Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
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AHH, ROMANCE, THAT DEEP and bottomless emotional maelstrom that knocks you from pillar to post, hijacking your logic in the planning and pursuit of pleasurable reward, remarkably displaying all the symptoms of an obsessive compulsive disorder. This disruptive and deliciously tormented state of mind is reported to be as effective at blocking pain as cocaine and other illicit drugs, little wonder that we find every opportunity to recapture its first flush with our significant other. Enter the romantic destination. While there are certain destinations in the world that immediately conjure up images of romance, a myriad of places still await discovery. Whether renowned or not, there are certain key elements that combine in the making of a successful romantic destination, not dissimilar to the qualities we look for in a lover: beauty, sensuality, and the element of surprise. Whether it be majestic mountains with stunning panoramas or a ragged coastline, a romantic destination needs to be breathtakingly beautiful. Untouched. Unspoiled. It needs to give the sensation of being away from the world, the illusion of delicious isolation. A romantic destination needs to engage the senses: Delicious massages with fragrant essential oils ease tired muscles during the day while charm-filled restaurants sparkle under fairy lights and candles at night, offering an array of mouth-watering delicacies as intoxicating music wafts across the tables. A romantic destination needs to have the element of surprise. Associated with surprise is the sense of motion, lightness, being swept up in the moment, or indeed off your feet. Think narrow, character-filled cobblestoned streets that appear to meander aimlessly, suddenly revealing charming little pockets when we least expect it. Here are a handful of my favourite escapes that positively reek of romance. Perhaps you may like to add a few of your own... SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, BORACAY ISLAND PHILIPPINES Voted the best beach in the world on numerous occasions and dubbed the new Bali, Boracay Island's natural beauty is unsurpassable. Only seven kilometres long and, at its narrowest point, one kilometre wide, its powder white sands and turquoise crystal-clear waters combine to soothe, heal and recharge one's mind, body and spirit, while a plethora of restaurants cater to every taste, lining the shores of the glorious beach. As a romantic getaway, one cannot go past the Shangri-La Resort and Spa. Situated on a lush hillside within an eco-reserve on the northern end of Boracay Island, the complex took five years to build and is considered to be the island's crown jewel. Rich with sprawling grounds and secluded private beaches, the resort is a destination all on its own with an impressive variety of restaurants and leisure facilities that include a tranquil spa village. 1. A ROMANTIC'S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL