7 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Hawaiʻi

From picnicking at your favorite park to watching a movie under the stars, these ideas can raise the romance in your relationship.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner—Friday, actually—and if you didn’t already make dinner reservations, you might be out of luck. That’s OK. Here are seven creative ways you can celebrate with your special someone.

Visit a Museum

Grab the special aircraft enthusiast in your life and head down to Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (319 Lexington Blvd., pearlharboraviationmuseum.org) from now until Valentine’s Day to receive annual membership, four extra guest passes, a complimentary tour and two limited-edition chocolate bars—all for the price of one single-day admission ($25 per person). If you’re in Hilo, stop by the planetarium at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center (600 ʻImiloa Place, imiloahawaii.org) for Love in the Cosmos: A Valentine’s Date Night in 3D ($8 per person). Sit back as you travel through the galaxy and learn about humanity’s everlasting infatuation with the universe.

Enjoy a Picnic Basket Lunch

Ditch your usual restaurant plans for a simple picnic lunch at one of Hawaiʻi’s world-famous beaches. Tucker & Bevvy (2586 Kālakaua Ave., Waikīkī, tuckerandbevvy.com) offers sandwiches, salads, fruit bowls and smoothies at two locations on Waikīkī Beach. Guests staying at the Hotel Wailea (555 Kaukahi St., hotelwailea.com) on Maui can order a gourmet picnic basket by 5 p.m. the day prior to their plans. For $75, each couple receives a curated map of Maui’s beaches, a pareo and an exquisite spread of sweet and savory goodies. Picnic baskets from the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi (1 Manele Bay Road, fourseasons.com/lanai) are available six hours in advance. Each basket comes with a sandwich, a salad, chips, a cookie and a drink. Or opt for the Picnic Under the Stars package (requires 24-hour notice), which comes with a set of high-performance binoculars, a monthly stargazing map, a selection of desserts from the hotel, a half-bottle of bubbly Prosecco and a comfy blanket for snuggling.

Take a Romantic Hike

Take a scenic sunset walk with your lover to Puʻu Pehe, known as Sweetheart Rock, a seaside rock formation on Lānaʻi famous for its melancholy backstory. Hawaiian legend has it that Pehe, a beautiful maiden, and Makakēhau, a young warrior madly in love with her, tragically met their deaths at the cliffs. It takes less than an hour by foot to get to Puʻu Pehe from the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi. If you’re on Oʻahu, consider the ʻUalakaʻa Trail, a 1-mile loop hike on Mount Tantalus in Honolulu. It’s a short, easy stroll through Norfolk pines and banyan trees. Catch sunset at Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Park, with stellar views of Diamond Head. (Always check the weather before hiking, bring a charged cellphone, and don’t keep valuables in your car.)

Go Ziplining

Get your heart pumping on an exciting zipline experience at Hilo’s KapohoKine Adventures (kapohokine.com). Offered only on Valentine’s Day, the Romance in Paradise package ($139 per person) includes pūpū, complimentary Champagne and wine, a candlelit dinner for two overlooking a waterfall, a keepsake photo and a side-by-side zip over stellar views of waterfalls and ravines.

Craft a Partner Painting

You and your valentine can express your artistic talents at Painting with a Twist (320 Ward Ave., Suite 114, paintingwithatwist.com) in Kakaʻako. With three two-hour painting classes to choose from—Lovers Paradise (4:30 to 6:30 p.m.), Early Moonrise (7 to 9 p.m.) and Twilight Trees (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.)—you’ll go home with two unique art pieces. Classes are $50 per person, with beer and wine available for purchase.

Watch a Movie Under the Stars

Indulge in a three-course dinner ($75 per person) on the garden lawn of the Kōloa Landing Resort at Poʻipū (2641 Po‘ipū Road, koloalandingresort.com) on Valentine’s Day. With the timeless film, “Casablanca,” as your backdrop, you and your date will feast on crab claws, steak and lobster, and chocolate lava cake. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman may always have Paris, but this romantic night on Kauaʻi will be yours forever.

Go Horseback Riding

Make your happily ever after dreams come true with a horseback ride at Turtle Bay Resort (57-091 Kamehameha Highway, turtlebayresort.com) on Oʻahu’s North Shore. Tours are offered multiple times a day.