Love is never cheap, or shouldn't be, but there are still ways to spread the love and let your significant other know your relationship is special without breaking your bank. Who wouldn't be pleased with a Valentine's getaway? We've told you about other such sweetheart deals as last year came to a close; now we've got a few more--two in the States, one overseas.
At The White Barn Inn, in fashionable Kennebunkport, there are two Valentine's Packages for 2003. For each, the price includes two nights' lodging, with a "bountiful" continental breakfast and afternoon tea daily, including heart-shaped cookies, and a dinner for two at the inn's restaurant, rated Five Diamonds by AAA. The price for February 13 through 15, 2003, is $368 per person (or more, if you want the "Luxury Junior Suite," with a wood burning fireplace, king bed, marble bath with whirlpool tub and rain-style shower, 42-inch flat screen TV, which would be $620 per person).
For the same package starting one day later (Feb 14-16), you pay $378 per person. For either package, a two-night stay is required with arrival either on Thursday or Saturday. Friday arrival requires a three-night stay. This luxurious place is part of the Relais & Châteaux chain, and is perhaps Maine's most glamorous spot. Contact them at 207/967-2321 or at www.whitebarninn.com.
Down in Boston, the chicest new hotel in town is XV Beacon, where they offer a Romantic Getaway at $500 a night. The package includes one night's lodging for two in a studio room, featuring a canopy poster bed, a working gas fireplace, marble bathroom with whirlpool, and a small LCD TV, private bar stocked with Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Krug Champagne, a continental breakfast in bed and fresh flowers in your room. You can go up to the Rooftop Deck, 15 stories above Beacon Hill, to lounge around, dip into the Jacuzzi and enjoy the view. Contact them at 617/670-1500 or at www.xvbeacon.com.
Olde Englande, anyone? At 51 Buckingham Gate, you can have a Bombay Dreams package in their luxury suites, also for $500. The price includes one night for two people in a deluxe junior suite, a dinner for two (pre- or post-theater) at Quilon, adjacent to the hotel and serving South Indian coastal cuisine, and most importantly, hard-to-get top-of-the-line tickets to Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. This is Andrew Lloyd-Webber's take on the Indian film industry, Bollywood, which is slated to come to the USA later on. Finally, you get a butler-served morning-after breakfast for two in the library at the hotel. Tickets based on availability; additional nights at the hotel from around $335 per room, including breakfast, service charge and taxes. Contact them at 877/528-2503 or at www.51-buckinghamgate.com.
You can read our previously published articles on less-expensive St. Valentine's Day deals to London and other European cities by clicking here and here. You can also visit Go-Today (www.gotoday.com) and New Frontiers (www.newfrontiers.com) for similar love-themed packages.
