Whether you’re helping to plan a loved one’s honeymoon or thinking of a way to celebrate your own passionate partnership, anytime is the right time for a romantic getaway.

Fortunately, a world of romance awaits, and your amorous escape can be anything you want it to be…from traditional to offbeat. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Mexico is a travel bargain. The dollar is strong and the peso is weak, so you get more for your money in Mexico these days. You can almost always find bargain airfares to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. From Cancun, head south to Tulum to the Maroma Resort and Spa (www.maromahotel.com). Seductively situated on what is consistently named by travel editors as “the best beach in the world,” you’ll find accommodation overlooking the neon-blue Caribbean. Indulge in a decadent Kinan couples massage. Special romantic getaway packages are offered, with one even including two nights at Casa de Sierra Nevada Hotel (www.casadesierranevada.com) in San Miguel de Allende, a favorite of Hollywood couples like Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart.

Tips for the romantic penny-pincher
Yes, you can be romantic and pinch pennies at the same time. Besides, the more you save on airfares and hotels, the more you can spend on Champagne.

• When to go: Save money by flying on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and early Saturday mornings. Travel is always cheaper during the off-season, when hotels slash rates—often by 40%—to attract guests. But keep in mind that “low season” can be code for “bad weather.” Hotel rates in the Caribbean plunge from May to November, which is prime hurricane season…risky, but often worth the savings.
  Advice: Buy travel insurance or go just before or after high season, when rates are low, but not rock bottom, and the weather is generally fine.
• Use travel points: As a point junkie, I register for every rewards program I can and redeem points for luxury splurges I normally couldn’t afford. You can use points donated to you by others—a great gift from someone who wants to help fund your honeymoon or vacation.
  Advice: Book air travel early, as the number of rewards seats is limited and demand is high.
• Stay in a condo or apartment: See: www.vrbo.com and Europe’s Untours (www.untours.com) for apartment packages that often include a car. If you live in a place that others would want to visit, consider a home exchange at www.homeexchange.com.

By the way, one of the hottest things in wedding planning these days is a honeymoon gift registry. See: www.TravelersJoy.com; www.Honeyfund.com; www.DistinctiveHoneymoons.com; and www.MoonRings.com.

An hour south of Puerto Vallarta is Hotelito Desconocido (www.hotelito.com)—one of the most delightfully eccentric hotels anywhere. On the edge of a wide, lonely stretch of Pacific beach, you’ll sleep in a palm-leaf-roofed palapa on stilts over the water. This is eco-lodging at its best…no phones, no electricity—the perfect balance between environmentally friendly simplicity and five-star pampered comfort. At night, everything is illuminated by candle and torchlight. There’s nothing like the rhythmic creak of the wooden floors to the tune of the water lapping gently beneath you to soothe a stressed-out soul and rekindle romance. (Be careful, though, friends of mine who stayed here welcomed an addition to the family nine months later.)

If you’re on a budget, try La Zebra in Tulum (www.lazebratulum.com)—smaller, with fewer amenities, and less costly than Maroma, but with the same gorgeous beach and ocean.

In Puerto Vallarta, try Casa Amorita (www.casaamorita.com), a boutique B&B in Old Town that’s overseen by the aptly named owner, Rita Love.

Other romantic hotspots for an unforgettable experience include Francis Ford Coppola’s special rustic-chic lodges: Turtle Inn on the beach near Placencia or Blancaneaux Lodge in the pine ridge mountains of Belize; and La Lancha on the shimmering edge of Lake Peten Itza in Guatemala. For more information on all three, see: www.blancaneaux.com.

A unique way to propose
The chic resort of Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico, has started a film proposal service. A professional crew films you popping the all-important question and then gives you the DVD. You can then surprise your loved one by cuddling up in front of the TV on the pretense that you’re about to watch your favorite romantic movie, and cue the proposal DVD instead. Never fails, apparently. See: www.lasventanas.com.

If you’re adventuresome, check out Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Jungle Lodge in Belize at: www.cavesbranch.com. By day you’ll swing through the jungle like Tarzan or float by inner tube through watery caves once inhabited by the ancient Mayas. At night, honeymooners are promised a “sensuous sanctuary of candles, Champagne, delicious treats, and a flower-strewn bed.”

If you’re truly low-maintenance, you can save big time by staying at a romantic tent resort like Maho Bay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands (www.maho.org).