Tag: Beach Hotels
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Sir Richard Branson Puts the Kibosh On Plastic Bottles On Necker Island
Where: Necker Island, Virgin Islands, British
Well, now the world is saved! Okay, we’re being facetious, of course: It’s a noble thing to take a stand and do some good for the planet and, after all, we all need to do our part.
But we do have to ask: Just how much bottled water are they consuming over there on Necker Island? There are only six houses (aka rooms) holding a maximum of 28 guests. And at a cool $29,000 (single or double) for a seven-night stay during “Celebration Weeks” (the only time you can book individual rooms; otherwise it’s the whole island or nothing for $42,500 per night.
Is his British Virgin Island's nirvana really fully booked all the time to need to make a big deal of letting us know Sir Richard is trying to get green while collecting that green? Forgive us if we smirk just a tad.
Celebrity Scoop / Holiday Hotels / Cabo Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Gstaad Hotels / Mexico Hotels / Madonna / Jennifer Aniston / Angelina Jolie / Brad Pitt / Turks and Caicos Hotels / Beach Hotels / → All Tags
The Celebrity Holiday Hotel Hopping Continues
We're not haters or anything, but we've had to endure reruns and all types of holiday delays. And then we had to get back to work on the 2nd. Hell, some of us working stiffs didn't get much vaca at all. So, we're just wondering why these celebs still seem to be taking a break. Do they not have movies to shoot? Tracks to record?
OK!We admit it--from the pics we're seeing we're just jelly we're not in their spots. So we'll once again just live through them. And seethe from afar.
Madonna and her brood (including her 25-year-old boyfriend Brahim Zaibat) headed to the resort town of Gstaad, Switzerland, for New Year’s. It seems Anne Hathaway and new hubby Adam Shulman were around for the holidays, too. While the Material Mama spent time attempting to ski and bit the dust a few times, it seems 16-year Lourdes was smoother on the snowboard.
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Best of the West: Schwanky Rooftop Hotel Dates
Even though its winter, you can still take advantage of the relatively drama-free weather on the Left Coast where the rooftop shenanigans live-on. Remember, these haunts are available year-round and come with a side of schwanky--hold the frostbite. So grab your date and enjoy these rooftop destinations for your next romantic romp west of the Mississippi.
Suite 700, Hotel Shangri La, Santa Monica, CA
Hotel Shangri-La Santa Monica's Suite 700 open-air bar & lounge is the epitome of swank with its Art Deco Hollywood glamour combined with epic views of the Pacific sunset. It's no wonder the hotel was named after the earthly paradise James Hilton spoke of in Lost Horizon. Treat your date to a fire pit and some popcorn chicken avec cocktail, and get lost watching the flames. Or watch the killer sunsets. The nice thing about Shangri-La is you can stay indoors in the lounge if it's breezy, or venture onto the rooftop, so its the best of both. Weekends can be crowded, so try a weeknight or just come early if you want some elbow room.
Hotel Rebrandings / Viceroy Hotel Group / St. Lucia Hotels / Caribbean Hotels / Beach Hotels / → All Tags
Sweet! Finally St. Lucia's Jalousie Becomes The Viceroy Sugar Beach
After what seems like an interminable amount of time (really, about four years in the making) St. Lucia's Jalousie Plantation, originally to be called "The Tides", was named Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, on December. 1st.
We visited the property about three years ago where renovations (which eventually topped out at $100 million) had already begun on transforming Jalousie into a more sleeker resort. Coincidentally that's when the Viceroy Hotel Group had taken over Tides properties in Mexico and renamed them Viceroy as well.
Although there's a new lobby and reception area, the resort's most evident and beautiful change are the additions of the new luxury villas that come with their own plunge pools and butler service. Another improvement is the Rainforest Spa, which now has seven treehouse treatment cabanas to experience more authentic and organic therapies such as the sulphur and lime body wrap or papaya and sea salt body polish.
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What's This at Nick's Cove Cottages?
We like to keep it fun but informative here at HotelChatter so our newest series, What is This?, is devoted to odd-looking items in hotel rooms that upon first glance look as if they serve only a decorative purpose. But everything happens for a reason, right? And we're here to tell you what these things really do.
Window washing pulley or ancient repelling gear? Not at Nick's Cove Restaurant, Oyster Bar & Cottages on Northern California's Tomales Bay, where you'll spy the above ropes and hooks once used to haul in crab pots and fishing nets now in the boat shack at the end of the pier. As recreational Dungeness crab season kicks off this fall, more of that crab-fetching gear will be showing up on November 11, when Nick's Cove hosts its inaugural Crab Catch competition and celebration.
Never heard of the Cottages at Nick's Cove? Tucked within the West Marin coast just 50 miles north of San Francisco, Nick's Cove may be better known for its locally sourced California cuisine than its totally charming overwater bungalows, but it's about time we right that equation. Nostalgic and nautical with down comforters and wood burning stoves, each of the 12 cottages comes with either a waterfront location or waterview and names like Nicolina and Bandit's Bungalow. Part coastal cabin and part hunting lodge, each of the cottages are unique, cozy and awesomely kitschy.
The crab catch offers a great time to check out Nick's cottages. But what the heck happens at a crab catch anyway?
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Celebrate Carmel’s Film Fest With Fedoras and Cocktails at Cypress Inn
With film festivals rolling into America’s biggest cities, some of us want to run instead to a cozier California beachside celebration: the Carmel Art & Film Festival (October 10-14, 2012).
Lesser known but no less worthy, the fest has got former mayor Clint Eastwood weighing in on his namesake award, lectures and workshops, and VIP cocktail parties. There’s also a seaside cache no big city fest can touch with a Saturday night movie on the beach, the Filmmakers Beach Bash (think boatloads of Monterey County wine) and the elegant, pooch-tastic Cypress Inn.
Just two blocks from Carmel Beach, the 44-room landmark inn makes especially good sense during the Carmel Art and Film Fest not only for its vintage Hollywood beauty but also because of its co-owner, legendary cinema star Doris Day. Belonging to a collection of Carmel Boutique Inns and around since 1929, Cypress Inn is hodgepodge of charm and style with a Mediterranean vibe, in-room fireplaces, vaulted ceilings and that magically compact grandeur only seen in Carmel-By-The-Sea. You’ll get this right away on site of the hotel’s elevated, vintage entrance, something that always grabs us from the start.
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From New York to Tahiti, These Hotel Deals Are Quite Pretty
Deals: you want 'em, and surprisingly, everyone has 'em. Today, we've got a few to tickle your fancy before we unveil our Fall Package Specials next week! As usual, don't forget to tell us about your stay!
·The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix has an “Autumn Enchantment Package” that promotes reduced room rates, a complimentary night and other extras such as breakfast for two daily, and a reduced resort charge of $10 from $28 (which entitles you to WiFi, fitness center and putting course access, and more). Rates begin at $279 per night with the 3rd night free (3-night min). Use booking code "Autumn" when reserving online or call 800-950-0086.
Air Tahiti Nui has a few five-night value-season packages starting at just $1949 per person, double occupancy. One option:
Magical Moorea with Tahiti! ($1949 pp)
Includes five nights on two islands
•Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Papeete on Air Tahiti Nui
•One night in Tahiti at the InterContinental Hotel Resort Tahiti in a Standard room
•Round-trip ferry transfers to Moorea
•Four nights in Moorea at the InterContinental Hotel Resort Moorea in a Lanai room
•Daily breakfast for two
•Welcome flower lei, all transfers and all taxes
Must be booked by October 31, 2012, for travel from November 1 to December 14, 2012 and January 7 to March 31, 2013. Reserve through 800-217-3300 or through Air Tahiti Nui.
Hotel Openings / Beach Hotels / Belize Hotels / Ambergris Caye Hotels / San Pedro Hotels / → All Tags
Word's Out on Belize's New El Secreto Resort
We can't seem to keep our mouths shut. Every time we find an under-the-radar hotel, we swear we'll keep the good fortune to ourselves so the place won't get spoiled. But, we end up spilling the beans anyway when it comes to our latest find which is actually fun, because you know...we're givers here at HC. It brings good hotel karma.
Note:When seeking seclusion, a resort that takes at least two flights and a boat ride to reach it is a good place to start. Lots of properties like to market themselves as being private and remote, but many times that's manufactured by man-made barriers that restrict access and boundaries that box you into isolation rather than expose you to it. El Secreto Resort opened this week just off the northeast coast of Belize, and we find it to be a pretty good example of what a true hideaway should be. Guests catch a boat from San Pedro to make the 11-mile trip up the coast, past mangroves, and escaping civilization almost entirely as the resort is not accessible via car.
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It's (Always) Chill Time at Trump's Bella Beach
The folks at the Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach added a dining experience Bella Beach for people like us -- people who like to lounge a lot and nibble a lot and want to do it year-round.
This Florida beachfront restaurant, an addition to Trump’s 32-story luxury resort is reminiscent of the Mediterranean, or at least, that was the mission when it opened this past spring. Has the mission been achieved? It sounds like it.
The food definitely has a Mediterranean vibe. Some menu options include salmon caviar, Wagyu beef mini burgers and poached shrimp. Entree prices range from about $7 for a lentil salad to $52 for South African lobster tail. Thanks goodness that the ocean view is free, because we peeped that even some of the fancy-named condiments and sauces are $3 each.
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We've Fallen in Love With These Hotel Deals
Deals: you want 'em, and surprisingly, everyone has 'em. Today, we've got a few deals, some early autumn packages and some for those hanging on til summer’s official end, Sept. 21st.
As usal, don't forget to tell us about your stay! )
·The Chanler at Cliff Walk: A coastal jaunt to Newport, RI, right now brings a good mix of warm days, and cool, but not cold nights. The “Fall In Love” package gives you a taste of what’s to come when the 3.5 cliff walk transforms into a Crayolafied palette of color. For $425 per night you’ll get:
•Two nights in a luxurious room
•Full seasonal breakfast
•A bottle of Spiced Pear sparkling wine
•Two tickets to visit one of the famous Newport mansions of your choice.
•A 3-course meal at the Spiced Pear restaurant
•Free transport to any Newport locale; drivers provide scenic tours
·Regent Palms Turks & Caicos: The temperatures are going to drop in many parts of the country—not so in the Caribbean, which will gear up for high season soon. But in the meantime, shoulder season means good deals, and that means 50% off stays at this luxury beachfront resort. Book through October 20th and the "Once in a Lifetime" package starts at $313 a night on all accommodations. The rate includes free continental breakfast, WiFi and more. Reservations can be made by calling 866-877-7256. Use promo code 1NLT.
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Where To Spend A Long Weekend On Martha's Vineyard
You may not want summer to be over (we sure don't), but one thing that's keeping us distracted for the time being is the thought of fun-filled long weekend getaways in the fall. Just quick trips to help ease the transition back into the indoor months, and squeeze out those last few drops of sunshine and warmth.
Martha's VIneyard is one of those low-key, laze-away-on-the-beach type places, which for years has attracted high-profile vacationers like Tom Hanks, Bill Clinton, Larry David and Michael J. Fox. Just under three hours from Boston—and only five hours from New York—the island is an easy target for East Coasters needing some quiet time by the ocean.
A great choice for families, as well as couples, looking for that classic New England hotel experience is the Harbor View Hotel, which calls itself the "Grand Dame" of Vineyard hotels, due to both its size (114 rooms and suites) and history (the hotel opened in 1891).
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Sweet Suites at the W South Beach Just Got Sweeter
Still hankering for a little suite eye candy after yesterday's HotelChatter Originals suite extravaganza? You're in luck--but only because it's the W South Beach's third birthday.
Last year, the hotel celebrated its second birthday with an exclusive bikini design; this year, it's giving us much more than a skimpy swimsuit. That is, if you splash out on a suite.
Even the entry-level rooms at the W South Beach are sexy, but if you really want to do it up in style, you can now opt for one of 26 VIP suites, which were handpicked to come with a slew of added perks and goodies.
