We're ignoring the fact that this happened six months and four days ago, okay?
I don't remember ever caring all that much about traditional pageantry of Valentine's Day. The elementary school era cards are super cute, candy is a great gift any day of the year, and the color scheme is fab, though hardly relegated to that time of year (in my wardrobe, anyway.) I'm not a Valentine's Day hater, by any means! It just was never the most important or meaningful day of the year for me, the way birthdays and anniversaries are. (And, TBH, a lot of the Valentine's Day hoopla has always seemed extremely Straight, which has never been appealing to me.)
And yet! Valentine's Day 2026 was THE quintessential, romcom-esque, V-Day getaway. Even I must admit, Nora Ephron kinda has a point about how f*cking cute a Valentine's Day can be.
Would you forgive me if I said this was the only photo I have of our gorgeous room from that weekend? M asked me to be their Valentine via Taco Bell, so it seemed only right that it was our snack on the drive up.
A quick moment to give M their flowers (as it were). With all the appropriate pageantry of a new couple celebrating their first Valentine's Day, I spent several January weekends making M a Valentine's-themed advent calendar. It was an intense craft, okay—I was picking red glitter out of my carpet for weeks! I was convinced I was going to win sappiest (and therefore, best) gift.
Apparently, M was hell-bent on outdoing me. Not only did they show up at my door the morning before we left for our weekend away with a dozen roses, a huge box of chocolate, and a teddy bear-shaped balloon, I looked up from my perch in their passenger seat on Sunday night to catch them emerging from the Buena Vista Food Lion with a bottle of wine (the objective) and ANOTHER bouquet of roses and EVEN MORE chocolate. When I asked, gobsmacked, what they were doing, they just shrugged. "I didn't get you flowers or chocolate here." That night was really one of those romcom, pinch-me moments—up to my earlobes in bubbles, soaking in our room's Cadillac-sized bathtub, eating chocolate truffles, and drinking cheap wine. Literally what could be better?
I digress. We arrived in town on Saturday, actual-factual Valentine's Day, and only had a few hours to relax before we needed to get dressed and out the door for our much-anticipated reservation at Zynodoa.
No hint of hyperbole: we weren't even done with our appetizers yet when I put this meal on my "Best Meals of 2026" list. Seriously, this dinner was six months ago and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We started with a delightful glass of champagne—which turned out to be a long-distance gift from an acquaintance of NP who heard we were having Valentine's Day dinner here and called the restaurant to buy us a drink! Isn't that the chicest and sweetest thing ever?! Definitely tucking that idea into my back pocket. Then, we absolutely devoured a bruléed cornbread that made me wish I wasn't such a careful flosser, if only to retain one measly little kernel of its greatness in a molar for later. Alas!
The rest of the meal featured trout, scallops (this has really been the Year of Scallops for me, personally....more on that later), NP had steak, and we shared a dessert that has escaped our memory in every detail except for the exquisite banana flavor—a recommendation of the lovely couple in their 40s sitting next to us.
We were lucky enough to sit at a table sandwiched between two other couples enjoying a Valentine's dinner, and the ambiance of Zynodoa fostered plenty of cutie little conversations. The couple sitting to our right used to live in Richmond, and their glowing recommendation of Edo's Squid finally motivated me to get off my ass and try it. (Of course, it's now become my favorite restaurant in Richmond, and I'm angry that I wasted 4 entire years of prime real estate! (My apartment was 4 blocks from Edo's. Now that I've moved, it's a drive. (Oh, also, I moved! More on that later, too. (Is this too many simultaneous parentheticals?))))
The next day, we had homemade waffles in bed at the Abbey and, when we finally did get up, spent the day wandering through gorgeous little shops and antique stores. One of our favorite stops was Elli Bubble, the cutest little love-filled bubble tea shop, where you could make & send Valentine's cards! I sent one to Jolie, my almost-birthday twin.
That evening, we took a snowy ride along the Virginia Scenic Railway, chugging along on a vintage train car through the Blue Ridge mountains to take in the sights, learn about the fascinating history of the area, and eat a delicious dinner featuring locally sourced ingredients.
Before heading home on Monday, M and I made a little pilgrimage to nearby Natural Bridge State Park. I'd never been before—a fact that blew M's mind—and I was promptly awed by the breathtaking, pristine landscape lightly dotted with snow and fresh ice.
I love that they have rows of benches for visitors to sit and marvel at the bridge in a pattern vaguely reminiscent of a church nave. I think more natural spaces should be treated like the wonderful, sacred spectacles that they are with unobtrusive vantage and reflection points.
On our way back to Richmond, M and I stopped in Harrisonburg for a very silly and important lunch at Chili's with Evan & Jolie. All-in-all, a weekend I'll be remembering for a long, long time.
Top photo credit @le_supper.club