Do you feel like me during this pandemic? I have to say the inspiration for date nights has dropped a little. Besides ordering yummy takeaway food, playing games and binge-watching series, my inspiration has recently been lacking. Because of that I asked you guys for help through my Instagram Stories. I have to say everyone shared their best tips with me and I was blown away by all your ideas! I handpicked a list of the fun date nights you can do at home, which we introduced into our life ourselves. That are tips where you crawl under a warm blanket on the couch, but also some when you feel like leaving the house. Have fun with these lockdown date night tips for a romantic evening at home. Nothing more enjoyable than a date night where you both are really offline, right? Do you find it hard sometimes to just for once put your phone away? I can really recommend this special box to store your phone then so you only pay attention to each other.
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15 X Lockdown date night tips for a romantic evening
Rearranging the living room
This tip you can (unfortunately!) only use if you don’t live together yet but it is therefore perhaps more fun to really surprise someone. Or you could send your lover for a grocery walk to the other side of the town, let them take the kids out to stay in and surprise your love with a fairy tale world upon coming home. Set your home up like in 1001 nights. Or mimic a romantic evening on the beach in Mexico. Pillows on the floor, low tables, lots of candles… Your significant other, will be impressed, believe me! And those Christmas lights will also come in handy for the rest of the year.
Setting up your own homerestaurant
This one is still an all-time favourite. Especially now that you can order dinner to your house at a lot of great restaurants from all over the country. During this lockdown we really discovered a lot of great restaurants outside of Amsterdam, that you normally would only check-out on a weekend away. The list of yummy take-away and delivery is already quiet expanding. My favourites to order from are the websites Thuis uit Eten and Cook Like A Chef. And… just like on a ‘normal’ date night, you will of course arrive at your own-made home restaurant in your most beautiful outfit of the week.
Cooking Together
I must confess that this year I may never have cooked as much as I have in the last 10 years. I really noticed that for the first time I have the calmness and peace to cook a recipe out of a cooking book! That’s why I have added a bunch of delicious recipes on Your Little Black Book in the category receptenrubriek. At the moment we really enjoy trying to recook a dish that we discovered on one of our journeys. And that really doesn’t have to be that complicated. The next dish we’re trying to recreate? Tom yum kung… Pizza!
Wine Tasting
Another thing that we have been doing frequently during this lockdown at home. Just order several wine bottles from the same grape variety, but from different regions and compare them during a home schooled tasting. Online you can find out more about the different regions and characteristics that suit the wines. Read that to each other in turn. Really go taste like you would during a course. First nose, rollers, second nose, tests. Describe to each other what you taste, taste it with something to eat, and then find the detailed description of the wine online. Was there a wine you really like? Reason enough to order a box so you can move forward over the coming weekends. I often order wine packages from Wijnbeurs.nl. Then you have several bottles in a package that can be ordered on theme. For example, only Chardonnay, or wines from Spain or Italy. Check out all the wine packages for a home tasting here >>
A little Narrative
Whether you’ve known each other for a long time, or you haven’t. The card game ‘Vertel is’ is sure to teach you even more about the one you love. This game exists for a lot of different situations. For example, for holidays, a family situation, to play with the kids or… You can feel your partner coming: for relationships during a date night. On the cards are questions and statements that you answer about each other and your relationship. No phones, but 100% attention to each other. Also fun to do during the courses of your home dinner! For example, for sale through Bol >>
Thuisbioscoop At home Cinema
Normally I like to go to the cinema to really be completely offline, but now we’re making it more and more into an extended movie night after dinner at home. Transform your home into a home theater by darkening the whole house, pop the popcorn and possibly project the film onto an empty wall or ceiling via a projector. Did you know that you can also ‘rent’ movies at home that have just been released in the cinema via Pathé Thuis? Works really super well! Check out the full range of Pathé Home >>
| TIP: Nowadays you can already buy a beamer from € 89,95 onwards. Check out the different options here
Spa-day at home
Totally relax in your own spa at home. Transform the bathroom into a real spa with scented candles, good scrub salt, a foot bath and masks. Agree in advance that you will also massage each other and watch a tutorial online so that you can really impress your date!
Playing games
Are you a bit tired of Netflix and do you really want to connect more with each other? I even hear people around me who I never expected to be on the games. From romantic Twistering to Skipo, Uno or any of the other games you can play with the two of them. Check out the list of games suitable for two people >>
Cocktail night
Organize your own cocktail night and make your favourite cocktail for each other. How about a nice gin & tonic,or a delicious espresso martini after dinner? Or go on chic and make champagne cocktails. At the moment we try to do a ‘dryer’ month at home and choose the moments when we do drink very consciously. That’s why I’m currently experimenting with mocktails with Seedlip. So far, a great success!
Organize a theme-night
Our favourite at home. Every few weeks when we really don’t know anymore what to do and the wanderlust is kicking we organize a theme evening. That can be an evening in the theme of one city, such as New York or Paris, but also a country theme, such as Mexico, Japan or Italy. If you want to keep your options wide, go for a continent. Have an Asian evening or go for America. During such a theme evening you watch a series or film that takes place at the destination, for example, you look back on old photos together from when you were at that destination and make snacks and dishes in the style of the destination. Definitely great for wanderlust and creativity!
Shows in a different language
Especially if you live together, I can imagine you will catch yourself multitasking every now and then during date night. Especially now that every night can easily start to look the same it may we feel a bit exhausting to focus. What do we do? We only watch series in another language! Because: attention guaranteed. Right now we’re watching The Restaurant. Big times recommended! But in this list you will find more tips for Scandinavian series >>
Jeu de Boules
Get your boules game out of the closet and find a public pétanque in the city. This is great to do at the end of the afternoon. Don’t forget to bring a thermos with hot chocolate or mulled wine to keep you warm. Especially in winter, gloves with open fingers are highly recommended. Just saying!
Draw or paint each other
It’s a little corny, but trust me it’s really nice if you take your time, too. For example, it’s one of the things you could do if you went on a date to The Color Factory in New York. This tip made me really think of that! Bring drawing and painting gear into the house. Buy a real canvas from Xenos or Søstrene Grene so you can really make a thing of it. Online painting equipment can also be ordered. Choose your painting style, set up a nice playlist and create the most beautiful portrait of each other in your own style.
Nachtwandeling Night Walk
Take a romantic walk through the city together. Especially in the evening when there is hardly anyone on the street, the city is so beautiful. Bring a bottle of booze (from wine to hot chocolate) and look for a bench along the way where you’ll stay until it gets really too cold. In the evening I find the city centre the most beautiful with all the lights. Do you have a daytime date? For example Check out this walk through Amsterdam North >>
Ice Skating on the Jaap Eden Schaatsbaan
One of the best kept secrets of this lockdown: The Jaap Eden Skating Rink is open outside and lighted in the evening. Of course, there are now rules in place to keep everything in line with RIVM standards, but skating during a date… almost like in the movie! Check out all the info here >>
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With love,
Anne
| PS: Do you already know Your Little Black Book’s Green Policy? Here you can find my personal tips on how to travel and live greener and I am also explaining how I compensate the CO2 emissions from all the travels the #teamyourlbb does.
