A romantic city is a place that makes you want to fall in love or happy that you are in love. Inspired by the romance of my brother Roman and his wife Shalani, I decided to ask people what for them is the most romantic city in the world.
Xandra Ramos-Padilla, purchasing director, National Book Store; GM, Crossings Department Store
San Francisco is very special to my husband and me since we got engaged in Napa Valley. Whenever we go back, we enjoy the stunning vistas along the drive to Monterey and Carmel, the quaint neighborhoods in the city and the eclectic food options. We always make a stop at the Golden Gate bridge and pose for a picture.
Farah Tolentino Ylagan, chef
Certainement, Paris is the most romantic city in the world for me. With or without a special someone, Paris is magical. There is just so much to see, to be charmed and be inspired by there. Nothing beats walking around the streets of the different quartiers for hours on end, and walking along the quais of the Seine at night when the bridges and monuments are all lit up and seemingly golden. It always does wonderful things for my soul.
Joel Torre, actor
Bacolod forever ako as has been for the past 33 years.
Carissa Cruz-Evangelista, businesswoman
Outside the Philippines, the most romantic city in the world for me is Paris. There is something so lyrical and poetic about the structures in Paris. Just to meander and get lost in its winding medieval streets, wide avenues and stare at impressive structures like the L’arche de Triomphe or the Louvre is such a beautiful experience. You can have a romantic Paris moment with a loved one, your whole family or even by yourself. whether sipping hot chocolate at a neighborhood bistro watching people walk by, enjoying the sun and finding peace at the Jardin du Luxembourg, marveling at one of the amazing Rodin sculptures, seeing a Monet painting for the first time or discovering the most amazing macaroons in the world, Paris is a romantic sensory experience that energizes you and makes you whole. In the Philippines, the most romantic place I have been to is Sabtang Island, Batanes. With the cold wind whipping through your hair, overlooking crashing waves on massive natural rocks formations on top of a cliff, how can you not feel like a heroine in some romantic novel ready to conquer the world?
Trishan Cuaso, businessman
It would have to be Honolulu, Hawaii. I recall being there a long time ago but then I can still feel the atmosphere being so mellow, romantic and laidback. People are friendly, views frommost angles of the city are breathtaking and beautiful. You’d be thinking in those moments, “Now this is one reason life’s worth living.” A walk in the park or long walks on the beach — you can have both. I so want to go back there with my girl or my wife to be.
Astrud Crisologo, creative director of Casa Amarilla, Nomad
The most romantic city for me is Paris — yes, a cliché. It will always be a favorite. Living there for just three months has made me return each year. It has given me a glimpse of local life, the kind that tourists don’t see. Paris for me is like going to church. Walking along cobblestoned streets, looking up in awe at old buildings that house the most elegant shops and pied a terres. Sitting in a cafe watching locals go about their daily rituals of buying bread and flowers. Exchanging pleasantries with the local butcher or shopkeeper is sacred. Going through the markets, picking the fresh produce and catch of the day is like a meditation. Browsing through the flea markets is therapeutic. There seems to be background music wherever you go, regardless of whether it’s drum and bass from the Batofar or from a local teenager’s Citroen or a Serge Gainsbourg song on the radio, it all seems surreal, like you’re in a movie. Even passing through the suburbs, stumbling upon graffiti by Banksy or mosaic space monsters by Invader, are like little treasures to be discovered. There are always pockets of multi-cultural surprises on corners such as an African shop selling fabrics, statues and other interesting accoutrements, a Tibetan restaurant near the Pantheon or an Ethiopian resto in close proximity to the Ecole Polytechnique. Just deciding on which movie to watch at MK2 at the Biblioteque Francois Mitterand is a pleasure I look forward to at least twice a week! Sitting on a bench at Parque de Bercy, watching old lovers on the grass caressing each other’s faces as though it were the first time is like an answered prayer. Paris may sound like a cliché. But to those who have witnessed the beauty of this city, they just know where the mundane becomes magical...this is the City of Love!