Get out of the doghouse fast

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You missed Valentine’s Day. Or, your gift (or other effort) just plain sucked. So, you’re in trouble, and you need a quick solution. Of course, you can’t spend a lot of cash on this endeavor. You need a cheap, good idea that will make your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend or anyone else forget that you failed at romance.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts thought of this already. Check out the company’s “Doghouse Packages” to see how you can make your difficult situation easier.

The Fairmont Newport Beach in California is offering two nights, free valet parking and a stuffed animal upon arrival. You’ll only have to drop $179 a night for two nights (Fridays and Saturdays). Amp it up with The Great Dane package, for those who really screwed up, which adds a $25 dining credit, two bathrobes, and wine and cheese.

On the other coast, the Fairmont Washington (DC) has a “Mea Culpa” package. At $259 a night, it’s a bit pricey, but you might need to go that route. In addition to a room, the hotel kicks in breakfast and a special “I’m Sorry” amenity. You know the apology will work, because it’s created by the executive pastry chef!

Need more ideas? Don’t worry, Fairmont’s got ’em.

Galley Gossip: My Bollywood Valentine’s Day

by Heather Poole on

There we were, the husband and I, standing up in a dark movie theater with a huge smile across our faces. We had gone to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire and were just about to leave, but when the credits began rolling the Bollywood dancers started to move their bodies in sync.

“Wait, I want to see this!” my husband exclaimed as I began to walk up the aisle.

“Really?” I asked, even though I already knew his response would be, yes, really! What I didn’t want to see was my husband doing those same Bollywood dance moves later that night. He can’t help himself. That’s why I love him.

As I stood there watching the dancers perform the “go away” dance move, as my husband calls it, a move that requires one hand to flutter from the front of the face to the back of the head, I immediately flashed back to another time in my life, back to the days when I was single and used to work the New York – San Jose route.

Why would an amazing film like Slumdog Millionaire remind me of a San Jose trip? Because we used to layover in Fremont, California – not San Jose, California. It was cheaper, I guess. Have you ever been to Fremont? Let’s just say I spent many layovers eating wonderful curries, drinking delicious chai tea, and checking out the local video store for a Bollywood movie I once worked on eight years ago called Mehbooba starring Sanjay Dutt, a movie I never did find.

Oh yes, that’s right, yours truly is not only a mother / flight attendant / writer, but also a not so famous ex Bollywood actress. In the movie Mehbooba, a film that was shot in New York City and other amazing places around the world, I’m just an extra. I’m the girl wearing the red dress on the boat, which is actually the same boat that was used in the movie The Mosquito Coast starring Harrison Ford. While I lounged on the wooden deck, Sanjay Dutt actually kissed me on the cheek. I do hope they didn’t cut that part out.

For the record, Mehbooba means my beloved. My husband actually had it engraved on my wedding band. Only he spelled it wrong – Mehabooba. Just a random fact about me.

Another random fact about me, I don’t like Valentine’s Day. There’s just to much pressure to have fun and fall in love and spend too much money doing so – just to be let down in the end.

My dislike for Valentine’s Day began in elementary school. That’s where, each year, I was forced to decorate a tissue box with construction paper in shades of red, pink and white on the day of love. A person can’t help but get excited about what they’re going to find in their box at the end of the day, even if that person is only ten years old! Of course my box never overflowed with hearts and candy the way those of my classmates did.

Then, years later, I gave my college boyfriend a special gift. I don’t remember what it was, but what I do remember is what he gave me. Nothing. He was too busy breaking up with me – not just once, but twice, on two different Valentine’s Days! What can I say, some people just have to be slapped in the face with rejection!

After college I dated an engineer who wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day the day after – on the 15th. Or the 13th would’ve worked, too. “It’s cheaper that way,” he’d said matter of fact. Of course now that I’m older and wiser I see the logic in that, but back then it only made me hate the day even more.

Though I do have many bad memories, there was one Valentine’s Day I did actually enjoy. It happened in Fremont, California of all places. And it may even have to go down as one of the most fun nights of my life. My date that night at the Bollywood disco after a scrumptious dinner at an Indian buffet was Katherine, the flight attendant working in first class with me that month of February in 2001.

I had just planned on having another not so great Valentine’s Day, which is why I had opted to work that day, but Katherine decided to take matters into her own hands. She started asking passengers if they could fix us up with someone – anyone! Who lived in Fremont. You have to understand that Katherine was the kind of person who could say anything and get away with it. I think the British accent had a lot to do with that. While we did make quite a few of our passengers laugh, we never did get set up, and eventually found ourselves alone drinking chai tea as we celebrated together in a coffee shop across the street from our Fremont layover hotel.

“Why don’t you two come along with me!” said the owner of the shop. He’d been eavesdropping in on our conversation. “Just pay me gas money.”

So that’s what we did. We paid our new friend gas money and he took us to a private party not too far away. Katherine and I danced the night away to music we’d never heard before, nor have I heard since, and we learned dance moves that only my husband could appreciate. Of course back then he wasn’t around to appreciate them. No one was. Just Katherine.

On the flight back to New York Katherine stood in the first class galley wearing her pin striped apron and looked me square in the eye, and said, and she said this very seriously, “Heather, you were the best date I’ve ever had.”

Of couse I felt the same way about her. The sad thing is I never did see my special Valentine’s date again after that wonderful month working together. I heard Katherine quit flying shortly after 9/11. A lot of flight attendants did.

So now that I’m married to a wonderful man who has spectacular dance moves of his own, a passenger I actually met on a flight from New York to Los Angeles just a few months after 9/11, and now that we have a beautiful two year-old son who travels so often he calls his belt a seatbelt and prefers to keep it fastened at all times, things have changed for the better. Valentine’s Day is no longer about me. It’s about us.

This year the three of us will be celebrating together at home. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I do know that mommy and daddy will be spending a romantic evening out alone on the 12th instead of the 14th this year. You better believe my husband will be getting a copy of the Slumdog Millionaire CD, as well as the just released Mehbooba DVD! Yes, it took eight years, but it’s out, the movie is finally out, and my poor husband will be forced to watch it!

Photos courtesy of (Bollywood dancers) Fikirbaz (Mehbooba) the official Mehbooba website (Valentine’s box) Msabcmom

Photo of the Day (2.8.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

When I picture “wine country” in my head, this is exactly the sort of idyllic vista that comes to mind. Which is exactly why I chose this shot from jrodmanjr, taken in Sonoma County, CA. The artfully arranged wine barrels, the rustic villa and the sloping vineyards covered in grape vines all combine to create a rather majestic view, don’t they?

Have any great travel photos you’d like to share with the world? Why not add them to the Gadling pool on Flickr? We might pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Sonoma Valley ideas for Valentine’s Day

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need ideas? Yeah, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and like me, you probably haven’t put a shred of thought into it. Take a moment to feel sorry for my wife. Okay, with that done, take a look below at 16 Valentine’s Day ideas all involving travel to the Sonoma Valley. Wine, vineyards, resorts … there’s no need to keep thinking!

Now, you have choices. Resorts, restaurants and hotels are putting together the most interesting ideas they have for the most romantic day of the year. Montecito Heights has a 50-minute rose petal massage on the menu, and Zazu has put together a fantastic meal. The provocatively named Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari, which is for adults only, introduces you to the mating habits of a variety of exotic animals … and sets the scene for you to explore your own!

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, for the list you’ll find after the jump]Winter Romance Getaway at Cypress House in Valley of the Moon
Enjoy time away this winter in the Valley of the Moon. This three-bedroom, two-bath home in Kenwood sleeps six and features a pool, hot tub, beautiful vegetable and cutting gardens, and roomy outdoor area for you to experience true wine-country living. The kitchen is a “foodie” haven, with lots of counter space and an open dining area.
Winter Romance Getaway Special (up to six guests)
$385 per night with two-night minimum
$350 per night for three to five nights
$1,900 special weekly rate (six nights)
Rates inclusive of all tax and fees
Valid through Feb. 28, 2009

20th Annual Wine & Chocolate Fantasy 2009 at Rodney Strong
Rodney Strong Vineyards celebrates its favorite pairings: rich, Sonoma County chocolates with delicious Rodney Strong wines. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. This year, even more local chocolatiers will offer samples of their delectable confections. Festivities also include music by Earl Thomas. Treat yourself and your Valentine to an afternoon of indulgence!
Tickets are $40 for general public or $35 for Rodney Strong Collector’s Circle members, and include a commemorative logo glass. Make your reservations in advance; no tickets will be available at the door.
Rodney Strong
11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg.

Valentine’s Day Chocolate and Reds at B.R. Cohn
Bittersweet chocolate is rich enough on its own, but pair it with B.R. Cohn’s equally rich 2006 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Port, and it’s a match made in heaven. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 14 – 15, guests will be treated to a complimentary wine and truffle pairing at the winery tasting room.
B.R. Cohn
15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cupid comes to The Spa at Montecito Heights
The Spa at Monetcito Heights will be giving Cupid a hand this Valentine’s Day. Tell Cupid exactly what you would like by sending a postcard. Simply fill out your gift choice, name and address of your Cupid and let The Spa do the rest. Visit the website for more information.

Inspire love and romance at The Spa this Valentine’s Day with a little something special. Indulge your body and your senses with a day of pleasure. Select from any one of our romance inspired treatments and relax with a glass of sparkling champagne and chocolate truffles: 50-minute Couple’s Rose Petal Massage, 50-minute Chardonnay Massage, 50-minute Rose Petal Facial, 50-minute Sweetheart Manicure or Pedicure, 50-minute Rose Petal Sugar Scrub, or 50-minute Chocolate Sugar Scrub.
The Spa at Monetcito Heights
2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 526-0529

Aphrodisiac Dinner at Tolay Restaurant
Enjoy a three- or four-course pre fixe Valentine’s dinner on Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14. Choose your starter, choose your entree, and choose your dessert from items including Liberty duck two ways, lobster avocado salad, pan-seared foie gras, Hog Island oysters, grilled rack of CK lamb, veal sweetbreads, diver scallops, and more. Dinner per person is $55 for three courses and $65 for four, and includes a complimentary glass of champagne and amuse bouche.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Valentine’s Romance Package — Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
Your overnight stay will include one night in a traditional room (upgrade to deluxe if available), breakfast for two (room service or in Tolay), champagne and strawberries delivered to your room, and a late checkout of 4 p.m. Rates start at $139.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Seeing Your Sweetie in a New Light — Driving Tours Offered
You and your Valentine can spend the day exploring Bodega Bay and Sonoma County‘s more than 50 miles of Pacific coast. Until Feb. 16, Sonoma County Tours is offering its Bodega Bay tour audio CD for half price, or $9.99. Enjoy a private tour of Bodega Bay. Take in all the sights while driving at your own pace. Relax as your “tour guide” directs you where to go, how to get there, what to do and see.
Sonoma County Tours
(707) 824-1304
rsvp@sonomacountytours.com

My Sparkling Valentine at Vintners Inn
Your Valentine’s Day will sparkle at the Vintner’s Inn. Offered Feb. 13 – 14, the package includes two nights in a fireplace room overlooking the beautiful winter gardens, a bottle of sparkling wine and six chocolate-covered strawberries.

Indulge your taste buds at the renowned John Ash & Co., by using the included $100 certificate for dinner. Relax and unwind with two 50-minute therapeutic massages. A continental breakfast is offered each morning, homemade cookies are left at turndown and a half bottle of Fume Blanc awaits you upon arrival. The two-night package for two is $800.
Vintners Inn
4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa
(800) 421-2584

Get Hot in the Kitchen — Turn up the Heat at Landmark Vineyards
Get hot in the kitchen with the one you love. Landmark Vineyards is offering an interactive Valentine’s Day experience. Cook with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, then sit down to a romantic meal paired with Landmark’s finest wines. Appetizers and wine will start flowing at 5 p.m. on Satur
day, Feb. 14.

Working with professional chefs from Hands-On-Gourmet, couples will create a gourmet three-course meal. The menu for the evening includes buckwheat blinis with cedar planked trout, steak au poivre with potato puree and heirloom carrots, and milk chocolate pot de crème with burnt orange chantilly. After working up an appetite in the kitchen, couples will be served an elegant dinner in Landmark’s dining room. Each course will be paired with Landmark’s wines. Dinner tickets are $125 per person. Reservations are required; you must reserve your place no later than Feb. 6.
Michael Baughman
(707) 833-0228
michaelb@landmarkwine.com

Romance among the Vines at Landmark Vineyards
What is more romantic than two nights at a vineyard with a romantic dinner for two at the winery? Landmark’s cozy cottage, nestled at the base Sugarloaf Mountain, is offering the perfect romantic weekend get-away in wine country.

On your first night, settle in and explore the surrounding Sonoma Valley. The next day, Landmark will pack a picnic lunch for your docent-led hike in Sugarloaf State Park where waterfalls abound, brooks babble, and the views are divine. After an exhilarating hike return for an in-room, couple’s massage. Later Landmark’s viticulturalist will take you on a private tour of the estate vineyard and teach you about the vines and the art of wine making.

In the evening, you and your companion will sit down to a private romantic candle light dinner in Landmark’s elegantly appointed dining room for the ultimate gastronomic experience that will dazzle your taste buds with perfectly paired wine country cuisines with limited production and library Landmark wines. After dinner, you can retire to your cottage by simply walking around the vineyard to your room.

On your final day at Landmark, Proprietor’s Mike and Mary will schedule appointments for you with some of their favorite local wineries where you will receive the VIP treatment. You and your companion will be chauffeured in a 1950s Cadillac convertible. The cost for one couple for the entire package is $2,500.
Landmark Vineyards
101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood

Be Mine, Be Fresh at Zazu
Zazu dishes it up fresh from the farm with lots of love for this special Valentine’s dinner on Saturday, Feb. 14. Dinner, before beverage, gratuity or tax, is $63 a person for three courses and $73 a person for four courses.

Choose from: Kusshi oysters on the half-shell — three tobikos; ginger mignonette
Hamachi tartar — grains of paradise cracker, coconut, lime, chilies; hearts of romaine – green goddess dressing, avocado, watermelon radishes, boccorones; marinated pig heart – tiny potato salad, mustard seed aioli; Italian wedding soup — black pig sausage meatballs;
Bellwether sheep milk ricotta gnudi – spinach, pomodoro; or seared foie gras — yeasted waffle, passion fruit syrup.

Choose from: bone-in rib eye steak (for two) — backyard marjoram salsa verde, red bliss mashed potatoes; coriander- and fennel-crusted ahi tuna — hot and spicy cappellini puttanesca; ruby beet ravioli — backyard fava leaves and white truffle butter; or breast of guinnea hen — dirty farro, red crimson pear, quince saba.

Choose from: Mexican hot chocolate and “just fried” churros; red velvet cake and rosewater cream-cheese frosting; citrus, citrus, citrus — blood orange sorbetto, lime curd, and lemon cooler cookie; or a good old-fashioned root beer float, bourbon gelato and two straws.

Zazu restaurant + farm
3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 523-4814

Extended Valentine’s Day Excursion at Dawn Ranch
Stay two nights and receive the third night free. Have a special dinner in the Roadhouse Restaurant Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13-14, for just $99 for two. Price includes a three-course meal (your choice from four entrees) two glasses of sparkling wine and a beautiful floral arrangement on your table from Nexus Organic for you to take home.
Dawn Ranch Lodge
16467 River Rd., Guerneville

Drive Your Sweetheart Wild in Wine Country — Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari
On Saturday, Feb. 14, indulge your wild side at Safari West’s Valentine’s sex tour and dinner party package, for $150 (tax and gratuity not included). Adults only are invited and reservations are a must. Only 90 adults can be accommodated on the sex tour.

This hot ticket begins at 2:30 p.m., with a wine and chocolate reception followed by a safari in an open-air vehicle among some of the world’s most exotic creatures. You’ll learn intimate details about the mating habits of African mammals and birds including bongo, giraffe, gazelle, zebra, warthog, cheetah and more. Yes, love is in the air!

Then, it’s time to kick up your hooves (or paws) and party into the night with your very own two-footed animal! Can a holiday get any more wildly romantic? An overnight package is available for $450 for two adults. This includes the sex safari, dinner and dancing, and lodging for two adults. (Tax and gratuity not included.)

Private sex safaris are also available during the entire month of February. Costs are $800 for up to 10 guests and include a wine, chocolate and cheese basket.
Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp
3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 579-2551; (800) 616-2695

Ah … Romance is in the Air at the Flamingo
Stay at the historic Flamingo Conference Resort and spa for Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. The package includes couple’s spa treatments; a special gift; dinner for two at the Terrace Grille; two cocktails in the lounge or a bottle of sparkling wine in the room; continental breakfast in the Terrace Grille or room service; and passes to the Montecito Heights Health Club. This all-inclusive package is $499 for a deluxe room, $549 for an executive king, or $599 for a suite.
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa
2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 545-8530

Will You Be Mine … at the FountainGrove Inn?
Retreat to the newly renovated FountainGrove Inn and Equus Restaurant for a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend. This package includes one night’s accommodation for two in a deluxe king room; complimentary tasting vouchers to local wineries; sparkling wine and chocolates upon arrival; a three-course dinner in Equus Restaurant for two; a full breakfast buffet for two; and late checkout, for $335 for two adults, including tax and gratuities.
Fountaingrove Inn and Equus Restaurant
101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa
(800) 222-6101

Pure Indulgence in Luxury
Tour the Sonoma Valley town of Glen Ellen in luxury, for a decadent, sumptuous and stress-free experience. On your tour, you will visit three mouthwatering, innovative establishments for tastings in Jack London Village: Figone’s of California Olive Oil, Wine Country Chocolates, and Raymond & Company Cheesemongers. Delight in the lush valley of Glen Ellen surrounded by the hillsides of the Sonoma and Mayacamas Mountains while gratifying your palette. The tour is offered Wednesday through Sunday only. Maximum group
size is 10 guests. Pricing begins at $79 per person for five-hour package, minimum six guests. Add-on options for $95 per person — more wine tasting at Benzinger Family Winery.
Pure Luxury Limousine Service, Inc.
(800) 626-5466

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau]

Make ski resort losses your gain this year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Skiers are winners in the current recession. Lodges and resorts out west are offering generous deals to put you on their powder. So, if you have a bit of extra cash on hand and the urge to hit the slopes, there’s never been a better time to be alive.

In the Aspen/Snowmass area, you can get a free flight, a free night’s stay and a free lift ticket. Of course, there’s a catch. You’re total stay has to stretch to five-days/four-nights, and you need to pay for one of the two airline tickets – which have to be on Frontier Airlines.

Vail Resorts, with properties in Colorado and on the California/Nevada border, can get you three nights in a room and three days on the hills for the price of two at its Heavenly Resort or Lakeside Inn & Casino. RockResorts, which operates on the luxury end of the scale, is kicking in a free night, a bottle of wine and a $50 gift card for guests who stay at least two nights.

These types of deal are rare this time of year, when skiers normally flock to the slopes. But, times are tough. Visits to Vail Resorts are down 5.8 percent (through January 4, 2009), and revenue from lift tickets is down 7.5 percent. Bookings through the end of last year … down 14.8 percent. More and more reservations are hitting at the last minute. For the airlines and resorts, this is brutal, and they’re willing to go the extra mile, it seems, to get you to dig into your wallet.

[Via NY Times, where more deals are listed]