Daily Pampering: Las Vegas’ secret pool oasis

by Annie Scott on


Las Vegas pool season is nigh, and there’s a new oasis opening up at Caesars Palace called Garden of the Gods. Seriously.

If you already regarded Caesars as an iconic pool destination, you’re in for a treat. It has been completely, extravagantly redesigned by Allard & Conversano into three levels of aquatic wonder featuring eight unique and lavish pools. There are 44 new luxury cabanas stocked with plush furniture, flat screen TVs and wireless internet. A whirlpool retreat and wedding garden have also been added.

Each pool is named for a god or goddess and has its own special bells and whistles. The Fortuna pool, for example, features an 18-foot waterfall and a swim-up blackjack table. The twin Bacchus pools have butler-staffed cabanas which are, alas, for invited VIPs only. For maximum sun exposure, get to Apollo — it’s strategically positioned to get you tan on a chaise lounge or daybed.

“One of Las Vegas’ greatest assets is its abundant sunshine,” says Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. “Guests make trip decisions to escape drab and enjoy warm sunny getaways. The new Garden of the Gods was created to be the definitive resort swimming retreat — a resort within a resort. Here, guests have the freedom to find experiences they particularly will enjoy in a five-acre retreat that perfectly complements the exciting nightlife and award-winning restaurants at Caesars Palace.”

To be among the first to revel in the Garden of the Gods, click here and book the Garden of the Gods Pool & Hotel Package, which includes a 2-night stay, a $25 Garden of the Gods pool credit and a pool bag filled with a towel and other necessities. With promotion code PKGCGOG, packages start at just $110. That is some pretty cheap fabulous.

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

Kingsley Plantation home re-opens to tours in Jacksonville, Florida

by Leigh Caldwell on

Weekend visitors can once again tour the owner’s house at the Kingsley Plantation in Jacksonville, Florida.

The home, which is part of the Timucuan Preserve on Fort George Island, was closed to tours in 2005 because of structural concerns. This winter, it has reopened to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays only, while restoration work continues during the week.

The Kingsley Plantation is named for Zephaniah Kingsley, who was quite the interesting character in early Florida history. He grew cotton on Fort George Island in the early 1800s while Florida was under Spanish rule.

Kingsley was known as a lenient slave owner, and he gave some of his slaves the opportunity to earn their freedom. He even married one of them, freed her and put her in charge of a plantation.

When I toured the site recently, I was surprised to see that nearly two dozen of the original slave cabins are still standing. Many U.S. slave cabins did not survive the Civil War, and those that did have fallen to ruin in the decades since. But these cabins were built from tabby, a pseudo-cement made from oyster shells that has stood for centuries, even in a land frequently hit by hurricanes.The owner’s home is stripped down to the structure at the moment, with no period furnishings or artwork on display. The design of the home was ingenious for the humid Florida climate: a large center room, with four corner rooms accessible only from the outside to allow for better air circulation. Unfortunately, later owners altered the house and took away this natural climate control.

If you’re looking for the opulence of the grand, restored plantation mansions in other parts of the South, you won’t find it at Kingsley Plantation. This was a more practical owner’s home.

But I was completely taken aback by the feeling of Kingsley Plantation. Those slave cabins — all in a half-circle at the edge of cotton fields-turned-forest — require a visitor to focus on what was happening in those fields more than what was happening inside the owner’s ballroom.

“I’m always struck by the difference in feeling I get when I walk the grounds, from the owner’s home on the river back here to the slave cabins,” National Park Service Ranger Roger Clark said. “Life was hard back here.”

Kingsley Plantation is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the house open for tours at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only. If you want to tour the house, reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (904) 251-3537.

Park Service rangers like Clark who are experts in the history of Kingsley Plantation conduct programs at 2 p.m. each day. It’s worth it to plan your visit at a time when you can catch the program.

New York’s Fashion 26 is dressed to impress for April 15 debut

by Melanie Nayer on

All hail the hotel fashionista! Fashion 26, the New York hotel that’s putting a new face on fashion has finally confirmed its opening date: April 15. we just got word the opening has been moved up one week to April 5.

Fashion 26, Wyndham hotel’s latest Chelsea, New York offering is located at West 26th and steps from the Fashion Institute of Technology. The hotel will open its doors on April 15, but rumor has it a few guests are already booked for the soft launch the weekend prior.

I caught up with Deirdre Yack, Director of Sales and Marketing for Fashion 26, and got the inside scoop on a few fashion-forward trends hotel customers will find when they check-in:

Is there one room in particular you’re very fond of in the hotel? Our rooms are all very consistent in decor and size. The top two floors of the hotel are Club Floors, filled with extra features like Frette Slippers, glass digital scales, fashion magazines, larger and additional bath amenities, plus incredible views. Uptown view is of the Empire State Building, while the downtown views show off a really unique view of residential buildings, rooftop gardens, water towers – really fun and not often seen NYC views. I would say my #1 favorite room is 2208 – a Club King – you feel like you can reach out and touch the Empire State Building. Plus, Club Floors offer complimentary breakfast in Rare offering a great value to guests.

I’d expect a fashion-focused hotel to have some trendy apparel. What is the staff dress code like and who designed it? Wow – our uniform program is unlike any I have seen in my 13 years in hotels. Think traditional, classic American-style. Our General Manager, the owner and our designer Glen Coben all literally went shopping for ideas one day. They scoured their favorite upscale retailers and came back with a really fresh, high-end concept for our uniforms. A company called Top Hat custom made the uniforms for each department, using these samples. Let’s just say, I wish sales could wear the concierge uniform (a really cute grey jumper with skinny belt over a white man-tailored shirt). The doormen have Kangol hats for cool weather days, and housekeeping attendants have a simple pinstriped black dress with a charming kick pleat. The quality for everything is incredible – a soft, light merino wool.

How will Fashion 26 pave the way for “designer” hotels in the future? Our design and unique concept are born from our location in the garment district. Our fashion concept, commitment to detail, interest in the arts, all come straight from ownership to management – direct to our guests. That said, we are more concerned with our service and delivering the best possible experience to each guest than we are to being a “design” hotel or starting a new trend. We simply aspire to create an experience that brings fashion, art, hospitality and impeccable service together in a way that will impress and delight each guest. In fact, we have quite a few guests arriving as early as March 31 for our soft opening.

The hotel is currently accepting reservations on its Web site and don’t worry — you don’t need to don a pair of Jimmy Choo’s or know how to keep a shirt ruffle from feathering in order to check into these rooms.

Hidden Gem: New York’s temporary art gallery

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I can’t tell you how long the art gallery at 25 Central Park West will be there: even the organizers don’t know. But, it’s worth checking the group’s website if you plan to pass through Manhattan in the next month (or longer, we hope) to make sure the project is still going on. There’s always something amazing happening at this vacant retail space.

I found the 25PW gallery by accident. I was walking down Central Park West last November. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw people inside an empty commercial spot at the corner of Central Park West and W 62nd Street. They were carrying hammers and paintings. So, I checked the door, which wasn’t locked, went inside and met Bess Greenberg, one of the founders of 25CPW, a non-profit that runs all the action inside this art gallery.

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According to Greenberg, 25CPW will be able to keep the space until a tenant comes along and is willing to meet the manager’s asking price (which hasn’t happened yet). In the three months that 25CPW has occupied the space, it has hosted art exhibitions, musical performances and an auction to benefit charitable organizations focused on Afghanistan. A recent show featuring works by the guards at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art attracted the most attention, though every event I’ve attended at 25CPW has been packed.

The fact that there’s now a cool art scene on the Upper West Side alone is worth a visit – this kind of thinking usually happens in other neighborhoods. So, the curiosity factor alone should be enough to put this stop on your itinerary. But, that’s the least of the many reasons to pay a visit to 25CPW. The best is whatever event is being featured on a particular day. They’ve all been fantastic.

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Free macarons in NYC on March 20

by Amy Chen on

March 20 isn’t just the first day of spring. In New York, it’s also Macaron Day, where at least 11 bakeries across the city will be handing out free macarons.

As www.macarondaynyc.com notes, macarons are the “new cupcake.” What’s so tasty about macarons? For starters, the classic French pastry feels less indulgent than a cupcake, but the flavors like caramel, coffee, ginger, pistachio, raspberry are sweet enough for any sugar fix.

New York’s first annual Macaron Day coincides with the fifth annual Jour du Macaron in Paris. So far, participating shops in Manhattan include Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle and Macaron Cafe, a sweet little find in the Garment District that sells its namesake treat for $1.95 a piece.

You know you’ve found a good macaron when the candy-colored confections are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside (gotta love that buttercream or ganache filling).

Details: Tell the participating bakery you’re there for Macaron Day. One free macaron per customer; quantities are limited.

I know I’ll have a hard time walking out of the bakeries without being tempted by all the other treats.