Date night: Where to go on Valentine's Day

Despite the hype, Valentine’s Day is not the most popular holiday. A lot of people completely ignore it, or dismiss it as a commercial tool used by corporations to sell teddy bears, chocolates, and condoms. Even those who acknowledge it as a special occasion don’t necessarily like it.

 

Sure, there are those perfectly happy couples who live for Valentine’s Day. They buy bouquets and chocolates, don matching couple shirts, and book gourmet dinners at fancy restaurants with champagne and oysters to boot. There are even those optimistic singles who use this day as an excuse to mingle on a night out in town.

 

On the other hand, there are also the lovelorn folk who crawl into holes of bitterness and bemoan the supposed absurdity of “celebrating love” while gagging at the pink glow the holiday casts upon the world. Or else those who, despite being in fulfilling relationships, just can’t stomach all the mawkishness that comes with the surplus of “I love yous” that are recklessly thrown around on the day.

 

The point is, Valentine's Day may be the day of love, but it's probably the one major holiday that is as hated as much as it is celebrated.

 

For those who hate happy heart’s day, we can only recommend a playlist of sad love songs and a tub of chocolate ice cream to help heal the broken heart, or else a stack of Quentin Tarantino movies to counter the inevitable cheesiness that the day will bring.

 

But for those who do like to celebrate February 14, the following events that may help with date night plans.

 

Of course, there is always Close-up’s yearly kissfest, the Lovapalooza, a tailor-made excuse to kiss the person you like on Valentine’s. This year though, they’ve taken it up a notch by throwing fireworks into the mix. At the Close-up Pyropalooza on Feb. 11 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, lovers can kiss beneath a grand display of fireworks and David Archuleta singing in the background. Tickets are available at P100, P300, and P500, though Close-up users can get P100 off if they present proof of purchase of Close-up products at entrance booths. 

 

If you like the old-school romance of harana, perhaps the slew of Valentine’s themed concerts will do the trick.

 

The musical marriage of Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid will be serenading the audience in a one-night concert dubbed Mr. and Mrs. A at the Araneta Coliseum at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14. A bonus: Vice Ganda and Dingdong Dantes are slated to make an appearance. To reserve tickets, visit ticketnet.com.ph.

 

Resort’s World’s Newport Performing Arts Theater will also be hosting a number of Valentine shows for love month.

 

Mr. Suave himself Rico J. Puno will also be having a Valentine concert at the theater at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14, along with Jennylyn Mercado, Verni Varga, and Katya Santos. 

 

Comedian Jon Santos offers something other than sappy schmaltz as he breaks out his famous impersonations in his show, Love in 3D, which will take place on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. It should make for an interesting date night as Santos’ trademark characters Tita Gloring, Krissy, and Ate Vi come out to play. 

 

Christian Bautista and Karylle are teaming up to bring the love beyond Valentine’s day in Love and Laughter, a show at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. 

 

For more than just music, you might want to check out Love is a Four Letter Word, a dinner show on Feb. 13 and 14 at La Cuisine Française in Salcedo Village, featuring French Moroccan cuisine and performances from West End veteran Gina Respall and off-Broadway actor Tony Marino. The dinner is at 7:30 p.m. while the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are at P2500. For reservations, call 501-5202 or 893-2072.

 

Ballet Philippines will be dancing a pre-colonial romance in Pusong Wagas, which will run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19 at the CCP Little Theater. Based on the legend of Mandaluyong City, the ballet depicts the doomed dalliance of a tribal princess, Manda, and a carpenter, Luyong. Tickets range from P600 to P1000, and are available through TicketWorld (891-999), Ballet Philippines (551-1003), or the CCP Box Office (832-3704).

 

Now, something for the lovelorn: Shakesperean sonnets translated to Filipino by the likes of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, and set to music by artists that include Noel Cabangon among others. PETA’s Thee Na Natuto: Love Sonnets for the Lovesick is a different kind of concert, and something that even the heartbroken and lonely are bound to enjoy. It will run on Feb. 22, 29, and March 7, at 8 p.m. at the roofdeck of the PETA Theater Center. For tickets, contact 410-0822 local 12 or 09175183654.

 

Of course, nothing beats the classic combination of a romantic dinner and a sleepover at a luxury hotel. 

   

For old world romance, Manila Hotel’s Valentine offerings are another option. At P7,250, their room package includes a breakfast buffet, a massage, and a bottle of wine, among others.

 

On Feb. 13 and 14, the hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang offers a spread of international cuisines, desserts included, for P2,500, as well as a Churrasco dinner buffet  for P1,500 per person.

 

The swanky set can choose to dine at Manila Hotel’s Champagne Room where a special menu is available for P2,500, and a food and wine pairing menu for P3,000.

 

Mabuhay Palace is also serving up a Chinese feast from Feb. 10 to 14, with set menus for lunch and dinner starting at P2,000 per person. Cocktails are available at the hotel’s Lobby Lounge for P280, while an assortment of desserts such as chocolate pralines, Ferrero cake, and strawberry macarons are also available at the delicatessen. –KG, GMA News