Let’s face it. For most of us flowers and chocolates are overdone on Valentine’s Day.  The way to really impress your Valentine is through romantic experiences at New England inns.  After all,  actions speak louder than words. For those with everything but time for relaxation and romance, a dreamy getaway to a Distinctive Inn of New England is the answer to the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Yet this year, Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of the week.  For that reason, Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) has declared February is for lovers.  Visit a DINE inn anytime in February and you can rest assured that romance will be served in large helpings.

Four ways to find romance at a DINE inn February and beyond

Quiet dinners

Whether you choose an inn with fine dining or one with great dining nearby, your culinary adventure will take you to romantic firelit dining rooms featuring local cuisine. Enjoy quiet tete-a-tetes while you partake in an epicurean escape with the one you love on your next Distinctive Inns of New England getaways. Your innkeeper is happy to make dining reservations for you.

Couples Massages

Partake in a couples massage either at the inn-house spa or at a nearby day spa.  Some DINE inns can make arrangements for in-room massages too. A couples massage offers the ultimate pampered pastime, while leaving you both glowing and positively relaxed for the first time in a long time.  Doesn’t that sound worth the splurge for Valentine’s day?

Private breakfast

Each of the Distinctive Inns of New England offer private tables for breakfasts.  Some will even serve breakfast in your room or on your private balcony or patio (in warmer months, of course!).  Whether it’s breakfast in bed or breakfast fireside in the dining room, rest assured that innkeepers know the way to a fabulous getaway with the one you love starts with the most important meal of the day.

Outdoor Adventure

Each of the Distinctive Inns of New England are located in settings where outdoor fun abounds by land or by sea.  From hiking to skiing and snowshoeing to ziplining and snowmobiling, you can do it together close to one of the Distinctive Inns of New England.  Looking for more soft adventure?  How about sleigh rides, wine tasting or maple syrup collecting?  Simply ask your DINE innkeeper, and suggestions will abound.

For a complete list of romantic packages at DINE inns, click here.  DINE inns also feature Spa Packages and Outdoor Fun offers too. To learn more about the Distinctive Inns of New England, visit www.DistinctiveInnns.com.

Note: Since February is for lovers, weekends tend to fill up quicker.  Book your Valentine’s Day escape soon so you won’t be HEARTbroken with little availability.

There’s a new kid on the DINE block.  Actually, they’re two new kids, but they’re not new to innkeeping or to Lenox, MA.  We said nostalgic farewells to Fabrizio and Rosemary as they began their next journey, and we welcome in Eiran and Michele Gazit as they start their new chapter at the Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, MA. We’re sure the worldly focus and international panache is here to stay at the Gateways Inn as this romantic New England inn enters a new phase in welcoming guests.

Born in Israel, bred in England, married to an American and widely traveled, Eiran Gazit’s international charm exudes from the moment guests enter the Gateways Inn. His many years as an entrepreneur and business consultant in the tourism industry offer the perfect perspective to fill Fabrizio and Rosemary’s shoes.  Clearly, the Gateways Inn thrives on that international flair!

No newcomer to innkeeping, Eiran managed the Cornell Inn in Lenox, MA and later was appointed Business Manager for the deluxe Winthrop Estate in Lenox, branding it as a premier destination-wedding venue in the Berkshires. Prior to that  he was the founder and CEO of Mini Israel, a unique outdoor park featuring exact scale replicas of all the famous and important sites in Israel. A graduate of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Australia’s Swinburne Institute, Eiran is deeply involved in local marketing efforts and the Berkshires Jewish community and well suited to manage a New England country inn and restaurant.

Michele is Eiran’s steadfast wife and partner at the inn and in his tourism endeavors. Born a New Jersey girl, Michele lived in Dallas TX, Miami FL and Wichita KA before moving to Israel. A  graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in Business and Psychology, Michele is a licensed massage and reflexology therapist, specializing in geriatric and Alzheimer stricken patients. However,  her passion in healthy and artfully presented cooking will quickly make her a celebrity at the Gateways Inn & Restaurant.

The couple’s three sons help out at the inn when their busy schedules allow. Adam, the oldest is a soldier in the Israeli army, Lior and Matan are high school students in Lenox.

When asked about their plans for the inn, Eiran explained he and Michele plan to open a piano bar that will serve as a meeting place for the after dinner, after show/concert crowd, that prefers a quiet spot for a drink over an active sports bar. ” We are excited about this new opportunity, “ said Eiran. “It is an enormous responsibility to keep this gorgeous mansion in the manner it deserves and continue to serve our guests and our community at the highest level of hospitality,” he finished.

Everyone at Distinctive Inns of New England look forward to getting to know and working with Eiran and Michele.  Welcome to the group!

Nothing goes better with a cold winter morning than piping hot pancakes.  Of course the best way to enjoy pancakes is with the person you love by your side in the dining room of a Distinctive Inn of New England.  However, if your romantic winter escape must take place in the comfort of your own home, here are a few recipes to create that perfect “next best thing to being at a DINE inn” breakfast entree.  We all know the way to your loved ones heart is through his or her stomach, and here are a few tried and true favorites from the Captain’s House Inn and the Cliffside Inn.

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES FROM CAPTAIN’S HOUSE INN

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Butter for griddle

Directions

1.       Preheat a nonstick griddle.

2.       Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk together the cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl.

3.       Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Brush the hot griddle with butter.

4.        For each pancake, pour approximately 1/4 cup measure of the batter on the griddle and cook on both sides until light golden brown. Repeat until no batter remains.

Serve with fresh raspberries and maple syrup or lemon glaze.

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKE ROLL-UPS

 Ingredients

6 cups fresh strawberries; rinse and remove hulls

6  Tbsp.  sugar

2  Tbsp. lemon juice

8  oz.  Kraft cream cheese; at room temperature

1- ½  cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp.  salt

2  large eggs

1-½  cups buttermilk

1 cup milk

Vegetable oil for cooking pancakes

 Directions:

1. Thinly slice 2 cups of the strawberries and set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, purée the remaining 4 cups of the strawberries until smooth. Press the strawberry purée, with the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula, through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl, extracting as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the residue. Whisk ¼ cup of sugar and the lemon juice into the strawberry purée.
3. In the food processor or blender, blend the cream cheese and ½ cup of the strawberry purée until blended and smooth.  Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and milk just enough to blend. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Batter will be thin.
5. Place a nonstick griddle over medium heat; when hot, coat the griddle lightly with oil and adjust the heat to maintain temperature. Spoon the batter in ½ -cup portions onto the griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and the edges begin to look dry, (about 2 minutes); turn the pancakes with a wide spatula and brown the other side, 1 ½  to 2 minutes longer.  As the pancakes are cooked, transfer them to baking sheets and keep them warm in a 200° oven.

Presentation:

1. Spread each pancake with about 2 tablespoons of the strawberry/cream cheese mixture and roll up. Set two roll-ups, side-by-side, on each plate and top with the reserved sliced strawberries.  Drizzle the roll-ups with some of the strawberry purée and serve.  The remaining strawberry purée may be served, on the side, in a small pitcher to taste.

Yield:     Makes approximately 10 roll-ups; or 5 servings

It’s a new year and DINE members have resolved to bring inngoers fabulous offers throughout the year.  This year not only will the nine Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) offer the perfect luxury getaway, but we’re sweetening the pot by bringing you monthly DINE-o-mite offers.  In December all those signed up to receive emails from DINE received a 50-percent off the next stay offer from these romantic country inns.  We’re getting ready to send the next offer out, and without tipping our hats on what it will be, let’s just say it’s about as good as finding a $100 bill on your pillow when you arrive at your favorite Distinctive Inn of New England.

How do you get in on these offers?  It’s simple.  Either sign up to receive email offers from Distinctive Inns of New England inputting your email address in the box on the left of this blog, OR sign up on the Distinctive Inns of New England’s Facebook page. We regularly post contests and offers for promotional codes good on newly booked reservations on Facebook, but the DINE-o-mite offers are reserved exclusively for our email subscribers.

Let this be the year you spend more time traveling and rekindling the romance with the most important person in your life.  Getting away to a place where you can be pampered and relaxed is not only an important resolution, it’s good for the body, mind and soul.  DINE offers will make your resolution easier and more affordable this year.  If you’ve already signed up for emails and Facebook, pass this on to a friend who will thank you for your concern for their body, mind and soul after one trip to a DINE member property. Simply suggest they sign up on the box just to the left of this blog.

We’re having fun creating DINE-o-mite offers for our guests this year.  We look forward to welcoming you to a Distinctive Inn of New England this winter.