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.

Daily Pampering: Last-minute holiday escapes with Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach

by Melanie Nayer on

You could spend your holidays shivering in the cold wondering when your Jimmy Choo hunter wellies will dry off so you can debut them again, or you can grab your bikini and your best friend and head to the beach.

The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach is channeling Mother Nature this holiday season to give travelers a reason to leave the cold behind and head to warm and sunny weather for the holidays through 2011. The holiday spirit is in full swing in South Florida and is calling to you from Palm Beach. Take a vacation from the cold, wintry weather of early December, leave your jacket and gloves behind and spend the night pampering yourself surfside at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach with this “Escape the Chill” package:

  • Overnight accommodations starting at $619, based on double occupancy
  • Warm welcome amenity upon arrival; hot chocolate, hot toddy, tea or coffee
  • (2) 60-minute Eau Spa by Cornelia treatments in a Couple’s Villa. Select from: Self-Centered Massage or Signature Essence Facial per night stay
  • All day garden access to swings, dipping pools, Eau Zone and Bath Lounge

Soak in the sun, hang out for the holidays and leave your winter worries behind. This daily pampering starts at $619 USD based on double occupancy. The deal is good through March 2011, so you have plenty of time to escape the winter blues.

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

Daily Pampering: New Year, New You at Tides Riviera Maya

by McLean Robbins on

Think that 2011 is going to be “your year” … you know, the one where you embrace your inner yogi, go car-free and finally learn Mandarin? Sure, we all say that … for about a week. But with Mexico‘s Tides Riviera Maya‘s “New Year, New Your” package, you might actually set up the foundation to continue your healthy-living, culturally aware ways all year long.

The resort, voted as one of the best in Mexico by both Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast, is offering a three or five-day package ($3,250 – $5,215+) to jump start your 2011 resolutions.

The package includes a six-hour detox program for body or soul, a daily healthy breakfast, private yoga on the beach and a healthy cooking class. You’ll also enjoy a choice of a cultural or adventure excursion to places like Tulum and Coba or diving in Cenotes, a Spider Monkey Biosphere tour, or boating trip as well as a recreational activity like horseback riding, scuba diving, or biking. All visitors will also enjoy a traditioanl Tezmacal cemony, an ancient spa detox ritual, as well as a Le BootCamp three-month trial subscription so you can continue the wellness journey at home.

We’re just wondering if we can figure out how to bring a beach, hotel suite and staff of trainers/chefs home with us to continue the journey all year long …

Daily Pampering: Rent Obama’s “Winter White House” in Hawaii

by McLean Robbins on

Sure, your chances of actually living in The White House are slim, but you can still live like the President … in Hawaii. The rumored “Winter White House” that the Obamas vacation in during the holiday season is for rent on HomeAway.com for the bargain price of $3,500 … per day. Really want to move in? The home is available for a monthly fee of $75,000.

The Plantation Estate at Paradise Point represents old Hawaii beachfront luxury, with all of the latest amenities, and was featured on the cover and as the lead article in Ocean Home Magazine in the April 2010 issue. The 7,000 square foot home features 5 bedrooms, 5 ½ bathrooms, a media room with surround sound, a kitchen suited for a master chef, a dining room and great room, a secluded lagoon-style pool with tropical waterfalls and a lavish island spa. The ocean lanai and garden lanai showcase ornate landscaping and stunning views of Kailua Bay and Mount Olomana.

The five bedroom, five and one-half bath home in Kailua doesn’t come with its own personal Secret Service detail, but it is private, boasting convenient access to the beaches of Waikiki (25 minutes) and downtown Honolulu attractions without being right on top of the action.

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

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Daily Pampering: Trace your lineage at The Lodge at Doonbeg

by McLean Robbins on

Got a bit of Irish in you? Visitors to The Lodge at Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland can now trace their roots through an innovative program that partners guests with Dolores Murrihy and Paddy Waldron, the hotel’s geneaology experts.

Not sure about the exact nature of your ancestry? Begin with an assessment (€40), where the genealogists make an outline research plan and an indication of the prospects of successfully tracing the family further back in time. The outline research plan may recommend further research in your own country before any research can be carried out in Ireland. Want a more in-depth approach? Try the consulting service (€100), an hour-long meeting over tea or coffee where Murrihy and Waldron design personalized research program guiding you to the sources where you are most likely to find results. If it’s found that there’s a strong possiblity of tracing your family further, the geneaologists can compile a research report (minimum €200) or lead a tour if an exact location can be determined. The trip might take in homesteads, cemeteries, schools, churches and other relevant locations.

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