Romance blossoms in locations as much as in your heart.
Whether it’s the bar on your awkward first date where the music was just a bit too loud and the drinks just a bit too boozy, or a lazy Sunday walking the country hills, where the sun hit your partner’s face just right and you thought – God, I’m lucky. Love attaches itself to these places.
But one gay couple have found their love story has evolved with a common theme: beautiful country lodge retreats. Hoseason’s Autograph Lodges are celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2018, proving country getaways are the most romantic kind of all.
Which is why Gary Norman and Anthony Smalley adore Autograph, swooning through seven different luxury locations (out of a total of 45) before they finally visited Slate House Lodge.
The engagement lodge.
The pair have been together for 9 years when Anthony realized he needed to propose.
‘We have been going on lodge holidays for quite a while and I thought it would be perfect to do the proposal in one,’ Anthony told Gay Star News.
‘Slate House Lodge was the perfect location as it was in the Welsh hills, out of the way from everyday life with just the two of us.’
Every one of the Autograph properties come with a hot tub, so Anthony made Gary get in before making an excuse: he left his phone inside. With his partner suitably distracted, Anthony disappeared inside. Then, he laid out rose petals and tea light candles so they spelt out ‘Will you marry me?’
Location? Perfect. Lodge? Romantic. All he needed was a yes.
‘I got Gary out of the hot tub to come inside. That’s when I got down on one knee and asked him to marry me.’
The answer? Yes, of course.
But romance blossoms in locations. Leading up to the big proposal, the couple spent time in seven different sites across the country. With each location, their love story evolved, from Henlle Hall Woodland Lodges, Weybread Lakes Lodges, Charlesworth Lodges and Slate House Lodges.
Watching the sunset in the hot tub. Bringing their adorable pup to the lodge for the first time. Hiking through the stunning British country. And doing all of that together: locations are part of the love story, so you’ve got to get it right.
Hoseasons is a client of Gay Star News.
A four-night break for four people costs from £187, a week costs from £371. Book through www.hoseasons.co.uk or 0345 498 6130.
Hoseasons is one of the UK’s leading self-catering accommodation specialists, with over 31,000 places to stay in coastal and countryside settings throughout Britain and Europe. From lodges and parks, to boats, cottages and apartments, the brand offers the widest available range of self-catering holidays in the UK. Hoseasons accommodates over 1.75 million holidaymakers and more than 88,000 pets every year.