World's most romantic hotels

Although Valentine's Day has come and gone, there's no better time to fix a time and place for an unforgettable romantic date with your significant other than right now.

Of course, a specific time or particular place is no guarantee that you will be having some of the most memorable moments of your life. But if money is no obstacle, staying in the world's most romantic hotels might provide the right ambience to rejuvenate your love life.

Fortunately, you don't have to go far to find one of these places. Amandari, a hotel located in Ubud, Bali, has been listed by famous online business magazine Forbes.com as one of the world's most romantic hotels, and could be the right choice for your date.

This small hotel was named after the Sanskirt word for the place of peaceful spirits, and the Amandari fully lives up to its name. Perched over a gorge above the Ayung River, this resort is surrounded by terraced rice paddies and has a view of the sparkling Indian Ocean. The Amandari's 29 villas were built in traditional Balinese style -- each with a thatched roof and constructed from teak wood and volcanic stone.

Each villa has a private courtyard and every bathroom leads out into the courtyard, which has a sunken marble pool for bathing. The Amandari also has a dark, green tiled pool that blends into the rice paddy landscape.

The other most romantic hotels, according to Forbes.com include the Hotel Bauer in Venice, Italy, the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, U.S.A., the Blackthorne Inn in California, U.S.A., the Four Seasons in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Hotel Costes in Paris, the Inn at Sawmill Farm in West Dover, Vermont, U.S.A. and the Las Alamandas resort in San Patricio, Mexico.

Hotel Bauer: With a resident flock of pigeons cooing in the Pizza San Marco and the gentle pink and gold hues of its remarkable sunsets hovering over the spires of the Santa Maria della Salute, there is little doubt that Venice deserves its reputation as the most giddily romantic city on earth. Located on the Grand Canal and having just completed a multimillion-dollar renovation, the Bauer is one of the city's hottest hotels. Hotel packages include a romantic gondola ride down the city's canals.

Bellagio Hotel: Thanks to the introduction of hotels such as the Bellagio -- a hotel that emphasizes the appeal of its restaurants and Broadway-style shows as much as its crap tables -- Las Vegas has become a popular destination not only for gamblers. The Bellagio is both romantic and glamorous, with sprawling manicured gardens, limestone terraces, six pools and a glass-covered botanical garden.

Blackthorne Inn: Built around a series of fragrant bay trees, the inn offers a rustic but comfortable feel in a secluded spot. Just a one-hour's drive north of San Francisco on the Point Reyes Peninsula, this small, whimsical inn is built like an exotic tree house village, complete with trap doors, spiral staircases and narrow walkways. There are only four guest rooms at the Blackthorne and the most unique is the Eagle's Nest, which is a glass-enclosed, octagon bedroom perched high above the tree.

Four Seasons Prague: For an unforgettable weekend, bundle up and head to Prague, one of the world's most romantic cities. Once there, it is easy to see why the city is often referred to as "the Paris of the East". With its cobblestone streets, Gothic architecture and buildings that are spotlighted at night, Prague is just as beautiful as the City of Lights. The place to stay in the "city of a hundred spires" is the Four Seasons, a hotel that was constructed by linking together five Baroque and neo- Renaissance buildings together in the Stare Mesto (Old Town). Even though it looks like the 18th century outside, the inside of the hotel is definitely the 21st.

Hotel Costes: When the Costes brothers opened their unique hotel in 1995, it immediately became one of the nicest spots in Paris. With its haute bordello ambience, resident disc jockey and bar and restaurant-favored celebrities, Hotel Costes could have been designed specifically with Valentine's Day in mind. The hotel's candlelit lobby and bar, with its red walls, velvet couches and hip denizens, oozes with romance and mystery. At any time of the day or night, models and movie stars can be seen sauntering past, whether for a coffee or a drink in between shopping or photo shoots.

The Inn at Sawmill Farm: This inn is a renovated 18th century farmhouse located in the tiny village of West Dover, Vermont. The inn's 20 guest rooms feature balconies, fireplaces and well- chosen antiques. The inn also has a top-rated wine cellar. And if and when the snow ever arrives, there are plenty of ways to burn off the calories such as by skiing on nearby Mt. Snow, snowmobiling or snowshoeing.

Las Alamandes: Created by heiress Isabel Goldsmith, the resort is the sort of place that movie stars and billionaires go when they want to get away from their hectic routines. Named for the yellow alamandas flower that grows abundantly in the area, the resort is located on 70 acres of unspoiled oceanfront land. Opened in 1998, this extremely private resort on Mexico's Pacific coast has only six villas and accommodates just 30 people at a time. The level of service dedicated to these 30 guests is extraordinary -- the staff-to-guest ratio is usually 10 to one.

-- JP