How to find the perfect romantic getaway with or without the kids
By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Taking the Kids
Don’t you hate it? Your idea of a romantic getaway is totally different than what your significant other wants. If you think candlelight dinners on the beach and couples’ massages, your partner will complain about getting bitten by sand flies or not wanting to be “touched by a stranger.”
If you think lazy mornings and cozy tete-a-tetes in front of a blazing fire, they counter with racing down the toughest ski slopes they can find. Compromise is key.
Add kids to the mix and that makes the time for romance – much less what to do with that time – that much harder.
If you are new parents, you likely would just revel in a good night’s sleep and room service breakfast. That’s eminently doable if you have someone you trust to stay with the baby overnight.
If you feel you have too little vacation time as it is to go away without the kids, consider a resort or cruise line that has appropriately supervised children’s activities, so you get time alone. (Even Disney Cruise Line has restaurants, pools and bars for adults only.)
Some families like to travel with friends whose kids are of similar ages or extended family so they will be able to swap childcare for much needed adult time. Usually, grandparents are more than willing but make sure to ask them first. If you have headed to Park City, for example, book a sleigh ride and dinner at Fireside Dining where each course is cooked over a different open fire. (Start with raclette and end with fondue). At Beaver Creek, Colorado, travel on horseback for a five-course meal at Beano’s Cabin considered a top Colorado dining experience.
No need to feel guilty if you want to leave the kids behind. First, experts say it is important for them to see parents have a life beyond being parents. Second, your getaway can be just as much an adventure for the kids, whether they are staying with grandparents, their best friends or a favorite babysitter. (And it’s OK if the rules get relaxed a bit. Isn’t that what vacations are for?)
Of course, your getaway didn’t need to be over Valentine’s Day weekend. You should go when you can.
In fact, the origins of Valentine’s Day aren’t necessarily romantic. One legend has it, there was a 3rd-century priest named Valentine who defied the emperor’s ban on marriage for soldiers, secretly marrying them until he was caught and executed on Feb. 14. Another version suggests the holiday dates back to a raucous Roman fertility festival.
During the Middle Ages, Europeans believed Feb. 14 marked the beginning of bird mating season, hence the association with love. Cards, chocolates and flowers came later. And more recently for the unattached, we have “Galentines Day,” on Feb. 13, celebrating female friendships and a “Malentine’s” or “Broentine’s” Day for single guys typically celebrated on Feb. 12.
Now, where to go if you are leaving the kids? You certainly don’t want to be surrounded by other people’s children. Look for an adult-oriented cruise like Virgin Voyages or Viking Ocean Cruises (no one under 18), a river cruise (a sailing that doesn’t offer special family programming) or a line like Azamara or Oceania that don’t have any kids’ clubs. Others geared to adults include SeaDream Yacht Club and Windstar Cruises.
Whenever you want to cruise, this is the best time of year to book with Wave Season deals lasting into March. (CruiseCritic.com is the best place to find the latest deals, whether you want to travel immediately or months from now.)
If cruising isn’t your thing, but you want a sun, sand and all-inclusive, look to an adult-only resort like Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort, part of the Hyatt Inclusive Collection, in Mexico, Sandals (17 to choose from in the Caribbean) or Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos, Mexico. This Los Cabos resort has just introduced a Couples Mind Detox Retreat, a four-night holistic wellness escape designed to help couples reconnect with themselves, including meditation, morning yoga, spa and personalized health consultations. Stay in a suite with a private plunge pool and firepit.
According to travel trend spotters, we are searching for unique, immersive experiences. For the adventure-minded, Up Norway, the country’s premier sustainable luxury travel curator, is offering romance-fueled train journeys through fjords, arctic wilderness and snowy landscapes with stays at upscale manor houses and mountain lodges, complete with private northern lights viewing.
In Colorado, revel in the hot springs at the newly renovated Dunton Hot Springs hideaway, an 1880s mining town turned luxury mountain resort. Visit Nashville not only for music but for Dine Nashville, a month-long celebration of Music City’s culinary scene with special offers and experiences, or Bird watch in the Washington State’s San Juan Islands.
Many of us are looking to travel off season to avoid crowds and summer heat. In romantic Dubrovnik, Croatia, for example, consider the iconic Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik, which combines a historic 1913 royal villa with a modern wing. Stroll the medieval streets without crowds. In Paris, just off the Champs-Élysées, Hôtel de Sers offers couples a refined Parisian escape with elegant rooms and Eiffel Tower view in an intimate luxurious atmosphere. Windstar has Winter Belongs to the Mediterranean deals through March. A plus: the yachts can get into smaller ports and hotels will be less expensive.
With the Winter Olympics drawing everyone’s attention to northern Italy, Lefay Resorts offers the option for wellness and winter sports in the Dolomites and on Lake Garda with huge spas, plenty of ski trails, great eats – all at less than a comparable experience likely would cost. (Rates for SKIING WEEK AT LEFAY Resort & Spa in the Dolomites start at under$3,000 per person.)
Ready to start packing?
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)
©2026 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.