Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A Romantic “Treasure Hunt”


With Valentine’s Day around the corner you may be trying desperately to come up with something really special to do for the love of your life. Flowers? Over done. Dinner and a movie? Been there done that too. A card and candy? Unless it’s peanut butter and chocolate with decadent wine or bubbles forget it! Okay seriously, while none of those things are all that bad and will most likely be appreciated, you may be searching for something a little more creative and memorable.

This will take a little work to plan out, but it will be worth it.

A “Romantic Treasure Hunt.”What is a romantic treasure hunt? The traditional working of a romantic treasure hunt is when you set up a day or afternoon that is full of fun and romantic gifts and moments for the love of your life.

I did this a few years ago and sent him on a chase across the village to all his favorite spots to pick up various items that would ultimately set the tone for a romantic evening.

Here is an example of what I did.

The day started with breakfast in bed. I told him that he was beginning his day with a “Love Treasure Hunt”, and I handed him his first clue. It was a clue that lead him to a local bakery where he picked up a large basket to gather what would be all the goodies for our evening together.

When he got to the bakery and found the basket there was another note which lead him to the grocery store where he picked up Strawberries & Whip Cream.

Get the idea??

The key is that you give a clue that will take him/her to where they need to go, you preplan with the owner/business in advance so they know to expect their arrival. I had a TON of fun with this and got SUPER creative. The places that I left items had fun as well as in some cases I bought their products and just attached the next clue.

I sent him to the gas station to pick up glasses, you know like in the old days where you would get an Olympic glass for an extra .10 – well these where crystal champagne glasses, but same deal as he had to redeem the .10 Canadian Tire money to get the “goods”.  From there I sent him to his favorite bar to pick up our Champagne. Attached to the bottle was another clue that lead him to the local Chocolate Shop, to the Local spa etc …

I had a TON of fun doing it and it was something that really enjoyed himself.

I only gave him two life lines, so he could call for a clue if he got stuck … I was very clear with the clues, he just needed to pay attention to where he needed to go next. He did of course call more than 2 times, but it afforded us an opportunity to be playful and tease one another - this is always a great build up for a romantic night.

Thankfully he was self-employed and was able to take the morning to complete the treasure hunt. If you your sweetie doesn’t have this luxury, you can also bring this down to an at-home, evening level. You could hide fun and romantic gifts all over the house and leave clues keying them in on where to search.

For example –“Above the shade yet below the roof a vision of love is quite aloof.”
This could lead your special someone to search the top sills of the windows in the home until they find a very small package you have hidden. Get creative around the house, or their office building. There is a TON of stuff that you can do and I promise you, you this will set the tone for the night ahead! If you want romance – be romantic. If you want variety, be spontaneous!

The key is to get creative and have FUN! This will likely be a Valentine’s day that they will not soon forgotten.

Happy Hiding!!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Valentine's Day - 1 Month Away

Valentine's Day is a month away tomorrow. It is touted to be " THE" most romantic day of the year, I'm not sure about "that" statement because we believe love is ALWAYS InStyle any of the other 364 days ... However, that being said we know for sure is getting reservations at your favourite restaurant for dinner will prove to be a challenge unless you aren't thinking in advance. 


We at Balance InStyle, our personal Concierge company use a little tool called "Open TableIt's our newest "can't live without it" tool.   The reason is simple. Restaurants' reservation inventory shifts on a regular basis due to changes and cancellations. Ironically, the premium reservation times are often the ones to change. With an Open Table App, you can check and re-check availability several times a day, wherever you are. It's also a great tool for last minute reservations - like for those of you who completely forget to make a reservations on Feb 14th let's say...


In my recent experience using this app, I was originally unable to find availability at one of the city's new hot spots. Deciding to "wing it" about 30 minutes before we wanted to dine, I snagged a prime reservation that wasn't available the many times I tried previously.

Another neat feature is Open Table's "Special Requests to the Maitre D'" section.  Try it next time you book your reservation for a little extra love from your hosts for the evening. Yes, the restaurants read the comments, and I love to use this space to send compliments and express how much my clients are looking forward to dining at their restaurant. Set yourself apart by establishing a profile as being a fan. No one wants to disappoint a fan! 


Given that Valentine's Day is one of the biggest restaurant nights of the year and you've got to get romance right if you have a special someone in your life.  Book in advance!  Why not try the Maitre D section - you can EVEN order flowers to the table from this section!!  No worries, we won't tell anyone we guided you! Hey listen, even Cupid has helpers!!! ( consider us one of them!)