30 Best Stay At Home Date Ideas For Valentine's Day

Last Updated on 9th February 2023

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Best Stay At Home Date Ideas For Valentine's Day

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d put together my list of the best stay at home date ideas. This time last year (Feb 2020), Matt and I were celebrating Valentine’s Day in Cambodia and this year (2021), we’re in the midst of our third lockdown in the UK, in the middle of a global pandemic, with the ability to enjoy date night outside still looking like it’s a bit far in the future…

However, I’ve never been against date night at home and I actually quite welcome it. While it’s always so lovely to get dressed up and head out on a night on the town, there’s something much more special and intimate enjoying date night at home together.

If you’re struggling for inspiration this year and you want to shake up your Valentine’s Day a bit, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite date ideas at home that you can enjoy on a special (albeit very Hallmark-esque and commercialised) day such as Valentine’s Day, or indeed any other romantic evening of the year.

1. Cooking a nice meal – stay at home date ideas

Cooking a nice meal might not be something completely out of the ordinary for you as a couple, but cooking up something extra special on Valentine’s Day, especially if you make it together is always such a lovely idea.

If only one of your fancies cooking however, why not assign one person to be in charge of the ambience and music for the evening, while the other person cooks? It’s always nice to share the load and show your appreciation for each other.

2. Games night

Games night is one of mine and Matt’s favourite type of stay at home date nights. Whether you’re more into competitive games such as Monopoly, or you just prefer to test each other’s knowledge with a fun quiz, games night is always a winner for a date night at home.

3. Dance party – date ideas at home

Dance parties are another great way to spend Valentine’s Day at home together. Bring out the fancy bottle of wine, put on a playlist of your favourite songs and dance the evening away together.

You could even have a fun dance off and see which one of you has the best moves!

4. Netflix and chill

I’m sure watching Netflix is an activity that we’ve all become very familiar with over the last year or so, with the pandemic rendering us unable to do very little else.

So while it might not be something drastically different to how you’d usually spend your evenings at home, why not spend your date night at home on Valentine’s Day watching a new series or film that you’ve both wanted to watch for a while?

5. Make candles

Matt bought me a really cool candle making kit for Christmas, complete with fancy scents and different coloured wax, so I’m really excited to get properly stuck into making them and I think it would also be a great date night idea that you can enjoy together.

It’s probably something a bit different from the kind of date ideas that you’re used to and it could be an activity that you decide to do more often together!

6. Baking – at home date ideas

I’m not actually one for baking; I much prefer just cooking instead but I know so many people who love to bake and I think it can be a great way to spend Valentines’s Day together at home, especially if the weather outside is wintery; it’ll make you feel so cosy to bake something warm and comforting!

7. Have an indoor picnic

Set up a blanket on the floor in your living room, grab some picnic-worthy snacks (and drinks!) and create a romantic picnic date from the comfort of your home.

It might not be quite as good as enjoying an outdoor picnic in the warm summer sun, but it’s a great alternative for a Valentine’s Day date night at home.

8. Create a fort

I’m a firm believer that you should always try to rekindle the child inside you and what better way to do so on Valentine’s Day than to make a fort at home?

Building the fort itself is sure to be tremendous amounts of fun, but once you’ve actually got everything set up, it’ll be the perfect place to base yourselves for the afternoon/evening so you can enjoy plenty of snacks, games and movies.

9. DIY massages – stay at home date night

Treat your partner to a fancy at-home massage this Valentine’s Day; but don’t forget to take it in turns and make sure your partner returns the favour!

10. Create a mini spa

Speaking of relaxing treats, create a mini spa experience at home and treat yourself and your partner to a fancy face mask, full body scrub and moisturiser and get into your comfiest clothes to enjoy an afternoon of utter relaxation.

11. Make a cinema snack bar

Dates at the cinema are one of my favourite experiences as I love the excitement of watching a new movie on the big screen, complete with copious amounts of ridiculously overpriced snacks.

You can easily recreate a cinema snack bar at home and fill it with all your favourite goodies to enjoy while watching your favourite films together.

12. Rewatch old videos of you together

This is one of my favourite things to do, either on my own or with Matt as we’ve taken so much wonderful footage together over the years.

I particularly love watching our GoPro videos from travelling, but you could also watch your wedding video for example, or any old videos from when you first got together. It’s such a romantic idea for a date night at home as it’s sure to bring back so many lovely memories.

13. Play cards – date night ideas at home

As I mentioned above, Matt and I love a good games night together, but one of our favourite date nights at home is to simply just play cards.

We sometimes make it into a drinking game where the loser has to do a shot, but you could just as easily play card games that you both know and love, or try and learn a new one to play together.

14. Make your own cocktails

Going out for fancy, albeit insanely overpriced, cocktails is something that I absolutely love to do, but as bars and restaurants are still closed in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I think it’ll be a great idea to make your own cocktail evening at home for Valentine’s Day.

You don’t even have to be an expert mixologist to enjoy this activity; just grab the ingredients for your favourite drinks and get shaking (or stirring, if you prefer!).

15. Give each other makeovers

This is still something I’m yet to convince Matt to partake in, but I think it would be such a fun idea to get your partner to give you a makeover, or for you to give them one.

Test your partner’s creative makeup skills and have a fun and silly photoshoot at home, showcasing each other’s works of art!

16. Create your own quiz together

During lockdown, we’ve participated in Jay’s Virtual Pub Quiz almost every single week since March 2020 and it’s given me plenty of inspiration to create my own quiz. If you’re a couple who enjoys playing games together and testing each other’s knowledge then creating your own quiz would be so much fun.

17. Plan your future travel plans

I don’t think I have to tell you guys how much I adore travelling and thinking of future travel plans and over the last year I’ve added so many places to my travel bucket list.

If you’re still yet to put together a list of all the places that you want to visit together, then a Valentine’s Day date night at home is a great time to discuss all the incredible travel experiences you want to enjoy together when it’s safe to do so.

18. Pull an all-nighter – stay at home date ideas

Pulling an all-nighter might be more synonymous with teenagers at sleepovers who are determined to compete with their friends all night on the Xbox, but if you can manage to stay awake later than midnight (not very often in my case!), then pulling an all-nighter and then sleeping in all the next day could be a really fun way to spend Valentine’s Day together.

19. Play video games together

Talking of video games, a fun stay at home date idea that you can enjoy as a couple could be to play each other’s favourite video games together.

When we lived in our studio apartment before we went travelling, Matt and I had an old Nintendo GameCube which we used to play an awful lot and it always made for a great date night at home if we didn’t fancy doing anything too extravagant.

20. Create a scrapbook of your favourite memories together

Looking back over our travel memories is one of my favourite ways to reminisce and I have dozens of photo books of pictures of us together, but I could happily spend more time putting together scrapbooks of our relationship and I think it’s such a lovely way to spend an afternoon together.

If you don’t want to actually make one together, why not surprise your partner with a photo book or scrapbook of your relationship as a Valentine’s Day present?

21. Play drinking games

If you don’t mind spending the next day incredibly hungover, then playing drinking games is always a great way to enjoy a stay at home date night.

Make up your own drinking games, or play some old classics and pretend you can actually handle your alcohol again 😉

22. Enjoy breakfast in bed – best home date night ideas

Breakfast in bed is always such a luxurious treat to enjoy when you’re staying at a hotel, so I think it’s such a great idea to try and recreate it at home.

Nominate someone to be the person in charge of cooking in the morning and then head back to bed to enjoy your scrumptious delicacies while enjoying an episode or two of your favourite TV show, all from the comforts of your own bed.

23. Get dressed in your fanciest clothes and enjoy a lovely meal

I don’t think that you necessarily have to get mega dressed up for date night; oftentimes Matt and I enjoy date night in our onesies, but if you fancy making a bit of effort on Valentine’s Day, then get dressed up in your fanciest attire and pretend you’re at a decadent restaurant for the evening.

Order food from your favourite restaurant (if they’re doing takeaway), or make something delicious from scratch and enjoy a romantic candle-lit evening (with the candles you made earlier in the day!) in your fanciest clothes.

24. Watch the sunrise and the sunset

I don’t remember the last time I saw a good sunrise (usually because I’m still asleep, oops!), but I do adore watching the sunset.

This Valentine’s Day, why not try and watch both the sunrise and sunset at home; it’s the ultimate romantic way to start and end the day.

25. Redecorate a room in your home

If you’re both feeling a bit restless about being stuck inside all the time, it might be a good idea to spend Valentine’s Day redecorating a room in your home that you’ve wanted to change for ages.

While it’s not the most relaxing way to spend Valentine’s Day together, it is very productive and you’re sure to enjoy the finished product and it’ll be such a lovely achievement to have done it together.

26. Wine tasting at home – romantic stay at home date ideas

Matt and I only experienced proper wine tasting when we were in Porto last year, but it was so much fun that we’d both absolutely love to do it again.

While it’s not really possible to head out on a wine tasting excursion right now (especially here in the UK), you could have an evening of wine tasting at home instead. There are many companies who offer wine tasting experiences at home, or you could just buy a few bottles of your favourite wine from the supermarket and ‘try’ them at home.

27. Do a blind taste test challenge

While it doesn’t have to be quite as challenging as a trial on I’m A Celebrity, creating your own blind taste test challenge is a fun and alternative way to enjoy date night at home this Valentine’s Day.

You could be really mean and give your partner disgusting foods to try, or you could be a bit kinder and give them tasty things that you know they’ll like!

28. Stargazing from your garden

Along with watching the sunset, stargazing is yet another thing that I absolutely adore doing.

One of my best memories from our South Island road trip in New Zealand was accidentally stumbling across one of the best places in the country to go stargazing and it will forever be an incredibly special memory for me.

If you’re lucky enough to have clear skies where you live on Valentine’s Day night, then stargazing is sure to be a perfect way to spend it.

29. Play DJ for the evening

Before we went travelling, Matt had his own set of DJ decks that he used all the time to create his own mixes and it was always such a fun way to spend an evening together.

Even if you don’t have the “proper” DJ equipment, you could still try your hand at creating your own complimentary playlists to enjoy an evening of your favourite music together.

30.Watch classic movies – best date ideas at home

Spending date night at home watching classic movies is sure to be incredibly romantic, especially if you pick ones with a romantic theme.

While I’m not always the biggest fan of really old movies, I do love some ‘classics’ and it’s always great to introduce someone to a film that they’ve never seen before but you know they’ll love.

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