Would anyone like to indulge in some holiday porn?

[Prufrock]

And help me out?

Dh and I want to go away in October - probably over half term. It's our 10th wedding anniversary and we want to celebrate in some considerable style. Plans for the party to end all parties have been shelved as we couldn't agree on what we wanted and were clashing over who to invite (neither of us wanted our respective PIL's as we only wanted to have people who had supported us over the last 10 years). Thank you in advance for your assistance oh wise mumsnetters.

So I need:
Full on luxury, preferably with a spa and gym.
Not a child friendly hotel (if I've dumped my own I don't want to see other people's).
Somewhere cold/normal as neither of us like hot weather.
Easy to get to - don't want to spend hours on a plane, though will fly up to 2 hours. If I can do so from East Midlands or Stanstead even better. (I'm provisionally thinking Ireland but am prepared to be peruaded otherwise)
Stylish. That can be either country house stylish, modern uber cool stylish or even shabby chic stylish, but given that my bedroom/bathroom has won interior design awards and you should never stay anywhere worse than your home, it needs to be seriously stylish.
Good food and wine - restaurant and room service
I think I want somewhere quietish - I don't think we'll be spending much time out of our room, but could cope with wandering around nice shops/bracing coatal walks. Not really wanting to do Paris/Rome style sightseeing.

I do know I am very very demanding - but so are lots of you so I have confidence

bump

Please? there must be someone who has stayed in an amazing, romantic hotel recently.

We celebrated our tenth anniversary in Nice. It was blissful, temperate and sophisticated.

For oppulence, try here....www.hotel-negresco-nice.com/

For a more intimate experience, try here...www.hotel-meurice-nice.cote.azur.fr/page_en_2.html

Both excellent locations, close to old town, restaurants and shops. Monte Carlo is just a scenic train ride away.......

Everyone should go to Nice at least once, the light there is beautiful and hard to describe.

Have you done Venice?

Was going to suggest the south of France too. It's a short flight and weather should be perfect in October.

I'd love Venice - but I'm afraid it will just be too touristy for dh. And given that the idea is to spend most of our 2/3 days rekindling IYKWIM I think I might get a bit torn between sightseeing and bed.

I love Venice too. But if you go in Oct it shouldn't be too over run with tourists. Get one of those canal-side palaces with fancy catering/housekeeping if you want to splurge (no spa though!). Don't have any actual names of aforementioned canal side palaces but I'm sure I've read about them (check Sunday Times travel on line - I'm sure I read an article...) Could be vv romatic.

romatic?

Prufrock... not sure about hotels, but we're just back from Liguria (we don't do 'hot' either) and I reckon that would be lovely in October. Portofino would be wonderful and is very swish (think tiny fishing village with coastal walks and things, but full of designer shops!), or the Cinque Terre are beautiful (less 'designer', but lovely coastal walks, etc.).

Hotel Splendido in Portofino

villa d'este?

residence michelangiolo?

pestano palace?

santorini?

Tripadvisors - awards for 2008!

TOP 10 BEST FOR ROMANCE ? EUROPE

1. Anastasis Apartments, Santorini, Greece
2. Petasos Beach Hotel & Spa, Plati Gialos, Greece
3. Ikies - Traditional Houses, Oia, Greece
4. Santorini Princess, Santorini, Greece
5. Emelisse Hotel, Cephalonia, Greece
6. Hotel Buca di Bacco, Positano, Italy
7. La Minerva, Capri, Italy
8. Coeur des Alpes, Zermatt, Switzerland
9. Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, Paris, France

10. Locanda dell'Amorosa, Sinalunga, Italy

In the UK there is Stobo, Gleneagles or Turnberry- all worth thinking about.

If you want just a short hop why not charter a plane from Biggin Hill and fly to Le Touquet and take a suite at the Westminster Hotel?

no westminster not doing it for me. Pestana looks nice. and stobo. rthough the concept of seperate beds in teh best suite kinda ruins it. The whole point of this long weekned is to recreate 10 years ago, seperate beds will not do that!