Happier Holidays: Celebrate the Season with Travel
The Breakers Resort, Palm Beach. Photo courtesy The Breakers.
It’s like the film Groundhog Day — you’ve been here before: the weather chills (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), the sales start, and the frenzy of the holidays begin. If you’re planning on escaping to enjoy the season in new environs far from stress (and maybe some relatives too?), we’ve got you covered with a world’s worth of last-minute holiday inspiration in the form of trips and packages specially designed for the holidays. Cheers!
SUN-DRENCHED GET-AWAY: The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida
Newly minted following a 10-year, $250 million makeover, the historic The Breakers resort boasts a privileged beachfront perch on Palm Beach Island. One thing that hasn’t changed is that the hotel─as it does every year─ is offering an appealing slate of activities and packages designed for holiday sun-seekers.
Special Rate: If you’re traveling before the holidays to gear-up for the merry madness ahead, special rates starting at $329 per night are available December 1-18. From December 19-25 (rates begin at $590 per night), festivities are in full swing at The Breakers, with holiday brunches and dinners, storytelling, and the artful staging of a winter panorama right in sub-tropical Florida. When you get tired of “playing” winter, steps away you can enjoy sunset catamaran cruises, snorkeling, and bonfires on the beach.
To book or more information, click here…
HISTORIC HOLIDAY: Schloessle Hotel, Tallinn, Estonia
We can’t think of a better time than winter to visit Estonia, the birthplace of the Christmas tree. (According to old German chronicles, the first documented use of a tree in winter celebrations was in Estonia in 1441). If you’re yearning for an Old World holiday─arriving bundled in your winter best before being whisked away to a baronial fantasy of massive wooden beams, antique furnishings and roaring fireplaces, then the Schloessle Hotel, Tallinn is your fantasy fulfilled. Located in the center of the photogenic city’s Old Town, the hotel is only a few steps from tempting shopping and the Town Hall Square. Rooms here are decorated to reflect Tallinn’s historic ambiance, and feature numerous local antiques, giving each its own distinctive character.
Holiday Package: Good from November 27 to December 30, 2010, the Schloessle’s Christmas in Tallinn Package is priced at EUR 617 ($810 USD) double occupancy, and includes roundtrip transfers from your point of arrival in town; two nights in a deluxe double room; a special Christmas present in your room; a private, guided walking tour in Old Town; a glass of hot mulled wine and gingerbread in the Christmas Market in Town Hall Square; and a four-course dinner in the award-winning Stenhus restaurant. (Booking code is PY).
To book or more information, click here…
The Restaurant at Chedi Chiang Mai. Photo courtesy Luxury Hotels of the World
EXOTIC ESCAPE: The Chedi, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nestled on the banks of the River Ping, The Chedi Chiang Mai offers an ideal base from which to explore the open-air markets, mountain trails, elephant sanctuaries, and temples for which Chiang Mai is famous. The resort itself offers an appealing mix of modern architecture and British colonial style, exemplified by The Restaurant. Housed in a century-old former British consulate building, it serves northern Thai and Pacific Rim cuisine. Rumor has it that the hotel’s plugged-in concierge can get guests access to myriad activities, but you won’t need special access to enjoy the resort’s Christmas Package, valid from December 24 to 27, 2010.
Holiday Package: Rates start at THB 49071.73 ($1,632 USD) single or double occupancy, and include three nights’ accommodation; daily breakfast; roundtrip airport transfer by hotel limousine; dinner on Christmas Eve with a set menu and free-flowing traditional gluwe wine; lunch on Christmas Day with free-flowing sparkling wine or Mojitos; a sunset cruise one evening, complete with tapas and champagne; and a choice of a 180-minute multi-step spa treatment. (Booking code is PV). Note: Guests booking Chedi Club suites enjoy additional perks and amenities, including complimentary laundry services and evening cocktails at the Chedi Club Lounge.
To book or more information click here…
CHRISTMAS PAST: The Stafford London
Did you ever see that old black-and-white version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and wish you could step inside the film and enjoy all the Ye Olde Yule happenings and trappings of yesteryear? Consider it done at The Stafford London.
Holiday Package: Available through December 31, 2010 the hotel’s Holiday Package includes: full English breakfast for two; Glass of mulled wine upon arrival; and rates starting at 295GBP (with a minimum of two nights required). But there’s more good cheer here, as the hotel brims with Brit holiday traditions this time of year including festively decorated trees in each room (including a gift from Father Christmas); an invitation to sing Olde Yule carols with a local choir in the hotel’s nearly 400-year-old wine cellar, then join a candlelit procession to midnight Mass; and a five-course Christmas Eve dinner and five-course Christmas Day lunch that breaks at 3pm to watch the Queen’s annual speech.
For extra credit, visit the Geffrye Museum’s ‘Christmas Past’ in London, which celebrates 400 years of seasonal traditions in English homes. On display until January 2, each of the museum’s eleven period rooms will be adorned with festive decorations of holidays past.
To book or for more information, click here…
Four Seasons Resort Vail. Photo: courtesy Four Seasons Resorts
SCHUSS & SNOW: Four Seasons Resort Vail, Colorado
Opening on December 11, the Four Seasons Resort Vail is celebrating the season with the creation of a full-service Ski Concierge team to assist guests with everything needed to enjoy the slopes, including assisting with ski rental needs, maps, ski conditions, weather reports and more.
Holiday Package: Complementing the Ski Concierge, the resort is also offering guests a full-featured Ski Free package, which offers two three-day lift tickets for up to two adults and two children; complimentary meals for children 12 years of age and under; and two three-day ski or board rentals for up to two adults and two children. Rates begin at $625. As an added plus, the new resort is located in Vail Village, which brims with chic boutiques, chef-owned restaurants, arts festivals and events, and of course, Vail Mountain.
To book or for more information, click here…
More Rockies at rock-bottom prices: If you’re looking for deals as deep as the snow has been piling-up in the Rockies, another Colorado paradise for skiers and riders, Winter Park Resort, has some audacious promotions, with lodging starting at $55 per night plus a complimentary adult lift ticket for each night booked at participating properties. Winter Park promotional packages are valid until December 25th, with some extending into the new year.
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego's Prius. Photo: courtesy Hard Rock Hotel
GREEN CHRISTMAS: Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, California
Green is the new white this holiday, at least at San Diego’s Hard Rock Hotel, which has come up with a positive, playful way to enjoy the season and show a little eco-cred as well with their “I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas” package. Included are accommodations at the hotel, which features a Nobu restaurant and landscaped rooftop pool deck; a free hybrid rental car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car (so you can save some green too); and a tree planted for every guest who books the package through Global ReLeaf.
Holiday Package: Starting at $149 per night, the package is available from Dec. 1 to Dec. 30, 2010, and is subject to availability, with a 24-hour advance reservation required. (Guests must also have a valid license and proof of insurance). Use Promo Code: Green.
To book of for more information, click here… or call 888-593-6177.
PLATINUM GREEN CHRISTMAS: Bardessono, Yountville, Napa Valley
If the idea of staying at one of three LEED platinum properties in the world is on the holiday gift list, check in at the Bardessono, an eco-chic hotel and restaurant redefining the concept of green luxury.
Holiday Package: The “Winter Wine Down Package” is the perfect mix of sybaritic adventures, including accommodations in a steam spa king suite, welcome bottle of local wine, $200 spa credit per night, $150.00 dining credit per night, complimentary wine tasting for two at Hill Family Estates and free shipping of two wine bottles anywhere in the U.S. Price is $788, double occupancy.
To book or for more information, click here…
*Please note: All programs and packages listed above are subject to availability, and with most, discounts and special offers cannot be combined. Also note that local taxes and service charges may apply and are additional.
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Really this is very appriciable blog….Definitely i will make the program for a healty travel tour.
Dec- jan, this is travel time. every body enjoy the vacation within this period.