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Romantic Getaways in Atlantic Canada and Beyond

by Susan Randles,Dave Stephens

If romance is to survive in a relationship, it needs to be valued and nurtured. Getting away from it all – the job, the kids, the unmowed lawn – may be just what is needed to rekindle those tender feelings, to rejuvenate the relationship from the outside in, as it were. That’s the idea behind Romantic Getaways in Atlantic Canada and Beyond.

Halifax’s Daily News travel columnists and happy couple, Susan Randles and Dave Stephens, have travelled far and wide. Romantic Getaways includes destinations in all the Atlantic provinces, as well as Quebec, New England, five European countries, the Cayman Islands, and Bermuda. But the authors write most lovingly about their own province. The book dedicates the greatest space to Nova Scotia, and provides a wonderful, descriptive guide to its attractions.

Randles and Stephens hold a conventional view of romance and how it is best attained. They believe that romance is an investment of thought, time, and, yes, money. The getaways are rated (in hearts, of course) from two to four, according to the romantic heights visitors can expect to reach. This is, for the most part, dependent upon the degree of luxury. The criteria for a four-heart getaway (whirlpool bath, candles, crystal wine glasses, fine linen) is undoubtedly excessive, but to be fair, is also meant to reflect a couple’s ability to just relax and enjoy one another. All the trips in this book come with a recommendation and need not be four-heart affairs.

Romantic Getaways reads like a travelogue, which is both endearing and annoying. Reading a large portion of the book in a single sitting is not unlike spending several hours looking at your neighbour’s vacation slides. However, contained within the sentimental anecdotes is a great deal of practical information. The language doth overflow at times, but the authors have a clear sense of what the romantic traveller is looking for. Atmosphere is always balanced with practicality and expense.

The strength of this book is in its primary focus on Atlantic Canada. The sections on Europe and beyond are entertaining, but offer far less practical information than is needed. These destinations deserve a whole other book.

 

Reviewer: Hadley Dyer

Publisher: Nimbus

DETAILS

Price: $14.95

Page Count: 196 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 1-55109-197-6

Released: May

Issue Date: 1997-5

Categories: Reference