Valentine’s Day comes hot on the heels of January, that chilly, sometimes bleak month when the bills of the Christmas overspend tend to come home to roost. And this is why Valentine’s Day fun becomes the perfect antidote to any winter blues. This is especially true in Gibraltar, that tiny city in the Mediterranean that just loves a reason for celebrating with loved ones.
Already Gibraltar’s retail traders have decked their shop windows with tempting displays in reds and pinks, the colours traditionally associated with love and passion. Gibraltar’s famous Main Street shopping centre, and the surrounding streets sports heart-shaped treats for everyone, and the restaurants and fine-tuning their menus for evenings of romantic suppers. Gibraltar’s many tourists find themselves happily browsing the wide choice of duty-free goods they can take home to their loved ones, wherever they are in the world: high end designer fashion and jewellery (who can resist a stunning, expert-cut diamond for Valentine’s Day?), fine wines and an array of chocolates that cannot fail to melt the hardest of hearts.
Gibraltar, of course, offers so much more to lovers of romance than simply a brilliant array of gifts. In recent years our specialist wine sellers have attracted increasing numbers of visitors, with tourists only too pleased to round-off a day of touring around the world-famous sights on the iconic Rock with a gourmet meal accompanied by specially selected wines at one of our many fine restaurants. Gibraltar also enjoys the expertise of long-established vintners who import some of the world’s best wines Look out for tasting events, with the wines often accompanied by delicious tapas such as the world-famous Jamon Iberico.
The Rock is famous for its caverns and systems of tunnels and galleries – most of these fully accessible to tourists through one of the many organised group or private tours. One of those caverns has become a vault for storage of wine, its dark interior where the temperature is naturally regulated, an ideal storage environment. Situated at Black Strap Cove, the Gibraltar Vault also offers visitors educational and wine tasting experiences.
February can be a dull month for some, but in Gibraltar there is plenty to see and so much to do that a short break could easily be extended into weeks of fun and discovery. But those who are seeking something a little bit different to show their love to that someone special on Valentine’s Day will easily find the perfect gifts: a vintage wine, perhaps, sumptuous chocolates, truffles and other sweet treats, or even that significant sparkle that only comes from a beautifully cut diamond. Throw in excursions to the Upper Rock in the winter sunshine, great restaurants, stunning views and luxurious hotels, and you’ll find Gibraltar the perfect place for a little romance and a wonderful Valentine.
