Blackpool and Preston named the UK’s top two ‘most romantic’ places for a getaway

It may not be a headline you were expecting to read this morning, but the best places in the UK for a romantic getaway have just been named.

And both Blackpool and Preston are sitting right at the top of the list.

In case you hadn’t heard, or clocked the date yet, today is Valentine’s Day, so what better way to celebrate the international day of love in all its glory than whisking you and your loved one away on a romantic trip or day out, right?

While most couples would probably have faraway tropical island resorts or European cosmopolitan cities at the top of their travel bucket lists, realistically, that doesn’t always fit into everyone’s budgets, and often leaves us having to stay a little closer to home… but, is Lancashire a little, too close? We’d have to go with yes.

Don’t get us wrong, there’s some stunning rural Lancashire villages and towns that should absolutely be destinations on your lists to visit sometime soon, but it wouldn’t be a bold statement to claim Blackpool and Preston don’t exactly scream romance.

Despite our initial reactions, it’s true – both the Lancashire seaside resort town, and the county’s largest and most-populated city have named the best places in the UK for a romantic getaway, according to a new research study by travel deals site Tripplo.

The company examined several factors to devise the list of six, including the number of romantic hotels in each city, the total number of reviews for romantic hotels in each town, the average number of reviews, the average Booking.com rating, the average price, and the average star rating – with all hotels filtered using Booking.com’s ‘romantic hotels’ filter.  

An overall ‘romance score’ was then created for each location by equally taking into consideration the number of romantic hotels per 100,000 people, average Booking.com rating, average price per night, and average star rating.  

And Blackpool came out as number one.

Achieving an overall romance score of 73.34 out of 100, Blackpool, impressively, was found to have 60 romantic hotels per 100,000 people – which is the sixth highest amount in the UK – and an average Booking.com rating of 8.81, while it also ranked as the cheapest, with the average price of an overnight stay being £103.95 per night.  

It did, however, have an average star rating for the romantic hotels as 3.55, which is unfortunately the third lowest in the country.  

Preston’s overall romance score came out at 71.20 out of 100, with 65 romantic hotels per 100,000 people, an average Booking.com rating of 8.71, and an average star rating for the romantic hotels in Preston is 3.56, while an overnight stay night was the UK’s second cheapest.

If Blackpool and Preston in the top two spots weren’t shocking enough for you as it is, the rest of the list is also pretty questionable.

The top six is rounded out by Bath, Wrexham, Chester, and, wait for it… Burnley.

Read more:

• 60% of Brits apparently think Valentine’s Day is the ‘most stressful’ day of the year
• Mancs can name an actual snake after their ex this Valentine’s Day
• Manchester has been named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2024

So for once when it comes to a top 10 ranking, the North – and particularly, the North West – is a very well-represented region, so let’s take our wins where we can get them.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Greater Manchester.

Featured Image – Francis Heathcote (via Unsplash)