Weekend away. Cost no object. Suggestions welcome. Mostly spending time together but in between, nice places to go.

Where you proposed.

Prepare a vacation in a lovely far away place and do not let her know where she's going. Pack her bags yourself so she can't guess the climate. She'll only know when she gets to the airport.

I actually saw this happen to a couple celebrating 10 years together. He didn't tell her where she was going until their got their connection in London. Fabulous surprise, lovely and heart-warming.

Colchester High Street...

Great!

Now WHERE? ( It has to be a weekend, she misses the kids)

what did you do for your 1st one? celebrating it today!

When is the anniversary? How long can you go away?

The traditional 20th gift is china, so you could take her to China (Taiwan or Hong Kong would suffice) but kinda far for a weekend.

The gemstone is emerald, so maybe a quick weekend to the emerald isles?

BTW, just got back from a long weekend in Cairo for my 20th (was yesterday). Swiss goes direct from Zurich, it's under a 4 hour flight, so doable for a weekend. It's pretty cheap (can get a five star on the Nile for under 200chf/night) and it's warm!

Had a weekend in the Argyll. She was 6 months pregnant at the time. Some memorable events, even so. She is Chinese, so we've already got the China.

haha, definitely NOT where you proposed

I have just seen a programme about Puglia, which is at the very 'toe' of the heel of Italy, and looks stunning. It is far less touristy than Tuscany and seems to have a character all of its own. The landscape is beautiful and the architecture is also quite unique, with African/Moorish influences.

If it is only a weekend, then you don't want to go too far or too far from an airport.

I love Paris or Rome for a weekend trip. Book a suite in a top hotel (Crillon/Ritz in Paris and maybe Hotel De Russie in Rome...great spa). Then get pampered in the hotel and book a few great meals. Get a limo with a guide to show you the city's most romantic/memorable spots.

...or, choose a city that is a little more unknown. Budapest is an amazing city with great hotels, spas and food. Boscolo and Corinthia both have beautiful hotels. And it is easy to get to.

I guess the 3rd choice is a mountain top suite in a great hotel in CH/Aus where you can take a train and start with a nice bottle of Champagne. Again, make sure it has a spa and DON'T bring skis!

Have fun!

Amsterdam is on my list... have to wait a while.

How about somewhere really tacky like Venice?

Barcelona!!! It's a beautiful city and there are plenty of places where to go. Swiss flies 4 times every day. There are exceptional hotels like:

http://m.mandarinoriental.com/barcelona/
http://www.hotelescenter.es/casafuster/

and restaurants:
http://www.gruptravi.com/xalet/index.html
http://www.torredealtamar.com/main_en.html

If you like this option and you want some advice, just tell me :-)

Congratulations on 20 years! I would consider Venice--close by, incredibly romantic, entirely different with children, and you could really go lux.

Congratulations on 20 years together... and many more!

One of my most romantic holidays was spent in Istanbul. I loved the vibe of the city, and the variety - nice hotels, great restaurants and leisure possibilities... and not too far away for a weekend.

TGV to Paris. Especially if it's in April (April in Paris - what could be more romantic?)

l would go to Vienna at this time of year,

http://www.wien.info/en?set_language=en

Special offer on Swiss airlines

http://booking.swiss.com/web/Offers/...VIE.html?i=z1I

If money is no object, how about a trip on the Orient Express? It has managed to build its name up over the years to be synonamous with romance and luxury travel.

Leaves from various "romantic" cities in Europe for overnight trips and definitely do-able for a weekend.

http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/journeys.jsp

If you decide to do just Paris, there's nothing like the Four Seasons George V:
http://www.fourseasons.com/paris/

PS: congratulations!

It really is good off season, we were swimming in the sea in October 2008.

I'm glad Mr L didn't try this on me. I like to look forward to my treats - that's half the enjoyment. Can't remember our twentieth anniversary. Twenty-fifth we went and visited Mr. L's Godmother in Appenzellerland - a wonderful weekend. Walking all day and we took our hostess out for an excellent dinner in the evening. She was very good to me when I came over here and we thought she 'belonged' to our celebration.

For our fortieth we went hiking! Had a lovely lunch at a super restaurant - quite Swish - in our hiking kit! Brilliant. We were lucky though, we were able to eat outside, so our lack of formal dress didn't seem as out of place as it would have done in the dining room!

I wouldn't necessarily recommend you did this with your wife though. Each to his own.

The Therme Hotel in Vals is wonderful for a weekend too.