column01 travel craigdoyle Virgin Media

After five years at the helm of the BBC's "Holiday", Craig Doyle is rather more well-travelled than your average TV presenter, so we're delighted to have secured his services for Virgin Media. In this week's column, he takes a look at romantic destinations that you might not have considered before...

"I can't believe the insensitivity of it! Asking a married man with two kids (and the third on the way) to write about romantic breaks.

Romance. A word currently as foreign to me as 'lie-in', 'man time' and 'pints with the lads'. In saying all that, my romantic record is not something to be proud of; I am the man who brought his wife to the Arctic Circle on honeymoon. "Barbados, love?" "No, I think 35 degrees below zero with an igloo for a hotel room would be much better".

In my defence, she knew what she was getting into. I have never chosen the obvious when it came to this sort of thing and I am not going to change for you lot either.

You see, my theory is that extremities bring us closer together, whether they involve cold, isolation or danger.

The Ice hotel honeymoon did the trick (hence the flock of children) and so will the wilds of Botswana.

I have a special fondness for Botswana, largely because of its tourist policy. The government has made it pretty expensive for travellers, a deliberate ploy to protect its natural environment by keeping the numbers down but keep the income coming in.

The benefit to the tourist is that when you're out on safari or riding through the delta floodwaters, you will not spend your time avoiding other tourists. Everyone wins; the locals, the tourist industry's bank balance, the visitors and, most importantly, the wildlife and stunning landscape. It is still a place for the intrepid traveller, without compromising luxury levels; therefore it should unleash your inner beast and provide you with a comfortable bed to act on it! Well, we are talking about romance…

The Okavango Delta, in the north-west of the country, is the largest inland delta in the world, hence the name "the river which never finds the sea".

It's home to a vast range of wildlife including hippo, elephant, giraffe and zebra to name but a few, not to mention the birdlife. It is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been to, but that may have something to do with my choice of vehicle - a 16-hand beauty called "Fire". Oh yes. In this part of the world, horseback is simply the only way to travel. In terms of romance, jodhpurs and britches are seriously sexy (for those into it, horse whips are available!).

On the wildlife front, because you are on horseback, the local animals tend to ignore you, allowing you to get up close without fear of them running from you or trying to eat you.

One magical moment on my trip was galloping through the bush alongside a herd of Giraffel we ran together, not from each other, I have never felt so in tune with the wilds. Just so exhilarating. The days end with you dropping the reigns and sitting back as your steed swims through the flood waters with you on its back, a cooling down you will need after quite a physical ride.