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TripAdvisor Points the Way to Warmth

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:24:56 +0000

Sick of shivering through the winter? TripAdvisor recently put out a list of 10 Warm-Weather Escapes. And with our temps diving low even here in Florida recently, I have to admit these destinations south of the Sunshine State are looking pretty toasty and inviting for me, too. On the list? Balmy bastions like San Pedro, Belize, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbados. Check out the list, then check out my list for where to book your room:

Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia
Avalon Reef Club in Isla Mujeres, Mexico
One&Only Palmilla near Cabo San Lucas
Ocean Club Resort near Providenciales in Turks and Caicos
Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa
Cayo Espanto near San Pedro, Belize

^{Image courtesy Kathy Hagood}

Little Hotel Soaps Go a Long Way

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:01:36 +0000

If you stay in as many hotels as I do, you probably have a similar stockpile of little plastic bottles of shampoos, conditioners and body lotions taking up real estate in your bathroom cabinet. Recently, in downtown Orlando, I came across a homeless feeding event at a church. I brought of bag of clothes to donate, and noticed piles of the hotel bath amenities had been donated, too. So I quickly went home and gathered my own collection into a bag to donate to the cause. It's a simple gesture that goes a long way. Have a look around your own community and you'll find places to donate, too, I am quite sure. And I was happy to learn there's even a non-profit dedicated to the cause of putting all those hotel soaps to good use called Clean the World, with a website where you can learn more about organizing Soap Drives in your community or get an address for sending off your own supply.

Offbeat Florida Hotels

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:57:43 +0000

While the majority of the country sinks deeper into a frigid winter, we're still soaking up the vitamin D here in the Sunshine State. And Florida surely has its share of mega resorts to escape to, if big hotels with as many pools as an aquatic center are your thing. But if you're the kind of traveler who prefers hotels of the non-chain variety with a lot of non-corporate personality, here are a few top picks across the state:

A short drive from Tampa, the Postcard Inn on the Beach in St. Pete Beach is decked out with retro surf-style flair and has an oceanfront bar with regular live entertainment.
The Seahorse Oceanfront Inn in Neptune Beach (one of the Jacksonville Beaches) occupies a motorlodge-style, two-story building right on the beach and within steps of shops, restaurants and bars in the cute Atlantic Beach area.
There's no place quite like the Sundy House in downtown Delray Beach, with its rainforest-like tropical gardens and sinkhole-style pool filled with freshwater fish that fin alongside you as you swim.
All of the guest rooms, efficiencies and one and two-bedroom suites at Captain Pip's Hideaway in Marathon in the Florida Keys include the use of a 20-foot boat for fishing, snorkeling and frolicking in the tropical surrounds.
Right on South Beach's main drag, Ocean Drive, the Pelican Hotel caters to the fashion set with bespoke rooms named 'Viva Las Vegas,' 'Power Flower' and the like.

^{Image courtesy Sundy House}

Alpine High: A Slopeside Find in La Clusaz, France

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:53:34 +0000

It's been a rough season for snow in many resorts in the US. But in Europe this winter ski season, the white gold is having one serious rush everywhere from the French Alps to slopes of Austria. And despite the Euro's strength against the dollar, you'd be surprised how far your greenbacks can go in many popular Alpine resort towns. At La Ferme in the popular French ski resort of La Clusaz (about an hour from Geneva), guest writer Terry Ward tells me she recently bedded down for just 110 euros per night (about $144, double occupancy) in a ski-in/ski-out hotel with village views and a charming restaurant serving local specialties like raclette and tartiflette. She writes:

My room had a balcony overlooking the main slopes, a flat screen TV, super comfortable bed, free wireless Internet and pretty pine wood touches throughout. I felt like I was staying in a true alpine ski hut. The snow is the best they've had here in years, and lift tickets are only 30 euros per day (about $44) compared to double that at many stateside resorts. The best part? The cozy restaurant upstairs full of candles and a warm atmosphere for enjoying all the Savoyard specialties. Now I've got to ski twice as long tomorrow to work off all this cheese!

Can I get a Vive La France?

^{Image courtesy Terry Ward}

A Valentine's Day Spa Escape at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:48:30 +0000

One of my favorite Miami hotels is offering a very tempting Valentine's Day package. And since my husband happens to be among my loyal readers, I'm hoping he'll take this blog as a subtle hint to surprise me (hi honey!). Located right in downtown Miami on Brickell Key and surrounded by views of sparkling Biscayne Bay, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami has put together a Couples Delight Package at the hotel's newly renovated spa (Miami's only five star spa, it's among Florida's very best) that includes the following for a rate of $720:

Two hours of treatments for the two of you in a couples suite, followed by relaxation time
Champagne and macaroons prepared by the hotel's pastry chef
Take-home spa gift
And something equally nice and more obviously delicious is the four-course Valentine's menu at the hotel's excellent restaurant, Azul

Go forth and book, all would-be Cupids!

^{Image courtesy Mandarin Oriental Miami}

Take a Peek Inside Cinderella's Suite

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:46:48 +0000

I've stayed in some of the world's most stunning suites, but the one in Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World remains firmly on my wish list. Smack dab in the middle of the Magic Kingdom and accessible only via a private elevator, the suite is filled with the type of magic touches only Disney can provide. Take a video tour of this secret suite overlooking Fantasyland.

More videos about visiting Disney World the smart way:

^{Image courtesy The Walt Disney Company}

Bedding Down by the Northern Lights

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:44:51 +0000

This winter is meant to be the best in over 50 years for seeing that fabulous phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis. You have to venture very far north in the world (everywhere from Canada and Alaska to Norway and Sweden) for the best chance of seeing the night skies swirled with green, blue and--if you're lucky--red and purple. And it's sure to be on the very chilly side, wherever you end up. So here are a few places to stay warm if you're headed off in search of the Northern Lights:

Sleep within a hotel made of entirely of ice on a frozen bed topped with reindeer skins (very cozy, actually!) at the Snow Hotel in Kirkenes, Norway.
Newfoundland, Canada is way up there, and the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, overlooking St. John's harbor, makes a nice urban base.
The Ice Hotel in Swedish Lapland is the world's largest hotel made entirely of ice.
And while you can't see Russia from the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, you might be able to see the Northern Lights.

^{Image courtesy Getty Images CR: Wayne R Bilenduke}

Hotel Lobbies that Wow

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:21:08 +0000

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the following hotels obviously take that very much to heart:

The Joule Dallas welcomes guests with a big wow factor in the form of original artwork by Andy Warhol and a giant industrial cog wheel that looks like a piece of art in its own right.
The Seagate Hotel and Spa, a few blocks from the sand in Delray Beach, Florida, plunges you directly into an underwater theme with Nemo and his friends (moray eels, butterfly fish and all sorts of tropical denizens) finning their ways around aquariums totaling 5,000 gallons.
Flowing mesh curtains hung from several floors up and light flooding through the emerald green glass of the hotel's facade make for a very modern entry at the high-design Opposite House hotel in Beijing, China.
Enormous African masks and animal skin prints put you in an African game lodge frame of mind in the theme park capital of the world at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando.

Which hotel lobby around the world made the best first impression with you?

^{Image courtesy Terry Ward}

Iceland Rising

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:13:10 +0000

I hunt for travel inspiration the way some people shop for shoes. And Iceland and its capital city, Reykjavik, have moved to the top of my wanderlust list after reading Lonely Planet's recently released Best in Travel 2012 list. The lineup is compiled each year by Lonely Planet's authors, editors and staff. And they point to Iceland's natural beauty, geothermal activity, great coffee house scene and legendary nightlife as just a few reasons to visit. I'm in! And naturally, I've already started looking into where to stay:

The 101 Hotel in the heart of Reykjavik was Iceland's first boutique hotel and is owned by an Icelandic graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Original Icelandic artwork decorates the rooms and common spaces of the Holt Hotel in Reykjavik.
And scout for the Aurora Borealis this winter with a stay at the Northern Light Inn, near the famous healing waters of Iceland's Blue Lagoon.

Winter never sounded so good to me!

Book a Beautiful View

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:55:02 +0000

Choosing a hotel is a personal thing--maybe you pick the best hotel for you based on location, mattress type in the guest rooms (Tempur-Pedic for me, pretty please!) or what restaurants are onsite. For some people to whom a sense of place is the all important deciding factor when it comes to where to stay, it's all about the view. And to them, I say, here is a website made with you in mind. Launched in mid-October, The Most Perfect View lets you narrow your search and book a room based on the most beautiful views. But be warned, it's one of those websites that uses the power of incredible photography to lure your credit card right out of your wallet--browsing the hotel views is enough to incite serious wanderlust only remedied by immediate trip planning. So far, the website's listing includes rooms with views in 100 of the most spectacular hotels in the world. Among them:

The Standard New York with views of the Highline Park
The Savoy Hotel in London, overlooking the Thames River
Fasano Rio in Rio de Janeiro with views over Ipanema Beach
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort in Bariloche, Argentina, with glistening lake and mountaintop views.

I dare you to have a look and try to resist booking a bed with those views!

^{Image courtesy The Standard}