Moon Monterey & Carmel Giveaway

by Brenda Yun on

If you’ve been following my recent posts on the latest happenings around Monterey and Carmel (a.k.a. read my posts about the scenic Monterey coastline or taking a tour of Carmel’s wine country), then it shouldn’t come as a huge shock to you that I’ve fallen in love all over again with coastal California this summer. I guess I’m not alone — and that I don’t have to be, either!

In celebration of the release of its six new and fully updated California guidebooks (Coastal California , Tahoe, Monterey & Carmel, Northern California, Southern California and California Beaches), Moon Handbooks is giving away a copy of its Moon Monterey & Carmel, along with four tickets (admission for two adults and two children) to the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium. That means you and three friends can enjoy a full day of fun in Monterey. Of course, if you’re there, you might as well make a weekend of it, right?

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is submit your full name, mailing address, and phone number (for shipping purposes only) to giveaway@moon.com by midnight on October 18th. One winner will be selected at random and announced on the staff blog the week of October 19th.

In addition to the giveaway, California trip ideas, and guest blog posts by Liz Hamill Scott, the author of several of Moon’s California guides, can be found this week on the site.

Free night at Sheraton up for grabs

by Alison Brick on

It’s not often that you have such a good chance at winning a free stay at a hotel. Sheraton will be giving away 2,100 one-night stays at 86 locations during its Check-In On Us Giveaway.

You must be able to stay at the Sheraton hotel that you choose on Friday, October 23rd. You’ll be limited to that day for your overnight.

First register online, and then you can enter the giveaway once a day between October 6-9. There’s a chance that you might not win a room at the specific hotel you choose, but you’ll know instantly.

If you don’t win, you can try back the next day, through October 9. The rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you win, congratulations–it’s all paid for! The hotel will cover the fees, taxes, and surcharges for the one night, but any additional nights and services will be your responsibility.

The promotion isn’t valid at all of the locations, but it is at 40% of them in the U.S. and Canada–meaning 86 locations. You must be specific and choose one hotel each time that you enter to win.

If the rooms are already booked by the time that you enter, you’ll still be offered a coupon for a room discount.

The promotion highlights Sheraton’s recent renovations. They’ve added or renovated 70,000 hotel rooms worldwide since 2007, and all of the hotels featured in the promotion are either new or newly renovated.

The green fairy flies Virgin America

by Annie Scott on


The green fairy flies! Following the US re-legalization of absinthe (it was banned for 96 years), Le Tourment Vert has become the First Absinthe in the Sky on Virgin America.

To celebrate their collaboration, Le Tourment Vert and Virgin America have teamed up with the Palms Resort in Las Vegas to bring us the Suite Surrender Giveaway: the winner gets a round-trip flight to Vegas to kick it in the suite above (oh hey, private bowling alley).

To enter the giveaway, click here and spill the beans about your personal Sin City fantasy — be creative — and definitely check out the new “Mile High” cocktail on Virgin America (made with Le Tourment Vert and Sprite, garnished with a lemon or lime wedge). You probably won’t hallucinate like the French philosophers, but it will almost definitely give you some weird dreams.

United rolls out Travel Options promo with giveaways at three US airports

by Katie Hammel on

Travelers at the Denver, Washington Dulles and San Francisco Airports got a special surprise today. United Airlines opened its Travel Options by United Spin the Wheel booths at the three hubs, offering flyers the chance to win some pretty cool prizes.

Those who spin the wheel receive freebies for use on future flights, like an upgrade to Economy Plus, Premier Line access at the security checkpoint and at the boarding gate, or a Red Carpet Club pass. After a closer look at the wheel, it seems like spinners have the best odds of landing on “Economy Plus”, which, depending on the flight, can cost anywhere from $9 to over $100. Those who aren’t so lucky don’t walk away empty-handed though. Other prizes include water bottles, puzzle books, or decks of cards.

If you missed the booths today, you’ll still get your chance to spin the prize wheel. The booths will be at the Denver, Washington Dulles and San Francisco airports until October 5th, when they’ll be moved to a few yet-to-be-announced airports around the country. The booths made their debut earlier this summer at the Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles International Airports.

Win a 5-night package at Chaa Creek luxury eco-resort in Belize

by Katie Hammel on

Chaa Creek, an eco-resort in the jungle of Belize, is giving away a 5-night stay for two to the winner of their Nature Quest Sweepstakes. To enter, you’ll need to write a 300-word essay on why you want to visit the lodge, and answer a series of questions about the property (the answers to which can all be found on the website). If you score 85% or above, you’ll be eligible to win the 5-night Inland Expedition package.

There are four additional prizes as well, which include a 5-night Inland Expedition package for one, or 50%, 40% and 30% discounts on 5-night Inland Expedition packages for two. The packages include round-trip transfers to the lodge from Belize City, a trip to the Belize zoo, all meals, and several tours and activities including bird-watching, canoeing, a trip to a butterfly farm and more.

The resort is set on a 365-acre nature reserve, has been operating since 1981, and has won numerous awards for its quality service and commitment to the environment. The 5-night Inland Expedition packages normally cost $1625 per person. Entries for the contest are due by October 30.