Before you’ve vacuumed away those last shreds of tinsel, now Valentine’s Day peers its little heart-shaped head around the corner.  Admittedly for some, this is a non-event (would that be more true of the unmarried or the married among us)?  However, for those of us who do spark to this holiday of the hearts but are looking for inspiration beyond 1-800 Flowers, this struck us as being a worthy consideration…

You Can Give a Giftcard to a Bed and Breakfast — But Choose Which One and When Down the Road…

There is something decidedly romantic to whisking (or being whisked) away to a surprise weekend retreat, but if that notion does not appeal to your pragmatic side, we love this solution.  You can go to bedandbreakfast.com, the largest content aggregator and database of Bed and Breakfasts in the U.S. and Canada on the web, and buy a giftcard directly from them.  Then together you can have fun scrolling through almost 4,000 participating options via the directory they’ll send you with your giftcard purchase, or online.

Giftcards are available in a broad range of denominations, and to add a little personal flair, they can be customized with a photo or one of their designs (and they ship for free, with complimentary FedEx for cards valued at $100 or more).  There are no accompanying blackout periods for when you ultimately decide to book (and no expiration dates).

What’s not included: a really good weekend babysitter, so you can actually take advantage…

www.bedandbreakfast.com