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10 best places for a fairytale proposal this Valentine's Day
Along New Zealand's breezy shores, all alone in Leti, in an Irish castle -- there are no better ways to seal the deal of two lifetimes
OK, you’ve decided Valentine’s Day is the day to pop the big question. You cheesemeister.
But picking February 14 means you’re going to have to do it in spectacular fashion. And in a place in which she’ll be so overcome by images of butterflies, rose petals and couples sprinting toward each other in meadows that a “No” is simply not a possibility.
10. Petra, Jordan
Petra by night. If this doesn't set her swooning, nothing will.
A poet once described Petra as "a rose-red city half as old as time." Make this a metaphor for your own enduring romance by popping the question while this city carved into rock faces more than 2,000 years ago is lit up by rows of flickering candles.
To see Petra at its most beautiful, join a Petra by Night tour that takes visitors through the city via its most famous landmarks.
After making your way through the dramatic Siq fissure and coming face to face with the facade of the Treasury, sit on the sand and listen to local Bedouin making music from within the façade's entry.
It's the perfect moment to quietly slip the ring onto your sweetheart’s finger.
What you need to know:
Tours start at 8:30pm every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and last for 90 minutes. Tickets can be bought at the Petra Site Office. Visit the Jordan Tourism Board website for more details.
9. New Zealand’s Otago Peninsula
It could be you: Loved-up at Cape Saunders in the Otago Peninsula.
If your beseeching eyes can’t soften her heart, the mating rituals of South Island’s unusual coastal wildlife may do it for you.
Wildlife reserves near the town of Dunedin are home to colonies of hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) and blue penguins. The Otago Peninsula also has breeding colonies of New Zealand fur seals and royal albatross.
Joining wildlife tours organized by one of South Island’s many nature tour operators will help you figure out which wildlife hot spot is best for the occasion.
What you need to know:
According to Elm Wildlife Tours, animal viewing is best from February to November. Tour rates start from NZ$95 (US$74).
8. Dubrovnik's Hotel Excelsior
Dubrovnik from the city walls.
Richard Burton romanced Elizabeth Taylor in one of the suites at the legendary Hotel Excelsior in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The hotel has entertained kings, queens, princesses and heads of state. Now it can be the place where you seal the ultimate deal.
To get your lover in the mood, spend the day roaming in Dubrovnik Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site bursting with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.
Catch a ferry to the love's island of Lokrum -- there's a nudist beach for the adventuresome -- but get back to town in time for sunset, best viewed from atop Dubrovnik's city walls.
At night, pop the question while gazing across at the Adriatic Sea in your suite back at Hotel Excelsior. Easy.
What you need to know:
Hotel Excelsior is currently running executive suite promotions, with suites starting at 250 euros (US$341) per day.
7. Shiraz, Iran
Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz.
If you and your sweetie are the adventurous types, few romantic escapades can beat a trip to Shiraz, Iran’s love capital.
Since the 13th century, Shiraz has been known as the city of poetry, flowers and wine.
It's also the resting place of lyric poets Saadi and Hafez, whose compositions got Persians hot under their chadors back in medieval times.
Strolling through the city’s magnificent gardens and fairytale-like mosques will put your companion in a lustful daze, making her pliant putty in your scheming hands.
What you need to know:
For a full list of Shiraz attractions and accommodations, visit the Iran Tourism and Touring Online agency. Turkish Airlines and Gulf Air operate international flights to Shiraz from various cities.
6. Maldives
A proposal at 30,000 feet.
Last year, Facebook executive Dave Morin proposed to girlfriend Brittany Bohnet and posted pictures of the event on Flickr.
The romantic effort sent thousands of women around the world into heavy swoon mode -- Google "Dave Morin proposal."
The story goes like this:
The couple booked a seaplane ride through a local operator. The soon-to-be-betrothed was handed the controls of the airplane in mid-flight. Piloting the craft while flying past her resort, Bohnet spotted the message, "B. Will you marry me?" spelled out with coconuts on the beach.
Miraculously, she didn't crash the plane.
On the Maldives impeccable beaches, you can easily pull off your own version of the epic proposal -- just remember to swap the coconuts for palm fronds or champagne bottles, just to prove you're not completely unoriginal. We won't narc you out.
What you need to know:
Assuming your partner lives on a deserted island and doesn’t know about the story, book seaplanes via Maldivian Air Taxi. Stay at Soneva-Gili, the Maldives' top-rated resort.
For price quotes on chartered seaplane flights, email reservation@maldivianairtaxi.com.
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