Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: The Most Pampering Experiences For Travelers

In less than a month, Valentine’ Day (and the accompanied pressure to do something special) will be here. These hotels offer pampering experiences for traveling couples or solo travelers looking to reward themselves with more than just bonus loyalty points and promotions. From spa treatments to flowers and private wine making classes to better sleep patterns, here is where to celebrate Valentine’s Day and show your partner (and even just yourself or those you may not even know) a little love and self-care.

“A room full of roses,” The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare

What could be more romantic than a room full of roses when you least expect it? Back by popular (and previously sold-out) demand, the “Room Full of Roses” package at The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton is expected to be a winner yet again. The hotel’s best king studio suite comes decked out with over 400 long-stemmed red roses plus a bottle of sparkling wine to greet that unsuspecting special someone. Maybe en route to warmer climes, the welcome amenity, late checkout and complimentary breakfast in bed for two could get any trip (or layover) off to the best start.

Singlemoon Package, Jade Mountain Resort, St. Lucia

Jade Mountain Resort’s “singlemoon package” is the perfect way to self-pamper in paradise with chef-designed meals, private airport transfers with Champagne welcome, a spa day experience and onsite Ayurvedic wellness counseling. Other add-on amenities include life coaching, customized yoga classes and meditation sessions. Guests can also learn to scuba dive, explore the area chocolate plantations, mountain bike and kayak among other things. This offering includes all meals and alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.

“Galentine’s Day” with Club Wyndham

Forget having a date or partner for Valentine’s Day. Club Wyndham, the largest vacation club program in the country, is following the tradition made famous by the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” This Galentine’s Day package is a girl’s getaway that shaves 20% off the rate while tacking on bonuses like in-suite facials, a heart-shaped waffle maker for do-it-yourself breakfast and a karaoke machine with microphone, all favorites of the show’s main character, Leslie Knope. Throw in a $100 credit for wine and snacks, and this package can be fun in both real life and on TV. It’s available at a variety of Club Wyndham properties including Austin, Daytona Beach, the Berkshires and New Orleans among many others.

Self-pampering wellness, Wylder Hope Valley, California

Whether you’re with a loved one or traveling solo, Wylder Hope Valley’s Blissful Indulgence Package has everything you might need to relax. In partnership with FarmHouse Fresh, guests can light a candle and enjoy a variety of included wellness goodies like a guac star, peat perfection moss mask, agave nectar body oil, and citrus grass and watermelon vodkatini scrub. The hotel will turn on its wood-fired sauna just for you whenever you’re ready as part of this self-pampering package, which can be added on to any reservation.

A birdseye view, Mission Pacific Hotel, Oceanside, Calif.

This $5,000 romance package is available throughout February and includes luxury car transfers plus a 45-minute coastal helicopter ride at sunset. Guests enjoy two nights in Mission Pacific Hotel’s Dreamscape suite surrounded by Champagne and roses as well as a four-course dinner for two with wine pairings. The hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program meaning guests can earn and redeem points during their stay.

Ensuite shopper at Brown’s, a Rocco Forte Hotel, London

Covid concerns be gone. If you prefer not to venture into the big boutiques, they can come to you with the “Head over Heels with Aquazzura” package at Brown’s Hotel in London. Aquazzura, the luxury Italian women’s footwear brand, can come to your suite (one or two nights are included in the package options) with shopping ideas. The personalized design consultation and shoe fitting is followed by an exclusive invitation to visit the Aquazzura store after hours on Albamarle Street for any shopping needs. A pedicure at The Spa at Brown’s rounds out the pampering.

Instant well-being at Chateau l’Hospitalet, France

The instant well-being package at Chateau l’Hospitalet in southern France includes a one-night stay with breakfast, spa treatment, bottle of the vineyard’s own brut rosé and a private wine tasting with commentary by the property’s own wine expert. In addition to bio-dynamic vineyards, Gérard Bertrand’s resort includes a new beach club that will open this spring. For those looking to self-pamper in wine country, going right to the source might be the perfect outlet.

Private cenote dinner at Eden Roc Cap Cana

In Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, romance-seeking guests can tack on a special experience to their stay. The staff can set up a special dinner overlooking a cenote, one of the area’s naturally made deep caves or ground holes made from limestone. It serves as the ideal add-on to the resort’s own romance package.

Improve sleep at Naples Grande Beach Resort, Florida

Get your Zzzs on at Naples Grande Beach Resort with a neuroscience technology app called NuCalm that will help lower stress and improve sleep patterns by mimicking your body’s ability to naturally tire the brain. Using applied neuropsychology and neuroinformatics, this spa service can help guests feel more in control of their body and mind. It’s available as a treatment anywhere around the hotel starting at $49 for 25 minutes. For many people, all it takes is a bit more rest to feel at their best, both for themselves and their partner.

Forest bathing with gratitude, The Springs Resort, Colo.

The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, is home to the world’s deepest geothermal spring. After pandemic lockdowns and endless Covid-19 protocol changes, the resort’s “Warm Embrace Romance” package helps guests to enjoy 24-hour access to the 25 geothermal tubs terraced along the San Juan River and find inner joy and peace along the way. The package includes a guided forest bathing hike, private gratitude ceremony, two hour-long magnesium melt massages and overnight accommodations.