The world's most romantic places to propose

L.A. Times staff writer Hugo Martin writes about great places to pop the question.

When it came time to propose to my longtime girlfriend, I chose to pop the question on Valentine's Day in the rotating cocktail lounge at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

The 34th-floor lounge offers a stunning view of the City of Angels. As an added benefit, the spinning room left her so dizzy that she wasn't sure whether she was consenting to marry me or agreeing to pass the salt.

Like many American men, I suspect I lack that vital romance gene. This is why most men dread Valentine's Day. To ease their suffering -- indeed, the suffering of anyone who is nervous about proposing -- we consulted travel and romance experts and arrived at this list of the best places to pop the question.

Bona Vista Lounge at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.