THE PATIENTS
Jenna and Nic enter the surgery looking sheepish: they’re looking for a love
potion. “We’ve spent four years living together through university and we’re
now living apart for a while. We want a holiday that will rekindle our
romance,” Jenna explains.
The couple will blow their savings on the trip, so they’re determined to get
it right. They want a beautiful beach, hot sun and a warm sea, away from
overdeveloped resorts. “Nowhere too obvious, like Thailand,” Jenna says. The
hotel should have “a bit of soul” — no bland chains, then. And although they
don’t need ostentatious luxury, nor do they want to rough it. Good
snorkelling is essential, and Nic would be in heaven if he could go diving.
For a week in November or early December, they have £1,000pp.
JENNA AND NIC
Jenna Lane, 22, has just graduated from university and is about to start a PhD
in particle physics. Nic Webster, 23, is an aerospace engineer. They live in
Manchester
Last CD bought
Him: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Her: Takk by Sigur Ros
Last book read
Him: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Her: The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall
Smith
Favourite food
Him: crispy duck
Her: Nic’s pasta with tomato and mascarpone
PRESCRIPTION ONE: Belize
A lot of hotels style themselves as romantic hideaways. Not all deliver. One
that does is Salamander, on Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize. Wedged
between a sugary beach and dense jungle, a 30-minute speedboat ride from the
nearest town, Salamander is a small eco-resort with eight thatched cabanas
on stilts. Simple but stylish, the rooms have hardwood floors, fans,
hammocks and showers. The food is great, the staff are friendly and Jenna
and Nic can spend their days lazing in the sun, walking miles of deserted
beaches and snorkelling or diving on the vast reef. A week, room-only, costs
£1,018pp with Journey Latin America (020 8622 8491,
www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk).
PRESCRIPTION TWO: Cape Verde
Fly past the Canaries, keep going for a couple of hours and you reach Cape
Verde, 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Senegal. Slowly opening to
tourism, the islands have dazzling white-sand beaches, world-class dive
sites, clear warm seas and 350 days of annual sunshine. The culture is a
melting pot of African, Portuguese and Brazilian, and there are some fab
places to stay, including, on the main island of Sal, the four-star Hotel
Dunas de Sal, a sleek, minimalist establishment with a professional dive
shop. What’s more, from November there will be direct flights from the UK,
including one from Manchester. A week’s B&B at the Dunas de Sal
costs £755pp with the Cape Verde Experience (0845 330 2071,
www.capeverdeexperience.com).
PRESCRIPTION THREE: Cuba
Though it oozes soul, Cuba can disappoint if you land up in one of its many
bland beach hotels. Rather than join the masses in Varadero, Jenna and Nic
should head to the tiny island of Pinar del Rio and stay at the rustic Hotel
Cayo Levisa. With 20 beachfront cabanas, simple fresh food and a youthful,
friendly vibe, it’s an ideal spot to unwind, swim in the turquoise seas and
snorkel (or dive) the reef. I suggest four nights on the island combined
with three in Havana, at the beautifully restored Hotel Florida. Book with
Black Tomato (020 7610 9008, www.blacktomato.co.uk), which can point the
couple towards local salsa clubs and whisk them to and from the beach in a
1950s classic car, all in the price: £899pp, B&B.
