By Rama Gaind.
| “Where there is love there is life.” — Mahatma Gandhi |
All over the world planning is underway for celebrations to mark Valentine’s Day on Sunday.
Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel is on the cusp of the dramatic Jamison Valley in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park.
Love. It has meaning when you have someone to share it with. It recognises no barriers. It’s palpable, indefinable, infectious, vibrant — and not always evanescent. There are times when the bonds of love need strengthening: being accompanied by sweet-smelling floral bouquets, chocolates, three-course meals and clinking glasses of sparkling champagne. If you add hotel accommodation, the getaway is even sweeter!
There are a few ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Canberra at such venues as Hyatt Hotel Canberra, Novotel Canberra, Hotel Realm, Mercure Canberra, Vibe Canberra, Ibis Styles Canberra, Rose Cottage, Pialligo Estate, QT Canberra, George Harcourt Inn and the beer gardens. There are also many other places to go for romantic getaways. The choices are endless.
There may be some reduced capacity due to COVID-19, but our favourite venues should be shown some support and patience. Whatever your choice … watching a fabulous sunset on a beach, curling-up in front of an open fire or going on an adventurous holiday break … if you’re looking for the best way to express yourself, there are many options on offer.
Whether you’ve been together for six months or four decades, what Helen Keller said rings true: “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart”.
Bond experience
Peppers Manor House is an elegant country retreat located in the beautiful Southern Highlands. Photo: Rama Gaind
It’s certainly true … the best thing to hold onto in life … is each other. Memories come flooding back of one of the best holidays some years ago … on a 007 escapade at the luxury Thailand boutique resort, The Sarojin, in Khao Lak. That’s when Valentine’s Day was celebrated as a romantic, thrill-seeking adventure in the true style of James Bond.
The Sarojin is beautifully set on a of secluded white sand beach in Khao Lak, a 55-minute drive north of Phuket International Airport. It is bordered by five national parks and the world-famous dive sites of the Similan and Surin Islands.
In beautiful tropical surrounds that befit true heroes, the day kicked off with an effervescent champagne breakfast. Couples were then escorted to their stunning aqua limousine, the sleek and dazzling yacht, Lady Sarojin, to traverse the picture-perfect Phang Nga Bay, to top-secret sea caves to explore these fascinating hidden places by canoe.
Faithful to the Bond ethos, twosomes were able to live life on the edge as they scaled a rock cliff face with a qualified climber to ensure the safety of intrepid explorers. The adventure then roared ahead to James Bond Island, renowned for its needle formed limestone rock that featured in a classic Bond moment in The Man With The Golden Gun.
Enjoyed was an afternoon of island hopping, waving through sheer rock formations jutting from emerald waters and delving into the mysteries of a fascinating underworld on a guided snorkeling expedition.
Peppers Craigieburn is in Bowral in the Southern Highlands.
During the cruise, a delectable gourmet lunch and Bond-style martinis was served on board Lady Sarojin. There was also some rock climbing. All things Bond neared its finale with jaunts in a four-wheel drive along jungle paths to the fabulous Beach Bar hot spot at The Sarojin (re-opening on 25 February 2021). Now this was the ideal location for a trademark Bond martini, overlooking the resort’s spectacular 11km stretch of white sands as the sun set over the lapping waters of the Andaman Sea.
For many in our holiday group, it proved to be the perfect Bond moment for a Valentine marriage proposal, to renew vows or reflect on special times together.
Couples were shaken and stirred!
Slice of romance
Destinations near Canberra encompass every slice of romance needed for a couple’s getaway. Begin a weekend itinerary in the Southern Highlands to watch the Fitzroy Falls or drive a bit further to Sydney to have a candlelit dinner by the harbour.
An elegant country retreat, the Peppers Manor House offers simple pleasures and an escape from city life. Located in Sutton Forest just 15 minutes from Bowral, it has a touch of country glamour, is fashionably repurposed, with the original homestead retaining its character.
Bowral has some other places for weekend stays: Peppers Craigieburn, Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa, Links House, Strathburn Cottage Luxury Bed & Breakfast.
When you stay at the award-winning Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, you’ll be amidst panoramic ocean and stunning mountain.
The Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage Area with manifold natural parks and gardens and magnificent scenery. The pinnacle of upscale accommodation in Leura is the Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel. On the cusp of the dramatic Jamison Valley, this is where you can relax, explore and engage your senses with all it has to offer, especially sublime views!
Other alternatives include Broomelea Bed & Breakfast, Bethany Manor Bed & Breakfast, Hills Havens Cottages, Melba House, Katoomba or Parklands Country Gardens & Lodges, Blackheath.
You could go to Wollongong, the third largest city in NSW. Here you have access to white sand beaches or adventure activities like hang-gliding, paragliding, cycling, abseiling and more. It’s the only place in NSW where you can sky dive onto a beach.
The decision will rest on how and where you want to celebrate. You will rejoice because “when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”.
Voltaire had this veracious explanation: “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination”. Make it memorable.
DETAILS
www.peppers.com.au/craigieburn/
www.fairmontresort.com.au
www.novotelnorthbeach.com.au
www.peppers.com.au/manor-house/
www.sarojin.com
