Affection.
Chivalry.
Tenderness.
Implications that he loves you.
Words conveying that he loves you.
Gestures that show he loves you.
Getting the feeling that you are the most beautiful woman in the world.
Getting the feeling that you're his prized possession.
Getting the feeling that his heart belongs to you.
Getting the feeling that you two are a team and nothing can come between you.

(I wanted to add; I'm not much of a gifts person...I prefer gestures, words, actions, looks, hugs etc.!)

when i first started dating my fiance, i used to think that the typical 'shows of affection' were what romance was, but when you've been in a relationship for so long, you start to see that there are different things that mean something. to me, romance is holding my hand when we're walking down the street, cooking me dinner, and pouring me a glass of wine...it's just the little things rather than buying me all the baubles in the world.

this is going to sound so cheesy but my favorite acts of "romance" are little kisses on my forehead in the early morning after the alarm just went off..

or "sneakily" grabbing my hand when we're out walking the dog...

or its random flowers..not flowers cause its a birthday--anniversary..etc yanno...

A tender moment.

I think out-of-the-box I'm sure...as usual...but it's like the server that is at your table every 5 mins. asking if you need anything, or 'is everything alright', basically annoying you to death and killing your evening with the person you came with. I tip the server who was hardly there and I never needed to ask for anything except my meal and beverage.
Proactivity is what I reward in romance. I don't care at all about stuff unless it's a fresh box of tissues on my nightstand when I'm sick. Or a full tank of gas on Mondays so I don't have to worry about it. If he does all that stuff like that, and then looks in my eyes and tells me I have a cute nose and I 'feel' it...that's romantic.
It really depends on your receptive love language. Mine are acts of service and touch.
Read The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman.
Here's a website to take the test...
www afo net/hftw-lovetest.asp

I totally agree with you guys... The best is when I come home from a crappy day and theres my favourite biscuits in the cupboard, or if I'm cooking dinner and a pinch on the bum or an unexpected dance to the radio

Its the little things

Hmmm...when my boyfriend cooks dinner for me, when he surprised me with a trip to Hilton Head for our 2-year anni, when he bought me a watch with our anniversary date inscribed on it, when he buys me shoes and bags because he knows it makes me happy when he leaves little notes on post-its for me to read throughout our place, when he would wake up early with me on Saturdays to drive me to class so I can get some sleep in the car, when he goes shopping with me (even though he HATES it) etc. etc!

Basically, romance is my boyfriend to me. He goes above and beyond for me. He makes me happy. He SPOILS me. He makes me weak in the knees. He's there for me when I need him. He listens to me when I need to rant and he deals with me when I'm moody and b*tchy. Yes, I LOVE him very much!!!

My fiance shares my love of bookstore-and-coffee dates, and he is hysterically funny. He's also level-headed, responsible, and gives me my space. That's my definition of romance.

Just knowing that I am thought about. It's silly, but earlier last week I wanted a snack from the store, and when my boyfriend went to get them, they were out. Several days later, he came over after running some errands, and he saw what I had been craving and brought it for me. I thought it was so sweet.

Well, things like flowers are completely devoid of romance if they're simply a gesture and the two people in question don't feel much. The most romantic thing I can think of is being completely alone with someone I love in a vast and beautiful landscape, looking at the stars together and dreaming of the future. Lots of other things are romantic, but I love romantic settings. (though again, they're empty if they're not shared with someone very special...)

Heidi...love the bookstore and coffee dates...making eyes and smiling knowing you have to wait until you get home that's romantic! Here's a tip: stroll over to the erotic reading material and pick up a book with a racy cover, sit in front of him and start reading it with a straight face...look up and what his, so cute!

*watch his

I've been with my guy for 7 years. He doesn't think of himself as romantic at all. But every year on the anniversary of our first date, he beats me home with the exact order of Chinese food we had that first night at a restaurant. That is just so, so sweet.

We also hold hands in bed, which I find incredibly romantic.

personally, it's when someone takes the time to do something for you that they wouldn't want to do otherwise. it's the fact that it's you that makes it something they don't mind doing.
also, I've gotta say. my idea of romance is when at the end of the day you can just be yourself with this person- whether you're clingy, at times standoffish, affectionate, goofy, silly, gross, a loner- and they don't mind it, in fact they love it. that's the best. I'd take that kind of romance anyday.

Random acts of kindness- a CD or dropping off a your favorite takeout to work unexpectedly for no reason other than he was thinking about you. That's romantic to me, because it shows that it's not forced, and that he truly knows what you like and cares enough to go out of the way (other posters like Austerity had some great comments as well.) Days like Valentine's Day make it feel like an obligation. Now, finding a guy who will do this is the tough part. A guy who really cares will do it though- that's the step between liking you and love.

A guy who is willing to let me be independent and even likes me for it, but is willing to be by my side to help when I need it, well, that's just plain awesomeness too.

I agree with Austerity. Romance isn't anything in particular. It's something personalized and special that shows he really knows and cares and thinks about *you*.

To me the most romantic things are affection and tender moments like Glowingmoon said. Because if someone doesn't really love you, they won't be affectionate or have soft sweet moments with you. These things are spontaneous, so a guy just can't fake his way through, unlike Valentine's Day presents or buying flowers or something.

Oh and I love what Marci said. My boyfriend always holds my hand when we're hooking up too...completely spontaneous on his part and therefore completely romantic!

It not anything in particular, I agree stumbler.
It's all those little things that show he cares. It's the looks you exchange, when he grabs your hand when y'all walk around, when he does something thoughtful and knows exactly what you like without you having to say a thing.
Anything cliche doesn't work, like flowers or like someone said, Valentines Day stuff in general. It can't be forced, it's those moments that neither of you expected, those moments where you just know you love each other and care about each other so much.

I think the most romantic thing in the world is when my husband and I are in bed snuggling at night and he thinks I'm asleep and starts whispering how much he loves me. I always want to kiss him, but if I did he'd know I was awake and would be horribly embarassed... so I hold off till the morning.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone buys you flowers after an argument! That is not a sufficient apology, and it just ruins flowers for me.

romance is definetly feeling like they are doing osmething for YOU.
like my guy will come to my house after work sometimes (around midnight) and hell have stopped by a sushi place to pick some up for us to have as lunch the next day.

feeling him kiss me in the middle of the night is great too. it might be a kiss on my shoulder, my ear, the hand that hes holding... but it shows that even when sleeping he cant get anough of me

reality

Seeing me with tissues stuffed up my nose and still thinking I'm hot.

respect is romantic to me.
laughing with him.
when he comes home and straight into my arms and doesn't have to say anything about how much he missed me, he just shows it.
sex is oh so romantic! all kinds...
night drives on pch listening to our favorite bands.
sitting across from eachother so we can hold hands across the table.
he kisses my hand.
when he confides in me.
living together.
maturity is romantic.
a big grin on his face when he wakes up in the morning to see me.

The fact that he still acknowledges our wedding song when he hears it and how everytime he'll always ask me to dance with him.

Remembering all of our special anniversaries even when I forget.

That he still calls me his bride after 9 yrs of mariage.

The I get from him with the most beautifully worded sayings in them.

Everytime I hear the words "I love you".

The dozens and dozens of beautiful roses he always has brought me since we started dating and what he continues to do until this day.

The respect he never neglects to give to me.

The hand holding,hugs and kisses.

Having him hold me when we are laying in bed

The way he smiles at me

"oops" it should be: The cards I get from him with the most beautifully worded sayings in them

Of course the whole 'perfect-prince-charming-thing' like in movies is romantic... but there are other every-day-things that can be alot more romantic.
In my case, in my long distance relationship, romance is...

The way he looks at me when he finally sees me.

Just looking at each other and smiling at the same time because we know we're thinking about the same thing, how much we love each other.

His text messages early morning [his late night] wishing me a great day and telling me he hopes he'll dream about me.

Tiny e-mails saying that he loves me.

Every time he tells tries to speak spanish [it's so cute] just because spanish is my first language.

The fact that he reads all the books I send him and we can discuss about them.

The songs he send me every single night, all of them with amazing lyrics that make me melt.

Listening to him say 'I love you'.

Romance to me is ... my boyfriend.

[vmruby... I looved your comment. You're a very lucky one :]

Romance is our daily emails while were at work, when we lay in bed and talk about our future, when he takes the dog out on saturday mornings so that I can sleep in, how he always cooks for me, how he can always make me laugh, how he puts his arm around me when we take a walk........I love love!!!!!

Romance, to me, is completely linked to my husband...

The way he cooks breakfast for us to eat in bed.
How he bought me a single rose on the last day of my exams.
How he proposed to me a month after we met, and it felt completely right.
How he's so unselfish in bed.
The way he holds me, like I'm the most precious thing in the world for him.
His love letters, which he writes every day.
How he gives me his pantings, even if they were for exhibitions.
The fact that he knit me a scarf.
Falling asleep in his arms and waking up to his kiss.
Chasing each other around the house, laughing like little kids.
Buying things for our apartment.
How he told all his friends that I'm the most amazing girl in the world, and how he talks about me all the time. How proud he is of me.
How we sometimes get ready to go out, and he looks at me and tells me to take off my clothes, so we stay in and make love for hours instead. How the words "to make love" don't make me roll my eyes anymore ever since, for the first time, he stopped in the middle of sex, looked at me like he couldn't believe I was his, then he kissed my forehead and just held me for a few minutes, our bodies still connected. How it feels like our bodies speak the same language when we have sex. How even the most kinky things we do feel pure because we do them together.
How we discuss philosophy and like the same Ancient Roman poets.
How he writes stories for me that he doesn't send to publishers.
The fact that he never takes me for granted.
How we begin to argue then stop because it's too painful, and negotiate a compromise in between kisses.

How all of the above just come naturally to him. :*