The world's most romantic travel destinations REVEALED

A TASTE OF DECADENCE

You often hear the term “Grand Dame of Hotels”, and this venue really is one of them.

The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria sits overlooking the famed Amalfi coastline. Built on the foundations of a villa designed for Emperor Augustus, it is Italian decadence personified.

This limoncello-toned property dominating the cliff face is everything you’d imagine a five-star hotel to be, filled with gilt furniture, potted palms, antiques and swathes of curtains – it does old-world Italian style.

The deck is the place for weddings, with statues and views across to Mount Vesuvius. Follow this with a Michelin-starred Italian feast.

Sorrento itself is impossibly romantic.

Its relaxed holiday vibe makes you instantly slow down and its pretty main square, lined with cafes and palm trees, is the venue for an evening passeggiata (stroll).

Charming cobbled streets are dotted with old-fashioned traders with beautiful displays of succulent fruits spilling out over the cobbles.

An hour away is Pompeii with its incredible mosaics, artefacts and wall paintings.

Nearby, the ruins of the smaller city, Herculaneum, is no less impressive with restored houses and even skeletons (under glass).

And of course, you can take a spin down the Amalfi coast to the likes of gloriously picturesque towns such as Ravello and the gelato-coloured Positano.

Classic Collection Holidays (0800 047 1064/ classic-collection.co.uk) offers three nights at the Grand Hotel Excelsior from £1,269 (two sharing), B&B. P

rice includes return flights from London Gatwick to Naples and private transfers. Wedding package from £1,050.

A BLESSING FOR SAFARI LOVERS

The Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, in the depths of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, offers a special blessing celebration.

It’s the only lodge in this wildlife hotspot where you can enjoy a water-based safari.

There will be a traditional African blessing to celebrate nuptials (not official vows), followed by a private dinner and reception on the tent deck where you can sip Champagne as you watch the animals roam past.

You can also take a thrilling helicopter trip over the Delta, swooping low over the game.

Each luxurious tent has its own pool and the communal areas have a distinctive colonial feel, with lots of natural wood and African artworks on show.

Spend four nights here before moving on to the Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in the Chobe National Park.

Here you can enjoy another three spectacular nights of game viewing.

Belmond (0845 077 2222/belmond.com) offers seven nights from £5,600pp (two sharing), all inclusive. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Maun, return internal flights to camps, helicopter tour and Champagne picnic.

HONEYMOON LIKE A PRINCE

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge chose to honeymoon on North Island in the glorious Seychelles in 2011, placing it firmly as top spot on a “honeymoon envy” list.

The powder-white sands and gently arched beaches crowned in slim, leaning palms are as close to paradise as you can get.

On the 650-acre Félicité Island, dotted with dramatic boulders, there are just 30 villas, which take up a third of the island. The rest is left untouched and completely natural and wild.

The ceremony can be held on one of the many incredible beaches, in the spa’s pavilion – wedged between giant boulders – or in your own residence next to your private plunge pool.

If you’re of an active disposition there’s plenty to do here from diving excursions and snorkelling to kayaking and paddleboarding.

Or you could just hang out at the spa at one of the highest points on the island, wallowing in the infinity pool.

Off-shore you can visit nearby islands such as La Digue, where you can go exploring by bicycle, or try to bag the big one on a deep-sea fishing trip.

Scott Dunn (0208 682 5020/scottdunn.com) offers seven nights at Six Senses Zil Pasyon from £4,600pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Mahé and helicopter transfers. Wedding package from £3,350 (for two) includes ceremony and certificate, flowers, make-up and Champagne.

BRING OUT YOUR ROMANTIC SIDE

Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, Hugh Grant, you’re in prestigious company at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire.

Down a leafy lane this glorious Palladian mansion shouts romance and has featured in movies including Layer Cake, Goldfinger and Bridget Jones’s Diary.

The estate is sprawling, with a fabulous golf course, vast leisure centre and beautiful gardens. The mansion itself is an example of opulent grandeur yet it’s devoid of the slightest whiff of snobbery. A sweeping staircase weaves down to an airy drawing room which in winter has a crackling open fire.

This opens on to a conservatory dotted with mature palms, where afternoon tea is served overlooking the rowing lake and golf course.

The 49 rooms are all different, with some in the 200-year-old mansion house crammed with fine antiques. Book the Pennsylvania Suite, a romantic space with four-poster, seating area and working fireplace. It’s no wonder Daniel Cleaver chose it for his mini-break with Bridget Jones.

Those in the adjacent pavilion are more contemporary and offer direct access to the pool, gym and spa.

Choosing where to marry on the property will be the most difficult choice – there are eight grand interior rooms with antiques and fine art to choose from. Or say “I do” outside, weather permitting, on the Fountain Terrace.

The wedding breakfast is something to experience, too, with award-winning chefs creating the most extraordinary bites from afternoon tea canapes to savoury scones and sublimely presented dishes of just about anything you fancy.

Stoke Park (01753 717171/ stokepark.com) offers an Intimate Wedding Package from £2,150 (for 10 people). Price includes menu tasting, room hire, two drinks per guest, canapes, three-course meal, house wine, Bridal Suite and bottle of Champagne in Bridal Suite. Civil ceremony fee £575. Double rooms from £265 (two sharing), B&B.

SAY YES TO THE BEACH

Ever dreamt of getting married on your own private island? Well on Mauritius you can have your very own castaway-style wedding. Zilwa Attitude is best described as beach-shack chic.

Restaurants sit on the sand where no shoes is the rule.

Accommodation is in typical bungalow-style properties with thatched roofs, overlooking endless stretches of idyllic beach.

The resort is designed like a traditional village – with rough whitewashed walls and wooden floorboards and bright accents in artworks and soft furnishings. It overlooks five tiny islands, one of which you can get married on.

On Grand Zil you can pop over for a barbecue lunch, or head to Ti Zil for a heavenly massage.

Mauritius is lush – entirely covered in vegetation including tea plantations and sugarcane fields, with dramatic, jagged peaks and has just about everything you want from a holiday, from endless beaches to shopping in Grand Bay, fishing and swimming under waterfalls.

There’s pampering galore, too, for the happy bride and groom from personalised gifts to discounts at the spa, massage, decoration and an exclusive venue away from other guests. During the ceremony, there’ll be music, sparkling wine, cake and bouquets. On the night, you can celebrate becoming Mr and Mrs with a candlelit dinner of lobster on the beach, special turndown and breakfast.

Kuoni (0800 140 4767/kuoni.co.uk) offers seven nights at Zilwa Attitude from £1,701pp (two sharing), all inclusive. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Mauritius. Wedding Islander Package: £960 per couple.

TIE THE SAILOR’S KNOT

The Caribbean is one of the most romantic spots to get hitched. And there’s something special about the celebrant being the captain, resplendent in naval whites.

Princess Cruises, clearly fit for royalty, were the pioneers of weddings at sea, although they now offer harbourside and onshore ceremonies where relatives can attend, then leave you to sail off into the sunset on your honeymoon.

“Tie the Knot” packages are available across all ships. You can take a traditional route – in a wedding chapel or library. Incorrigibly romantic, the candlelit ceremony includes live music, floral arrangements, rose bouquet, photographer, prints, cake and Champagne.

You can even stream your ceremony live to friends at home and have the captain perform the ceremony.

Princess Cruises (0344 338 8663/princess.com) offers seven nights on Royal Princess from £1,075 (two sharing), full board, drinks extra. Ports include Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Belize and Cozumel. Departs November 24. Price includes return flights from London Heathrow to Miami and transfers. Wedding package from £1,635 per couple.