I watch a lot of romance anime, so while my real life romance life isn't particularly great... I'm experienced with seeing it told in a story. And to be honest, there aren't many ways to tell a romance story that haven't already been told. Even so, I don't really get bored of it. Once you get used to seeing the various tropes you start having just as much fun seeing how they're weaved into the story. From my experience, the best romance stories don't actually center primarily on the romance.

Essentially, it boils down to who you're targeting the romance towards. One audience might prefer a funny, non-serious love story with an oblivious girl (or guy) having someone fall for them. Another might prefer one full of drama, where people fight their friends for a person's love, or perhaps the common "Do I like the good boy or the bad boy" decision. Maybe you want a more mature story based in realism.

My personal favorite is when Romance is done in the form of a quest. The stated purpose drives the plot, so the romance isn't necessarily the main focus. This way the romance can contain elements of both realism and unrealism. the quest ends, whether the stated purpose is completed or not, with a "moral development" and if that development is love between two people, well it's very satisfying.

Ignoring my personal input there... I guess I'm just saying that yes, at base romance is going to seem cliche, but what makes a good romance story is the way it's woven into the plot. People still like cliche romance, Heck if you're writing toward teenagers they'll absorb anything romance, no matter how cliche. But if your looking for something a bit more than a game of "win the guy's(or girl's) heart" then you just connect it with other themes all in one fascinating story.