Treat your Valentine
Treat your Valentine
by Peter Graham
by Peter Graham
On Valentine's Day, restaurants around the world will fill with couples out to celebrate the most romantic day of the year. Over dinner, they will gaze into each other's eyes as they sip wine in the glow of candlelight. When the meal is over, they will return home to the humdrum of daily life. However, for a select few, dinner will be followed by a night in their favourite hotel and a champagne breakfast in the morning. Why not treat the love of your life to a really special February 14 this year?
To get an idea of how others celebrate, we asked four couples to describe their ideal Valentine's break. For some, a night away has become an annual tradition, for others it is a one-off as they splurge on their dream evening. Enjoy their tales-and get an idea of how to treat the special one in your life.
Heaven on the banks of the Avon
This may sound predictable and boring to others, but we do exactly the same thing every year. We spend the night at the Macdonald Swan's Nest Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, a gorgeous 17th Century red brick building on the banks of the River Avon. All the rooms are named after bird species and we love the home comforts.
It's very close to the centre of the village, so we usually have dinner at one of the small restaurants or at the nearby Macdonald Alveston Manor Hotel, where they serve a divine table d’hôte menu. I suppose we love this little town so much because one of our first dates was a trip to see Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre there. We fell in love with each other as we boated up the river, stopping off at a small pub for tea scones with clotted cream.
We often extend our break into a long weekend, which gives us the chance to visit some of the nearby attractions like Warwick Castle, Shakespeare's house and Blenheim Palace. February is a great time to visit, as the cold, wintry weather keeps tourists away and we feel we have the place to ourselves. -- Gwen Hartle, London, England
Art deco elegance on South Beach
My favourite Valentine's Day was when I treated my girlfriend to a weekend at The Tides Hotel on Miami's famed South Beach. I love this hotel, all art deco and minimalist white in design, so it was a treat to take Jessica there. We stayed in one of the penthouse suites, with its own telescope and a great view of the bustling beachfront.
It is just along the beach from the mansion built by Gianni Versace and close to the best bars and restaurants on Ocean Drive. For dinner, I booked a table at Lario's, the Cuban eatery owned by singer Gloria Estefan, just down the road. What a treat! We sipped mojitos, shared a Pu Pu platter and had a Cuban pot roast and Churassco for the main course.
Too many glasses of sangria and a lively Cuban band kept us up until the early hours. Returning to our beautiful suite made it a perfect evening. For Jessica, a fan of both Versace and Estefan, it was a dream come true. It cost plenty, but it paid off big time! - Jared Bosch, Atlanta, United States
Room service in Mumbai
We are not wealthy, but for one night a year we spoil ourselves and enjoy a Valentine's treat in one of the city's best hotels. I am a teacher and my wife a librarian, so we have to save up for our special night. Our budget dictates where we stay but we try to get a room with a good view, as we spend most of the time in the room.
The hotel restaurants are always very busy for Valentine's Day, so we prefer to order room service for dinner. In the morning we have breakfast in bed. Some of our friends (and our children) think we are crazy, but having at least 16 hours for ourselves is a real luxury and we look forward to it every year.
Last year we booked at the Oberoi Hotel, which was amazing - it was our best Valentine's Day ever. Our room had a great view over the bay. After an afternoon nap, we sat at the window watching the ships coming and going and the relentless traffic on Marine Drive 10 floors below.
My wife and I exchanged boxes of chocolates (one of our traditions from our dating days) and we only got around to ordering dinner at 10pm (the hotel has an excellent 24-hour room service). Early in the morning we were back at the window, sipping tea and enjoying our breakfast of toast and soft-boiled eggs. We were reluctant to check out and return home, but there's always another Valentine's Day to look forward to. - Anil Maratha, Mumbai, India.
Putting in Perth
Every year we choose a different resort for the weekend before or after Valentine's Day. My wife and I take turns deciding on the hotel, which makes the choices very interesting. Last year I scored a home run by choosing the Joondalup Resort, which is only about 30 minutes drive from our home in Perth.
The big drawcard is the golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, voted the best in Australia for the past two years. We are both golf fans, so we managed to fit in two great rounds. What we enjoy most about these weekends is being able to do our own thing, away from the family.
My wife's favourite treat is to sleep in late, and then be served breakfast in bed. Mine is being able to spend time together in the 19th hole (the pub), to drink as much as we like, dine whenever we feel like it and not have to drive home. It makes us feel like young lovers, and that's what Valentine's Day is all about, isn't it? - Dave Charry, Perth, Australia.
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