Amazing hotels for Valentine’s Day: six heavenly places to stay together

How about escaping together this February, to enjoy a very special weekend in a dreamy Hauts-de-France hotel? – one with surprises and treats that might include a private spa. We’ve rounded up the best for you – exceptional four- or five-star places, one in the style of a Louis XVI château, one in a converted medieval hospice, one in a heritage property with majestic vaults, one in an Art Deco style dwelling and one in the former mansion of an 18th-century countess. All offer a candlelit Valentine’s Day dinner as well as spoiling you both with lots of little touches. Whether you chose a city break, a forest getaway within easy reach of Paris or some fresh seaside air on the Opal Coast, you’ll be transported to another world.

©Hauts-de-France Tourisme - Xavier Renoux

HOTEL IN VALENCIENNES

01. Royal romance and la dolce vita at the Royal Hainaut in Valenciennes

Fabulous, majestic, opulent, sublime, incredible and in fact positively regal… But in fact no superlative seems lofty enough for such a treasure. What we are sure about it is that you’ll delight your partner if you surprise them with a Valentine’s weekend at the Royal Hainaut Spa & Resort Hotel in Valenciennes.

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Northern France _ Valenciennes_Spa Royal Hainaut_swimming © Royal Hainaut - Christophe Bielsa

Northern France _ Valenciennes_Spa Royal Hainaut © Royal Hainaut - Christophe Bielsa

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Northern France _ Valenciennes_Spa Royal Hainaut Spa Royal Hainaut © Royal Hainaut - Christophe Bielsa

This is an unique and prestigious 18th-century monument built under Louis XV, originally a hospital but now given a new and spellbinding life. From the moment you arrive, you’ll be stunned by the scale of it all: the vast courtyard, the luminous hall, the soaring ceilings. You’ll lose yourselves in a dazzling labyrinth of elegant decor including local blue stone. The amazing rooms and suites are scattered with rose petals for Valentine’s Day, and there are bars, restaurants, a nightclub and – the cherry on the cake – a spa with a monumental blue swimming pool beneath a vaulted ceiling, plus a sauna, a starry-skied hammam and the option of booking a candlelit couple’s massage.

Accompanied by music, your romantic dinner will take place in the equally majestic, traditional brasserie Galeries. Think champagne, an amuse-bouche of foie gras with a port reduction, and sublime dishes such as marinated salmon with a beetroot and fresh herb cream, and chicken tournedos with green asparagus. Everything is in place for a wildly romantic weekend.

Find out more about the Royal Hainaut Spa & Resort Hôtel****

HOTEL IN Le TOUQUET PARIS-PLAGE

02. Star quality at Le Westminster at Le Touquet Paris-Plage

Le Westminster’s portrait gallery proudly displays photographs of the many celebrities who have stayed here over the years, including Edward Prince of Wales, Louis of Monaco, Marlène Dietrich and Sean Connery. Situated in the resort of Le Touquet Paris-Plage, ‘pearl of the Opal Coast’, this five-star icon retains its 1920s charm and Art Deco soul despite being beautifully renovated and redecorated in 2020.

Did you know?

In 2002 Carole Bouquet and Charlotte Rampling filmed ‘Embrassez Qui Vous Voudrez’ (‘Summer Things’) here, at the hotel and Le Touquet’s vast beach. And this jewel of a hotel offers you the most romantic of Valentine’s breaks with lots of personal touches, including fizz and dinner in your Art Deco room if you wish. The lovely heated pool beckons for a few laps together before you head to the pared-back cocoon of the Spa Nux for an incredible treatment that will leave you feeling divine. The food is also exceptional, courtesy of chef William Elliott in his Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant. Before you go home, inhale some great lungfuls of sea air on the beach and head to Rue Saint-Jean to taste the divine chocolate at the iconic Chat Bleu – afer all, chocolate is an aphrodisiac!

Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster*****

HOTEL IN LILLE

03. Delicious romance in Hôtel Clarance in Vieux-Lille

Get lost together in a maze of alleyways, revelling in the views of an array of 17th-century architecture in the heart of the Flemish capital. But first check into the five-star Hôtel Clarance, a one-time countess’s home built in 1736, now concealing gorgeous rooms clustered around a private courtyard. For Valentine’s Day the red carpet is rolled out and there are treats in keeping with the refined atmosphere with its judicious blend of old and new and its art collection. Michelin-starred chef Thibaut Gamba will regale you with a special Valentine’s menu of five courses based on top-quality ingredients, and your hosts will also help you tailor-make your romantic weekend with ideas for outings and other surprises. Rooms look out over the courtyard or the small garden, and the doorway to each is inscribed with a poem by Charles Baudelaire, adding to the ambiance of the place.

Hôtel Le Clarance *****

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HOTEL IN LILLE

04. A classified monument ideal for proposals: the Hermitage Gantois in Lille

Ambling around the capital of Flanders for the weekend and staying in a exceptional historic monument is the stuff Valentine’s Day dreams are made of. This unique museum-hotel, a medieval hospice, will envelope you in its subtle melding of heritage and contemporaneity, in rooms with an atmospheric interplay of shadow and light. Your room or suite with serene views over the garden will come decorated with roses. Utter tranquility also reigns in the wellbeing area with its eastern music, hammam, pool and massages. Your romantic dinner is a gourmet surprise from the chef, preceded by a glass of champagne.

More about the Hermitage Gantois*****

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Northern France _ Lille_Hôtel Hermitage Gantois_ swimming pool ©Alexis Delespierre

Northern France _ Lille_Hôtel Hermitage Gantois_ spa France ©Alexis Delespierre

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HOTEL IN CHANTILLY

05. A royal welcome at the Auberge du Jeu de Paume in Chantilly

Northern France _ Chantilly_ Auberge Du Jeu De Paume © Christophe Bielsa Photographe

Northern France _ Chantilly_ Auberge Du Jeu De Paume_ La Table du Connétable Restaurant @La Table du Connétable - Christophe Bielsa

Spend a princely night right by the gates to the Chantilly estate in all its historical magnificence, amidst sublime, refined, relaxing decor. Treat yourselves in one of two restaurants with views over the fabulous, world-famous gardens of the Château de Chantilly and take a stroll together in the gorgeous parklands. To complete your stay, immerse yourselves in the intimate spa.

Find out more about the Auberge du Jeu de Paume*****

HOTEL IN AMIENS

06. Spa and charming hotel in the center of Amiens.

And for a seventh bonus idea?

Be seduced by the refined charms of the five-star Marotte hotel and spa, a romantic cocoon right in the centre of Amiens, just five minutes’ walk from the world’s most beautiful cathedral.