3 Ways To Surprise Your Lover With A Romantic Getaway!

To my husband’s amazement, I’ve managed to highjack him and sweep him away on several romantic getaways. Almost all of these escapades were to foreign destinations. The planning required a considerable amount of clandestine effort on my part since there were three children, two dogs, and two jobs in the mix. But surprise him I did, each and every time!

I’ll share with you some of my techniques ~ and itineraries ~ and I hope I’ll inspire you to throw caution to the wind. Why not surprise your special someone with a secret getaway? It is definitely worth the extra trouble and energy required!

AIRPORT SWITCHEROO!

For this trip, I asked my husband’s best friend, Peter, to call my husband and ask him for a ride to the airport at 9 a.m. When my husband left to pick Peter up at 6 a.m., my 16 year-old daughter and I followed him in my car (but not too closely). I had surreptitiously put packed suitcases into my car the previous night. Inside the car was a balloon that said, “Happy 20th Anniversary!” When Peter arrived at the airport, I kissed my daughter goodbye, grabbed the suitcases and balloon, and ran up to my husband’s car. I told him, “Happy Anniversary! We’re going to Bermuda!” My husband was absolutely stunned ~ and not very well dressed for this adventure. Peter drove our car home. My parents arrived to babysit, and my husband was astonished to realize I’d arranged to cancel his appointments for the next week.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING?

I told my sweetheart to pack a suitcase and to bring along his passport. I refused to give any other information. I brought carry-on bags only. When we got to the airport, I asked my guy to buy a newspaper while I checked us in with our ID’s. The airline representative saw him give me his passport, so she accepted it without needing him to be by my side. This was crucial for my plan to work. I wanted to keep our destination secret for as long as possible. I brought my husband to a departure gate for Branson, MO. I could tell he was flabbergasted! When this flight started to board, I moved us to a flight departing for Juneau, AL. The husband seemed more interested in that destination, but, once again we changed gates; this time to a Miami flight. My stalwart companion said, “Where in the world are we going?” We ended up flying on a charter to Cat Island, Bahamas, for a 4-day weekend. From the feedback I received, it’s definitely worth playing this game!

Cat Island, Bahamas

THERE’S NO WAY!

A Dream Come True Villa, Virgin Gorda

This is the perfect, covert, long-weekend strategy if you are married to someone who works very long hours and deserves a break. Someone in the marriage needs to take control of planning short and long vacations; you know if that someone is you.

We live north of Boston and had never visited Newport, RI. Several months in advance, I told my husband’s secretaries that I was taking him away on a certain date, but he was not to know in advance. His Friday schedule needed to look like a “normal” day of patients when it was printed for him in the morning. He would not able to take emergencies that day; instead, they needed to go to the other doctors on call. I planned to take Friday off. Thursday night, I put our packed suitcase into the trunk of my husband’s car. In the morning, I asked him to drop me off at work so I could go shopping with a friend after work. At work, I took a cab to my husband’s office. I beat him there since he was at the hospital making rounds, so I hid in his private office. When he walked in, his secretaries handed him his “faux schedule” for the day with 30 patients on it. I popped into the waiting room and said, “Let’s get out of here! We’re going on a road trip!” He said, “There’s NO way! I have 30 patients…!” I savor the memories we share from that sweet escape to Newport, RI.

Newport, RT: Explore The Mansions

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

Here’s a trick I’ll be playing on my sweetie for his upcoming birthday. Luckily, he doesn’t read my blog. While we are vacationing at A Dream Come True this spring, I’ll announce I need to pick something up at the grocery store for dinner. Waiting for me at the ferry dock will be two of our best friends, arriving on the ferry from St. Thomas (after flying in to the St. Thomas airport). When we arrive back at the villa, I’ll ring the bell ~ just in case my nature boy is skinny-dipping in our horizon pool! I know he’ll be dumbfounded when he sees Judy and Carl. He’ll say, “What are you doing here?” I love to layer my surprises. After the excitement dies down, Chef Puck is coming to prepare his Caribbean fusion of delicious flavors for the birthday dinner!

Believe me when I say that gratitude for a romantic getaway is indeed a lovely emotion and is worth any hassles you encounter when planning such a trip. Do try it yourself sometime!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

If you’d like some help with planning a trip to A Dream Come True Villa, contact me. I am a Virgin Gorda expert. For 15 years, I’ve been planning special occasions for guests at my villa ~ many of them surprises! I love to help plan engagement, anniversary, birthday, or other special milestones at one of the most romantic places I’ve ever seen! Let’s come up with your escape plan!