This year, St. Valentine´s Day is on a Sunday, a perfect opportunity for passionate couples to plan a romantic escape. And while enjoying the stunning location why not prolong the weekend to the Carnival celebration on Tuesday and indulge in a romantic yet festive getaway! These two holidays allow us to begin the year in the best way possible, relaxing. Surprise your sweetheart with an evening in a luxurious suite, a romantic dinner for two, or an Aphrodisiacal Cooking Workshop.

Even in winter Algarve continues to be one of the most privileged and welcoming regions in Portugal. Knowing this, IMOCOM Hotels and Resorts has prepared romantic suggestions for passionate couples at Monte Santo, in Carvoeiro or As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa, in Vilamoura. Discover our special Valentine´s Day offers and select your destination…

St. Valentine´s Day at Monte Santo, Carvoeiro

Monte Santo allows couples to experience a seductive candlelit dinner with live music at the Club House Restaurant, complete with a delicious menu prepared especially for this occasion.

If you prefer something more private and sophisticated, take pleasure in an evening of luxurious Suite accommodation, complete with VIP treatment. Upon arrival enjoy a bottle of sparkling wine, and a Jacuzzi with bath salts all within the comfort of your suite. Afterwards, end the evening with a seductive candlelit dinner. Prolong this unique moment with a continental breakfast served within your suite, and enjoy a late check-out. During your stay, be sure to enjoy the complimentary access to the gym, fitness circuit, heated indoor pool and Turkish bath. This offer is available for as little as €155 per night for 2 people.

This programme is valid for the evening of the 13th or 14th of February 2010.  The three course dinner includes drinks. Non-refundable pre-payment of reservation is due upon booking. Offer is subject to availability and alteration without prior notice.

Further to the accommodation with special touches of romance and a candlelit dinner, Monte Santo has also prepared an Aphrodisiac Cooking Workshop with simple recipes that will seduce your loved one every day of the year! The sign-up fee is €30 per couple. The workshop will have a limited participation so please reserve until the 13th of February.

St. Valentine´s Day at As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa

Located in the heart of Vilamoura, As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa seems to surround us within an ideal ambience, while offering truly romantic moments. Make this year special and surprise your loved one with an unforgettable Valentine´s Day present.

As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa, presents a package which includes a seductive evening within a luxurious Suite, surrounded by rose-petals and complete with VIP treatment upon arrival – a bottle of sparkling wine, red berries and a small gift. Enjoy a SPA treatment for 2 and complementary access to the 7Seven Spa Vilamoura social areas, where you may experience the whirlpools, a Zen garden, Aromatic bath, Sauna, Turkish Bath, Waterfall experience, Contrast Tunnel, Ice fountain and an additional 10% discount on SPA treatments. Prolong the moment with a late check-out. This offer is available for as little as €150 per person, per night.

* Price per person per night

Exclusive offer includes:

• Welcome drink
• Full breakfast buffet
• Early check-in
• Luxurious suite accommodation
• Complimentary use of fitness facilities: gym, indoor pool, tennis courts and outdoor pools
• Complimentary Marina/Beach/Golf Shuttle
• Complimentary access to the 7Seven Spa social areas
• Secure underground parking
• Baby Must Have Service
• Luxury toiletries, bathrobes and slippers
• Late check-out

This programme is valid for the evening of the 13th or 14th of February 2010. Rate is based on shared accommodation in a one-bedroom suite. Price per person. Valentine´s day VIP includes 1 bottle of sparkling wine and red berries. Non-refundable pre-payment of reservation is due upon booking. Offer is subject to availability and alteration without prior notice.

Mysterious messages from anonymous admirers are a thing of the past as restaurants and retailers put the pressure on couples to show their love with finance, not romance. Big White Wall, the emotional health specialists, are campaigning to bring back the true spirit of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is meant to be a celebration of love but it often leads to its destruction. Research by American psychologists has shown that relationships under stress are more likely to snap than strengthen on February 14^th – a low-key saint’s day has been transformed into a multi-million dollar industry with over 1 billion Valentine’s cards sent every year.

Big White Wall Founder, Jenny Hyatt, comments: ‘Valentine’s Day has become a marketplace for emotions with enormous pressure on people to show their love through expensive gestures and gifts’. Hyatt continues: ‘Once a year, the amount we are loved seemingly becomes measured by the value of the gifts, chocolates or roses we are given. Love is a core and transformative emotion; giving it a price tag can be dangerous for any relationship.’

People have lost sight of the romantic tradition of receiving anonymous handwritten notes from secret admirers. Such a tradition dates back to 14th February 269 AD when St Valentine reputedly left a farewell love message for the jailer’s daughter signed ‘From Your Valentine’.

Big White Wall is encouraging singles and couples alike to reclaim the true spirit of love and put the romance and mystery back into Valentine’s Day. At www.bigwhitewall.com, people can send an anonymous message, image or picture to a loved one on a free personalised brick from the wall straight to the inbox of someone special; once sent, the brick is added to The Big White Wall for all to see.

The message for Valentine’s Day 2008 is simple – let your heart speak openly, honestly, anonymously and above all – for free!

Jenny Hyatt, Founder of Big White Wall, is available for interview

Note to editors:

Talking about sensitive or highly emotional issues often makes people feel vulnerable and unable to express themselves fully. On Big White Wall it’s easier as members have complete control over their own privacy; by remaining anonymous they can be open and honest and build a truthful online identity.

The Wall offers members a variety of ways to express how they really feel. Using words, photos or drawing, users create bricks to better describe their worries, concerns or secrets before adding them to The Wall. The bricks are a form of digital graffiti and become part of an infinite and permanent wall of human emotion.

The Brick Builder is simple and fun to use and with integrated tagging users can easily and quickly meet others from The Wall with similar interests, needs and knowledge. They can also explore their issues further by asking questions or sharing reflections and experiences in the dynamic and totally organic Talkabout section.

Big White Wall was launched in October 2007 and is currently in beta.

Contacts:

Clare Spurrell Head of Editorial [email protected]