if you're in one-star digs up a stagnant canal. And it's downright impossible to imagine if you're in an historic hotel overlooking the lagoon, just steps from the Bridge of Sighs and a pizza throw from St Mark's. The elegantly furnished Hotel Londra Palace speaks romance from every one of its 100 or so windows overlooking the lagoon. By day, the view is exciting, from the Salute Basilica to the Island of Giudecca. At night, it is a fairyland of lights and fishing markers, with the occasional liner cruising past. There is something deliciously decadent and incurably romantic about the exclusivity of a luxury suite and fine dining just metres from the milling crowds that can make Venice such a chore.

COST: Room with lagoon view $625 to $980, depending on season; junior suite $800 to $1300.

Sounds of silence

THE sound of romance is the hiss of the sea caressing a full-rigged clipper under sail. There's nothing more calculated to turn the minds of the young (and the not-so-young) to romance than a promenade along a leaning deck under a tropical moon after an elegant meal and a fine wine or two.

Experience it on one of Star Clippers' glorious ships cruising the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Caribbean, Asia or, this year, the Pacific. The ports of call are exotic, the lure of the tall ship is irresistible and the cabins are inescapably cosy. It's a mixture sure to rekindle romance in the most jaded of souls.

COSTS: Vary according to itinerary. Seven nights Thailand and Malaysia cruise $2710 - $3885pp twin share depending on cabin.