It's love, suite love!

So, still clueless as to where – and how – you and the love of your life are spending Valentine’s Day today? Shall we count the ways? If indeed your love is deep and your purse even deeper, we can count a thousand and one ways. But Valentine’s Day or not, there’s one really special way the two of you can spend quiet, quality time together. The suite secret is out: On Valentine’s Day, The Westin Philippine Plaza is formally unveiling its Couples Room at the Spa.

"We thought it would be more fun if we opened on Valentine’s Day," says Westin GM Shane Cunning, the dashing guy from Down Under who’s got a lot of exciting ideas up his sleeve. "But we’ve been testing it for a while now – we just want to make sure it’s perfect so we held up the opening."

And who better to test it than the wife? Shane’s wife Laura, that is. So, what was the wife’s verdict?

"My wife just loves it!" Shane gushes. "She goes to spas quite a bit so she’s very critical. But here, she couldn’t pick any fault. She was very complimentary of the whole thing."

While the Couples Room is Shane’s baby, he says that the idea came from customer feedback. He points out, "A lot of them are members of our fitness club, they come in with their wives. We have a lot of Korean honeymooners and couples having their weddings at the Westin, and somebody suggested we put up something like this. And since we have available space, here it is."

Shane had a hand in designing the room. "But everyone put in their own ideas," he shares. "With the big bed, mirrors, drapes hanging over the bed, the room looks surprisingly different. The bed looks like a four-poster but it’s not restricting, you don’t feel like you’re in a cage. This one is open. I love it!"

Touches of green – Shane’s favorite color – on the carved bed done by local craftsmen make for bedded bliss and tranquility. And to complete the suite ambience, there’s the simply fab tub.

"It’s perfectly contoured to your body," Shane promises. "Honestly, we quite randomly picked it, it was the most expensive on the local market. We thought the most expensive is usually the best so we bought it and I tell you it’s well worth it. You’ve got to try it to believe!"

No ifs and baths about it, you’re bound to fall in love with this whirlpool bath for two. Whether you’re big or small, you – and your partner – can fit in comfortably. There are pads so soft to rest your head on. The water caresses with its nice and warm feel.

"Seven couples have tested it and they were very happy and wanted to come back," says Shane.

Now, you have a pretty good idea where some of your couple friends will be today.

Shane gives us this scenario: "The couple arrives. They have a drink – maybe champagne, fruit juice or a glass of water. Then they have a choice – do they want to have a bath straightaway together or do they want to have a massage first? If they’re like me, they’d go for a beautiful, very tranquil massage first while they’re lying side by side in bed. After the massage, they can have their bath. After that, they have some free time together – they can continue with their bath or whatever."

Or they can nibble on some goodies while they sip their champagne. "After you have your massage, you press a button by your bed and there’s a table that electronically comes up," says Shane. "We set up the table for a nice, romantic afternoon tea, dinner or whatever."

Everything is set up – yes, including the bathtub with your choice of scents, soaps and essential oils – before the couple comes in. Should the couple want privacy, they can always lock the door.

There are three romantic ways to enjoy the Couples Room. The one-and-a-half-hour Tender Package, which costs P3,000 for walk-in/house guests and P2,500 for members, includes a 15-minute candlelit whirlpool bath for two, bath crystals, 45-minute Tender body massage for two, 30 minutes of togetherness, two pieces of loofah scrubs, two bottles of complimentary water on an ice bucket and use of robe and slippers. The two-hour Sensual Package, priced at P4,500 for walk-in/house guests and P4,000 for members, offers two glasses of fresh fruit shake; 15-minute candlelit whirlpool bath for two; choice of softening milk baths or crystal bubble salts; one-hour Sensual body massage for two; 15-minute body moisturizing with a choice of lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang and jasmine lotion; a box of chocolate pralines or truffles; 30 minutes of togetherness; two pieces of loofah scrub; use of robe and slippers; and a pot of infused hot tea. It gets even hotter with the three-hour Passionate Package, which is offered at P7,500 for walk-in/house guests and P7,000 for members, and includes a bottle of champagne; choice of softening milk baths or crystal bubble baths; one-hour Passionate massage for two; choice of moisturizing lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang and jasmine lotion; 30 minutes of togetherness; two 45-minute foot spa treatment; a gourmet spa meal served in a specially designed table rising in the middle of the bed.

The beauty of it all is you don’t have to check in to avail yourself of the Couples Room. "Anybody at any time can come along," says Shane. "But they should book in advance so we can prepare it nicely as well and make sure the champagne is chilled and the water is hot before they arrive."

What’s more, the room is available round-the-clock as the Spa is open 24 hours a day (for details, call 832-6991 to 95). "The peak hours are from 4 p.m. to 12 midnight," says Spa manager Cathy Velez. "More than a dozen couples have booked for Valentine’s Day. Just give us 45 minutes to set up and prepare the room for you. Some men are even asking if it’s possible to bring not their wives but their female ‘friends.’"

"No!!! Hahaha!" Shane says with a hearty laugh.

Outside the Couples Room is the Relaxation Room where one can have a massage or simply lie and relax while enjoying soothing spa music and nature scenes on DVD. The ladies also have the option to have other treatments like a body scrub, a body wrap and even a botox!

While love may be enough to nurture the spirit, the Westin Spa makes sure it has something to nourish the body as well. Yes, the Spa offers delightful cuisine to warm the heart and the belly. It’s prepared by chef Brian Farrell, he with the smiling Irish eyes. He can whip up a healthy/aphrodisiac menu for two – whatever your heart desires.

"We think our Couples Room is a perfect gift not just for Valentine’s Day but for birthdays and anniversaries," says Shane. "It’s not that expensive and couples can enjoy it together."

At the Mandarin Oriental, Manila, love is really suite! It offers couples – engaged, just married or long married – assorted suite deals for the whole year. There’s the Honeymooners Delight package, starting at US$185++ – an overnight stay in a junior suite inclusive of breakfast for two via room service or at the chic Paseo Uno, a welcome bottle of wine, a box of sinfully delicious pralines and a luxurious bath time treat replete with delicate petal sprinkles, scented oils and candles courtesy of the Oriental Spa. The couple may also choose to pamper themselves at the Oriental Spa and go for the Couple’s Delight package for P5,940net, which includes a Thai Asian Blend massage, chocolate scrub, steam bath and decadent pralines for two.

"We found out that many of those who book their honeymoon are not just after their stay, they’re also after a relaxation at the spa or other activities," says Alu Suarez, Mandarin Oriental, Manila director of sales and marketing. "For most young couples, it’s not just a quiet time for the two of them. Servicing local and overseas markets, we find that many of our partners who put together a honeymoon package are asking if we could add special interest activities to our package, like incorporating a full-day arrangement at the spa."

Alu adds that while the most important components of a honeymoon package used to be the stay, bed (more on this later) and room service, today’s honey-mooners want to do a lot more. "They want to get involved in special interest activities and to try the specialty restaurants. Not that you don’t see the ‘Do not disturb’ sign outside their door anymore. It’s just that while they want that element of privacy, they want to have other options immediately. I guess that for couples now, the level of intimacy is introduced early in the relationship that there’s not that much hunger to be left alone. They want more flexibility, something out of the box."

And something spa-cially relaxing. When the couple checks in, says Alu, they get a nice card that says "Let us know when you want your bath time treat." They simply call the Oriental Spa for that bath time treat. They can opt to have their massage at the Spa, where there’s a couples room, or they can have it in the privacy of their suite.

For the last 27 years, Mandarin Oriental, Manila has been the elegant venue of many a wedding reception. "Years ago, the popular months for getting married were December and January," says Alu. "Now, most months are peak marrying months, with only August as the slowest, maybe because of the rainy season."

Part of the hotel’s assorted wedding packages is an overnight stay which the couple can take either before or after the wedding. "A lot of couples want to take it before the wedding," says Alu. "More and more brides prefer coming from the hotel instead of their house on their wedding day maybe because it’s more convenient."

Now that they’ve found the perfect partner in life – or so they think – what more could they ask for?

"We get the usual request for more pillows," says Alu. "Before they check in, they can choose from the pillow menu that our suites offer – if you want feather, orthopedic, etc."

Alu adds, "The beauty of our rooms is that our bathrooms are very large to give a feeling of space. And of course, all our beds are specially designed for comfortable sleep. We have made specifications with our bedmakers for special firm coils so that when one is moving on one side of the bed, the other sleeping beside him/her is not affected. And if your partner is snoring, we provide ear plugs."

So, what are the unusual requests?

"Surprises in terms of food," says Alu. "To surprise the new bride, the husband will ask for some chocolates in a special preparation or her favorite mango cheesecake served first thing in the morning with the breakfast. Or sometimes, they come up with their presents like a piece of jewelry they ask us to wheel in with the breakfast tray. Of course, we make sure the bride finds it and does not choke on it."

For this season of love, Mandarin offers even suite-r deals for couples. There are three irresistible Valentine packages offered from Feb. 13 to Feb. 15. For details and reservations, call 750-8888.

A suite experience is what the Peninsula Manila offers. Imagine being picked up in a posh limo for a candlelit dinner for two at The Lobby, Old Manila, Mi Piace, Spices, Nielsen’s or The Conservatory.

"Our suite package rates start at US$200++ at 50 percent off published rates," says Joseph Arias of Peninsula PR office. "For local residents, a superior room goes for only P4,250++ per night. For a two-night stay, add P500 and you get a choice of massage for two either in the room or in the spa, afternoon tea or a third night free (for inquiries or reservations, call Room Reservations at 887-2888 local 2100)."

On hotel row, it may as well be Christmas. "It’s Christmas of the hearts," says Joseph. "Hotels and other hospitality establishments get their fair share of business on V-Day."

Guests at the Pen don’t only get a lot of city view but also lots of amenities. Even a junior suite is luxuriously furnished with a living room, a king-size bed, a large business desk complete with fax machine and office supplies (in case the couple wants to write home?), phone with Internet access, a powder room with a marble wash basin, spacious bathtub area, a walk-in shower stall, a vanity area, two 25-inch TV sets equipped with 42 cable channels and pay-per-view movies.

Now, ain’t that suite?