[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]

HALEKULANI Romance is on the menu at Halekulani from Feb. 14 through 16 whether you want a fine dining experience at La Mer or room service on the privacy of your lanai.

Island resorts offer
Valentine’s packages

If timing is a problem,
many of the specials will be
available through the fall

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Star-Bulletin staff

Love is in the air as isle resorts get into the spirit of Valentine's Day with private, romantic accommodations for you and your beloved. If you haven't met the right person just yet, don't worry, many of the packages will be available through fall. So start lookin'.

Here are some of the deals available. If your favorite hotel isn't listed here, just call and ask. They're bound to have something extra on Valentine's Day.

BIG ISLAND

>> Hilton Waikoloa Village: The resort will celebrate the grand opening of the Waikoloa Wedding Planner Atelier at 11 a.m. on Valentine's Day. The atelier will be a full-service, one-stop location for couples planning their wedding day or a renewal of vows ceremony. Stop by to preview wedding cakes created by executive pastry chef David Brown, bridal bouquets and wedding florals, and table settings. Wedding packages start at $1,075. For more information, call 808-886-2848.

MAUI

>> Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa: "Great Romance" package features four nights of accommodations in an Ocean View room, champagne and strawberries upon arrival, a romantic lanai breakfast for two, 10 percent off services at Spa Grande and the Grand Image Salon, and a keepsake memento. The package price is $2,420, based on double occupancy, available through Oct. 31, 2003.

Or check out the Spa Grande's "Romantic Interlude for Two," a three-hour program featuring one hour in the Termé Wailea Hydrotherapy -- a series of five specialty baths -- followed by a 50-minute Sandalwood Body Wrap, a dip into a romantic Hawaiian Specialty Bath of rose petals and flower essence, coconut milk or Hawaiian Awa to invigorate the skin and senses, and finally a side-by-side massage with two massage therapists. The cost is $525.

For more information, call 808-875-1234.

>> Ritz-Carlton Kapalua: A romantic evening may begin with the Pilialoha six-course dinner at The Banyan Tree, which starts with Kumomoto oysters and Osetra caviar and leads to dishes of foie gras and ribeye steak with grilled langoustines and a fricassee of morels, plus pastry chef Ralph Gottschalk's "Passion Between the Sheets" dessert of dark chocolate lilikoi mousse layered between macadamia Florentine discs topped with Tahitian caramel brulee, coconut meringue cookies, raspberry sauce and berries -- in other words, every aphrodisiac known to mankind. The dinner is $75 per person, or $95 including a glass of Veuve Clicquot per person. Prices exclude taxes and gratuity. Work off your dinner in your $420 per night room, which includes a champagne and fruit amenity upon arrival, valet parking and buffet breakfast for two in The Terrace restaurant. Call 808-669-6200 for more information, or toll free at 800-262-8440.

OAHU

>> Halekulani: A full moon will set the mood for Halekulani's "Moonlight Serenade" romantic respite for kama'aina. The package, at $295 per night (with valid Hawaii driver's license) will be available only from Feb. 14 through 16, features ocean room accommodations, a daily buffet breakfast at House Without a key or full American breakfast at Orchids, a mid-size car rental, complimentary overnight parking, welcome amenities and access to a fitness room, and some of Oahu's finest art and cultural institutions through the "For You, Everything" program, which offers complimentary tickets to the Honolulu Symphony, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Bishop Museum, The Contemporary Museum and Iolani Palace.

For those simply looking for a romantic dinner, a $90 Valentine's Day candlelight dinner at La Mer, will be offered Friday through Sunday, featuring foie gras, scallops, a touch of Osetra caviar and a dessert of a Gianduja chocolate heart. At Orchids, poached oysters and caviar butter, broiled beef tenderloin, and a dessert of dark chocolate mousse and raspberries will put you in the mood for love, at $55 per person. Add tax and gratuity to both menus.

For information and reservations, call 923-2311 or 800-367-2343.

>> JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa: A "Renewal of Vows Ceremony" package allows couples to relive the day they first pledged their love and lives to each other. The package includes a choice of the gazebo or lagoon lawn ceremony site, a clergy member to perform the ceremony, a Micronesian ginger lei for the bride and maile lei for the groom and a bottle of house champagne for toasting, for a maximum of 20. The package is $800 without tax. Call 679-0079 or 800-626-4446 for more information.

For those planning their perfect wedding in paradise, ask for the "Heavenly Splendor" package which includes a choice of site (lagoon lawn or gazebo fronting the Ocean ballroom), an aisle runner, fresh floral decorations, a member of the clergy to perform the ceremony, a choice of a five-strand pikake lei or traditional bouquet for the bride and a choice of a maile and pikake lei or boutonniere for the groom, a harpsit to play the "Hawaiian Wedding Song," professional photography to include 36 5-by-7-inch photos in an album, a professional video of the ceremony, and a commemorative wedding certificate. The package is $2,900 exclusive of tax. A simpler "Circle of Love" package is also available for $1,350. Call 679-0079 or 800-626-4446 for more information.

>> Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel: Check out the hotel's $27 million renovation while enjoying some privacy over Valentine's weekend at $119 per night, a rate available to the end of the month. (Kama'aina with valid I.D. may also enjoy a low rate of $139 through Dec. 31, 2003.) If you're not yet married, make the most of your stay by planting some permanent thoughts at the Angel Chapel by the Sea, with vine-covered trellises, flagstone pathways and a garden blooming with hibiscus, blue heather and bougainvillea, which can accommodate a reception for, ahem, up to 75 of your wedding guests. For reservations, call 949-3811, or 800-468-3571 from the U.S. and Canada.

>> The Royal Hawaiian: The "Royal Romance" package will whisk couples into a world of romance and pampering as those who stay a minimum of four nights will be welcomed with champagne in souvenir glasses, accompanied by chocolate-dipped strawberries. From there, enjoy a romantic dinner for two in the Surf Room fronting Waikiki Beach, a daily buffet breakfast in the Surf Room, or order through the privacy of room service. A one-hour catamaran sail and the Royal's pink teddy bear are also included. Rates are $370 for a deluxe garden room with canopy bed and $485 for the ocean category. The package will be available through Dec. 20, 2003. For more information, visit www.royal-hawaiian.com.

>> Sheraton Waikiki: Fall in love all over again with the hotel's Honeymoon Package, with a four-night minimum stay. You'll be welcomed with champagne in a souvenir flute, chocolate-dipped strawberries and a stuffed toy honu (turtle). Couples can wake up to room service breakfast or a buffet breakfast at the Ocean Terrace Restaurant. Then in the evening, dine 30 floors above the ocean in the Hanohano room, with its panoramic view of Diamond Head. You and your amor will also be treated to a one-hour catamaran sail. The package is $307 per night for mountain category room, or $408 per night for a deluxe ocean room. For more information, visit www.sheraton-waikiki.com.