Destinations: Valentine’s Day Approacheth

  |  February 6, 2014

valentines day choco

Uh oh. It’s coming. That holiday. You know the one. Valentine’s Day. A lot of people still celebrate this once-religious holiday-turned-day of lovin’, so we’ll do you a solid and give you some suggestions on how to spend it (if you don’t celebrate it, skip to the end. There’s one for you, too):

New World Home Cooking/Bistro Bar (Saugerties/Albany):

Chef Ric Orlando does not play when it comes to V-Day. Every year, he creates a special “safe sex” menu for two with many of the items touted to have aphrodisiac properties (oysters, chocolate, chillies, etc.). Couples are encouraged to feed each other while blindfolded. There are plenty of mains and desserts, too. Reservations strongly recommended for this.

Terrapin Restaurant Valentine’s Day Prix-Fixe (Rhinebeck):

Terrapin in Rhinebeck offers two options of V-Day: A two course dinner for $49, and a three course dinner for $69. Sorry, but you only get dessert with the three course dinner. Dinner on V-Day is from 5-10pm. One of the tapas you get with both the two and three course dinners is the goat cheese wontons, which we could continuously eat like Scooby Snacks until we burst. Probably not terribly romantic, but we all celebrate in our own ways. Like New World, you’ll need reservations.

Catskill Maison (Windham):

The Catskill Maison B&B is a romantic little getaway not far from Windham Mountain. They’ve got a whole lotta specials depending on what you’re looking for: Ski and Stay that includes lift tickets, Make Any Day Valentine’s Day (we assume that includes actual Valentine’s Day?), special occasions, birthdays, spa, and a thing known as Babymoon, which we hear is A Thing now. Their rooms look cozy and sweet. Take a look here on their website.

Renew your vows at Hunter Mountain (Hunter):

This is kind of sweet. Couples can go to the Hunter Mountain website and register to renew their vows on Valentine’s Day morning at 10:30am. The ceremony takes place at the summit, and it’s followed by hot chocolate and snacks at the Summit Lodge. Perhaps this could be dovetailed into a romantic weekend stay for skiing at Hunter Mountain. Either way, the concept of vow renewal on top of a mountain melts even our icy cold hearts.

Non-Coupley Option: O+ Festival Launch Party at the Anchor (Kingston):

The Anchor doesn’t have their website up and running yet, but they have a fan page on FB, and that’s where you can find out about the O+ Festival kick-off party scheduled for Valentine’s Day night. Lots of live music during the party, including Simi Stone, the Old Double E, DJ Carlos, and The Sun. The O+ Festival is a great music, arts, and wellness event that takes place in Kingston (and now, San Francisco!) every year in October. Read about it here on their website. Anyway, if you’re a singleton or just don’t feel like dealing with the whole Valentine’s Day thing, show some love for music by attending the launch party. By the way, the Anchor has great food.

Whatever you decide to do, we hope it gives you warm fuzzies.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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