It’s a fact that there are some places that are just more romantic than others.
After all, we’d probably all enjoy spending Valentine’s Day in Paris rather than Milton Keynes (sorry but it’s true!).
But when it comes to truly romantic places, it’s all in the name.
From a remote Scottish island that says those three little words on your behalf to a German town destined for a smooch, these locations are named after all things love-themed.
Read on below to discover more about these amorous destinations.
Saint-Valentin, France
Appropriately positioned in the heart of France, this village makes full use of its name.
Visiting sweethearts can hang metal hearts with their initials on a tree, stroll the Lovers’ Garden and buy souvenirs in a themed boutique.
Marriage confirmations are offered. Less predictably, the Au 14 Fevrier restaurant serves inventive Japanese-French fusion food.
You’ll find Saint-Valentin two hours south of Paris in Le Berry, a rural expanse specialising in glorious gardens, winemakers and châteaux.
Love nest: Particularly elegant is the Château de Dangy and its deer-dotted estate. From £109pn.
Heart’s Content, Canada
Drive up Newfoundland’s wild, craggy Avalon Peninsula in north-eastern Canada and you’ll pass Heart’s Delight, Heart’s Desire and Heart’s Content.
Thought to be named after fishing vessels, these successive small settlements entice as much for splendid views across Trinity Bay – where whales and icebergs are commonly seen – as for their names.
Pretty ports line that dramatic bay, while eastwards beckons another sweetly titled place in Cupids. Lowering the tone completely, however, is a nearby town called Dildo.
Love nest: The charming, four-room Mallamoore House B&B occupies a typical white clapboard building on Heart’s Content’s waterside. From £52pn.
Isle of Ewe, Scottish Highlands
Say it out loud and the inadvertent charm of this two-mile-long island’s name becomes apparent.
Found on north-west Scotland’s seaside Loch Ewe, it’s a mostly flat, grassy slither housing just a single family.
Though visitors cannot land without permission, it’s usually possible for couples to pay boatmen from nearby fishing village Aultbea to sail them around.
Failing that, join a two-hour guided wildlife cruise from the rhododendron-lined Inverewe Garden estate, which, in between looking for seals and otters, passes the Isle’s southern flank (£30).
Love nest: At Loch Ewe’s foot, the Corriness House B&B includes a stove-
warmed garden bothy hut. Three nights self-catering start at £299.
Kissing, Germany
While lovers should clearly avoid the spa town of Bad Kissingen, despite its Unesco status, this backwater further south in Bavaria sounds more promising.
Definitely snog-worthy is adjacent Kissinger Heide reserve, an ancient grassland where bluebell butterflies frolic above rare orchids.
And three quick train stops north will take you to ancient university city Augsburg, over whose grand guild houses the 17th-century Perlachturm bell tower offers enchanting views –after you surmount its 258 steps.
Love nest: In pine-accented rooms at Kissing’s family-run Hotel Hubertus. Guests receive discounts for the next-door Bavarian restaurant. From £71pn.
Red Roses, South Wales
While a couple of rather prosaic caravan parks rather undermine the little village of Red Roses’ potential for amour, it does have The Sporting Chance: a fire-heated, food-serving pub with comfy Chesterfield sofas.
You can also hold hands on hikes across farmland to Pendine Sands, seven spectacular, MoD-owned miles of dune-backed shore where Britain’s land speed record was set in 2019.
Other snuggly, close-by temptations include National Trust woodlands and the cobbled Pembrokeshire town of Tenby.
Love nest: Just outside the village, two-person Fern Cottage has meadow views. Two nights self-catering start at £235.
Romance, USA
A scattered community in the south-eastern state of Arkansas, Romance supposedly owes its name to a schoolteacher.
Having newly arrived, he described views from local bluffs as ‘romantic’ and the rest was history.
Similar to those seen in True Detective’s third series, big-skied landscapes here contain woodlands and plains below the Ozark Mountains.
In Romance itself, there’s a post office popular for its Valentine’s Day postmarks and al fresco wedding services, plus stepped waterfalls up the Clifty Creek stream.
Love nest: Slightly north, Lindsey’s Resort has log cabins for hikers
and anglers beside the Little Red River. From £70pn, self-catering.
Playa del Amor, Mexico
Just beyond well-heeled Cabo San Lucas in north-eastern Mexico, the Baja California peninsula concludes at a rock formation called, for obvious reasons, The Arch.
Before that comes the two-sided Love Beach – also known as Lovers’ Beach (Playa de los Amantes) – whose yellow sand is best accessed by water taxi.
Arrange collection with your skipper, then spend an afternoon swimming off the calmer eastern shore. Surrounding Los Cabos also promises great spas.
Love nest: Well located in Cabo San Lucas, the hacienda-style Hotel Quinta del Sol has an outdoor pool. From £36pn.
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