Luxury Travel: $30,000 romance package at The Langham hotel in Pasadena

by McLean Robbins on

We know you want to show your love for your sweetie this Valentine’s Day – but is your love worth a $30,000 hotel package? Perhaps it is. If so, The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California is offering an over-the-top romance package sure to tickle even the most jaded traveler’s fancy. The overnight package really isn’t as bad as it could be, given that it includes a custom-designed piece of diamond jewelry from Single Stone of Mission Street valued at $20,000. Can we say “wedding proposal”? The package also includes:

  • Limousine transfer to and from the hotel, as well as an on-call limousine for use during your stay
  • Champagne, five dozen roses, chocolate covered strawberries
  • Overnight accommodations in the Tournament of Roses suite, offering 360-degree views of the San Gabriel Mountains and valleys, with early arrival and late checkout as needed.
  • A custom-created diamond jewelry piece from Single Stone on Mission Street (valued at $20,000)
  • 80-minute Chuan Balancing Couple’s Massage at The Huntington Spa
  • Private dinner for two in the Tournament of Roses Suite featuring a five course menu with wine pairings from The Royce
  • Rose petal turndown and breakfast in bed

You know what they say – money can’t buy you love, but it’s as easy to love a rich man as a poor one. We’re pretty sure we could get used to what money could buy us with this package.

Cruise line makes offer, gets sued, waits

by Chris Owen on

The cruise line that owns Costa Concordia is trying to move forward, past recovery and initial assistance efforts to make an offer to non-injured passengers. Still without conclusive forensic reasons or blame placed for the tragic grounding of January 13, Costa Cruises faces legal action as it and the entire cruise industry review safety standards.

The families of those who died, passengers that were injured and crew members will be handled on a case by case basis. For everyone else, the line is offering:

  • A lump sum of 11,000 euros (about $14,500) per person as indemnification, covering all patrimonial and nonpatrimonial damages, including loss of baggage and personal effects, psychological distress and loss of enjoyment of the cruise vacation;
  • Reimbursement of the value of the cruise, including harbor taxes;
  • Reimbursement of air and bus transfers included in the cruise package
  • Full reimbursement of travel expenses to reach the port of embarkation and return home;
  • Reimbursement of any medical expenses resulting from the cruise;
  • Reimbursement of expenses incurred on board during the cruise.

Almost simultaneously, crew member Gary Lobaton off Costa Concordia has filed a complaint in the federal court of Chicago seeking class-action status in a $multi-million lawsuit.

“The defendants failed to properly and timely notify all plaintiffs on board of the deadly and dangerous condition of the cruise ship as to avoid injury and death,” Lobaton said in the complaint. The passengers and crew “were abandoned by the captain.”

Meanwhile, Fox News reports six passengers off the stricken cruise ship filed a complaint against Carnival Corporation, parent company of ship owner Costa Cruises, in a Miami court demanding $460 million in compensation.

Maritime law experts say such actions probably won’t go far. Similar attempts to sue in the U.S. have been turned away by the U.S. Supreme Court and the expense of filing in a foreign court is often too great. Between the liability limitation clauses of the passenger contract cruise travelers agree to by booking passage on a cruise ship and the nearly-exempt status of foreign flagged cruise ships, cruise lines have themselves covered.


“It’s well-settled law,” said Jerry Hamilton, a maritime attorney who regularly defends cruise lines against lawsuits in STLToday. “The Supreme Court has said those clauses are valid clauses. They will be upheld.”

Still, the cruise industry moves on and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group that represents the interests of 26 member lines, announced a global safety review in answer to questions raised by the Costa Concordia grounding.

Key components of the Review include:

  1. An internal review by CLIA members of their own operational safety practices and procedures concerning issues of navigation, evacuation, emergency training, and related practices and procedures.
  2. Consultation with independent external experts.
  3. Identification and sharing of industry best practices and policies, as well as possible recommendations to the IMO for substantive regulatory changes to further improve the industry’s operational safety.
  4. Collaboration with the IMO, governments and regulatory bodies to implement any necessary regulatory changes.

“While the cruise industry has an outstanding safety record, CLIA is fully committed to understanding the factors that contributed to the Concordia incident and is proactively responding to all maritime safety issues,” the organization said in a statement, adding “The Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review will enable the industry to do so in a meaningful and expedited manner.”

How this story ends, how much compensation will be given or awarded, will have a lot to do with conclusive results of investigations underway involving the captain of the ship and black box evidence of what really happened.

For now, concerned parties wait while preliminary operations to pump fuel out of the cruise ship were suspended Saturday due to bad weather. Workers decided the sea was too rough to continue the salvage operation.


Flickr photo by Cyr0z

Five foods to try in Ecuador (besides guinea pig)

by Libby Zay on

When discussing food in Ecuador, the most talked about meal is guinea pig, or cuy. But outside of butterflying cute cuddly rodents on a grill, Ecuadorians eat many other foods that are worth a try. From traditional to tropical, here are a few of the can’t-miss eats in Ecuador.

Llapingauchos: My personal favorite Ecuadorian food is llapingauchos, a traditional Andean potato pattie stuffed with cheese and cooked on a griddle until crispy and brown. Llapingauchos are typically topped with a fried egg and a few slivers of cheese and avocado, and served alongside carne de res (beef) and a delicious-looking salad that I would not dare touch for fear of contracting a parasite (it’s not recommended you eat uncooked vegetables from restaurants in Ecuador).

Pan de yuca: Made from the root of a tree, yuca is actually the third-largest source of carbohydrates for meals in the world. In Ecuador, it comes in many forms: in the rainforest yuca is grated and turned into a tortilla (pictured above), while in big cities there are plenty of fast food joints mixing yuca with cheese and baking it to make a bit-sized treats. Similar in size and consistency to a donut hole, pan de yuca is served piping hot so that the outside is toasty while the inside is soft and warm. Pan de yuca is usually enjoyed with sippable yogurt or coffee.

Choclo con queso: Translated as “corn with cheese,” its easy to guess what this meal consists of. Cobs of Andean corn, or choclo, have large kernels and taste less sweet than the corn sold in the United States. Ecuadorian cheese, on the other hand, is very fresh and moist with little flavor, much like tofu. Choclo con queso is often served alongside some earthy beans, making it a pretty nutritious meal.

Almuerzos ejectivos: Almuerzos ejectivos are fixed-price lunches that usually consist of a cup of fresh fruit juice, a bowl of soup, and a plate of rice accompanied by a piece of meat and/or beans (if you’re lucky, there will also be a small dessert). These lunches cost anywhere from $2 up, and the quality varies considerably depending on where you dine–a good tip is to see which restaurants are already populated with locals. Although sometimes criticized for being overly starchy and bland, within arms reach you will always find plenty of ají (hot sauce) to spice things up. More often than not, soups are served with a basket of popcorn or chilfles (plaintain chips) to be mixed in like crackers. Don’t be surprised to find a whole potato or a chicken leg in the bowl of soup. Although these aren’t the tastiest meals you’ll ever eat, it certainly gives you a real slice of Ecuadorian life.

Fresh fruit: This might seem like a no-brainer, but it would be a shame to visit Ecuador without trying the fresh tropical fruits available there. Although bananas, mangoes, and pineapples are popular, there are also some interesting varieties that are hard to find elsewhere–like guanabana (which tastes like a mix of strawberry, pineapple, and coconut), naranjilla (a mix between a tomato and an orange), and tomate de arbol (a sweet tomato that grows on a tree). Get them fresh at a market or from a cart on the street, or stop by a fruit stand and have them mix you up a fresh smoothie or shake.

10 art maps to inspire your next adventure

by Jessica Marati on

Wanderlust is a condition afflicting many of us here at Gadling. But what’s a world traveler to do when she or he is in homesteading mode between trips? Start planning the Next Big Adventure, naturally, with the help of some cartography-inspired home art.

The following ten art maps have elevated the art of cartography with screen printing, line drawing, quirky takes on familiar forms, and creative use of typography. Most are handmade by designers and travel aficionados around the world, which allows room for customization. And since the majority of the map prints cost less than $50, you won’t have to dip too deep into the travel fund to pick one up.

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[image via artPause]

Utah town hopes to benefit from celestial sightseeing

by Libby Zay on

Thought to be one of the best places on earth to view the annual solar eclipse on May 20, the small town of Kanarraville, Utah is hoping to draw a considerable number of “astrotourists” this spring. Defined as those willing to travel to study astronomy or observe the sky, astrotourists are common in the region, where dark nighttime skies make stellar stargazing spots.

“I heard of the concept two years ago,” Bonnie Oldroyd, a representative from the Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau told The Daily Spectrum. “I thought, ‘What the heck is astro-tourism?’ I did some research and found out we have astro-tourism.”

It’s estimated that around 5,000 of these astrotourists will descent upon the town in order to see the moon pass between the sun and the earth, leaving just a ring of light from the sun. Considering Kanarraville has a population of merely 300 people, the uptick in tourism is a pretty big deal. Public safety workers will deal with traffic and parking around popular viewing areas, and the tourism bureau is working with nearby hotels to provide special “eclipse packages” for the date. The rest of Southern Utah–besides the areas affected by lights from Las Vegas–might see increased tourism as well.

Would you–or have you–ever planned a trip around stargazing? Hopefully the clouds don’t roll in and ruin it all.

[Photo by makelessnoise / Flickr]