Daily Pampering: October Triathlete Camp in Luxury Hawaii Resort

by Annie Scott on


It can be difficult to find the perfect balance between vigorous work and pleasure, and this is an excellent example of a successful pairing. Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows on the Big Island of Hawaii has a new Iron-Fit package for October 2010 which will have you feeling relaxed and rock solid — triathlon style.

The resort will be hosting Team Mauna Lani, comprised of Ironman champs Tim DeBoom from Colorado, Matt Lieto from Oregon, John Flanagan from Oahu, Belinda Granger from Australia and Luke Bell also from Australia (pictured at right) this October. You can train right alongside them for Hawaii’s most elite endurance events. Beginner and amateur athletes are welcome.

General Manager of Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, Brian Butterworth, says, “We are inspired by each athlete’s commitment and passion for competing at the elite level and are very excited to be part of their journey. We hope Team Mauna Lani will encourage more people to take up endurance sports and train in one of the best locations in the world.”

The Iron-Fit package at Mauna Lani includes:

  • Daily tri-road bicycle use (the roads nearby are ideal for cycling and altitude training)
  • A daily personal trainer
  • A daily sports massage
  • Access to Mauna Lani’s world-class fitness center and 25 meter lap pool
  • Access to the private secluded beach for ocean swimming
  • All the spoils of this luxury resort, including golf courses, gourmet food and a beautiful spa

Just try not to get amazingly fit when you have a daily trainer and daily massage. And, while you’re training and becoming one with the environment, it’s good to know that Mauna Lani is an eco-friendly hotel. You can read more about their green programs here.

Iron-Fit packages start at $700 for a standard single and rise to $1,350 for an ocean-front double room. If you have a spouse to bring along who thinks you’re crazy, park them by the pool, hand them a cocktail and everyone wins.

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

Daily Pampering: Gucci’s luxury speed boat

by Melanie Nayer on

Leave your crocs and tattered t-shirts at home, kids. This speed boat is for the fabulously fashionable. Italian yacht builder Riva and design studio Officina Italiana Design collaborated to give birth to a new era in motorboats: Aquariva, the exclusive luxury speedboat by Gucci.

The boat made its debut in September and has been making waves ever since. The two-speed electronic gear features all the power of the two 380-horsepower Yanmar engines; the boat hits a maximum speed of 41 knots and a 150-mile range at cruising speed. And in true Gucci fashion, the boat has Gucci’s signature green and red stripes along the side.

Don’t worry, friends, if you can’t find shoes worthy enough to wear on deck, Gucci keeps a pair of signature flip-flops on board for you.

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

[via CharterWorld.com]

Daily Pampering: ECTACO’s Multilingual talking electronic dictionary and phrasebook

by Melanie Nayer on

Forget about paying for language lessons, books on tape or private instruction so you can learn to say “Where is the bathroom” in Russian. Now there’s a speaking portable pocket translator that will do all the work for you.

“How do you say…?” is a thing of the past, thanks to ECTACO’s Multilingual Talking Electronic Dictionary and Audio PhraseBook. This $799 speech-recognition tool will help you speak like a local in most languages. Well, assuming you have the intellect to speak the language properly.

There are thousands of voice activated phrases already inputted into the database, and a full text translator will allow you to interact with people in your target language without having to learn the language. The best part? It speaks (so you don’t have to)! All 14,000 voice-activated phrases are spoken in a real human voice to facilitate understanding and includes a massive human-voice talking dictionary.

The ECTACO Partner Alpine 8C900 Grand Multilingual Talking Electronic Dictionary and Audio PhraseBook also comes with a GPS module attached to help you find your way wherever your travels take you, and a C-pen scanner allows you to upload and translate any text directly into your handheld phrasebook.

Now you can practice conjugating your verbs while you travel! Your high school Spanish teacher would be so proud.

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

Daily Pampering: The $500 sake for National Sake Day

by Melanie Nayer on

What’s one way to celebrate the first day of the month? With a cocktail! Grab a glass of the most expensive sake offered by True Sake – a Kame no O sake by Wataribune. The dai ginjo sake sells for $500 for a 720ml bottle.

Can’t quite afford a $500 drink? Never fear – in celebration of National Sake Day on October 1, Kabuki Japanese Restaurants is offering guests a unique selection of sake-focused cocktails from its newly refreshed drinks menu. Imbibers can raise a glass of sake creations at any of Kabuki’s 14 locations throughout Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada (as if you needed a reason to drink).

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant is a full-service, casual Japanese restaurant that showcases traditional and innovative Japanese cuisine and inventive cocktails. The menu features classic cocktails, wine, and beer, as well as creative sake libations created by Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto, the first certified Master Sake Sommelier in North America.

Drink up at one of the following locations and raise a glass to National Sake Day! After all, it’s not good manners to ignore a national holiday.

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

Daily Pampering: Chauffeured rides ensure royal treatment at Napa’s Milliken Creek Inn & Spa

by Melanie Nayer on

Why worry about getting from point A to point B when your luxury hotel can do that for you? Milliken Creek Inn & Spa, an intimate luxury boutique hotel in Napa Valley, is offering “Your Carriage Awaits” package – a romantic, two-night travel package that allows guests to tour the region without having to lift a finger.

Upon arrival, guests will be taken to one of the Inn’s 12 individually designed, spacious suites where oversized hydrotherapy bathtubs await. After a quick soak and change, roundtrip chauffeured transportation to dinner in downtown Napa will be provided. Upon return, indulge in the chocolate-covered strawberries, candles and rose petals that complete your turn-down service.

Spend the next morning at the spa before hopping into the chauffeured four-hour wine tour to visit three Napa wineries before heading off to dinner.

The cost of this pretty pampering? A mere $930 per couple per stay. For full details, visit Milliken Creek Inn’s website or call 800.822.8418 and request offer code “CARRIAGE.”

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