So guess what J. Walter Thompson’s marketing agency thinks is up and coming for 2010? Their official trend-spotting list of 100 Things to Watch in 2010 places “Bacon Everywhere” at number 7. Bacon popular? Like duh! Could have told you that myself. So could Red Kitchen and Bar. This fashionable dining/drinking hot spot located in The [...]
There is a trick to making Irish coffee. Connoisseurs agree that the cream on top of the coffee should float in a neat, separate layer without seeping. Again, tricky. In order to learn the technique, you might have to make the drink over and over and over again—-which is the perfect time to remember your [...]
Just returned from a fabulous trip to my favorite archipelago, Turks and Caicos—40 islands and cays strung along the blue neck of the Atlantic Ocean like gorgeous shimmering pearls. I stayed on the main island, Providenciales, or “Provo” as locals call it, in Ocean Club West—a peaceful, lushly landscaped resort with individually owned condos renting [...]
Not everyone came with a pure palate. In fact, some had…well…how should I say it…some had been training all afternoon, so approached the whiskey tasting fueled by not only enthusiasm, but also experience.
We met in the lounge of the No. 1 Pery Square Hotel in Limerick–ten American writers and four Irishmen (one of them a [...]
I confess, I’m confused. I have been corrupted by Starbuck’s overloaded coffee terminology and can barely get my mouth around the 10-word drink options; I don’t even have the ability to order a “tall” when “small” seems so okay.
In Italy, coffee terms are more manageable (sort of). Although different places write their coffee menu in [...]
TAZZA D’ORO
I once watched an episode of Roseanne, in which Roseanne (Mrs. Conner) went into the bedroom that her daughters, Darlene and Becky, shared to tell them goodnight. Ignoring Becky, she sat on Darlene’s bed, looked at her intensely and said something like: “You know you are my very favorite child and I love you [...]
SANT’EUSTACHIO IL CAFFÈ
Many places in Rome make good coffee, but Sant’Eustachio (in the Piazza Sant’Eustachio near the Pantheon) wins local accolades for being best of the best. Here is the quintessential Italian coffee bar/ shop that does everything right including purchasing beans from a variety of free-trade growers, roasting the beans over a wood-burning fire [...]
In his early years Picasso painted birds and flowers and sweet little landscapes (truly—you can see them at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona www.musupicasso.bcn.cat),then he started frequenting Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats), a tavern/café in Barcelona, and his painting changed. Could be the influence of other artists who made the bar a bohemian enclave [...]
So here’s a good deal for ski fans. Fly into Telluride Regional Airport (TEX), book lodging through Telluride Central Reservations (1-800-854-3062) and get a $100 credit toward your airfare. Book a Ski & Stay package with participating lodgers and save even more: 5% off lodging and 15% off lift tickets. The offer is valid throughout the month of March, but only to the first 250 callers.
Not to be outdone, some of Santa Fe’s best resorts, hotels and B & Bs are offering sweet ski deals, many running to April. Catch a bargain and make a booking at Ski Santa Fe.
LaSource, a luxury all-inclusive spa resort in sunny Grenada, offers two Summer Specials that must be booked by March 31. Either 14 nights for price of 10, or seven nights for the price of five, valid on travel between June 1 and November 1, 2010. Each special includes, among other pleasures, a variety of spa and beach activities, meals at a choice of venues, master’s classes (when available) and daily (excluding arrival and departure days) spa treatments and dives for those certified. Sigh!
The AAA Five-Diamond Grand Velas Resort Riviera Nayarit introduces a Family Spa Package where kids up to 16 years old stay and eat free and parents and kids receive spa treatments. The special package rate,which represents a savings of $700 to $2000, is based on an all-inclusive two-night stay, with two kids sharing a room with parents. Great for spring vacation rejuvenating, this offer runs through April 30th.
For a healthy value, check out Crystal Symphony’s September 5th Wellness at Sea cruise: 14 days from London to New York, two-for-one fares, $1,000 per person shipboard credit and free air transportation from more than 20 North American gateways. That’s on top of 15% drop in fares for 2010 voyages. For more about this ship-shape cruise see Crystal Cruises.
Forever Resorts double dips the deals for houseboat rentals at their nine marinas located in California, Nevada, Arizona and Missouri. Book one of the qualifying boats by March 31, depart June 11 to 18, 2010, and stay a minimum of four days to receive not only a discount on the boat rental, but also a fuel credit. Now is the time to gather your family or a group of friends and get away from it all, except each other, at good value prices.
Sitting on the glorious Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos, Ocean Club Resorts, offers a “Stay 5, Pay 4″-night special running from April 5 to May 31, 2010 and a “Stay 7, Pay 5″ special from June 1 to Dec. 20. Can’t beat it.
The Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino, the first new full-service, branded hotel to open on the Island in
16 years, is offering up to 50 percent off its regular rates for booking and travel by April 8, 2010.
Do a good deed; provide free food to abused and neglected animals by clicking on The Animal Rescue Site. No cost to you; corporate sponsors and advertisers donate the food in exchange for advertising. After clicking on the purple box at The Animal Rescue Site, look at the top of the page where you will find tabs to click for other good charitable causes.
