Romantic Valentine's Day Getaway Near Atlanta, Georgia: Lake Lanier Islands Resort

If you are wondering where to take your sweetheart for a wonderfully romantic weekend escape near Atlanta, why not take them to a romantic island getaway at Lake Lanier Islands Resort® on Lake Sidney Lanier? Located 45 minutes from downtown Atlanta and nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains on Lake Sidney Lanier, Lake Lanier Islands Resort® is a wonderfully romantic location to take your sweetheart for a Valentine's Day getaway, a honeymoon or any time you want to escape to somewhere romantic.

Stay at the Emerald Pointe Hotel or the beautiful LakeHouses on Lanier. You can even rent a houseboat for you and your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

• The Emerald Pointe Hotel & Conference Center has 216 guest rooms and suites, each with a dazzling view of the island and Lake Lanier. Other amenities include hi-speed internet access in each room, wireless access in the common areas, spa services, golfing, horseback riding, tennis courts, heated swimming pool and two restaurants. Emerald Pointe Hotel is offering the Emerald Escape Romance Package. For $259* per night, enjoy some rest, relaxation and romance with romantic accommodations at Emerald Pointe Hotel, chilled Champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, His & Hers massages at the Spa, and breakfast for two at the Resort's Windows Restaurant.
  
• The LakeHouses on Lanier, located on a secluded, gated peninsula, have two bedrooms, one with a king bed and one with two full beds, two full baths, vaulted ceilings, a fieldstone fireplace, hi-speed internet access, a washer and dryer and a wooden deck with gas grill and hot tub. The LakeHouses on Lanier are perfect Valentine's Day hideaways!
  
• The Houseboats have four bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, a full kitchen, TV and VCR, living area, gas grill and an upper deck with a slide and hot tub. You can even pre-order groceries to be stocked on your houseboat. Imagine how romantic it would be to spend Valentine's Day on your very own, secluded houseboat. Are you interested in sharing Valentine's Day with other couples? No worries, remember the Houseboats have four bedrooms and sleep up to 10 people!

Lake Lanier Islands Resort® offers many activities ranging from a Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner Cruise and horseback riding to a relaxing couples massage or golfing.

• Are you looking for a romantic Valentine's Day evening to remember? Take your Valentine to the Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner where you will enjoy a romantic pre-dinner champagne cruise, live entertainment and dinner at the Emerald Point Hotel. Cost is $139. (February 9, 10 and 14)
  
• Are you unable to celebrate Valentine's Day the way you want on February 14? No worries, the Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner Cruise is on February 16 and 17, 2007 and only costs $259 per couple. The cruise will have a champagne reception, live entertainment, a dinner buffet and a delectable dessert buffet with chocolate truffles, white and dark chocolate covered strawberries and much, much more! The Valentine's Sweetheart Dinner Cruise will be held aboard one of the Lake Lanier Islands Resort's® VIP excursion yachts.
  
• The Equestrian Center offers a Ride and Romance package for $159 (plus tax and a 20% service charge) which includes a 45-minute private guided trail ride and a light lunch, set-up and tailored to your tastes, overlooking Lake Lanier. This is perfect for a marvelously romantic outing on Valentine's Day. The guest staff will even work with you to help you pull off a surprise proposal!
  
• Would you like to relax for Valentine's Day? The Great Restoration Day Spa offers a couples massage, in the couples' room, ranging from $90 for 2 half-hour massages to $160 for 2 one-hour massages. You can also get a manicure, pedicure and facial!
  
• If golfing is a passion you and your sweetheart share, check out the PineIsle Golf Club, set against the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has 8 holes skirting the shore of Lake Lanier.

Enjoy a romantic dinner at the Windows Restaurant overlooking lovely Lake Lanier. The Windows Restaurant features a full breakfast buffet, daily, and special dining events such as the Valentine's Day Sweetheart Dinner and Wine Tasting Dinners throughout the year. If your more in the mood to lounge with you lover, you can also enjoy lunch or dinner at the Bullfrog's Bar and Grille either indoors or by the poolside. Golfing couples can eat at the Fairways Grill, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a sports bar type setting. Lake Lanier Islands Resort® allows you to tailor a romantic Valentine's Day meal that compliments whatever activities you and your sweetheart have in mind.

About Lake Lanier Islands Resort®

Forty-five minutes from northeast Atlanta, Lake Lanier Islands Resort® is situated on the shores of Lake Sidney Lanier and is Georgia's most visited lakeside resort destination. The 1,100-acre resort provides a variety of amenities and services. Emerald Pointe Hotel & Conference Center, 30 lakeside cottages, 2 award winning golf courses, Emerald Pointe and PineIsle, scenic horseback riding, spa services, famed wine tasting dinners, campsites and boat rentals from Harbor Landing are currently available for reservations. Each year, the Beach & WaterPark is open during the summertime and Magical Nights of Lights, the worlds largest animated holiday light extravaganza, takes place mid-November until the end of December.

In August 2005, the lease interest in the hotel and businesses at Lake Lanier Islands® was sold to LLI Management Company, a resort enterprise of the Virgil R. Williams family of Gwinnett County, Georgia. The Williams family is committed to enhancing the recreational experience on the Islands through higher quality developments and accommodations, more leisure opportunities and superior landscape.

Conceptual ideas for future development of Lake Lanier Islands Resort® includes a variety of lodging accommodations and price ranges, including an expansion of Emerald Pointe Hotel & Conference Center and potential development of a luxury lodge. The upscale lodge would replace PineIsle resort, the original and first lodging facility on the islands, which dates back to the early 1970s. Other accommodations being considered are a boutique hotel, harbor/beach club, small group conference hotel and family center and bed and breakfast inn. Eco-friendly transportation such as electric cars, Segways (A Segway is an electripod having two wheels on one axle - it balances itself using gyroscopes and tilt sensors. - Wictionary) and electric and standard bicycles will be available for travel around the islands. Scenic paths, viewing stations, gardens and current roads will be created or updated to accommodate future transportation and complete the feel of the "natural sanctuary." (Katy McLaughlin, Lake Lanier Islands Resort®)

Remember, the Lake Lanier Islands Resort® is only 45 minutes from downtown Atlanta, yet it is a completely different world. Spoil your sweetheart, and yourself, with one or more of the wonderful Valentine's Day events Lake Lanier Islands Resort® has planned, or, better yet, customize your very own romantic Valentine's Day with your choice of activities, lodging and dining. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.lakelanierislands.com.