F
I N D
CANADA
CARIBBEAN
EUROPE
UNITED STATES
MISCELLANEOUS
TRIP TIPS
Since
it’s difficult to get a
free blanket on the plane anymore, the French Riviera’s luxury seafront
La Villa Mauresque ships ahead,
directly
to the guests’ doorstep, a plush cashmere blanket so they will be
swaddled in
warmth and comfort. The complimentary offer goes to guests booking a
minimum
3-night stay for arrivals through Oct., 2010. Prepayment for one night
should
be sent three weeks before arrival to ensure blanket delivery in time. www.hotelsfrench-riviera.com
Money
at my
Fingertip, a new
biometric system eliminates hiding cash 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,
a slim passport-size language book for $9.95, navigates
the
basics in foreign words and phrases. Point to the illustration of your
question. It's printed in English and the local language, covering
China, Japan, Thailand and most other countries. A China iPhone
application is now available on iTunes. www.menospeak.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
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F E A T U R E D A R
T I C L E
HOW TO
ENJOY THE
SUMMER
NEW YORK
Let’s go
right to the lap of
luxury, the Big Apple’s famed Waldorf-Astoria. The Real
Deal Family Package features suite accommodations, one movie per
day, four coupons for continental breakfast
in the hotel’s Starbucks at $389 p/night through Dec. 5. Or if
you’re just passing
through, try the Sunday Night Only
package at $319 which features a free
parking space in the garage or continental breakfast for two. Either
way, you
will marvel at the elegance of this legendary Manhattan
landmark. www.waldorfnewyork.com
Calling all music lovers to Affinia Shelburne Hotel in midtown Manhattan for Jazz
in the City. Guests on this package receive spacious
accommodations; two
complimentary tickets to Birdland Jazz Club, made famous by the
legendary saxophonist
Charlie “Bird” Parker; two cocktails during the show; breakfast
for two at
Rare Bar & Grill in the hotel; and loan of an Ibanez acoustic
guitar in
your room for an impromptu after-show jam session. Nightly rates start
at $235
through Sept. 6. Each room is equipped with flat screen TV, sleek
kitchenette
or mini bar, and a bright spa bathroom.
“Bird” dubbed his club the jazz center of the world, frequented by many
jazz notables. Continue your
fun back at Affinia Shelburne’s Rare View,
known as one of the best rooftop bars in New York City. www.affinia.com
CARIBBEAN
Sandals
Resorts
is now offering an open-ended booking deadline for the
popular Up to 65% Off promotion,
giving guests the opportunity to book a 3-night minimum Luxury
Included®
vacation at any twelve Sandals Resorts. This is your chance to enjoy
Greg
Norman golf at the luxury Sandals
Emerald Bay
(formerly
Four Seasons) in Great Exuma, Bahamas…or
choose among the three ethnic family-styled villages at Beaches Turks
&
Caicos…well into 2010 and beyond. Guests staying seven nights will also
be
eligible for up to three
nights free
at select properties. As
with any Sandals Resorts Luxury Included® Vacation, guests receive
luxury
accommodations, gourmet meals, unlimited premium brand wine and
spirits,
nightly entertainment, watersports, golf, airport transfers, taxes and
gratuities. Travel dates for this promotion are now through Dec.
28, 2010
and Jan. 1 through Dec.
28, 2011.
www.sandalsresorts.com
Set
yourselves up on
trendy Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, for a Girlfriend Getaway at Bay Gardens Hotel or Bay
Gardens
Inn. Both properties offer superior accommodations, traditional
Caribbean
cuisine, and are steps away from the chic boutiques, restaurants, night
spots, outdoor
cafes and sleek boats lining the circular waterfront.
This package includes a 3-night stay, one spa treatment per person
(full massage, body scrub, express facial or mani/pedi at the new La
Mer Spa), plus a choice of one Pilates or Yoga class. Rates start at
$79 p/person p/night double. www.baygardensresorts.com
FLORIDA
Loews Miami
Beach Hotel is showing off
its new $50 million renovation by
offering a 4th Night Free through Sept. 30. The Summerfest
package starts at $229 p/room p/night, including $100 food
and beverage credit for guests staying 4 nights or more. The redesigned
lobby now has an aquarium wall and porte cochere entrance. Final
addition this winter will be new cabanas featuring sliding glass
doors
and
roof decks for sunning and lounging.
Daily poolside happenings
include limbo dances, hula hoop relays, beach yoga and a ‘dive-in’
movie on
Saturday nights. A pool concierge pampers guests with chilled hand
towels, periodic
misting, smoothies and frozen grape kabobs.
Shops taking that $100 credit
are the new SoBe Scoops; Hemisphere Lounge (try a Miami Mojito); Sushi
SoBe; Preston’s
Brasserie for breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t miss the Belgian
Waffle
station at breakfast); plus Nautilus for that Cubano Wrap and daily
fish specials by the pool and beach. www.loewshotels.com
In
honor of its silver
jubilee, four-star Harbor Beach Marriott Resort
& Spa in Fort Lauderdale
recently unveiled its $50 million resort-wide renovation. The
beachfront luxury property renewed and revitalized rooms and
suites, nearly
doubled the size of the spa and fitness center, made dramatic changes
to add a
new dining venue sitting 15 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, and gave the kids program a total overhaul.
Their
brand new freestanding children's Surf Club features, among other
enticing
entertainments,
a custom-built Hawaiian Surf Simulator, allowing one to four children
at a time
to ‘surf’ the waves. The Silver
Anniversary package includes complimentary upgrade to an oceanfront
room and a
$50 daily resort credit. Available through 2010, nightly
rates start
at $309. www.marriottharborbeach.com
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BEST
BUYS
Relax
With Nature
Tapping Montana’s master craftsmen for its recent major
renovation, Triple Creek Ranch captures the spirit of the West
with focus on rustic
elegance. The Relais & Chateaux resort renovated 18 luxury cabins
and
updated its acclaimed dining room. Original works of art by Charles
Russell,
Frederick Remington and several contemporary artists infuse that
Western look
indoors and out, including sculptures and photographs throughout the
ranch.
This is the ideal place for travelers who appreciate art and the great
outdoors.
An
Orvis-endorsed fly fishing resort, Triple Creek Ranch also offers
hiking and
horseback riding through the Bitterroot National Forest; specially themed weekends
for aspiring artists and photographers; cowboy roundups and cattle
drives for
wannabe wranglers; spring wine dinners and seminars with premier West
Coast
vintners; tennis; a fitness center and heated pool. For real
relaxation, enjoy
a massage in your cabin and a hot tub soak among the Ponderosa pines.
Then
settle by your fireplace with a good book. Cabins begin at $650 p/cpl.
all-inclusive (meals, snacks, drinks, activities).
www.triplecreekranch.com
FOLLOW MARCO POLO TO HANGZOU
Multiple award-winning Pacific
Delight Tours is offering a
special add-on package to Hangzhou, a historical region about 100 miles
southwest of Shanghai, in conjunction with 2010/2011 departures of its Imperial China/Yangtze River Gold Experience.
The 3-day add-on features a scenic train ride from Shanghai; sightseeing at Ling Yin Temple, the region’s oldest Buddhist monastery;
plus Six Harmony Pagoda, constructed by the Song Dynasty in the 12th
century. Also included is a cruise on
picturesque West Lake, revered by artists and poets throughout China. Originally a lagoon, West Lake separated from the Yangtze River thousands of years ago. Accommodations are
at the
upscale Crowne Plaza Hangzhou Grand Canal, situated on the longest
canal in the
world, flowing more than a thousand miles from China’s capital city to Hangzhou.
The add-on program is
available April 1, 2010 thru March 31, 2011 from $449 p/p dbl.occ. The
12-day Imperial China/Yangtze River Gold Experience
program, $2799
p/person, includes FiveStarPlus® luxury hotels, all intra- China
air/land
transportation, most meals and a comprehensive sightseeing program
featuring
cultural highlights throughout the Yangtze River, Beijing, Xian, Chongqing and Shanghai. The river cruise segment on ‘Victoria
Jenna’ features
Executive Suite accommodations with private balcony, concierge service,
use of
the exclusive Executive Lounge and private, a la carte dining. www.PacificDelightTours.com
TRENDS
Anantara
Phuket Resort & Spa
in Thailand, keeps guests up to
date with in-house iPads. Just
like borrowing a book from the library, take an iPad to a leisurely
breakfast and
plan your day. Spa treatment? Boat trip to charming Phang Nga Bay?
Touch the menu and make your appointments. Workahlics can keep in touch
with the world, or relax and read a book on this latest Apple
invention. The iPad will be available at all Anantara Hotels and
Resorts in the coming months. www.anantara.com

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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