I fondly remember visiting the vastness of Metropolitan Museum of Art, marveling at the classics, journeying to Papua New Guinea and Egypt, giggling at the Greek sculptures and noshing at the, then, very fancy café with all the Upper East Side lady lunchers. Most of all I cherished the multicolored little button you get with admission, which I used to save in a jar.

Every time I return to Manhattan I make a pilgrimage to the Met, no matter what is showing. I bring my own kids and rush through, plying them with candy and promises of a ride on the carousel, much as my parents did.

Recently, on one of the hottest days of the year I had a few hours to make my manic tour of the museum.  After a whirlwind visit to the American Woman fashion exhibit—that rocked as much as the original song and the Lenny Kravitz cover—we had about a half hour to kill. I was with a colleague who insisted we head up to the roof garden, a somewhat hidden and unknown asset to the majestic museum.

It was nearing 100 degrees and I was enjoying the comfort of the cool marble and air conditioning inside, but was up for an adventure. In heels, we hiked up, what seemed like a secret staircase, and made our way to this idyllic, verdant roof garden with a bar and an immense bamboo structure. The Doug and Mike Starn on the Roof: Big Bambú installation is closing this Halloween Sunday. The constantly evolving sculpture was mesmerizing and those who could stay hydrated and withstand the heat were enjoying the whimsy.

There are many great bars in New York, many hip venues,  but to be outdoors, high above Central  Park, with a stunning view of the skyline,  while sipping a cocktail is truly a  special New York experience and a respite from the hurly-burly of Fifth Avenue. Ask a museum guard, in whispers, to guide you to the secret stairwell and make the trek to the top. Hurry, the roof garden is generally open in season through the late fall, weather permitting…although the idea of bundling up and sipping hot toddies and cocoa, looking out over a white blanketed park in winter sounds sublime.

The federation of the Dutch Antilles was formed in 1954 and it was economic issues, primarily debt, that tore them apart. What does this mean for travelers to the Caribbean islands? A sampling of sites shows very few are even mentioning the change…at least not yet. Even the U.S. State Department site is yet to update information. For now, according to The Economist magazine, the Netherlands will continue to handle the islands’ defense and foreign policy. If you are planning a trip to the region, make sure you ask a lot of questions about visa and passport documents and any changes that may be in the works.

Like many people, when my kids were young, I had to arrange most of my vacations around my children’s schedule — which meant trips around school holidays. I had gotten in the habit of traveling to Hawaii around Christmas even when I could have gone other times. Big mistake.

This September, we had perfect weather every day of our two week vacation (not so likely in December) and all dining and tourism options were open and easy.

I stayed at the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantations, which is ordinarily a family place but not so much at this time of year. The gardens are mature and gorgeous, the landscaping lush, and we had a unit (160) that while not as close to the beach as I would have liked — compensated by having a huge lawn in front of it and a reasonable ocean view. It was a lovely unit — a full kitchen, a commodious living room and tasteful rattan furniture. The only thing I could fault it on was the bathroom: it was small, basic and uninviting. A real loss for me since I love luxurious two-person bath opportunities.

The restaurant at the hotel is totally romantic. It has very good food in a classic Hawaiian setting — a covered porch, strung lights across the garden, beautiful Koi ponds and splashing water. It feels like old Hawaii and it is my favorite restaurant that does not have an ocean view. The water view, however, was just down the way at The Beach House. It’s no big secret — everyone and their mother knows to go there at sunset — but that doesn’t make it any less wonderful. There are expansive, exceptional views and very good food. (you can also go early, get a great seat for drinks and be positioned for dinner). Or, skip the restaurant entirely and do as the locals do — just go sit on the beach or lawn’s edge and watch the sunset come and go.

Kauai is by its very nature romantic. However, it’s also true that it’s very nature is to be wet, so ordinarily you get all the greenery and lushness at a price. We had dry weather- but it rained hard almost every night. I think that’s very romantic.

If the weather favors you, do what we did: rent a convertible, then go to the beach at the Na Pali coastline where fit hikers walk the 11-mile trail that I have only seen from the sea. Boats will take you to the valleys that open up between the brutally beautiful green mountains whose hard edges slant down to the ocean. I am told that the hiking trail displays an even more beautiful show — but I am pretty sure I will never have that vantage point!

My own kind of exploration was to go to the Allerton gardens. If you like flowers and green plants even a teeny bit, this is where you should go. It’s expensive ($45 entrance fee) but worth it. The estate was bequeathed by a Chicago industrialist and his adopted son to the state of Hawaii. It is a series of rooms that are created by the flamboyant ferns, palms and blooming plants that love Hawaii’s rain and soil, and each section is special.

There is a striking vista as you start the tour on a shuttle that lets you see where the Allerton’s house on the beach was and is (it’s only open to the public on special evening tours). The shuttle drives along a beautiful ocean view road and then descends to the 80-acre garden itself. We unloaded our group (about ten people) and with our extremely entertaining guide Martin, wandered for more than an hour among the walks, plants and fountains that Allerton designed. The tour was educational, beautiful and delicious (there are a lot of wild and cultivated fruit trees and Martin, gave us a few bites to educate our palates). Sucking on juicy fruits, walking through filtered light, sheltered by enormous palms and constantly seeing elaborate hanging flowers and vines makes it almost obligatory to hold hands with your honey here.

You may not need any other romantic experiences after this one but there are so many additional options to explore. For example, get a basket and go to one of the many wonderful farmer’s markets on the island; walk the beach just before the sun is really up and own the coastline. Go to one of the kayaking outfits near Lihue or near Princeville and Hanalei and kayak down a lazy river. Have a drink at the Grand Hyatt Wailea outdoor bar looking over the expansive lawns to the ocean. Take  the pretty walkway along the property line and end up at the gorgeous cliffs and public beach at the end of the property.

Five days was not enough on Kauai but our plan was to divide our time and fly to Kona on the big island. We stayed in a  Waikoloa condominium complex called Hali’i Kai, a gaited suburban community near a golf course. Golf courses do nothing for me, but our unit, near the beach, had a terrific sunset view and the beach club, right next to the edge of the water, had what seemed like a 180-degree ocean view. Sadly there was no beach access — our coast was a rocky lava promontory and it was pretty much like that within reasonable walking distance. But there was a nice path that went through the lava field  to the extensive grounds of the nearby Hilton.

In any case, we didn’t just hang around our immediate area. We took our car and explored the far reaches of the island. We did the requisite trip to the volcano and a few less conventional excursions like one to an  area beyond Hawi (a really nice old Hawaiian town that’s gotten modestly yuppified) to see some close friends of some close friends, and then for a fabulous meal at Sushi Rock, a small, unassuming place where the chef and owner have created sushi feasts there that are second to none.

What is especially romantic to do on the Big Island? Just sitting on or near the beach having the breeze refresh your senses; walking along the paths of the ancients — the Pauko petroglyphs managed by the Mauna Lani  Bay Hotel are a magical tour;  going to the Wednesday through Sunday markets at Kona; and touring the little towns that still have their old atmosphere — not a McDonald’s to be seen.

As for romantic roads, I was especially pleased about a little detour from Waimea on the Old Mamalahoa Highway, which is an alternative route to Hilo off 19. It was a gorgeous cut through some of the Parker ranchlands and we stopped and took it all in for a while. I also think it would be very romantic to ride horses around here. But then I’m a horse person.

Finally, I can’t forget the waterfalls and lagoons. There is something especially sweet about watching the force of water fall from great heights. Rainbow falls just outside Hilo is quite lovely, but my favorite on the big island is between highway markers 13 and 14, also near Hilo. Akaka Falls drops majestically 420 feet and is viewable from the parking lot, but it is much more wonderfully experienced by taking the walkway that circles the falls and the jungle around it. It’s an exotic, almost intoxicating half hour walk over streams, through hanging flowering plants and with peekaboo sightings of smaller falls until you reach the big one. But just one cautionary note: the falls might best be visited  during the morning or in the low season because I gather it is frequented by tour buses during afternoons and high tourist times. We saw it with maybe five other people in the park near closing time and it was perfect!

I have always included the Hawaiian islands in my top ten romantic places in the world.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they should be in the top five romantic places in the world. Whatever their ranking, if you don’t feel romantic in Hawaii — see a therapist.

◊

Pepper Schwartz serves as the AARP love and relationship ambassador and is the chief relationships expert at Perfectmatch.com.