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Imagine surprising your partner with a short hotel stay, or some delivered chocolates.  I don’t mean the cheap and cheerful kind, but the really luxurious kind, that spells romance in three foot high letters.  The sort of surprise that really takes someone’s breath away.

There are a few top notch hotels in the Uk, but surely one of the best and most unusual is Burgh Island Hotel.  I mean, it’s a whole island for goodness sake, which at high tide can only be reached by a sea tractor.  The hotel was built in the 1920s, has been lovingly restored in the Art Nouveau Style, and encompasses everything glamourous about the Jazz Age.

The hotel is based in South Devon, in Bigbury Bay.  There is a choice of bars and restaurants, and all food is locally sourced.  The local pub, a smugglers in is reputed to be haunted, by Tom Crocker’s poltergeist.  This is a superb hotel, so expect to dress for dinner (black tie) and to pay for quality.  Read more about Burgh Island here.

Before setting off for your romantic stay you could have some superb quality chocolates delivered, such as those from zchocolat, an online company who provided luxurious chocolates in a wooden box, with an engraved brass plate bearing the recipient’s name.  What about having them delivered to your hotel room – that would be even better.  Read more about zchocolat here.  zchocolat’s most prestigious gift is a wooden jewelry box, with a top tray and six drawers all filled with chocolates, and again with the brass name plate.

If neither of these appeals then you’re immune to romance!  Try looking here for some cheaper ideas.

This is a great time to be looking for real estate anywhere, and Hawaii is no exception. Hawaii seems to be a major target for people from the US and other countries to purchase homes. It’s easy to miss how large the Big Island is, with many different climate zones and a total land area that is bigger than all of the other islands in the state combined. The SoCal Guru website offers a good comparison between Hawaii and its easterly neighbor California in a number of areas important to vacationers.

On the rainy side is the historical town of Hilo. The nearly daily rains give this part of the island a very tropical feel. Here you will also find the government complex, although there are satellite offices in other districts on the island. There are many qualified real estate agents in Hilo and they can show you the best Big Island real estate in that area.

One of the other districts on Hawaii Island is Kona, on the dry side of the slopes. The incoming rain clouds lose much of their energy and water as they pass over the inactive volcanoes that separate Kona from Hilo. Consequently the Kona side is much drier. Most people seem to be inclined to the dry side, since there is more sunshine on average in Kona than in Hilo.

Kona and Kohala offer a great deal of Hawaii land with terrific ocean views and coffee orchards above 1,000 feet elevation. It is possible to find large estate homesites at prices that are way below the peak in 2006. If you spend any time on the Big Island you will notice a more relaxed atmosphere than you’ll find on Maui or Oahu. Give some consideration to the Big Island, and especially Kona, if you are thinking about purchasing land for a vacation home.