Valentine's Day - a celebration or all things romantic or another excuse for commercial exploitation of the gullible masses? I guess I fall into the Valentine's Scrooge category. Don't get me wrong. I love romance, but I'd prefer romantic gestures to be spontaneous. But don't let my "
Bah! Humbug!" spoil your Valentine's Day plans. If the romantic in you is looking to declare your undying love on February 14, then our readers want to know where the perfect place is to do it. In the meantime here are a few suggestions.
Cocktails:
Romeo and Juliet had a grand passion, as well as an unfortunate penchant for swilling poisonous potions. Delete the suicide and tragic outcomes and spend your Valentine's Day imbibing delicious cocktails instead. Sydney has so many great cocktail bars that it can be hard to choose, but inspiration can surely be found in
Five of Sydney's Best Cocktail Bars.
On the Water:
Perhaps your love is on the epic scale of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, who enjoyed some pretty spectacular river cruising in their time. Who needs the exotic mystery of the Nile when Sydney offers the unsurpassed beauty of Sydney Harbour to serve as the perfect romantic backdrop for your Valentine's Day experience?
Captain Cook Cruises offer three dinner and cruising options ranging from $99 to $139 per person.
Magistic Cruises also have a Valentine's Day Dinner Cruise including three course dinner and drinks from $100 per person.
If you'd rather be near the water than on it you could try
Bondi Openair Cinema, where the eighties romantic classic,
Dirty Dancing is showing on February 14.
Rooftop Romance:
Maybe you're more the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan types and prefer romance on a rooftop
Sleepless in Seattle style. Obviously the Empire State Building is out of the question, but Sydney has some
stylish rooftop venues complete with romantic atmosphere and great views. Others to try include
The Rooftop Bar at Darling Harbour's Coast Restaurant and
Cafe Sydney on the rooftop of Customs House.
Dessert Restaurants:
Napoleon was a huge chocolate fan and always took chocolate with him on his military campaigns. Perhaps it was a gift from Josephine, slipped into his saddle bags as a reminder of their love. If chocolate ranks highly on your couple's treats list then dessert restaurants, especially the chocolate specialists, may be the place for you to celebrate Valentine's Day. Try
Cheeky Chocolate Cafe at Strathfield,
Max Brenner Chocolate Bar or
Guylian Chocolate Cafe.
Music:
"
If music be the food of love, play on". Duke Orsino in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night uttered these famous words. If music provides your romantic inspirations you may have a little trouble this 14 February if you missed out on tickets for the sold-out Il Divo Valentine's spectacular. You could try
Alfredo Malabello's "Voice of Romance" at
The Basement instead. General Admission tickets are $25 through
Moshtix here , or Dinner and Show tickets are only $73.80 each available by phone: (02) 92512797.
These are some of our romantic options, but let us know your view. Where is the best place to celebrate Valentine's Day in Sydney?
