Tags: gifts | shops

Looking for the perfect gift for your loved on on Valentine's Day? Then look no further as ThinkExpats points the way...

1) In life, presentation is everything. Presents look better when they come in beautiful wrapping; a man looks better in a Porsche; and a woman looks better in lingerie!

We all know that most boys like to see their women wearing something that is a cross between Traci Lords and Dr. Frank-n-furter, but most women prefer to be wearing something that doesn't injure her when she bends to sit down. And what do women like? I think we'd all be happy if you guys just avoided underwear that has holes, sequins, or a cartoon theme.

Whichever directions you go remember this: Unwrapping is half the fun!

LA PERLA: (online in Czech Republic) www.laperla.com

AINA SPODNI PRADLO: Francouzská 14 Praha 2, Tel. +420 773 044 773, Open mon-Fri 10am-6pm www.aina.cz

MARKS & SPENCERS:Several locations in the Czech Republic: www.marks-and-spencer.cz

2) Sometimes when you live in a city as beautiful as Prague, you take the gorgeous surroundings for granted. We also do the same thing with our loved ones. Why not take sometime out to enjoy both at the same time? Prepare a picnic basket, travel to a secluded spot in the city and live it up with your lover. Just make sure you pack a blanket, because it can get pretty cold when you've got your kit off you wouldn't want anything important freezing off. To get the picnic goodies, check out;

FRUITES DE FRANCE: Bělehradská 94, Praha 2, Tel: +420 222 511 261, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.fdf.cz

3) For most couples, the Valentine's Day festivities end up indoors at one or more points during the holiday, so its important to make those times count. There's no better way to show your lover you care than a massage. Take a bath, light a scented candle, and get to work. To tantalize the truer sex, start by tickling her toes, and work your way up. After all, her feet must be tired from chasing after your mood swings. And to please the boys, you should start with the hands, and work your way down. After all, his hands must be tired from... well, let's just say that we women need a night off every now and then.

BODY BASICS: Several locations in the Czech Republic and the region: www.body-basics.info

4) Life in the big city can take its toll on your body. Your mate may have been attractive when you first met them, but the Winter Weather has a way of correcting such things. If you'd like to see your honey back in top form again, why not buy them a spa treatment? It will make them, (and you) feel like a Million Crowns.

Bonus for the ladies: Yves Rocher also sells an array of scented aftershaves and colognes. After all, Summer is just around the corner, and we all know what the tram smells like around June.

YVES ROCHER: Multiple locations in the Czech Republic: www.yves-rocher.cz

5) Many of you Expats left a little cutie back in the Homeland. If you don't want them to think that you've forgotten them, or more importantly, you don't want them to forget you, consider forking over the cash required to introduce a little floral joy into their lives. It's actually not more expensive than sending flowers in your own country (for those of you lovebirds who would actually know what a bunch of floral joy costs.)

Besides brightening up your sweetie's day, you can assert yourself with potential competition by metaphorically "peeing on your territory" from thousands of miles away. If you have the cajones to brave the uppity, Czech-only speaking store clerks at Clivia, go for it.

CLIVIA: Štefánikova 3/61, 150 00 Praha-Smíchov www.clivia.cz. Tel: +420 257 328 588. Fax: +420 257 324 482. 1,500 Kc to send assorted mixed flowers to the UK, 2,500 Kc to send assorted mixed flowers to the USA. Accepts: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and CS. *Uses FTD/Interflora/Fleurop Services

6) Chocolate has always been a staple gift in the romantic arena, so it only makes good sense to get your sweet her sweets from the country that does it best. The owner of Leonidas travels to Belgium to buy his chocolates fresh, which should provoke the desired freshness from your lady. Rumor has it that when you eat chocolate, it releases the same hormones in your body that sex does. Can you imagine what would happen if you did both at the same time?

LEONIDAS - FINE BELGIAN CHOCOLATES: Kaprova 13, Praha 1, 110 00 www.pralinky.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Metro: Staroměstská

7) Do you have dreams of the jettsetting lifestyle, but endure constant nightmares over the cost of it? Luckily, the cold weather season offers many cheap opportunities to travel abroad and within Europe that you don't have to be under twenty-five to take advantage of. One of the best escapes is a trip to Amsterdam, which is perfect for a lover's getaway. You can stroll by the canals, smoke, visit the Van Gogh museum, smoke, eat pastries (magic brownies)... oh, and if you find that you and your travelling partner are incompatible, there's always the Red Light District.

AZZURRA TOURS: Za Poříčskou branou 4, 186 00 Praha 8 - Karlín, Czech Republic, Tel.: +420 224 816 194, Tel.: +420 224 818 992, Fax: +420 224 813 019 www.azzurratours.cz

8) Hey boys: do you want to get your girlfriend jewelry that she will definitely like, and yet, has no specific meaning attached to it? Do you want to go to a jewelry store that you will not have to spend more than ten minutes anguishing over what genre of metal matches her purse? Do you want to avoid going broke? What are you crazy? If you love them, you'll want the best for them and here is a comprehensive list of the best fine watch and jewellery brands and the stores in Prague that sell them, so you have no excuse this year for coming home empty-handed.

9) Cheap Date under 100Kc. Are you cheap? Perhaps you are just going through a financial dry spell? Here are some tips on how to avoid being ditched during this hard-to-get-right holiday. There are many ways to impress your significant other without depressing your wallet.

For starters, pick up a flower from the local corner stand, you won't have to spend more than 40Kc for something pretty. Next, grab two glasses from your kitchen, and head down to the nearest Tabak for a bottle of Frankovka cervene (red wine). You can spend as little as 50Kc, if you don't live anywhere too trendy. You should now have 10Kc left for a piece of colored paper from an art supply or kancelar store. Adorn the blank paper with sweet nothings, and you're in business.

All you have to do is take your snuggle bunny to a secluded spot with a good view (they're everywhere in Prague, so just keep walking until you find one,) and you will have given them the best gift possible: A night to remember. If you repeatedly tell your partner how gorgeous they are, they will forget how cheap you are, and will be too busy trying to get your pants unzipped.

Are you single and not sure what to do on Valentine's Day? Not to fear, here are some suggestions to make the loneliness pass more quickly:

• Get drunk at home alone

• Get drunk at a restaurant with friends

• Get drunk at a club and go home with a stranger

• Get drunk at strip bar, black-out, and wake up the next morning in Berlin, married to a hunchback dwarf named Moe.

• Become bisexual and double your chances for next Valentine's Day!