The history of St. Valentine is unclear but one version of the truth is that he married Christian couples who were being persecuted in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was a crime and the Roman Emperor Claudius condemned him to death. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded!! Since the 14th century St. Valentines day has been celebrated and is even referred to by Shakespeare. Clinton and Hallmark cards got in on the act and we have Valentine’s as it is today. IMHO I prefer to be made a fuss of all year, not just in mid Feb. Anyway I thought we should enter into the spirit and see what could be done for those of you who’ve left booking a night out to the last minute.
A good idea is to go to a Champagne Bar i.e. where you don’t need to book in advance (I never understood how a large meal was conducive to ‘love’??). Some of the best would be any of the Harvey Nichols bars around the country. Hotel bars are also a good bet as they will always have champagne and usually a free table, particularly if you go at an off peak time such as mid afternoon or early evening. One Aldwych in London is good in this respect. Outside of London try the MALBARs at the Malmaison Hotels they are open to non-residents and have a good selection of cocktails & champagne. We checked and the bars at Birmingham, Aberdeen, Reading, London and Newcastle are all accessible with disabled toilets nearby.
If you want to eat you should go to some of the new style restaurants where to “queue is cool”!! Such as any of the Burger & Lobster joints (we know the one in Soho has good facilities and access), Pitt Cue, Polpo etc.I’ve never had to wait long at any of these as they take pity on me in a wheelchair – I play this card a lot!!!! For the ultimate aphrodisiac try champagne and oysters at Bibendum oyster bar or the seafood platter at the bar at lePont de la Tour. Outside of London something different would be Home Sweet Home in Manchester which serves “good simple food and drink, home comforts and things that make you feel special”. They have a disabled toilet and flat access and no reservations necessary.
Hope this helps if you have any other ideas for last minute Valentine’s let me know. In the meantime good luck to all you ‘lovers’ out there whatever your plans. As for myself I’m going for some pampering at the hairdressers, followed by a visit – on my own- to my local cocktail bar where the barmen are cute, they wait on me hand and foot and give me plenty of attention!! Who needs a bloke.
