Daily Pampering: Private helicopter rides add romance to luxury travel for Valentine’s Day

by Melanie Nayer on

Now that Christmas is over and New Year’s Eve plans have been laid, it’s time to start thinking about the next big event: Valentine’s Day. Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa is getting a head start on the planning this season by offering an over-the-top luxury travel getaway package, starting with a personal helicopter ride to the resort.

The Sky’s the Limit Valentine’s Day Package includes personal helicopter transport to the resort for you and your sweetie and includes a personal butler, personal chef, private use of the resort’s Springs Eternal Spa and more.

The Sky’s the Limit Valentine’s Day Package includes:

  • Accommodations in the elegant Ross or Polk Presidential Suite, each of which feature more than 2,300 square feet of space.
  • Round-trip helicopter transport to the resort (from within 150 miles)
  • Personal Butler service
  • Personal Chef to create a personalized six-course dinner to be served in suite
  • Couples Spa Treatment in suite, or during private use of Springs Eternal Spa (after 8pm) Breakfast in bed
  • A bottle of Dom Perignon with crystal Champagne glasses to keep
  • A dozen roses, a carriage ride, and two robes to wear and keep
  • Private transportation within the town of Bedford

The price of this pampering:

Rates start at $6,000 per night for single or double occupancy, not including tax, gratuities, and resort fee. The package is available February 11-14 and February 18-19, 2011, only.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

A video time lapse of the East Coast Blizzard

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Have your travel plans been affected by this week’s massive East Coast Blizzard? The travelers here at Gadling feel your pain. While many airports remain in a state of disarray, things are slowly getting back to normal. Luckily, New Jersey resident Michael Black didn’t have to deal with any of the travel nightmares created by the snow – instead he was stuck at home, where he decided to record the blizzard in action, creating a time lapse video of photos taken every 5 minutes as the snow piled up. It’s a remarkable way to get a sense of just how big this storm really was. If you’re still stuck out there, hang in there – travel should be getting back to normal soon enough.

St. Regis launches ‘E-Butler’ application for guests

by Melanie Nayer on

Need a last-minute wake-up call or tickets to a sold-out Broadway show? No problem, if you’re staying at the St. Regis New York. The luxury hotel recently launched the St. Regis New York “E-Butler,” a PDA application that allows guests to interact with the hotel’s butlers and concierge via their iPhone or iPad.

This application will offer guests the ability to “chat” directly with The St. Regis E-Butler in real-time via their iPhone or iPad, before and during their stay. The hotel also included the help of New York personalities including André Leon Talley, Jason Wu, Alexis Bittar, Alain Ducasse, Doug Blonsky, President of the Central Park Conservancy, Danny Meyer, David Rockwell, Dale DeGroff, Harold Koda, Michel Musto, Peter Som and Preston Bailey to share their favorite shops, restaurants and city landmarks.

Once guests have made their reservation at The St. Regis New York, they will receive an email confirmation, including a link to download the St. Regis New York E-Butler application directly to their iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Andriod or other smartphone. Guests will also be able to download The St. Regis E-Butler application via iTunes. The St. Regis New York E-Butler will allow guests to speak directly with their butler prior to and during their stay.

The best part? The E-Butler is a complimentary service offered to all guests in residence at The St. Regis New York. The St. Regis does have plans to launch a version of this E-Butler to the general public, which will include a number of features such as the Insider’s Guide to New York and the seasonal calendar of events.

Chilean miners are going to Walt Disney World

by Leigh Caldwell on

“Esteban Rojas, you’ve just survived 69 days trapped 2,300 feet underground. What are you going to do next?”

“I’m going to Disney Worldl!“

OK, so maybe that’s not quite the way it happened, but the 33 Chilean miners who survived underground after a mine collapse this year are being treated to a Walt Disney World vacation in 2011.

Disney has confirmed that the miners and their immediate families will be traveling to Orlando Jan. 27 through Feb. 2, 2011. In a nice added touch, rescue workers who helped save the men will get a vacation, too.

“The amazing story of these miners captured the attention of the world for demonstrating the true power and resilience of the human spirit,” said Disney President and CEO Bob Iger. “We are proud to welcome these courageous men and their families to the Walt Disney World Resort.”

A welcome dinner that includes Disney characters, dancing and Chilean cuisine prepared by Disney chefs will greet the Chilean families.

Over the course of their six-night vacation, the miners, rescuers and their families will visit all four Disney theme parks in Florida and serve as grand marshals of a parade at the Magic Kingdom.

Mickey Mouse is picking up the tab for the trip, and giving each family a $500 Disney gift card.

[Image credit: Flickr user Rescate Mineros]

Climber hopes to make solo summit of Denali in January

by Kraig Becker on

Standing 20,320 feet in height, Alaska‘s Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Due to its extreme weather conditions throughout most of the year, it is typically only climbed in June and July, when the short Alaskan summer allows for the best access to the summit. But in January, mountaineer and polar explorer Lonnie Dupre will attempt the unthinkable – a solo summit in the dead of winter.

The 49 year old Dupre is no stranger to cold climes. He has spent much of his adult life exploring the polar regions of our planet on foot or by kayak and dogsled. During his illustrious career Dupre has visited remote regions of Siberia, completed a Northwest Passage crossing by dogsled, circumnavigated Greenland, and visited the North Pole.

But a solo summit of Denali in January will be a completely different kind of challenge. In fact, only 16 people have ever reached the summit in winter at all, and it has only been successfully climbed in January on one other occasion when a team of three Russian mountaineers topped out back in 1998. Additionally, there have been six deaths on Denali as a result of attempted climbs during the winter.

As you would expect, January is the coldest month of the year on the mountain, but adding to the challenge is the perpetual darkness that shrouds the region during the long Alaskan winters. To avoid the cold, dangerous winds, Dupre plans to take shelter in ice caves that he’ll dig himself and won’t even carry a tent along on the climb, something that the Russian team did on their successful climb as well. He’ll also have to deal with 24 hours of darkness during his climb, which adds to the psychological challenges as well.

If everything goes as planned, Dupre should depart from his home in Minnesota today for Talkeetna, Alaska, where he’ll put the finishing touches on the preparation for his expedition. He hopes to reach the summit of Denali before January 31st.

[Photo credit: Bob Webster via WikiMedia]