Valentine’s Day is coming – where are people traveling?

by McLean Robbins on
Most holidays see a spike in travel – particularly those that involve long weekends. But what happens on the romantic holiday of the year, which, in 2012, just so happens to fall on a Tuesday? Sure, card sales, flowers, chocolate and the prix fixe menu at The Melting Pot will go up in price, but will travel increase?

Kayak sourced the top five most romantic destinations based on both a) search volume (the number of searches for that location) and b) the percentage of change in search volume for Valentine’s Day vs. the weekends prior and following February 14th.


According to their data, New York City is 64% more popular over Valentine’s Day weekend than the two flanking it. According to Kayak data, cities seeing the most search volume for Valentine’s Day weekend include: New York City, Venice (Italy), Honolulu, Maui and Denver. While we’re not quite sure how Denver hits the list, we can only suppose it’s a stopping point for a romantic ski trip away.
Searches for US flights showed a spike for Valentine’s travel to New York City and Chicago.

Are you traveling to any of these cities this Valentine’s Day?

[Flickr via moominmolly]

World’s quirkiest rental home: The Balancing Barn

by Jessica Festa on




For travelers who want to have a rustic experience in the English countryside while also experiencing modern innovations, you may want to look into reserving a stay at The Balancing Barn, a unique rental home in Thorington, Suffolk, in England that defies the laws of nature. Created by Netherlands-based architectural firm MVRDV, half of the barn sits precariously over a descending slope with no ground underneath as the house actually shifts and balances. For an immersive experience in the outdoors, guests have the opportunity to literary soar over nature via a swing hanging from the bottom of the structure, just as if they were hanging from a tree. Moreover, the reflective sheet metal covering the structure responds to nature, causing the optical illusion of changing with the seasons.

For more information on how to book and what’s included, click here. To get a better idea of the project, check out the video above and the gallery below.

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New York City’s worst rated hotels

by Dave Seminara on

Stunning Cockroaches. Dodgy brown stains. When we got to the room, all I could do was cry. Moldy swamp pit. Dried boogers on the wall. Cheap porn set. We met mice in the corridor. Smelled like murder and hookers. I thought we were going to be raped or murdered.

These are excerpts from user generated Trip Advisor reviews of five of New York’s most maligned hotels and hostels, the New World Hotel, ranked the 393rd “best” hotel on the site, Hotel Riverside Studios, ranked #395, La Semana Hotel, ranked #400, the Sun Bright Hotel, ranked #403, and the West Side Inn, ranked #405. Another poorly rated hotel in Trip Advisor, the Aladdin, has actually been converted into a homeless shelter.

There are literally hundreds of scathing reviews for these grim hotels but in order to find them, travelers need to click through fourteen pages of higher rated hotels on the site. Travel publications devote a huge amount of space to celebrating the world’s best hotels, but virtually none to condemning the worst ones, so it’s easy to see how inexperienced travelers could be disappointed in New York, America’s most expensive city, where $100 a night doesn’t buy much.

I’ve spent a good deal of time traveling on a budget in the developing world and consider myself to be something of a cheap hotel aficionado. I’ve stayed in hotels frequented by drunks, prostitutes and outright criminals, places with no running water, pit toilets with no doors, filthy mattresses tossed on the floor- places squalid enough to occasionally inhabit my nightmares to this day. But I haven’t stayed in any of these hotels, so please note that these reflections are those of travelers writing on Trip Advisor. And even the worst reviewed places have some defenders. But not many. Per the Trip Advisor ratings, here are the worst among the worst:Hotel Riverside Studios (pictured above) – The hotel web site boasts that the place has a “European flavor,” and “charming rooms that have recently been upgraded,” but it has some 168 1-star (“terrible”) reviews on Trip Advisor, which make the place sound anything but charming. One reviewer described the shared bathroom as having, “pubic hair everywhere, feces on the floor, and a sign on the door reading: ‘If you don’t like the dirty bathroom CLEAN IT YOURSELF!'” One writer mentioned “dirty hallways that were like a horror movie,” while another said they cried upon entering the room and concluded that one would be “better off sleeping on the street.” The hotel’s site also claims that they offer travelers the chance to “mingle with true New Yorkers,” but according to the reviews, the “true” New Yorkers are actually homeless persons using the hotel as a shelter.

La Semana Hotel (right) – This hotel advertises “state of the art” “deluxe rooms” for “people on the go,” but customers described a hotel they wanted to flee immediately after checking in. Two noted that the front desk clerk seemed to be ostentatiously surfing porn at the front desk, and another posted that they thought they may have bumped into a murder witness in the lobby. One traveler described floor-to-ceiling mirrors that were reminiscent of a “cheap porn set.”

West Side Inn (middle right) – This “tourist/student class hotel” advertises itself as a “hip and trendy” place to stay, but of 263 reviews on Trip Advisor, 153 rated it as “terrible.” Reviewers described this budget hotel/hostel as a “moldy swamp pit,” with “feces-stained toilets,” hungry bedbugs and “used condoms on the shared bathroom floor.” One concluded that it was like a “crack house from out of the movies,” another opined that one should “tell your worst enemy to stay at the West Side Inn.” Another traveler titled their review “Welcome to Hell.”

New World Hotel (bottom right) This place has private rooms for as little as $55 but many considered it overpriced even at that low rate. A traveler from Philadelphia, who wrote that they booked this place through hotels.com, wrote that they tried to trade in a pillow with blood stains, but were given another bloody pillow. A Romanian reviewer said that the hotel was even worse than what they experienced during the Communist era in Romania, and concluded that a homeless shelter would have been more comfortable. Others described “watermelon sized bedbugs,” garbage strewn windowsills, and “horrifying” rooms with “box springs as beds.”

Sun Bright Hotel – This budget hotel, which offers private and dorm style rooms ranging from $33-90, has 68 reviews on Trip Advisor- 31 gave it 1 star, 16 gave it 2 and zero gave it 5. One poster referred to the place as a “prison camp” and concluded that they should “not let animals stay there,” but still gave the place 2 stars. Another traveler described the dorm rooms as a “chicken coop” with chicken wire separating the rooms and “infested” with cockroaches. An Australian traveler described the conditions as “subhuman” and stinking of urine. Several others noted that there were no ceilings- only chicken wire and one traveler from New York titled her review “Uninhabitable, Unsanitary, Unbearable.”

Caveat emptor. You get what you pay for. Sometimes less. Especially in New York.

[all photos courtesy Trip Advisor]

Video: The Palazzo Las Vegas’ 8,000-pound fire-breathing dragon

by McLean Robbins on



We all know Las Vegas hotels and resorts pull some pretty crazy stunts – hello, Treasure Island‘s Pirate Show, Bellagio‘s fountain and Mirage‘s exploding volcano, just to name a few. But this is the first time we’ve seen such a large scale installation to celebrate a single holiday. The 128-foot, 8,000-pound fire-breathing dragon suspended above The Palazzo‘s waterfall took more than 13 months to complete.

Guests can visit the dragon (perhaps during tomorrow’s ceremonial dragon dance ceremony), or stop by through the end of the celebrations (February 5) for themed menus and special events.

The couple’s guide to Valentine’s Day hotel packages

by Jessica Festa on

It’s always fun to do something a little special for Valentine’s Day, and staying at a luxury hotel can definitely add an air of romance to the occasion. And because we know every couple has a different idea of romance, here is a guide based on your “couple personality” to help you decide where to spend this Valentine’s Day.

Nature-loving couples

Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Amelia Island, Florida

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, is a romantic hotel in general, with ambient restaurants and activities for couples like cooking classes, bike tours, wine tastings, and picturesque hikes. There is also a nightly “Beach Lovers Fire by the Dunes” where couples can snuggle with blankets, hot cocoa, and binoculars for star-gazing in front of a beach bonfire. For Valentine’s Day, couples can opt for the “Romance Package”, which includes accommodations, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival, breakfast for two, a rose-petal turndown service, free parking, and late check-out. Rates begin at $379 per night. Call 904-277-1100 to book.Couples who love food and wine

Geneva on the Lake
Finger Lakes, New York

Geneva on the Lake is situated in the perfect location for those who love celebrating with delicious cuisine and free-flowing vino. The area is home to culinary trails, farm-to-table dining experiences, and over one hundred vineyards. During the month of Valentine’s Day, Geneva on the Lake is helping to enhance the wining and dining experience even further with a “Romantic Valentine’s Celebration” package, which includes accommodation in a suite that overlooks Seneca Lake and the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, two elegant wine glasses, chocolates, a full breakfast, a bottle of locally produced wine or Fuji apple juice, a candlelit four-course dinner with live music, and, if you stay on a Friday, a wine and cheese reception. Rates begin at $330 per night. Call 800-343-6382 to book.

Eco-conscious couples

Shore Hotel
Santa Monica, California

The Shore Hotel is an environmentally-friendly, luxury property right on the beach. They are LEED-registered, use local materials for building as much as possible, and recycled 50% of their construction waste, among other initiatives. During the entire month of February, the property is offering a “Pink Goes Green” package that includes accommodations, two bicycle rentals to use for your entire stay, a 60-minute couples massage at Tikkun Spa, a bottle of organic champagne or wine, and a $50 credit to The Lobster Restaurant, the on-site seafood eatery. Rates for the package start at $469 per night. Call 310-458-1515 to book.

Couples who love public displays of affection

Affinia Hotels
New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Affinia Hotels, a boutique hotel chain with multiple properties in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C., is offering a “Kiss & Tell” package from now all the way until December 31, 2012. The package includes accommodations with upgrades (if available), a list of each city’s most romantic kissing spots, Affinia signature “Kiss Me” mints, a “Kisses Goodnight” turndown service that includes Hershey’s kisses, and a split of champagne. To make the package more fun, the hotel is asking couples to take kissing photos around the cities and post them to the Affinia Facebook page and the Affinia Twitter account. Prices start at $139 per night in New York and Washington D.C. and $149 a night in Chicago. Call 866-246-2203 and say the word “KISS” to book.

Wedding-obsessed couples

The Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada

Whether you’re looking to get married for the first time, renew your vows, or just trying it out for a day or two, The Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas offers a variety of wedding-inspired packages. Each includes a 20-minute ceremony, Molla Space eraser rings, and Sofia Coppola champagne poppers. Note that all packages are faux until you add a $150 legal binding fee.

For those who are looking to quickly seal the deal, there is the “Hitched in a Hurry Package” ($80), which includes the wedding ceremony, a photo booth photo, and a gift bag. Couples looking to get a little more out of the experience can opt for the “On a Whim Package” ($125), which will give you the wedding ceremony, a silk flower bouquet, two photo booth photos, six cans of champagne, party favors, a t-shirt, two cake tops, and a gift bag. And, for those couples who want to really go all out, there is the “Going to the Chapel Package” ($195), which includes the wedding ceremony, silk flower bouquet, a bottle of Sofia Coppola Champagne (swanky!), two photo booth photos, party favors, six cake tops, two t-shirts, Marquee Hotel nightclub guest list access for four people, and a gift bag. Call 702-698-7640 to book.

Couples with sex on the brain

Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa
Miami Beach, Florida

Let’s be honest; for most couples, romance isn’t just about chocolates and tropical sunsets. And because Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa understands this, they’re hosting a “Sensuality & Sexuality” week from February 13-18, 2012. Not only will you be able to relax on the beach with your partner, you’ll also be able to learn how to heat things up in the bedroom (don’t worry if you’re single, as there are solo tips, as well). Some of the classes guests can partake in include:

  • Get in Touch with Yourself- Learn how to bring back and ignite sexual passion and vitality
  • Swap the Blue Pills for Dumbbells- Learn how to use exercise to increase sexual performance
  • Position Yourself- Couples will learn strengthening exercises that will not only work your muscles but also help you achieve unique and pleasurable sex positions
  • Keep It Up (for men)- Dr. McGee gives the men insight into how things like nutrition, relationships, stress, exercise, and everyday activities can affect sexual performance
  • Forty Beads Talk with Carolyn Evans (for women)- The ladies will learn a new method that will help transform their relationships

Rooms start at $605 a night. Call 800-742-9000 to book.

Rustic and adventurous couples

Blackberry Farm
Walland, Tennessee

Blackberry Farm is a luxury resort housed in a renovated farmhouse situated in the hills of the Smoky Mountains. From February 10-14, 2012, the property is hosting an array of romantic activities, some of which include a romantic confections baking demo, horse-drawn carriage rides, aphrodisiac tasting menus, spa treatments for couples, private fly fishing lessons, and adventure sports like kayaking and white water rafting. Rates start at $695 which includes all meals. Call 865-984-8166 to book.

Snow bunny couples

L’Auberge de Sedona
Sedona, Arizona

L’Auberge de Sedona is a luxury property situated on Oak Creek as well as in the midst of picturesque red-rock mountains. Through March 15, 2012, the property is offering couples a chance to experience the natural beauty of the area by hitting the slopes with their “Snowmance” package, which includes two-nights accommodation in either a guest room or fireplace and private patio-equipped luxury cottage, ski lift tickets to Flagstaff Snowbowl for each day booked, and a $75 credit to use for food and drinks or the spa. Prices start at $265 for a guest room and $320 for cottage. Call 928-282-1661 to book.

High-roller couples

Fairmont Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

For couples that like to live life in the fast lane, a stay at Fairmont Chicago will give them the chance to spend this Valentine’s Day lavishing in expensive tastes. From February 10-14, 2012, the property is offering a $100,000 “Romantic Getaway Package”, which includes your own butler throughout the stay as well as a Presidential Suite featuring a rose petal trail from the foyer to a bed of six dozen red roses. The package also includes a $10,000 gift card to Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago that will give sweethearts access to their exclusive Fifth Avenue Club, allowing for personalized shopping, doting slaes attendents, and the ability to shop during non-regular hours. And if you’re not feeling like a baller already, you will also receive a Marshall Pierce & Company 18 karat white diamond and sapphire necklace. Back at the resort, the high rolling continues with a lavendar and rose petal-filled bath for two, strawberries, Cristal Champagne, a ninety minute in-room couples’ massage, breakfast in bed each morning, as well as two fine dining experiences, one being a Chef’s Table-for-Two at the on-site Aria and the other being at your choice of hotel in Chicago. Call 312-565-8000 to book.

Couples who can’t get enough chocolate

Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead
Atlanta, Georgia

From February 1 up until Valentine’s Day, the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, is offering a Valentine’s Day package that includes accommodations, breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, chocolate, champagne, a rose-petal turndown service, and overnight valet parking. Along with this, there is a calendar of chocolate-inspired activities for couples. Some sweet selections to expect include a Chocolate Afternoon Tea ceremony ($34), a chocolate desert-ladden brunch ($59), chocolate and wine pairing sessions (included), candy making classes ($125 per couple), and 50-minute chocolate spa treatments ($155-$290). Prices begin at $299 per night and the chocolate activities can be purchased a la carte. Call 404-237-2700 to book.