Take a tip from the Italians
couples,dating
Take a tip from the Italians
Back in the olden days, the Italians celebrated St Valentine\'s Day by holding a spring festival where young lovers would gather in parks and ornamental gardens to listen to music and poetry readings. Recreate your own Italian themed date by taking your lover to your favourite green space to crack open a bottle of Chianti and read them a few of your favourite love poems.
Useful links
www.italianwinesociety.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk/New-Faber-Book-Love-Poems
Have a carpet picnic
couples,dating
Have a carpet picnic
If it\'s too chilly for alfresco dining, why not have a carpet picnic? Buy plenty of tasty finger food, a couple of bottles of wine or bubbly, a few candles and lay it all out on your favourite snugly rug. Put on some sweet mood music and have yourself your own private party!
Go for a dirty weekend in Brighton
couples,dating
Go for a dirty weekend in Brighton
The dirty weekend may have fallen out of favour with us Brits over recent years, but we think it\'s high time they came back into fashion! Brighton, being the home of the original dirty weekend, has plenty to offer raunchy young couples, so find yourself a cheeky little boutique hotel and settle in for some serious nooky by the sea.
Useful links
www.mrandmrssmith.com/brighton
www.hotelpelirocco.co.uk
www.shesaidboutique.com
Go star gazing
couples,dating
Go star gazing
Could there be anything more romantic than spending an evening under the stars? Plan ahead by doing a little research into which local spots are good for a little light astronomy. Buy yourself a pair of binoculars (you\'ll need low magnification but large object glass - you can get a decent pair for as little as £50) and a planisphere to help you recognise the constellations. Take your loved one for a moonlit picnic then lie back and take in the sights... If the weather is threatening to put the kibosh on your plans, why not find out if your local planetarium is putting on any evening shows.
Useful links
www.popastro.com
www.telescopes-binoculars.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Planisphere
Click here to find a planetarium in your area: www.planetarium.org.uk
Have an indulgent movie night in
couples,dating
Indulgent movie night in
Hire out a selection of your favourite films (yours and his, romantic or no) and order in some hand dipped chocolate fruit to feed to each other. Strawberries and cherries are best (we love berryscrumptious.co.uk), but if you want to go really OTT, try one of the fabulous fruit bouquets available from ediblearrangements.co.uk or fruitlikeflowers.com.
Useful links
http://berryscrumptious.co.uk
http://ediblearrangements.co.uk
www.fruitlikeflowers.com
Have a sexy, themed date
couples,dating
Have a sexy, themed date
We\'ve all wished at some point that we could be somebody else, so how about injecting a little bit of fun into your Valentine\'s Day by having a themed date. Be as inventive as you like or go for something classic like the Wild West, a naughty arrest, or doctors and nurses - you decide! Then dress up your house and yourselves and let loose...
If that sounds too clichéd for you, how about recreating your favourite film or TV show? Does he have a penchant for Princess Leia or have you always wanted to be Wonder Woman? Now\'s your chance! Make sure you let your beau know in advance that your date has a theme, then drop him a few clues so he can prepare himself. As for you, make sure you learn a few choice lines, hire a costume and buy a few things to set the scene. Then all you have to do is whisk him off his feet!
Useful links
www.iwanttogoas.co.uk
www.props4shows.co.uk
www.lovehoney.co.uk
Take a horse drawn carriage ride around the city
couples,dating
Take a horse drawn carriage ride around the city
If you fancy trying something a little more old school, hiring out an open-top horse drawn carriage to take you on a tour of the town could be very cosy. During the colder months snugly blankets are usually provided and some operators offer tailored packages like traditional country picnics and horse driving experiences as well.
Useful links
www.yell.com/Horse+and+Carriage
www.baskervillecarriages.co.uk
Set up a treasure hunt
couples,dating
Set up a treasure hunt
If you plan on buying your fella several Valentine\'s gifts, how about setting up a little treasure hunt for him? Be inventive and send him a treasure map through the post, email him clues while he\'s at work, or write them in a few cards and ask his friends to give them to him. Make sure you leave the best present (eg, yourself) \'til last!
Useful links
www.rhymezone.com
www.thunk.com
www.exploratorium.edu/secret
Make beautiful cocktails together
couples,dating
Make beautiful cocktails together
Is there anything nicer than having an exotic cocktail whipped up for you by a Tom Cruise-a-like after a hard day\'s work? Not likely. So how nice would it be if you didn\'t have to go to a bar and pay £7 for the privilege? Lots of places now offer cocktail mixing classes for two, so now you and your man - with a little tutelage - could become a pair seasoned pros yourselves. More importantly, once your class is over you can drink up the benefits!
Useful links
www.redletterdays.co.uk
www.prezzybox.com
Take a Lovers\' Leap Bungee Jump
couples,dating
Take a Lovers\' Leap Bungee Jump
Perfect for adrenaline junkies, and definitely not for the faint-hearted, for £99 you and your lover could have yourselves romantically tethered together to a giant elastic band and be chucked off a very tall building. How\'s that for proving your love and devotion to one another?!
Useful links
www.experiencemad.co.uk
See something romantic
couples,dating
See something romantic
Without wanting to get too listingsy, there are plenty of cultural delights to be had over Valentine\'s Day. In London for example you could drop into St Martin-in-the-Fields for some classical music, or delight in Penelope Keith as she takes on The Importance Of Being Earnest. There\'s plenty going on at The Royal Opera House too, with performances of La Traviata and the Beijing Modern Dance Company. If you like your dancing hot and spicy the you might enjoy Tango Por Dos at Sadler\'s Wells - a sexy Tango show straight from Buenos Aires. Check your local listings for more inspiration.
Useful links
www.whatsonwhen.com
www.sadlerswells.com
www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org
http://info.royaloperahouse.org
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk
