by Barbara Barton Sloane

Valentine’s Day, February 14, is the traditional day on which lovers express their love by sending cards and presenting flowers and chocolates. The holiday is named after an early Christian martyr named Valentine and became linked to romance in the 14^th century when, in his Parlement of Foules of 1382, Chaucer wrote:

“For this was seynt on Volantynys day whan every bryd comyth there to chese his mate.”

Ann-Sophie Swetchine put a fine point on this thought when she said that “To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others.” Indeed. If you and your sweetie happen to be traveling in the direction of New York City during this holiday, many of the top, luxury hotels are offering special packages and events to ensure that love is in the air.

Courtesy: Ritz Carlton

The Ritz Carlton Central Park at 50 Central Park South overlooks all 843 acres of this glorious green haven and is one of the most prestigious addresses in the city. For Valentine’s Day, they offer a romantic Horse-Drawn Carriage Package priced at $945 USD and includes

• Overnight luxury accommodations in a deluxe guestroom

• Central Park horse-drawn carriage ride, a quintessential New York experience. Hansom cab rides depart across the street from the hotel.

• Breakfast for two at the hotel’s award-winning BLT Market restaurant

• Special themed take-home gift from the hotel

The hotel is within walking distance of Fifth Avenue’s finest shops and cultural attractions, and features a La Prairie Spa, a well-equipped fitness center and afternoon High Tea. For information and reservations: www.ritzcarlton.com/centralpark

Courtesy: Grammercy Park Hotel

Traveling downtown to the gentile, Old New York neighborhood of Gramercy Park, you’ll find the Gramercy Park Hotel located at 2 Lexington Avenue, with its Haute Bohemian heritage which has been renewed over the past few years by hotelier Ian Schraager, whose fresh approach has reinvented for the 21^st century an original combination of styles, great furniture, spectacular art and an extraordinary use of color.

For Valentine’s Day, the hotel has a package priced at $650 USD. You will have:

• A luxe suite

• Breakfast for two at the private Roof Club and Garden

• A bottle of Champagne

• A custom LeLabo candle

• Late check-out at 3pm

An added plus is the hotel’s Aerospa, an intimate spa offering the most up-to-the-minute treatments including massage, facials, body treatments, men’s services, and jet-lag and muscle soreness wraps. The best part: treatments can be experienced in the privacy of your room. A massage a deux perhaps?

For information and reservations: www.gramercyparkhotel.com.

Further downtown in the vibrant Meatpacking District, the Gansevoort Hotel, 18 Ninth Avenue at 13^th Street, is a sleek, stylish venue with its signature rooftop featuring an outdoor pool (enclosed and heated in winter) and an intimate roof garden with commanding city and river views. For the most romantic day of the year, the Gansevoort has a Valentine’s Day Indulgence Escape Package. With prices starting at $615 USD, here’s what you’ll get:

• Early check-in (1pm)

• Deluxe Room or Suite accommodations

• A dozen red roses

• Chocolate-covered strawberries

• Pool access and two complimentary poolside beverages

• Bottle of chilled Moet champagne

• Mile High Kit

• Twister

• Book of Erotic Games

• Complimentary Continental breakfast

• Late check-out (2pm)

Assuming you’ll want to sate not only your senses but your appetite, you can dine at Ono, the hotel’s Japanese-inspired restaurant. There’s a 50 foot long L-shaped Sushi and Robata bar, a mezzanine lounge and the Garden of Ono, featuring a bar, four private cabanas and an elevated seating platform surrounded by an 18 foot by 40 foot water pond.

For information and reservations: www.hotelgansevoort.com.

Experiencing one of these special packages, it’s guaranteed that the real meaning of Valentine’s Day will ring true not trite, and will certainly dispel the cynicism of that poet of irony, Dorothy Parker, who wrote:

“Oh life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea,
And love is a thing that can never go wrong,
And I am Marie of Romania.”

No you’re not! You’re someone who loves deeply and visiting any one of these three hotels with your significant other on this special day will allow you to express it in a most love-ly way.

SPECIAL: DON’T MISS THIS ONE!

VANCOUVER, WHISTLER, Center Stage. WINTER OLYMPICS Feb.12-28, 2010

First of all, getting across the USA/Canadian Border requires more than just a driver’s license now. A valid passport or passcard is required; applications available at U.S. Post Offices or your travel agency.

Some space and a few tickets are still available. www.2010destinationplanner.com for accommodations and for tickets try www.cosport.com , www.jetsetsports.com and www.vancouver2010.com . Demand is high and you may have to pay a premium.

If your Olympic fever is burning, and you’re still having problems with space, you might consider THE MAYFLOWER PARK HOTEL package. Seattle is very close and not quite so crowded or pricey. The following rates apply January 1-March 31,2010 including Olympics.

Rates for the Mayflower Park Hotel’s Sunny Side Up Winter Package start at $159.00 for one or two; a Classic Guestroom; $179 for a Deluxe Room; and $199 for a spacious Suite. Stay over on a Wednesday and join us for a complimentary wine reception. Reservations: 206-382-6990, 800-426-5100 or e-mail at mayflowerpark@mayflowerpark.com

This special offer is good January 1 through March 31, 2010. Rates are based on a space available basis and do not include tax.

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