Top 10 Best Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day in London!

It’s one of those holidays that tends to sneak up on you when you least expect it leading to many mad rushes for plans and frantic orders for wine, chocolate, flowers, etc.  Yup, it’s Valentine’s Day again and as it’s only a few weeks away (February 14th for those of you that are really in trouble!) we’ve compiled a list of some of the best ways to celebrate it in the heart of our beautiful capital city.  Additionally, each of the options below occurs in different areas of London served by a plethora of Urban Stay’s best serviced apartment options.  So if you’d like to stretch your special evening just a bit further then we have an excellent array of apartments to choose from!

At £30 per ticket this is one of the pricier affairs on our list, but considering the gorgeous decorations, beauty of the spot, and iconic atmosphere we feel that it is well worth it.  Additionally, each guest receives a complimentary glass of champagne upon arrival – now the price makes a bit more sense!  The entire top walkways of Tower Bridge are decorated for this occasion and they only do this one night per year so make sure you book early.  A free tour is included before guests are ushered into the walkways where you enjoy some of the best views of the city and feel the romantic enchantment of the evening surrounded by like-minded couples imbibing and soaking in the atmosphere too.  Nearby London Bridge has many serviced apartments to choose from if you’d like to just walk home afterwards as well!

Tea is a national drink and pre-dinner gluttonous merriment enjoyed by Britons around the world, and many of the top hotels in London have the swankiest and most enjoyable tea-times around.  Two of our favourite haunts for this delicious festivity are to be found in The Modern Pantry (£20 with a glass of prosecco) that has the best selection of both sweet and savory scones accompanied by a sweet-tooth’s dream of a cake selection.  For a bit of a more upmarket affair we would recommend The Savoy.  This is the classiest of the options, and at about £40 on average for a simple pot of tea and cake it’s definitely the priciest.  However for this you also get to enjoy the main foyer which has a beautiful indoor winter gazebo and luxurious furnishings to make your special lady or man feel like you’ve pulled out all the stops to show them how much they mean to you.

Easily one of the most unique things on offer, the well established Chocolate Ecstasy Tours (chocolateecstasytours.com) is basically a pub-crawl for chocolate lovers.  Taking place either during the day or night, and in either Chelsea or Mayfair, this 3-4 hour walking tour will allow you to discover your inner chocolate connoisseur while soaking up the beautiful atmosphere of two of London’s most iconic and posh neighbourhoods. Starting from £45 per person it’s a fairly pricey tour, but certain nonetheless to surprise and satisfy that chocolate lover you know.

Ever want to truly feel like James Bond?  What better way to live out your fantasy in his capital city by dressing in a tuxedo and having that special person on your arm whilst you make a grand entrance to one of the most iconic performance spaces in the country.  A night of classical music, costumes, dazzling lights, and moving set pieces is sure to endear romantic notions in your partner.  Couple the performances on stage with the well-heeled crowd in the audience, fancy drinks and high-brow atmosphere and you’re certainly on to a winner.  Details on current productions and tickets may be found here: www.eno.org.

Located in the grand residence of Lord Edward Davenport located at 33 Portland Place, this beautiful 24-bedroom mansion hosts many parties, events, and even the odd celebrity or two!  The best way to show your loved one how much you care though would be sweep them off their feet during the exclusive Tango lessons and dances that occur here every Sunday from 8pm.  Lit only by candles the professional dancers mix with all skill levels to create an enticing and almost dream-like atmosphere of twirling bodies showcasing this sensual dance.

Kew Gardens is known for its dizzying array of exotic plants and colourful displays of the latest in horticulture delights.  With tickets priced at £15 per person it can seem a bit steep for a simple garden entrance fee, but once you have a chance to wander around with that special someone (really, who will go to a garden display alone?) the enchanting atmosphere of earth’s natural wonders all expertly displayed will further anyone’s feelings of love on this special day!

Being a big city (quite the understatement!) Londoners find it almost impossible to see the stars, even on a crystal clear night (occurring about once per year anyway).  But if you want to lay back and gaze at the wonders of our galaxy with that special person wrapped up in your arms then the Royal Observatory has just what you’re looking for.  With their special Valentine’s Day package lovers can learn about the wonders of the Milky Way while sipping on champagne before getting a rare look through the large 18-tonne Victorian telescope at the top of this iconic structure.  More details may be found here: http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/events/valentines15

The Kensington Roof Gardens are well known throughout London for hosting some of the most lavish parties around and Valentine’s Day is certainly no exception.  With live music, dancing, fine food and drink revelers will be enchanted in these gorgeous surroundings while looking out at the buildings in the heart of our nation’s capital.  For the Valentine’s Day spectacular they’ve even drafted in their very own flamingos to wander the gardens and greet the guests with their holiday-appropriate feathers proudly on display.

What better way to enjoy the holiday of love than by taking that special someone and treating them like the princess or prince that they are?  At London’s heart is a spa that promises to treat your sweetheart so well that they may never want to leave!  Elemis has a special Valentine’s Day package for couples wanting to enjoy a bit of romance along with their requisite relaxation and pampering.  Offering such delights as Rasul for Two and the “Couples Ritual” Elemis has something special for your special someone.

Are you sick of the Hugh Grant knockoffs that dominate the screen around this time of the year?  Why not take a trip back through time to the age where a rom-com wasn’t so cringe-inducing and treat your partner to a showing of the classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in the central Prince Charles Cinema in the heart of Leicester Square.  With two showings to choose from – one at 3pm and one at 5:45pm there’s something to suit your schedule, but we would strongly recommend booking in advance as the chance to watch Audrey Hepburn in her career-defining role on the big screen is certainly something that many people will want to enjoy.

Of course in a capital city as large as London there is always something to do, and Valentine’s Day has many of the city’s best restaurants and venues serving up specials throughout the day and all through the night for you amorous couples out there.  Go ahead, show your special loved one a little something different this year and take them out on a night they’ll always remember.  Of course if you’re looking for some accommodation that evening then we would recommend any number of our comfortable serviced apartments in London so you can go out centrally and come home to a central apartment too!