GETTING OUTTA HERE: V-Day On The Road

I’m not going to lie, Goods readers — I don’t get super-jazzed about Valentine’s Day. All that hoopla for a night when restaurants are packed, the weather is usually gross, and the romance is formulaic? No thanks. (Also: Those candy hearts aren’t even chocolate.)

But there’s a silver lining to the holiday: Hotels and resorts always offer slews of packages in the spirit of the season, like a trip for two to sunny Ceiba del Mar in Puerto Morelos. With the $733 (per couple) Adventure Discovery package, you and your beloved get four days to frolic around the Mexican coast doing things like zip-lining and kayaking, with plenty of time to relax at the award-winning resort over dual massages and sunset meditations (and all the margaritas your heart desires).

Of course, we don’t all have the time to decamp to Mexico, which is why the going deal at Mandarin Oriental in D.C. caught my eye. Their $315 per room per night package — in honor of the Chinese New Year, actually, not V-day, so it’s basically guaranteed to be schmaltz-free — includes a deluxe room, a round of fancy cocktails on the house, sushi for two at the swanky Empress Lounge, a $50 spa credit and complimentary parking (and though it’s the easiest little getaway ever, it’s also a quick ride on Amtrak). Plus, with monuments and museums galore, all within walking distance, I’d take that over a box of Godiva any day …