V-Day Hotel Getaways From Maine to Marrakesh
Hotels realize that there is no single recipe for romance (though you might conclude that if there were one, chocolate-dipped strawberries and Champagne would be at the top of the ingredient list). While some guests may swoon at the sight of a petal-strewn bed, others may dismiss it as hackneyed.
Here’s a selection of ten Valentine’s Day packages that may strike your fancy: from no-holds-barred extravaganzas to simpler intimate breaks. Find the recipe that works for you.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO
Recharge your romance responsibly by heading to all-inclusive eco-temple
Hacienda Tres Rios on Mexico’s Riviera Maya: “By day, you can play Tarzan or Jane: swimming through mangrove-edged rivers or in the deep, fresh water of cenotes; tracking tropical birds; learning about native flora at the property’s botanical garden; or sunning on the white-sand beach. By night, settle into one of 273 modern-luxe suites, outfitted with locally sourced mahogany furniture, Mexican beige marble floors, and Caribbean views.”
Valentine’s Day package includes:
- Overnight accommodations in an oceanview suite
- Signature spa ritual for couples
- All-inclusive meal and beverage plan
The dollars: From $581
Available through February 28.
For more information or to book, please visit
Hacienda Tres Rios, or call (800) 494-9173
NEW YORK CITY
The Strand Hotel, an eager new arrival to the Midtown hotel scene, offers “hard-to-beat views with old-world glamour.” Empire State Building views, proximity to great food/shopping/nightlife, reasonable rates? The new kid’s got moxie.
Lover’s Lane package includes:
- 2 nights’ accommodations in a premier or executive room
- Continental breakfast daily
- A framed 17 x 17 black-and-white vintage Art Deco photo
- Welcome amenity of Pommery champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries
- Three-course dinner for two at the Strand American Bistro
- Late check-out
The dollars: From $849 ($425 a night)
Available weekends through February 28.
For more information, please visit
the Strand. To book the package, please call (212) 448-1024, or email reservations@thestrandnyc.com.
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA
Occupying 102 prime waterfront acres just south of Los Angeles,
Terranea “is all grown up, with a golf course, restaurants and lounges, and stately upholstered furniture in the 582 rooms, suites, and villas. Nearly every angle maximizes the Pacific Ocean views: you’ll see the sand from the three pools, spa treatment rooms, and most balconies.” This fuss-free package still offers everything your beach baby needs.
KISS package includes:
- Overnight accommodations
- Dinner for two at Catalina Kitchen or mar’sel
- Breakfast for two via room service or at Catalina Kitchen
- Daily resort fee
The dollars: From $455
Available through February 28.
For more information or to book, please visit
Terranea, or call (866) 802-8000.
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Pitch some sophisticated, big-ticket woo at
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, a “carefully restored French colonial retreat [featuring] a lap pool inspired by Angkor’s royal baths.”
Enchanting Escape Valentine’s package includes:
- 3 nights’ accommodations in a private villa with butler service
- 30-minute balloon ride over the temples at Angkor Wat, complete with Champagne and canapés
- Private guided sightseeing trip in a 1950’s Jeep
- Champagne breakfast for two in a jungle temple
- A nearly four-hour ‘Amrita Grand Indulgence’ couple spa treatment
- Private roundtrip airport transfers
- Welcome amenity of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Champagne and fresh fruit
- Candlelit dinner for two served poolside with a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1988
- For women: a gift of an Eric Raisina dress (with custom fitting) and for men: a Panama hat
The dollars: $15,670 ($5,223 a night)
Available from February 11 through February 20.
For more information or to book, please visit
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, or call (800) 768-9009.
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi “puts a cushy face on traditional New Mexican design; its 58 rooms, with their earthy sandstone walls and traditional latilla-and-viga ceilings (thick beams crossed with narrow, rough-hewn sticks), are airy and sleek, and decorated with beautiful handwoven rugs and paintings by acclaimed local artists. All have kiva-shaped gas fireplaces (indispensable on those nippy high-desert nights), and four-poster beds so high that they require special stepping stools.”
Sense of Romance package includes:
- 2 nights’ accommodations
- Candlelit dinner for two via room service or in the hotel’s Living Room
- Daily breakfast for two
- Welcome amenity of sparkling wine, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a cd of love music
The dollars: From $349 a night
Available through March 31.
For more information or to book, please visit
Inn of the Anasazi, or call (505) 988-3030.
MARRAKESH, MOROCCO
La Mamounia, the beloved classic reopened in 2009 after a three-year renovation. Where better to capture the magic of love than in a property that thrums with
Arabian Nightsmystery?
Valentine’s Not Just Another Weekend package includes:
- Overnight accommodations
- Roundtrip airport transfers
- A couples’ massage upon arrival
- 45-minute helicopter tour of the Atlas Mountains
- 60-minute hammam ritual treatment in a private hammam
- Cocktails at the Gallerie Majorelle
- Dinner at l’Italien by Don Alfonso
The dollars: from $3,175 a night (MAD 26,000 at today’s exchange), 2-night minimum stay
Available from February 9 through February 16.
For more information or to book, please visit
La Mamounia.
CHICAGO
The normally hushed and staid
Four Seasons Chicago urges you to seize the moment this February 14 by indulging in this offer, valid only on Valentine’s Day.
What You Get:
- Purchase a bottle of Dom Pérignon in the Seasons Lounge and receive complimentary overnight accommodations in an Executive Suite (The hotel will allow you to take a rain check on the stay, but they insist you enjoy the Champagne on the holiday itself!)
The dollars: $425
Available February 14.
For more information, please visit the
Four Seasons Chicago. To book, please call (312) 649-2349.
BLUE MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA
Fancy some fancy outback romance?
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, a 3-hour drive from Sydney, is in a spectacularly rugged setting: “Looking out at the 4,000-acre Greater Blue Mountain World Heritage Area, Wolgan’s 40 villas seem intimate, even though they are at least 900 square feet and outfitted with private decks and both indoor and outdoor pools.” Enjoy the holiday in rustic luxury and savor the knowledge that you’re saving $1,000 with this special package.
Romantic Indulgence package includes:
- 2 nights’ accommodations in a Heritage Suite with a private swimming pool
- All meals, nonalcoholic and select alcoholic beverages
- Bottle of Bollinger Champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries
- 2 ‘nature-based activities’ which include wildlife safaris
The dollars: $1,572 per person ($786 a night)
Available February 11 through February 14.
For more information, please visit
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. To book, please call 02/9290 9733, or email reservations@wolganvalley.com.
KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE
Snowy coastal Maine is just the place to hunker down and heat up your romance.
The White Barn Inn & Spa, “a sophisticated 19th-century inn compound—with its clapboard 26-room main house, three outlying riverfront cottages, and two 1820s barns,” has a month-long package with a generous credit that makes a splurge seem somehow sensible.
February Romance package includes:
- Overnight accommodations
- Daily breakfast and afternoon tea
- $200 credit towards extra at the inn
The dollars: From $530
Available through February.
For more information or to book, please visit the
White Barn Inn, or call (207) 967-2321.
