Whether you’re coupled up or travelling solo, cosy up under blankets, have a massage or ride a horse in a frosty Royal Park and you’ll no doubt fall in love with London, writes Sarah Riches
Saddle Up
Bond with nature – and your partner – as you create storybook memories in a Royal Park. In 1625, King Charles I introduced 2,000 red and smaller fallow deer to Richmond, transforming farmland into a royal hunting ground.Today you can make l
ike a king – or a knight in a fairytale – and ride a horse at Stag Lodge Stables on the edge of Richmond Park. Wrap up warm and ride side by side past Pen Ponds. Take a flask of hot chocolate and a blanket then stop for a picnic beneath ancient oaks, watching deer graze as the sun dips below the horizon. If you have limited time, you can also go horse riding in central London with Hyde Park Stables, along the eponymous park’s Rotten Row bridleway and past the Serpentine lake. Both companies cater for all ages and abilities, and offer lessons as well as escorted tours of the parks, which also suit solo travellers.
Burning Love
Retreat from the chill of winter by descending beneath Covent Garden’s streets to AIRE Ancient Baths, inspired by Roman, Greek and Ottoman traditions. Lit by flickering candles and scented with orange blossom, this subterranean oasis features a hot caldarium bath, warm tepidarium, cold frigidarium and a jet bath. There’s also an aromatic vaporium steam room and flotarium salt bath. Book the 135-minute Love Connection 60’ package to enjoy all these pools plus a 60-minute massage with basalt stones in a private room, followed by a glass of Cava and chocolate treats. Travelling alone? Then make a date for yourself and indulge in a 90-minute candlelit bath instead.
Dark and stormy
When it’s chilly outside, why weather the storm? Cosy up in the dark instead at a romantic screening or show. Take your pick from a pop-up cinema, an orchestra accompanying a familiar film or share a double bed in an historic cinema and you’ll feel like the star of your own rom-com. Book Sleepless in Seattle at the Southbank Centre on Valentine’s Day (14 February) to watch Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in love to a soundtrack of Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole numbers performed by a band. Alternatively, go for dinner at JOIA, Art’otel’s rooftop Iberian restaurant in Battersea, then snuggle under blankets and hug a hot-water bottle while you watch The Notebook, Dirty Dancing or Bridget Jones’s Diary (12-14 Feb). In London later in spring? Then don’t miss Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical, or reserve a double bed at the Electric Portobello, an Edwardian cinema in Notting Hill.
Cupid’s capsule
When the London Eye opened in 2000, it was meant to be temporary – but the Ferris wheel proved to be such a hit, it’s still going strong 26 years later. Why? Because how else can you tick off London landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral within 30 minutes? If you’re short on time or just want to see the sights from an elevated position, book a private Cupid’s Pod for 360-degree views of the River Thames, South Bank and beyond. You’ll benefit from priority boarding before soaring up to 135m high. Thinking of popping the question? Then enquire about bespoke extras, too, such as a professional photographer, Champagne, flowers and truffles. The attraction also offers a Proposal Pod experience with Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, a souvenir photograph and musicians or performers disguised as tourists surprising your fiancé-to-be by playing your song or unveiling ‘Will You Marry Me?’ signs.
Oh, Romeo
Since the Grade II-listed Harold Pinter Theatre opened in 1881, it’s garnered a reputation for hosting thought-provoking plays. It’s the ideal performance space, then, for director Robert Icke (1984, Uncle Vanya) to showcase his version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (16 Mar-6 Jun). Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe play the titular ill-fated lovers. The classic tragedy will be a West End debut for both actors, although you may recognise their faces. Sink previously starred in the 2022 drama The Whale; as Max Mayfield in series two of Stranger Things; and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in last year’s Broadway comedy, John Proctor is the Villain. She’s set to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day this summer, too. Jupe, meanwhile, has appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film Hamnet alongside Paul Mescal; the 2018 horror A Quiet Place and its sequel; and the BBC thriller The Night Manager.
Light My Fire
If you’d rather experience an off-West End performance, attend an intimate candlelit concert at Southwark Cathedral. Thought to date back to the seventh century, in 1086 the place of worship was mentioned in the Domesday Book – England’s earliest census – yet it still manages to keep up with the times. This Valentine’s Day and beyond, listen to Queen versus Abba or A Tribute to Ed Sheeran and Coldplay (various dates). The Best of Hans Zimmer (20 Feb & 7 Mar) is a melody of the Bafta and Academy Award-winning composer’s popular tracks from blockbusters ranging from Gladiator to Dune. Meanwhile, Tribute to Oasis (21 Feb) is a chance for you and your loved one to tap your feet to the beat to the likes of Don’t Go Away and Stand by Me.
Floating Fromagerie
The Cheese Barge makes for a seriously cheesy date. Going strong since 2021, the double-decker vessel is moored in Paddington Basin, just off Regent’s Canal. Dimly lit and lined with wine bottles, there are few places cosier than this when the windows steam up on a winter’s night.
The restaurant specialises in seasonal British and Irish cheese paired with orange and rosé wine mostly made by small European producers. Come here to dunk sourdough smothered in beer chutney into an entire baked Brie like you’d dip soldiers into a boiled egg, nibble on fried curried curd drizzled in hot honey or gorge on cauliflower cheese with crispy onions. Finish with something sweet or the obvious choice – a cheese plate with crackers.
Bloomin’ Lovely
Tucked away at the back of five-star hotel The Bloomsbury, Dalloway Terrace is an Instagram favourite thanks to its wall of faux foliage, fir cones and sparkling fairy lights. Cuddle up on a bench made for two softened by cushions or sink into a wicker chair and you’ll feel like you’ve happened upon your own heated, secret garden. Go for afternoon tea, a Sunday roast or book a pre-theatre menu. Alternatively, end your night with cocktails and live jazz at The Bloomsbury Club, a little-known, hidden bar beneath Dalloway Terrace – or order a whisky and snuggle beneath blankets at its alfresco tables.
If you prefer an afternoon tea with a view, however, make a beeline for Duck & Waffle. Served 40 floors about the City, its new Sky High Afternoon Tea opens with a theatrical flourish: a hand-painted duck egg, presented tableside as a playful homage to Duck & Waffle’s signature dish. Crack it open and a carefully composed array of sweet and savoury bites is revealed, with treats including a Cubano sandwich, lobster rolls and a Jaffa macaron. Champagne and bespoke craft cocktail pairings, created exclusively for the experience, are also available for those keen to raise a glass to the view. Cheers!
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