Regatta Cruises is hosting a variety of amazing deals for cruises to Alaska in 2011. These packages include free airfare, plus $500 bonus savings on select voyages. Guests can choose from the following deals:
San Francisco to San Francisco 14-Day Voyage – MAY 12, 2011 | AUG 26, 2011
Making stops in San Francisco, Victoria, Sitka, Cruising Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Skagway, Cruising Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Ketchikan, Cruising the Inside Passage, Vancouver and Astoria
San Francisco to Vancouver 12-Day Voyage – MAY 26, 2011 | AUG 14, 2011
Stopping in San Francisco, Astoria, Wrangell, Juneau, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Cruising Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan, Cruising the Inside Passage, Victoria and the Vancouver Frontiers & Glaciers
Vancouver to Vancouver 10-Day Voyage – JUN 7, 2011 | AUG 4, 2011
Traveling through Vancouver, Cruising the Inside Passage, Sitka, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Cruising Hubbard Glacier, Kodiak, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Cruising the Inside Passage and the Vancouver Glacial Wilderness
Vancouver to Anchorage 12-Day Voyage – JUN 17, 2011 | JUN 29, 2011 | JUL 11, 2011 | JUL 23, 2011
Checking out Vancouver, Cruising the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Skagway, Sitka, Cruising Hubbard Glacier, Cruising the Glaciers of College Fjord, Seward, Homer and Anchorage
Oceania Cruises is the world’s only upper-premium cruise line and offers an unrivaled combination of the finest cuisine at sea, elegant accommodations, exceptional personalized service and extraordinary value. These trips start at $2,999 per guest and the offer expires on August 31, 2010.
The best analogy I could find for online travel site vs a professional travel agent is to make a comparison to a fast food restaurant and a good restaurant.
With a fast food restaurant, the food quality and amounts are consistent, you know your hunger will go away, it’s not hard on your pocket book, it’s good enough, you deserve to splurge with those extra calories and you know it’s not the most nutritious meal. The service is fair, you usually get what you order (don’t make any changes though). Pretty good order takers, and the meals serves the purpose. You look online, you click, price is right, it’ll be good enough.
Now compare a good restaurant to a professional travel agent. You are greeted by a friendly face, taken to a table of your choice, lets you know about the specials, offers their opinion of the special, and answer your questions. You then sit down and enjoy a well-serviced meal, feel special, love the great price since you used a promotion for a discount, eat nutritiously, and realize you are special and deserve to be treated with excellent customer service.
If you think online travel sites are less expensive than a professional travel agent you had better think again!
Professional travel agents know about the promotions, try to understand what you are looking for and can suggest the right property, are there for you, usually upgrade, send you gifts or do something out of the ordinary to make sure you are happy and comeback.
Having said this, not all professional travel agents are the same. Some get tired of their past career and open up online travel site extensions as a storefront. These are order takers not professionals.The best way to find a professional travel agent is by referral. They are not looking to just close the sale. They know their product and offer you the best value for your hard earned money. With so many travel options out there today, you owe it to yourself to consult with a professional.
I’ve been fortunate enough to build a business — Sorelle Bionde — that requires travel to Italy, frequently. Logging countless hours wandering the streets and passageways of cities such as Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome and more, I have uncovered great finds from artisans and designers who truly do march to their own beat.
The result: I’ve honed my hit list for shopping hot spots to which I return post-haste once I’ve dropped my luggage in the hotel. What sets these boutiques apart from others is that they are not mass chains, their products are rarely seen in the U.S. and they offer items that instantly say “of another place.” In fact when I really think about it, isn’t that all you want to buy when you’re traveling? Why pick up something that looks like or can be purchased at home? Exactly, so read on.
In Venice, I have two:
Maliparmi
For the several years I have followed Maliparmi and collected their shoes, handbags and clothing items, the themes that remain constant are ornamentation, an organic sense and a nod to tribal influences. Whether in the patterns that the beading take or a silkscreen stamp that gives interest to an otherwise unadorned fabric, Maliparmi feels of an exotic local. Also a little rustic, as if someone in a village with a threaded needle sewed those beads on … not a master artisan in a Parisian atelier.
As Maliparmi states: Looking ahead remembering the important lesson of the past. Using new technologies to re-elaborate old craft secrets. We are not interested in imposing a single idea of how to dress.
While I have picked up Maliparmi pieces in fashion boutiques in the South of France and Florence, Italy, I have found Venice to be the best source. Perhaps it is because of the proximity to the mother ship; Maliparmi is headquartered in Padua in northern Italy, just 40 km outside of Venice. Venice boasts an entirely Maliparmi “negozio” – Italian for boutique — and it is far more interesting to be immersed in the complete brand experience: handbags, belts and shoes side-by-side with the clothing collection. Not to mention the attitude-loaded Italian salesgirls who bring the designer’s vision to life.
WHAT TO BUY IN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER: Sandals. Festooned with sequins, beads, stones and shells, they are the perfect whimsical anchor to your holiday look. Most likely on sale at this point, they will be just as wearable next summer. Best of all, today you have the treat of wearing them during the rest of your trip in Italy.
Fiorella Gallery
A cross between an art gallery and a retail space, Fiorella Gallery is billed as “the best gay fashion in Venice.” Yet, there I was. There I bought. There I have returned. (For the record, I am hetero.) In my book if it’s fabulous, it’s fabulous. Period.
Artist Fiorella Mancini creates everything found in the gallery. Many items actually are not for sale, either presented as sculptures or strange compositions of mixed media art works. There are pieces that are so fantastical and wild, I found myself assuming it was art, only to discover… “yes, but wearable art.”
What is for sale is an edited selection of dramatic but very wearable clothing. Fiorella tends toward saturated colors and large-scale prints in cleverly repeating patterns. The “repeat” obscures for many the subject matter of the print – for example the use of rats (which, I was told, is one of the more popular images sold). She works with velvet in the Fortuny style and applies paint and pattern to velvet coats, jackets and wraps and some smaller pieces such as t-shirts. In addition to geometric and scroll patterns, common themes are dragons, lions (the symbol of Venice) and rats (frequently sighted at night swimming the canals or scurrying between buildings).
Her pieces have appeared in numerous fashion publications and have been selected by stylists in Europe and the United States. All pieces are made by hand, and one of a kind.
WHAT I BUY IN SEPTEMBER: Velvet blazer – fingertip or longer. It will be perfect for this fall/winter season where velvet, gold and rich colors were trotting down the runway for Alexander McQueen, Balmain and Blumarine. Based on the longevity of my Fiorella jacket (seven years and still going strong), you’ve invested in a timeless piece of wearable Venetian art. Now that’s joy.
Campo Santo Stefano, 2806
Venezia 30124 Tel. 0789.34723 – 06.3203500 Mobile 335.8200873 www.fiorellagallery.com
Where next? Florence. Join me next week for my top spots.
Need some time away? The Ceiba del Mar Beach & Spa Resort is inviting guests to stay an extra night with the Rest & Relax 4th Night Free package. The package includes 5 days and 4 nights, with the 4th night free; two 50-minute relaxing massages with a 10% discount on all other spa therapies; one three-course private dinner for two; and daily a la carte breakfast on the European Plan, or all a la carte meals on the all-inclusive Luxury Gourmet Plan. Rates for this package start at $740.
The award-winning resort is located in the Riviera Maya, 30minutes from Cancun at the edge of Puerto Morelos. Situated on half-mile of a private, white-sand beach, the resort offers 88 deluxe Ocean-View suites, two restaurants, a swimming pool, and theSpa at Ceiba del Mar with a gym.
For more information about Ceiba Del Mar Beach & Spa Resort and to book your getaway, visit www.ceibadelmar.com.
Situated on half-mile of a private, white-sand beach, the resort offers 88 deluxe Ocean-View suites, seven of which are penthouses; two restaurants; a swimming pool; the Spa at Ceiba del Mar with gym, and indoor/outdoor event spaces.
The invention of the postcard in 1869 sparked a communicationn revolution equal to the birth of email in our own day. The postcard industry boomed in fashionable Paris, with Parisians and tourists alike enthralled by this quick, informal way of sending messages and hand-tinted photographs of the city they loved. At the turn of the century, France was producing one million cartes postales a day.
Chateau Sonoma invites you to view a Paris captured at the height of this golden age. On Saturday, August 14, 2010, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Berkeley collector Leonard Pitt will share his collection of postcards showing life in the city’s boulevards, streets, shops, dance halls, and cafés. Pitt’s accompanying notes take viewers on the ultimate nostalgia trip, revealing social and architectural details of a Paris that has, for the most part, vanished.
Reusable water bottles are the way to go. They’re cheap, convenient, and better for the environment. I always carry one when I travel to stay hydrated for cheap.
But finding the right bottle is important too. The last bottle I traveled with was oh-so-cute, but the “oh-so-cute” design quickly bled onto everything else once in contact with heat and sweat. The inside of my backpack did not appreciate its new splotchy hue.
Finally I found one I’ve really enjoyed. Coincidentally, some of my friends happen to use the same brand. Now they offer a great, new version of my Contigo bottle, perfect for my weekly gym sessions!
Presenting the new autoseal Kangaroo Hydration Bottle, which is designed with a fold-down front compartment for keys, credit cards, ear-buds or gym membership cards. I’m always misplacing my gym locker key (oops), so this is really helpful!
What I like about Contigo: the autoseal technology automatically seals the lid between sips, making the bottles 100 percent spill-proof and leak-proof. Also, the bottle is crafted from BPA-free Eastman Tritan copolyester.
Contigo bottles come in a variety of colors and styles. Take a look!
Since it’s opening in 1927, the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago has only had two doormen. 2010 marks the 39th year that Taha “Tom” Alaraj has welcomed visitors to the historic property, earning the title “Mayor of Walton Place” by neighborhood locals and returning guests. Now, Tom shares his top five “must-sees” for visitors coming through The Windy City:
Oak Street Beach: Formed from sand washing up against the northern side of “Streeterville,” Oak Street Beach is known by the locals as the best beach in all of Chicago. Located off of Michigan Avenue, this stretch of sand offers a haven to inline skaters, cyclists, volleyball enthusiasts and sunbathers.
Lincoln Park Zoo: One of the nation’s oldest zoos, the free Lincoln Park Zoo houses 1200 animals representing 230 species. Located in Lincoln Park, the zoo also holds yoga classes on “Nature Boardwalk,” and hosts a children’s zoo and paddleboats for visitors.
John Hancock Observatory: Located on the 94th floor of the John Hanckock Center, the John Hancock Observatory is complete with full 360 degree views of the city, up to four states and over 80 miles. The Observatory has Chicago’s only open-air SkyWalk and also features a free multimedia tour in six languages.
Art Institute of Chicago: The world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago houses both a museum and school, with one of the most notable collections of impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. Its holdings also include American art, European and American decorative arts, Asian art and modern and contemporary art. At one million square feet, it is the second largest art museum in the United States.
Chicago Cultural Center: As the nation’s first free municipal cultural center, the Chicago Cultural Center is one of the city’s most popular attractions and is considered one of the most comprehensive arts showcases in the United States. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as more than 1,000 programs and exhibitions.
San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum is hosting a new exhibit displaying the ever changing culture of one of the biggest metropolitan areas in China. Shanghai explores the violent history created one of the most influential cities in the world. This artistic collection features more than 130 oil paintings, Shanghai Deco furniture and rugs, revolutionary posters, fashion pieces, movie clips, and contemporary installations. The exhibit also begins the Shanghai Celebration, a year-long Bay Area-wide collaboration coinciding with the 2010 World Expo.
Shanghai will be on view from February 12 – September 5, 2010on Tuesday – Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tickets cost $17 for adults, $13 for seniors, $12 for college students with ID and $7 for youth ages 13-17. Asian Art Museum members, children 12 and under and SFUSD student gain free admission. The selection of tours and events vary depending on the day of your visit. For a full list of the programs offered, click here.
Can’t make it by 5:00 p.m.? Don’t worry. The Asian Art Museum is offering Shanghai Nights, with the exhibit open on Thursday nights from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For a discounted rate of $10, guests can enjoy a tour of the museum and conversations with the museum’s curators and special guests (artists, designers, architects).
Pickpocketing is a major problem in certain cities. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or new to the land, it’s important to prepare yourself. As women, one of the best ways to avoid theft is (as silly as it sounds) accessorize correctly! Certain purses can make you more of a target.
Check out this pickpocket-proofing article for tips, suggestions, and Tango Diva discounts on featured purses! Happy (and safe) travels!!
This is an amazing retreat package of yoga, Pilates, strength training, and cardio at Sundance Resort in Utah if you can be spontaneous! It’s a special offer via ideeli for members only, so you will have to join to purchase.ideeli is a shopping site for fashion, home and accessories.
Here are the Essentials
* Four-day, three-night exclusive fitness retreat at the Sundance Resort for $2000 (original price $3800)
* Celebrity trainers Autumn Calabrese and Michelle Lovitt
* Savings of 47%
* August 13th-16th 2010 in Sundance, Utah. ONLY
* Women-only; rooms are single-occupancy Sundance Resort suites.
* Power Up Sundance donates a percentage of profits to the Redford Center, www.redfordcenter.org.
* Airfare to and from Salt Lake City and shuttle service to and from the airport to Sundance Resort NOT included.
“I love training with Michelle because she has so much energy and enthusiasm. You are sure to accomplish your goal with her.” Courteney Cox
Use my link invite to join ideeli – and then once a member > bid on the Sundance Power Up offer. Hurry though – this offer is only good thru tomorrow – Wednesday January 28th!
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