F
I N D
GREAT RATES
AT RED ROOF INNS
CANADA
CARIBBEAN
EUROPE
UNITED STATES
MISCELLANEOUS
TRIP TIPS
Are
you ready for Money
at my
Fingertip? This new
biometric system solves the problem
of carrying cash around in your swim suit. Before that beach or kayak
trip,
upload money from your credit card to your index finger. Then pay at
points of
sale by simply presenting your finger to access a bar code. Quebec's
largest year-round playground, Village Vacances
Valcartier, is trying it out this summer, and assures
the
fingerprint will not be linked to your name. www.valcartier.com
Me No Speak
language companion. This $9.95 slim passport-size book navigates
the
basics in foreign words and phrases. Point to the illustration of your
question. It's printed in English and the local language and covers
most countries, including China, Japan and Thailand. A China iPhone
application is now available on iTunes. www.menospeak.com
Free
New York tours. Ask a Big Apple Greeter to share history
and hot spots in various neighborhoods. www.bigapplegreeter.org.
Take
the
free Union
Square
walking tour Saturdays at 2pm. www.unionsquarenyc.org/walk.html
Embassy Suites Hotels provide lobby kiosks for checking in,
checking out
and printing boarding passes. www.embassysuites.com
Have Pouch,
Will Travel. Those ‘80s KangaRoo slip-ons or ties are back with
that sleek hidden inside pocket for keys or money.
$50 a pair in bright colors...men, women and kids sizes. www.zappos.com
Passport
Card gains entry to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. Credit card size, it features
photo, personal information and a chip giving border officials
instant access to a government database. A 10-year card costs $45
for adult, $35 for child under 16. Apply at any passport
processing site. www.travel.state.gov
Use
a Shop Las Vegas Passport for gifts and discounts at most Vegas malls
and Outlet Centers. Download: www.visitlasvegas.com.
Click on Play, then Shopping.
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F E A T U R E D A R
T I C L E
HOW TO ENJOY BIG LUXURIES
AT SMALL PRICES
Dining in
style in Milan
Fulfilling
your long-time wish to stay at that famous luxury hotel may not be in
the
budget right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the hotel for
lunch or
other amenities that will satisfy that urge to see how the other half
lives.
In fashion
conscious Milan, settle in at Acanto in the Hotel Principe di Savoia
for a business lunch. The property overlooks Piazza della Repubblica,
but it also has lovely gardens (see above photo), and Acanto dishes up a gourmet
antipasto buffet every day. See and be seen as you
brush up
against the fashionistas and see if they actually do eat.
www.principedisavoia.com
 How
about lunch prepared by a 3-Star Michelin chef at Restaurant Le Meurice in oh
so romantic Paris? The setting in this
200-year-old hotel on Rue de Rivoli, within sight of that famous Eiffel
Tower landmark, is alive with French history and
understated
elegance. Chef Yannick Alleno’s traditional Parisian cuisine is created
from
exceptional local products such as honey from beehives that reside on
the
rooftop of the Paris Opera.
www.lemeurice.com
Luxury cruising is not as far out of reach as
you might have imagined. The
Yachts of Seabourn has put money-saving temptations in your lap
for summer
cruising. Guests on Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Odyssey (pictured above),
Seabourn Legend
and the
newest Seabourn Sojourn debuting in June, will enjoy two-for-one or
special air-inclusive
rates for a limited time. Fares start from
$3,799 per person on these well-appointed vessels.
www.seabourn.com
At the ever
popular Hotel 
Plaza Athenee on Avenue
Montaigne in Paris, the
Dior Institute recently
launched the Dazzling
Radiance facial. Get re-
oxygenated while undergoing some luxury pampering, and
after a very satisfying afternoon in ultra-pleasant surroundings,
you'll emerge looking as healthy and radiant as a superstar. Tell your friends, “I got this marvelous Dior
facial while I
was at
the Plaza Athenee.” We won’t tell that you didn’t stay overnight!
www.plaza-athenee-paris.com
Chic XVBeacon
on Beacon Hill in Boston is an upscale boutique hotel where you CAN afford to stay during
their 2010 Celebration Rate.
XV Beacon honors its 10th anniversary with savings up to 30%. That
means a deluxe room for the night in this luxury establishment starts
at $275 now through March 31. Phone in and request the Celebration Rate
while it lasts! (877-XVBEACON) www.xvbeacon.com
EXPERIENCE MAXIMUM Zzzzs
AT VIE HOTEL BANGKOK
One requisite of a superior
hotel is to give its guests a good night’s rest while on the road. Vie Hotel
Bangkok goes the extra mile with a package appropriately called Deep Sleep. Start with a personal
check-in to a deluxe suite by the staff Sleep Consultant who will offer
you a
selection of relaxing songs to be played in your room. Next comes a
choice of
herbal teas, dreamy aromatherapy candles and burners, plus specialty
pillows
and pillow mists. You are invited to enjoy a complimentary 45-minute
relaxation
treatment in Vie Spa, and when you return to your room, a Vie Bath
awaits you
with a medley of sleep-producing amenities. After a stress-free night
and a
full breakfast on the house, you’ll be ready to take in all the sights
of
exotic Bangkok, or be entertained at the hotel’s lively
bar. Cost:
US$172 per room per night until May 15, 2010. www.viehotelbangkok.com
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BEST
BUYS
SKI TAHOE ON A BUDGET
AAA
Travel Club has found affordable lodgings in the heart of Lake Tahoe’s best runs. Book air and hotel together
for more savings. Here’s a partial list. www.AAA.com
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe from $79 – Surrounded by the stately Sierra Nevada mountains, Harvey’s is situated on the lake’s
picturesque south shore.
Resort
at Squaw Creek from $199 –
This ski-in ski-out resort is just 45 minutes
from Reno International Airport and a 3-hour drive from San Francisco.
Lake
Tahoe Vacation Resort from
$59 – Just off beautiful Lake Tahoe, next to the Ski Run Marina, and a mile from
Heavenly runs.
The
Ridge Tahoe Resorts from $64
-- Adjacent to the Nevada
Stagecoach Chair Lift at Heavenly, this resort offers free shuttles
to all nearby lifts.
MontBleu
Resort Casino & Spa from
$70 – Formerly Caesar’s Tahoe,
MontBleu
is two
blocks from the lake and
Heavenly, and 60 miles from Reno airport.
SKI STEAMBOAT
Treat
your- self to the generous Relax
& Reserve package at Sheraton
Steamboat Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado,
and get a 20% room rate reduction if reserved 21 days in advance.
Re-opened Nov.
25, Sheraton Steamboat is
located in
the heart of Ski Time Square at the Silver Bullet gondola. The hotel
doors
open directly
onto Steamboat’s ski runs and surrounding mountains.
There’s something
for everyone here: a Starbucks in the lobby, rooftop hot tubs, an
outdoor pool, spa,
boutiques, golf course, an art gallery, and rooms with every
desired
feature. The $17 per night resort fee adds high-speed Internet, 2
bottles of
water daily, seasonal ski/bike/ golf club storage, and scheduled city
shuttle
service. www.sheratonsteamboatresort.com
Quebec’s
Snowshoe Promenade. Skiing is not
the only winter sport out there
for you to enjoy this winter. Don your wool hat and mitts, strap on
your
snowshoes and learn the secrets of winter sports on the Plains of
Abraham. A snowshoe
guide will take you back in time to the
history of ski jumping, skijoring and much more. Hot cocoa, snowshoes
and
lantern included. www.lesplainesdabraham.ca
SKI FREE IN JACKSON HOLE THIS WINTER …Dollar-stretching package at Spring Creek
Ranch offers savings over 50% (except Feb./Mar.) Now
through April 1, 2010,
skiers at this 1,000-acre resort overlooking beautiful Jackson Hole Valley hit
the slopes at either Grand Targhee Resort or Jackson Hole Mountain
Resort, prime
locations in the Grand
Teton
range. Ski Free
from $87.50 p/person p/night double occupancy, includes
room, 2 lift tickets per day, breakfast daily, shuttle service to town
and
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Rusticly elegant studios, suites,
luxury
condos and homes feature hand-made lodge pole furniture and stone
fireplaces. Spring Creek’s Wilderness Adventure Spa
offers après ski massages, hot stone treatments, facials, mud
wraps and
more. www.springcreekranch.com
TRENDS
Leave it to Jamaica
to offer the Caribbean's first GPS
navigation system, covering 9,300 miles of roads and 15,000 points of
interest. Shops, hotels, gas stations and attractions are all possible
to find with JAMNAV, developed at the Mona campus, University of the
West Indies in Kingston. The locals' intimate knowledge of what
to see and do and how to get there makes this tour of Jamaica a truly
rewarding adventure. www.visitjamaica.com
Grand Velas Resort Riviera Maya, just 40 miles south
of Cancun, rolls
out the trolley…the “Margarita Trolley” that is, wheeled right to your
table in the resorts Mexican
restaurant, Frida (named for
the great national artist Frida Kahlo). Make your selection from top
Tequila brands and Margarita
flavors like tropical mango, tamarind, guava, cucumber and lime...and
the bartender prepares it right there, spicing things up in a glass
rimmed with chili-salt. www.grandvelas.com
Sunset at the Palms, Negril, adds free bonuses to your stay.
Enjoy nature walks
with Shorty, the
resort’s
resident gardener; cocktail mixing lessons, including the bartender's
best Tom Cruise moves; mouth-watering Jamaican recipes like rasta
pasta
or
peppered shrimp, taught by Sunset’s
executive chef. www.sunsetatthepalms.com
At Anantara
Golden Triangle
Resort & Spa
(one of my Thailand favorites), it's not Dinner on the Beach but
Breakfast by Design. As guests climb the bamboo stairway at a hidden
location, sparkling wine flows at a fullgourmet breakfast, where the
private chef's main course includes "eggs
any style." Sip and dine while taking in a panoramic view of
Laos, Burma and Thailand along the Mekong for approx. $62
p/person. www.anantara.com
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