Valentine’s Day. Two words you either love or love to hate. If you’re in the latter camp, listen up: there’s no need to be a sad sack on the sexiest day of the year. At least you have a date, dude, so pick your head up and face V-day like a man. Sure, you can always take her to dinner and suggest the two of you binge-watch Louis C.K. on Netflix, but we’re suggesting something a little more creative for the Crave man. We challenge you to think outside the box of chocolates this year and plan a delicious surprise sure to melt her heart.
Valentine's Day Dates
-
Give Her Something to Ride On
Sure, there’s always you at the end of the night. But give her some movement early on. Depending on where you live, you can grab a gondola ride along the canals, take a horse-drawn carriage through the streets or ride high in a hot air balloon. Women love a well-planned, romantic day – there’s no way you can lose with any of these. Besides, come Monday, all her friends will know you’re the best Valentine’s Day date that side of town. Which means one thing: if you guys don’t work out, you’re sure to be someone else’s heartthrob next year.
-
Spice Things Up
You can always make reservations (unless it’s a few days before Valentine’s Day), but what happens if you actually make her dinner? A lot. Offer up your culinary skills and she’ll offer up her love and appreciation big time. With today’s meal service options, you don’t have to be Bobby Flay with the meat porn. Simply call on plated.com or Blue Apron and you two will be dining and dashing . . . all the way to the bedroom.
-
Get Physical
Find a new hiking trail in your area, take a surf lesson together or try your hands at a sutra yoga class. If you get her heart pumping early in the day, she’ll be ready for you come night. Just make sure it’s something she’ll actually enjoy. Don’t assume your date is dying to launch herself out of a plane with a strange dude attached to her back. The sky is not the limit for all Valentine’s Day activities. Think of something the two of you would truly enjoy together – not something that’ll give her a heart attack.
-
Role Play
This is where you get to come out smelling like a beautiful red rose on Valentine’s Day. Take her back to the very place you two met, the venue you tied the knot or the moment you fell in love. Nothing melts her heart more than seeing you all soft and mushy. Just do it – it’s going to mean the world to her and it’s relatively cheap. Unless you had a destination wedding. Then you’re screwed. Regardless, let her know you really do remember the moment you laid eyes on her. That’s the kind of stuff women cherish on a day like Valentine’s Day.
-
Relax
If your date happens to be your wife and if said wife happens to have kids, the best date is a relaxing one. Take her away for the day (or two) and book a couple’s massage, stroll through a quaint town for wine tasting or hire a driver to cart the two of you around. Take the day to reconnect, talk about the things you never seem to have time to anymore and, most importantly, have sex. (Remember that?)
