This ain’t your Whitman’s Sampler-type of lover’s holiday.

So instead of the last-minute, overpriced dozen roses you’ll pick up at the Kroger florist, why not put that money to better use toward a Valentine’s Day getaway package that both of you can truly enjoy?

It’s the Valentine’s Romantic Getaway special being offered at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort in Pawleys Island. With rates beginning at $562 per couple, you can enjoy a three-night stay at the South Strand’s premier resort destination, with a boatload of extras including:

• Recreational options galore. You not only get a round of golf at nearby Litchfield Country Club, but unlimited tennis at one of the country’s “Top 50 Resorts” as selected by Tennis Magazine. You also get unlimited bicycle rentals, so you can “Bike the Neck” along one of the region’s most scenic trails.
• Your choice of either one massage or one facial per person (Monday through Saturday) – the perfect way to unwind after a day full of activity.
• Daily breakfast for two.
• Dinner for two at Webster’s Lowcountry Grill, which includes a bottle of champagne to celebrate your romantic getaway in style, and a four-course meal with entrée options including char-grilled local grouper, lemongrass-seared free range chicken breast and chateaubriand for two.

For more information, visit Litchfield’s Specials page or call 1-800-882-0684.

All right, let’s see. Christmas is over, you’re back in the office already but the kids are home from school for another week. What do you do with them while you’re busy working to pay off their brand-new PlayStation 3 and Guitar Hero III?

Let ‘em wear themselves out in the Grand Strand area’s newest recreational Mecca.

SportsZone – the massive, 44,000-square-foot indoor recreation complex located at the SportsZone Center in Little River – offers its “School Zout” program that lets children ages 5-15 participate in a dizzying array of sports activities as you tend to your work schedule. Full-day rates (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) start at $16 per child for SportsZone members and $22 for non-members, while half-day rates (1-6 p.m.) are also available at $11 and $16 per child. A light snack with sports drink is provided for all program participants, while an additional $5 KidzMeal option is available for full-day registrants (kids can also bring their own lunch with drink).

While they’re there, kids benefit from a combination of sports activities, hands-on teaching of sports-specific skills and an array of other activities that will offer your child a full day of exercise both physically and mentally. Check out some of these pictures to get a good idea of the resources that they’ll have at their disposal:

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