Theres one proposal story that Ill never forget, aside from my own.

A good friend was planning to propose in Romearguably one of the most romantic cities in the worldand had chosen to get down on one knee at the Spanish Steps. He had planned the whole trip as a surprise, and he didnt tell his girlfriend where they were goingjust that she needed a passport and weather-appropriate clothes. By the time they landed in Rome, it was all amore and baci and gelato untilwait for itthey stumbled upon another proposal right at Piazza di Spagna. Petrified to carry the ring any longer, my friend took his girlfriend back to the hotel, where he popped the question (oddly enough, on both knees) at the foot of the bed.

Guys: That story ended fabulously well. She said yes, they had one of the most beautiful weddings Ive ever seen, and a few, happy years of marriage later, theyre still one of the best couples I know. But learn from his mistake and propose somewhere a little less obvious.

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A couple ties the knot at the IceHotel in Sweden

Source: Asaf Kliger and IceHotel

Remember the Ice Hotel? The one carved entirely out of ice that we told you about a few weeks ago? Turns out the staff is impressively adept at setting a romantic scene. There, said Kozolchyk, you can hire a reindeersled to take you to a "glittering, Narnia-like national park" in Swedish Lapland, where your guide will set up a campfire and build a cozy fortfor you to cozy up in. Youll wait for the northern lights to do their thing while sipping Champagne under reindeer skins; once the sky starts twinkling, thats your cue.The key, said Kozolchyk, "is to book through an operator [such asOff the Map] that really knows what it's doing in this part of the world, where conditions are eminently changeable (but consistently gorgeous)."

A sandbar, ready to become a pop-up dining room, in Palawan, the Philippines.

Photograph: El Nido Resorts

The Philippine archipelago of Palawanwhich consists of almost 2,000 islandshas some of the best beaches in the world. So it may come as a surprise that the destinations best proposal spot is actually a bit off shore. Here, Kozolchyk said, you can stay at a resort onLagen Island, a cluster of 18 overwater cottages tucked into limestone cliffs. Theyll arrange for a boat to take you to a secluded sandbar, where a dramatic meal awaits. Depending on when you make your way over, there may be almost no ambient lightexcept for some glimmering plankton in this seaso the candle-lit 'reveal' of your dinner spot is all the more dramatic, she said. And in case youd rather go for better visibility, Kozolchyk said a lunchtime proposal is just as spectacular. The only caveat, she joked, is that the clarity and brilliance of the surrounding emerald water might rival that of the ring.

A double lunar rainbow at Victoria Falls.

Photographer: Paul Joynson Hicks/Getty Images/AWL Images RM

This plot requires careful timing, as lunar rainbows take place only during specific dates around a full moon. Luckily, the riverside Tongabezi Lodge, in Central Africa's Zambia, helps you figure out the right travel dates to make it happen.Said Kozolchyk, You can pop the question on a viewing balcony, with the mists and moonbow as your backdrop." Her alternate suggestion: Wait until youre back at the lodge, where you can propose over a torchlit dinner on a sampan (a flat-bottomed boat) moored in the Zambezi River. Each course is delivered by canoe, and a Zambian choir can be on standby to serenade you with a round of Jason Derulos Marry Me.

The abbey of San Fruttuoso, near Portofino, Italy.

Source: Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images

Heres how Kozolchyk said you guarantee privacy in picture-perfect Portofino. First, you stay at Belmond'sHotel Splendido, a knockout five-star resort with its own motor yacht. Then you charter said yacht to the tiny patch of pebble beach in front of San Fruttuosoa stunning, secluded Benedictine abbeywhere the property can set up a movie-worthy five-course meal. Pop the question at sunset and then celebrate back in your balcony suite (where previous guests have included everyone from George Clooney to Madonna). There will be nothing monastic about it, we promise.

Hot air ballooning in the Australian Outback.

Source: Outback Ballooning

You can hot air balloon in plenty of beautiful corners of the world, but few will be as visually stimulating as the Australian Outback. If proposing mid-air makes you nervous about somehow dropping the ring, Kozolchyk tipped us off to another good spot: the terrace of your luxury tent at Longitude 131, where she says you'll have an unobstructed view of Uluru (aka Ayer's Rock),a 550-million-year-old monolith that can inspire your eternal vows.

The stunning Dubrovnik coastline in Croatia.

Source: Adriatic Luxury Hotels

Dubrovnik is insanely romantic, with or without HBOs fictional overlay, said Kozolchyk, but you dont have to be a Game of Thrones super-fan to appreciate this jaw-dropping location. Still, you can take a cue from the cast by staying at their favorite seaside spot, Villa Orsula, a stone-faced manor whoseconcierge can point you toward the prettiest lookouts in town. (If its full, try the villas sister property, Hotel Excelsior, a sleek, mid-century-style boutique hotel that's about to reopen after a long-awaited renovation.)

Dinner on a private balcony at the Oberoi Amarvilas, with a view of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Source: Oberoi Hotels

Experts usually recommend that you visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise, but heres an exclusive twist. Book one of the few available nighttime visits to the Taj Mahal during a full moon, when the greatest Mughal monument to love goes from merely breathtaking to utterly otherworldly, advised Kozolchyk. Reserve with your concierge or head hereto make it happen; finding operators that offer full moon tours isnt easy, and availability is thin. Also tempting: an in-suite dinner at the Oberoi Amarvilas, where Kozolchyk said the Taj Mahal-facing balconies were practically designed for proposers.

Crowd-free views of Machu Picchua rarity in Peru.

PHOTOGRAPH: Romantic Destinations

The lost Incan citadel is a tough spot for private momentswhat with all the crowdsbut that doesnt rule out a Peruvian proposal. According to Kozolchyk, you should check intothe "enchanted forest-feeling retreat that is the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel," whose concierge cansign you up for some of the area's most limited-access hikes: one to Huayna Picchu (the tall peak in everyone's iconic images) or to Machu Picchu Mountain, which sitsbehind the ruins. Either way, she said, youll end up with a vantage that actually looks down onto the ruins, where the only other tourists you see will look like ants crawling the heritage site below.

Have your proposal spelled out in the sand in France's Saint Barthlemy.

Source: Cheval Blanc

Most people who want to impress in St. Bart's opt for a yacht. Go the opposite route, recommendedKozolchyz, and take to the skies instead. Give the Beach Ambassadors a heads-up about your intentions, she said, and they'll craft a romantic message in the sand, so that you can see it from a Champagne helicopter tour over Flamands Beach. (It takes the pressure off coming up with the perfect words.) Then, on dry ground, the hotel will coordinate a private dinner on the beachwith a customized fireworks finish.

More here:

Forget the Eiffel Tower, These Are the World's Best Places to Propose - Bloomberg