Romance is in the air and I love to make Valentine’s Day really special with a short break or long weekend in France. It just feels like the right place to be. Travel is quick and easy from the south east with Eurotunnel or by ferry from Dover - and Northern France has some fascinating places to discover.

For a romantic stay, Le Chateau, a historic manor house with period furnishings including some four-poster beds, is only half an hour’s drive from Calais at St Pierre Brouck. The village is close to The Oye Plage Levels Nature Reserve and to the fortified towns of Bergues and Gravelines, where a Saturday market is held in the town square, appropriately named Place Charles Valentin.

Prefer the idea of your own luxury cottage hideaway? Studio Rose is a cosy, split level, loft-style cottage with modern artwork, a superb wet room that two can share and a double bed with twin electrically adjustable mattresses.

Studio Rose is part of a former stables near the market town of Hesdin. Right on the doorstep are some excellent restaurants and the battlefield of Azincourt, which has a fine new museum. Or you could take a longer drive to the glamorous resort of Le Touquet, with its chic Paris boutiques and galleries.

For more ideas take a look at our guide to Romantic France