Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so it’s a prime time to take a weekend getaway with the one you love. If you waited until the last minute to express your devotion, never fear. It’s not too late to partake in some of the most luxurious accommodations and deals at some of the nation’s best hotels. Here, 11 different hotels show you how your reservations for romance are just a few clicks away.
The Jefferson, Washington, D.C.
In the nation’s capital, the Four-Star hotel celebrates Valentine’s Day throughout February with special weekend rates. With your savings on the nightly rate, splurge on an integrative couple’s massage in The Petite Spa, or a meal at the classic, seasonally inspired Five-Star restaurant Plume, two wonderful places located inside the 100-year-old property.
Despite the deep freeze Atlanta experienced a few weeks ago, things are heating up at this Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel located in the heart of Buckhead. Book the Legendary Love package and receive two VIP tickets to see Jean-Christophe Maillot’s magical Atlanta Ballet production of Roméo et Juliette in addition to getting an expansive St. Regis suite complete with its own balcony. Also, with late checkout included, parting won’t be such sweet sorrow.
The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast, California
Escape to golden Orange County for a gastronomic getaway with your valentine. Start off with a Chardonnay Body Butter Massage, which includes a dry-brush exfoliation, Swedish rubdown, chardonnay body butter application and romantic bath for two. While unwinding, indulge in prosecco, truffles and strawberries. Then move on to the For the Love of Food Culinary Academy, where the Five-Star hotel’s chefs lead classes Thursdays through February. If you’d rather leave the cooking to the pros, try the Dinner of the Senses. Feed your sweetheart with your hands (utensils aren’t allowed) in a poolside cabana (February 14). Or head to romantic Four-Star Andrea for the Il Menu dell’ Amore, a four-course Italian lovers’ menu (February 14-15).
While the rest of the country hovers near single-digit temperatures, the Sunshine State is blissfully unaware. The lows for Valentine’s weekend around this South Florida hotel are forecasted to be in the 70s, while the highs at Fontainebleau include private poolside cabanas for the day and a kids Valentine’s Day party designed for guests ages 4 to 12 who want to bask in a fun-filled evening of arts and crafts. While the kiddies are busy designing, parents can enjoy one of the resort’s 12 fine-dining restaurants, including Four-Star eateries Hakkasan Miami and Scarpetta Miami Beach.
The Be Mine? Valentine’s Day package at this Four-Star includes everything you could want from a luxury hotel in America’s most historic city: champagne on arrival, chocolate-covered strawberries, rose petal turndown, breakfast in bed and late checkout, all combined with a discounted nightly rate. When you’re not hiding away in your sultry, fireplace-equipped studio, venture downstairs to irreverent steakhouse Mooo and the stunning wine cellar, where XV hides its exclusive collection of rare and fine wines.
Forget casinos — Sin City is actually for lovers. At the famed Bellagio, at least, you are invited to a romantic retreat that skips the slots and stresses the sensual. Unlike many Valentine’s Day promotions centered around a room and dinner, the Bellagio hotel ups the ante with limo transportation to and from McCarran International Airport, a 50-minute couple’s massage and a bottle of French champagne upon arrival. Of course, a prix fixe dinner at onsite Four-Star winners Michael Mina or Picasso is also included in the package. Opulence is the game here, and this Four-Star hotel is playing with a full deck.
The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, A Four Seasons Hotel
With lake views to the east and skyscrapers to the west, this well-situated Four-Star hotel has it all, including plenty of variety for Valentine’s Day. Choose from a host of special events, including a demonstration on how to make whoopie pies. Led by the Deca Restaurant and Bar pastry team, the February 14 event also includes passed hors d’oeuvres and bubbly. If you’re looking for something more hearty, however, make reservations for executive chef Mark Payne’s multi-course Valentine’s night dinner, featuring ricotta gnocchi, a foie gras torchon and a choice of filet of sole or double lamb chop, not to mention an entire cheese course and a chocolate buffet. Now, that’s decadence.
New to the Forbes Travel Guide family, the Four-Star is the picture of Southern romance, set in a 1900s-era mansion recently revived into a luxurious retreat. Aiming to set even more of an amorous mood over Cupid’s weekend, Hotel Ella provides the Valentine’s Day package, where you can expect champagne and flowers upon arrival as well as a daily breakfast for two at Goodall’s Kitchen & Bar, and a four-course dinner for two prepared by executive chef Scott Mechura.
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
If heading to the city sounds like a drag, consider retreating to the Great Smoky Mountains and Blackberry Farm, where, thanks to the god of love, you can reserve three nights for the price of two, or four nights for that of three. In addition to great rates, roaring fires and carriage rides available across the mountainscape, chef Joseph Lenn, who won the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast, will prepare a multi-course Valentine’s Day tasting dinner in The Barn complete with a host of locally sourced aphrodisiacs such as Capers Blade oysters and vanilla-pickled fennel.
This Five-Star hotel not only knows wine — it knows winemakers. When you reserve a Couple’s Washington Wine Experience, receive a private tour of Chateau Ste. Michelle — the state’s oldest winery — in nearby Woodinville, led by winemaker Bob Bertheau, and partake in a Bordeaux- or Rhone-style blending class in the winemaking room. If creating your own vintage sounds too demanding, opt for the Couple’s Romantic Escape package. This includes a two-hour, chocolate-infused massage and pedicure, plus chocolate truffles and champagne, all in the couples’ suite overlooking Elliot Bay.
While Miami is glorified for its party atmosphere, the place has a romantic side that all too often gets lost in the Collins Avenue lights. But with pampering promotions such as this Four-Star hotel’s #ItsSoRomantic package, some of that will undoubtedly change. All of your traditional amenities (an Ocean View Royal suite, a couple’s massage and a candlelit dinner) are included in The Betsy’s deal, but this one will steal your heart with unconventional add-ons that come in the form of a sunset sailboat ride, a book of love poems and a professional photo session.
Photos Courtesy of Hotel Ella, The St. Regis Atlanta and XV Beacon
