North of Boston/Merrimack Valley welcome romantic vacationers

A sense of history, and romance, will make your couples getaway at the luxurious Inn at Hastings Park one to remember. With its Revolutionary Romance Package, the Lexington Inn offers an overnight stay, a chilled bottle of Veuve Cloquet Rose, chocolate-covered strawberries, a $100 food and beverage credit and a complimentary upgrade upon check-in. Ask about a room or suite with a fireplace. (Some barn suites also come with deep soaking tubs.) Dine in the exclusive, ethereal Culinary Garden or in the stylish bistro. Featured experiences at the Inn include private bonfires, culinary and mixology classes, historical and birdwatching tours. Take one of the Inn's bicycles out for a ride along the scenic rail trail. Complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning.

Luxury hotels in the Greater Merrimack Valley are ready to help you plan that much-needed romantic escape. Stay in a castle on the hill at the Chateau Merrimack, and you’ll feel like royalty. Ask about rooms with a fireplace or private balcony overlooking the river. Get a couples massage at the JuJu Spa, and soak in the indoor pool and hot tub after relaxing in the sauna. At the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, reserve your own cozy igloo for dinner or champagne brunch, or arrange for a private bonfire experience. At Concord’s Colonial Inn, where colonial charm meets modern comfort, relax in the Thoreau Suite with colonial decor, antiques and a bathroom with a jetted tub. Toast your time together in the inviting Village Forge Tavern.

With impeccable service, a tranquil location in an historic town just north of Boston and an on-site spa, the Briar Barn Inn is the romantic retreat you have been seeking. Across from the common in historic Rowley, surrounded by protected land, the inn offers 30 spacious, uniquely decorated rooms with gas fireplaces, soaking tubs, plush robes and fine linens. The on-site restaurant, Grove, serves creative but classic regional fare, with handcrafted cocktails and a vibrant wine list. Relax after dinner on the terrace or by a courtyard fire pit. Book a couples massage or other treatment at the spa. Enjoy your days on the North Share by gallery-hopping, antiquing, kayaking or hiking the area’s breathtaking coastal trails. (And take that sunset walk on Gloucester’s Wingaersheek Beach!)

Imagine arriving at an inn steeped in history, nestled in the harbor district of a lovely coastal town, to find a bottle of wine or champagne, chocolates and flowers waiting for you in your room with a fireplace and four-poster or canopy bed. That is all part of the Romance Package at the Harbor Light Inn. Several rooms also have two-person jetted tubs; one has a private roof terrace looking out over the historic district. Enjoy a glass of wine and bar bites in the cozy tavern, or explore Marblehead’s restaurants, shops and galleries together. Individual breakfast trays with hot entrees, pastries, fruit and granola are prepared for guests each morning, and the inn can arrange for a couple’s in-room massage.

Romance in the heart of Salem: It’s yours at the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites. Book a plush room or suite along with the hotel’s Romance Package and enjoy early accommodations, two breakfast vouchers in the award-winning restaurant and local made chocolates and vase of roses when you arrive. (A Valentines Day Package includes champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.) The hotel, on historic and romantic Pickering Wharf, has a heated indoor pool and state-of-the-art fitness center. Stroll down to a lighthouse, or among the wharf’s elegant shops, or head into town to visit Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables, the Salem Witch Museum or the Peabody Essex Museum. Sample the area’s craft breweries, cider houses and fine restaurants.