Don't get a room this Valentine's Day

The outdoors is where you should be this valentine's weekend. FYI scouts the city and brings you 5 open-air romance options

So you were scrunched up in that darned office all week and didn't have a second to spare to plan for the upcoming mush weekend. But your lover expects it to be nothing short of perfect. Teddies, flowers and OTT heart-shaped cards selling at traffic lights won't do. Breathe. You don't have to spend yet another Valentine's under the sheets. Alone, we mean. We looked around for ways you could enjoy the outdoors without getting mobbed by the moral police.



What: Set off on a sunset sail
Where: on the Arabian Sea
For: Rs 15k onwards
Let the warm sunshine light up your face as you enjoy your personal Titanic moment. Seatime Yacht Charters offer a range of boats, from the Gulfcraft Majesty 66, a luxury yacht with four rooms, to the cutesy Bayliner, perfect for twosomes. The three hour-long Sunset Cruise (Rs 15,000 onwards) lets you enjoy a breathtaking view of the sunset from the harbour while you cruise around the Elephanta islands. You could choose a longer ride and spend the day on board (Rs 20,000 onwards), while the boat takes you to Alibaug for a sumptuous lunch. Seatime can customise a package in keeping with your budget and preferances. Aquasail is also organising a Valentine's Day special sunset sail on the Beneteau 7.5 that will run for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Call: 9920190935 / 32502856 (Seatime Yacht Charters).
Log on to www.aquasailindia.com

What: Picnic by a secluded waterfall
where: Pandavkada, Navi Mumbai
For: Free
For most of us, Navi Mumbai is that far-off suburb with fancy local train stations done up in granite. That's why some of the city's best-kept secrets remain exactly so. Pack some sandwiches and wine in a small picnic basket, and set off with your sweetie on a long drive. Once you exit Belapur, you will see a road to your left that leads up the hill. Go past the check post to get onto a smooth-as-butter stretch with gorgeous top-angle views of the township. And if you are looking for a more remote spot, ask the locals for the Pandavkada waterfalls (check whether it's open to public since sometimes the spot is cordoned off), climb up (takes half an hour), spread out your picnic mat and spend a peaceful afternoon listening to the sound of cascading water.

What: Take her to the top of the world
Where: Chopper ride over northern suburbs
For: Rs 15k onwards
Aviation companies are willing to put together a package that lets you and your honey enjoy a view only the gods and a privileged few are entitled to. MAB Aviation is renting its three-seater airplane with "a pilot who will neither look back nor eavesdrop," says managing partner Mandar Bharde. The 30-minute ride on Sky Hawk 172 will have you fly over the northern suburbs. If a chopper is more your style, the spacious Bell 407 can be yours for half an hour for Rs 45,000, while a joyride on the simpler Bell 206 costs Rs 30,000. Efficient Flyers is giving out its Cessna 172 aircraft and choppers too.u00a0

Call: 9833006400 (Efficient Flyers) and 9819604708(MAB Aviation)

What: Snuggle up in AC comfort
Where: 90-minute BEST bus ride
For: rs 71
If your budget is tight but the tetrapods at Marine Drive seem too shady to seek refuge in, steal a few private moments in a BEST AC bus. Coochie-coo all the way through to your destination, away from prying eyes and pesky beggars, in the backseat of a bus for less than the price of a movie ticket. We suggest you get on bus No 70 that takes you from Mira Road station to Worli, right across the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. See the sun caress the blue waters at the fag end of your smooth 90-minute journey. For added privacy, get on one with curtains

What: Sleep under the stars
Where: Khopoli
For: Rs 1,100 per person
Remember Ross and Rachel from Friends spending a romantic night under a projection of stars inside the planetarium? Do it better than the on-screen couple, under a real blanket of twinkling stars. Freespirit is organising an overnight trip to an open campsite near Khopoli (merely an hour's drive from Mumbai), where you can spend the night snuggled up in your sleeping bag while experts take you through The Great Bear
constellation.
From: February 13 (4.30 pm) to February 14 (7 am)
Call: 9869201443 / 24442944