VALENTINE'S DAY IMAGERY... runs a glamorous gamut, from photographs of gussied-up couples doing it up on the town to lavish floral bouquets to pricey candies to yachts and beyond. Likewise, the terms that flutter around the holiday tend to be consistent each year, with "love" and "hearts" and "heat" and "hot" showing up in advertisements and articles alike. But "heat" has a few different expressions, from the warm 'n gooey fondue that's popular on the holiday to sizzle-up-your-relationship quick tips. But if you're seeking out a different sort of heat, the kind that is associated not with cooking, or canoodling, but an actual visit-ready place, look no further than one of the hottest spots in all the land: Death Valley National Park. Of course, when it is February, right around Valentine's Day, you're more apt to find jacket-ready days around the arid desert space, instead of the famous three-digit-y heat waves that arrive around late spring. Still, here's your heat-making plan for a (normally) hot place: Peruse the...
ROMANCE GETAWAY... suggestions at Furnace Creek Resort. The historic spread has a host of ways to spend "(t)hree idyllic days" while staying on the property, including watching the sun come up from Zabriskie Point, hiking at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and spa-ing the afternoon away at The Inn at Furnace Creek. The suggested, self-guided itineraries are reminders that while Death Valley is famously vast, it isn't "empty" in any sense of the word, and building a lovey lark, with plenty of adventures, is a snap. Just be sure to pack a few layers, for those chillier February evenings, for while Valentine's Day is all about "hot" fun, one of the hottest and driest places on the planet won't be in its peak summer form. Eager to see what Furnace Creek Resort suggests for lovebirds, as far as outings around the national park go? Here are your hot tips.
