France in summer: Three ways to do it in style

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Skip your usual vacation spot this summer, and go to France. You need a break from the norm (I sure do), and there are some great deals all over the country that make it hard to resist getting on a plane for seven hours of smelling the passenger crammed in next to you.

Focus on what happens when you hit the ground: it’s worth it.

Bessé Signature Hotels has put together three hotel deals in France that make the burden of air travel worth shouldering. Step off the plane and head to some of the country’s unique contemporary hotels, and you’ll forget all about having your sweaty neighbor’s head on your shoulder for the entire trip across the Atlantic.

Girls: Check out the Hotel Edouard 7 for a girls’ getaway, and you won’t be disappointed. The “Girls Night Out” package includes a suite for three, limousine transfers to and from the airport and three sets of Princesse tam tam pajamas – not to mention a variety of Keihl’s products and a bottle of champagne every day(!). The best part, I suspect, is the three VIP passes to Le Printemps, complete with personal shopping services and a 10 percent discount on all your purchases. As if this isn’t enough, you’ll score breakfast and dinner en suite every day. The deal is good through the end of August and starts at 380 euros a night.

Golf: Pack the ladies of to the Hotel Edouard, and take the guys out to Domaine de la Bretesche, in the Brittany region. Dinner for two every day at the Michelin-starred Montaigu is a nice touch, but that doesn’t compare to having your greens fees covered every day for 18 holes of golf. Get the frustration of the links rubbed out every da at the Spa de la Cour Carree, and you’ll have the perfect golf experience. Rates start at 800 euros a night for two guests, through August 31, 2010.

City: Beat the currency fluctuations with a guaranteed rate of $395 a night at theHotel Bel-Ami in Paris. Good through the end of the year, this deal includes a double superior room and breakfast every day. Explore the city, and dodge the beggars that lurk under the Eiffel Tower. It’s a great time.

Save half at Le Domaine de Lonvilliers this summer

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Dash off to St. Martin for a few days this summer, and you won’t be disappointed. You can pick up four nights at Le Domaine de Lonvillies for a mere $210 – the normal price is cut in half. As long as you head down there before August 31, 2010, you’ll pick up breakfast every day, free wi-fi and dinner every night a La Table du Marche.

And make no mistake: dinner is the interesting part. Le Domaine de Lonvilliers features the creations of Christophe Leroy, who has demonstrated his culinary prowess in St. Tropez and Marrakech. Dine (and relax) while surrounded by Creole buildings and 150 acres of bliss.

Off & Away goes international

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Off & Away the recently launched luxury travel auction site is offering up its first international destination. On June 7, 2010, the site will send a stay at La Amada in Cancun under the virtual gavel. Other upcoming auctions include the Andaz in New York (June 9, 2010), Turtle Bay in Hawaii (June 9, 2010) and the Alexis in Seattle (June 10, 2010).

The greatest concentration of luxury deals on Off & Away so far appears to be in New York, so if you’re looking to take a trip out here, putting in a bid might not be a bad idea.

NY is being auctioned off right now. Only 1 hour left. Did you know that we’ve had auctions go for as little as $20? http://bit.ly/OAendless than a minute ago via HootSuiteOff & Away
offnaway

Strangely, Off & Away rewards valiant losing efforts. According to the rules:

  • If you’re outbid, apply up to 110% of your used bids towards another room
  • Select from any of our 50,000 partner hotels at the Web’s best published rates

Preferred Hotels Makes Your Golf Addiction Social

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you prefer to improve your golf game? Yeah, anyone who swings a club is always desperate to do it better. So, if your handicap is your swing but you still have a jones for all things golf, check out the new Preferred Golf website from Preferred Hotels Group. It includes a social media platform and interactive capabilities you can use to get real-time golfing news, share tips and travails and commiserate with other duffers.

Preferred Golf is the next step in Preferred’s member-based program that includes access to more than 100 top courses, including The K Club in Ireland, Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina and The Broadmoor in Colorado.

“Members of Preferred Golf have always received the best value at the world’s top golf courses,” said Casey Ueberroth, President of Preferred Golf. “Our new website now adds convenience and customization to the list of benefits. So whether members prefer the customized service of our Golf VIP Desk or instant electronic gratification of the new website, we have all angles covered.”

When you’re ready to pack up your bags and head out for a weekend (or week) on the links, use the website to meet new golfers, set up buddy trips and get some extra help from the Golf VIP Desk.

This is a new way for you to feed your golf addiction!

Fairmont Zimbali Resort opens in South Africa

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s a new Fairmont in South Africa. The 154-room Fairmont Zimbali Resort has just opened, not far from the Fairmont Zimbali lodge, a 76-room property along the beach. The resort is tucked away in a 700-hectare forest reserve and is only 15 minutes from the new King Shaka International Airport.

Around the resort, there’s plenty to do, from game-viewing expeditions and safaris to micro-light flying and surfing in the Indian Ocean. There are five outdoor swimming pools on the property, including freshwater and saltwater pools overlooking the ocean. And, duffers can look forward to an 18-hole golf course (under construction) designed by Gary Player. Soccer fans, of course, will appreciate the fact that the Fairmont Zimbali Resort is only a short drive from Durban, one of nine 2010 FIFA World Cup host cities.

The Zimbali is one of seven new Fairmont properties to open this year.