Top 10 Romantic Travel Destinations

This Valentines day, your pockets may run dry as you try to navigate your way around these trying economic times. But if you've been smart, you've got a little kitty stashed away for you and your loved one for the perfect escape. As counter intuitive as it might sound to shed any cash at all, it may just be the perfect time to get your head straight and spend some time away from home with the person you love the most. If you're on the same page as us, we've got the 10 most romantic getaways this lover's season.

UNITED STATES

California Wine Country With the US in a troubling recession, goods and services may have gotten attractively cheap. What could be more romantic than savoring a glass of Chardonnay, cycling through vast vineyards or taking a dawn hot air balloon ride through Northern California's wine country? Both Napa and Sonoma are great valleys for your wine country jaunt, yet both are markedly different from the other. Where Napa is small and unified, it's also more commercial than the laid back Sonoma, whose vineyards sprawl over far more acreage. Both produce distinctive wines, yet either or both are perfect for a romantic getaway. Wine country is also great to visit year-round, although if you want to see the autumnal colors of the region, be sure to visit in the fall.

Savannah, Georgia A designated National Historic Landmark, Savannah is a city of history and mystery. It's famous for its spirits and specters, elegant antebellum mansions, lovely town squares, and residents of character and color (read: eccentricities). Perhaps the most romantic way to come under the spell of this engaging southern city is by horse-drawn carriage. Sit back and sip Champagne as a liveried driver takes you on a private tour of the largest contiguous historic district in the United States.

ARGENTINA

Lake District An enchanting region of mirrored lakes, ancient forests and snow-covered mountains, Argentina's Lake District in Northwest Patagonia is majestic in its beauty, humbling in its magnitude and intoxicating in its atmosphere. Its national parkland setting is perfect for tender twosomes who take to white water rafting, hiking, fishing or birding. Headquarter in the vibrant town of Bariloche and you'll delight to discover a mecca for artists and musicians. One caution: Local legend has it that once you've breathed the air, it's impossible to leave.

CROATIA

Lake District We're not advocating spending hours trying on every piece of clothing you own, nor should you turn up looking like you've thrown on whatever was least crumpled in your laundry basket. Unless you're dining at the most credit-card-melting restaurant in town, keep it casual - as you'll make her feel more at ease. Try to wear just one item or accessory that makes you stand out - but only one.

FRANCE

Provence Situated in Southeast France, Provence is the embodiment of living life to the fullest. When one thinks of this legendary realm, images of lavender-filled fields and vistas of ripe natural beauty immediately spring to mind. You'll fall in love all over again as you discover its varied landscapes, defined by the Alps to the east (Mont Ventoux, the Luberon and the Alpilles), the Rhone River in the west (fertile valleys and plains) and the Mediterranean Sea due south (the fanciful marshlands of the Camargue).

ITALY

Italian Lake District Italian is the language of love, so the perfect romantic getaway for European romance seekers has to be the Italian Lake District. You'll find yourself inextricably drawn to the beauty of Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and even the intimate Lake Orta. Indulge your ultimate fantasies and stay in a lakeside villa, secluded castle or panoramic chapel, all of which are scattered throughout the region. If it's good enough for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, it should be good enough for you. If it's grandiose you're after, choose Lake Garda. This large lake features picturesque resorts including Riva del Garda, situated on the water's edge. Take a trip to the tiny port town of Gargnano with its Villa Feltrinelli, or perhaps drop in on George Clooney at his Villa Oleandra in Lake Como.

JAPAN

Fuji Five Lakes Region When in spring and autumn the day arrives that the snow blankets just the top of Mount Fuji, it's the perfect time to visit Japan's Fuji Five Lakes region. The lakes Kawaguchi, Yamanaka, Sai, Shoji and Motosu lie in a lovely arc surrounding the northern foot of the country's highest mountain. Both peak and lakes, formed in eons pass by lava flows that dam up several rivers, are part of serene parklands that invite hiking, meditation and other countryside pleasures.

THE MALDIVES

Faafu Atoll Twenty-three tiny islands, only five of which are occupied, make up this lyrical South Pacific atoll. One of the remaining uninhabited islands has been entirely converted into a resort that's accessible only by seaplane. Here, amid wind-dancing palms and surrounded by endless blue expanses of ocean and sky, you'll experience a sense of profound isolation and paradisiacal island beauty. In addition to your significant other, excellent dive sites and abundant marine life will make your heart race.

NEW ZEALAND

Milford Sound, South Island Along the coast of New Zealand's South Island, Milford Sound has been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. This remote region, with its sheer rock faces and waters teeming with penguins, seals and dolphins, is located within the Fiordland National Park, part of the larger Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. Adventurous lovers can attempt "the most beautiful walk in the world," a three-and-a-half-day trek from Te Anu that every step of the way envelops you in the area's natural grandeur.

AUSTRIA

Hallstatt For those wanting a small, quiet getaway in arguably the most underrated lakeside romantic getaway, look up Hallstatt, Austria, a small town with barely 1000 inhabitants. The entire village can be toured on foot in 10 minutes, but the allure here is it's amazingly serene and beautiful setting, on the edge of the Hallstatter See (a lake).