My Partner & I Tried Every Clichéd “Romantic” Thing — & Here’s What We Thought

I like to think of myself as low maintenance when it comes to romantic gestures. (That's not to be confused with being "chill" or "cool" about relationships — I'm so far from those things, it's not even funny. I'm just saying I don't need to be surrounded by roses and candles to feel appreciated.) Thankfully, this works for me and my partner, Michael. We've been together for two years, and we've developed a great system for showing how much we love and appreciate each other through daily thoughtful acts and the occasional pre-planned special activity.

So when we were presented with the opportunity to spend three days of saccharine-level romance and couple-oriented luxury at the âme Spa & Wellness Collective at Turnberry Isle Miami, we thought it seemed like a fun, if not a little awkward, change. Yes, we spend plenty of time together, and we take trips here and there, but spa and resort situations are not our usual thing: When we're not camping or attending a friend's out-of-town wedding (seriously, can people stop doing that?), our "couple's" trips have mainly consisted of visiting our families who live out of state.

Cut to us rolling up to Turnberry Isle and entering a stereotypical let's-remember-why-we-love-each-other haven. On our itinerary: couple's massages, romantic sunsets, exercise regimens with the likes of Magen Banwart, breakfast in bed, state-of-the-art spa treatments, and drawn-out meals in which we'd presumably gaze lovingly into one another's eyes. The pressure was on.

So, for the sake of, um, journalism, Michael and I did it all — and shared our independent thoughts about whether or not over-the-top romance is all it's cracked up to be.