Archive for January, 2012

With Valentine’s Day coming up on Feb. 14, hotels and travel destinations are looking to capitalize on the season of love by offering a bevy of romantic escapes sure to make your sweetie swoon. Here are just a few  of our favourite Valentine’s deals:

(Image courtesy The Sanctuary Hotel)

The Sanctuary Hotel, New York City: Plan an ultra romantic Manhattan escape with this boutique hotel’s Valentine’s Day package. Available from Feb. 10 to 19, this package includes a $100 dinner at the French themed La Petite Maison restaurant, rose petals, champagne and truffles, as well as an intimacy kit. Visit sanctuaryhotelnyc.com for full details and pricing.

Whistler, B.C.: Heat things up in Canada’s ski capital of Whistler this Valentine’s. Until Feb. 16, couples can stay at the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, dine at Alta Bistro, indulge in a hydrotherapy treatment and hit the slopes for just $378 per person. Visit enjoywhistler.com for more information on the “I Heart Whistler” package.

Villa Magna, Madrid: This elegant Spanish property wants to treat you and your special someone right this Valentine’s. Available through Feb. 19, the “Be My SUITEheart” package treats couples to the hotel’s very best offerings, including cocktails at Magnum Bar, a three-course dinner at Restaurante Villa Magna, a private tour of Madrid in a classic Morgan car, couple’s massage and much more. Prices start at 1,000 euros for the stay. Visit hotelvillamagna.com for full details or to book.

Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa, Miami Beach: Canyon Ranch is offering couples an especially sensual Valentine’s escape, thanks to a number of classes meant to spice up your sex life. From Feb. 13 to 18, the hotel will host a Sensuality and Sexuality week and will offer classes to visitors who want to get in touch with themselves and their partners. Room rates start at $605 per night through the week. Visit canyonranch.com for more information.

(Image courtesy Auberge Du Soleil, a Relais & Châteaux property)

Auberge Du Soleil, a Relais & Châteaux property, Rutherford, Calif.: Find the privacy and intimacy you and your sweetie desire at this secluded California property, located in the heart of Napa Valley. The Cabernet Season package is the perfect Valentine’s gift for that special someone who loves fine California wine.  Including dinner for two with a flight of three wines, private wine tours and tastings, and a bottle of cabernet to take home, this getaway will be one of your most memorable ones. Prices start at $1,025 per couple. Visit aubergedusoleil.com for more details.

Trump International Hotel & Tower, Chicago: Located in the heart of Chicago’s downtown, the Trump Chicago has a number of package available for lovers through Feb. 29. Our favourite is the “Spa Indulgence,” which sees couples stay in a spa guestroom, receive 30% off their couples spa treatments, have in-room continental breakfast for two and park for free. Visit trumpchicagohotel.com for details on all Trump Chicago Valentine’s packages.

St. Kitts Marriott Resort: Indulge in a Caribbean getaway this Valentine’s at the recently renovated St. Kitts Marriott. The “His n Her” escape package includes daily buffet breakfast, spa treatments, a round of golf and a bottle of wine upon arrival. Available through Dec. 2, 2012, the package makes a perfect romantic escape long past Valentine’s Day. Visit stkittsmarriott.com to book with code ES6.

If you’ve told yourself this is the year you’ll get healthy, the year you’ll volunteer more or the year you’ll spend more time with your family than your iPhone or computer, take a look at these travel resources and destinations. With a little support, you could be one step closer to reaching your goals of creating a better world and a better you in 2012.

(Shutterstock Image)

Voluntourism vacations

Volunteering-based vacationing is a travel trend that is sticking around as travellers look for a unique experience that allows them to give back to the places they visit.

GoVoluntouring.com, a website dedicated to matching travellers with a volunteer travel experience, is the perfect resource for anyone considering a voluntourism trip. Guests can browse available trips by destination, cost, duration, fitness level and even religious affiliation. Current opportunities include:

- Female-based trips, such as supporting victims of prostitution in Costa Rica.
- Environmental and wildlife projects, including rehabilitating African lion cubs in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
- Development projects, like helping a fishing village rebuild and develop eco-tourism in continued efforts after the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.

Charities and non-profit organizations can post their volunteer opportunities to GoVoluntouring.com for free.

Weight loss retreat

New Life Hiking Spa can help you reach your weight loss goals for 2012. Located in Vermont’s Green Mountains, this scenic retreat is among the top weight loss spas in the United States, as voted by MSNBC, Shape Magazine and SpaFinder.com.

Retreats are available from May 17 to Sept. 30. Reserve by Feb. 10 and get $350 off the price of the first 11-night retreat of the year. Those who book now will also receive $20 off per night for any weight loss retreat through the resort’s 2012 season.

Visit newlifehikingspa.com for full details, dates and prices. Packages are all-inclusive, featuring accommodations, healthy meals, daily hikes and a massage for every three nights spent at New Life Hiking Spa.

A digital detox

Step away from your iPhone, BlackBerry and laptop in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This 32-island tropical destination has teamed up with U.S.-based travel company Black Tomato to create a “Digital Detox” vacation, where guests must relinquish televisions, telephones and other technology in favour of human interaction.

This seven-night package starts at $3,799 per person and includes flights from New York City, three nights in luxury accommodation on the secluded island paradise of Young Island, four nights on the equally stunning Palm Island and private catamaran transfer. Guests will also recieve a guidebook with tips for “de-teching” when on vacation.

For more information, call Black Tomato at 1-888-341-9663 or visit St. Vincent and the Grenadines online at discoversvg.com.

Top ethical destinations

Looking for a unique travel destination with heart? Ethical Traveler has named its 10 most ethical destinations in developing countries for 2012. Countries are ranked based on environmental protection, social welfare and human rights.

“None of these countries are perfect, but the countries that are on this list deserve their spots — thanks to their effort to ensure that tourism has a positive impact on their country and their people,” said Ethical Traveler researcher Natalie Lefevre in a press release.

In alphabetical order:

- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- Latvia
- Mauritius
- Palau
- Serbia
- Uruguay

If this is the year you plan to travel more within Canada, one of these great travel deals is just the thing to get you started on your all-Canadian trip.

Elkin Creek Guest Ranch, Langley, B.C.: Get back to basics with a trip to the rustic Elkin Creek Guest Ranch. Learn to ride a horse, enjoy campfire cooking and release all your worries with one of the Ranch’s 2012 travel packages. In the month of July, get 15% off your stay when booking a three night trip, in August, kids stay free when two adults book a stay, and in September, book four nights and receive your fifth night free. Visit adventurewestresorts.com/elkin for more details.

At the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. (Nicole Feenstra/Canoe.ca)

Niagara Falls, Ont.: Discover the beauty of one of Canada’s natural wonders in Niagara Falls with the “Niagara Magic Pass.” Available to adults for $24.95 and to kids for $16.95, the pass gives families entrance to the Journey Behind the Falls attraction, where guests get a very different view of the famed Horseshoe Falls. Admission to the Butterfly Conservatory and Niagara’s Fury attraction, where guests see how the Falls were created, is also included. Visit niagaraparks.com to get your pass.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Hit the slopes across Canada with the Ultimate Ski Package from Fairmont. Available at such iconic properties as the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont Tremblant and Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, the package includes accommodation and two adult ski passes. Prices start at $219 per night. Visit fairmont.com/ultimateski for full details and a list of participating hotels.