This year, celebrate Valentine’s Day with a heart shaped box of chocolates for the kids and a romantic escape for Mom and Dad. While family travel tops the list most of the year, the holiday of love is often best spent at an inn or B&B with the one you love. Splurge on the baby sitter for the children and a romantic couples getaway. Couples don’t have to travel too far to find the perfect romantic B&B, and a pampered getaway to a B&B will cost less than a resort or hotel while leaving you romantically recharged far more than a stay at a condo or vacation rental. Leave the breakfast dishes and bed making to someone else and let your favorite innkeeper indulge you both.
Here are five top reasons B&Bs make the perfect romantic getaway:
1. Haute hospitality: Look forward to plenty of fine amenities including private fireplaces, deep whirlpool tubs, King-sized beds and the most luxurious sheets you can imagine. Count on the best night sleep you’ve had in a long time!
2. Fab food: Start each day right with a gourmet breakfast, homecooked and hearty. Some B&Bs even include dessert for breakfast! Follow it up with afternoon tea or snacks and even wine and cheese or evening dessert receptions at some B&Bs.
3. Contemporary and unique décor: While there are as many designs as there are B&Bs in the U.S. (20,000 or so to be exact), many B&Bs are moving away from the “Grandma’s Attic” look and moving toward a more urban chic and contemporary look. No cookie cutter lobbies at today’s B&Bs. Cookies, yes. Cookie Cutter, no way!
4. Plenty of R’s – Rest and relaxation are two of the key factors that fuel romance. B&Bs and inns are dedicated to encouraging rest, relaxation and romance.
5. A pretty smile – Nothing starts a trip on a worse note than a difficult hotel check-in or worse yet, a self-check in. Couples can look forward to a warm welcome from a smiling innkeeper who’ll carry the bags and serve as a local concierge whenever needed. When was the last time the hotel owner welcomed you by name?
Guess what? Valentine’s Day is here, but it's not too late to book what your Valentine really wants. Say goodbye to flowers and chocolates. This year impress your Valentine with a romantic couples B&B getaway. Who says the way to the heart is through the stomach? The best way to win your Valentine’s heart is hire the babysitter and pack your bags.
5 Great Romantic Escapes for Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, plan to splurge on a fabulous culinary caper at any of these wonderful inns and B&Bs where romance, haute hospitality and fine dining are within easy reach from East to West.
The Pitcher Inn, Warren, VT: This quintessential Vermont inn offers beautifully themed rooms, not one but two restaurants (one fine dining, one more casual) and nearby skiing at Sugarbush Resort and Mad River Glen. Check out the new lower level, totally renovated after Hurricane Irene washed through. Gorgeous murals, hand forged doors and hardware and stone work was accomplished by local artisans. Worth the splurge. Call (802) 496-6350 for reservations. Equally romantic and romantically whimsical is the Pitcher Inn’s sister property, Winvian, located in Litchfield Hills, Ct and offering 18 fabulous themed cottages and five-diamond dining. Both are a bit of a splurge, yet an incredible romantic getaway.
Azalea Inn, Savannah, GA: Rumored to be one of America’s most romantic cities, Savannah, GA is home to a number of fabulous inns and B&Bs. The Azalea Inn is a stand out offering not only lively and cordial experiences, but the perfect home base for exploring the city. Awake each morning to breakfast picked from the inn’s “urban farm” surrounding the inn, then enjoy afternoon wine and cheese parings with vegetables and herbs from the inn’s garden, plus an evening sweet treat all characterized by what innkeeper Teresa calls “reinvented Southern cuisine." Call 800-582-3823 for reservations.
Hermann Hill, Hermann, MO: Surrounded by a working vineyard providing grapes for the very Port Wine Chocolate Sauce enjoyed atop yummy ice cream by guests each night at the inn and cottage suites, this inn offers two options. Inn guest rooms – all named after different grapes - are lavish with fireplaces, balconies or patios overlooking the vineyard and deep whirlpool tubs. Cottage suites located high on a river bluff include fabulous hot tubs on balconies and patios overlooking the Missouri River, full kitchens, lavish living spaces and playful baths. Both provide all the amenities needed for the perfect romantic escape. Discover the romance of Missouri wine country combined with distinctive accommodations for the perfect Midwest escape. Call (573) 486-HILL (573-486-4455) for to book your stay.
Blisswood a Texas Hill Country B&B, Cat Springs, TX: Stay and play in style with your Valentine by your side on the 650-acre Lehmann Legacy Ranch, just an hour west of Houston. Accommodations in spacious cottages offer plenty of room to spread out. For those who love to enjoy animals together you’ll see Angus cattle, alpaca, camels, miniature donkeys, peacocks, black buck antelope, and American Bison here. Watch swans, ducks and geese glide by on the pond, enjoy a romantic picnic lunch under the gazebo in the middle of the Enchanted Lake and there’s even a catch and release bass fishing lake for him! Saddle up for side by side horseback riding or enjoy an in-room couples massage for some extra romance. Call 713-301-3235 for more info or reservations.
Arch Cape Inn & Retreat, Arch Cape, OR: Located just three miles from Cannon Beach, here is one retreat where nature envelops you from the moment you step out of the car. From the featured eco-adventures to food so fresh and stunning, you’re not sure whether to eat it or savor it, this is one escape that outdoor and nature-oriented Valentine’s will appreciate. Lose yourselves together hand-in-hand on the rugged beauty of Oregon’s exciting coast here. Call 800-436-2848 for reservations and more information.
For a list of great B&Bs in your state offering a better way to stay for romance, go to http://www.betterwaytostay.com/map/
