NEW YORK (Money Magazine) -
Long lines, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and hard-to-get dinner reservations can quickly chill any romantic mood. So canoodle away without the prying eyes of others (you may even save money) when everyone else goes away.
Maui, Hawaii (late spring and fall)
The palms still sway, the waves still break, the only thing that's different is the people: There aren't as many. Fly straight to Maui in the off-season -- typically May through June, and September to just before Christmas -- and save 5 percent at the Four Seasons there (808-874-8000).
Vancouver Island (November to February)
Come winter, the storms that hit this rugged island bring 25-foot waves and blustery weather. In other words, all the more reason to cuddle up. Get cozy in front of the fireplace and watch the show from your ocean-view room at the Wickaninnish Inn (800-333-4604), which was specifically designed, on a bluff, for storm watching. Weekend packages for two, rain slickers included, are $500.
Jackson Hole, WYoming (April, May, November)
You won't be able to get a deal at the Amangani Resort ("peaceful home" in a blend of Sanskrit and Shoshoni) even during the slow months of April, May and November. (The resort, perched on a butte across the valley from the Grand Tetons, charges about $700 for a suite year round.) But it will be oh so much easier to find private time during those months (307-734-7333).
Newport, Rhode Island (November to May)
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Enjoy the rocky coast, historic architecture and quaint wharves brimming with shopping and fine dining--minus the summer crowds. The impossibly romantic Castle Hill Inn & Resort (888-466-1355, under partial renovation until April 11), sits on its own windswept peninsula. Harbor-view rooms cost $325, down from $565. In town, there's the Hotel Viking. Rooms run $159 in winter, $359 in summer (800-556-7126).
Virgin Gorda (May to mid-November)
Get yourself to Little Dix Bay, the high-profile, low-key resort in the largely unspoiled Caribbean paradise of Virgin Gorda, during the summer (800-928-3000). That's when ocean-view rooms fall from $500 to $325--just a puddle jumper away from Puerto Rico or St. Thomas.
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