When it comes to Valentine's Day, aside from the classic red roses with chocolate or champagne combination, do non cheesy Valentine's Day gift ideas exist?
Of course they do! If you know your partner super well and have the creativity and time to plan something elaborate ahead of time, you are absolutely killing it. Trust us - we know! However for the rest of us and to be realistic, it is probably something more last minute than we're willing to admit...
So we've created our guide for Non Cheesy Valentine's Day Gift Ideas - for him, for her or them, really for anyone! Romantic and thoughtful, relatively simple to organise, and last-minute-friendly.
Book a local restaurant dinner date for two
What's your partner's favourite cuisine? What have they been craving lately? It doesn't have to be super fancy, set menu style, it can simply be a cute spot in a local suburb that isn't on your go-to regular list of delivery places.
There are so many options but if you don't know where to start, we recommend browsing through some online recommendations, such as:
- Broadsheet's Best New Restaurant Guide
- TimeOut's guide to the best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney
- ...or digging through the goldmine of suggestions on Reddit, for example "Most Underrated Restaurants?" in /foodies_sydney
Organise a wellbeing gift voucher (massage/spa/cryotherapy)
Who doesn't love some style of relaxation? The easiest thing is your local massage joint down the road, but let's put in a little bit more effort! Depending on your partner and what they're into, some more interesting ideas could be:
- A fancy Japanese head spa scalp massage experience at Eclat St Leonards
- Infrared sauna or cryotherapy session at a clinic like Cryospa Crows Nest
- Float therapy for the two of you at a wellness centre like City Cave
- Traditional women's Korean body scrub and bathhouse experience at Arisoo Spa Chatswood or Paddington
- An aquamedic pool and/or shower ritual for two at the beautiful Gillian Adams salon, spa and dining centre in Turramurra
Cook them breakfast, lunch or dinner, if you don't usually!
Depending on your work situation and how flexible your schedule can be (if you work from home or for yourself, then yay, more flexibility), surprise your loved one with something handmade from the kitchen. It could be as simple as bacon and eggs or pancakes and a smoothie to boot. It's the act of service that counts, particularly if you're not usually much of a cook or baker. Here are some simple, tasty recipe ideas:
- The simplest and quickest scones recipe that's always a winner
- No fail pancakes
- Quick & easy pizza muffins
- Lemon Garlic Salmon Tray Bake for a healthy and simple dinner
- Interested in dessert? Easy Italian Lemon cake
Send them a surprise gift hamper and get it delivered to where they'll be during the day
If you've left things last minute, you probably won't be able to order something on Amazon or from an overseas retailer without it arriving at least a day or two late.... let's be honest! It's always a great surprise to receive something from your lover when they're not physically with you - maybe you're both at work at different locations, or one is overseas.
A surprise delivery arrival when someone least expects always equates to extra brownie points, particularly when it comes with a handwritten thoughtful message. Most places where you can order for same day or next day gift delivery usually offers a complimentary handwritten card message as part of their customer service.
- Pick a few things from our Valentine gift collection of flowers, chocolate, alcohol, candles and more, and we'll have you sorted!
- Surprise them with some dessert or bubble tea from Uber Eats or a similar delivery service if you know what they love after lunch
- Socks, beers and snacks for him delivered? Easy, breezy from Manflower Co!
- Is your lover more of a gourmet foodie and loves a classic hamper assortment of little bits and pieces? Gourmet Basket should do the trick!
