Alas, it’s gone, the restaurant where I got down on one knee for My Valentine’s Day proposal. But the love lives on.
Of course, I had merely gone to tie up my laces when the eager Miss F screamed ‘yes’ and that was it.
And yes, as my old mucker and travel blogger par excellence Tom Sweeney has since advised ‘slip-ons old boy, slip-ons.’
While Malta, the jewel of the Med, was an idyllic location in truth I had my eyes on another gem.
Istanbul, the crossroads of Europe and Asia, had long been my aspiration.
And I have visited since and laid back on a booze boat on the Bosphorus singing Abba.
As I would have 31 years ago… and want to with The Scary One soon.
Now for Istanbul, you can also read Venice and a number of other go-to destinations to consider.
So we’ve put together a triple helping of romantic destinations for you to pop the question.
House of Mara
Masai Mara, Kenya | JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge
And I get a tingle when I think back on Siobhan Byrne, of Adams & Butler, who found love in Africa with a Masai warrior.
Sprawling 580sq miles, the expansive reserve is home to an abundance of wildlife, with over 100 mammals species.
And travellers can share the thrill of spotting one of the legendary Big Five as we started doing in South Africa.
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge is the first luxury safari lodge to sit within the Masai Mara National Reserve.
It offers 20 private tents, each with their own terrace, to soak in the vistas’ spectacular sounds.
Room rates start from £1,278 per night. For more information, visit www.marriott.com
Bermuda short
Bermuda | Rosewood Bermuda
And anywhere that’s good enough for Sean and Micheline Connery should be good enough for the rest of us.
So knowing already that they like Jocks, then myself and by-now Tartanised other half would be made welcome.
On the pink sands at Horseshoe Bay Beach, one of the world’s most Instagrammed beaches or Astwood Cove Beach.
Or if you like an ancient natural cave then the Grotto Bay Beach Resort’s Natura Spa is where you want to go.
Room rates start from £253 per night. For more information, visit www.gotobermuda.com
Anyone for Venice
Venice | The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice
And si, we’ve stood on the Rialto Bridge a-gazing longingly… at the prices, but what price love Venice for us romantics?
Of course, one way of saving more for your Aperol Spritzes for my Valentine’s Day proposal is to sacrifice a gondola ride for a vaparetto (a water taxi).
Now, if money is no object and romance is always worth it then the The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice is steeped in Venetian history.
It was commissioned in 1525 as the residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti and later used as the official residence of the Vatican’s ambassadors to Venice.
And it has been a favourite with top-tier travellers since the palazzo became a hotel in 1895.
For that oh-so-special moment, we would recommend guests embark on the Riva Yacht Experience, where they can follow Head Concierge Ivan Schultz on an exclusive cruise.
Room rates start from £1,003 per night. For more information, visit www.marriott.com
Of course, you may already have your romantic day set out but it’s just that this is my Valentine’s Day proposal.
The Island of Ghosts