From culinary options to racing experiences, here’s our definitive guide to getting it right.
If you haven’t made the effort to plan ahead yet for Valentine’s Day that’s almost upon us, you’d want to read our ready reckoner of where to go and what to do to celebrate the day in Dubai. You’re welcome.
Experience a brunch alongside a polo tournament at the Longines Valentine’s Day Polo Cup.
1. Spend a day at the racecourse
The Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club are organising a brunch for couples. It will be conducted alongside a polo tournament. The Longines Valentine’s Day Polo Cup brunch will see four teams compete for the prize, while you and your significant other lunch at the Palermo Terrace. There is a separate entertainment section for children accompanying guests.
Price: AED335 with house beverages.
Roberto’s restaurant in Dubai has an oyster and caviar set menu for Valentine’s Day that costs AED 3,500 per couple.
2. The fail-safe dinner option
You really can’t put a foot wrong when opting for a romantic dinner at one of the city’s hip restaurants. If you’re prepared to go all-out, there’s the pricey oyster and caviar set menu at Roberto’s accompanied with Rosé or Brut Champagne.
Each course at Ruth’s Chris Steak House is accompanied with a different wine.
There’s also American fine-dining restaurant Ruth’s Chris Steak House that has a four-course menu designed specifically for Valentine’s Day. While you work your way to (and through) the steak main course, there’s a different wine to accompany each course.
End the candlelit meal at La Môme with the restaurant’s signature Toblerone chocolate mousse.
For those who would rather spend Valentine’s as though they were teleported to the Champs-Élysées, head to La Môme – it’s where Leonardo DiCaprio dined on his recent visit to Dubai. While you try and spot another celebrity around you at the candlelit dinner, expect French classics including beef bourguignon and snails in garlic butter to be served up in a meal that will be capped with the restaurant’s signature Toblerone chocolate mousse.
One diner at La Cantina du Farbourg will win a diamond gift from Maison Messika and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons on Valentine’s Day.
For another very French experience, head to La Cantine du Farbourg where you’ll have the flexibility of choosing from an à la carte menu. The highlight of the evening will be the chance for one diner to win a diamond gift from Maison Messika and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
Price: Roberto’s (AED 3500 per couple); Ruth’s Chris Steak House (995 per couple); La Môme (AED 1590 per couple); to La Cantine du Farbourg (a la carte).
You can participate in a drag race or ride shotgun with a pro driver around the circuit.
3. Rev up at the Yas Marina circuit
If the sedated experience of a dinner or movie night isn’t how you’d like to spend Valentine’s, you could head down to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit for a far more adrenalin-fuelled affair. All through the month of February, you could buy couple Chevrolet Camaro Drag Racing driver experiences, or even SST Radical passenger experiences where you ride shotgun while a pro driver goes full throttle around the track.
Price: SST Passenger experience (AED 695); Drag Racing (AED 995)
A picnic basket with cutlery, glassware and a complete brunch.
4. Pack a luxury picnic brunch
You’d love to organize a picnic for two minus the hassle, of course, of remembering to pack in the butter knife and having to whisk up an exotic spread. That’s when you’d rather opt for Chez Charles Saint Valentin Picnic basket. Apart from a fully stocked kit of cutlery and glassware, there’s a wide spread of eats by way of canapés and salads to a selection of cheese and artisanal breads.
Price: AED 650 for a picnic basket for two.
This bouquet of encased roses, treated with a secret potion, will last forever.
5. Buy roses that will never die
If you thought that bouquets (although thoughtful) are a wasteful expense that sooner or later will necessarily be trashed in your garbage bin, here’s something with a twist. You could gift your Valentine this encased heart-shaped bouquet of roses from Forever Rose with fresh roses that have been treated with a secret concoction ensuring that it will last, well, forever. Poetic.
Price: AED 4,000