Are you located in Melbourne, Victoria, looking for the best valentine’s day ideas? When you are planning your valentine’s date, you probably want everything just perfect. One of the best ways to make sure that it all turns out the way you dreamed it to select every vendor yourself personally. This way, you can choose the ultimate location, the best entertainment and the most delicious food, and craft your ideal valentine’s day. 

This valentine’s day, don’t phone it in with a set menu and overpriced roses – we’ve done the hard yards and scoped out the most fun, exciting and unique experiences across the city for your long-awaited date. There’s axe throwing, movies under the stars and bonding activities like no other – the choice is yours.

 

Ultimate Valentine’s Day Ideas in Melbourne, Victoria

 

Have Dinner or Lunch Date at the top of Brighton Savoy Hotel 

Check their website: brightonsavoy.com.au

Call them for bookings: (03) 9592 8233

Brighton Savoy’s Valentine’s Day Dinner Melbourne

Enjoy music by singer/guitarist Freddy Gulino

Valentine’s Day Dinner in Melbourne is best experienced in the Seaview Restaurant whilst enjoying a romantic dining experience with bay views.

A single red rose awaits your valentine and a glass of bubbles as the sun goes down.

Rekindle the romance, first date, wedding anniversary?

Valentine’s day is a perfect opportunity to spend time with your special partner.

Accommodation is also available, so why not make a real night of it with lunch. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, our front desk team would be delighted to assist you.

Valentine’s Dinner session times

• 5.30 pm Early Session      
• 7.30 pm Premium Session
• 9.30 pm Late Session

Package includes 

• A single red rose for your valentine
• Three-course menu and coffee
• De Bortoli Willowglen wines, Sparkling wine, local beers and soft drinks

Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu

Entree

• Smoked salmon plate, micro herbs, capers, potato crunch, lemon citrus mayo (g)
• Saffron spiced chilli prawns, basmati rice & mild red chilli sauce
• Spiced falafel discs with roast pumpkin and avocado puree (v)(g)
• Satay chicken strips, basmati rice, satay sauce, pineapple & cucumber garnish (g)

Main course

• Eye fillet steak 220g served medium with red wine jus, pomme potatoes & garlic butter(g)
• Crispy skin herbed chicken breast, seasonal vegetables, mushroom ragout, pomme potatoes & light chicken jus
• Panfried barramundi fillet, roasted tomato sauce, potato latke, seasonal vegetables (g)
• Oven-baked gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce, mozzarella, and spinach finished with truffle oil. (v)

Dessert

• Eton mess, crushed meringue, whipped cream, fresh strawberries & raspberries, berry gel & honeycomb (g)
• Sticky date pudding butterscotch sauce, chocolate soil, vanilla ice cream, dates, honeycomb
• Profiteroles filled with custard served with chocolate sauce & vanilla ice cream.

Tea & coffee and after-dinner mints to conclude

Cost

Early Dinner Session $109.00 per person

Premium Dinner Session $129.00 per person

Late Dinner Session $99.00 per person

 

Peninsula Hot Springs with your Special Someone

While not entirely within Melbourne’s borders, taking the drive to The Peninsula Hot Springs is well worth it; come to Valentines Day. Whether you’re seeking a hilltop mineral pool or a complete body treatment, this award-winning day spa based on the scenic Mornington Peninsula has got you and your date covered. For a little taste of everything on offer, opt for their indulgent ‘Dine and Bathe Package’, which will have you soaking in their geothermal mineral pools and enjoying a romantic dinner for two at their Spa Dreaming Centre. ⁣

Try this Hot Spring Experience. Book now!

 

Axe Throwing at Maniax

Team up with your boo for a session of tension-relieving axe throwing at Maniax’s “date night” event, which culminates in a mini-tournament where you compete against your partner and then other couples for ultimate axe-throwing glory. If you’re looking for something unconventional, it’s the most high-octane bonding method around.

MANIAX was the first Urban Axe Throwing company in Australia, established in 2014 in Sydney NSW. We are also the largest in Australia, with venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. We’ve had close to 300,000 people through our doors across Australia, which equates to approx 15 million axes thrown! That’s with no significant axe-idents beyond a splinter.

Book your slot now. 

 

Book Dinner at Lee Ho Fook

Mod-Chinese diner Lee Ho Fook is doing a special Valentine’s Day menu for lunch and dinner on the 14th. Guests will receive a white peach Bellini on arrival, then be treated to Drunken Goolwa pippies, Shandong chicken crackling, Tasmanian ocean trout, Skull Island tiger prawn noodles, a dry-aged duck breast and even a dark chocolate pavé for dessert. The menu costs $160 per person, and there’s also a wine pairing available. 

Smith Street’s loss is the city’s gain, as Lee Ho Fook brings cutting-edge Chinese to Duckboard Place.

Victor Liong’s mod-Chinese diner has graduated from low-key digs in Collingwood to an edgy warehouse in the city, home to cathedral ceilings, raw bricks and exposed pipes. It’s a slicker, more sophisticated package, with a rock’n’roll edge that suits Liong’s punchy regional cuisine. But space can fall dangerously close to form over function – that backlit bar also acts as a thoroughfare so that unsuspecting punters could cop a Boston shaker to the face.

Fortunately, the floor team doesn’t skip a beat. Our waitress bops along to the Cure as she guides us through the specials. “Order this,” she says, pointing to the Chongqing chicken skin. “But steer clear of that; it’s too big for two,” she warns of the mammoth beef rib. She also convinces us not to go to the banquet as “it’s a shit tonne of food”. So we go to town on the a la carte offerings and order a shit tonne of food anyway.

And damn, was she right about that chicken skin. Crunchy, burnished shards of deep-fried skin play peek-a-boo amid the rubble of dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. This is no-holds-barred dining: the heat slowly comes at first, then all at once, leaving us fanning our mouths like maniacs.

While the chicken comes out with all guns blazing, the tea-smoked egg takes a more softly-softly approach. Liong’s modern version of this classic Chinese snack teams the smoky notes of oolong with the buttery richness of the jellied yolk, the salty pop of Avruga (faux caviar made from herring) and a refreshing herbal hit from the dill frond and spring onion oil.

Doused in sticky soy and red vinegar sauce and scattered with little nubs of fried garlic and Sichuan peppercorns, the crisp eggplant is a textural treat. A caramelised coating gives way to a fluffy, silken interior, so each bite is crunchy and soft, sharp and sweet.

Following such well-executed starters, the ‘chinizza’ falls a bit flat. This love child of a pizza and a spring onion pancake features a fried, puffy base layered with shredded spring onion and dollops of buffalo mozzarella. The cool lactic tang of the cheese plays off against the onion’s grassy heat, but it’s too one-dimensional, a dull moment in an otherwise exciting meal.

Liong, who’s worked at Sydney’s Mr Wong and under Mark Best at Marque, is at his palate-challenging best when he marries traditional Asian flavours with confident European technique. The sweet and sour pork is a case in point. Banish all thoughts of the batter-heavy dish from your childhood. Here, tender hunks of pork neck, pineapple, capsicum and spring onion are tossed in a sticky, but not sickly, sauce of salty soy, sweet ketchup and tangy vinegar. Cram everything in at once for the full effect.

Subbing wagyu tri-tip for the regular rubble of pork mince, the sang Choi bau is rich, fatty and flavourful, but all that meaty heft is too much between two people.

Delicate desserts offer a reprieve from the umami-rich onslaught of the mains. Jasmine tea-infused custard with burnt caramel comes in a petite teacup, with floral notes, toffee sweetness and a slightly bitter edge. Another pretty cup teams tart Granny Smith sorbet with nutty amaretto jelly for an excellent, clean finish.

It takes a far-reaching, intelligent wine list to stand up to Liong’s relentless flavour punches, and sommelier Masa Nishimoto is up to the task. Floral, textural whites, such as the Laurent Barth Muscat or the Slovenian Dveri Pax Pinot Gris, offer a welcome hint of residual sugar, cutting through the spice with ease.

In its new laneway location, Lee Ho Fook is loud, lively and ready to party. With its 1980s soundtrack and reworked suburban Chinese favourites, it strikes a balance between nostalgia and innovation. And just like those lazy-susan meals of family dinners past, you’ll get the most out of a meal here if you dine with a crowd, tackling the ten-course banquet (a bargain at $68 ahead) or sharing some of those heftier mains.

Gather your pals, eat well, eat often.

Book in a spot here. 

 

Brunch Date at the Village Belle Hotel

The Village Belle Hotel will be putting on a special edition of the venue’s bottomless brunch for V Day (but hey, you don’t have to be loved up to enjoy this one). Guests will receive a cocktail on arrival and then be treated to bottomless spritzes, sparkling wine, cider and tap beer, as well as food from the brunch grazing table. It’s $80 per person, and you need to book in advance.

The Garden Bar & Restaurant has been specially designed to be functional all year round. A contemporary concrete and glass structure, the striking space includes custom-made, steel-framed windows and operable glazed walls that lift upward to maximise space. Even better, a retractable roof, as well as misters and fans, make it the perfect spot for soaking up the summer sun, while heaters mean Melbourne’s temperamental weather won’t stop the fun in the cooler months.

Space also boasts a range of delicious dining offerings for every occasion, from casual catch-ups with friends and family to intimate birthday dinners to business lunches. View the restaurant menu.

When time is under pressure, but you don’t want to compromise on your meal’s quality, enjoy our express lunch, available Monday to Friday.

Book a table online. 

 

Pick up some Koko Black Choco

Artisan chocolatier Koko Black is doing several cute Valentine’s Day chocolate packs that you can pick up for your loved one. Prices start at just $24.90, and you can handpick flavours, especially for your valentine.

Handcrafted. Naturally

Every chocolate crafted by Koko Black has its unique personality and story.

With over 100 chocolates and counting – the Koko Black range is complex, indulgent and always adventurous. Originating from the finest Belgian couverture chocolate, each chocolate is meticulously handcrafted in Melbourne, using premium natural ingredients. 

We are proud to be an Australian company and strive to use local ingredients in our chocolate, such as Tasmanian leatherwood honey and Australian grown nuts.

Check it out here.

 

Pizza Lunch Date 

You can never go wrong with pizzas. You can celebrate Valentine’s Day with a romantic Pizza Lunch date at a local pizza store. Order your favourite pizza flavour and share it with your special someone. 

You can this 30 Block Place as a Pizza Store of your choice. 30 Block Place strives to please hungry stomachs with various sweet and savoury treats, served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests can indulge in waffles, pancakes, pizzas, burgers and sandwiches, as well as salads and pasta mains. Fare can be enjoyed alongside an alcoholic beverage such as a glass of wine, beer or cocktail, a milkshake, or a cup of hot coffee or tea.

To know more about their menu, Check 30 Block Place’s Facebook Page. 

 

Sushi Date at Home 

With this pandemic, staying at home is the best option. So a date in the comfort of your home is a good idea. You can take out foods and deliver them right to your doorstep. And one of the best food to take out is sushi. There are many sushi stores out there that you can check. 

Specialising in handrolls, packs and platters, Su Su Sushi has become one of Melbourne’s largest Japanese cuisine wholesalers. The family business began in 1997 and has grown in leaps and bounds ever since. The team pride itself on providing quality sushi that is fresh, healthy and most importantly, tasty. You can contact them at 0403 411 588 

 

Cinema Date with Moonlight Cinema 

The Perfect Unique Date Night this Valentines Day

Looking for a unique date night to impress your loved ones? Look no further! Moonlight has comfy bean beds to snuggle up on, a licensed bar for some delicious date night bevs and plenty of sprawling parklands to spread out in and watch the stunning sunset.

We’re all in this together, and we can’t wait to open our gates and bring you a summer of fab films under the stars.

To allow everyone to have a comfortable and enjoyable experience, we’ve implemented some new measures.

Book your ticket. 

 

Experience a Hot Air Balloon Hunter Valley Flight

Beyond ballooning is a family-owned and operated business based right here in the Hunter Valley. Our flight team are local to the valley and have a true passion for ballooning and providing the best hot air balloon experience in Australia.

Hot air ballooning started in the Hunter Valley over 40 years ago. Beyond ballooning has set the benchmark in excellence in all aspects of the ballooning experience, ensuring a memorable morning during every minute.

 

Go on a romantic spin on the Melbourne Star.

Private Catered Cabins

In partnership with Peter Rowland

Melbourne Star has partnered with Peter Rowland to bring food lovers exquisite delectable bites sky high.

Since 1962 Peter Rowland have been dedicated to crafting special celebrations, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or a gathering of friends.

Dip into something delicious and indulge in some ‘Pretty Fly Savoury Bites’ or a generous serving of ‘Un-Brie-cleavable Cheesy’ goodness.

More of a sweet tooth? We have you covered with treats’ Just As Sweet As You’. Enjoy options galore of sweet and savoury flavoursome bites, or indulge in a ‘Sky High Tea’.

Experience the star attraction of Melbourne Star and tantalise those taste buds below!

The best value Melbourne Star return flight bundle!

Melbourne Star is not just one memorable experiences – it’s TWO! Day and night – just for you. 

Enjoy Melbourne’s stunning sights by day, with views stretching from Melbourne’s CBD and Port Phillip through to Mount Macedon and the Dandenong Ranges in the distance. 

Then come back within 14 days, in the evening, when Melbourne’s city lights take over, creating a glittering wonderland outside your cabin window. 

Plus, delights to enjoy during your Melbourne Star experience include your choice of beverage and a digital photo pass to ensure you relive the memories for years to come. 

Get our best value return flight bundle online with a fantastic saving of over 55% off! This is our unbeatable value bundle by far . 

Book your ticket here.  Call 03 8688 9688

 

Spend the day at Pt Leo Estate

PT LEO RESTAURANT

Pt Leo Restaurant is our main dining space. Diners enjoy spectacular views overlooking our vineyard and sculpture park to Western Port Bay and Phillip Island. Our menu celebrates the region’s produce, harnessing relationships with local suppliers to deliver a flavour forward, contemporary a la carte offer. Seasonal and regional food is the focus of Pt. Leo Restaurant’s menu.

Settle in down on the Mornington Peninsula with a four-course lunch or dinner at Pt Leo Restaurant for $115 per person, or a delightful eight-course degustation lunch at Laura for $195 per person. Then, naturally, you can explore the beautiful sculpture park with your loved one. 

LAURA

Laura is contemporary fine dining at its best. It offers the guest luxury, unrivalled ingredients, sophisticated and attentive service and elevated detail at every touchpoint.

WINE TERRACE

The all-weather Wine Terrace showcases local and regional Mornington Peninsula produces and adds a more casual setting to the award-winning dining spaces at Pt. Leo Estate. Guests can enjoy all Pt. Leo Estate wines and back vintages, friendly snacks and light meals in a simple and social environment. Guests can enjoy live music throughout the weekends from 1:00 pm while still taking in the same unparalleled views over the 50-acre vineyard, Sculpture Park and the coast beyond.

Book your day now! Call 03 5989 9011

 

Gelato Tart Date at Gelato Messina

Gelato Messina has created a beautiful rose-inspired tart for Val’s day this year. This tart is filled with layers of basque cheese flavoured gelato and chocolate dulce de leche, and all tucked into a chocolate coffee tart shell. It’s then topped with piped burnt vanilla Chantilly petals. It can be ordered online. 

Gelato Messina looks more like a nightclub than a purveyor of gelati. Music pumps out of the giant glass doors, and no matter what the weather, there is a constant crowd flowing out onto the street – we’ve even seen a queue on a ten-degree rainy night. Such is the crazy caused by Gelato Messina. During this ragingly popular Sydney import, all-natural gelato rules and nothing, not even an anatomically accurate heart, proves too great a challenge for the iced treat architect to build.

Those queues are pretty well justified. Messina’s flavours are things of wonder – there’s the fruity-sharp contrast of pear, cut through with a red ribbon of sour rhubarb and the creamy, subtlety of coconut and pandan. Everything is made fresh daily, and the turnover is high, so you’re always getting a scoop that’s fresher and fluffier than you might elsewhere. There’s a balance of sugar to sharpness, but you don’t engender this kind of insane following without a good measure of the sweet stuff. The tart strawberry number and the roasted hazelnut with white chocolate hit all your nerve receptors, so if you’re more a fan of subtlety, you might be better off at Gelateria Primavera in the city where sugar takes a back seat.

Await is almost always inevitable, but our recommendation is to head in early and procure yourself a large takeaway container, so you’re armed in case of heatwave emergencies.

Visit their shop, or have it delivered to your home. 

 

Hampers That’s Amore Cheese

Thomastown’s That’s Amore Cheese has released two limited-edition hampers (priced at $50 and $90) that feature a selection of the fromagerie’s best cheeses and other bits and bobs like honey, chocolate and flower bouquets.

If you can’t come to us, That’s Amore will come to you.

That’s Amore Cheese is delivering to your door!

Shop our range of your favourite artisan cheese, deli goods, ready meals, pantry items, drinks, or choose a gift hamper to send to a loved one. With free local delivery for surrounding suburbs, you will never run out of cheese.

From our home to yours!

That’s Amore Cheese supplies to many foodservice businesses, including restaurants and delis Australia wide. We are also export licensed and serve the international market.

Our extensive cheese range is Halal Certified, vegetarian and available in different sizes and packaging for foodservice or consumer retail. If you are interested in becoming a wholesale supplier, please get in touch with us.

Check them out here.

 

Sleepover at Melbourne Zoo – For 2

Highlights

• Experience Melbourne Zoo after dark
• Camp out in the Historic Elephant Exhibit
• Enjoy a sumptuous dinner, supper and breakfast

Be one of the lucky few to sleepover at the Zoo! Discover Melbourne Zoo after dark, guided by camp hosts. Enjoy a delicious dinner, supper and breakfast in the Historic Elephant Exhibit. In the morning, meet the keepers to learn about life behind-the-scenes before exploring all the Zoo offers.

Exclusive to RedBalloon

This experience can only be found on RedBalloon.

What’s Included?

• Overnight camping at Melbourne Zoo in tents (suitable for 2 adults)
• Dinner, supper, and breakfast
• Admission to the Zoo the following day
• Guided night tour to discover nocturnal creatures
• Experience life behind-the-scenes
• Refreshments on arrival
• Toilets are within walking distance and are open all night

Melbourne Zoo invites you to be one of the lucky few to experience the Zoo after dark! You will have the unique opportunity to wine, dine and sleep in the Historic Elephant Exhibit. Enjoy a Safari Dinner before discovering the mystery of the Zoo after dark. Hear, smell and see nocturnal creatures whilst exchanging stories with your camp hosts. After supper, retire to your tent for a well-deserved night’s sleep.

Wake in the morning for breakfast before meeting passionate zookeepers to learn about life behind-the-scenes. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring all Melbourne Zoo has to offer, with the chance to experience close-up animal encounters.

Session Length

• This experience is available on Thursdays and Sundays (subject to availability)
• The start time is 6.30 pm
• Guests are free to spend the rest of the day in the Zoo
• Please note experience doesn’t run in the colder winter months, from June – Aug

Book your trip here.

 

Valentine’s Day Helicopter Flights

A helicopter date on Valentine’s Day will be a perfect idea. Your partner will continue to love this one in a lifetime experience. Mile High Australi is offering Helicopter rides at an affordable price. They have exclusive flights during valentine’s day. You can check their website for more information. 

Melbourne City Flight’s inclusions:

• Approximately 20 – 25 minutes
• Undoubtedly the best picturesque tours in Melbourne,
  • Private Helicopter ride
  • Photographic opportunity with the helicopter and pilot before and after the flight
  • Beginning with the Bayside Beaches and Marina’s
  • Closely following, Melbourne’s Iconic Sporting Grounds by air
  • City Landscapes and Architecture
  • St.kilda and Beaches
  • Albert Park Lake
  • Historical Shrine of Remembrance
  • Arts Centre
  • Eureka Tower,
  • Docklands
  • Finishing with the Westgate and Bolte Bridges before returning to Moorabbin Airport.

Flights are suitable for singles, couples, or groups as large as six and people of any age group.

Romantic Scenic Flights

We have several Scenic flights that offer perfect views. Take this Melbourne tour with a loved one.

Add 12 medium stemmed red roses for $99

Book your ride here.  Call 03 9221 6271

 

Sunset Sparkling Wine Cruise by Catamaran

An evening out in Fremantle doesn’t get much better than sunset sailing on a luxury catamaran. You and your partner or friend can watch the day turn into night, and the stars begin to shine as you sip on a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. BYO welcome also.

• Experience a magical WA sunset over the Indian ocean
• Get involved with hoisting the sails, or just kick back and relax!
• Keep an eye out for dolphins!

What’s Included?

• A two-hour cruise on a luxury 12.5m catamaran
• A glass of sparkling wine
• Shared antipasto/nibbles
• Guests get 10% off at Cicerello’s restaurant

Experience the magnificent west coast sunset from the ocean and watch Fremantle; the port and harbour come alive with a kaleidoscope of colour as you sail off into the sunset.

Set sail into the magic waters of the Cockburn Sound, and if you’re lucky enough, you may even be joined by a pod of dolphins who love to play around Capella’s bow. From September until December, there is also the chance of encountering humpback whale mothers with their calves as they head south for the summer months.

Your vessel is a luxury appointed 12.5m Schionning-designed state of the art sailing catamaran, noted for its stable ride. There’s none of that sideways tilting you get on single-hulled sailing vessels, meaning your drink stays precisely where you left it!

Your journey will start and finish at the world-famous Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, where guests can receive 10% off the food menu at Cicerello’s upon presentation of your ticket.

Session Length

• The cruise is approximately two hours in duration
• It runs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between September and April, subject to availability
• The experience provider will always confirm a booking time

Book here. 

 

Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Enjoy Valentine’s Day Alone

Celebrate being hot and single, and enjoy some time to mingle. Who says that people need a companion for this one day of the year? Treat yourself to a spa or a long bubble bath. Take a long drive and enjoy the scenery. If it’s too snowy or iced down, stay in and watch sports games or that romantic movie on cable. Some people get lucky on this day.

Remind Your First Date

There’s a good chance that the beginning of your relationship was the time when you made the most effort to show her your romantic side, so why not turn back the clock and remind her how charming you were when you were wooing her?

Women love it when men remember details from when they were still getting to know each other. Think back to your first date, take her to the same place, eat the same food and do the same things that first sparked your romance.

Make a Romantic Date!

Okay, so you may not be able to pull off anything like Justin Bieber’s romantic “Titanic” date, but surely you can swing with your love. Sometimes the best Valentine’s Day gift you can give is the gift of uninterrupted time together. You don’t need to leave the house to make Valentine’s Day special. Think of how great it could be to spend the entire day in a bedroom together. Turn off your phones, don’t answer the door and enjoy each other.

Sweets for Your Sweet

Chocolate is to Valentine’s Day what Bruce Willis is to Die Hard — the show’s star. It’s a fact that chocolate has a batting average of about 1.000 when it comes as a present, so why not turn the entire day into one, along with a sweet gift? If you are getting something for a school classmate, get a small box of those sugary hearts with the little sayings on them. If you wish, you can make a chocolate recipe along with someone else on Valentine’s Day.