Romantic getaways are something that we have made a priority in our marriage since the beginning and we plan to continue to do so for years to come. After a day or two away from work, the kids and our never ending list of house projects, we feel refreshed in our relationship and more in love than ever. We do a lot of relaxing, take long walks alone, stay out as late as we want and enjoy quiet meals together. Even with young kids, we try our hardest to get away at least twice a year, three times if we're lucky.
On one of our recent getaways, we were able to stay in one of The Anniversary Inn's Diamond Suites for less than $130, saving about 50%. If you were on Instagram over that weekend, chances are you caught my live when I shared the three things that I did to make our stay more affordable, none of them being a blogger discount. Because I know that some people missed it, and because I wanted those tips to be shared in a way that they could apply to a romantic getaway anywhere, I decided to write this post. If you've ever thought, 'We can't afford to stay somewhere nice and/or romantic', this post is for you! I'm here to tell you that you can enjoy a nice night away without having to scrimp and save for years.
Three Ways to Save Money on Your Next Romantic Getaway
Book for a Weeknight
This is my biggest tip for staying anywhere! No matter where you're staying or which room you're staying in, staying on the weeknight rather than a weeknight can save you a lot of money. Our stay at The Anniversary Inn this past weekend was really a Thursday night, which dropped the cost of our suite from $269 to $249 right out of the gate. Weeknights may not seem ideal, but if you leave after work on Thursday, you can stay over that night and enjoy a Friday (and possibly Saturday) just the two of you. It's just one work day that you'd miss, and if you want to invest in your relationship, that's a sacrifice that I'm betting you can afford to make.
Watch for Deals
There are deals everywhere for top romantic getaway destinations of all kinds. Staycations, mini getaways an hour or two away, short trips or vacations; you can find deals everywhere! I'd suggest checking Groupon (affiliate), other deal sites or the website of the specific place you are hoping to stay. For this particular getaway, I took advantage of a text message exclusive as well as a gift card deal that was being offered at Costco.
I have been a member of the text message "club" for Anniversary Inn for long enough that I know which months I can usually count on a discount text. I reserved our room ahead of time then called to have them apply the deal as soon as I received the text offer. Costco stocks Anniversary Inn gift cards before the holidays every single year. I regretted not grabbing a gift card last year while they were around and was happy to see that they were selling them earlier than I'd planned this year. You can bet that I'll be grabbing another gift card to have on hand in case we choose to stay in another one of their suites this coming year.
For previous getaways, I've known about regular deals for certain hotels, inns or bed and breakfasts that appear on websites like Groupon. If you're planning for a getaway, check those deal sites often and snatch a bargain up when you see one. Oftentimes, they'll offer special romance packages or include a gift card for entertainment and dinner with your stay.
Romantic Rewards
I recently found out about a customer appreciate program of sorts that The Anniversary Inn offers. Their Romantic Rewards gives you a $5 voucher for every $50 that you spend during your stay. You just have to mention the program when you checkout and they'll present you with the voucher. Your voucher can be used toward a future stay, on items from the gift shop or transferred to friends and family to use on their next stay. One thing to note is that your rewards expire 18 months after they are issued.
There may be other rewards programs you can enroll in at other romantic getaway destinations that you frequent. I wish I'd known about Romantic Rewards at Anniversary Inn sooner. Next time I know to ask about things like that because the worst that could happen is they could tell us that it's not something that they offer.
Bonuses
Breakfast
We love getting to sleep in and eat breakfast in our room without having to get ready to go out in public first. One of our favorite things about The Anniversary Inn is the fact that breakfast is included in the price of your stay. You get to choose from a variety of main dishes (cinnamon roll, turnovers stuffed with ham and cheese or strawberries and cream cheese, bagel, etc.) and get to add a granola, fruit and yogurt parfait to your breakfast along with two drink choices per person. They also recently added the option to add bacon or sausage to your breakfast for a little added cost. We love room service, but having the bonus of breakfast included in the price of our stay already is definitely a plus for us.
Amenitites
We always look for a room that includes a large jetted tub. Anniversary Inn also has movies you can check out from the front desk (no extra cost) and you receive complimentary sparkling cider and cheesecake with your room. Our particular room also came with complimentary chips and salsa. We've loved staying at hotels with restaurants in their lobby, or within walking distance of great entertainment, activities and eateries. If the room has a TV with a DVD or Blu-ray player, that's a bonus as well because we love watching a movie together.
To give you a condensed breakdown of how we saved money on our most recent stay; We stayed in a Diamond Suite (La Hacienda) which costs $269 a night (weekends). We opted to stay on a weeknight, which dropped our price to $249. I received a text message deal that got us a rate of $139 for any suite for the month of October (weekends for the month were $179). Then I grabbed a $100 gift card from Costco for just $70. We paid $50 for our deposit, $70 for the gift card and $6 more when we checked in. Our total was just under $130 for a room that at the regular price (on a weeknight) would have cost us $249 plus tax.
Long story short, do some research, ask around for suggestions and browse online for deals. You could save $100 or more! With discounts like this, you have no excuse not to make time for a romantic getaway at least once a year.
