If you need to stay local but want to do something other than a plain old birthday sleepover at your house for teens or you are in need of a different way to spice up a birthday evening other than dinner at a nice restaurant, try a place that feels like its miles away: a hotel. An upscale hotel for a spouse or a less expensive, more kid-friendly one is perfect for the next birthday party.
Romatic Getaway
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Surprise your wife with a romantic getaway that is still close to home. Reserve a suite in a nice hotel and call ahead to see if you can go in to add some personal touches.
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Fill the bathtub with water and rose petals along with a rose petal trail leading to the bedroom with a thick rose petal heart shape on the bed. If the room has a refrigerator, set a bottle of champagne and a single rose inside and set chocolate-covered strawberries on the counter. Lastly, rent a few of her favorite movies for a night of sappy romance.
Game Time Fun
For your husband or boyfriend, give him a present he will get to enjoy all night long. Find a hotel that has a large, flat screen TV option, along with a mini-bar and killer room service. Decorate the room with a miniature door-hanging basketball goal, paper footballs on the table along with a deck of cards. Tie a few balloons to the most comfortable chair in the room and set it in front of the TV.
Then bring your honey to the hotel for a birthday where he gets to call the shots—literally. Allow him to watch his favorite sports teams or events, like pay per view boxing matches, all night. If he tires of the TV, play a little one-on-one basketball, poker or paper football. Be sure to have plenty of snacks around like mixed nuts, chips and beverages.
For Teens
Rent two hotel rooms next door, one for the parents and the other for your teens. Before the party, decorate the hotel room with a Happy Birthday banner, streamers, balloons and trays of snacks. Also ask each parent to pack their teen a small overnight bag, complete with pajamas, toiletry items, a swim suit and a change of clothes.
Keep the destination a secret—even from the birthday girl. Pick up her friends one by one and watch the anticipation build. The groups will love having a sleepover party in their own room.
Allow the girls to select their own activities like swimming in the hotel's pool or playing games and renting movies in their room. Order pizzas to be delivered to their room or allow them to have room service from the hotel menu. Then, let them stay up late, gossiping or giggling about boys.
Spa Room
For your best girl friend, surprise her by a trip to a homemade spa. Go to the hotel early to decorate the room with a small, portable bubbling water fountain, a pitcher of ice water with sliced oranges and limes, fluffy robes, comfy slippers and various types of face masks, foot scrubs and manicure tools. Also set out some gossip magazines and books for browsing.
Place dainty sandwiches and miniature sweet treats, like tiny puff pastries or fruit with chocolate dip, in the refrigerator for snacking. Then bring your friend to the hotel for a relaxing, enjoyable birthday where you can share girly gossip and relax in your hotel room spa.
Hotel Scavenger Hunt
This works best with only you and your special someone, as a hotel full of children running around, looking for clues is certainly a good way to be escorted out.
Before you bring your wife to the hotel, visit the hotel and write various clues, using places within the hotel, like the restaurant, pool and workout area or business center. Ask the hotel if you can place clues (hidden well enough so other guests cannot happen upon them) around their property and also decorate the room. For really throw her off, start the clues at home, with one of them leading you to the hotel.
The very last clue should include a room key and room number. When she walks in, she will be surprised with bouquets of flowers, Happy Birthday balloons and the best decoration of all, her friends and family, who arrived hours earlier and have been keeping quiet, waiting for her to find them.
Be sure to have dinner reservations at the hotel's restaurant or a restaurant within walking distance to celebrate with everyone before heading back to the hotel for the evening. While you are out, have someone from the hotel come in to set out a tray of her favorite cookies and a card and an elegantly wrapped present from you. She will be surprised a second time, which makes for an excellent birthday.