Private planes, R150,000 bracelets: SA's most outrageous Valentine's Day spoils

How far are you willing to go to make sure your sweetheart has the best Valentine’s Day? Well‚ some South Africans have gone to the extent of hiring a private chef‚ flying their loved ones on private jets and sending hundreds of bouquets of flowers just to show how much they care.

Tilly Coles‚ an account director at Quintessentially‚ a concierge agency‚ said one of their clients has asked them to deliver flowers to his girlfriend every hour.

“A member had also requested we source a Cartier love locking bracelet for his wife starting from R150,000."

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“Sometimes we source Valentine’s day presents and surprises for a few people per member such as a member who has three wives," said Coles.

"They asked that they were spoilt equally on Valentine’s day so we organised the most exclusive spa retreat breaks‚ on three different dates in three different locations‚ three bouquets of flowers. We are currently working on three different dinners."

An employee at one of the most luxurious hotels‚ who did not want to be named‚ said they have had to book a helicopter ride for a couple from the airport to their hotel.

“The guy asked us to organise the chopper. He wanted to propose to his girlfriend‚ so we had a big banner made with the words ‘will you marry me?’‚ which we put on the landing pad‚” the employee said.

Andrea Wiid from The Winners Group‚ a concierge agency‚ said one of their over-the-top requests for Valentine’s Day was to organise a shark cage dive for a couple.

“The couple were from outside South Africa and the groom called us. He told us they enjoy diving quite a lot and that his girlfriend wanted to do shark cage diving. There was going to be a proposal‚ so we had a little sign made and he took it and proposed under water‚" Wiid said.

Zaine Muller‚ the owner of Private Chefs Cape Town said his company has receives a number “high end” requests for Valentine’s Day.

“The most common requests we get include a private chef in their home. The chef prepares a three course meal which is based on what the surprising partner requests. We decorate the table with flowers‚” he said.

Muller said some of their “upmarket” clients request a private villa for the weekend with a private chef. “The extreme is picking the couple up from their home in a luxury car‚ flying them in a helicopter to the villa and laying on a fancy dinner.”

Some of the hotels said people normally make last-minute reservations for Valentine’s Day. “People leave it to the last minute. The majority of the reservations we get are private proposals‚ where it is just the couple‚” said an employee who did not want to be named. - TMG Digital