REAL DEALS
3 France Packages, From $599
Choose from a four-night getaway to Nice, a six-night stay in Paris with a river cruise and cabaret tickets, or a weeklong tour of the Loire Valley's castles and vineyards.
Virginia mountains: Ice-skating and fireworks
The All-American Weekend package includes a night's stay at The Homestead, a 483-room resort in Hot Springs, Va., starting at $300 per night per couple. The resort is set in the Allegheny Mountains, which offer scenic views and good skiing. If the weather's clear on this mid-February Sunday night, the resort will treat guests to a fireworks display. During your stay, the 3,000-acre resort will operate an Olympic-sized skating rink. If you stay for two nights, the third night is free. Add breakfast and dinner in the resort's restaurant for an additional $90 per person for adults and $32 for children ages 6 to 12. When February 14-18, 2008; by availability. Details Hotel taxes are an additional 7 percent. There is also a daily resort charge of 15 percent. Daily breakfast is included. Valet parking is an additional $15 per night. Based on double occupancy. Contact The Homestead, 800/838-1766, thehomestead.com.
Another great deal: New Orleans air/hotel, $339
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San Francisco boutique hotel: Racy movie and lingerie
The art deco 153-room Maxwell Hotel in Union Square is offering a one-night Romance and Raunch package that goes beyond the classic chocolates and flowers. Instead, guests get a "Do Not Disturb: We're Busy" door hanger, a $50 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret, and an X-rated in-room movie rental—although you can easily substitute a movie with a different rating, if you'd prefer. Rates start at $169 per room per night. Note that the same package is available at slightly higher rates (up to $209 per night) at four other boutique properties: Hotel Metropolis, Hotel Union Square, Kensington Park Hotel, and Hotel Diva. When Through May 31, 2008. Details Based on double occupancy. Taxes are an additional 14 percent. Contact 800/553-1900, personalityhotels.com.
Olympic National Park Lodge: Fireplace and Rain Forest
The Romancing the Rain Forest package at Lake Quinault Lodge includes a one-night stay in a room with a fireplace and a basket filled with champagne, chocolates, and strawberries. About a three-hour drive from Seattle, the lodge is located within Olympic National Forest, one of the world's few temperate rain forests and home to 300-year-old majestic trees, lush ferns, and 250 miles of hiking trails. Rates start at $169 per room per night, which represents savings of 20 percent. The Roosevelt Dining Room, which has panoramic lake views, makes a fittingly romantic dinner date. When Jan. 25-Feb. 29, 2008. Details Based on double occupancy. Taxes are an additional 12 percent. Contact 888/896-3827, visitlakequinault.com.
Marrakech, Morocco: Massages and dinner in a tent
This splurge of a Valentine's Day package includes a two-night stay at the 52-suite Octogone Terre Resort & Spa, built two years ago in the Palmeraie Desert, roughly 10 miles outside of Marrakech. The package includes a guided tour of the city, a complimentary bottle of Moroccan wine, a candlelit Moroccan dinner served in a private tent, a hammam (bath), a couples massage, a poolside lunch, an evening carriage ride through the city's streets, glasses of champagne and Moroccan pastries, and a souvenir. The price is $2,480 per night per couple, but it fluctuates with the exchange rate between the dollar and the Moroccan dirham. Airfare is not included. A recent search on Kayak found that airfares started at $1,063 per person between New York City (or L.A.) and Marrakech on Valentine's Day weekend (British Airways). When Offered through February 2008. Details Airport-resort transfers and breakfast in-room daily are included. Taxes are an additional 10 percent, plus a charge of about $3.50 per person, per day. Contact Octogone Hotels, 800/915-4012, octogonehotels.com.