Top ten romantic retreats

Caravanserai Marrakech
Style Effortlessly chic rustic resort.
Setting The fringes of Palmeraie.
Rooms Five rooms, 12 suites (two with own pools).
Rates €130-420, including breakfast.
A 15-minute drive from the ancient medina in a rubbly mud village in Marrakech's green suburb, the Palmeraie, is this pink-hued paradise. The focal point is its beautiful swimming pool, open to the sky, and forming a courtyard between dining salon, bedrooms and terraces and secret gardens. The marble-hard tadelakt plaster lends itself perfectly to a sprawling layout, which incorporates open fireplaces, cushion-festooned terraces, enormous baths and an impressive hammam (tiny indoor spa).
For more information, or to book a stay at this hotel, go to: Caravanserai

Jardins Secrets Provence
Style Opulent classic.
Setting Roman Nimes.
Rooms Four (with more planned).
Rates €190-260, excluding breakfast.
Boutique-hotel lovers everywhere should salute the French couple behind this pink-hued 17th-century city villa. Rich, lush, colourful grounds full of olive trees, giant palms and bougainvillea is the first feast for the senses. The attention to detail gives a clue to the owner's own professional backgrounds: he is an interiors and food photographer; she is a stylist. Together they have created what we suspect is their dream come true. The rooms are large, luxurious and decorated with impeccably chic French taste.
For more information, or to book a stay at this hotel, go to: Jardins Secrets

Les Cascades Cape Town
Style Colonial comfort.
Setting Panoramic perch over Bantry Bay.
Rooms Ten. In the main lodge: one luxury suite; three superiors; two deluxe. In the villa: one junior suite; three villa rooms.
Rates R1,450-2,650, including breakfast and all taxes.
This Indonesian-accented multi-levelled cliffside retreat is set into a cliffside in the exclusive neighbourhood of Bantry Bay. The suites are rich with luxurious dark wood and leather furniture, wool carpets and African and Eastern art and artefacts carefully placed to complete the picture of stealth style. Three pools, cushion-filled relaxation areas (indoors and out), and a terrace where you can dine alfresco much of the year mean you need never prise your eyes from that view.
For more information, or to book a stay at this hotel, go to: Les Cascades

Perivolas Santorini
Style All-white Gaudi-contoured caves.
Setting Overlooking the caldera.
Rooms 19, all with sea view.
Rates €368-1,400.
Perched high on the cliffs of this super-romantic Greek island, the heart-stopping views over the Aegean Sea alone are the stuff that spontaneous marriage proposals are made of (ha!). The all-white bedrooms are carved out of the cliff, and are utterly sensual. Thankfully, there's also the lure of sunshine and irresistible beaches, or the best temptation of all - an eyeful of the sunset from the comfort of your own private hilltop jacuzzi.
For more information, or to book a stay at this hotel, go to: Perivolas