HotelChatter

Tags: Hotel Video Tours / Austria Hotel Guide / HotelChatter Reviews / Hotel Baths / Le Meridien Hotels / → All Tags

Shower Power at Le Meridien Vienna

Where: 13 Opernring, Vienna, Austria, 1010

HotelChatter's Eric Rosen recently spent some time in Austria and Germany. All this week, he'll be rounding up his hotel observations. Any tips, suggestions, questions? Let us know.

If you’re anything like us, the first thing you want to do after a transatlantic flight is to wash all the grit and grime of airports and planes off your fatigued body. That’s why, for the first installment in our Austria-Germany Field Trip guide, we’ve decided to tell you all about the fabulous showers at Le Meridien Vienna, the first stop on our trip.

more ›

Tags: Riviera Nayarit Hotel Guide / Mexico Hotels / Hotel Services / Hotel Baths / → All Tags

Hotel Cielo Rojo Won't Harsh Your Mellow, Dude

Where: Calle Asia No 6, San Francisco/San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico, 63732

All this week, Shira Levine will be filling us in on the emerging hot spot in Mexico--Riviera Nayarit. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

Just north of Sayulita is San Pancho, a beachtown even more chill exists, if you can imagine it possible. It’s like where Cheech and Chong might ultimately pass out, while Sayulita would then be their party zone. There’s a big push for potential vacation homeowners to buy here but at the moment, artists are particularly drawn to San Pancho as there is a 40-member collective and an annual music festival that rolls into town.

Hotel Cielo Rojo is something of a gallery with an assortment of Mexican art and antiques. There's a headless padre that greets guest at the doorway to the patio.

The terra cotta floors and painted bathroom tiles are nice touches, but don’t quite make up for the lack of AC. The ceiling fans for the most part though do some adequate cooling. The hotel also boasts its own Bistro Organico which serves, as you can guess, organic fare. If that doesn't appeal to you then perhaps the bar with its tequila, wine, mojitos, margaritas and artisanal drink collection will.

While it's nice to have a restaurant within the hotel for convenience sake, remember in San Pancho, the quintessential taco stand dominates sit-down restaurants. It’s a very "grab a fish taco and hit the waves" kind of living.

Room rates right now are at $95 a night for a queen bedroom. A suite, which includes a queen bed and two twin beds starts at $150 a night.

Shira visited Riviera Nayarit courtesy of the Riviera Nayarit CVB and the Mexico Tourism Board.

Tags: Valentine's Day Hotels / Palm Springs Hotels / Romance Packages / Hotel Baths / → All Tags

'Naughty' Love Packages at Miramonte Resort and Spa

Where: 45-000 Indian Wells Lane [map], Indian Wells, CA, United States, 92210

Let's face it. When it comes to romance packages, chocolate-covered strawberries and champange just won't cut it anymore. Hotels need to get creative in wooing us to their establishments for some romantical downtime. Which is why the "amorous indulgences" at the Miramonte Resort & Spa outside Palm Springs, Calif. caught our eye.

The resort has designated the entire month of February as the "28 Days of Love" and a "naughty" package has been put together in honor of this month of love.

The NaughtyWELL packages gives lovers room accommodations, a 60-minute couples massage with custom chocolate body butter at the resort's WELL spa, the use of a private poolside cabana, a 30-minute Naughty bath experience (more on that), breakfast in bed and a 2pm late check-out. The cost is $454 for one night and $908 for two nights, plus taxes.

Obviously, what stands out the most here is the Naughty bath which is strewn with rose petals and lit with candles made of oil, not wax. The candle oil can then be poured on your bath partner's body and used as a massage oil. Yup. Now, we're blushing.

more ›

Tags: Riviera Nayarit Hotel Guide / Mexico Hotels / Hotel Services / Hotel Baths / → All Tags

Villa La Estancia Woos Guests With Their Mega-Luxe Bath

Where: Villa la Estancia, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico

All this week, Shira Levine will be filling us in on the emerging hot spot in Mexico--Riviera Nayarit. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

There's a version of gentrification storming the tropical tourism world. In urban metropolis' you know things are a changing when an artsy bookstore and a health food store run by hippies opens up in the ghetto.

Just a few years ago, a previously undeveloped place like Riviera Nayarit was a lovely stretch of 20 some Pacific Coast villages in Mexico and considered a secret surfer's haven with Rasta dudes and beach hippies. Now another $350 million has been invested into 35 projects on top of the initial $1.5 billion dedicated to infrastructure just two years ago. So yeah, the chic yoga studio is a given, as is the soy Frappuccino.

Expect something close to another 4,000 rooms within 20 new developments by 2011. It's amazing what adding the word "Riviera" does tourism wise for a place. The area of note begins just outside of Puerto Vallarta and works its way north about three hours along the Bay of Banderas.

So here's where we say it: Watch out Cabo San Lucas and Riviera Maya, there's a new set of tan gams in town and they belong to the state of Nayarit.

more ›