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Flytographer, a global database of professional
photographers in 275 locations, from Bahia to
Byron Bay, will connect you with your own
personal paparazzo to document every preen,
swoon, or death-defying leap.
Actually, Catherine and Dario did take one
picture on that midwinter jaunt to Niagara: a grainy
black-and-white of the snowbound parking lot at
the since-shuttered Milky Way Motel outside
Buffalo. A blizzard had forced them to stop on their
way home, and they waited out the storm by the
highway. It’s strangely beautiful, this photo, with
the neon motel sign and midcentury cars, fins
sculpted in snow. How cozy it must have felt inside
that motel room—caring only about being together,
as Catherine said. I can’t imagine a more romantic
moment: an unplanned detour, a chance for the
two of you to hide away from the world for a while.
If life is what happens while you’re making
other plans, romance is what happens when
those plans go awry—and you find your way back
together. I’ve never felt more twinned with my
wife, Nilou, than when, thwarted by insane
Rome traffic, we missed our train to Naples and
wound up, sweaty and bereft, sulking around
Roma Termini, condemned to bide our time at
the train station until the 10 p.m. departure. We
were supposed to stay at Le Sirenuse that night,
eating sea urchin spaghetti above the rooftops of
Positano. Romance with a capital R! Instead we
were stuck on a bench, stewing in silence. That’s
when Nilou sprang into action, marching us out
of the station and onto the streets of Monti. She
seemed to know exactly where she was going,
because 15 minutes later we turned down a
stone alley to find an improbably homey
trattoria, with a table for two sitting empty by
the door. Nilou had never been to the place in
her life—she was just desperate to rescue our
evening. “Sit down,” she said, and I did.
Our meal was extraordinary. This random
trattoria was exactly what we needed. Or maybe
it just seemed so because it was ours, a secret
only we shared, not for posterity or for posting—
just us defying the odds, rising above our funk,
grateful and exhausted, devouring the most
sensational cacio e pepe we’d ever tasted and
probably ever will.
Kara Bebell & Harlan deBell, thetravelsiblings@
tzell.com, 212-340-0316; Kimberly Wilson Wetty,
[email protected], 212-592-1218; Jack Ezon,
[email protected], 212-651-3750.
New Orleans
Perhaps it’s the heat, or
the ornate balconies of the
French Quarter. Or maybe
it’s just the languid pace of
life. But something about the
Big Easy oozes romance.
Check in to the new Maison
de la Luz (maisondelaluz.com;
doubles from $389), then
stop next door at the sultry,
rose-colored Bar Marilou
(barmarilou.com) for a
cocktail (perhaps the frosé-
and-mezcal “Sea, Sex, and
Sun”?). Finally, visit Bacchanal
Wine (bacchanalwine.com;
entrées $17–$28) in Bywater
for dinner and live jazz under
the fairy lights in the garden.
Cassis, France
Rent a cottage in this coastal
town just outside Calanques
National Park, or stay in
nearby Aix-en-Provence
(itself a worthy romantic
getaway). Stroll past the
waterfront skiffs and order
piles of oysters from a seaside
restaurant, then hire a boat to
take you into the calanques.
Many of these rocky coves are
accessible only by sea, so
you can spend a day sunning
on the shore and swimming
in the clear blue water with
few other people in sight.
Luang Prabang, Laos
Dense jungle, timeworn
temples, and a scattering
of colonial buildings give
this historic town all the
character of larger Southeast
Asian cities, with a fraction
of the crowds. Stay at the
new Rosewood Luang Prabang
(rosewoodhotels.com;
doubles from $768), with
its sumptuously eclectic
guest rooms and terrace bar
overlooking the lush grounds.
Don’t miss the chance to
swim in the Kuang Si Falls,
sample street food at the
night market, and cruise the
Mekong up to nearby caves.
— Lila Harron Battis
The Best Places
for New Love
Whether you’re honeymooning or on that magical first trip
together, these destinations will help you deepen your bond.
Calanque de
Sormiou, in
Calanques National
Park, near
Cassis, France.
