Need Some Valentine's Plans? Here's a Divorce Vacation Package!

In Depth

Seems there’s a vacation package for everything these days. Honeymoons, babymoons, anniversary trips, even an opportunity to live out Pretty Woman. And now, add divorce to the long list of themes for weekend getaways. Well, this weekend IS Valentine’s Day!

The New York Post followed “Cathy” and “D.,” a pair of New Yorkers looking to cut the knot, as they spent the weekend at Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa in Saratoga Springs. The historic hotel now hosts DivorceHotel, a program that originated in the Netherlands and is exactly what it sounds like:

The entire package costs $5,000, and includes separate accommodations for two nights, a designated lawyer for each party and a mediator to draw up divorce papers. There’s also a welcome basket containing Saratoga sparkling water, red wine, dark chocolate and other goodies, as well as a DivorceHotel information packet.

By the time your weekend idyll ends, you’re untangled. Gideon Putnam is the first American hotel to welcome DivorceHotel, but founder Jim Halfens says “hundreds” of European couples have partaken. It’s an alternative for couples on good terms without much to sort through. Your reward for keeping it civil is the chillest divorce ever:

Then, as if it’s a regular Saturday night hanging out in their living room, Cathy and D. watch the Union vs. Boston college hockey game on TV. Except they’re signing their divorce papers while it’s on — a 42-page agreement notarized by Martin.
The game’s final score is a tie — symbolic for the warm couple who wanted a divorce that didn’t take either of them down.
“It went so smoothly. This is the way it should be,” says D., over a bottle of red he’s sharing with Cathy to toast the end of their marriage.

Congrats and best wishes to Cathy and D.

A view of a hotel sign in Reno, Nevada, famous for speedy divorces. Circa 1940. Photo via Getty Images.

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