A MEIRIONNYDD village has been named the most romantic place in Wales in a new poll.

In honour of its latest accolade, Portmeirion will be the setting for a new short story, entitled A Passionate Portmeirion Proposal, commissioned by publishing purveyors of love Mills & Boon.

Beautiful views and a touch of luxury are named as the ingredients to spark the right mood for love in a study of 2,000 people commissioned by ‘romance experts’ Mills & Boon ahead of the start of the summer holiday season.

Portmeirion came sixth on the list of romantic destinations in the UK, the highest spot of any Welsh setting­.

Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye; Grasmere, Lake District; and the City of Bath made up the top three.

The only other Welsh entries on the list were Abereiddi’s Blue Lagoon, Pembrokeshire (12th) and Llyn Padarn, Llanberis (15th).

The study suggests that Brits like to put the ‘roam into romance’ with almost all Brits (94 per cent) believing a summer holiday is the ideal way to spend some loved-up time with their partner.

A list of incredible romantic places was drawn up by a panel of leading travel experts from UK travel, news and magazine publications, and was whittled down further in the national­ poll.

According to the report, the five key factors for a romantic location, in rank order, were: beautiful views (identified by 69 per cent), luxury accommodation (55 per cent), warm climate (49 per cent), fabulous restaurants (39 per cent) and amazing walks (33 per cent).

Lisa Milton, Mills & Boon executive publisher, said: “When it comes to a summer getaway with a loved one, we all want to make it as romantic as possible.

“Our survey has identified the definitive romantic places in Britain and the world.

“With all of us looking for any opportunity to bring a little extra romance into our hectic lives, holidays in these places offer the perfect chance to switch off and rediscover romance.”

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