Bali hotels offer romantic Valentine's Day packages

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Today is Valentine's Day and the island's hotels are competing to win customers' hearts by offering various attractive packages and events to commemorate the day of love.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Nusa Dua is offering a romantic dinner under the stars with tents on the beach or by the pool in the hotel's restaurant, Bale Bengong, from 6 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. The packages cost Rp 625,000 and Rp 750,000 respectively.

A Balinese boy picks a rose for Valentine's Day celebration in a flower market in Gemeh, Denpasar. Youths flock the market on Wednesday afternoon. (JP/I Wayan Juniartha)

The hotel's director of public relations, Dewi Anggraini, said the packages were almost sold out, as the hotel was a popular venue for Valentine's dinner.

If a romantic dinner doesn't interest you, maybe the Intercontinental's exotic chocolate spa would give you a whole new experience of lavish love. All of the materials used in the spa therapy are made from natural chocolate. This new, luxurious spa package is priced at Rp 2 million.

As well as dinner packages, the hotel also offers romantic trips to Jimbaran Bay aboard a traditional fishing boat, where you can watch a beautiful sunset that would melt any lover's heart.

The one-hour trips are priced at Rp 250,000 per person.

Dewi said the hotel also offers a Valentine's orphanage charity program through its InterConcept Shop, which sells handicrafts made by the Salam Children's Home, from Feb. 6 to Feb. 15.

Profits from the sales of these handicrafts will go directly to the home.

"Sharing love and affection doesn't have to only be with our lovers but also with other human beings, and Valentine's Day is the right moment to show our compassion to these children," Dewi said.

Meanwhile, the Bali Hyatt in Sanur is offering not only romantic dinners for couples but also a Valentine's dinner buffet for family and friends in its Rinjani Hall. The buffet will also feature a live performance from Batak band. The buffet costs US$35 per person and $10 for children under 12 years.

Meutia Mahardhika, the Hyatt's Public Relations Manager said there were two romantic dinner choices for couples.

"We have a romantic Chinese dinner at our Telaga Naga Restaurant and a romantic private dinner on the beach," she said.

The packages cost $165 per couple and $415 per couple respectively.

Meutia said the romantic private dinner option on the beach was available for one couple only.

"So they can experience having dinner on their own private beach," she said.

Besides the dinner packages, the hotel also provides a spa package for couples.

"The three-and-a-half hour packages are at our spa villas," she said, adding the packages cost $300 per couple.

Meutia said the packages would be available from Feb. 11 to Feb. 18.

For those who have a love for Italian or Japanese cuisine, the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua may be the right place to go for Valentine's Day.

The hotel is offering a romantic dinner in its Salsa Verde Italian restaurant for $185 per couple and Nampu Japanese Restaurant for $195 per couple.

If none of these options fulfill your imagination of a perfect Valentine's dinner, then you could try Queen's Tandoor Indian cuisine in Jalan Raya Seminyak.

As well as provide you with a variety of Indian dishes, the restaurant, which was awarded the best Indian restaurant in Bali by Hello Bali magazine in 2006, also offers a little adventure into Indian culture.

For those who want to impress their loved ones by tattooing their names on their bodies, an Indian henna tattoo might do the trick at Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000.

Or if you're wondering about what the future holds for you and your loved one, you can ask Sashi to give you a glimpse of your future with a tarot reading. At Rp 50,000 for a 15 to 12-minute session, you can have your future foretold by the charming soothsayer.

You could also immortalize an unforgettable Valentine's Day by asking the resident artist to sketch you and your loved one. Prices range from Rp 40,000 for a black-and-white sketch to Rp 60,000 for a colored one.