It’s the winter season, which also translates to “engagement season.” It’s estimated that 40 percent of all engagements occur between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, and hotels are certainly not ones to miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on a trend. That said, some of our favorite properties have come up with creative and, at times, over-the-top ways to help you propose to your loved one at any time of year. Enlist the services of the following luxe hotels to aid in your quest to pop the question.
Downtown Seattle’s Sorrento Hotel knows a thing or two about romance — the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel has been around for more than a century. Pop the question with the Fire & Ice Engagement package, where you will enjoy a customized proposal dinner for two created by the hotel’s executive chef and served in the Sorrento’s iconic Fireside Room. The chef will work closely with you to base the meal on your betrothed-to-be’s tastes and preferences. The deal also includes a $100 food and beverage credit toward dinner in the Hunt Club, a welcome bottle of champagne, corner suite accommodations, a rose petal and truffle turndown and breakfast for two the next morning. Package from $999
The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
Enjoy rustic elegance with a visit to this intimate inn. Located on 21 acres and surrounded by lushly landscaped gardens, this 80-room boutique hotel is about 30 minutes north of San Diego, featuring plenty of privacy for your romantic rendezvous. The hotel offers the Ultimate Wedding Proposal package, which features a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and strawberries upon arrival, two nights in a Premiere Ranch King Room, a six-course tasting menu with wine pairings in a private dining room, daily breakfast for two up to $50 per day and a private hot-air balloon ride, the perfect place to pop the question. Package from $2,250
Ashford Castle
For an out-of-the-way proposal locale, whisk her away to an Irish castle. County Mayo’s Ashford Castle provides not one but two romantic packages. Go for pure romance with the Perfect Proposal, which includes two nights of Stateroom accommodations with a full Irish breakfast for two, a relaxing massage for the gentleman and a luxurious Essie manicure for the lady (so her hands look ring-ready), a candlelit dinner in the George V dining room, a rose petal turndown, a glass of bubbly with strawberries and chocolates, and a room-service champagne breakfast after she says “yes.” If you need to kick it up a notch, opt for the three-night Proposal By Dingle package, which adds on a couples massage, a one-hour romantic boat ride and a falconry lesson, finished off with a grand “make her say yes” moment — ring delivery from Dingle, the castle’s resident owl. Perfect proposal from $1,387, Dingle proposal from $2,356
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting than that of this oceanfront Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star, which sits on cliffs above the California coastline. Its Proposal package takes place in the Orange County hotel’s signature oceanfront gazebo, which will be scattered with rose petals and candles for the occasion. An upholstered chair is set up for the lady and a tasseled pillow (for the gentleman to kneel on) is provided. Afterward, enjoy a chilled bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne. Make it the Ultimate proposal with a dozen long-stemmed red roses and a three-course dinner for two paired with wine, optionally combined with any overnight package the hotel offers. Additionally, the property’s romance concierge is on hand to help with any further arrangements the happy couple might need. The Proposal package is $1,500, the Ultimate proposal is $2,000
Caneel Bay
Located on St. John, Caneel Bay is a popular Caribbean escape for laid-back couples seeking a luxurious vacation. It’s even easy to surprise your lady love with a trip — the resort is located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, so no passport is required. Its Pop the Question package includes the assistance of the hotel’s romance curator, a bottle of house champagne, a keepsake photo of the moment taken by a local photographer provided electronically (for an immediate Facebook post, naturally) as well as a Caneel Bay memory box, designed to hold any mementos you acquire over the stay. As a bonus, twosomes who book the resort for a destination ceremony will also enjoy their wedding night complimentary. Pop the Question package is $1,000
Barnsley Gardens Resort
If you ever wished for a fairy godmother to help with your love life, this Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Atlanta-area escape can make it happen. The fairy godmother is a year-round fixture similar to a romance concierge who counts “elaborate love spell set-ups and proposals” as a specialty — so much so, in fact, that she averages six proposals each month. The Ultimate Romance package includes a two-night stay in an Arbor Cottage, daily breakfast, a dinner at one of the resort’s two gourmet restaurants, another private dinner in your cottage or the resort’s gardens, a $300 activity credit (couples massage, anyone?) and an “Ultimate Love Spell” that just may seal the deal. Rates from $989
Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas
You might not equate romance with Sin City, but this Five-Star hotel will change that. Propose with the property’s Ultimate Romantic Escape, which, in true Vegas fashion, combines sexy with over the top. Begin your weekend with a champagne-accompanied airport pickup before checking into a Dynasty Suite that’s decorated with gifts and treats from a romance concierge with the Kiki De Montparnasse lingerie boutique. Take in stunning aerial views of the city with a Sky Combat Ace “50 Shades of Vegas” night tour in a Waco open cockpit bi-plane (a great spot for a heart-pumping proposal), followed by a more relaxing Art of Romance couples treatment at the Five-Star spa, and dinner for two at the Five-Star Twist by Pierre Gagnaire. Package is $3,465
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
It’s only fitting that this Five-Star would have a luxurious proposal package fit for celebrities. The Perfect Proposal provides a day and night of sultry surprises, including a personalized suite, Rolls-Royce transportation to a La Perla shopping excursion (complete with $500 gift card), a couples massage in your room, alfresco private dining overlooking the skyline accompanied by a classical guitarist, a videographer/photographer to capture the big moment and an in-room welcome with rose petals, champagne and chocolates. Who could say no? The package also includes breakfast in bed for two with mimosas, late checkout and complimentary parking. Packages from $5,000 between February 1 and 28, 2014
Nita Lake Lodge
Head up north this winter and warm your lover’s heart with a proposal deal from this romantic, 77-room boutique hotel in Whistler. The Diamond Ice proposal package includes a two-night stay in the Rainforest Suite (accessible via a private elevator), champagne and strawberries, a couples massage at the Spa at Nita, a five-course dinner with wine pairings in the hotel’s private dining room, breakfast in bed each morning and a late checkout. For the proposal itself, fly on a scenic tour to Rainbow Glacier, where a cheese, charcuterie and champagne picnic will be waiting. You don’t even have to worry about the ring: The deal also includes a one-carat, brilliant-cut Canadian diamond solitaire in white gold. Package from $20,000, requires 14-day notice, and is weather dependent
Dromoland Castle
It doesn’t get more romantic than this: a request for the hand of a fair lady, made on bended knee against the backdrop of an ancient Irish castle surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest, stream and lake, with the ring delivered in style by the resort’s falcon. Dromoland Castle, located in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, was built in the 16th century; today it houses a 99-room boutique hotel. Propose with the Perfect Castle engagement package and enjoy two nights’ accommodation in a signature suite, in-room champagne upon arrival, a full breakfast each morning, a couples spa treatment, a full-day cruise with lunch and lakeside stops and a private dinner for two under the stars in the resort’s gazebo, dubbed the “Temple of Mercury.” The falcon can drop by with the ring while you go on a stroll of the estate’s gardens, or at any other time of your choosing. The Perfect Castle engagement package is around $2,632
Photos Courtesy of Ashford Castle, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Inn At Rancho Santa Fe
