here is, however, something to be said for stashing the kids with Grannie and Gramps for a couple of nights and rekindling those romantic fires of a winter's eve...

t can be a simple getaway or an elaborate one, inexpensive or extravagant, supremely romantic or active and fun. The point is to do it.

Room at Romantik Pandhotel Courtesy Pandhotel

inter airfares to Europe usually bottom out; it's cheaper to fly to Paris than to drive 100 miles. What could express romance more than a quickie jaunt to the City of Light, and a stay on the two-person La Vie en Rose, a peniche (river barge) converted into a luxurious bed and breakfast, moored on the Seine? Or fly to Brussels, take the train to Bruges (the most romantic small city in the world), and ensconce yourself in a four-poster at the Romantik Pandhotel, eating Belgian fries, sipping one of Belgium's hundreds of beers, and topping it off with Belgian chocolate.

K, so maybe that's a little too outré for your budget. You want to be extravagant, but a little closer to home.

ow about a romantic suite at Caesars Poconos Palace? No kidding, you can have your choice of a heart-shaped whirlpool tub just steps from your round bed or a seven-foot tall champagne glass in which to soak in bubbles. Lake views, fireplaces, little indoor pools, these all-inclusive resorts in the Pennsylvania countryside can put the "ooomph" back into your relationship.

Spindrift Inn Room Courtesy Pacific Hotel Group

he rooms at the Spindrift Inn at Monterey, California's, Cannery Row surround you with romantic ambiance. Crackling fires, featherbeds, and the Pacific just beyond your doors can't help but enhance romance.

oastal communities accustomed to the summer crowds provide wonderfully peaceful respites. When the midways are closed and the dunes are deserted, romance flourishes. Try the Sheraton Atlantic Beach in North Carolina, with its fabulous indoor pool and whirlpool, and corner suites with Jaccuzzi® tubs. Or try a Romance Package at the Wyndham Myrtle Beach Resort.

ow about some rustic bonding time at Montana's Big Snowy Ranch in Judith Gap, or at Harman's North Fork Cottages in Cabins, West Virginia?

f you want to be entertained, try the Cascades section of The Opryland Hotel in Nashville, or any casino hotel in Las Vegas.

o matter where you choose to stay, you CAN make it special. Even suburban Residence Inn by Marriott hotels feature fireplaces in most of their units, free breakfast, and cable TV.

sn't that romantic?