Daily Pampering: May in Montauk

by Melanie Nayer on

Spring is here! White pants and flip flops are forcing their way out of closets and everyone along the east coast is digging out their sunscreen as they reimerge from winter hibernation. To celebrate the start of the season, the Montauk Yacht Club in New York‘s Hamptons has a few spring offers to help set the mood for May. Break out your sear sucker suit and board your yacht, baby.

Montauk Uncorked – Chef Robbin Haas will host the first Montauk Uncorked wine tasting event. Enjoy sips from Lieb Cellars, Wolfer, Raphael, Martha Clara, Robert Oatley, Southern and Empire wineries paired with bites from local eateries including The Gulf Coast Kitchen by Robbin Haas, East by Northeast and The Harvest. The event is $30 per person and takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on May 2, 2010.

Size Doesn’t Matter – The marina is offering a special rate through May 31: dockage rates are $2.50 per foot, per day. Offer is based upon availability, transient rates and cannot be combined with any other special offers, including long term berthing agreements. Rate includes berthing only.

Tennis, anyone? — Starting May 1, 2010, the Gotham Tennis Academy, New York City’s premier operator of tennis programs, will offer tennis training for players or all ages and levels at its Hamptons location. Montauk guests can take advantage of the opening GTA package that offers two hours per day of tennis customized each players skill level, including a one hour private lesson and a one hour group clinic (either cardio tennis or adult group) and unlimited, complimentary court time (based on availability). This package is $150 per person, per day.

Memorial Day Weekend – Celebrate the start to summer with back yard BBQs, poolside shindigs, beach front soirees, and live performances in the Barracuda bar. There’s too much to tell, make reservations now or miss out on all the fun.

The Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina features 107 guest rooms; 23 Villa Cottages; 232-slip full-service, megayacht Marina; fine dining and cocktails at the Gulf Coast Kitchen, Hurricane Alley, Barracuda Bar and Turtle Lounge; the full-service SPA MYC, SALON MYC and fitness center; a private beach and three swimming pools; Har-tru lighted tennis courts; easy access to fishing and water sports; and 10,000-feet of indoor meeting and event space plus the expansive Great Lawn that can accommodate large-scale tented events up to 1,000 people.

Travel Trends: Orlando, Las Vegas top summer destinations for 2010

by Gadling Staff on

Perhaps fueled by a sense that the economy is improving, millions of Americans are gearing up to travel this summer. And when it comes to summer travel, Americans are nothing if not decisive about where we want to go.

This summer’s top two destinations – hands down – are Orlando and Las Vegas, according to a recent survey conducted with members of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

Orlando ranks highest among the trips that agents are booking – 17.7% say the theme-park capital is this summer’s Number One destination. No doubt, that’s due in some part to the buzz building over the June 18 opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.

Las Vegas is Number Two at 16.2%.

“There are a lot of discounts and deals right now for those cities,” explains Melissa Teates, director of research at ASTA in Alexandria, Va. “But, generally, most people just know they’ll have a good time in these cities. Orlando and Vegas really exist as vacation destinations.”Also among the top 10 major destinations this summer are San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.

Another hot spot, New York City, is hotter than it’s been in some time.

It zoomed up the chart from Number Ten in 2009 — with 1.4% of ASTA members saying it was their top booking — to Number Six this year at 2.8%.

Teates says people are eager to travel after having put it off during the recession. But, she notes, many travelers are still holding down expenses. One way to do that is by staying relatively close to home.

“People want to travel more, but they’re being careful with costs,” she says. “A city like New York looks good. If you live on the East Coast, you can take a train. If you’re in the Midwest, it’s a short flight.”

[Data source: ASTA]

See more Travel Trends.

Four Hotels for a Free Lobster Dinner for Two

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Nothing goes with summer quite like the cracking of lobster shells (and wearing a bib, even if you’re a grown man). You can get a lobster anywhere, but if you’re within a few hours of the New England coast, the whole experiences changes dramatically. This summer, four hotels are willing to give you and your guest a free lobster dinner when you stay only one night. Of course, it isn’t a lobster dinner without corn on the cob, clam chowder and blueberry pie, all of which you should expect to find on your table, as well.

Rates vary, ranging from $179 to $299, depending on the hotel, but it comes out to a savings of around $150 at each of them. To take advantage of this deal, check out the properties below:

The Sagamore, Lake George, New York (code: LOBSTER)

The Wentworth, New Hampshire (code: LPR)

The Samoset, Maine (code: DATE)

The Harborside Hotel, Bar Harbor, Maine (code: DATE)

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Porn star rights Customs’ wrong

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A Brooklyn guy was faced with the worst of scenarios. Coming through customs on a return trip from Puerto Rico, he was cuffed in San Juan. He was accused of transporting child pornography, because a copy of the DVD “Little Lupe the Innocent” was found in his bags. Of course, Carlos Simon-Timmerman claimed his innocence, so in his mind at least, he was staring down two decades in prison for something he didn’t do.

At times like this, you cross your fingers and hope for a knight in shining armor to rescue you. Carlos got his knight … in the form of porn star Lupe Fuentes. He was freed from the can when Lupe flew down to Puerto Rico earlier this month to prove in court that she was 19 when the movie was made. The fact that she produced her passport and photo identification was much more compelling than the pediatrician called by the feds who insisted that the actress was underage.

So, if you’re taking porn through customs, you may want to do a little research. Get the stars’ cell numbers, or keep copies of their documents on file. You never know when you’ll need it.

And, just for fun, do you know what Carlos does for a living?

Ding dong … you’re pizza’s here.

Memorable in Manhattan: Package for first-timers

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You’ll never forget your first time. It may have been thrilling or awkward, but it was memorable. Many are still waiting for their first … their first trip to New York City. If you’re only exposure to this city is what you’ve seen on television or the big screen, this is your chance to experience it for yourself. The Crowne Plaza Times Square‘s First Time in New York Package will make it easy to give up your city virginity.

I don’t remember my first time in the city (let’s just say I was young), but I do remember my first stay at the Crowne Plaza Times Square. It was only a few weeks after Y2K – and the world didn’t end, in case you were wondering. I remember the feeling that came with stepping onto the sidewalk: the rush of energy was incredible. And then, I got sick – probably a combination of weekly travel, 80-hour work weeks and a diet that looked strangely like a menu at a baseball stadium. So, I really saw little more than the inside of my room, from which I stumbled when I was finally able to handle travel again, and grabbed the 1/9 train down to Penn Station for the ride back to Boston.Hopefully, your first time will be more pleasant! Doubtless, it will be. While the Crowne Plaza can’t immunize you from the nagging diseases that could screw up your trip, it can be all the protection you need when it comes to boredom. As part of the First Time in New York package, you’ll receive two 48-hour passes for the Classic New York Double Decker Bus Tour; tickets to the Empire State Building’s Observation Deck, ferry to the Statue of Liberty and the Natural history Museum; a detailed New York City sightseeing map; a New York City’s Official Visitor Guide; and a commemorative picture frame. At $598 for two nights, this is an absolute steal.

Your first time should be a memory to cherish and a story to tell. Treat yourself to two nights in Manhattan, and you won’t be stuck wondering what it feels like when you watch it on TV.