Even as beef prices, electricity and shipping costs surge, Bermuda couples are still uncorking champagne and booking up the island’s top suites and tables for Valentine’s Day, leaving restaurateurs and hotels walking a tightrope between offering “value-priced” offerings and keeping their doors open until tourism fully rebounds.

Fine-dining stalwarts such as Barracuda Grill and Bolero Brasserie are already “pretty much full”, according to restaurateur Philip Barnett, of Island Restaurant Group, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday this year. That timing, he says, has helped to push demand, as couples lock in tables early for a guaranteed night out.

“It’s one of the few days we don’t necessarily have a problem selling out,” he noted.

More casual spots in the same restaurant group — including Pickled Onion, Frog & Onion and The Hog Penny — still have limited availability, particularly if the weather co-operates and patios can be brought into play. Those venues, Mr Barnett said, have quietly hosted their share of engagements over the years, especially at candlelit Frog & Onion, which he called a “warm and inviting” setting for a proposal.

Despite the intimate two-top focus of the evening — which can mean lower total volume than a typical busy weekend — spending per couple often ticks higher. Diners are more likely to spring for a special bottle of champagne or a one-night-only menu designed for sharing.

“People do splurge a little more,” Mr Barnett said. “They want to make it that much more memorable and special.”

Hotels are seeing a similar pattern. Alexis Roberts, director of sales and marketing at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, said the property has recorded a 30 per cent increase in Valentine’s staycation bookings compared with the same period last year.

“We’ve seen very encouraging momentum around Valentine’s this year,” she said, adding that dining reservations at Sunken Harbour Club were also up. “Guests are clearly leaning into curated, intimate experiences — both overnight and culinary — when marking the occasion.”

Across the harbour at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, restaurants are fully committed for the night. Keisha Webb, public relations and reputation manager, said Intrepid and Crown & Anchor are sold out for Valentine’s, with the five-course “Love in Intrepid” dinner filling up in the first week of February.

“We’re thrilled with the response to Valentine’s weekend at Hamilton Princess,” Ms Webb said. She added that demand for the hotel’s February staycation packages has been steady, with special resident rates starting at $299 plus for a Fairmont Room.

There will be no Valentine’s-specific discounts at IRG, but the restaurants are leaning on existing winter value menus at certain locations to keep price-sensitive locals in play. On a year-on-year basis, food prices rose 2.3 per cent between August 2024 and August 2025, according to the latest statistics from the Consumer Price Index.

In an era of rising food and electricity costs, Mr Barnett argued, operators are working hard to keep offerings “as aggressively priced and value priced as possible”, even as they wait for more cruise calls and the long-anticipated reopening of the Fairmont Southampton to fully restore the volumes that make romance a sustainable business model.