Take a swing at Antigua Tennis Week

by Tom Johansmeyer on

For the fourth year in a row, Curtain Bluff will be home to Antigua Tennis Week. For seven days, you can enjoy a tennis-filled getaway at this fantastic all-inclusive resort. The package includes stroke and strategy clinics with the pros, free court time on Curtain Bluff’s four courts (including balls and rackets) and the chance to participate in Pro-Am tournaments, exhibitions and lessons. Aside from tennis, you’ll also get to enjoy the resort’s other amenities, SCUBA diving, deep sea fishing and reef snorkeling. Of course, meals and drinks are included. Rates start at $745 a night for a deluxe room with an ocean view.

If you like to spend time on the court or have a second serve to be feared, this is a great chance to play some tennis in a location that just can’t be beat.

Read our previous coverage of Curtain Bluff.

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For Sale: one tropical island in Fiji

by Kraig Becker on

Do you have 25 million Euros burning a hole in your pocket? (That’s $33 million for U.S. readers!) Then perhaps you’d consider bidding on your very own tropical paradise, which is up for auction on eBay. The 225-acre island is located near Fiji, and is approximately 1 mile long and 1/3 of a mile wide. It reaches elevations of 150 feet and is surrounded by a 5000 acre lagoon that promises underwater visibility to 200 feet and year round temperatures of 80ºF.

That’s not all you’ll get for your hard earned money however. The island is also home to a “world class” resort. Well, it will be a world class resort when it is finished. It is currently about 80% complete, with another six to nine months of construction time necessary to finish it all up. The resort offers some nice amenities however, including a dining pavilion, full spa, and 21 guest villas, complete with fancy furnishings and hot tubs for two. Access to the island is gained via a 3400 foot long airstrip, which runs right by the 9 hole golf course.

Adventurous travelers will find plenty to do on the island, as the waters are excellent for diving and snorkeling, and there are nine caves available to explore should you choose to go spelunking. Prefer to just sit on the beach sipping a fruity drink? You can do that too, while spotting local wildlife, which includes the leather back sea turtles and rare coconut crabs.

Seems like quite the deal if you’ve got the spare change available. Sadly there is no “buy it now” discount on this eBay item.%Gallery-65115%

Tweet and win with the Valentin Imperial Maya Resort

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Blast your thoughts in 140 characters or less, and you could find yourself under the sun in Mexico. The Valentin Imperial Maya Resort is launching a new contest, “Follow Valentin & Win,” so if you’re a Twitter ninja, this is a user you want to follow – by the end of the month.

The Valentin’s goal is pretty simple: the adults-only resort on in Riviera Maya wants to reach more than 1,000 followers. Make yourself one of them, and you have a shot at being one of the three guests to receive a free three-night stay at the resort. The Valentin will pick three secret numbers. If one of them corresponds to yours (i.e., as the Xth follower), you’ll be on the receiving end of a relaxing getaway which includes a 45-minute Primax swim with the dolphins, round-trip transportation to the resort and a DVD of your experience.

There is a catch … there always is. Each winner will be asked to keep a “Valentin Journal,” documenting the stay. These journals, along with photos and videos, will be popped onto the resort’s Facebook page, showing the experience through the eyes of a fellow vacationer.

The contest closes at the end of April, and the winners will be announced on May 3, 2010. You can follow the resort at @valentinmaya.

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Daily Pampering: Renew your vows in Fiji this year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Sometimes, it’s worth celebrating the best day of your life as though it were the first time.

Spend five nights in absolute luxury, and you’ll pick up another two! Turtle Island in Fiji is doing the unthinkable. The incredibly upscale resort has put together a package that can’t be topped. In addition to getting two free nights when you book five, you’ll spend your stay in a two-room beachfront “bure,” have all meals covered – including picnic lunches packed for you to munch on the beach – and enjoy all the wine and alcoholic beverages you like. A “bure mama” will attend to all your needs, and activities such as SCUBA diving and sport fishing are included in the price.

And the revisited nuptials?

Turtle Island will set you up with a private vow renewal ceremony on the beach, complete with flowers, champagne and traditional Fijian garb. This will make the photos spectacular, and the resort will provide you with an album to keep the memory with you forever.

The package is good through the end of the year and starts at $2,499 a night. But, that’s the price you pay for 14 private beaches, amazing culinary creations and lomi-lomi massages, right?

Rates start at $2,499 per night, per couple. Offer not available during certain blackout dates and scheduled family times. Restrictions may apply. Offer is good now through December 31, 2010.

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

A unique retreat at the Lost Iguana Resort in Costa Rica

by Tom Johansmeyer on


So, what are you doing in May? If your plans are open, check out the “Volcanic Yoga & Spa Retreat” at the Lost Iguana Resort in Costa Rica. You’ll save almost 40 percent off the price of the six-night getaway with a price tag of only $800 while enjoying the “eco-chic” property and (more important), giving yourself the break you deserve.

From May 14 – 20, 2010, the Lost Iguana is hosting this unique retreat, which includes airport transportation, breakfast and dinner every day (you’re on your own for alcohol, though) and a $300 Golden Gecko spa credit along with your accommodations. And, there are daily yoga and water fitness classes to keep your body moving – when you’re not out on a guided nature hike.

Now, let’s get to the spa – nothing beats an amazing spa treatment. With your $300 spa credit, you can take advantage of a wide range of treatments in private open-air thatched bungalows. Volcanic clay and stone facials are on the menu, not to mention exotic body polishes to help you push out the toxins and stimulate your circulation. I’m particularly interested in the cocoon stream therapy treatment, which purifies and softens your skin.

If you have an open week in May and an itch to get on the road, this is the only way to scratch it. Sit in a spa, and let someone else do all the work of stretching your muscles for you.