Stranded in Washington, DC? Get to The Jefferson

by Annie Scott on

The Jefferson Hotel Washington, DC is offering some special deals for snowed-in travelers, so send this to your needy friends.

The Winter Storm Special is taking place tonight and tomorrow night (February 9 & 10), and it features Deluxe rooms which usually go for $380 for just $195. This is a great opportunity to make lemonade out of your lemons and stay in a luxury Relais & Châteaux member hotel on the cheap.

While the snow has shut down the operations of the hotel’s main restaurant, Plume, the bar, Quill, is open. They serve comfort food like macaroni and cheese, tasty salads and burgers, and fancy cocktails with herb-infused liquors in an elaborate setting wallpapered with 18th century maps. Nice!

To book this emergency special, call The Jefferson directly at (202) 448-2300.

Hundreds of tourists stranded at Machu Picchu after flooding

by Katie Hammel on

Severe flooding in Peru has caused several landslides that have left hundreds (reports range from 1500 to 2500) of people stranded at Machu Picchu. Many of the landslides happened on Saturday, killing one tourist and his guide, and leaving others stuck in spots along the Inca Trail that leads to the site. The 40-mile railway that connects the ancient site to Cuzco was also blocked by the landslides, leaving tourists stranded and the city’s only hotel overwhelmed as it tries to care for everyone.

According to the UK’s Guardian, helicopters are the only option for getting supplies in and getting people out right now. Unfortunately, the going is slow and supplies at Machu Picchu are dwindling. And, says the AFP, some of those stranded are concerned that others are bribing officials in order to be rescued first. In the meantime, those who can’t find accommodation are camping out by the train station or in the city square.

Over 1300 homes have been destroyed because of the flooding and landslides, which have been called the worst in 15 years. A 60-day state of emergency has been declared.

Hundreds stranded by malfunctioning monorail at Disney World

by Katie Hammel on

Disney World is supposed to be the “happiest place on earth”, but for about 300 people who were trapped on the monorail when three trains broke down early Sunday morning, it was probably anything but.

The system suffered a power outage brought on by a failed hard drive around 1am on Sunday. The Magic Kingdom had been open late, and the trains were carrying the last of the park’s visitors back to parking lots and other resorts. Three of the trains were not in stations at the time of the outage, so passengers had to wait for almost three hours in hot train cars until help arrived.

Firefighters used ladders to get the stranded riders down. While a spokeswoman for Disney World apologized to the guests who got stuck, it seems the incident was a minor one. No injuries were reported in the shut down and trains were back up and running by the time the park opened on Sunday morning.

I’m sure sitting in a hot monorail car for three hours is no fun, but there are worse places to get stranded in Disney World. Who hasn’t had a nightmare about breaking down on the Small World ride and being force to listen to that song over…and over…and over again? At least the stranded passengers can be thankful that wasn’t their fate.

[via Chicago Tribune]

Help save the sea lions when you stay at Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club

by Katie Hammel on

Warm waters caused by El Nino currents may be responsible for the record number of sea lions that have shown up weak and hungry along the California coast this year. In Sausalito, the Marine Mammal Center says it has rescued a record number of exhausted and malnourished sea lions, who can’t find enough food to survive because the squid and anchovies they normally eat have headed out into colder waters. While the center normally helps around 600 sea lions, so far they’ve rescued over 1000 in the last 7 months. In southern California, the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro has taken in 365 sea lions since January.

Want to help? You can book the “Save the Sea Lions” package at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo Beach. For $299 per night (plus tax), you’ll get an ocean-view room, a sea lion stuffed animal, a disposable camera, and a two-hour paddle-boat rental so you can get up close to the sea lions in the water. 10% of the proceeds from each package sold will go to the Marine Mammal Care Center to help them rescue and care for the sea lions. You can also visit the Center to learn more about their efforts firsthand. They don’t charge admission but do accept donations.

[via Los Angeles Times]

Ryanair fumbles check-in, hundreds delayed

by Katie Hammel on

Hundreds of Ryanair passengers were left behind on Sunday, when a shortage of check-in desks caused them to miss their flights out of London’s Stansted Airport. The airline, which encourages passengers to check in online, only opened 11 check-in desks on one of the UK’s busiest travel weekends of the year, when 255 flights were scheduled to depart. 23 desks were open the previous weekend.

Over 500 passengers missed their flights. Ryanair issued an apology saying that their baggage handler, Swissport, (who also issued an apology statement) was short-staffed.

As of October, the point will be moot though, as Ryanair will no longer offer airport check-in. The airline has also announced that plans are in the works to eliminate baggage-handling as well. Passengers would need to carry their own bags up to the airplane doors.

Paying for the toilets, loading your own luggage, standing on flights. . .what’s next Ryanair? I’m guessing the planes won’t even bother to land, and we’ll just need to parachute out at our destination.

[via Breaking Travel News]