With Valentine’s day upon us, here’s a sickening look at some of the top romantic getaways around the world. In no particular order, let’s begin.
PARIS:
Paris is a destination synonymous with romance. A city with plenty to do and a public transport system so simple to figure out that any language barrier is knocked down with the ease of a large bulldozer crashing through it. The City of Love offers boundless opportunities for romance with its candlelit wine bars, perfect gardens and wonderful architecture in the form of Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and of course, the Eiffel Tower. On top of this, Paris offers a vast number of cultural sites to visit such as the Louvre Museum.

BARBADOS:
An eastern Caribbean island famed for its white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters, Barbados is considered to be ideal for a relaxed romantic getaway. Cattlewash beach is said to be the most romantic beach on the island with it being ideal for stargazing, where couples can go and get comfortable on the sand and look out for shooting stars. Boat cruises offer a particularly exciting day of exploring the island, where visitors can drink cocktails and snorkel, although most likely not in that order.

CANCUN:
Another sun-soaked destination. The city of Cancun is situated on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula bordering the Caribbean Sea. It’s composed of two distinct areas: the more traditional downtown area, El Centro and Zona Hotelera, a long beachfront strip of high-rise hotels, nightclubs, shops and restaurants. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest coral reef in the world, runs parallel to the Yucatan Peninsula. Scuba diving and snorkelling is possible from locations in and around Cancun. Unique to the Yucatan Peninsula are cenotes. These natural sinkholes have formed pools connected by an underground river system, providing them with cool, fresh water perfect to be explored.

SYDNEY:
Arguably one of the world’s most iconic cities, Sydney rivals any city in the world. In terms of transport, Sydney with its trams, trains and buses is easy to use – easier than Paris in that there is no barrier in need of knocking down. There are landmark areas such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Tower to visit. Failing that, there are beaches to relax on and improve the tan, the iconic Bondi Beach being the perfect location for a lie down, a swim, a surf or even just a walk. With areas such as Darling Harbour available to explore too, you can’t go wrong with Sydney.

LEEDS:
Yes, Leeds. As in the English one. Please bear with me. Leeds may not have the climate we all so desperately yearn for, and neither does it have the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, or any reef at all for that matter. What all these destinations can offer, including Leeds, is the same person to go with. If the person is right, does the destination matter that much?

I said it would be sickening.