Tips for the perfect Melbourne Valentine’s Day

IT’S Valentine’s Day and whether you’re flying solo, in a relationship or hanging with friends, Elisa Scarton Detti has tips on how to make your day truly memorable. 

Photo: Ms Phoenix via Flickr

Another 14 February is right around the corner and the Valentine’s Day butterflies are messing with your stomach. If you’ve been in a steady relationship for a while or are really keen to make a good impression on your new love, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s that horrible nervous feeling you get when you realise you have no ideas for celebrating the sappiest holiday of the year.

Sure, heart shaped boxes of chocolates are great. Dinner and a movie are fine and fat little cupid stuffed toys are, well, tacky. But how do you avoid staging a stock standard, boring, seen-it-in-a-movie Valentine’s Day? We got you covered with some incredible experiences that you can only stage in our lovely city.

Dessert crawl

Think a pub crawl, but with delicious desserts. Melbourne has some of the country’s best sweet spots, so pick your poison and treat your significant other to an afternoon of gluttony. You could do gelatos and make your way from Gelateria Messina to Helados Jauja, enjoying one scoop at every stop. Or you could keep it traditional with chocolates from Godiva Chocolatier, Haigh’s and Koko Black.

Plan your itinerary before you go and make sure each location is a surprise for your sweetheart. You could finish on a high note with, say, a whole box of chocolates or a tub of ice cream to share later!

Romantic treasure hunt

This idea takes a little bit of planning, but you don’t have to go overboard. You can get plenty of ideas on how to phrase your clues online. Try not to make them too complicated and go for things that mean something to you both – the steps in front of Melbourne Library, the classroom where you had your first tutorial together, your favourite second-hand bookstore. If you’re worried about leaving clues lying around, rope in a friend or two to sit at each stop and hand out the clues Amazing Race style.

Coffee making course

If your significant other is anything like 95 per cent of all Melbourne students, he/she will be addicted to coffee and constantly complaining about forking out $3+ for a latte every day. In other words, this is the ultimate gift.

William Angliss runs regular coffee making courses on heaps of topics, as does Five Senses. You can buy a ticket for yourself and turn it into a belated Valentine’s Day outing. Then organise to meet at their favourite cafe for a cup or two before you give them your gift.

Run amok at Scienceworks 

Scienceworks mightn’t seem like it has much romantic appeal, but you’d be surprised. The whole premise of the museum is to experience science first hand. You and your date can easily lose a couple of hours playing with the sports equipment, exploring the super city and staring at the night sky together. Plus students get in free!

An evening of live music

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so it’s the perfect excuse to stay up late and romance your partner with sweet live tunes. Melbourne Public on Dukes Walk is making this Friday extra special with $1 oysters between 4pm-7pm, but non seafood lovers can also check out Zoo Twilights, where Australian legends James Reyne and Daryl Braithwaite will be playing. Alternatively you can choose to keep it indie with Better Than Wizards at the Hi-Fi on Swanston St.

Check out The Beat for a list of live acts on this Valentine’s Day.