The Fairmont Winnipeg partners with Habitat for Humanity on the Home Sweet Home package, which includes accommodation, daily breakfast, transportation to and from the home building site each day, and a soothing amenity kit, including band-aids, hand cream, and access to the steam room after the day’s work is done. Rates from CDN $219 per night, May 15 - September 30, 2008. The Fairmont Winnipeg will donate $25 to Habitat for Humanity for each package booked. All participants will be invited back to a Dedication Ceremony, and should guests have the spirit, but not the time, they can still make an impact by simply reserving the package without actually building.

Have a Whale of a Time at The Fairmont Olympic and enjoy Seattle’s green sites. The package for two includes two-night stay in an Executive Suite, daily breakfast, scenic roundtrip floatplane ride across the Puget Sound to Friday Harbor, admission and self-guided tour at The Whale Museum, lunch at a local restaurant, Downriggers, a guided whale-watching excursion, complimentary valet parking and an Adopt-an-Orca Package. Two-night package rates start from $1,499, with additional nights from $369, April 19 - October 5, 2008. For every package sold, The Fairmont Olympic will donate $100 to The Whale Museum.

The Fairmont Washington’s Panda Package offers fun for all ages with accommodation and a Zoo Welcome Kit, including disposable camera, zoo activity book, coupons, stuffed panda, and access to the Panda Exhibit at The Washington Zoo. The hotel will make a $10 donation to the Giant Panda Conservation Fund for each night booked. Rates from $199 per night, year-round.

Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu’s Adopt a Beluga package provides accommodation, breakfast for two, three-hour whale watching excursion on the Saint Lawrence River for two adults, complimentary valet parking for all Hybrid vehicles and access to the Multi-sport Centre, including indoor/outdoor, heated salt-water pools. A donation of $10 from each package sold will go to GREMM (Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals). Rates from CDN $339 per night, May 17 - September 30, 2008.

Birdwatchers can check out the Blue Hills Adventure package at The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston. Made famous by Harry Potter’s Hedwig, the snowy owl is the commonwealth’s largest owl, and the hotel supports research through the Snowy Owl Telemetry Project at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. Package includes overnight accommodation, Birds of Massachusetts Field Guide, two tickets to the Blue Hills Trailside Museum and a donation to the Snowy Owl Telemetry Project. Rates start from $279 per night, March 1 to December 30, 2008. Overnight guests in Hybrid vehicles receive complimentary valet parking.

Go Green, Stay Green in Victoria’s Fairmont Empress, celebrating its Centennial in 2008. Package includes overnight accommodation, welcome treat of Venturi Shultz Local Organic Wine paired with local organic cheese, three-hour Eco Whales and Wildlife tour (includes whale watching between April - Nov and Eco Wildlife tour Dec - March 30). For each Green package stay, The Fairmont Empress will donate $25 to The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation. Guests will receive a newsletter and postcard in their room outlining how the donation assists the sustainability of Canada’s most endangered species - the Vancouver Island Marmot. Rates from CDN $479 low-season and $599 peak-season, March 1 - Dec. 31, 2008.

For active guests looking for an eco-friendly getaway that also gives back, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal will donate $10 CDN to Les Amis de la Montagne, a non-profit organization committed to preserving Mount Royal, for each room night booked under the Green Getaway experience. The package includes nightly accommodation, picnic lunch for two, reusable picnic tote and a map guided hike to Mount Royal, which features gorgeous views of the city, surrounded by local flora and fauna. Rates start at CDN $299 per night, May 1st to Sept. 1st, 2008, gratuities included, taxes extra.

Eco is the New Chic at The Fairmont San Francisco where guests can experience its signature “Lexus Hybrid Living Suite”, a unique tower accommodation designed to create a hip new destination for the eco-savvy traveler. Designers from Lexus Hybrid Living are lending their expertise to join Fairmont in demonstrating that luxury and comfort can co-exist with style and a conscience. Package includes accommodation, one bottle of local organic wine upon arrival, access to a signature “green guide to San Francisco” and free parking for Hybrid cars. Rates start at $869 per night, year-round.

Eco-Chic is a unique spa escape at Fairmont Newport Beach that celebrates reverence for the Earth, body and mind with ten percent of all package proceeds going to The California Costal Commission, an environmental protection and education organization. Eco-Chic includes overnight accommodation, a Willow Stream breakfast featuring lifestyle cuisine and fresh local organic ingredients and a spa treatment for two using products made from organic ingredients and pure plant extracts. All guests driving a hybrid vehicle will also receive complimentary valet parking. Rates starting from $499 per night, available year-round.

Hey Divas - its that time of year again! We have been profiling MEN from all over the world!

An annual tantalizing tradition where we throw off the she shackles and look at the world from a manly perspective. We aren’t afraid to belly up to the bar of beaus and ask the men of the world where they like to eat, play and just hang out.

It’s one of our most popular issues!

Do you know a man or two who would love to be interviewed? Let us know by replying to this post!

Check out last years candidates:

Outdoor Adventurers
Charming Sophisticates
Partying Playboys
Ultimate Insiders

Not just for singles - any guy who is in the know and has something to share!

Whoohoo, I managed to change my schedule and score a last minute great deal on my virgin flight on Virgin America, to attend Washington’s biggest wine event this weekend, April 5-6th, in Seattle.
Taste Washington, which began ten years ago, has evolved into a perennial favorite for Washington wine lovers, a group which is rapidly growing by sips and swirls. Washington State has been gaining world-wide recognition as a premium wine region, and if you haven’t tasted many of their fine wines, Seattle’s Taste Washington’s Grand Tasting offers the perfect opportunity.

There will be:

*More than 200 wineries will be on hand, pouring up to three of their wines.
*Try new releases of old favorites, or new varietals from some of Washington’s many brilliant new wineries.
*From small to large wineries, whites, reds, rosés and dessert wines, Taste Washington has it all.
*The Grand Tasting isn’t just about sipping marvelous wines — approximately 75 Seattle-area restaurants will be on hand, to prepare their favorite bites.
*There also will be many special seminars, contests, book signings by major celebs,etc…..
*At the end of the day, relax with scrumptious sweets at the coffee bar, and listen to live jazz.

In case you have made previosu plans, then mark your calendars for Taste Washington’s next big event in Spokane on June 8th, 2008
On June 8th, 2008 from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Taste Washington Spokane, at the elegant Davenport Hotel in Spokane, offers an enjoyable and educational way to spend an early Sunday evening.

Enjoy wines from Walla Walla, Yakima Valley, Wahluke Slope and many other regions.
Meet winemakers, mingle with Spokane restaurateurs and enjoy extraordinary delights from both.
Check website for ticket information on both events.

Inn to Inn in Wine Country :: Northern California, Osmosis Spa
Only another 20 miles, and two wrong turns later we arrive at the Inn at Occidental, located in…Occidental. We just had time to throw our bags in the main house’s homey living room, which is loaded with charming folk art and antiques, and race over to Freestone, the neighboring town, for our spa appointment at Osmosis, a Japanese style day-spa with beautiful bonsai and bamboo gardens.

For years I’ve been meaning to try their special cedar enzyme bath (the only one in the country) and it sounded most welcoming on this particularly nasty rainy afternoon. It started by meeting our “bath attendant” who explained the whole process in great detail over a cup of osmosis tea which kick-starts the procedure. After making sure we had no further questions, she excused herself to go “dig out two holes to bury us in.” Joan and I cracked up at this very non-zen description, but when we were later led into what looked like a gigantic tub filled with steaming sawdust with two body-shaped holes dug out, we got the drift.

Joan took to the cedar burial like a woodpecker and was soon “oohing and ahhing” as our attendant covered her with more chips until only her head stuck out. I, on the other hand, am a fidgeter, and can never even stand sheets that are too tightly tucked in, so this really didn’t work for me. After 30 seconds, my toes wiggled out from under, and then I freed one arm at a time until soon I was laying on top of the warm chips, which worked just fine for me. Although Joan and I split on our review here, 75 minutes later when we met at the front desk, we both declared that we had just received the BEST MASSAGE of our lives. I will definitely trek out here again if only to have Viki’s healing hands work their wonder.

Make up for all of those carbon footprints with Vikram Chatwal Hotels’ new Mother Earth Package at both the Dream and Time Hotels in Manhattan

In celebration of Earth Day, Vikram Chatwal Hotels is offering a special Mother Earth Package at both the Dream and Time Hotels in Manhattan . Forgo the industrial and impersonal big hotel experience for the more intimate, eco-friendly setting of a luxury boutique hotel with personalized services and rejuvenating spa treatments. Never compromising comfort and style for environmentally-friendly options, the package will provide a welcoming green oasis in a city otherwise known for having very little.

Start off your day with a complementary breakfast smoothie made with fresh seasonal fruits and packed with healthy antioxidants. Before you venture outside, don’t forget to pack your custom-made brown-bag organic picnic lunch, complete with bio-degradable serving wear and a map of Central Park with suggested picnicking locations. When you return from your trip, soothe tired muscles and find inner balance with an exclusive Ayurvedic consultation at the hotel’s Chopra Center.

In addition, experience the luxurious side of Green living with a goodie bag full of organic pampering products from Gaiam, including:

Fair Trade Organic Tea set
Organic cotton terry robe
Organic cotton pajamas
Organic cotton or hemp socks

The Mother Earth Package is available March 23rd through May 10th, with prices starting at $760 per night for a Queen Room at Dream, and $690 for a Queen Room at Time. Certain restrictions may apply. Visit www.vikramchatwalhotels.com for more information and to book your trip!

Inn to Inn in Wine Country :: Northern California, Passalacqua Winery

Back on the road we took a short detour to the Passalacqua winery. Located in the heart of the succulent Dry Creek Appellations, Passalacqua’s welcoming tasting room is perched high on the hill offering sweeping views as you sample their wines. Unusual-Wine-Labels .

Jason and Noelle Passalacqua, the charming young owners, produce some excellent award winning vintages, not that surprising since they are 4th generation wine growers, and their winemaker is the talented Margaret Davenport, previously with Clos du Bois. Margaret is directing Passalacqua’s exclusive small-lot production of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, available exclusively at their tasting room, on their website or through their wine club. Their “zins” rule!

Tip: If you sign up right now there is still room in their Prima Vite category (a select group of 100) where one of the many benefits is that you get to adopt your very own vine. You’ll even be invited to work the vineyard for a day, tending to your “baby.”

Last week, Joan, one of my oldest friends (old in friendship years not in age years;-) called me and said if she didn’t get a few days of R & R immediately, she was going to implode, explode, or simply eat a whole Giant-size bag of chocolate chips in one sitting! So I told her to pack a carry-on, fly up to meet me and we’d explore some fantastic sounding B & B’s in wine country that I’d been meaning to check out.

Here’s my recap of three days of blissful food, fun, wine and just chillin’ in the valley.

DAY 1 San Francisco to Occidental

We started off with a stop at our local San Francisco AAA to chart our course and get a map. They could not have been more helpful, and I love their new vending machine that spews out free maps…but I do feel the four maps they suggested was a bit overkill. Since I’m completely map dyslexic, the plan was that I would do the driving and Joan would be the navigator. (Little did I know that Joan is probably the only person in the world worse than I am at map-reading.)

Our first point of interest was (for anyone else) an easy 70 mile shot to Healdsburg. We arrived only an hour late to visit the Honor Mansion. We were given the grand tour by owner Steve Fowler, and I could not come up with one creature comfort detail that had been overlooked. The inn was painstakingly restored and styled out in a Martha Stewart would-be-proud manner. Not only do the Fowlers provide the pre-requisite homey breakfast but they also throw in afternoon refreshments, complimentary appetizers and wine hour, in-room evening Sherry and an endless supply of cookies and tea biscuits!

Two other points that would elevate Honor to my honor roll is the attentive service that they provide–with an amazing ratio of 18 staff members to care for only 13 rooms! They earn the other extra-credit point for their jaw-dropping grounds. Their beautifully maintained 4 acres of backyard could provide days of activities without ever leaving “home”. For the sports enthusiast there is a basketball ball court, jogging trail, full tennis court, croquet, bocce ball, even a PGA Putting course. Not into games? You’ll be quite content to lounge around the pool, perhaps only moving to shift your bod over to the private outdoor spa area for your afternoon massage. This was one place that we hated to leave…except it was time for a little wine tasting.

Sounds like a catchy description for Match.com..but an even better one for DelishWine.com!
I brought Green Point’s Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 as my contribution to Easter Dinner and it was love at first sip.
( But I always did have a thing for Aussie men…I mean wine.)

Since the 1850s, the fertile hills of Green Point in Victoria, Australia have produced some of the finest wines in the world.

In 2006, Green Point harvested Pinot Noir grapes grown specifically for Rosé. The grapes have elegant, vibrant fruit flavors and true Pinot Noir character. At Green Point, the Rosé-grown Pinot Noir grapes develop under a shadier canopy, reducing phenolics and tannins in the Rosé.

The Green Point Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 has delicate, fresh fragrances of red berry, cherry and strawberry, with floral, strawberry and red currant notes. This pretty-in-pink wine makes the perfect “spring-has-sprung” picnic wine but you’ll also want plenty on hand for your summer BBQ’s.

Touted For Best Restaurants :: San Francisco

After living in San Francisco for a decade, I have to admit, there are still a few supposedly excellent restaurants I haven’t been to, like The Dining Room. I know it’s supposed to be totally fantastic and I’m definitely a fan of Chef Ron Siegel’s cooking…it’s just that dining-in-a-hotel thing that I still find hard to shake.

But lately there have been a slew of Best Restaurant lists and awards and S.F. is making a great showing.

In Gayot’s Top 40 Restaurants in the Country:

SAN FRANCISCO

• The Dining Room
• Gary Danko
• Michael Mina
• Silks

and Spruce made it into Gayot’s Top 10 Nest New Restaurants.

Powerhouse New York Times restaurant critic, Frank BruniAn-Interview-With-Sirio-Maccioni , usually covers restaurants in NYC’s the five boroughs. Recently, Bruni ventured beyond city limits to track down the 10 most “intriguing new restaurants outside of New York” and has been reviewing a few each week in the NYT’s food section. San Francisco scored not only one, but two spots.
Coi and Ubuntu both made the cut.

What’s your pick for most intriquing new restaurant?

In a move that will significantly reduce its impact on the environment, concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts will provide shampoos, lotions and other amenities in biodegradable containers as well as bars of sustainable soaps in rooms in the national and state park lodges the company operates. More than 1 million bottles will be kept out of the waste stream each year as a result of the new program.

Xanterra will be the first national park concessioner to offer sustainable amenities. The sustainable amenity program will be implemented in June in the company’s operations in Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Zion and Death Valley National Parks as well as seven Ohio State Park Resorts. In Yellowstone National Park alone, where Xanterra operates nine lodges with more than 2,000 rooms, the program will eliminate more than 280,000 bottles from waste stream.

Xanterra will purchase the “Green from NATÜRA” line from RoomService Amenities. The collection features 100 percent biodegradable plastic-free bottles made from a corn starch derivative. The eco-friendly soap wrappers and accessory cartons are made from natural recycled paper and printed with soy-based inks. The shower cap is made from Plastarch Material (PSM), a biodegradable resin made from corn starch, which is also the basis for the bottles. The vegetable-based, all-natural soaps contain no animal fat or byproducts using a process that is cruelty-free to animals. Soaps are shaped in a ring instead of a traditional bar shape to eliminate soap waste.

“As an operator of lodges in some of the most beautiful places on earth, we feel it is imperative that we provide our guests with memorable experiences while minimizing the environmental impact of tourism operations,” said Andy Todd, president and CEO of Xanterra Parks & Resorts. “Hotel room amenities like shampoo and soap have become an expected part of the guest experience, but those little bottles and packages can wreak havoc on nature. We are delighted that we can offer this solution to our guests.”

Xanterra has long been recognized as an environmental leader in the hospitality industry. For example, the company received the “Sustainable Hotel of the Year” award at the HotelWorld Global Hospitality and Design Award Ceremony and Expo last month for its environmental achievements at Zion Lodge in Zion National Park. Additionally, Xanterra will soon complete construction on one of largest renewable energy systems in the U.S. - a one-megawatt solar photovoltaic system in Death Valley National Park. Other initiatives in the last few years include committing to – and achieving the goal of – an absolute reduction target in greenhouse gas emissions, developing U.S. Green Building Council LEED-certified sustainable buildings in two national parks, banning the sales of fish species that are harvested in environmentally harmful ways, certifying environmental management systems to the ISO 14001 international standard, recycling grease onsite into biodiesel for use in fleet vehicles and helping to pioneer the development of a mobile propane bottle recycling unit.

For a complete list of Xanterra accomplishments and certifications, go here