Valentine’s Day 2010 has arrived, and if your efforts today fall short of your significant other’s expectations, you’d be well advised to start planning for next year immediately.
Romance can be found in every city in America. Every town, no matter its size or stature, has stories of first loves, first kisses and special memories.
This was evident by the hundreds of cities that were nominated in a contest hosted by Korbel California Champagne to find the “Most Romantic City in America.”
Winning by a slim margin, Hana, Hawaii – with its spectacular waterfalls, rugged shorelines and breathtaking sunsets – was named “Most Romantic City in America” by Korbel consumers.
Twelve finalists were chosen among all the stories submitted, and the winner was determined via an online vote among consumers. More than 2,000 votes were cast, and about 200 votes separated the first- and second-place winners.
While Hana received the most votes, it was Indialantic, Florida, that barely beat out Asheville, North Carolina, for second place.
Rounding out the top 12 cities in the Korbel voting (in alphabetical order):
* Bend, Oregon
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Duluth, Minnesota
* Gold Beach, Oregon
* Grand Junction, Colorado
* Kansas City, Missouri
* Mackinaw Island, Michigan
* Manhattan, Kansas
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The winning city was nominated by Heather McDaniel, after she visited Hana on vacation with her boyfriend. For submitting the winning location, McDaniel will receive a trip to Sonoma County, California – the home of Korbel Champagne Cellars, which describes itself as one of California’s most romantic wineries.
Here is the text of McDaniel’s winning submission:
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For me, the most romantic city in the United States is not actually a city. It’s a small village on the northeast side of Maui called Hana.
I was lucky enough to visit Hana on an amazing vacation with my boyfriend to Hawaii. We spent our days relaxing on the red sand beach or hiking through a bamboo forest to Makahiku Falls – a massive waterfall with a more-than-200-foot drop.
At the base of the falls is the Ohe’o Gulch – also called the Seven Sacred Pools – a series of pools and waterfalls which empty into the Pacific Ocean in a magnificent display of Mother Nature’s wonder.
At night we took moonlight walks along Hamoa Beach, dreaming up ways we could stay longer.
Sometimes at night I can still hear the sound of the wind rushing through the bamboo forest and feel the gentle trade winds on my face.
