Tag Archives: Romance

5 Love Rules You Need to Stop Believing

Forget rom-coms. Being in a committed, long-term relationship takes energy, effort, and, yes, damn hard work. Some days, it’s not easy. Some days, it is. However, the painfully over-the-top, sickly sweet rhetoric around relationships can often be too much to stomach. Here are some of the so-called love rules you need to stop believing.

5 Love Rules to Toss Out ASAP

1. Monogamy is the Only Way to Go

Boy meets girl…. Meets another boy and/or girl? Gone are the days when this was a topic solely discussed in hushed tones amid conspiratorial glances. Non-monogamous relationships aren’t quite the taboo they used to be. In 2016, national statistics found one in five Americans had been in a relationship of this type.

What’s more, open relationships can be just as satisfying as monogamous ones, according to a recent study from the University of Guelph. As a golden rule, it’s important to structure a polygamous relationship so it suits both you and your partner. So long as you’re both getting what you need from the relationship – psychologically and sexually – you’re likely to be satisfied with the setup, noted Jessica Wood, research lead.

2. Relationships Should Be Fairy Tales

Quit comparing your relationship to everybody else’s. On the surface level, most couples seem content and blissfully in love with one another. However, you should remember you only see one side of them – the side they show the public. No relationship is a fairy tale 365 days a year… and neither should it be.

couple having an argument

It might sound cliche but every relationship is as unique as the people in it. Presuming there’s a one-size-fits-all formula for a happy life together is naive. In the end, it’s important to remember each couple has their own way of getting along. As long as you and your partner feel happy, supported, and fulfilled, that’s all that matters.

3. Arguing is a Sign of the End

Whether it’s bickering about whose turn it is to load the dishwasher or fighting about your finances, all couples argue. Should these spats become more and more frequent, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the beginning of the end. However, that is likely not the case – so long as you argue effectively.

Couples who argue effectively are 10 times more likely to be in a happy relationship than those who ignore their problems, the Guardian recently reported. The reason is approaching issues oftentimes helps to solve them and means they won’t fester under the surface for years to come.

4. You Should Do Everything Together

Spending every minute of every day together might sound utterly romantic on the surface, but it could be a recipe for disaster. Making this mistake is a surefire way to fall into a humdrum routine and, frankly, get tired of each other’s company.

friends hanging out

Not only should you spend time with your own social circles outside of the relationship, but it could also help to make plans with other couple friends. Research from Wayne State University suggested that double-dating, i.e. hanging out with other couples, could be an effective way of relighting your romantic fire. The results suggested socializing this way could lead to a happier, more satisfying relationship.

5. You Can “Fix” an Unhappy Relationship

Staying in a relationship when you’re desperately sad is a mistake. In fact, it could quite literally kill you. People in unhappy relationships are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those in happy relationships, according to a study conducted by the Medical University of Vienna. The research also linked being dissatisfied in a relationship to feelings of hopelessness and depression.

You may be under the impression even the most toxic of relationships are salvageable, but that’s not always the case. Should your partner or your situation be causing you distress, the smartest move may be to simply walk away. While there’s no doubt this is a difficult decision to make, putting your mental health first is crucial.

7 Romantic Weekend Getaways

Ain’t love grand—from the all-consuming, heart-skips-a-beat, embracing in the rain kind of love to the deep-rooted, life-long love affair? Yes, cloud nine will put a spring in your step, and, as it turns out, it’s good for you too. Kissing lowers stress, prevents tooth decay, and reduces allergies, according to a 2006 study. Spooning can keep your heart ticking.  Hand holding can squash pain and stress. And writing an old-fashioned love letter can cut your cholesterol. So, whether you’re planning your honeymoon, anniversary celebration, here are seven romantic weekend getaways in the U.S., dreamscapes that’ll send your love into the stratosphere.

 

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Whether you’re sunning on sandy beaches, tucking into a stack of Blue Seafood & Spirits’ lump crab cakes, or strolling hand-in-hand under the star-studded sky, Virginia Beach is for lovers. Dive deep and explore the graveyard of the Atlantic, where the 19th century steam schooner, Eureka, sunk, leaving behind china dolls, miniature tea sets, and snuff bottles.

neptune virginia beach

Take a ride on the Rudee Rocket, a banana yellow boat with 2,000 horsepower, and watch bottlenose dolphins jump, flip, and surf. Or, tip the romance needle—downtown-style. Book a couples’ massage at the Green Leaf and Pebble Spa.  Then sip mai tais at Lunasea while listening to Reggae-bands like SoPoz.  Don’t forget to immortalize your romance. Snap an usie in front of Neptune, the 34-foot, trident-toting Roman sea-god, or one of the nearby LOVEworks.

 

Napa Valley, California

Raise a glass to love. Napa Valley reigns as the land of vine-laden, villa-style estates, quaint cottages, and candlelit courtyards. Roughly an hour’s drive north of the City by the Bay, this wine connoisseur’s paradise boasts over 36 different grape varieties. So, Cupid, arm your bow with a personalized wine blend from Judd’s Hill Bottle Blending Day Camp.  And if it creates romantic sparks, purchase four finished bottles for life-changing events, from vow renewals to your golden anniversary.

napa valley vineyard

Pamper each other at Spa Solage. Roll in its specialty mud, a mixture of spring water and volcanic ash, or relax in its lavender-infused sauna. Then watch the sun burst over the horizon together on a private hot-air balloon ride, complete with coffee, pastries, and—you guessed it—champagne.

 

Savannah, Georgia

With Spanish moss casting romantic shadows on cobblestone streets, Savannah, Georgia’s oldest city, is the place to hit your relationship’s refresh button. Book a room at the Planter’s Inn. Then spoon in your plush, terrycloth bathrobes, and watch Amelie on Netflix. Or, slip into a little black dress, and get your social on at its complimentary wine and cheese tasting. Stretch your legs on a Historic Walking Tour, where radio-personality T.C. Michael unravels Savannah’s secrets, from influential historic figures to ghost stomping grounds. Is your relationship in need of a little green therapy? Head out to Tybee Island and steal a kiss in the shadows before the first sunbeams awaken a fiery sky.

savannah georgia

Then get your heart pumping in a kayak for two. Paddle downriver for a chance to spot endangered wood storks, white ibises, or bald eagles. And don’t forget to pack your significant other a romantic, seaside picnic.  Earn brownie points: slip in a bag of River Sweet’s Salt Water Taffy.

 

Seattle, Washington

Sleepless in Seattle, Singles, 10 Things I Hate About You: Seattle goes to the hopeless romantics, according to Amazon’s annual list of the 20 most romantic cities in the U.S. Seattleites scrambled to buy Harlequin Romances— First Comes Love, Me Before You, and The Rosie Project —using Prime Same-Day Delivery, climbing to 14th place. Is it a Valentine’s Day coincidence? We don’t think so. The rainy city has plenty of places to plant one on the love of your life.

couple seattle skyline

The Space Needle is a hunka hunka burning love.  After all, it’s the place where Elvis Presley stole the heart of Joan Blackman in Kid Galahad. And it’s easy to see why.  At 520 feet, you can’t help but ‘ooh and ah’ over its panoramic view of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, as well as downtown’s indigo skyline and neon signs. At the Pink Door, wrap your fork around some Pappardelle Bolognese and enjoy off-the-beaten-path entertainment, from trapeze artists to tarot card readers. Then pick up a box of assorted truffles from Fran’s Chocolates and marinate in a rose-petal bath at Edgewater.

 

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson isn’t just for cactus wrens— it’s for lovebirds, too. Golfers, grab your drivers and conquer the The Sonoran Course: a championship-caliber green featuring nine-holes that trudge up and down the desert hillside. Foodies, let Gourmet Aire sweep you off your feet with a 45-minute aerial tour of the Tucson Vistas. Once you land, a limousine will whisk you away to Kingfisher, where you can savor a plate of fish and chips.

tuscan arizona couple hike

Have a single lady in your life?  Put a ring on it: ride horseback. That’s right. Saddle up and take your lady love on an evening trek through Saguaro National Park.  You can also add a little inner-city magic to your relationship at Sarlot and Eye’s Carnival of Illusion.  This Old-World magic show has a 35-member audience.  The result? Everyone gets a front-row seat.  That means these magicians and illusionists have got to be good. Bonus: the show will give you and your partner something to chat about long after your date has disappeared!

 

New York, New York

Here’s another reason to heart New York: Gothamites streamed the most love songs last year.  In this city that never sleeps, romance is just like Jane’s Carousel, a carnival ride from the 20s located in  : it keeps on spinning.  Luckily, you can relive that ‘butterflies in your stomach, first-love feeling’ at the Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Conservatory, where temperatures flirt with the 80s. You can surround yourself with blue morphos, zebra longwings, and monarchs. Or, you can walk into a real-life fairytale: The Cranford Rose Garden. It’s a perfumed landscape where tens of thousands of roses peek over the pavilions, cascade down arches, and pose in beds.

brooklyn nyc

After you’ve been nurtured through nature, grab some fresh oysters with lemon pepper granita and a cup of sparkling namesake at The River Cafe. Then wrap up your romantic rendezvous with a trip to the Empire State Building’s Top Deck, where you can see up to 80 miles away. As Frank Sinatra, “the Patron Saint of New Jersey”, croons you and your sweetheart can “make a brand new start of it, in old New York, [as] king [and Queen] of the hill, top of the heap.”

 

Knoxville, Tennessee

Surrounded by the swoon-worthy Smoky Mountains, Knoxville is a steamy Southern jewel.  Ignite a spark in your love life at Wine & Canvas’ “Paint Who You Love”. It’s like the sexy and iconic scene from Ghost—except there’s acrylics, a paint by numbers canvas, and a glass of pink champagne. You can also get cheek-to-cheek with your flame at one of Absolute Ballroom’s Group Classes. Exciting, flirtatious, and downright erotic, Absolute Ballroom’s weekend social dance parties will transport you back to Jane Austen’s 18th century, where balls were the ultimate occasion for an electrifying kind of courtship.

tennessee mountains couple

Competitive? Participate in The Cutting Edge’s Cake Wars. Flour, frosting, aprons: need we say more? And don’t forget to visit the Sunsphere. Built for the 1982 World’s Fair, its 24-carat gold panels are an iconic part of K-Town’s skyline. Good eats alert: its Primo Ristorante Italiano serves a filet and lobster entree with garlic mashed potatoes and fagiolini verdi that’ll send your heart aflutter.

5 Romantic New England Winter Getaways

While people in some parts of the country dread the cold season, New England winters are the stuff of fairy tales. From the first hint of snow to the final thaw, the Northeast transforms into a dreamscape, making it the perfect region for your winter getaways. Snow-covered mountains call adrenaline seekers offering every imaginable winter activity from skiing and snowboarding to snowshoeing and sledding. Looking for your next exciting rush? You’ll find it in the New England winters.

Or maybe you’d rather play tourist — and they’ve got something for you too. Quaint towns beg for exploration full of art galleries, restaurants and shopping, and inns, many of them centuries old that always have a fire waiting to warm you after a day spent outdoors. Take a walk through the woods or visit a local spa. Whatever you’re looking for, you’re bound to find it in New England.

Whether you favor an active getaway full of sports and high-energy action, one where you get to squeeze in a whole lot of nothing, or something in between, these five New England winter getaways offer a romantic winter wonderland escape that will satisfy your every need.

Berkshires, Massachusetts

Most people head to the Berkshires in the slightly warmer months for the rich fall foliage, but between the farm-to-table food scene, art institutions, and a plethora of outdoor activities, the Berkshires make for an ideal retreat any time of year. And during the winter, the area is blissfully quiet with little need to worry about restaurant reservations or fighting crowds to see the European and American paintings at the museums. Try the Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast for glam, Cranwell Spa and Golf Resort for pampering, or Brook Farm Inn for tastes of nature. With plenty of winter sports, bed and breakfasts, cabins, campgrounds, resorts, orchards, wineries, and brewers, the Berkshires have something for everyone.

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail crossing Berkshire Pond [panorama]
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail | Photo via Matthew T. Bradley on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Litchfield, Connecticut

When you think New England town, you’re thinking Litchfield County, Connecticut, whether you realize it or not. Small storybook villages, complete with village greens, are dotted along winding roads, broken up by more green space than in any other part of the state. Go wine tasting at Haight-Brown Vineyards, Connecticut’s oldest continually operating winery. Take in the Federal, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Victorian-era architecture in towns that date back to the early 1700s. Wander through the trails of Catlin Woods and stand in awe at trees that are more than 300 years old. Afterward, retreat to Woodlands Cottage, a luxe accommodation on a 113-acre farm, the nine-room Manor House built in the 1800s, or the six-room Inn at Kent Falls. Enjoy the town’s museums, history centers, and theaters, for a fun-packed getaway steeped in local culture.

Between the scenery, the history, and the ambiance, you won’t want to go home.

Kent Falls, Connecticut
Kent Falls, Connecticut

Meredith, New Hampshire

Charming Meredith, New Hampshire is one of the best winter getaways for sports-loving couples. The vibe is adrenaline-pumping with a range of winter sports including skiing, snowboarding, ice fishing, and even ice sailing thanks to Lake Winnipesaukee. The 72-square mile lake serves as the backdrop to the White Mountain locale. After a day of hiking or snowshoeing, or if you’re simply not the biggest adrenaline junkie, take your pick of one of the town’s four inns where spas pamper sore muscles, onsite-restaurants offer localvore refueling, and rooms come with fireplaces for tucking into. It’s the perfect balance of adventure and R&R — the makings of a perfect vacation.

And let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want to spend their vacation staring at this gorgeous view?

White Mountains, New Hampshire
White Mountains, New Hampshire

Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Snow meets sea in this quaint New England village that will have you feeling as though you’ve stepped back in time to the Gilded Age. Here, the glamorous Ocean House that overlooks Watch Hill is a destination unto itself. While many of the shops are closed for the season, the elegant yellow inn with a spa, indoor pool, and farm-to-table options is an ideal spot for snuggling indoors. And if you do feel the need to explore, you can always walk the deserted beach, take in the lighthouse, or go antiquing in one of the nearby towns. Don’t be mistaken: there is more than enough to fill a vacation here.

Watch Hill Rhode Island
Watch Hill Rhode Island | Photo via Latham Jenkins on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Waitsfield, Vermont

Hidden between snowy peaks, Waitsfield is the type of place where you’ll find yourself staring at the landscape in awe. Crisp white snow covers dense trees while classic red barns add a pop of color. Waitsfield is a town that gets into your soul, and you and your sweetheart will find yourself reminiscing about it years later, longing to visit again. You can snuggle up to a fire, go to a beer tasting, chill in one of the many restaurants where it seems an indie band is always playing or hit the slopes at one of the two nearby resorts. Waitsfield’s laid-back vibe offers an “anything goes”  getaway and enough options to please any type of couple. It’s the perfect place to get away from the hurried pace of normal life and slow down for a little while.

winter getaways
Waitsfield, Vermont | Photo via Mike Norton on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Winter sends so many of us into hibernation mode, understandably. You retreat indoors, throw a blanket over your head, and ask a friend to tell you when it’s all over. If you plan the right trip, though, wintertime can be peaceful, relaxing, and possibly even one of your favorite times of the year. And wouldn’t you like to add another vacation to your yearly travel calendar? Life gets busy and stressful. It’s important to hit pause every now and then. Where are you planning on going for your next vacation? What are some of your favorite winter getaways? Have you ever visited one of these New England destinations? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

The Hottest Period Drama Sex Scenes of All Time

Though the words “Merchant Ivory” may have some people thinking of stiff upper-lipped prudish classic novel adaptations, fans of the genre know better. The period-drama is ripe for sexual tension with massive, passionate payoff.

Here are five of the steamiest period-drama love scenes that we just keep coming back to, over and over again.

1. Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas in The English Patient

It swept the Oscars in 1996, winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress with its story of star-crossed lovers Katharine Clifton and the mysterious Count Lazlo (played by Ralph Fiennes), who turns up years later as the mysterious burn victim—“the English patient”—at the end of WWII. Katharine and Lazlo meet on a mapping expedition of Egypt, but alas, Katharine (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) is married to Mr. Darcy. I mean, Colin Firth. Anyway, she’s married. But the sexual tension between Katharine and Lazlo is so immediate and so intense that neither can resist. Though many cite their first romp, in a bathtub, as “the” sex scene of the film, my personal favorite has always been the scene which takes place in a hallway outside a Christmas Party sing-a-long of “Silent Night.”

“Swoon,” Lazlo tells Katherine. “I’ll catch you.”

2. James McAvoy and Kiera Knightley in Atonement

Robbie is the son of the groundskeeper of Cecilia’s massive family estate. It is 1935, and the gulf between the two, in terms of class, is unlikely to be breached. But Cecilia loves Robbie with a passion that can only occur in impossible love. Finally, after a crude letter (of Robbie’s to Cecilia, never meant to be read) is delivered, the two find themselves finally alone in the family library. Keira Knightley, in a stunning, clinging emerald green dress, tells Robbie she loves him. In one of literature’s most explosive library sex scenes, the two finally consummate their relationship, only to unwittingly set Robbie’s devastating demise into motion.

3. Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander in A Royal Affair

In this true story of the 18th century royalty in Denmark, the gorgeous Alicia Vikander plays unhappy queen to an oafish king. When a dark and handsome doctor (ENTER: MADS MIKKELSEN) is enlisted to help the king control his impulsive behavior, it’s inevitable that the Queen finds a sympathetic companion . . . and more. The sexual tension comes to a head during a masked ball, where Vikander finally hands Mikkelsen the key to her room. The rest is (true) history.

4. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina

Period-drama queen Keira Knightley breathed new life into Tolstoy’s classic heroine Anna Karenina in the 2012 film adaptation with the help of her costar, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I suppose dancing at a ball was the period-drama equivalent of locking eyes at a crowded bar, because when Vronsky lays eyes on Anna we know it’s just a matter of time before the two get together, and boy, do they ever. Vronsky and Anna are both wild and desperate, and the way he looks at her (through Johnson’s piercingly gorgeous blue eyes) would make any woman want to jump into bed with him.

Side note: IRL, Taylor-Johnson is married to Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed him in 2009’s Nowhere Boy. Despite the fact that she is 23 years older than him, they have two children together. He even took her last name. Do you need any other reasons to love him? Nope.