What Happens in Colombia on Valentine’s Day?

In Colombia, Valentine’s Day isn’t on February 14. Instead, it’s on the 3rd Saturday of September.

But that’s about the only difference there is. Colombians also celebrate this day the same way as everyone else. Día de Amor y Amistad or “Day of Love and Friendship” is a day where everyone expresses their love for each other. And it isn’t limited to lovers and married couples. Friends and family also celebrate this day.

Everyone – Colombian women, men, and children – go around town and expect to see red hearts adorning every surface. With how commercialized this annual holiday is, of course everyone would take advantage of it. Flowers and chocolates are being sold left and right, while hotel prices go up just for that single day.

But that’s not the only way Colombians celebrate the day of love. If you’re trying to get a date in Colombia for this holiday, you need to know how the ladies there spend their Valentine’s first. There isn’t really a strict procedure on how to go about wooing a Colombian. But all the same, you ought to know how they spend the day anyway.

Candlelit Dinners

Par for the course, right? There is no Valentine’s without a candlelit dinner on Valentine’s Day itself. Couples go on romantic dates, maybe spend the day doing fun things like going to the arcade, watching a movie, going on long walks, and so on – but a candlelit dinner is never far.

Because of this, fancy restaurants get so fully booked that some people might actually have to get a reservation two weeks early. The same could be said about hotel rooms. You have a better chance of getting a room if you book way earlier than you think you should have.

Here are Colombia’s top ten 5 star hotels that you should probably book early before Valentine’s Day:

• 10th place - Blue Apple Beach House

• 9th place - Movich Cartagena de Indias

• 8th place - Ecohabs Tayrona

• 7th place - W Bogotá

• 6th place - The Dreamer Hostel

• 5th place - Bastión Luxury Hotel

• 4th place - Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina

• 3rd place - Casa San Agustín

• 2nd place - Hotel Boutique Sazagua

• 1st place - Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena

As one might expect, these hotels will most likely be expensive. The rates during Día de Amor y Amistad will fluctuate depending on the holiday. While there are those that will have discounts on account of Día de Amor y Amistad, there are also hotels that will make their rates climb high.

But the money will all have been worth it in the end. These hotels deserve their reputation for not only having the perfect ambiance, but also good customer service. Having a pool nearby and getting room service is also a guaranteed plus. Not to mention the bar that serves plenty of drinks.

Going to Planetario de Medellin

No one said you should stick to standard Valentine’s practices. Families and friends often go to Planetario de Medellin to listen to a speaker talk about whatever recent events and discoveries there are regarding the universe. Basically, this is a date in a planetarium.

This happens every second to the last Friday of every month, which is perfect since it’s close to Colombia’s Valentine’s Day in September.

Spa Dates

This is the best kind of date if you just want to unwind and be pampered. Women really love going to spas because they get treated like queens while getting a treatment that makes them healthier and prettier. And who says only women get to enjoy them? Men also go out of their way to get spa treatment too!

There are spas all over Colombia, and luckily for you, there are also spas in some of the hotels listed above.

But if you want a full spa treatment, go for places like Hotel & Spa Getsemaní. Or if you want a more thorough spa treatment, then go for actual spas in Cartagena, such as:

• SoSpa

• Aurum Spa

• Bastión Luxury Spa

• Santa Teresa Spa

• Casón del Colegio Hotel Spa

• Kúa Spa

• Aqoral Spa

• Tcherassi Spa

• Casa Pestagua Spa

A session usually takes about 1 or 2 hours, depending on which package you want to get. It’s a perfect stop before you and your girl head into your hotel to finish off your romantic date.

Going on a Trip

Then there are those who would rather go on an adventure than stay in the city right where people are going to get overly cuddly in public.

Not everyone wants a standard Valentine’s date. Some couples like to do things that aren’t the norm, and that could either be playing laser tag with all of their friends or leaving the country for a bit to go traveling.

If this is your thing, then why not go camping with your date? There are many camping sites in Colombia that you could visit. Just enjoy nature and sleep under the stars with your girl.

Here are some of the best camping spots in Colombia:

• Pance, Valle del Cauca

• Matarredonda, Cundinamarca

• Suesca, Cundinamarca

• Villa de Leyva and Iguaque, Boyacá

• Salento, Quindio

This also allows you to explore Colombia during your visit. What better way to see all the best places in the country than going camping with your date? And if it’s not a camping trip, why not drive around and go bar-hopping? Anything can be done during the day of love, after all.

The Abundance of Flowers

With the holiday the way it is, of course Valentine’s flowers and Valentine’s chocolates are going to be bought and given left and right. Just keep in mind that the best flowers to get a girl are those that express your love and affection. You can also go splurging on a metric-ton of chocolates. After all, this is the day that both items are most abundant.

And don’t forget the wine. That goes hand-in-hand with chocolates and flowers. During your candlelit dinner with her, that wine is going to go well with the luxurious meal. Not to mention it’s just a perfect addition to a romantic date. You can bet that Colombia is going to commercialize that as well as the other gifts.

So if you’re interested in going to Colombia for Valentine’s Day, wait until September. This 2022, it’s going to be on September 17th, so mark your calendars!