Valentine’s day gadget gifts for romantic travelers

by Scott Carmichael on

Sure, pricey chocolates and flowers may be a pretty safe bet for Valentine’s day — but what if you are looking for a gift that’ll last quite a bit longer.

We’ve collected some travel friendly gifts for the special traveler in your life. With prices starting at just $0, there is bound to be something for everyone in this list!Briggs and Riley Travelware Transcend collection

Good quality luggage lasts a lifetime, which is the same length as the warranty on the Briggs and Riley Transcend luggage collection. All pieces are available in “rainforest” and “sunset”.

Price: from $39
Website: Briggs and Riley

Aviiq ultra-compact laptop stand

The Aviiq laptop stand is the thinnest stand in the world – and while it may not be the perfect match for a Valentine’s day lineup, there is a reason we included it – you can cheat. By applying coupon code 11-VAL-01-MB-PC during checkout, you’ll get two of these for the price of one.

Price: $79.99
Website: Aviiq

Maverick Lifestyle Nica Sunrise Bluetooth Headset

When on the road, making regular phone calls to a loved one is a great way to keep in touch – and making phone calls with your hands free is a great way to keep the fire burning. The Nica Sunrise headset is available in black and red, and features an innovative charger dock system.

Price: $79.95
Website: Maverick Lifestyle

ThinkGeek Beating Heart Pillow

Use this fantastic beating heart pillow on the road, or leave it at home to remind someone how much you love them. Available in green and pink.

Price: $39.99
Website: ThinkGeek

Urbanears: Plattan Headphones

Retro look, in-line microphone and remote, 14 different colors and a special “zound plug” which lets you plug someone else into your headphones to share your music.

Price: $59.99
Website: Urbanears

HEX: iPod Nano watch band

Got an iPhone Nano (6th generation)? Turn it into a stylish watch with one of these 9 HEX cases. Features a silicone strap and cut-outs for buttons and plugs.

Price: $29.95
Website: ShopHEX

iChair iPad and iPhone cases

iChair cases are available for the iPod, iPhone and iPad. The design features an innovative kickstand design that allows you to angle your device any way you want.

Price: from $29 (apply coupon code gadling to take 40% off on 2/9/11)
Website: GoiChair

Iconosys Kiss My Valentine

Send virtual kisses to your Valentine with this romantic Android app. Features sweetheart messages, party strobe love light and Valantine’s gift tracker.

Price: free till Valentine’s day, then $4.95
Website: Iconosys

V-Moda Remix Remote noise isolating headphones

One of the best headphones we reviewed in 2010 the V-Moda Remix Remote headphones feature an in-line remote and excellent noise isolation. Available in red (blush), chrome and black (nero).

Price: $99.99
Website: V-Moda

Daily Pampering: Betrothal Butlers at Woodlands Inn help you pop the question

by Annie Scott on

Planning to pop the question? Woodlands Inn, a five-star, five-diamond Salamander Hospitality property in Summerville, South Carolina (just a short drive from Charleston) has enlisted a team of Betrothal Butlers to be at your beck and call as you plan your perfect proposal.

This special service is launching for Valentine’s Day, but will be available throughout 2011, so if you’re considering an “engagement-cation” this year, but overwhelmed by the planning it requires, this may be exactly what you need! Here’s just some of what the Betrothal Butlers can do to help in this gorgeously traditional setting:

  • Provide expert advice with all aspects of proposal planning. People propose at hotels all the time. These guys know what’s up and what works best.
  • Special delivery of the ring. Hiding the ring can be hugely stressful when all you’ve got is a suitcase. Let the Betrothal Butlers help you out — they can even deliver the ring in a glass of champagne, movie-style.
  • Creative dinner menu choices. Obviously, you want your beloved to have pretty much the best dinner ever. Inject extra romance with personalized selections.
  • Capture the moment on camera. So many of us wish the moment of our engagement could have been captured on camera! The Betrothal Butlers are totally on this. And they’re discreet.

The Betrothal Butler service is complimentary for dining and overnight guests of Woodlands Inn — and we love its formalization as a “service;” sometimes you feel like you’re driving a hotel crazy or like you’re the first person who’s ever requested help with a proposal when asking for help. This is one of those few situations where you do deserve special treatment, and so does your intended!

If you are intending to head to Woodlands Inn for Valentine’s Day, they have a Romance Package for Febraury 11-14, which includes overnight accommodations, champagne and chocolate upon arrival, a three-course dinner for two with wine, and breakfast for two the next morning (in the room or the resturant) starting at $599. Not too shabby. Call (800) 774-9999 to book the package.

5 best chocolate factory tours around the U.S.

by Amy Chen on

If you really want to impress a chocoholic on Valentine’s Day, consider stopping by one of these chocolate factory tours in San Francisco, New York City, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Vermont. Most of these tours are free, plus you’ll score complimentary samples — and extra brownie points for creativity.

But even if you can only give your sweetheart a box of chocolates this year, these tours are available year-round (not that you really need an excuse to indulge on your next vacation).

TCHO
Where: Pier 17, San Francisco
Move over, Ghirardelli. TCHO launched a free factory tour just after Thanksgiving. Though each tour includes complimentary samples of chocolate, cocoa nibs, and biscotti, few people will be able to resist buying the best-selling chocolate-covered mango pieces ($4 for four ounces). And for chocolate lovers who can’t make it to the factory, TCHO is expected to unveil a virtual tour soon.
When: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily; factory operation may not be in production on all weekends.
Cost: Free tour. Walk-ins are accepted, but there’s a limit of 30 people per tour, so you’ll want to reserve tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com.
Info: www.tcho.com

Big Island Candies
Where: Hilo, Hawaii
Large glass windows let you watch rows of workers as they hand-dip macadamia nuts in milk or dark chocolate. More adventurous chocolate lovers may want to try Ika, dried cuttlefish dipped in chocolate. You’ll also be able to help yourself to chocolate and cookie samples, all of which you can wash down with a complimentary cup of Kona coffee.
When: Factory operation is viewable 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays
Cost: Free admission; two-ounce box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from $4.
Info: www.bigislandcandies.com

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Where: Burlington, Vermont
The 25-minute factory tour includes free tastings of dark, milk, and white chocolate, plus a featured sample that varies by day. The company’s bestseller? Truffles ($2.25 each; $12 for a four-piece gift box).
When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays on the hour; in the summer, there is typically a tasting session and a video demo on Fridays instead of the tour.
Cost: Free tour. Walk-ins are accepted; limit 30 people per tour.
Info: 800/465-5909 for reservations; www.lakechamplainchocolates.comEthel M Chocolates
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
If you’re going to be addicted to something while visiting Vegas, it might as well be to chocolate. The free self-guided tour lets you peer into the factory and learn about the chocolate-making process. End the tour with a sample of white, dark, milk, or various seasonal chocolates. Considering that the factory receives about 700,000 visitors per year, that’s a lot of free samples.
When: The factory — in Henderson about a 15-minute drive from McCarran airport — is open daily, but the machinery tends to operate Mondays-Thursdays only.
Cost: Free tour
Info: www.ethelm.com

Mast Brothers Chocolate
Where: Brooklyn, New York
Of these five chocolate factories, this is the only tour that charges for a behind-the-scenes look. Then again, this craft chocolate factory is a much smaller operation than some of the other companies. Made from organically farmed cacao from Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, the exquisitely wrapped chocolate bars come in equally delicious flavors like Fleur del Sel ($7).
When: 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Cost: $9.99 per person for a tour; reserve tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com
Info: www.mastbrotherschocolate.com

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The ultimate pre-wedding party: Off & Away offers $22,500 bachelor / bachelorette auction

by McLean Robbins on

Ever wonder what happens to the palatial pads used in MTV’s “The Real World” after the season is over? In at least a few instances, they’ve been turned back into their original hotel suites, available for show devotees or high-rollers to rent by the night.

Luxury hotel deal purveyor Off & Away is offering their highest-priced acution to date with the ME Cancun suite apartment that housed The Real World: Cancun‘s housemates during the 22nd season.

The three-night package includes accommodations in the Real World suite for up to ten people.

The suite features four bedrooms, all with ocean views, two Jacuzzis, three private balconies, a full kitchen, six showers and six bathrooms, a private laundry room, computer, iPod docking stations, Wii and Rock Band equipment, massage chairs, pool table, and a jellyfish acquarium.

Suite amenities include:

  • Round-trip airport transfers
  • Champagne on arrival
  • Personalized en-suite check-in
  • Tropical fruit upon arrival
  • Buffet breakfast is included for all registered Suite ME guests
  • Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages throughout the stay
  • Twenty-four hour room service
  • One complimentary international newspaper each day
  • Personal staff of Aura-Experience manager, housekeeper and chef* (chef available upon request for additional cost)

Valued at $22,500, the auction package is part of their romance themed “Whole Lotta Love” series, combining romantic wedding, engagement, honeymoon and bachelor/bachelorette packages. The auction series will begin on February 11 and run through February 14.

Off & Away operates on a different model than most flash-sale sites. Members buy bids ($1 each) and increase the price of a given room, suite or experience in small increments, 10 to 15 cents at a time. Each bid also adds a few seconds to the countdown clock. The top bidder when the clock reaches zero wins the prize, and unused bids can be applied as a credit towards Off & Away’s preferred network of partner hotels. We’re big fans of this model, which, while time consuming, can allow users to win luxury hotel experiences at upwards of 90% off, a significantly larger discount than many other flash sale sites.

To join Off & Away, click here.

Daily Pampering: Romance and a Tiffany & Co. shopping spree at Park Hyatt Washington

by McLean Robbins on

Want to really wow your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? It just might take you $8,000 … but you can do it. The Park Hyatt Washington is offering a special “Suite Romance” package that includes accommodations in its Presidential Suite, dedicated butler service, valet parking, Champagne and strawberries, an en-suite couples massage for two and a set of monogrammed robes.

Wow her with a private $2,000 shopping spree at Tiffany & Co., with chauffeured, round trip transportation in Park Hyatt Washington’s BMW 7-Series sedan. After, you’ll enjoy a specially-created, decadent five-course tasting menu for two with wine pairings at the hotel’s Blue Duck Tavern, the same restaurant where President and Mrs. Obama celebrated their anniversary. The meal will be accompanied by a live pianist and followed a private moonlight tour of the famed monuments and a rose petal bath in the suite’s handcarved travertine tub. Any one of those moments would be perfect for popping the question, but if you really want to wait … there’s also en-suite breakfast the next morning.

This special offer is only valid ON Valentine’s Day, so get hopping!

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

[Flickr via ohad*]