By Rian Rhoads for Gay Travel
Valentines Day is upon us and no surprise, you have absolutely no idea what to do and funds are tight. Not to worry, here are some ideas from Gay Travel to pull off a special Valentines without breaking the bank or resorting to a heart shaped box of chocolates.
Hella Gay Valentines Day Ideas To Follow:
Live in SoCal? Beach! Take advantage of the Santa Ana winds this weekend and the unusually hot weather and plan a special beach picnic. Bring a towel to rest on, bring a cute dessert you picked up from the store, and cuddle up and watch the ocean or the sunset! Want to take it to the next level? If you have a Dollar Tree near you they sell those little LED tea lights for 99 cents, turn them on and set them on the beach towel for a little mood lighting while the sun sets.
Where to go:
San Diego, Blacks Beach is the unofficial gay beach. It takes a little bit of effort to get to but it is usually not crowded and has some beautiful cliffs surrounding it. You may want to avoid Sunset Cliffs in Pacific Beach as it is beyond overcrowded on Valentines Day. Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego is also the perfect place to stop by and grab one of their beyond heavenly desserts for your beach rendezvous.
Santa Monica: Will Rogers State Beach. Often lovingly referred to as “Ginger Rogers”, this beach is the only gay beach in the area but it's beautiful.
Malibu: El Matador (Part of Robert H. Meyer State Beach.) Purportedly a gay nude beach, this hidden cove is on the western outskirts of Malibu.
Laguna Beach: West Street Beach. Beautiful beach known for being the "gay part" of Laguna Beach. Parking can be a headache but the view is worth it.
San Clemente: San Onofre State Beach. Technically still considered a nude beach and gay friendly.
Order a heart shaped pizza!
Or have the pizza shop make a heart out of pepperonis and write something cute on the lid of the pizza box. Beacuse who doesn't LOVE pizza? Get the $5 Hot-N-Ready deal at Little Ceasers and just move the pepperonis around if you real cheap. No judgement here.
On the East Coast?
Stay indoors! You might be tired of the snow and drab conditions outside but why not cuddle up together indoors? Clear a spot on the floor, throw some blankets down, order chinese food and spruce it up with a single rose (or a dozen for you rich daddies). Put on a romantic movie ..or whatever tickles your fancy. Want to take it one step further? You can make your own fortune cookie and write a personal little note in the cookie. Here's a link to learn how to make one. MAKE YOUR OWN FORTUNE COOKIE
Relationship not that serious yet?
You can still do something special to let them know they mean something to you. How about buying a small to mid size packing box, fill it up with a bunch of their favorite junk food and wrap it up in some cute wrapping paper. This is a nice way to keep things light and friendly but still letting the perosn know you put some thought into it. Maybe toss a bottle of that Trader Joes 2 buck chuck wine in there if you're 21+.
Need to spice things up a bit?
Have annoying roommates and want a night of privacy? Get a hotel room, you can find AMAZING deals. If you have an airport nearby, try looking at airport hotels that typically serve business travelers, they have much lower rates and many are much more luxurious than you would expect. If you really want a deal.. try “Hotel Tonight” an amazing app that you can download and it will find the lowest deals on hotels around you. The idea is that hotels would rather sell a room for as cheap as possible rather than have no one book it and not make a penny, this app will find you those outstanding rates but they are only good for that night so you can’t book in advance. Download the app and look up hotels valentines day morning!
Want to make sure you will be respected and taken care of? Take a look at our GayTravel hotels for a premium LGBT hotel stay:
Heart shaped chocolate covered strawbwerries.
Stumbled across this one on Pinterest. Simple, cute, and sexy! just add a bottle of champagne and you’re set!
