Romantic Hotels That Make You Feel Sexy and Alive

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Love is in the air. As is ardor, desire, longing, and the thrill of going somewhere to get it on. We asked travelers we love to share their picks for romantic weekend escapades.

Venice for Valentine’s Day is my no brainer. The most romantic city in the world (yes, Paris, I said it) is at its sexiest in the cold, wet, duck-into-a-bar-if-it-snows-for-a-prosecco-snifter of winter. It’s where I’d whisk anyone for a weekend of snuggle-up, old-fashioned glamor. And I’d stay in one of the rooms at the top of Violino d’Oro, my favorite hotel there, a jewel box of a hotel that glints in the misty mornings right in the heart of the city. Getting lost on a winter morning in half-empty Venice with someone you love? Nothing sexier.
— Mark Ellwood, travel writer (and former tour guide in Italy)

In LA, it's the Pendry because of the private little bar on the ground floor that somehow just screams "magical cocktails before hot sex" to me. There's also the Sun Rose there, which is a glamorous music venue that gives major Daisy Jones vibes: a huge turn-on. In Ireland, we found ourselves at The Cliff House in Ardmore, a sexy seaside hotel with a retro bend, which also lit me on fire. You feel like you're starring in an indie movie about electric and rebellious love. I was like, ummm where is Paul Mescal? And Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como destroyed me. I was there alone, with a terrace overlooking the lake, and a lightning storm, and a bottle of Champagne — it was begging for a night of passion. Luckily, I had an addictive book. Almost as good, but not quite!
— Alyssa Shelasky, author and editor of New York Magazine’s Sex Diaries

andBeyond Benguerra in Mozambique has some of the most beautiful beaches and water I’ve ever seen. How secluded this little island is! It’s the perfect edge-of-the-world hideaway. And nothing is more romantic than a sunset dhow cruise.
— Sarah Khan, travel writer and editor

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