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FIND OUT MOREBring back that
loving feeling
Long-serving couples may find fresh inspiration a little hard to come by this Valentine’s Day, but fear not - Lee Stansfield has scoured the city to find the top 10 most romantic things for you to try.
1. Think small
Pamper yourself for the night by booking into one of Manchester's swanky boutique hotels. The Great John Street Hotel offers 30 elegantly styled boudoirs, with fireplaces, chandeliers and luxury baths helping to provide a romantic mood. And if you find the time to venture out of your room, you'll find yet more luxury on the roof garden terrace, where a private bar and Jacuzzi hot tub overlook the set of Coronation Street. Room rates start from around £235.
Closer to the heart of the city centre is the iconic Malmaison, which offers luxury suites for the sweet from £195 per night, including champagne on ice, chocolate dipped strawberries, aromatic oils and candles, and a champagne breakfast in your room.
2. Take your love to new heights
Slip into one of the heated VIP capsules of the Wheel of Manchester and enjoy spectacular views of the city from 60 metres high, while sipping champagne. The ride will cost you £70, including a bottle of bubbly.
3. Get dramatic
If your romantic plans have foundered and your mojo is flagging, book a pair of tickets for the world's longest running musical, Les Miserables (at the Palace Theatre until Feb 13). With its passionate tale of love and redemption, it may offer the spark to set your pulses racing again. Tickets start from £15.
4. Try something a little risque...
For women wanting to do something a bit more saucy for their men, Polestars offer lessons in pole and burlesque dancing, which, if anything, should provide some laughs. Courses start from £100.
And ladies, if your men are too lazy to reciprocate, get the gals together for a night out at the Manchester Opera House, where the Chippendales are on show on Feb 6. Tickets start from £26.
5. Book a candle-lit dinner for two
Manchester's many eateries are jumping on the bandwagon with a selection of Valentine's Day menus. The Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant, for example, offers a five-course gourmet dinner for two and a romantic ride on the Wheel of Manchester with half a bottle of rose champagne for a total of £122.
Another incredibly romantic option is the canal-side Choice Bar and Restaurant in Castlefield, which offers live piano music to complement its award-winning menus.
6. Let music be the food of love
Live music doesn't get any more romantic than Valentine's at the Musicals at the Bridgewater Hall on Feb 12. Raymond Gubbay presents a concert of show-stopping love songs, with Jessie Buckley (I'd Do Anything) and Daniel Boys (Any Dream Will Do). Tickets cost £21-£37.50.
If you want something a bit more interactive, book a private karaoke pod at Tiger Tiger (The Printworks). Get all the couples together and screech your hearts out, with drinks service at the touch of a button in your own private luxury room. Pods hold up to 14 people and prices start from just £10, with meal packages available as well.
7. Add a little big-screen magic
This February sees the release of some big movies. For the most romantic night of the year you probably couldn't go far wrong with a film called Valentine's Day, especially when it stars rom-com stalwarts such as Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway.
Watch it at the Odeon Manchester in The Printworks, which offers a more memorable cinema experience in the shape of The Gallery. For over 18s only, The Gallery has its own private bar, luxury leather seats with more room to lounge in, free food and drink refills, and more.
8. Visit the Valentine's Market
Piccadilly Gardens will be at its most romantic this month, when it is taken over by the brand new Valentine's Market - offering forgetful/procrastinating shoppers the chance to avoid their lovers' wrath with last minute presents from all over the world. From flowers to jewellery, you are bound to find something special here. Or you could make it a date and go together, as the markets boast novelty food items such as heart-shaped burgers and Valentine's Day cakes. The market is open on Feb 12 and 13 from 10am - 5:30pm.
9. Laugh your heart out
Manchester is the spiritual home of comedy, so why not share a few laughs with your loved one? The Comedy Store (Deansgate Locks) presents a Valentine's Day Show with US comic Ty Barnett on Feb 14 (from £10), with food packages available too.
The Opus Comedy Lounge in The Printworks offers similar packages and also boasts a gig-side bar. Standard tickets start from £12, and on Feb 13 the headline acts are Steve Royle, Mike Newall, Rob Deering and Brendan Riley.
10. Indulge in side-by-side pampering
The city offers a huge choice of spas for you to peel away the stress and reinvigorate yourself in.
For a romantic treat, the spa at the Lowry Hotel offers a 1.5 hour pampering package for couples, featuring a full body massage and an express facial, for £140. And the Radisson Edwardian's Sienna Spa offers a couple's massage package, including a one-hour massage each, side by side, use of the hotel's health club facilities and a glass of champagne, for £150.
