Grab your girlfriends and head to the Jamaican Inn for their exclusive Girlfriend Retreat package offered from now until December 19, 2008. This 5 day, 4 night package includes private roundtrip transportation from Montego Bay Airport, a stay in a deluxe verandah suite, daily breakfast, and a special 2 hours and 20 minutes marathon spa treatment including:

• KiYara Deep Stress Relief Massage
• Hydrating Aroma Facial
• Cooling Aloe Mint Body Cleanser

The four night stay in a single occupancy verandah suit costs US$1,608, while the four night stay in a double occupancy verandah suit costs US$2,276 — so it’s best to grab a girlfriend and split the difference on fabulous beachwear and gourmet, beachside meals. Those looking for a true escape will rest contently in the pastel and white toned rooms free of television, radio, and clocks. And for those who don’t want a total departure from modern technology, air conditioner, hairdryers, and telephones (for delicious room service) are included.

Girls who want more activity than just sun and sand can use the snorkeling, kayaking, and sunfish sailing equipment available on site. There are also tennis courts, a golf course, and horseback riding all nearby and accessible.

For more information or to make reservations, call 1-800-837-4608 or visit http://www.jamaicainn.com/

Campfires, sing-alongs, canoe rides, bunk beds– those are so retro. Today’s summer camp of choice? A totally bug-free Spa Camp.

It’s never too early to start learning about the importance of caring for one’s body, which is why Flying Beauticians founder Nona Daron and Team LOLA founder Kim Juarez decided to create the Spa Camp For Kids. This summer, for three separate weeks in June, July and August, young girls can attend a Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. camp that offers girls a fun and educational program which promotes a healthy and active lifestyle.

The camp includes:

• One daily hour of stretching and outdoor exercise
• Nutrition facts lessons
• Vegan manicure/pedicure
• Natural, homemade skin care remedies
• Massages, foot and hand treatments
• Aromatherapy

Dates: July 14 to 18, and August 18 to 22, 2008
Cost: $375 per person (meals not included)
Location: Flying Beauticians Skin Care Studio 18 E. Blithedale, Suite 11 Mill Valley, CA
For Reservations and information, call 415-381-8134

Daron founded Flying Beauticians in 1981 with her mother, Polina Gerardo. Flying Beauticians has studios in San Francisco and in Mill Valley that offer beauty services including facials, waxings, massages, and more. For more information, visit http://www.flyingbeauticians.com/

Team LOLA, founded by Juarez, offers nutrition and fitness education for women and girls in a non-competitive team environment which encourages camaraderie and fun. Juarez, a mother of four, created Team LOLA to address the need for sound nutrition education and physical activity programs for children and their families. For more information, visit http://www.teamlola.com/

…And no, Spa Camp is not offered to adults.

It seems that the economy and romance go hand in hand. Buy one, get another one half-off. Our daily purchases are a constant reminder of our romantic status. Family-size is the enemy.

It’s hard enough being a single gal, and the last thing we need is to financially suffer just because we’re going it alone. Vacations, in particular, often pose a fiscal dilemma. Many travel and hotel packages end up being a lot cheaper when traveling in pairs rather than solo.

For over 25 years, Singles Travel International has provided uniquely designed trips for single male and female travelers over 35 looking for adventure with other thrill-seeking singles. But until now, participants have had to pay a higher rate for a requested single room instead of bunking up with an appropriately-matched roommate.

Now, the discrimination has finally come to an end with the organization’s new Solo Super Saver program. This program offers several winter departures with no added supplement for single rooms, so that you still have the freedom to mingle with the group while maintaining the luxury of retreating to your very own room. The trips include first-class hotel accommodations, several gourmet meals, and guided sightseeing tours of main attractions. Details vary by trip.

The following trips are being offered:
British Winter Sampler- February 22, 2009 to February 28, 2009
Winter Taste of Italy- March 1, 2009 to March 8, 2009
Spanish Winter Fiesta- April 10, 2009 to April 19, 2009

If the dates don’t fit your calender, check with STI for additional departure dates for each trip.

To reserve your place on one of STI’s trips, or for more information, call 877-SOLO-TRIP x 705 or visit www.singlestravelintl.com.

Just in time for the Olympics, and because the Beijing skyline was looking a little too desolate, the Hilton Beijing opened its doors on July 1 to its newly added US$32 million Executive Tower. The cylindrical Executive Tower offers modern, luxurious rooms with state-of-the-art amenities and services.

The Tower is comprised of nine floors with a total of 126 rooms, raising the total room inventory at the Hilton Beijing to 503. In addition to rooms, the Tower also features a ballroom, several meeting rooms, and an “Executive Plus” lounge.

To reserve a room and for more information, visit

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotions/hi_hotel_beijing_en/index.jhtml?WT.srch=1

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, in Sonoma Valley, CA is offering the Burger and a Beer Package, just in time for grads and NASCAR fans, offers a true locals’ perspective on the “Best of the Valley”. This real deal serves up (what many believe to be) an authentically local Sonoma experience.

The Wine Country Burger and Beer Package includes:

• One night accommodation in a Fairmont Heritage Category Room
• Two Northern California micro-brew beers (or cocktail of your choice) (NO WINE) at the Lobby “Living Room” Bar
• Classic Summertime Lunch, “Painted Hills” organic Hamburger Plate (ok, it is Northern California) for 2, at the resort’s classically cool, town hang, Big 3

The package is available through September, subject to availability. Rates start from $309 USD per night, based on double occupancy.

For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com.

The Lodge at Sun Ranch, the newest U.S. eco-lodge, opened this weekend. Accommodating a mere 16 people at capacity, the luxury lodge is in the 26,000-acre Sun Ranch sustainable ranching operation in southwestern Montana.

The new lodge boasts 10,000 square feet of space and offers accommodation in six guest rooms and suites in the main building and two freestanding cabins, as well as expanded common areas including a larger kitchen, dining room and wine cellar.

The Lodge at Sun Ranch’s eco-friendly features include flow-restricted fixtures; reuse of “gray water” for plants; reclaimed and non-toxic materials for new construction; and high-efficiency appliances and utilities including Energy Star-rated fixtures.

The Lodge at Sun Ranch recycled all usable lumber from demolition (about 75 percent), donated bath fixtures to area families in need; re-milled flooring for custom trim and furniture; repurposed original patio stone for new landscaping; recycled copper from electrical and plumbing demolition; and performed on-site quarry for road and parking lot materials.

Guest amenities are also green and include recycled paper products, natural toiletries and fair trade cotton linens.

The new lodge will educate guests on ecotourism and eco-ranching through a guest orientation designed to encourage participation in basic conservation practices.

To help offset carbon emissions, The Lodge at Sun Ranch participates in the Trees for Travel program, which plants 10 trees in the Amazon per guest.

Lodge at Sun Ranch works is working with area organic farmers to fill the lodge pantry to offer a “sustainable Western bistro cuisine.” The dining room is open to guests seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also is open to the public for lunch and dinner by reservation Thursday through Sunday.

For additional information, visit  the Lodge at Sun Ranch Web site or call 888-674-3030.

A visit to a major museum or historical site in New York, Boston, L.A., or any other one of America’s cultural hotspots can always be divided into two categories: the time you wait to buy a ticket, and the time you actually spend at the attraction. All too often these categories are equal, or the former is greater than the latter. With such long lines, what should be a memorable visit to a world-famous site becomes a dreaded obligation.

In order to avoid waiting in line like everybody else, consider buying a CityPass before your next trip to one of the big cities. A CityPass is a condensed booklet of everything you need to get around the city with speed and ease, including tickets to main attractions, transportation information, and discount coupons.

Not only does this simplify and economize your time, but the CityPass saves you money, too. The New York CityPass, for example, provides tickets to 6 of the city’s top sites, including the Met, the Moma, and the Statue of Liberty, and costs $74, compared to the $134 it would cost to buy individual regular-priced admissions tickets to each of the 6 sites.

A CityPass can be purchased for the following cities or regions:

• New York
• Atlanta
• Boston
• Philadelphia
• Toronto
• Chicago
• Seattle
• San Francisco
• Hollywood
• Southern California
• Houston

The CityPass is valid for 9 consecutive days and begins whatever day you first use it. So if you’ve only got a weekend, make sure you will have time to visit enough sites to make purchasing the pass financially worth it.

Prices vary by city, and there are lowered prices for a childrens’ CityPass.

For more information or to purchase a CityPass, visit http://www.citypass.com/index.html

As if Beijing wasn’t crowded enough, nearly two million visitors are expected to visit China’s capital this summer. And it’s no surprise that many of those visitors will be fanny pack-clad Americans eager to feel a whiff of an Olympic runner’s dust or witness a grueling Olympic table tennis match.

For tourists in Beijing, blowing cash on glittering ceramic bobble-head cats and scrolls of hand-painted calligraphy is to be expected. So the last thing you want is to whip out your credit card to pay for your bamboo hat only to have the cashier shake their head and hand your card back. And keeping a hefty wad of cash in your wallet isn’t always a safe bet either, especially when you pause on a bustling streetcorner to unfold a giant, glossy map.

The best way to ensure financial security on your trip is to bring at least two major credit cards with you, as well as travelers cheques in addition to cash. Before you leave, make sure to inform your credit card companies that you will be out of the country so that they don’t cancel your card when you try to make an unfamiliar charge.

Travelers cheques, unlike cash, are fully refundable if they are lost or stolen. American Express Travelers Cheques are a great option because they provide 24-hour customer service that can replace your lost cheques with ease and speed, often in just one day. Additionally, the cheques can be exchanged for local currency, either in one of the 30+ commission-free exchange locations in Beijing or at many hotels.

If you need more convincing as to why American Express Travelers Cheques are a travel-savvy girl’s best friend, the cheque services also offer worldwide passport and credit card replacement services and emergency medical referral and assistance. That pretty much covers everything that could go wrong!

To purchase American Express Travelers Cheques, visit one of the 88,000 U.S. locations, including banks, credit unions, and American Express Travel Service locations.

For more information, please visit www.americanexpress.com/travelerscheques

Big Sur area hotels, attractions and restaurants are still open while firefighters continue to work on containing the Basin Complex Fire. Some California State parks remain closed. As of July 1, 2008, the majority of the fire continues to burn in a remote area of the Ventana Wilderness, 45 minutes drive south of Monterey, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Residents and visitors can access the iconic Big Sur stretch of California

coastline via Highway 1 from Carmel.

Big Sur lies 160 miles/258 km south of San Francisco. Monterey County’s top tourism attractions including 25 golf courses, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, National Steinbeck Center, Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway and the 17-Mile Drive are open. Monterey’s annual 4th of July celebrations will take place as scheduled.

To date, Big Sur area hotels representing 250+ guestrooms have sustained no damage and the majority are open for business including Post Ranch Inn, Ventana Inn & Spa, Big Sur River Inn, Glen Oaks, Ripplewood Resort, Riverside Campground & Cabins, Big Sur Campground and the yurts at Treebones Resort in south Big Sur. Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn and the Big Sur Lodge remain closed due to road and park closures. “The Big Sur valley received little or do damage. The view shed is 95 percent of normal,” notes Jonathan Farrington, General Manager of Ventana Inn & Spa.

Local restaurants, galleries and attractions also report being operational with no damage or current threat. Coastal icons, from the Bixby Bridge to Point Sur Lighthouse Station are fully operational. Garrapata State Park and Soberanes State Park remain open. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Andrew Molera State Park and Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park are closed.

To date, the Basin Complex Fire has consumed 47,459 of prime and secondary redwood forest and 17 structures.

For tourist updates, visit the Monterey Tourism Web site or call the Big Sur Hotline at 805.667.2317. Road reports are available via Caltrans at 800.GAS.ROAD

For air quality reports and daily updates, visit:
Los Padres National Forest Web site
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Web site
Monterey County Web site

Want to go for a sunset surf?

Want to start your day with a rejuvenating yoga session?

Want to learn the Tropicana Salsa?

You can do all this…and for a discounted price!

Pura Vida Adventures, based on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, is offering Tango Diva members an incredible $150 discount on their Summer Surf Adventure. The 7 day, 6 night adventure includes:

• spacious bungalow accommodations in a tropical setting
• three gourmet meals a day
• daily personal surf instruction
• daily yoga sessions
• a private 1-hour massage
• an introductory Spanish class
• trips to local restaurants and nature reserves
• …and much, much more!

If there ever was a good excuse to pack your bags and head to the beach to catch some waves, this is it.

Rates with discount are:

• Shared Spacious Bungalow - $1675
• Private Bungalow - $1940

Dates are July 20 - 26, July 28 - August 3, August 9 - 15 and August 17 - 23

So grab your bikini and find out what it really means to live “pura vida!”

For more information, visit http://www.puravidaadventures.com/summerFrame.html