Valentine's Day Getaways

MYFOXNY.COM -- Budget Travel magazine associate editor Sara Morrow stopped by GDNY to share  some ideas for romantic places to go this Valentine's Day. Because Valentine's Day this year falls on a Sunday before a holiday, it just may be the perfect time to do something special with your sweetheart.

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STATUE CRUISES

• Take a romantic cruise around Manhattan with Statue Cruises
• Saturday and Sunday evening departures from Battery Park
• Saturday night: $69pp with an open bar, $35 w/o bar, 9 - 11 pm
• Sunday night: $75pp with an open bar of wine and dessert martinis plus a spread of desserts
• The ship's got two enclosed decks, a dance floor, a rooftop deck for stargazing
• www.statuecruises.com

KIMPTON HOTELS

• Learn some serious massage skills at Kimpton Hotels, from $379/night
• The "Rub the One You're With" package is available at 41 Kimpton locations nationwide, including 70 Park Avenue Hotel and Muse Hotel
• Overnight, private one-hour massage class, take-home massage kit, bottle of champagne
• The how-to massage class is with a personal massage therapist. It happens in your hotel room, and you'll each learn how to provide relaxing head, shoulder, hand, and foot massages for each other
• www.kimptonhotels.com

DISTRIKT HOTEL

• This brand-new hotel opened Feb. 1
• Introductory rates start at $99/night. After the hotel's been open for awhile, those nightly rates are going to shoot up, so now's the time to check in to the Distrikt
• 32 floors, Killer views of Times Square on one side and the Hudson River on the other
• Turndown service every night with chocolates
• Stay in the Theatre District, then get day-of Broadway tickets for up to 50 percent off the normal rate at TKTS in Times Square
• www.distrikthotel.com

SAUGERTIES AND HUNTER MOUNTAIN

• Head upstate to Saugerties / Hunter Mountain
• Snag a rental car at LGA (www.hotwire.com) for as low as $30/day
• Saugerties is about a 2-hour drive north of the city, and use the small town (rated one of BT's Top 10 Coolest Small Towns last year) as your base
• Head over to Hunter Mountain to hit the slopes together-lift tickets are $63/person
• The weekend festivities at Hunter include live Cajun music (in honor of upcoming Mardi Gras), plus fireworks Saturday night
• www.huntermtn.com

LONG ISLAND'S NORTH FORK

• Take a winery weekend on Long Island's North Fork
• About 75 miles from Manhattan and home to 4,000 acres of wineries-it's the beautiful scenery without the glitz of the Hamptons and for a fraction of the price.
• Same car rental from LGA
• Stay at the Green Porter hotel in Greenport ( www.thegreenporter.com ), where their Valentine's Day packages start at $139 for Sunday only, and go up to $379, which includes a complimentary 3-course dinner at the hotel's bistro, la Cuvee

During the day, pay a visit to any of the top area vineyards:

The Old Field Vineyards
59600 Rte. 25, Southold, www.theoldfield.com , $10 for tour and tasting

Shinn Estate Vineyards
2000 Oregon Rd., Mattituck, www.shinnestatevineyards.com , $8.50 for tour and tasting

Croteaux Vineyards
1450 South Harbor Rd., Southold, www.croteaux.com , tasting $5 for three wines and sangria

Pindar Vineyards
37645 Rte. 25, Peconic, www.pindar.net , tasting $4 for five wines

STRAND HOTEL

• Head to a candlelit dinner in a private limo at Strand Hotel, two-nights from $498
• The Lover's Lane package includes two nights in a deluxe room overlooking the Empire State Building, breakfast daily, a candlelit dinner at the Black Duck Bistro, a ride to the restaurant in a private limo, champagne and truffles in the rooftop lounge, and late checkout at 3 p.m.
• Ask for "Lover's Lane at the Strand"
• With all the extras, this deal is about 35% off the normal rate
• www.thestrandnyc.com