13 Valentine’s Day stay-home ideas for those who prefer to avoid crowds and have an intimate celebration

As we grow older, the thrill of Valentine’s Day gets slightly less appealing. Don’t get us wrong, most of us do want to celebrate the occasion with the love of our life, but crowds and the stress of it all tend to take the fun of Valentine’s Day away.

Instead of heading out for dates in crowded places and possibly burning a hole in your pocket, perhaps it’s time for us to take a step back and just enjoy the company of our loved one in the comfort of our own home. After all, it’s who you spend time with that matters, not the location or the activity, right?

If you have the exact same sentiments, take a look at our round-up of activities you can do at home for an equally romantic Valentine’s Day date.

1. Treat each other to a relaxing massage

One of the best ways to unwind is to enjoy a spa and massage at home. All you need to do is prepare a few candles or essential oil diffuser to set the mood, some massage oil, and facial sheet masks for the ultimate pampering treat.

You can surprise your partner with a good body massage, and even prepare a foot bath for them.

If you prefer to have a spa indulgence with your partner, you can consider taking up the offer of a home spa.

couple massage

That’s right, this service brings the spa experience to your doorstep, and it comes with all the essential items such as ergonomic massage equipment, fresh linen, spa music, and one of the industry’s best therapists.

One such company that is offering this service is Iris Healthcare. Its usual price for two pax is at S$376 but you can grab this Salon Finder voucher and enjoy 60% off, at S$150 – which is such a steal!

2. Reaffirm your love for each other through a handwritten letter

When was the last time you wrote your partner a letter? Truth be told, now that technology is so advanced, most of us just send texts and express our love through a screen. Where have the days of letter writing gone?

This Valentine’s Day, go a little more old school and take some time to write down your feelings for your partner with a pen and paper. You’ll be surprised at how much more sincere you can be.

Credit: Country Living Magazine

This is a good time to reaffirm your love for each other and talk about some goals that you would like to achieve as a couple.

3. Plan a future vacation

While Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) have been established, many of us are still wary about travelling overseas, especially since the probability of being stuck overseas with no return is relatively high given the current climate.

Despite so, it doesn’t hurt to dream and think about where you would like to go to for your future vacation together with your partner.

Use this chance to plan a future vacation where you can get some parts of your itinerary down. You’ll be amazed at how great it feels to finally be able to check off your itinerary when the time does come for you to travel.

4. Cook a meal together

For a romantic activity, cook a meal together with your partner. It doesn’t matter if you guys are both amateurs at cooking. In fact, that’s what makes it even more fun!

The end result doesn’t really matter, instead, it’s the time that you spend together working as a team to navigate through a complex recipe that matters the most.

Demonstrate your love for your partner through cooking this Valentine’s Day.

5. Complete a puzzle together

Regardless of whether you’re a puzzle-lover or not, you can’t deny that puzzles are a good way to pass time. Before the day itself, head out to a shopping mall and look out for puzzles with artworks that intrigue you.

Go for at least 1,000 pieces so that you can have a bit of challenge.

Credit: Amazon

You can opt for scenic artworks or choose your favourite cartoon character. You can also purchase Elmer’s glue and a cute frame that is big enough if you would like to display your completed puzzle at the end of the day.

6. Enjoy a chocolate fondue

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there’s one thing you can’t miss out on other than flowers: chocolates.

But instead of eating the chocolates piece by piece, how about melting it all into a pot and having a chocolate fondue for a change?

Credit: Your Home Based Mom

You can slice up a few fruits that go well with melted chocolate, like strawberries, bananas, and even kiwis. You can also add on marshmallows, vanilla wafers, pretzels, butter waffle cookies, gummy bears, as well as jelly beans. Just throw in anything you like that you think will go well with melted chocolate.

Once the chocolate fondue is ready, dig in!

7. Have a movie marathon

Nothing’s better than curling up on the bed or on the couch next to your partner, with a series of romantic comedies playing on the screen in front of you.

Credit: One Chel of an Adventure

In order to facilitate the best movie experience, draw the curtains and keep the room dark with the screen being the only light source. Turn up the volume so that you can fully immerse yourself in the movies as well.

Don’t forget to also silent your phones just for a couple of hours because nothing is more important that quality time with your partner. Plus, you wouldn’t want your phone interrupting the moment when the plot gets exciting, right?

8. Bake some pastries together

Instead of cooking a full meal, consider starting small by baking some pastries together. And not just any kind of pastries, but pastries perfect for the occasion.

Credit: Net Mums

You can bake a heart-shaped chocolate lava cake dusted with icing sugar, heart-shaped cookies that you can decorate with icing and sprinkles, or even make a strawberry jelly heart cheesecake!

No matter what you bake, we’re sure that you’ll have a great time baking with your partner, and an even better time enjoying the fruits of your labour after that.

9. Learn more about each other through questions

Even though you may have been with your partner for a couple of years now, do you really know them inside out? The truth is, we may not.

Don’t be disheartened! Use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to ask your partner questions and learn more about them.

You might not have any questions off the top of your head, so you can take some time before Valentine’s Day to write some things you are curious about, like first impressions, best childhood memory, etcetera. If you still can’t think of anything, you can consider getting the Let’s Get Deep Adult Party Game which consists of 500 Let’s Get Deep Cards.

Credit: Amazon

The questions are categorised into three sections – Ice Breaker (100 questions), Deep questions (200 questions), and Deeper questions (200 questions).

You can purchase this card game on Amazon for S$54.21.

10. Play board games

Channel your inner child and play some classic board games with your partner. Some great games include Scrabble, Sushi Go!, and Jenga.

Credit: The Times

Spice up the session with some alcohol and train your concentration as you try your best not to mess up! You can also decide on a fun little punishment, nothing too serious, for the loser to keep up that competitive spirit and make things more exciting.

11. Order in some of your favourite food

If you’re too lazy to cook, why not order in some of your favourite food instead for a fuss-free Valentine’s Day celebration?

Not much preparation or cleaning up would be required, and you’ll get to spend the day relaxing in your own home without having to feel tense and judged about not knowing which cutlery you’re supposed to use for fine dining.

Credit: Lifestyle Asia

Sometimes, the biggest joy is just some simple, delicious hawker food.

12. Do some art and craft activities

Let your creativity flow on the most romantic day of the year and do some art and craft activities with your partner.

One of our favourite art projects is to do handprint painting on canvas which you can then frame up for display on the wall. Decorate the piece with your names, significant dates, hearts, and all sorts of cute things that represent your love for each other.

Credit: Shopee

This DIY project is simple to do, and a beautiful way to express your love.

13. Have a photoshoot at home

Even though you aren’t heading out of the house, you can still dress up and look good for each other. If you feel that you need a reason to do so, perhaps a photoshoot would be a good excuse.

Take out your trusty tripod and set up your phone or camera with a self-timer so that you can take a couple of photos with the love of your life.

Credit: Lisa Egger

You may not have a remote control or the best studio lighting like what is offered in selfie studios these days, but setting up your backdrop and posing with your partner will definitely be a sweet memory that you’ll remember for life.

This will also be a good way to commemorate a lovely Valentine’s Day spent at home.