20 Romantic Ideas for Him – Gestures and Dates He Will Appreciate

Romantic gestures can be something as big as planning a romantic trip, to something as small as a note on the fridge, or an act of kindness. If you need some inspiration this article will bring it to you!

Remember that relationships don’t just become great because you love someone – they become great because you show you love that someone. Not unlike going to the gym it pays off to work on your relationship and it will make you feel good in the process.

Play Date

Sometimes it helps being ten again. Even when you are about, two, three, four or more times that age. Hit the amusement park (don’t skip out on the jumping castle!) or the waterpark, go rollerblading, play on the ice rink,  play Twister, or do something else that would have left a big smile on your face when you were ten. Then indulge in an ice cream feast afterwards, or eat something else that makes you nostalgic.

It’s fun, it’s playful and it makes you laugh – go for it. Dates filled with laughter are some of the best to be had.

Video Games Night

Challenge your man to a competition with a new game (so he doesn’t have an advantage). Order some pizza or Chinese and have a night of playful competition at home in the couch. If you like you can have small prices for whoever wins the next round – you can make those prices naughty, or nice. It just ups the ante a bit.

Remember though – this is about having fun. If you are dating a super competitive guy, you might want to skip this one. Nothing worse than your guy shooting you daggers because you kicked his ass at something, or walking around like a peacock for a week telling you how much you suck at playing video games!

Have a Cards Night

Whether you want to do poker (potentially the striptease version), or a double date of Cards Against Humanity, playing a good game of cards is something most men appreciate. Board games sometimes work a charm as well.

At times you can also offer up your place for a men’s night of poker. Tell your man you will fix the snacks and the drinks, then head over to a friend of yours, whilst he gets to be a man’s man all night.

Only time to avoid card games is if your guy likes gambling a bit too much. There’s nothing romantic about a gambling habit.

Get an Adrenaline Kick

Did you know you fall in love faster with adrenaline pumping through the system? You do. If you start a date by sitting looking each other deep in the eyes, revealing some intimate things about yourself and follow it up with an adrenaline kick, you might very well find yourself falling. Fast.

So show your vulnerability whilst at a candle lit dinner, then go on a ghost tour of the city. Allow your man to save you from those imaginary dragons already!

Other adrenaline infused activities can be anything from circus classes (high in the air) to paragliding and snowboarding. Of course, assess the danger before you do something – breaking your bones isn’t particularly romantic and you might end up falling in love with the cute doctor instead…

Go On a Culinary Adventure

Have drinks at a mixology place, followed by the starter at one restaurant, the main at another and dessert at a third. You can have a theme such as going to French, Moroccan, Italian, or Spanish places, or do one of each. Or you can simply opt for some really upscale or intimate places, or stick with some other theme.

Compliment Him in Front of Friends

This might not sound like a romantic gesture, but as we know men will strut around like proud peacocks when their woman admires them. Don’t gush, just be proud and give a compliment here and there when others are around.

Send Him Texts and Leave Him Notes

A man, just as much as a woman, loves to be loved and adored. Not in an over-the-top fifty messages an hour sort of way but the truth is as relationships develop we often forget the little things. Like sending each other nice or naughty text messages and leaving little notes in unexpected places.

Do Unexpected Acts of Kindness

Whether you suddenly one morning decide to get out of bed early and make your man breakfast in bed, or you give him a massage when he comes home at night, these things count. Taking away one of his chores, like ironing his shirt one day, or washing his car for him, sound like trivial things, but it shows how much you care. You are doing things to make his life easier and more pleasurable.

Dress Up from Head to Toe

A man loves showing off his girl, or just admiring her in private. From the pedicure and the lingerie, to the nice dress to cover it all up – your guy will find it romantic and sexy when he knows you dress up just for him. You wanting to impress him will make him feel good. And of course, what guy isn’t happy when his girl turns into eye candy? Men are visual creatures, often more so than women.

Give Him Tickets to Something He Would Like and Send Him Along

If a man buys you a day at a spa, that’s a romantic gift isn’t it? Because you feel pampered. By him. Even if he’s not there. Consider doing the same for your man, only difference being you will buy him something that makes him feel pampered. Like tickets to a big game, or concert you know he would love, but that wouldn’t necessarily do it for you. Maybe a ticket for him and his best friend, or brother. One of the most romantic gestures there are is simply bringing happiness to someone.

Treat Him to His Kind of Movie at the Cinema

If you are into comedies and he loves thrillers, then you might always end up seeing the in-between kind of movies that none of you are especially fond of. Instead one day opt for seeing a movie he would truly love. You will enjoy seeing him happy and the pre-movie or after-movie dinner.

Support His Passion, Hobbies and Work

Sure, you might not like fixing engines to make cars drive faster, but he does. You might even find it an amusing hobby, but rather than making fun of his hobby, support it. Be happy he has found something he loves. Whether you buy him a book about it, pack him a surprise lunch next time he’s heading out to work on some cars, or you give him a massage when he comes home and ask him questions about his day, doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you show you care about his happiness by supporting him in things that make him happy.

Show You Trust Him

A man will feel honored when you show trust in him. Whether you trust him to fix your broken car, trust him with intimate details about your life, or trust him to go out on a night on town with the boys (without hurling precautions at him), he will feel honored by it. After all, you are supposedly in a relationship with him because you believe him to be a man of integrity. If you don’t, you aren’t supposed to be with him.

Plan a Weekend Getaway

Plan a secret getaway for him – tell him you will take him on a weekend getaway at a certain date, but don’t tell him what it’s all about. Make sure it involves something that your man would especially love, like renting a convertible for a road trip, spending a few hours go-carting, or some other activity he is really into. Apart from that, simply plan a trip you would both love. You don’t have to make it far away, or pricey either. You could even do a housing swap with a friend!

If you want to be more extreme you could pack his bags for him and kidnap him – quite literally. Put an eye mask on him, feed him champagne and drive him to a secret romantic location (which, again, could be a friend’s house you’ve decked out romantically if you don’t have the cash to rent somewhere). The problem with this is that you might catch him on a day when he is in a bad mood, has a migraine, or suddenly decides to go out with his friends. Surprises are great when they are timed well, not so great when things don’t go according to plan. Most of us, at some point, will try and surprise our man with a surprise dinner when he gets home, only to find out he has to work late, so there we sit with our fancy food, eating it in our PJs by the tele – on our own!

Do a Picnic

Pack some of the foods you know your man loves and maybe a bottle of beer to go with it  (if beer is allowed where you are going) and then take him to some place you know he will appreciate. Picnics don’t have to be of the traditional kind. For example, you can have a picnic watching the city lights at night (as opposed to sitting in a park in summer sunshine). If you are in LA, go to Mulholland and watch the lights below you during the full moon. You can even have a picnic in the car if it’s winter and you know a great look out post in the city.

Take a Class Together

If your guy is really into learning about something, but never took a class in it, why don’t you invite him to do a private class in it together with you? Whether it be karate or cooking, you could have some fun together.

The Sans Smartphone Weekend

Plan a trip to a log cabin somewhere, just the two of you and forbid phones, PCs, etc. Do things in nature, take time to really talk and connect with no distractions. You could even try doing a day with no speaking. There’s a lot that can be said using body language…

Surprise Jokes

Yeah, it sounds…not so romantic, but a good laugh raises someone’s mood. Pop a silly card in his laptop bag, or hide something in his car in the glove department…anywhere you know he will look and have a good laugh when he finds it (and doesn’t have his boss peeking over his shoulder when he does if it’s a rather inappropriate joke…).

Join Him for a Sports Game with His Favorite Team

Why not get some tickets for a sports game you think you’d enjoy watching as well? Then let your man play the expert for the day and have him explain all the rules, the inside know-it-all about the players, etc. Ask questions and show a willingness to learn about something he loves.

Check Out the Local Music Scene

If there are unknown bands playing in your area, bands that play music you think you might like, then head out and check them out. Even if some will turn out to be terrible, others might become your favorite artists. It can also lend itself to some good laughs. If nothing else, it will get you out the door.

Another tip – if you live in a big city like London or Los Angeles, there are often concerts in summer where you can sit outside on a nearby field and listen to the concert whilst having a picnic, without having to pay to watch the band. 

By Maria Montgomery – Maria is a freelance writer, director and social entrepreneur. She’s also the spokesperson for The Little Angels Community Center and an avid blogger. You can find her somewhere between Cape Town, London and L.A., where you will most likely find her in the hills, looking out over the city she loves. @OhMyMontgomery