“He had a friend write ‘Will you marry me?’ in the sand on one of the beaches we fly over” the girl behind the desk explained.

“Do you think she said yes?” my boyfriend quipped.

We had arrived at the Sydney Heli Tours hangar at Sydney airport, and the boyfriend and I, who usually don’t even acknowledge Valentine’s Day let alone celebrate it extravagantly, where gearing up to go on a Champagne Twilight Helicopter Flight.

I’d never been on a helicopter before, but I think it’s safe to say most heli-flights don’t involve sipping champagne while being shown the safety procedures.

We had our flutes topped up and relaxed in the passenger lounge, which I think really helped with the nerves when it came time to get on board.

But even if we (okay, admittedly I) had any nerves as we climbed in, our pilot Peter was a dream. Friendly and cool as a cucumber, I had no doubt we were going to be just fine.

And, lift off! One minute we were on the unassuming helipad, the next the gobsmacking-ly beautiful view of Sydney at sunset from the sky was before us. It felt like only seconds until we were scoping the Sydney Harbour Bridge, rounding Westfield tower and admiring the Opera House from a view I’d never seen it from before.

I usually cringe and make finger-pointing-down-throat motions at anything too romantic, but I have to admit I looked at the boyfriend and couldn’t help reaching for his hand as we took in the pink-orange sunset.

The tour continued on to the Lower North Shore, allowing us a peek into millionaire's harbour side backyards, and then on to the Northern Beaches. I loved how effortless it was to take in these various parts of Sydney in the space of 25 minutes – it can take an hour to get from Bondi to the city in the morning! Getting up in the air reminded me of Sydney’s natural beauty and breathtaking coastlines – which we sometimes forget when we’re sitting in traffic and getting frustrated with slow walkers in bustling shopping malls.

We were just rounding south-west Sydney and taking in the shipping containers at the wharf which from the air looked like tiny Lego pieces when we began to descend. We were about to land. It was over.

Back in the hangar, the boyfriend and I got the footage from our flight on DVD and eagerly perused the brochure. “Ooh, that looks fun!” I exclaimed, pointing at the ‘Coastal Rush – Doors Off’’ experience, apparently having gained a significant amount of helicopter confidence compared to just an hour before.

Meanwhile, the boyfriend had his eye on the Hunter Valley Luncheon tour.

“Maybe for Valentine’s Day next year?” I asked.

Valentine’s Day converts? You know it.

Thanks to www.godo.com.au you can get 10% off the 25-min Sydney Champagne Twilight Helicopter Flight - a saving of $29.90pp.  Too book the experience for you and your Valentine, go to http://www.godo.com.au/activity/SYHT103

By Erin Van Der Meer