10 of the Best Staycation Ideas for Couples This Year
These romantic staycation ideas for couples include activities to do for a cozy weekend at home.
These staycation ideas for couples aren’t your ordinary date night! They inspire you to up the romance, adventure and creativity for a special weekend together.
Whether you’re planning a romantic staycation to celebrate an anniversary, stick to a budget vacation to save money, or just want to spend more time together, we’ve got you covered with these staycations for couples. Most of these ideas don’t even require leaving the house — which also means no packing and little planning — but many work as mini getaways, too.
Keep scrolling for our favorite couples' staycation ideas that you can pull together as soon as this weekend!
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Romantic Staycations for Couples
Dine by Candlelight
Go all out for a staycation dinner date neither of you will quickly forget. If you want to splurge, reserve a table at a new fancy restaurant you haven’t tried or one with a killer view. Make a night of it with multiple courses, taking time to savor and converse phone free.
To recreate this magic at home on a budget, divvy up the dinner duties and surprise each other with your dishes, spend all day cooking up a feast together with new recipes, or order in all the menu items you’ve yet to try from your favorite restaurant.
You can set the table in the dining room using wedding china, or move the scene onto the patio with flickering candles and gentle tunes. Take the time to dress up — fancy dinner night at home is the perfect opportunity to try out that silky dress in the back of the closet you haven’t had the occasion to wear yet.
Connect With Nature
A day outdoors is the perfect chance to reconnect away from the electronics. If you live near a state park or scenic nature area, head that way for a hike or bike ride on the trails or a row around the lake.
This is a great opportunity to tackle a longer path or try out some new equipment (like a stand-up paddleboard) together. Pack a lunch so you can stay out all day until sunset.
You could also turn this into a scavenger hunt staycation and search for certain wildlife, birds, plants or landmarks on the way.
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Set up a Cozy Movie Night
A regular binge session in front of the TV may be tempting, but try elevating the evening by planning a special movie night for your romantic staycation.
You can pick a film or series you love and craft a theme around it with featured food and drinks. Or, go classic slumber party vibes with popcorn, candy, pajamas and a makeshift bed in the living room.
If there’s a drive-in theater near you, turn it into a staycation date night with your favorite guilty pleasure foods in the car while you watch.
Plan a Spa Weekend at Home
Spa weekends make the perfect staycation for couples at home and are so fun to put together, because you get all the relaxation without having to pack up, drive somewhere, or all those other little details that take away from the chill vibes.
For couples, you can either take turns treating each other to a spa day, or enjoy it together. Think things like breakfast in bed, quiet reading time, lavender candles and oils, massage treatments, bubble baths and of course a fluffy robe to live in all weekend.
Make sure you clean the tub and house the day before so you aren’t distracted with chores mid-relaxation, and consider ordering food in so you won’t have to cook.
If you have the budget, a spa weekend can also be a mini getaway to a resort near you!
Cook a New Dish
Gathering recipes, learning new techniques, filling your house with mouth-watering aromas — there are all sorts of reasons to take a cooking class for your next staycation.
If you want to leave the house, sign up for a couples class near you for date night, and then recreate your recipes at home with a fancy dinner the next evening.
Online cooking classes are super easy and convenient these days, though, so you can stick to your own kitchen and take your time sautéing and sampling. Add in some candles and tunes to turn up the romance.
Camp Under the Stars
This is another staycation idea for couples that can be done either at home or a short drive away. If you’re lucky to live somewhere scenic — say near a state or national park — pack up the tent for a real-life camping adventure.
If you want to make it a more romantic glamping style evening, make sure you bring the right gear. That means ultra-comfy sleeping bags and lots of pillows, dinner that isn’t cans of baked beans, and solar-powered twinkle lights to be extra.
Even without a campground nearby, you can set the scene in your backyard (or living room in a pinch) with a tent, stove-roasted marshmallows, and some stargazing outside.
Read Next: These Outdoorsy Escapes in the U.S. are Perfect for Camping and Hiking
Pack a Picnic
To plan a romantic picnic staycation style, start by picking a pretty park or beach nearby. You’ll want to invest in a classic picnic basket to get the mood right and bring along a big blanket to laze out on.
Consider the weather when packing your food. If it’s warm out, you’ll probably be more in the mood for cold pasta, salad, sandwiches and lemonade. A brisk day calls for a thermos of hot cocoa, though. If you want to get creative, you can do a breakfast picnic with quiche and coffee or go for a global theme with focaccia, pancetta and olives.
Mix this idea with camping or hiking for the perfect combo!
Check Into a Fancy Hotel
This one takes you away from the house, but you don’t have to road trip far to get some luxury hotel vibes. Check out what four- or five-star hotels are nearby and plan a mini romantic couples vacation for a weekend away from home.
Look for perks like resort-style pools, an on-site spa, and attached golf courses to really up the ante. Even if these amenities aren’t available or affordable for you, checking in for a simple hotel staycation still means forgetting about laundry and dishes for a few days — maybe order room service to make it feel extra special.
Some hotel chains actually have romantic staycation packages from time to time that might include things like spa treatments, dining credits and a basket of goodies in your room.
Take an Art Class
Art classes are a fun way for couples to explore a new hobby together and maybe even create something beautiful to keep in your home. You can turn it into more of a staycation by combining an art class with some of the other ideas on this list, like a hotel stay or special dinner after.
Online art classes you can take at home combine well with staycation activities for couples like backyard camping or outdoorsy days. You could work with earthy materials and learn to make pottery or carve wood that you picked up while hiking.
Organize a Tasting
You don’t have to head to the Sonoma Valley to set up a fun staycation full of tastings — and you don’t even have to drink wine for that matter. Tastings at home can be anything you dream up.
You could delve into the world of coffee and figure out your favorite bean and roasting method, try half a dozen different kinds of pasta and rank the best sauces and noodles, buy every variety of cheese from the grocery store, or order all the specials from the nearby Chinese takeout and spend the weekend eating leftovers. The options are endless!
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