The annual calendar is punctuated—I realize this especially now through the blog—by holidays, events, and traditions that tirelessly return on the same dates every year.
Some of these dates are awaited with impatience by some, while others dread these hated celebrations like the plague. That is somewhat the case with Valentine’s Day…
Here is a small selection of top tips and free activities set up for this celebration so you can make the most of Saturday, February 14, 2015, whether you are in a relationship or not.
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“Strasbourg, mon amour”
From February 6 to 15, lovers have a date in Strasbourg, undoubtedly one of the most romantic cities in France, for a dream Valentine’s Day centered around 10 days of romantic, glamorous, or unique events.
For the third consecutive year, the European capital is rallying to celebrate lovers with a program that is simultaneously poetic, cultural, glamorous… and a touch quirky.
On the program: retro slow dance party, gourmet tête-à-tête delights, ephemeral installations under the stars, exclusive concerts, unique tours… and plenty of surprises!
Top tips:
- Free “My heart swings” evening at the Aubette 1928 on Thursday, February 12, starting at 7:30 PM
- Moonlight Swim at the Wacken Nordic pool on Thursday, February 12, from 9:00 PM to midnight
- The Kissing Gardening Baby (free admission) on Friday, February 13, from 6:00 PM to midnight at the Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin
- The Slow Party, an ephemeral dance floor with disco balls at the Aubette 1928 gallery on Saturday, February 14, from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
For this occasion, the SNCF, a partner of this operation, will offer specific activities on certain TGV East trains, special prices for traveling as a pair, and will organize a contest around the most beautiful love declarations.
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The Galeries Lafayette Valentine’s Party
The brand’s two Parisian stores (Montparnasse and Haussmann) will offer numerous activities for this occasion.
Notably through a Valentine’s Day afterwork, on Thursday, February 12, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at both Parisian locations with:
- lipstick bar
- nail bar
- hair styling bar
- braid bar
- prizes to be won
- a portrait artist using a tablet
- cocktails and tastings
- beauty makeovers
- a rose offered to women…
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Valentine’s Day at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile
This year the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile invites lovers to experience a gourmet Valentine’s Day at the Lafayette Restaurant with a gourmet menu featuring seasonal flavors, or a glamorous one at Bar La Vue, to admire one of the most beautiful views of Paris from the 34th floor (if you’ve never done it, it’s truly an experience to try!), with an atmosphere expertly orchestrated by a DJ.
The head bartender has imagined an offer under the sign of seduction for the occasion: a Kiss Me Red cocktail, a blend of Hendrick’s Gin, Champagne, Cointreau, bergamot, raspberry, spiced cinnamon, and cane sugar, accompanied for women by a red lipstick from a famous professional makeup brand.
Thursday, February 12, Friday 13, and Saturday 14, 2015 Lafayette Restaurant / 3-course Valentine's Day Menu, accompanied by a bottle of Champagne Roederer Brut Royal: €89 /person La Vue / 2 Kiss Me Red cocktails accompanied by a red lipstick: €55 (cocktail alone: €25) Bar La Vue is located on the 34th floor of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile Restaurant La Fayette and Bar La Vue / Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile 3, Place du Général Koenig / 75017 Paris
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Valentine’s Day at Hammams Les Cent Ciels
The two Cent Ciels hammams offer a magical atmosphere of escape and well-being this year for Valentine’s Day, with 2 rituals to choose from:
- Tradition Ritual & Candlelit Dinner (€280 for 2) including hammam, sauna, and pool, a 25-minute relaxing massage with argan oil, a candlelit Valentine’s dinner, and a fortune-telling session during the evening
- Complicity Ritual & Candlelit Dinner (€340 for 2) including hammam, sauna, and pool, a full-body scrub with black soap and essential oils, a 25-minute relaxing massage with argan oil, a candlelit Valentine’s dinner, and a fortune-telling session during the evening.
The tip: the fortune-telling session is free for any Valentine’s ritual purchased.
Hammams Les Cent Ciels 45 bis, avenue Edouard Vaillant – 92100 Boulogne 7 rue de Nemours – 75011 Paris saturday, February 14, from 2:00 PM until midnight
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Darling Box, the anti-routine boxes
These naughty, gourmet, and erotic boxes are made so that couples never run out of ideas… and giggles.
The concept: subscribers receive surprises in their mailbox every 2 months to get their relationship out of a rut and have some fun. On the program: erotic discoveries, gourmet treats (sometimes both at once!), or lifestyle items for a great moment of sharing.
Small examples of Darling Box:
- Ô MON CAPITAINE box, the box for sailing as a couple
- Fais-moi ton cinéma (Make me your movie) box
- Brasil meu amor box
- 5 senses box
- Oh My Gold box
- Super Lovers box (photo below)
- Gangsters of Love box
Price: €39 per box without subscription / €36 with a 6-month subscription
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The PeGast Infidelity card
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, PeGast, a high-end French sandwich shop brand, is launching its Infidelity card.
Valid from February 14 to March 15, 2015, this card is a fun counterpoint to the lovers’ holiday: this loyalty card will reward the unfaithful by offering them a chance to have tasty dalliances with recipes other than their favorite to discover and test other Cuisignons, the famous gourmet sandwiches created by chef Jean-Philippe Peillon (formerly Robuchon).
As soon as five different Cuisignons are purchased, the sixth is free! This Infidelity card also applies to salad recipes.
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Valentine’s Day at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort with a trip to Dubai to be won!
in Morocco plays the tender card by joyfully celebrating Valentine’s Day through a contest.
Indeed, lovers who book at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort between February 13 and 16, 2015, may have the chance to win a 5-night stay in the Emirates for two adults (and even two children if our lovers already have them) with breakfasts included at the famous Atlantis, the most spectacular of Dubai’s hotels that stands majestically at the very end of The Palm. Prize draw on the evening of February 14.
One night at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort between February 13 and 16 starting at €200 in a double room including breakfasts for two.
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The Dark Valentine Night at the Manoir de Paris
As is traditional, the Manoir de Paris (a place I adore, as you know!) is offering a Dark Valentine Night (single rate of €25) on the evening of Saturday, February 14, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, for those who would like to shiver with fear for Valentine’s Day evening.
On the program: the manor tour but in total darkness. An experience I highly recommend, beware—shivers guaranteed…!
Double Dark Night at the Manoir de Paris Friday, February 13, for the superstitious Saturday, February 14, for lovers from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM (doors close 20 min before) 18 rue de Paradis 75010 Paris price: €25 per person_
Contest to win a hair styling session for Valentine’s Day
A nice little Parisian contest on the Lucia Iraci hair salon Facebook page to have the most beautiful hairstyle for Valentine’s Day evening!
To be won: A hair appointment on February 14 with your best friend, because it’s nicer as a pair! The contest is open until February 11, 2015, at 6:00 PM.
Lucia Iraci Salon 13 rue du Vieux Colombier 75006 Paris 01 42 22 29 86
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Chocolates and other gourmet products for Valentine’s Day
I don’t know who we owe the tradition of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but honestly, I would like to thank them! Because I’ll say it loud and clear: one will never have enough excuses to savor good chocolate!
The Fouquet heart-catcher box (available in 3 sizes and 2 colors, filled with chocolates or tangy candies) / small model 100g starting at €10
2 stores: 36 rue Laffitte 75009 Paris or 23 rue François 1er 75008 Paris
Jadis et Gourmande invites us to play with words and create a personalized message (between €12 and €86)
La Maison du Chocolat offers creations around the theme: Caramel Sensations
Saturday Night Fever by Pascal Caffet
Vincent Guerlais, gourmet delights from Nantes
The Valentine’s Day chocolate object collection by Joséphine Vannier
For a light Valentine’s Day, the new “Valentine’s angel cake” (€12) and “Valentine’s roll cake” (€5) available from January 29 to February 22, 2015
A new creation by Philippe Conticini for Valentine’s Day: The Lovers’ Cake
The tip: La Pâtisserie des Rêves has a surprise for the luckiest: three golden tickets are up for grabs for the occasion. The lucky winners will win a dinner for two at the restaurant l’Eclectic!
“The Teas of Love” signed George Cannon (a brand and a very beautiful Parisian address that I will tell you about very soon in a dedicated article)
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Merci Maman jewelry
The brand Merci Maman offers personalized jewelry, hand-engraved and made in London by a French couple. In short, you can find a very cool selection of pretty jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, keychains, cufflinks) that can be engraved with the message of your choice.
And honestly, I don’t know about you, but seeing these pretty, simple pieces of jewelry, I thought this could be a beautiful gift idea for Valentine’s Day, actually…
And then, the best of the best: you’ll be super trendy, since Kate Middleton herself wears the brand’s Adage necklace, which now bears her name.
Price: between €25 and €122
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The Celio trapped gifts
This year, Celio is helping women trap their lovers for Valentine’s Day starting February 4 in all Celio stores.
How? By hiding a Celio gift in the worst gift boxes: love puzzle, bath mitt, or sad slippers.
The tip: On February 14, women who trap their man can film their reaction and share it on the site mapiresaintvalentin.fr. They will thus attempt to win a romantic getaway for two via a contest!
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Playme! the application to find love while having fun
A great tip also for singles with Playme!, a free mobile Gaming + Dating application that proposes challenging people around you or randomly via a quiz on quirky topics.
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Téléfleurs
For last-minute gifts (well, essentially for the ladies, I admit), I have dug up the perfect site for you!
Téléfleurs is a site of the Euroflorist Group (the largest network of florists in Europe) and it offers flower delivery and home gift boxes in less than 4 hours all over the world! And this is quite simply because the home flower delivery will be done by an artisan florist located as close to you as possible, within the network of 2,000 independent florists who work with the site.
So if you are short on gift ideas for your Valentine, don’t hesitate to take a look at their special Valentine’s selection; you will surely find something to delight her (yes, we women love flowers, that’s just the way it is…).
The Tip: delivery is available 7 days a week, even on weekends and public holidays.
For super procrastinators: if you order before 2:00 PM on February 14, the site guarantees delivery on Valentine’s Day!
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Special operation for singles at Wallapop
Wallapop is a second-hand buying and selling application that relies on a geolocation system. The application thus encourages face-to-face exchanges and brings a whole new experience to users: more local, more human.
So, from February 1 to 14, single Wallapop users who publish a product with the hashtag #wallasingle in the title will appear in the Wallasingle collection. They will also enter a prize draw for a chance to win €500!
This special collection brings together all the products for sale that are put online by singles. A simple way to identify singles who are selling items on the app… and (a nice idea) a good excuse to meet up, exchange a product, and maybe have a drink at the bar around the corner? In short, a rather nice initiative, I think…
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Valentine’s Day special operation at SpaceWays
SpaceWays is a 100% online storage service.
You order the number of boxes you want directly on the site, decide on the day and time slot you want to be delivered, then once filled, the driver picks up the boxes to store them in secure warehouses a few kilometers from Paris. Returning the boxes can also be done at any time with one click.
The tip: this new Parisian on-demand storage service offers lovers a chance to declutter a bit for a stress-free Valentine’s Day thanks to a promo code (COUPLEJ68) allowing them to “store” their bulky belongings for free for 3 months!
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CINQ-S is organizing a party for singles on Valentine’s Day evening
For Valentine’s Day, CINQ-S has imagined an exclusive operation. While all couples will be out on the town, singles will be invited to a unique event: the #WITHOUTVALENTIN by CINQS.
From February 11 to 14, invitation cards for an exceptional evening on February 14 starting at 7:00 PM will be given to customers on board CINQS sedans.
The invitation is valid for 2 people, for a night under the sign of Anti-Valentine’s Day! On the program? Champagne, cocktails, DJ, and two lucky winners will be drawn to fly away… to New York, a beautiful surprise from the agency OPEN-S World!
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Fabriano Boutique offers a special Valentine’s Day creative workshop
For Valentine’s Day, the brand Fabriano honors love by launching a major #madewithlove marathon in all its boutiques.
The tip: throughout the day of February 14, creative workshops will be set up in the boutique located at 70 rue du Bac (75007 Paris) under the supervision of master calligraphers, to help you pour your most beautiful emotions onto paper.
Cards, pens, pencils… Everything will be at your disposal to allow you to create a card that looks like you.
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Whether you are for or against, single or in a relationship, in love or happy all by yourself (and yes, that exists too), waiting for a meeting, or at the beginning of a relationship, in the warmth of a lasting bond, I wish you all a very beautiful Valentine’s Day.
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VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST:
As I wanted to spoil you for the occasion, I am offering you a nice contest with 2 very cool prizes to be won thanks to my partners, the Georges Cannon Tea House and Merci Maman.
Prize no. 1: 3 boxes of Georges Cannon tea (value €37.30).
- 1 round box of ‘Thé Mon Amour’ (My Love Tea)
- 1 tube box of ‘Rouge Baiser’ (Red Kiss)
- 1 tube box of ‘Casanova’
Prize no. 2:
A gift card that gives a 50% discount on a product of your choice on the Merci Maman online shop (valid until 06/30/2015).
To participate, just leave a comment below this article telling me how you plan to spend this Valentine’s Day and telling me which prize(s) you are participating for?
A random draw will designate the 2 winners of the prizes from among the participants who answered the question. Good luck to everyone!
Rules:
– Contest limited to Metropolitan France
– + 1 chance if you are a fan of the blog’s Facebook page; + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Twitter page; + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Hellocoton page + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Instagram page + 1 chance for every share of the contest (don’t forget to leave your usernames in your comment if you want to benefit from extra chance(s))
– 1 entry per IP address
– contest start date: Wednesday, February 04, 2015 – contest deadline: Friday, February 13, 2015, and result the next day (Valentine’s Day, therefore) on the blog in an edit to this article.
EDIT of February 14, 2015:
Following the random draw, I announce that the winners are:
- for prize 1: Celine Bruness
- for prize 2: Marinebulle
Congratulations to you, I will contact you quickly by email to inform you of your prizes.
Thank you all for your participation and I wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day this February 14!
