Chocolates, flowers and dinner with one’s significant other are always welcome but for Valentine’s this year, check out these nontraditional options.
Take in some contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) where 150 paintings by artist Elmer “Emong” Borlongan spanning 25 years are on display. If your date prefers the “classics,” head over to the National Museum where you can ogle Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium and Jose Rizal’s tabletop sculptures.
Mixtapes might have fallen out of favor in the advent of the compact disc decades ago, but with the music app Spotify, you can again create a playlist for your one and only.
(Millennials, mixtapes were cassette tapes filled with songs by different artists. They were transferred one by one to a blank cassette tape and presented to one’s object of affection.)
Go on a food crawl on Maginhawa Street, Quezon City, or Poblacion, Makati. You can also restaurant-hop in the air-conditioned confines of a mall—appetizers at one joint, main course in another, dessert or a nightcap at yet another spot. Check out Norma Chikiamco’s story, “For a change, a food crawl on Valentine’s Day,” (Feb. 8, 2018).
Pack a basket with picnic fare like sandwiches, chips, a thermos of coffee, look for a quiet spot, and enjoy each other’s company.
Flush with cash? Treat your partner to a bottle of wine and a breathtaking view of Manila’s famed sunset at C Lounge at Conrad Manila. The outlet’s “Lovestruck” bundle priced at P3,000 includes Brut Sparkling wine, a chocolate fondue with pralines and fruit, and live entertainment.
Call 8339999 or e-mail [email protected].
If you or your partner still aren’t over that Super Blue Blood Moon earlier this month, enjoy more heavenly bodies at the Manila Observatory inside the Ateneo de Manila campus.
Up your partner’s vintage clothing game by putting together for him or her a complete outfit made solely of ukay-ukay finds. You can surprise each other at the end of the day or comb the racks, side by side. Whatever the outcome, those outfits will surely be one of a kind.
This year, the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 16. Hit two birds with one stone by heading to Binondo and making a day of it. Start with freshly made dumplings at Dong Bei Dumplings on Oriente Street (tel. 2418912), and wash it down with chilled sugarcane juice in one of the stores near Sta. Cruz Church.
It’s tradition to give each other lucky charms and ornaments instead of buying for yourself. Whether or not you believe in luck, that beaded bracelet or keychain will always be a nice souvenir of a day trip to the world’s oldest Chinatown.
I’M Onsen Spa at I’M Hotel in Makati has an ongoing promotion perfect for spa-loving couples. The package, at P1,800 net per person, includes a choice of massage (signature, shiatsu, lymphatic drainage or jetlag recovery), access to the wet floor, and either lunch or dinner buffet.
Reservations are recommended. Call 7557877 or e-mail [email protected].
