Romantic Date Ideas for a Stay-at-Home Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it looks like this year there'll be no fancy bars and restaurants and instead, we'll all be searching for ways to celebrate Valentine's at home. 

Whether you're planning something with your partner or looking to give them a romantic surprise, there are still many ways you can make this Valentine's Day special - and ensure that it won't be one to forget. From candlelit dinners and living room picnics to games and cocktail-making fun, you can celebrate in style with our stay-at-home date night ideas. 

The team at DUSK have come up with a variety of romantic date night ideas, so you can enjoy the perfect Valentine's Day at home.

Candlelit Dinner

Whether you're planning to wow your partner with your cooking skills or you're choosing your favourite takeaway, nothing says romance quite like a candlelit dinner. Simply turn off the lights and all of your electrical items (that “ping” from a work email is a sure way to ruin a romantic moment), and place some candles around the room instead.

Dress to impress or stay in your comfy clothes, after all, that is one big benefit of staying at home this Valentine's Day. After dinner, finish the evening on the sofa under a cosy blanket with a bottle of wine.   

Strawberry and Champagne Living Room Picnic 

Sometimes the smallest intimate moments can create the best memories. A bottle of champagne, some chocolate-covered strawberries and a bunch of roses make for the perfect living room picnic when you can't go very far. All you need to do is create some space on your living room floor, lay down a blanket or your duvet and top with some cushions to make it comfortable, and play some music in the background.

If you want to make a meal out of your picnic, choose sandwiches and snacks for an easy and casual setting. Alternatively, make a fabulous meal and enjoy recreating dishes from your favourite restaurants. Whatever you choose, we always recommend finishing off with something sweet! 

Game Night

A game night is a great way to add an extra bit of fun to your usual date night at home. Rather than sitting on the sofa to watch another series on Netflix, pull out your board games instead. Whether your favorite is a childhood classic or you're testing out some new games, most will offer a two-player option that will create an ideal date-night. 

With a set of cards, there's all sorts of games you can have a go at or choose a game such as UNO which requires a specific deck. Video games using the likes of a Wii can also offer hours of amusement for couples, from Just Dance to Guitar Hero, let loose and have a laugh with your partner for a fabulously fun Valentine's evening. 

Wine & Cheese Evening 

A cheeseboard is the perfect accompaniment for a lovely bottle of wine and can be made as easy or as exciting as you like. Start by making a shopping list of all the charcuterie meats and cheeses you love (or want to try) and throw in some pickles and olives for something a little more special. 

Choose your preferred wine or a mixture of a few different types to accompany your cheese board,  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or Malbec will make the perfect versatile accompaniment for most cheeses. Alternatively, to create more of a wine-tasting experience, pair a bottle of Chablis with your brie and Cabernet Sauvignon with blue or aged cheese. The final step is to arrange your cheese-board to an Instagram-worthy standard, then sit back and sip your wine as you spend your Valentine's night talking and relaxing with your partner. 

At Home Spa Night 

Valentine's Day is one of the best excuses to have a special night in pampering yourself and your partner. Create the mood for your at-home Valentine's spa evening by playing some relaxing music, turning off your phone notifications and lighting some lovely scented candles ‚ a great way to not only add a delightful aroma but also to create the perfect setting for a romantic bubble bath. 

Elevate your evening with some face-masks ‚you can buy these from most supermarkets as you're doing your weekly shop ‚or have some fun creating your own DIY face-masks using recipes from online.

Cook Off Challenge 

A cook off is the ideal date night for the more competitive couples! Challenge your partner and share the load with one person making the starter and dessert and the other the main course, host separate evenings to make Valentine's a two night special, or enjoy a full day of fabulous food with one of you taking on breakfast and the other making dinner. 

Choose whether you're going to make an old classic that you know you're both going to love, or experiment and try something new that is completely out of your comfort zone. Alternatively, if baking is more up your street, why not challenge your partner to a bake off? You can make it all the sweeter by making it Valentine's themed!

Order In From Your Favourite Restaurant 

In the current climate, many restaurants are offering a takeaway service. Not only is this helping independent businesses but it also means you get your favorite food delivered to your door, so you can make your Valentine's Day extra special. Get dressed up in the same way you would have had you been going to the restaurant and light some candles on the table to recreate the ambience.

If your favourite restaurant isn't offering this, choose your favourite takeaway cuisine instead. To mix things up, opt for dishes that you don't usually have but want to try. After all, Valentine's is the perfect excuse to go all out when ordering from your go-to takeaway restaurant.

Create Your Own Cocktails 

The bars may not be open but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice all of your cocktail dreams! Prepare in advance and create your own Valentine's cocktail menu with all the ingredients you'll need for each drink. Alternatively, have fun taking turns to create your own drinks and testing them out. 

Some of the easiest cocktails to master include a Negroni, a Gin (or vodka) Martini, a Dark, Stormy and a Margarita. If you fancy something more unique, infuse your own gin in advance to make your own Valentine's drink, or take it easy and buy a flavoured gin, we think this Love Hearts infused gin is a fun option for Valentine's!

What will your date for Valentine's Day look like? Will you be choosing any of our home date night ideas? We'd love to hear! Share your romantic ideas with us on Facebook or Instagram.