The Luton Hoo Hotel in England doesn't have this name just to inspire bad "Luton Who?" jokes. Apparently "hoo" means "hill" in old Saxon so really it's the plain old Luton Hill Hotel. But it's got a great selling point that it was one of the reception venues in Hugh Grant's Four Weddings and a Funeral--we definitely want to tread in Hugh's footsteps.
The UK Independent reviewed the Luton Hoo recently and had mostly positive feedback to give. It's only been a hotel for a short time, after being a neglected private house for many years, so most of it's newly renovated--although 1980s touches like peach-colored paint, weird stripes and gold taps remain, which we're not too keen on.
In honor of Woody Allen's latest film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", our bro Jaunted has the lowdown on the Penélope Cruz-Scarlett Johansson make out (apparently not that hot. Wait--who are we kidding?), as well as where to eat, visit and sleep.
And while he sagely recommends Hotel Casa Fuster, we're going to throw the Casanova Hotel in the mix, and not just because the name is so apropos for Javier Bardem's character.
We've written about the Casanova before, but it just so happens that the hotel is offering a set exchange rate of 1.3 for U.S. travelers through September 15. Room rates at the hotel start at $197.
Apparently the hotel lobby bar is a pretty happening place, so head down there and grab some random girl or guy and make like Pénelope and Scarlett, or Scarlett and Javier, or Javier and Pénelope, who we hear get to make out on a regular basis.
If you haven't seen The Dark Knight we highly recommend that you do as it's just totally awesome, although a tad disturbing.
And if you're a true hotel geek like ourselves you'll be tickled to know that Chicago's Hotel Monaco gets a pretty significant cameo in the film.
The Mayor of Gotham has a killer office overlooking the Chicago River and the letters of Hotel Monaco vertical sign are easily discernible out the window.
Sadly, the hotel doesn't offer any sort of Dark Knight/Batman package but we think they should seriously consider one.
"The Grand" is a pretty much a straight-to-video movie starring some big names like Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, Richard Kind David Cross, and Chris Parnell.
Despite its limited theater presence, the Grand is actually pretty funny if not a little too long. Woody stars as a fuck-up heir to an old-school casino, The Rabbit's Foot, and due to his excessive drug use and poor management style, the casino is in peril.
A mega-Vegas hotelier/developer named Steve Lavisch (hah, get it?), played by Michael McKeen, wants to demolish it and build One Lavisch Plaza. One Lavish Plaza is actually a skyscraper hotel that consists of just one room, available for for $10 million a night. Hah.
Technically, Boston's Nine Zero Hotel wasn't used as a set for the new Steve Carrell movie Get Smart, but the hotel has put together a wicked package for the fumbling spy enthusiast in all of us.
Making good use of the tech-laden penthouse suite, Cloud Nine where an iris check is essentially your room key, the Get Smart Weekend Package includes:
· Two nights of luxury in Nine Zero's Cloud Nine 19th floor penthouse suite featuring 1,200 square feet of luxury and comfort · Two tickets to Get Smart starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway ·
Two Spy Kits
Before we get on to the price of this package, we had to inquire--what is included in the Spy Kits? However, our efforts at cracking the code were confounded. Apparently, the Spy Kits are top-secret and are for hotel guests only to find out.
As for the price, well you might have to have Steve Carrell's paycheck for such a whimsical weekend. Total cost is $3,999.
The Get Smart Weekend package is available from now through September 30. Call (866) 906-9090 and use code PSMT to book.
It seems the hills are alive again with the Sound of Music with the home of the famed von Trapp family singers being refashioned into a new 14-room hotel named Trapp Villa
Located on the outskirts of Salzburg and once filled with all of the family's favorite things, the property hasn't changed much over the years. But there's no call for major alterations with the conversion, just some new paint, rewiring of the building and guest room furnishings. In a perfect world, they'll have wi-fi access, too.
The hotel will open July 25th with a big reception, where fans of the Trapp family singers and the movie can tuck themselves in for the night in the very same rooms as the Baron, Maria and their seven kids, who by the way were really named Rupert, Agathe, Maria, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina. For real, no Liesl.
Just don't try turning the new draperies into lederhosen, okay.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is back in theaters on May 22 and boys and girls aged 25+ are getting geeked out about the return of their favorite adventurer.
And what better way to emulate Indy then take an adventure of your own that goes beyond building a fort in the family rec room?
Expedia is making it easy with their new Indiana Jones promotion, having created custom tours to 10 locations that either appeared in or were inspired by the Indy movies. Here's a few:
Horseback riding in Petra, Jordan (like in "The Last Crusade"); Elephant safari in India (like in "Temple of Doom"); visiting Incan ruins in Peru (like in the new movie, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull")
If you somehow weren't totally freaked out as a little kid by the "pulling-out-the-beating-heart" scene in "Temple of Doom" (we were) and want to go to India, here's what's in store for you.
Judd Apatow's newest man-child comedy, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," comes out today, and a bunch of it was filmed at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu. Supporting actress Mila Kunis even plays a Turtle Bay desk clerk in the film.
The resort turns into a romantic ground zero when Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) and his newly ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) both drop in to get away from each other. Fortunately the hotel has a few bars that lead to some choice Apatow comedy moments for Peter.
Turtle Bay has plenty of beach, plus pools, golf courses, tennis courts and a surf school. But if you're willing to head further afield, Jaunted has some movie set travel ideas for ya.
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by amandak
