The Single Girl’s Guide to Valentine’s

Whether you’re on the prowl, happily single, loathe the idea of Valentine’s Day or your boyfriend lives overseas, there’s no reason to pout come the 14^th of February. There’s plenty to do in Hong Kong (or not do for that matter!) so that you don’t just sit around your flat crying about being single and alone – not that you’d do that anyway, right?! So come check out our Single Girl’s Guide to Valentine’s for some quick and easy inspiration:

First step, find a friend (or ten).

Step two, choose an activity that you love to do:

COOK

Whether you’re scouring Groupon for a cake baking class, making reservations at a private kitchen (our current fave is Liberty Private Works) or picking up the recipe to a gourmet meal at Secret Ingredient, food is the way to everyone’s heart. Even better, invite your girlfriends to join in on a progressive dinner: entrées at one flat, mains at another, desserts at house three and wine fest at yours.

EXERCISE

What better way to let out that pent up aggression than to go to kickboxing? Check out the classes at Epic MMA for a full range of different feisty combat sports to try! Don’t feel like sweating? Relax at your favourite yoga studio or take a breezy night hike around the many trails of Hong Kong.

DRINK

Okay, so there’s no need to drown your sorrows a la Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” but all girls need the chance to dish on their loves lives (or lack thereof) on Valentine’s Day! Hop over to Cicada just off the escalator for a Cosmo or two with your gal pals (and a great people-watching spot) or check out a few of the hottest new bars that have opened up around town.

FIND THE GUY OF YOUR DREAMS

Head to the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong in Wan Chai for their Singleton Valentine’s RLife LIVE Party, from 7-11pm on 14 February! You’ll get to mingle with the coolest singletons, enjoy live music from Buskic and chow down on gourmet cuisine and special Valentine’s cocktails prepared by the hotels expert chefs and bartenders. After all, there’s no better way to spend the day of love than with the potential new love of your life. Tickets cost $550 or $450 if buying two or more (plus 10% service charge); call 2802 8888 to book.

GET DOLLED UP

…For a night on the town, a night in with reruns of CSI or any of the rest of the activities on this list! Indulgence-wise, we’re LOVING the sound of the Four Seasons’ Love Potion treatment, which includes two and a half hours of solid pampering in their luxurious spa, including take-home gifts of some Four Seasons Chocolate Bath Powder and a goodie bag of Lotus Wei energy mist. Treatment costs $3200 on weekdays or $3400 on weekends; call 3196 8910 to book.

For more of a quick sprucing up, try a mani/pedi with your besties, lash extensions before meeting up with your co-workers for dinner or even a quick blow dry to beautify your locks, the better you look, the better you’ll feel. Who needs a man to tell you that you’re beautiful, when the mirror clearly proves it?!

SING YOUR BLUES AWAY

You might be single, but you still gotta love jumping up on the couches of your favorite karaoke bar, mic in hand, belting out the tunes to “I’ll Always Love You” (even if you did promise yourself that you won’t always love Mr. Wrong, it doesn’t hurt to pretend for 4 minutes and 35 seconds). Our Sassy pick is the Shower Karaoke Lounge in Causeway Bay – classy décor, nice rooms for groups and no sticky floors!

HOST YOUR OWN PARTY

Download a season of “Real Housewives of [insert city of your choice here]” or bust out the board games, you and your friends can forget Cupid and remember to laugh. And just because Cupid’s arrow didn’t hit you this year, doesn’t mean you aren’t loved. Have your friends make Valentines for each guest just to remind each other how great you really are.

I told a wise friend that because of my “single status”, I was deemed the most appropriate Sassy blogger to write this article and this very clever friend told me, “Well, what do single girls do every other day of the year?” Touché, my friend, touché. Why does Valentine’s Day have to be any different than say, January 13 or September 27? Do what you do every Tuesday… yoga, stay at work late, grade papers, or catch up on your Challenge: Battle of the Exes (or other guilty pleasure tv of your choice!) episodes.

But if you must, close the blinds, turn on your mini-heater, snuggle up with your fleece blanket and grab a box of tissues. Love Actually is calling your name.