Luxury hotels in NYC offering a free night stay

by Jamie Rhein on

“Strike when the iron is hot” is a proverb for these times when it comes to taking advantage of a travel bargain. Cruises aren’t the only places to find a deal–even if the deal may start off pricey.

For those heading to New York City before February 28, ten luxury hotels are offering a third night free when you book two nights. This can be a hefty savings of more than $300. Sure, you have to come up with enough money for the two nights, but there are inexpensive things to do the city which can take off the sting off the sticker price.

The participating hotels are:

To take advantage of these deals called “Signature Collection Third Night,” click on this link for the promotional code for the hotel of your choice.

Making a reservation over the phone is recommended. In addition to the third night free, guests who take advantage of the offer, receive other deals at places like Saks Fifth Avenue where you can get a free cup of coffee and a complimentary dessert at the store’s Cafe SFA.

Hostel Trail: Latin America’s hostel network

by Brenda Yun on

I think long and hard about what kind of cool, helpful knowledge I might be able to share with Gadling readers, and sometimes the most obvious material escapes me. But it only took me a few months to realize I’ve been keeping my best tips to myself because I don’t see them as suggestions, but rather as experiences.

I stepped foot in the Hostel Trail guesthouse in Popayán, Colombia by default. I hadn’t even intended to pass through the “white city” (it’s known as this because all of the buildings in the historical center of the city are a beautiful, uniform, stark white color). In fact, I only planned on being in Colombia for five weeks — not twice that long, as my stay there turned out to be. My five days in Popayán were so comfortable because Hostel Trail is one of the cleanest and most reasonably-priced guesthouses I’ve stayed in all my travels around Latin America (and, believe me, I’ve seen some pretty decripit places).
Tony and Kim, the Irish owners of Hostel Trail, realized the fantastic potential of Popayán as a travel destination (it was recently named of the gastronomical centers in Latin America — and rightly so!). They quickly made this place (at the edge of the old city) their home and have been sharing it with backpackers for about two years. Using their technological savvy, as well as their connections in Colombia and Latin America, they decided to utilize their innovative web domain as a homepage for not only their hostel but all of the cool hostels in Latin America. Tony and Kim continue to spend long hours networking with other hostels in South and Central America. Once part of the network, a hostel is given a whole page dedicated to information about their lodging. Ultimately, HostelTrail.com is truly the most viable lodging resource for backpackers in Latin America.

There are now hundreds of hostels in the Hostel Trail network, making it that much easier to travel from city to city because you know what to expect when you get to your next hostel. What’s even cooler about Hostel Trail is if you’re on a tight budget and have a way with words and a camera, you can actually write for Hostel Trail and get free lodging wherever it is you stay — so long as it is not a place that is already covered on the site, and you provide a comprehensive overview of the hostel, along with photos of the place for other travelers to see.

How have I waited this long to reveal one of my best kept Latin American secrets? I guess it’s been nearly a year since I stepped foot in Latin America, so I kept my memories tightly locked in the recesses of my mind so as to avoid the painful nostalgia I feel for this part of the world. Regardless, the Hostel Trail guesthouse in Popayán, its hostel network, and the travel writing opportunity with the site makes HostelTrail.com one of the best resources for travel not only in Colombia, but all over Latin America. If you do make it to Popayán, please tell Tony, Kim, and their cute little black dog I say “aloha!”
[Yes, that’s me in the photo, enjoying Poker beer and a ride on a Chiva, taking in the Popayán nightlife!]

Discover Africa

by Brenda Yun on

Yesterday saw the launch of an amazing online image resource for anyone interested in traveling to Africa. (You can’t see it, but my right hand is waving frantically above my head right now as I’m typing with my left). DiscoverAfrica.com plays host to some of the most breathtaking photos you will ever see of this most picturesque continent.

My simple search for “Morocco” came up with over one hundred images of places, people, and sights in this country. Then, of course, my mouse gravitated to “Surfing,” where my bottom lip promptly dropped to the floor as I laid my eyes upon some of the most vivid and captivating photos of the ocean and the sport that I have seen.
There are few words on this site, which is just as it should be as it lets the images speak for themselves. I could honestly spend hours sifting through thousands of photos taken all over Africa and need to come up for air. The site itself is extremely simple, clean, and user-friendly. It’s all about admiring the images — paying homage to the continent. Seriously, every one of the site’s images puts my amateur photos to shame.

To celebrate the launch of their site, DiscoverAfrica.com is holding a cool African safari giveaway contest until April 21. Your entry in the contest can be in the form of an essay (on your blog), photo (on Flickr), or video (on YouTube), so long as you communicate your heartfelt desire to travel to Africa and go on a safari. The key to winning this contest is to generate as much buzz about Africa (and your entry) as possible. They know you’ve entered the contest by officially registering with the site and providing the link to your entry.

You’re going to have to beat my entry, though, which is forthcoming. Africa is my least traveled continent, and a destination I’ve so longed to go to. My sister thought I was a shoe-in to be on Survivor: Africa (I’m an enormous fan of the show and have applied five times!) and bought me an African cookbook five years ago, hoping I would make use of it as a castaway. Maybe one day I will finally get a callback and put it to use — or maybe I will actually win this contest and go on the trip/safari of a lifetime!

To beat me to the punch, you can enter the contest HERE. But beware: more competition = more motivation for me!

Travelers’ Choice Awards 2009: The best of the best

by Jamie Rhein on

Trip Advisor has just released its Travelers’ Choice Awards. The several pages missive provides a hefty selection of the best hotels in various categories. This is the opposite end of the spectrum of the worst hotels. It’s not uncommon that the best can be had for less money than a dump.

Sea Coast Inn in Hyannis, Massachusetts has held onto its first place spot as the Best Bargain from last year. Interestingly, it has kept its spot as “Best Hidden Gem” as well.

Of the other top10 bargains in the U.S., five of them are in California, two are in Florida, and Colorado and Utah have one each. When it comes to overseas bargain shopping, several countries have options. Italy does have two slots in the top 10.

Organized by categories, the Travelers’ Choice Awards are a great place to start when planning a trip whether you’re looking for luxury, romance, a bargain or a family destination.

Keeping with this month’s theme of bargain destinations, here are the number one places to stay in each of the bargain categories. Browse through each list, however, because one hotel further down might catch your eye–or a destination might beckon. Egypt has several listings for top places for families in Africa, for example. That has me thinking.

Best Bargains

Click here for the pdf file for the whole list. The photo is of Hotel Vecchio Asilo.

M&M’s Valentine’s Day Contest

by Brenda Yun on

Most would argue that red is the color of love and therefore the color for Valentine’s Day, but the M&M’s chocolate company begs to differ. While to most green is the color of envy, it is Ms. Green who will have you seeing some green ($1500 to be exact) — as well as experiencing two nights in quintessentially romantic Paris.

The only thing you have to do is visit the contest website and write a 150-word essay explaining why you and your sweetie need Ms. Green’s help to heat up your romance this Valentine’s Day. (No purchase necessary!). The sight adds, “Brevity is the soul of wit, darling,” so I’m guessing my essay, which went something like, “I would really like a holiday” is neither witty nor the kind of brevity they’re looking for.

According to the always long-winded contest rules, you must be 21 years or older to enter and live within the 50 United States. The top five essays will be selected based on the following criteria: Relevance, Creativity, and Style and Panache (???), and then judged one more time by a separate panel to select the winner. The prize includes two roundtrip ticket to Paris, a two-night stay in the city, and $1500 to spend on romantic dining and activities.

Seems rather straightforward, my friends. You must submit your essay by February 12, so think green (or red) and get to it!