Single men, beware: this one isn’t for you.
Whether you’re willing to accept it or not, February is the month for romance. The 14th pops up a lot a quicker than most are ready for – but that’s where we’ve got you covered. A dozen roses and candlelight dinner at your favorite restaurant is one thing, but it’s another to take your leading lady out of the city for a luxurious winter retreat. End results may vary, but we came up with a few of our favorites to satisfy all taste buds.
San Ysidro Ranch
Rich in California history and nestled between the area’s most prestigious orange tree hills and glorious beaches, Santa Barbara’s San Ysidro Ranch can’t break from its luxurious past. Known for hosting the Kennedy’s on their honeymoon (the suite is still a top request), this ranch property hidden between Montecito’s celebrity packed mansions remains the nation’s most enviable destination. Just 41 cottages rest on the property’s 100-plus acres (about which just 20 are used for the actual resort), where guests can escape timid California winters and soak up Vitamin C on their own private sun deck. Drenched in rich colors, modern amenities and private quarters, each cottage comes equipped with fireplace, deck, hot tub and four-poster bed.
Each individually decorated room entices guests to cozy up to the fire, but the property itself is sprinkled with so many outdoor activities – along with an award-winning restaurant – that guests, along with their best friend, can’t resist hiking one of the local trails just off the resort property. Santa Barbara’s moderate weather offers year-round enjoyment of the pool, vegetable garden and indoor/outdoor gym, though San Ysidro Ranch prides itself on privacy measures - guests drive directly to their cottage, order every service to the room and hide amongst the trees.
900 San Ysidro Lane; Montecito, CA
Room rates: $650-$5,500/night
Famous guests: Jude Law and Siena Miller, JFK and Jackie O
Reservations: 805.565.1700
http://www.sanysidroranch.com/
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi
Picture this: you’ve got your favorite comfortable sweater wrapped around tightly while a crackling fire warms your face and a glass of wine is just inches from your fingertips. The picture couldn’t be more perfect or embody any romantic getaway better. Enter Santa Fe’s Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi. A favorite of well-traversed explorers and romantics who flock to New Mexico’s elegance year round, Rosewood Inn’s comfortable interiors remind us of a logwood cabin buried between dense woods reminiscent of forgotten hideaways from our childhood. In a grown-up twist, Rosewood Inn beckons a cooler version of yourself where in-room massage services, a library for hidden Southwestern history and a wine cellar are all casual essentials.
A remote getaway where cuddling might be the only requirement, savor the escape – especially one as clever as “ski and waves,” a ski package from Ski Santa Fe bundled with a massage at the resort’s Ten Thousand Waves Spa. Inspired by the history of Santa Fe’s Anasazi Indians, pueblo rooms, wood-beamed door frames and tasteful display of Native American art capture the essence of the city’s rustic elegance while still exuding a five-star city atmosphere.
113 Washington Ave., Santa Fe, New Mexico
Room rates: Between $300 - $1000/night
Reservations: 888.Rosewood
http://www.innoftheanasazi.com/
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Cultural attractions aside, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi does wonders for the libido. Offering an unprecedented hub of tranquility and idealism, the Middle Eastern resort is the first of its kind. Setting the pace for international jetsetters with an impressionable and heightened sense of standards, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi delivers on all fronts – from the urban amenities and cultural diversity, to LEED certification and architectural miscellany from award winning innovators. The city’s central hub both literally and figuratively, the new resort accentuates luxury – balconies were a requirement for suite architects Perkins Eastman and Wilson Associates, as were plunge pools and sun beds on private villa terraces.
Escaping from your suite might require some willpower, but at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi it’s worth it – with al fresco dining that plunges deep into various cuisines, from Western and Asian to Mediterranean and Arabic, there should be no begrudging when you finally plummet from room to reality. Or, swap meals for massages at Atarmia Spa, a signature of the space that offers sensory overload with honey, diamond dust, gemstone and hot olive oil treatments.
Reservations: 877.875.3658
Room rates: between $326 – 10,000/ night
Opening date: 11/11
http://www.abudhabi.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null
