Top Ten Valentine's Day Destinations

It's really difficult for me to decide on my favourite Valentine's Day treat. Maybe High Tea at the Windsor Hotel, Melbourne:

Or a picnic on the banks of the Seine, low-key but nonetheless highly romantic:

Visiting the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is to surround yourself with a vision of romance and beauty:

The view from Cortona in Tuscany is breathtakingly romantic and the food is unsurpassed :

Balthazar's in New York is where you feel like you're in France, but you're in New York so it's fantastic anyway:

The Chateau les Reynats outside Perigueux has the most spectacular food this side of a Michelin star and the waiters are sweethearts:

Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como is so romantic that James Bond went there to recuperate while in love with Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale":

This table for two in the cafe at the pink villa of Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild on the French Riviera has a view which is one of the most romantic in the world:

The White House at Daylesford is my favourite romantic destination in Australia. This bed makes you want to jump in immediately:

Le Grand Colbert in Paris is so romantic that it was the setting for the reunion in "Something's Gotta Give". And the "best roast chicken in the universe" really is:

Or maybe I'll just sit at home with my special valentine and ponder this view:

Happy Valentine's Day wherever you are!

Laduree and Le Grand Colbert

A trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to these two institutions. The first, Laduree, is the peppermint coloured shop containing gelato-coloured macaroons in gorgeous shades of rose, mauve and a host of others:

Apparently they inspired the colour palette for Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Aren't they lovely:

I also had a hot chocolate at Le Grand Colbert, the restaurant where Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson meet at the end of 'Something's Gotta Give'. Apparently, people try and book the table they sat at. The restaurant is very beautiful but tres expensive.