Want to get away for Easter weekend? These U.S. hotels are offering holiday specials

by Jessica Festa on

Are you sick of doing the same thing every year for Easter? Why not make this holiday special and do a bit of traveling? These hotels are offering packages, parties, spa discounts, egg hunts, bountiful brunches, the chance to meet the Easter Bunny and more.

Sandestin Beach Hilton
Destin, Florida

The Sandestin Beach Hilton is a family friendly resort with an array of activities, like indulging in spa treatments, swimming, shopping, fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling. From April 6-8, the property will be celebrating Easter by hosting a huge “Eggstravaganza.” Easter basket deliveries from the Easter Bunny, a coloring contest, an egg hunt and Sunday brunch will all be part of the festivities. For the adults, the Serenity by the Sea Spa is selling Easter spa baskets for mom. If you purchase a gift certificate, you’ll also be able to choose a golden egg with a prize or discount inside.

Rates vary depending on when you book. Click here for more information or call 800-559-1805. Omni Bedford Springs Resort
Bedford, Pennsylvania

Located in the Allegheny Mountain region of Pennsylvania, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort is 216-room property immersed in nature. Eight natural hot springs, hiking and biking trails, fly fishing and outdoor sports are easily accessible. This Easter, the resort is offering an “Easter Adventures in the Alleghenies” package, which includes accommodations, a chocolate bunny, an Easter egg coloring class, live entertainment, an outdoor egg hunt, crafts, a visit by the Easter Bunny, and a massive brunch held in the immaculate Colonnade Ballroom.

Package rates start at $183.50 per night based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa
Lake Placid, New York

Located in the center of the Adirondacks, Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa will place you in a mixture of beautiful, mountainous surroundings and luxurious indoor experiences. Guests can enjoy a picturesque nature hike before relaxing in the heated indoor pool or indulging in a spa treatment. The resort becomes even more alluring this Easter as it is featuring an “Easter at the Inn” deal. Not only do kids stay and eat free from April 6-8, but also there will be egg coloring, an Easter egg hunt, an Easter basket scavenger hunt, and a delicious, daily breakfast.

Package rate is $315 per night for a family of up to four people. Call 518-523-2544 or click here to book.

Abbey Resort
Fontana, Wisconsin

The Abbey Resort sits on the shores of Lake Geneva and features colorful gardens and well-manicured lawns. For the upcoming holiday, they will be hosting their annual Easter weekend celebration, complete with an Easter egg hunt, holiday contests, face painting, a petting zoo, balloon animals, a visit from the Easter Bunny, and a delicious brunch and children’s buffet with complimentary mimosas for the adults.

Room rates during Easter weekend start at $139 on Friday night and $149 on Saturday night, plus tax and resort fee per night. You can also stay the entire weekend for the BOGO rate of $139 on Friday and $69.50 on Saturday. Reservations for Easter brunch required. Please call 800-709-1323 or click here to book.

The Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

A national historic landmark, The Greenbrier has been hosting guests since 1778. With this much experience in hospitality, it’s no wonder the property is throwing such a detailed Easter celebration, which they’re calling “the Greenbrier’s Holiday Hare.” Throughout the weekend, there will be a range of activities and events for people of all ages. Adults can enjoy art exhibits, wine tastings and seminars, and an adult egg hunt and roll. For the children, there is a kids’ fashion show, Easter egg hunt, dance party and an Easter puppet show. Likewise, fun for the whole family includes live music, family Jeopardy and an expansive buffet brunch. As an added bonus, the hotel is offering a $100 Resort Credit per room, per stay, and a 10% discount on select activities, tours, and classes.

Room rates during the weekend start at $430 per night based on double occupancy. Additionally, it is $20 per child sharing the room and $50 per additional adult. Call 866-976-3625 and mention promo code “EASTER” or click here.

The Langham, Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

For those who love luxurious weekends, The Langham, Boston features Italian marble bathrooms, plush bedding, an indoor heated swimming pool and the award-winning Chuan Body + Soul spa. This Easter, the hotel is making upscale travel more affordable by discounting rooms to $209 per night and offering complimentary access to Chuan Body + Soul to use the indoor pool, fitness center, sauna and whirlpool. Additionally, Café Fleuri will be hosting a special Easter Sunday brunch with a seafood station, carving and culinary station, omelets made-to-order, a kid’s selection, and more. Dine on house smoked maple cured salmon, cheese blintzes powdered with sugar, and apricot-glazed Easter ham while listening to live jazz. For the kids, face painting, caricature sketches and other Easter activities will be offered.

Brunch is $88 per adult, and $45 per child. For reservations, call 617-451-1900 extension 7125, or visit www.opentable.com. Click here to book a room.

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa
Riverside, California

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is a 238-room hotel that occupies an entire city block and has been hosting celebrities, dignitaries, and luxury travelers since 1876. While many hotels feature kid-friendly programming for Easter, this property caters to adults with their “April Celebration” package from April 6-9. On Easter Sunday, Mission Inn will host a delicious brunch, with the Easter Bunny as a special guest. The package itself includes deluxe accommodations, Champagne, an Easter-inspired cupcake for two from Casey’s Cupcakes, $125 credit to spend on either Easter brunch or spa treatments and complimentary valet parking.

Packages are $419 all inclusive. Call 951-784-0300 or click here to book.

Meadowmere Resort
Ogunquit, Maine

Located on Maine’s southern coast, Meadowmere Resort is a family-run inn and a Certified Maine Environmental Leader Hotel. Along with enjoying the Freeport Outlets, Ogunquit Beach, Perkins Cove and Marginal Way, guests of the hotel can celebrate Easter weekend to the fullest with the property’s “Easter Egg-scapes.” The getaway includes Friday and Saturday night accommodations, a wine welcome for the adults, Easter crafts for the kids, a three-course dinner, live music on Saturday night, an Easter Sunday brunch and a late checkout of 1:00 pm. There will also be an egghunt on Sunday held at the nearby Wildlife Preservation Clay Hill Farm.

Packages start at $169 per person based on double occupancy. Call 800-633-8718 or click here to book.

L’Anse aux Meadows: A Viking colony in Canada

by Sean McLachlan on

The Vikings were some of the best sailors of the Middle Ages. They sailed all over the Mediterranean, far up the rivers of Russia and across the north Atlantic to colonize Iceland and Greenland. For a long time archaeologists wondered if they ever made it to other parts of North America besides Greenland. Although some Viking sagas mention a land called Vinland to the west of Greenland, no reliable traces of further Viking settlement were discovered until 1960.

In that year, a Norwegian archaeologist discovered a Viking village on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland, Canada. Called L’Anse aux Meadows, the site includes several houses made from sod put over a wooden framework. One building was identified as a smithy, and another as a carpenter’s workshop. Several distinctively Viking artifacts were found, proving they really did make it here.

The settlement has been dated to about 1000 A.D. and doesn’t appear to have been used for very long. One interesting aspect of L’Anse aux Meadows is that it looks like a typical Viking base camp for hunting and exploration. That hints at more Viking sites waiting to be found. Archaeologists found butternuts at the site, a plant that doesn’t grow this far north, suggesting the Vikings were sailing to the south or perhaps trading with the Native Americans.

%Gallery-150700%L’Anse aux Meadows is now a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visitor center explains the history of Viking exploration, and reconstructed sod huts give you a feel for what it was like in those days. Re-enactors explain Viking shipbuilding, cooking, ironworking and navigation. You can even listen to a Viking saga!

There’s a lot of natural beauty to the site too, including rare plants and sweeping views of the sea. Icebergs are a common sight. Although L’Anse aux Meadows is a bit out of the way for most visitors to Canada, you’ll be rewarded with some fascinating history and a harsh but beautiful landscape.

While L’Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking site in west of Greenland, several controversial sites in Canada and the United States have been proposed as evidence of an extensive Viking exploration of North America. Tomorrow I’ll be writing about those, so stay tuned!

Photo courtesy user Rosino via flickr.

Travel Smarter 2012: Travel tips for health and wellness

by Laurel Miller on

Films like “Contagion” (which I very much enjoyed, and not just because Gwyneth Paltrow bites it within the first 10 minutes) instill a paranoia in the public consciousness about the hazards of air travel. It’s true, however, that most public transportation is the equivalent of a mobile petri dish; one can’t deny the inherent germiness lurking within. Subsequently, antibacterial hand gel is my new best friend.

There are other quasi-self-inflicted, travel-related maladies: neck and back pain, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), infectious disease, foodborne illness, stress–all of which kind of make you wonder why we travel in the name of relaxation, but I digress.

For many, myself included, part of the thrill of recreational travel is the element of risk involved, even if said danger involves nothing more than scarfing down a few street tacos. Regardless of why you travel, there are always new products on the market designed to make your trip more comfortable, or minimize your chances of getting sick. New research on the hazards and benefits of travel also keep us informed about what we can do to stay healthier on the road.

Below are my picks for making travel in 2012 a little less treacherous:

1. Reduce your risk of DVT
New studies show that choosing the window seat on a long flight can increase your chances of developing DVT. A theoretical DVT risk known as “economy class syndrome” (how’s that for an “f-you” to airlines?) has been debated for years, and attributed to the lack of legroom in coach.

Now, however, the American College of Chest Physicians have determined that the real issue is that window-seat fliers have limited opportunities to walk and stretch their legs during lengthy flights, which can lead to potentially fatal blood clots that may travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). There are a number of factors that contribute to one’s risk of DVT including age, preexisting health conditions, certain medications, and recent surgery, but even if you don’t fit these criteria, you should always try to get out of your seat and/or do some stretching exercises and leg movements once an hour during long flights. In other words, consider the aisle the path to clot-free veins.

2. Time-release DEET
Some people have no problem dousing themselves in insecticide, personal health and environmental side effects be damned. I used to silently sneer at those people while I sat around the campfire, my unprotected skin providing nutrients to legions of winged, blood-sucking creatures. What were a few bites (Note: it was never just a few bites; try dozens) compared to not getting cancer or maintaining the purity of the local watershed?

Then I got sick as a result of deadly bacteria-harboring sandflies, and now I’m one of those people who understand why DEET exists. I still don’t like it–it’s definitely not something I, nor the CDC, recommend using with abandon–but it’s critical for protecting yourself from mosquitoes, sandflies, ticks, and other potentially harmful insects, in conjunction with protective attire such as long socks, long-sleeved shirts, and pants (you can also purchase insect-repellent clothing). Note that I’m not taking into account malarial conditions, in which case you should be supplementing your DEET applications with a doctor-prescribed anti-malarial drug.

I was thrilled when I recently discovered controlled release DEET at my neighborhood travel store. Sawyer® Premium Controlled Release Insect Repellent is designed to “reduce the rate of DEET absorption” by 67% per application, and “extend the duration of its effectiveness.” This 20% DEET lotion is also odorless, so you don’t have to huff noticeably toxic fumes all day.

3. Hummingbird Lumbar Pillow
If you have existing back problems or an epic backpacking adventure planned, this little baby from innovative gear company Hummingbird is the bomb. Measuring 7″ x 14″, it weighs just 3.5 ounces, rolls or packs flat, and will keep your lower back happy while camping, or riding a Third World bus sans shock absorbers on a rutted highway with potholes large enough to swallow a Mini Cooper.

4. Simply Being Guided Meditation app
I’m way too ADD to meditate, but this suggestion came to me from my Gadling colleague, and fellow meditation-phobe, McLean Robbins. She loves this app, which runs through a brief series of relaxation exercises. As McLean says, “Perfect for shutting out the world on a terrible plane ride or easing into sleep in an unfamiliar hotel bed.” The app is available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android.

5. Maqui berry
Move over, açaí, there’s a new free-radical fighter in town. Chilean maqui berry, which is FDA-approved and contains the highest ORAC (a system of measure for antioxidants) level in the world, has hit the U.S. Only a few companies manufacture it, but I recommend Isla Natura brand (Full disclosure: the company is owned by a friend of mine, which–in addition to maqui’s health benefits–is why I feel comfortable touting this product). Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) is indigenous to southern Chile and was traditionally used by the Mapuche Indians as a medicinal aid.

Isla Natura’s USDA and EU-certified organic (Fair Trade certification pending) wild fruits are harvested by hand, dried, ground, and sold in eight-ounce packets. Use one tablespoon in smoothies or on top of yogurt or oatmeal as a daily dietary supplement, but also consider it an immune booster for when you’re traveling.

Bonus: you’ll avoid the high sugar content of Emergen-C, and the “licking a dirt floor” flavor of açaí, and Isla Natura provides employment to local indigenous families at its small Chiloe processing plant. Travel-friendly capsules will be available in April; go to the company’s website for information on scientific studies. To order, click here.

[flickr image via viajar24h.com]

25-year-old Dallas Seavey wins 2012 Iditarod

by Kraig Becker on

The 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race came to an exciting end Tuesday evening when 25-year-old Dallas Seavey claimed victory in the 1000-mile race. By crossing the finish line first, he also became the youngest person to ever win the event.

Held annually in Alaska, the Iditarod has become the state’s most popular sporting event. The racers, along with their teams of powerful dogs, begin the race in Anchorage and follow a historical trail all the way to Nome. Back in 1925 that town faced a diphtheria epidemic and mushers raced along the same trail to deliver life-saving medicine in time. The modern day Iditarod commemorates that daring feat and salutes the men and their dogs who risked their lives to save others.

In order to win the event Seavey had to fend off plenty of competition from a tough and experienced field. In the end, he finished an hour ahead of second place musher Aliy Zirkle and while an hour may seem like a large gap, when you consider that the competitors have been racing for ten days straight, you realize that it is actually a narrow margin. Veteran musher Ramey Smyth arrived in Nome in third place after making a late charge to the front of the pack.For Seavey, dog sledding is a family affair. His father Mitch won the event back in 2004 and had a respectable seventh place finish this year. Grandfather Dan raced in the original Iditarod 40 years ago and as of this writing he is holding down the 52nd position in this years race as well. He is still a few days from reaching the finish line where he will undoubtedly give Dallas a proper congratulations.

Over the course of the next few days the last of the competitors will straggle across the finish line in Nome. For a full leaderboard and more information on the race visit Iditarod.com.

[Photo credit: Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News)

Photo of the Day: Austin’s Zilker Park Kite Festival

by Elizabeth Seward on

On March 4, Austin’s Zilker Park held the Zilker Park Kite Festival. It was a beautiful day — the sort that made lounging folks enjoying their Saturday want to go fly a kite. Preceding SXSW isn’t an easy task for an event, but the Zilker Park Kite Festival is a staple engrained in Austin culture. The kite festival is the oldest one in the US. It’s a free event that, on top of producing fun, raises funds for the prevention of child abuse. According to the event website, “The 2010 festival benefited the Center for Child Protection, Safeplace, Theater Action Project, Communities in Schools, Family Eldercare, the Dept. of Family and Protective Services, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Boy Scout Troop 10.” Chris Owens is a photographer based out of Austin. He snapped this shot while attending the kite festival in 2011.