Unusual Places To Propose

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner - a day when many loved-up souls will be getting down on one knee. According Facebook, Valentine’s Day is the fourth most popular day to get engaged, following Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. But if you’re planning on popping the question this year, forget cliché locations like the Eiffel Tower, Times Square and the London Eye. Instead, try one of these more original places to propose.

IN A CAVE FULL OF GLOWWORMS

Head underground into the most magical cave where glowworms illuminate the walls. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves on New Zealand’s North Island also offers boat tours and - for those with a more adventurous streak - cave tubing tours where you glide along the water in an inflatable ring. The perfect location for whipping out the real ring at the end. A 45-minute tour starts from NZ$49 (£23).

IN AN UNDERWATER NIGHTCLUB

A proposal in a nightclub may seem a bit seedy - but not if it’s underwater. The first of its kind when it opened in 2012, Subsix Per Aquum in the Maldives is reached via speedboat and has a staircase leading down to a room with huge windows, perfect for watching the watery world go by.

IN A FAIRYTALE TOWER

If it was good enough for Rapunzel, it’s good enough for us. The topsy-turvy Water Tower in Trelissick, Cornwall, has a circular room on each floor linked by a spiral staircase with the kitchen at the top, a sitting room below, and a double bedroom on the first floor. With beautiful gardens on your doorstep and the rest of the Fal Estuary to explore, the hardest part of making that grand romantic gesture will be deciding where to do it. The tower can be booked through National Trust and costs from £507 for seven nights’ self-catering.

OR A CASTLE FIT FOR ROYALTY

Book into a castle fit for a king and queen. Thornbury Castle in Gloucester is home to the country’s largest four-poster hotel bed (10ft by 6ft) and it requires four staff to make it. Overlooking England’s oldest Tudor gardens, the Tower Suite where the bed is found was slept in by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn during their honeymoon in 1535. But you’re sure to have a happier ending. A two-night Valentine’s break costs from £734, including some meals.

IN AN IGLOO

Baby, it’s cold outside - so step into an igloo for a proposal with a difference. In Engstligenalp in the Swiss Alps, you can sit amongst the ice and warm up by indulging in a fondue (from £29pp). The ten igloos - made filling huge balloons with air and snow - are filled with animal skins and feature intricately carved walls. After all that melted cheese, roll out of your igloo and top the night off with an eskimo kiss.

IN YOUR OWN SEA FORT

Originally intended to be a naval defence, Spitbank Fort is now a luxury hotel off the South Coast - with a rooftop hot tub to boot, perfect for question-popping. On this private island playground you eat lunch in the crow’s nest and dinner in the officer’s mess. It also features spa facilities, a Laurent-Perrier champagne bar and eight luxuriously converted rooms. Secret Escapes offers one night’s full-board accommodation from £449 per suite, including a full guided tour of the fort and a glass of chilled champagne.

IN THE TREES

Get the ultimate seclusion by spending the night in the branches while the Northern Lights dance overhead. Sweden’s Treehotel has different treetop cabins to choose from, including one shaped like a UFO, a mirror cube and a bird’s nest design. Taber Holidays has a three-night Luleå and the Treehotel trip from £995pp, including flights and most meals.

ON YOUR OWN ISLAND

Get shipwrecked in style as you spend the night on a deserted island. Luxury boutique resort The Sarojin in Thailand is offering a new private island dining excursion that sees you marooned with a personal chef and butler. Dine by moonlight on fresh seafood as the waves lap against the shore - the perfect setting for an engagement.

UNDER THE STARS

Go stargazing without braving the cold. Holiday cottages specialist Finn Lough Resort in Northern Ireland now has some Stargazing Forest Domes with transparent walls and roofs so you can immerse yourself in nature without having to leave the luxury of your four-poster bed and woodburning stove. One night costs from £175, including breakfast which is sourced within a 30-mile radius.

UP A VOLCANO

Not many people can say they got engaged on a volcano - especially not an active one. When it’s not erupting, Mount Etna - Europe’s highest active volcano - is a good bet. Stay in nearby Villa Carmela with The Massimo Villa Collection, who can organise a tour with qualified volcanologists. You’ll discover dramatic lava flows, caves and craters - then taste the Etna Rosso wine, made from the fertile slopes of the volcano. The villa - which has lava stone walls and an outdoor jacuzzi - sleeps two and costs from €2,065 (£1,588) for a week’s self-catering.

ON AN EPIC TREK

At the end of the Inca Trail, the sun rises through the Sun Gate and the Machu Picchu is revealed in all its glory. When it comes to places to propose, the Sun Gate is hard to beat for a romantic view, and after four days of trekking the Inca Trail and sharing a tent together, you’ve probably got a pretty good idea of whether you want to spend the rest of your life with someone or not… RealWorld have 10-day holidays to Peru which include the Inca Trail trek from £1295pp, including meals on the trek and all breakfasts. Excludes flights.

IN A MONGOLIAN YURT

Watch the sun go down from your own Mongolian yurt, found closer to home - in Lincolnshire. Kitted out with goose feather duvets, electricity and wood burning stoves, these cosy structures are perfect for unwinding in a romantic countryside setting. Prices start from £75 per night. Book through QuirkyAccom.