Valentine’s Day is a big deal in Las Vegas. Not only is “Sin City” the wedding capital of the Western world, it’s—well—Sin City. So you’ve got love comin’ atcha from every point of view. You’ve got every kind of venue to celebrate in, too, from the premier table in the Eiffel Tower Restaurant or a two-for-one buffet deal (come on! That’s romantic!) at Jerry’s Nugget to a picnic in the great outdoors. And then there’s home sweet home, which just might be the best venue of all.
Holly McKinnis
Valentine’s Day? Already? Here’s the plan. First, we eat lunch at The Bleu Gourmet, just behind Fleischman’s Steakhouse on West Charleston. I’ll have a soup bowl of coffee and mushroom crepes. My not-insignificant-other will order something French. After lunch, we’ll tool down to the Erotic Heritage Museum and take in the frights, I mean sights. Then it’s off to work.
I know, I’m a hopeless romantic.
Brian Rouff
Hugo’s Cellar in the basement of the Four Queens is my go-to restaurant for Valentine’s Day. We’ve been going there off and on for more than 25 years and the place has never let us down. They have virtually no staff turnover, every lady is presented with a rose (year ’round, not just V-Day), and the tableside salad bar is one-of-a-kind. It’s also about half the price of the fancy Strip hotel restaurants
Megan Edwards
I think where you spend Valentine’s Day depends on where you are in your relationship. New & hot? You better kick the evening of with sustenance, even if you feel like cutting to the chaise. In my opinion, the absolutely most romantic restaurant in Las Vegas is Alize at the top of the Palms. Expensive? Yes, but OMG. It’s wonderful. Okay, are you two as comfortable as an old pair of shoes? Spice things up with a special evening at… hmm, let’s see. I know! Alize. Yep, from the spectacular view of the Strip to the knowledgeable but un-snobby sommelier to everything on the menu, it’s freakin’ close to perfect. Just so you know, though – there’s no video poker at Alize. But don’t worry! Take your sweetie to Andre Rochat’s aerie on Flamingo, and you’ll get lucky anyway!
Mark Sedenquist
Sneak away for an intimate and elegant lunch at one of my favorite “out there” restaurants – the Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley. It’s only about two hours from the Strip but light years away in terms of surroundings and ambience. Afterwards, take a leisure stroll along the spring-fed lilly pad covered ponds, watch the ducks before hitting the road for the return trip to Las Vegas. This year, the recent rains might even give rise to some very early spring wildflowers….
Tasha Pittser
My favorite place to celebrate Valentine’s Day is at home with the family. My kids and I bake pink cupcakes – with extra sprinkles – and eat half of them before the night is over. Then, my husband and I’ll put the kids to bed early and spend the evening snuggling in bed. If we’re lucky, we’re able to stay awake long enough to watch an entire movie!
John R. Taylor
Considering the insanely beautiful views that Las Vegas has to offer, a restaurant that shows off the sights is a great idea. The Stratosphere’s Top of the World Restaurant and Lounge rotates, giving you a 360 degree view while you dine. The lounge usually has live entertainment.
For the males, your mate may greatly appreciate a home cooked meal. Most women would like this, but this is a particularly great gift if you are the “commitment-fearing” bachelor type. She would be grateful that you stepped out of your shell just for her, especially if your place is spotless and you find a recipe book to get creative with the meal.
Linda Lou
Every day is Valentine’s Day for me lately; I’m enjoying that euphoric state of a new relationship where every minute apart from each other seems like an eternity. Yeah, I know… how annoying. So for us, we’re happy cuddling at home with candles, music and dark beer in the fridge. Someday we’ll venture out.
Ellen Ross
Run into the wilderness with your loved one. Camp out in Hidden Valley in the Muddy Mountains near Logandale, under the stars. Build a warm campfire and enjoy some Pinot noir! Seriously, being so close to the desert provides ample places to go and be with the one you love. There’s nothing so romantic as a cloudless night sky and a warm sleeping bag…
Ah! I love the collective contribution style — it offers a little bit for everyone regarding ideas for Valentine’s Day. I knew about all the classic LV locales, but I had no clue about the the Bleu Gourmet or the further away Furance Creek Inn and Hidden Valley. Some things to do for the future!
Thanks for another great article : ).
Jules, Thanks for another thoughtful comment. We intend to publish 3-4 “staff-written” articles each year. Here’s a link to the others we’ve made this year.
The Furnace Creek Inn is my retreat when ever we can sneak away for a weekend. Here’s a couple more posts about it. One by Megan (sorry to say we never re-loaded the images… I still need to do that!) and one by me.
Thanks again,
Mark
This will only be my third Valentine’s Day in Vegas. The first year my wife decorated the house, I cooked and we stayed home with a nice bottle of red wine and did Tarot readings. That’s generally been our favorite way to spend Valentine’s Day together, although last year we went to Anna Bella’s, a great but now closed Italian restaurant in Green Valley.
For couples who like to go out on the town, or for single guys who don’t want to clean up their apartment and are aiming to end up at her place, I would highly recommend Marche Bachus in The Lakes District as part of a perfect romantic Valentine’s Day (or any other day of the year!) dinner date. I think it’s the best French restaurant in town and you get to sit by a small lake. Tres romantique!
Personally though, this year I’m planning on cooking at home again, just like we did our first year in Vegas. However, I’m a little suspicious that my wife might be planning something … the Victoria’s Secret catalog has been missing from the coffee table for several weeks. Did she put it in her bag and take it to work, or throw it out? (maybe I should do a Tarot reading on that mystery right now!)
Ahh, the excitement and anticipation … it’s like Christmastime for Love!
Tarot Readings? Interesting — do you find them generally accurate?
Mark
Please be aware the Erotic Heritage Museum raised their prices substantially. It’s now $20 for adults, and $15 for Las Vegas residents. I don’t think we’ll be forking over that kind of money for this. Why did they find it necessary to try and gouge the prices instead of making it something affordable that we might want to take our out of town friends to? So much for the daring side of romance, I’ll go get a hotel room.
In my view, it is still worth the $15 price of admission — perhaps not every time (although the member’s price is looking like a better deal all of the time) but I don’t know about you, but the price of a motel room is a lot steeper than $15 and would still be a lot less interesting than a visit to the EHM….
Mark
Regarding the Erotic Heritage Museum. Sorry to hear about the hike in fees. I saw the museum after it first opened and no it’s not worth the added costs. It was OK for the $7.50 but $15 is going to keep us from going again. We’ve been to the Erotica Museum in Paris and I just checked their prices, 8 Euros and a 3 Euro discount online, that’s $6.41 US dollars. No, I’m not including the price of the airline flight, since that’s what everyone is going to argue. However, if they can keep prices low in a city like Paris, why can’t Vegas?
No, I haven’t yet explored the Erotic Museum, but from all of the reviews I’ve read on the internet- it doesn’t seem like I’m missing much. Vegas has so much T & A every where you look! Just look at how some of the tourists and their pre-teen daughters are dressed on The Strip! Ha ha ha! I highly recommend Sin City Kitties in Primm or X Burlesque at Flamingo instead. I did attend the Sex Museum in Amsterdam, and recall the price was quite nominal.
I prefer to make up my own mind about something and don’t care to pooh-pooh something if I haven’t at least witnessed it first-hand…but then again due to the outrageously high price cost of tickets in this town for various shows…my wallet simply can’t afford all of the adventures I wish to pursue. I usually toss out rave reviews and the lowest reviews, but if everyone seems to say the same things about a given subject, then I must thank the good people of Las Vegas for saving me a bit of cash on “We Will Rock You” at Paris and I’m sorry to say, “Sorry, Criss Angel, I really like you but I haven’t heard one good word about your show, so I’m not gonna waste my money. ” The popular reviews have probably saved me from imminent food poisoning at Excalibur’s Buffet – consistently the LOWEST BUFFET ON EVERY LIST!
So…The Erotic Heritage Museum…I noticed they even have memberships available.
Is it really a cool place to visit or is it just a contrived venue for perverts, creeps and exhibitionists to “hang out” hoping to get laid? Cheaper than the Green Door, perhaps. But that ain’t my scene either.
In my view, it really is a cool and worthwhile place to check out. But I suggest you read the articles we’ve published about the museum and see if it seems like a good choice for you.
Steve Fey attended the opening party
Megan Edwards (& friends) attended another party and is now a full member of the museum.
Mark
Yeah, I found that Tarot readings can sometimes be remarkably accurate, but the ability (and willingness) to link the emotional and character archetypes to personal circumstance plays an important part in the success.
Hmmmm…(sees a phallic symbol in the tea leaves!)
I guess it’s a go!
Great ideas! I used all the various tidbits here to plan a great valentine’s day and pulled it off as well.
Thank you all for a wonderful site!
Sarah.
Sarah,
Thanks for the kudos — and we’d love to hear more about your completed day as well.
Mark