Valentine’s Day gives you one reason to pamper your partner. Don’t let go of this time and make the most of it by planning something unique for your other half. We’ll help out…
Chocolates, diamond rings in red velvet boxes, blooming roses, champagne, candlelight dinner – passé passé passé!
Chances are you have been there, done that, and are now looking for some other way to celebrate the beautiful Valentine’s Day. So here we are to solve the dilemma. Have a look at these five absolutely romantic ways with which you can truly delight your partner and guarantee a ‘peaceful’ relationship – for the next few months at least!
Cruisin’ together…
Imagine the moonlight glowing over the glistening waters as you both stand on the deck of your private yacht sipping sparkling wine. A scene straight out of a romantic movie, correct?
“When one leaves the shore, I think we leave our worries behind. A relaxed atmosphere is always more conducive to bonding. When you see Mumbai from the sea for the first time, you can’t resist saying – Wow! Why didn’t we do this earlier?” says Anju Dutta of Marine Solutions.
Dutta advises couples to despair not, because a private yachting trip is very possible in India also. Mumbai’s coastline is developed enough to enable you to charter a yacht and take your lady love out to the stars and vast stretches of water. Marine Solutions, which has an impressive line-up of Ferrettis and Pershings, has some special packages for Valentine’s Day, inclusive of wine, cheese and champagne! So just choose and climb up. You need to do nothing except spend some much needed time together…
Anju Dutta recommends, “You could just cruise around the harbour or go cruising to Revas and do a picnic lunch on the beach, explore Elephanta, or have an adventurous full-day trip to Murud Janjira or Jaigrah (Ganpatipule). The amazing part about boating is the minute you step in the boat your vacation has started!”
With complete privacy and nothing to disturb your time together, play some soft music as you both just talk to your hearts’ content – something which you probably don’t get the time to do owing to hectic schedules and responsibilities…
Heart and soul
This is probably the easiest to manage. Book a good spa date for both of you. It is the right medicine to heal your body, soul and heart! Davina Hassell, Spa Manager of Kaya Kalp at ITC Mughal, says, “A couple spa experience strengthens the bond between the couple as they spend quality time together in luxurious surroundings and relax together. Most couples are not able to spend time together relaxing as they are busy with careers, children, family and other individual pursuits.” Shabnam Paul, AGM at Amatrra Spa, New Delhi, agrees with Hassell and adds that many couples book their spa treatments well in advance.
All spas make efforts to create a magical ambience during Valentine’s Day. The celebrated, pomegranate-themed Kaya Kalp also has its game plan in place. “We offer the Taj mahal Romance journey which is a three-hour long spa experience in the ‘Royal Mughal retreat’. It consists of a detoxifying gemstone massage that is almost like heaven on earth, followed by a luxurious facial that gives the skin a special ‘glow’ to accompany your candlelight dinner! A wonderful foot massage is also given. To complete the journey the couple can take a bathing ritual in which two glasses of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and a plate of cut fruits is given for the couple to enjoy in privacy,” says Hassell.
Amatraa Spa in New Delhi also has a beautiful couple room for special couple therapies. Their couples menu includes some romantic treatments like Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry massages.
Spas are an ideal way to relax, and more importantly, MAKE your partner relax too. Trust us, it will go a long way in impressing your partner and making him/her believe that you truly care.
Love in the wilderness
Our lives have become so remote-controlled and monotonous that we have forgotten to feel, think and rejoice. That’s where backpacking comes in. Head out with your significant other and explore the forests, mountains and rivers. You’ll be surprised with the challenges that come up in your way. Even more surprising will be the way you both tackle the situation together. You’ll surely find out some unknown facets in your partner’s personality…after all, thriving in the wild is not an easy task!
Akshay Chhugani, CEO, Indian Backpacker, says, “Backpacking is surely the best way to rediscover the love between two people as they get to spend time alone away from the world, close to nature. They not only discover themselves while doing so, but also their love for each other.”
Too tough to be romantic? Absolutely not! Chhugani explains, “There have been millions of people from across the world who came from different countries and fell in love with each other while backpacking. I recently come across a 65 year old couple who wrote an article about their romantic backpacking journey to India and Nepal in 1970s. The husband’s last wish till now remains to go backpacking alone with his wife…” If that won’t melt your heart, what will?
However, roughing it out in true backpacker style may not be everyone’s cup of tea. So you can indulge in what is called ‘flashpacking’, where you do work it out in forests, but instead of sleeping in tents or camps, you can stay in comfortable, up-scale lodgings. “One of my favorite romantic backpacking destinations is Ratapani (Rishikesh). Last year I celebrated it alone with my companion with moonlight dinner and wine right on the river side at Elephant Brook Resort. The guitar player entertained us with old classics and the chef served some delectable barbeque food. The only other sound we could hear was of the river flowing,” reminisced Chhugani.
Another usual, but absolutely gorgeous place to celebrate your love is Kerala. If you do go there, then a houseboat cruise is absolutely necessary. Chhugani also recommends taking part in at least one adventure together. “Adventure is something which every romantic adventurous couple MUST do – be it paddling together in a raft or doing a bungee jump together. These are some experiences they would surly cherish for their entire lives.”
All alone
A vast open natural space with no civilization around will certainly appeal to couples, especially those who are in new relationships. Going to an island is probably the smartest thing you could do!
Far from the maddening crowd of urban cities, Andaman & Nicobar Islands is extravagantly beautiful and peaceful. Revel is gorgeous green surroundings, coral blue sea, swaying palm trees, fresh air, pleasant climate, exotic marine life and adventure sports facilities. There is a lot to do here together as well as nothing to do! Take your pick…
The Lakshadweep Islands are equally pristine. The island destination includes 36 islands scattered like jewels in an emerald green ocean which are rich in marine life and exotic flora. Visit the beaches at Lakshadweep islands and dive deep into the blue waters as you both share some beautiful time together touching and feeling the colourful marine life. A lot of beaches in the Lakshadweep islands are uninhabited and are absolutely great to spend some time alone. Imagine being abandoned on an island with a picnic lunch basket in front of you, some tropical fruits and camping equipment… Pure bliss!
Mush all the way
Most women are die-hard romantics and absolutely crazy about mushy, tender movies (sorry for the generalization!). They can watch them countless number of times! So men, listen very carefully to this plan.
Purchase and install a big, huge screen in your home, with surround sound technology (it’s a lifelong investment for sure). Bang & Olufsen will certainly help out with some fantastic home theatre choices. Select some mushy movies – only those where you have seen your girl cry, laugh and smile along with the characters, and keep them with your new theatre system. Chill some champagne, spread some caviar on the bread, lay out an assortment of cheese on a platter, and prepare the classic strawberries with sour cream… Voila! She will drool and melt in your arms just by looking at the arrangement.
So hold each other and watch some mushy movies back to back as you cry and laugh together…