Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne celebrates diamond anniversary with bling

by Melanie Nayer on

A 10th anniversary has many milestones, most notably a piece of diamond jewelry. For the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, a 10th anniversary means $10 deals (diamonds potentially included).

On July 1, the Five Diamond resort is offering $10 specialty priced meals, Champagne, rums and spa treatments, and room packages for the entire month. These offers are limited so you have to book fast to get the deals. Here’s what’s in store for the celebrations:

  • Ten resort view guestrooms for $10 each are available July 5-7, 10-13, 18, 25, 26. Caveat: Reservations may only be made June 10 from 10 am to 2 pm EST by calling 305-365-4582. Set your calendar now.
  • Every Wednesday during the month of July $10 spa treatments including the Key Lime Body Treatment (50 minutes) or Deluxe Sundae Pedicure (45 minutes).
  • On July 14, sip $10 glasses of Moet Chandon Ice Imperial Champagne or sink your teeth into $10 Kobe Beef Sliders.
  • From July 10-15, sip $10 Diamond Mojitos at the resort’s live Latin music venue.
  • Also from July 10-15 and July 17-22, indulge in $10 three-course meals at the resort’s Italian’s restaurant Cioppino. As a bonus, hidden inside one menu each night will be a note that reads, “Celebrate with a complimentary bottle of Champagne!”
  • Every Wednesday in July, purchase $10 mango candles from the spa (regularly $20).

And we did promise you diamonds…

During the month of July, 10 overnight Ritz-Carlton guests will find a 14K white gold pendant necklace featuring a half carat of brilliant round-cut diamonds under their pillow.

But there’s more…For the truly indulgent experience (and for the traveler who wants to make a seriously good impression), the Ritz-Carlton is rolling out the Blue Diamond Escape Package for $60,310.

The 3-day package (named from the traditional 10th anniversary color, which is blue) includes:

  • Rolls Royce Phantom transfer to/from Miami airport to The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne
  • Helicopter tour of Key Biscayne and Miami Beach
  • Access to the exclusive Club Lounge and Club on the Beach
  • Unlimited Spa treatments all three days
  • Private Sensory Odyssey Dinner in the romantic oceanfront gazebo with specially prepared five-course dinner and live music in candle-lit surroundings
  • Dune Cabana experience with Dom Perignon Champagne
  • Private catamaran sail and snorkel adventure with personal butler, lunch and water tour of Stiltsville, an historic group of houses in the middle of Biscayne Bay
  • Around the World Culinary Tour (includes appetizers and signature cocktails) at each of the resort’s internationally inspired restaurants: Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge, Cantina Beach, Cioppino and RUMBAR.
  • Private culinary class with resort chef or a private wine tasting with wine expert and resort Sommelier, Jorge Mendoza.

And yes, there’s another diamond. The package also includes a Natural Blue Diamond pendant necklace from Sabbia jewelers (a rare find) to be placed under your pillow in the evening or presented as you wish.

Just a reminder: All the offers mentioned are on limited availability at the discretion of the hotel, so call ahead!

We’re just wondering: How does this compare to what you did for your 10th anniversary?

Three good reasons why Monday-morning business travel is best

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I just stepped through airport security on a Monday morning for the first time in a few years. I used to dread Mondays when I was a hard-core road warrior, because they came to represent the first step in a marathon, and I knew that agony was just around the corner. Also, it didn’t help that I had only been home for 48 hours, was still exhausted and had to get up at 4 AM to start the insanity all over again.

This time around, it wasn’t so bad. Sure, I had to get up at an awful hour to make my 7 AM flight, and I generally don’t enjoy the gauntlet that is air travel. But, if you have to contend with the airlines, the best time to do so, it seems, is Monday morning.

And it all comes down to people.

When you fly on Monday morning, you’ll be doing it with pros. This is when the road warriors – the poor souls who (by choice) travel every week – tend to dash off to their recurring client engagements. These guys know the drill, and they tend not to exhibit the annoying behavior of infrequent or leisure travelers.

Here are three reasons why Monday morning is the best time to step on a plane:1. Security is easy: on my most recent stroll through the checkpoint, everyone knew what he was doing. There wasn’t much stupidity, and the line moved quickly. Shoes came off before the conveyor belts, and laptops were already extracted from briefcases. There was no fumbling or forgetting at the moment of truth.

2. Fewer questions are necessary: you don’t see as many people hounding employees at the ticket counters or at the gates (unless there’s a delay or cancelation, of course). The passengers know what they’re doing, which ultimately means more elbow room for the employees to do their jobs. Things run smoothly. If you do have a question, you’ll have an easier time getting to someone who can answer it.

3. It’s easier to follow the rules: why? Well, because everyone else is! I’m not joking. On Monday mornings, most people seem to pay attention, know when to board and don’t bother trying to beat the system (e.g., by disregarding lines in front of gate agents). Since the environment’s a bit more orderly, you don’t feel like you’re getting screwed when you follow the rules. If you have to wait in line, you tend to suspect that the questions aren’t inane, and that you’ll get through it soon enough.

Now, if you aren’t a regular business traveler, you should pay attention to what’s going on around you. After all, you don’t want to disrupt the flow and invoke the ire of all around you! Plan ahead. Be ready for the security checkpoints. Listen for when your boarding group is called. You’ll be contributing to the easiest travel experience imaginable!

[photo by Jim Epler via Flickr]

Top North American rodeos to check out this summer

by Laurel Miller on

In honor of the approaching National Day of the American Cowboy, which I wrote about earlier in the week, I wanted to highlight some of the best rodeos North America has to offer.

Even city slickers can enjoy a rodeo; it is, after all, a sporting event. With a lot of beer. And grilled meat. And a lack of giant foam fingers and face-painting (not a bad thing, I might add).

In all seriousness, rodeos are great family fare. There are usually parades and drill team exhibitions, down-to-earth people, great camaraderie, and you can watch some truly amazing human, equine, and bovine athletes perform in independent and team events. At day’s end, you can always count on a big barbecue, live music, and a dance. The below rodeos are all located in places of great historic interest if you love the Old West or Americana. Git boot-scootin’.

Calgary Stampede
It may be surprising to learn that Canada has a cowboy culture, but Alberta does, and is home to this world-famous event, which is an integral part of the community. Critter lovers should note that the Stampede places extreme emphasis on animal welfare, which you can read about here (FYI, the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) also has strict animal welfare regulations in place, so contrary to belief, livestock are not being tortured for the sake of entertainment). Events ranging from steer wrestling and women’s barrel racing to junior steer riding will be happening July eighth through the 17th.

[Photo credit: bronc, Flicker user Bill Gracey;Sheridan WYO Rodeo
Located in the heart of Yellowstone Country at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains, Sheridan has no shortage of pastoral pleasures to go with its Western heritage. Rodeo Week–July eighth through the 17th–kicks off with a parade, and night rodeos are held the 13-16th. Part of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, Sheridan WYO also features events like the Indian Relay Races (Those of you who are offended by the non-PC-ness of the name…remember we are not in Berkeley, and there’s a $25,000 payout prize), and a public Boot Kick-off event featuring live music, food vendors, and more.

Cheyenne Frontier Days
Know as the “Daddy of Em All,” the world’s largest outdoor rodeo has celebrated the American West since 1897. From July 23rd to the 31st, crowds from all over the world gather to watch arena events. You can also visit Cheyenne’s excellent Old West Museum, tour historic homes and “Behind the Chutes(don’t miss if you want to see what goes on before that gate swings open and bulls and broncs cut loose),” and attend Western Art Shows, concerts (Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow headline this year), a carnival midway, an Indian Village handicraft/historic recreation, and more.

Days of ’76 Rodeo
Held in one of the Old West’s most historic and notorious towns, this Deadwood, South Dakota event has been named Best PRCA Small Outdoor Rodeo four times, as well as PRCA Midsize Rodeo of the Year since 2004. This, the 89th year, runs from July 26-30th, and features two parades and lots of local Native American culture. The entire city of Deadwood is a national historic landmark located in the Black Hills Territory, so be sure to plan on an extra day or two for exploring.

Pendleton Roundup
Eastern Oregon is at the heart of the state’s cowboy country, and Pendleton is one of the ten largest rodeos in the world. Have a last-days-of-summer trip September 14-17th, when the weather is hot and sunny (it does happen in the Pacific Northwest, really). Bareback and saddle bronc riding, team roping, bull riding, Indian relay races, wild cow milking, children’s rodeo, and parade: it’s all here. Trivia: Pendleton is one of the first rodeos to have women officially compete. In 1914, Bertha Blanchett came within 12 points of winning the All-Around title.

[Photo credit: team roping, Flickr user Al_HikesAZ]

Robert E. Lee’s sword to go on display at Appomattox

by Sean McLachlan on

On 9 April 1865, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant met at Appomattox, Virginia, so that Lee could surrender his Army of Northern Virginia.

This momentous event effectively ended the American Civil War. With Lee and his army gone, the Confederate cause lost hope. General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee on April 26, and in Louisiana General Kirby Smith surrendered his Trans-Mississippi Confederate forces on May 26. The last Confederate general to surrender was the Cherokee Brigadier General Stand Watie in the Indian Territory on June 23.

Now a new museum will open at Appomattox dedicated to the war and its conclusion. A centerpiece of the display will be Robert E. Lee’s golden ceremonial sword. Owned by the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, the sword will grace a branch museum it’s building at Appomattox. The museum is also building branches at the important Civil War sites of Fredericksburg and Hampton Roads. The Appomattox museum will open next spring.

The sword was the same worn by Lee during the surrender. Lee famously showed up in full dress uniform with his French-made golden sword at his side. Grant showed up unkempt and wearing a muddy uniform.

The sword has recently been restored with a new layer of gilt that has restored its original luster.

[Image of Robert E. Lee courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Five ways to improve business travel with your family

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It usually seems easy to mix a business trip and a family vacation. You’re already on the road, and your company has picked up the tab for your flight. So, a good chunk of expense has been taken out of the equation from the start! Especially if you go to a great destination, extending a business trip into a vacation can be a smart move. You may even get to absorb some of your hotel costs into your travel budget at work.

The problem, however, is that you have to make it all work. Just plopping your family into the middle of a business trip doesn’t turn it into a vacation. Trying to squeeze too many pieces in at once can actually turn into a nightmare. Before turning your business trip into a work-and-family-hell-on-wheels, let’s take a look at five ways to avoid disaster:1. Just know your spouse won’t have support: if your family is traveling to meet you at your business (or another) location, you won’t be there to help. You might be able to chip in on the flight home, as long as you can get everyone booked on the same plane. Be ready to greet frustration along with your family.

2. Avoid overlaps with your business trip: having your family meet you after your business obligations are finished is much smarter than trying to cram family and business into the same time. Quite simply, it never works. Your days are occupied, as you’d expect. However, your nights can get pretty crowded with business, as well, from drinks with colleagues to client dinners. You’ll wind up getting back to our room late … and you may have more work to do. Even if your family is tolerant of all this, they’ll still notice, and it will put a bit of a damper on the experience for everyone.

3. Don’t force the destination: I spent the better part of a year traveling to Omaha from my home in Boston. Let’s be realistic: the odds your family would be happy with this as a family destination are pretty low. Unless you’re going on a business trip to a major vacation destination, you should be ready to offer up some flexibility. See if you can get a multi-city fare for less than your regular roundtrip, and you’ll save the company some money while making sure your own expenses are covered (thus preserving the benefit of adding a family vacation onto the front or back end of your business trip).

4. Take a day in between: being out of the office causes obligations to pile up. Whether you’re on a business trip or vacation, stuff is happening back at your company, and some of it is likely to have your name on it. Now, think about the accumulation of stuff when you put both a business trip and a vacation together! Give yourself a day in between to catch up on things before you disappear again. This will also help ensure that your time with your family will actually be with your family – not cleaning up from the week of work you spent outside the office.

5. Know your audience: you may want to change hotels when your family arrives. Even if the cost isn’t an issue for you, simply changing spaces will help you with your mindset as you transition from work to play. In fact, it’s better if you can even change neighborhoods, for example, if you’re staying in a city. Make sure it’s as different as possible. You’ll sacrifice any special treatment that the hotel would offer you because of your relatively long stay, but it’s probably worth it to shell out the extra cash to make sure your family vacation isn’t tainted by remnants of your business trip.

[photo by rabble via Flickr]