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.