15 AWESOME Valentines Date Ideas In and Around Manila
Valentines is that special time of the year when you can go all-in and show your significant other how much she/he means to you! You can’t go wrong with giving traditional flowers and chocolates, but this year, why not do something new? A hotel staycation in the heart of the city, a romantic dinner in a rooftop restaurant, and a little trip to a spa are all things you can do in and around Manila.
Here we’ve compiled the best Valentines date ideas to celebrate your love.
Contents
- 1. Enjoy a hotel staycation
- 2. Go on a classic museum date
- 3. Binondo food crawl
- 4. Relax and de-stress at Luljetta’s
- 5. Enjoy a romantic rooftop dinner
- 6. Take a dinner cruise along Manila Bay
- 7. Book an art session at Sip & Gogh
- 8. Explore the restaurants in Maginhawa
- 9. Have a date at Manila Ocean Park
- 10. Indulge in a luxurious buffet
- 11. Dine in with a view of Taal Lake
- 12. Spend a weekend in a farm
- 13. Enjoy wholistic meals in a garden restaurant
- 14. Join a baking class together
- 15. Plan a quick getaway to Batangas
1. Enjoy a hotel staycation
A night in the city can be magical as long as you choose the right hotel! There are different romantic options in Metro Manila that you can choose from including Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Conrad Manila, Marco Polo, Seda Vertis North, and more.
Spend the Valentines Day in a luxurious suite, order room service or head outside for a wonderful dinner in the city, and greet the morning with a breakfast buffet at your hotel. This is a simple, tried-and-tested formula that’s guaranteed to make your Valentines Day sweet and memorable.
For mid-range hotels closes to city attractions, we recommend staying at Park Inn North Edsa and Seda BGC.
Don’t forget to check out hotel promos as well. Most hotels offer Valentines Day packages that includes accommodation, dinner, massages, and other services.
2. Go on a classic museum date
We all sigh at that movie trope where a couple visits a museum and appreciate various works of art while holding hands. (500 Days of Summer, anyone?) Bring this to live by visiting a museum in the city!
Notable ones include the Ayala Museum in Makati, National Museum in Manila, Lakbay Museo in Paranaque, and Dessert Museum in Pasay.
If you’re up for a little road trip, Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo is also a wonderful museum to visit with a significant other. It has beautiful open-area architecture and houses local arts, not to mention that it’s also close to a lot of good restaurants and other attractions including Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa.
3. Binondo food crawl
A Valentines date does not have to be all dazzle and wine. In fact, you can have a great time exploring the city in your casual outfits — especially if you and your significant other are both foodies!
Head to Binondo, known as the oldest Chinatown in the world, and fill your tummies with delicious rice meals, hand-pulled noodles, and dim sum including siomai, dumplings, and toasted siopao. End the day with a visit to Binondo Museum Tour and/or a short visit to Manila Bay for sunset watching.
4. Relax and de-stress at Luljetta’s
What better way to show your affection than booking a trip to a spa so you can spend a relaxing day together? Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa is just a stone’s throw away from Manila and it features everything that you could want — including outdoor pools, jacuzzi, and sauna, along with a scenic view of the city skyline.
There are different day tour packages that you can book at Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa depending on what you want to include in your visit. You can also add a massage and body scrub package for that ultimate pampering experience with your loved one.
If you want to stay overnight, there are various suites featuring Greek-inspired architecture that you can book for a complete romantic trip out of the city.
5. Enjoy a romantic rooftop dinner
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd-dL35vdhh/There are plenty of amazing restaurants in Manila, but if you want to make the experience pop and dazzle, better book an unforgettable dinner in a rooftop restaurant.
The Nest Dining in the Sky is Vivere Hotel’s iconic rooftop restaurant and bar, located 31 storeys high above the Metro South. Here you can enjoy an intimate dinner together, with a menu of international dishes and hand-crafted cocktails along with a majestic view of the city below.
6. Take a dinner cruise along Manila Bay
Sunset over Manila Bay is one of the most romantic backgrounds in the city. Surprise your significant other with this view by booking a romantic dinner date in a yacht along Manila Bay. Let the view of the sun, the surrounding water, and music fill you with a romantic ambiance as you spend precious time with your loved one.
You can book cruises at Manila Yacht Rental and Events or Gallo Yachts.
7. Book an art session at Sip & Gogh
Spend an afternoon learning to paint on canvas while drinking wine at Sip & Gogh, the first paint-and-sip studio in the country. This is a great opportunity to do something fun together, unleash your artistic side, and maybe even discover a new hobby for the both of you!
Sip & Gogh offers different art themes per session, so choose one that fits your interest. There are multiple branches across the country so you won’t have a problem finding one near you!
8. Explore the restaurants in Maginhawa
Another great place for a food crawl is Maginhawa, the “Eat Street” in Quezon City. This place is filled with local restaurants that caters to different cravings and a good place for a food trip with your significant other.
Check out the iconic Van Gogh Is Bipolar for intimate dining with delicious soul food, sit down for kamayan-style meals at Gubat QC, or enjoy the open-air ambiance at the Talisay the Garden Café. Other restaurants worth visiting are Garlic Kitchen, Friuli Trattoria, and Ohayo Ramen and Maki Bar.
9. Have a date at Manila Ocean Park
Spend the Valentines Day appreciating the natural beauty around you by visiting Manila Ocean Park in Manila. This world-class marine park is suitable for a fun, educational, and romantic date. Here you can witness around 14,000 sea creatures living in our oceans and do activities together including encounters with sharks and stingrays, helmet diving, and more.
A day tour at Manila Ocean Park is amazing, but you can take it up a notch by booking the full package — an overnight stay in one of the suites at H2O Hotel, with complimentary breakfast, access to the gym and jet pool, and of course tickets to the marine park.
Book a day tour at Manila Ocean Park via Klook.
10. Indulge in a luxurious buffet
Show your love by treating your partner to a luxurious buffet at Spiral in Sofitel Hotel, the most expensive and considered by many to be the best buffet in the country.
Explore different dishes in its 21 ateliers (aka food stations), order a plate of freshly cooked seafood (including lobsters, oysters, and shrimps), and discover Spiral’s popular features including its very own cheese room. Not only will you be filling up with delicious meals, you also get to experience the stylish ambiance at this hotel restaurant.
11. Dine in with a view of Taal Lake
Tagaytay is one of the best places for celebrating romantic occasions. It’s close to Manila, features a range of good restaurants and shops, and has cool weather that will make you want to cuddle up with your partner!
For a Valentines date idea, reserve a seat for 2 at Balay Dako, one of the top-rated restaurants in Tagaytay with a majestic view of Taal Volcano. Balay Dako serves Filipino fusion cuisine including crowd-favorites sizzling bulalo, kare-kare, lechon kawali, halabos na hipon, and more. They also host acoustic night every Friday and breakfast buffet every Saturday and Sunday.
12. Spend a weekend in a farm
Go on a weekend trip to unwind and de-stress at MGM Ranch and Farm, a bed-and-breakfast in Taal, Batangas. This farm resort is an ideal location for a romantic weekend where you can relax in a villa of your own, enjoy the provincial life, and even experience a kawa hot bath!
The farm resort also has its own swimming pool, animal enclosures that you can visit, and plenty of outdoor spaces where you can hang out and even take lovely photos together. An in-house restaurant serves delicious local meals to complete your stay.
13. Enjoy wholistic meals in a garden restaurant
Plan a perfect meal together in one of the numerous garden restaurants in and around Tagaytay. One popular choice is Sonya’s Garden, which serves farm-to-table, organic dishes. They are especially popular for using edible flowers to decorate and add flavor to the plates.
Sonya’s Garden also has a bed-and-breakfast perfect for a relaxing overnight together with your significant other.
Other restaurants that you can consider are Chateau Hestia and Ricardo’s.
14. Join a baking class together
Valentines Day is all about sweetness, so how about booking a baking class to learn how to make cakes together?
Bakebe PH is Manila’s first ever DIY baking studio, with branches in Maison (Pasay) and BGC (Taguig). Here you can bake cakes, cookies, and other pastries with zero experience. Check out their on-going promos, including the Bake & Wine where you can bake a cake from scratch while sipping good wine. Not only will you be celebrating with your own baked cake, you’ll also make an unforgettable date together!
15. Plan a quick getaway to Batangas
For couples who love the beach, a perfect Valentines date would be an overnight trip to Batangas. Book a room in a beachfront resort with romantic ocean views, invite your partner and your close friends to a private villa with a home reef, or be more adventurous and try scuba diving for the first time.
The options are endless and it only depends on what you and your significant other would like to do.
That ends our recommended Valentines date ideas in and around Manila! Do you have other suggestions? Let us know in the comments section below!
Katherine Cortes is a long-time backpacker and a freelance writer/editor. She likes beaches, snorkeling trips, and relaxing staycations (preferably with bath tubs!).