Romantic getaways to take this Valentine's Day in New York, Pennsylvania more

This year, how about putting some spice into your annual Valentine’s Day ritual by turning it into a weekend getaway. At a time when this pandemic has reached an unnerving number of cases, travelers are forced, once again, to avoid airports and stay close to home. So, why not do it with panache?

The following five locations and lodgings offer a novel way to celebrate Valentine's Day — and the whole month of February. Choose from Adirondack towns that are not Lake Placid; a 4-Diamond Inn in the midst of rural Amish Country; a Central Pennsylvania brewery topped with romantic luxury suites; a former Ritz-Carlton hard by a high-end shopping mall; or an artsy SoHo beauty.

Saranac Waterfront Lodge

Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, the Wild Center, New York

Adirondack towns in upstate New York are enchanting year-round, but they are especially transporting in winter when holiday lights reflect off snow-covered streets and shops. And, on raised boardwalks and throughout forests. The Wild Center, in Tupper Lake, puts its own fun and educational spin on wildlife conservation and environmentalism — turning magical in winter when night comes early. From late November through February, the Wild Center presents "Wild Lights," when woodlands and the elevated outdoor Wild Walk are bejeweled with twinkling lights, rendering an evening’s stroll here one of the most romantic ways to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend with your special person. (Wild Lights run 5-7 p.m. Friday/Saturday eves, and every night from Feb 18-26, $10 per person). Stay at the new luxury Saranac Waterfront Lodge in nearby Saranac Lake. The only hotel right on the waterfront — it’s proved to be a popular wedding venue. The Sweetheart Package includes deluxe room, a bottle of Chandon Brut Rose delivered to room on arrival; House-made chocolate truffles and macaroons; and a 4-course dinner for two with three wine pairings and a welcome sparkling cocktail with amuse-bouche, starting at $420 per night weekday for town-view room, $520 for lake-view room, ($650-$750 weekend), excluding taxes and fees. Feb. 3-21.

INFO: saranacwaterfrontlodge.com

ModernHaus SoHo

New York City

The neighborhood that encompasses those quaint, cobblestone lanes south of Houston Street — SoHo — is going through a honeymoon of sorts, which is why couples on theirs are flocking here in droves. One of the most alluring of Manhattan’s districts, you’ll find art galleries, cute shops, and a variety of great restaurants within its famous Victorian-era cast-iron buildings. It’s not surprising that this uber-romantic area of the city is home to some of New York’s most charming and artsy boutique hotels. One, ModernHaus SoHo (formerly James SoHo), is unique in that it soars 18 stories without abutting any other building, providing positively lyrical lower Manhattan views. ModernHaus also serves as an ersatz museum for the midcentury modern art collection of co-owner, Jack J. Sitt, which can be found throughout three in-house restaurants — one, helmed by Michelin starred chef, George Mendes, and another on the pool area roof deck. Le Reve (the Dream) Package includes daily breakfast for two in bed (by Michelin-starred chef, George Mendes), trendy ModernHaus slippers by BRUNCH, and a 2 p.m. checkout. Starts at $1,200 for two nights in Queen Room (includes taxes and fees).

INFO: modernhaushotel.com

The Opus

White Plains, New York

Formerly the Ritz Carlton, The Opus, an Autograph Collection Hotel, sits right across the street from the high-end Westchester Mall. So, couples who love to shop can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring merchandise from Gucci, Burberry, David Yurman, Tesla, Peloton, and over 100 other stores. Afterward, return to the hotel to take a dip in the hotel’s glass-enclosed rooftop pool while basking in the slanted light of sunset or the drama of a February snowstorm. The Opus is running a special Valentine’s Weekend Package that includes luxury accommodations, use of the hotel’s amenities, and a six-course oyster and black winter truffle dinner for two at the top-floor Kanopi Restaurant. $650 per night (excludes alcohol, gratuity, and taxes). Runs Feb 11-14.

INFO: marriott.com

Rusty Rail Brewery Suites

Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

Although it’s just a few miles from the Bucknell University town of Lewisburg in Central Pennsylvania, Mifflinburg remains very off the radar. In the 1800s, however, this village was the center of buggy-manufacturing in America. Now, some of those factories have turned to shops, museums, and restaurants: And, one of the most remarkably romantic all-suite inns in the least likely place. Above a brewery. The Rusty Rail Brewery Suites are beautifully appointed mini-apartments, most with fireplaces, jaccuzi tubs, and new upscale kitchens. While in many cities, guest rooms of this caliber would cost close to or above six figures per night, the Rusty Rail suites are offering a Valentine’s Getaway package on weekdays in February for $160 per night (plus tax), that includes a bottle of Champagne in your room and a complimentary appetizer of your choice downstairs in the Brew Pub. Special runs throughout February.

INFO: rustyrailbrewing.com

Inn at Leola Village

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

The constant clip-clop of horse and buggy. Undulating roads through miles of farmland. Amish-owned stores selling quilts, house-cured cheeses, and handmade furniture. This is the simplicity of a Lancaster Country, Pennsylvania, weekend, which is, honestly, romantic enough. But add a luxury hotel complex, and you’ve got a Valentine's Day escape like no other. What is now the Inn at Leola Village was initially a tobacco farm, built in the mid-1800s. But by 1999, it was slated for demolition. Local visionaries resolved to turn the cluster of dilapidated buildings into luxury lodging: one, they said, that would earn a Triple A 4-Diamond award some day. Skeptics scoffed, "That will happen when pigs fly!" (Which explains the reoccurring flying pig motif at this now 4-Diamond, Forbes-approved inn). Although the Inn at Leola Village caters to couples in love year-round, its Romance Package ups the ante with luxury accommodations, a three-course dinner for two at on-site Osteria Avanti, breakfast for two, six fresh long-stem roses, and a chilled bottle of Champagne. Cost from $900-plus per couple for two nights based on availability. Runs all year.

INFO: theinnatleolavillage.com