Hotwire just shot me this incredible $115 rate for the brand new Sheraton Four Points Midtown hotel in Manhattan at 326 W. 40th Street. Valid for travel any day through September 12th, you need to book it by July 8th. With taxes, that's $134.89 including free wi-fi and bottled water. To book it, Click Here
, or call 212-967-8585 and mention rate plan TICKER1.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about my surprisingly pleasant experience with the Victorinox luggage warranty. Today, the Victorinox Tourbach line went on sale at Gilt.com. I picked up a new 22" roll-aboard for $245 including tax and shipping -- $200 less than the same bag on sale at eBags.com. Hurry -- the sale ends Midnight on May 16th, 2009. Gilt.com is a members-only sale site -- get a free invitation by clicking here.
This Pop-Up Travel Hair Brush popped up on Everything That's Vital for NY and LA recently... I'm always looking for compact travel accessories, and while I don't really have hair to brush anymore, I'm sure I would have appreciated it back in the days when I did. Very few people can pull off that Angie Dickinson just-got-off-my-back hair look. If you're one of them, congratulations. If you're not, pick one up for $8 from Sephora.
I don't really know if it's the best, as I've only tried this one. But it made a huge difference in comfort on my flight home from San Francisco this week. Buy it for $49.85 from magellans.com. It helped make 5 hours sitting in coach fly by really quickly. And that was money VERY well spent.
On my flight to San Francisco, United ripped a wheel and housing off my luggage. I was a little surprised when the baggage agent pointed to the counter sign (as she probably does a dozen times a day) and said "we're not responsible for normal wear and tear, which includes the loss of wheels and protruding parts. I can offer you a travel credit..." I tried to argue that this was hardly minor damage, and she said "We can argue all day, but that's the best I can do." I took the $75 travel credit, and took the bag into Modern Leather Goods here in New York. There, I was greeted by two much more pleasant surprises: First, they repaired my bag while I waited. Second, the repair was covered by Victorinox, with just a $15 co-pay. I remembered I had a lifetime warranty, but only two luggage companies include damage inflicted by airlines for the life of the bag: Victorinox* and Briggs & Riley. Victorinox's premium Tourbach
*applies to versions 3.0 and later of E-Motion® 360° and Mobilizer NXT®, version
2.0 and later of Werks Traveler™, and all versions of Architecture™. Other versions carry a basic lifetime warantee that excludes carrier dammage.
Clear is a high-tech card that gives you access to express security
lines at airports across the country. Instead of inching along through
airport security, you get express access to the front of the line. Even better, the Clear Concierges are there to welcome you, and help you put and carry your shoes, computer, jacket and liquids in the separate bins for screening. Their friendly, helpful assistance recalls the golden age of travel, when flying was a delightful experience. You can get some of that back for $199 a year, and BKB readers can save $25 when they use code "CLEAR25OFF" at FlyClear.com
through June 30, 2009, or get a free month when they use referral code: DSCAM12089006
I spent my birthday last month at Anantara Desert Islands. a new luxury resort on Sir Bani Yas Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It was truly a unique, memorable and recommended experience. Much in the way that Dubai is a city built from seemingly nothing, Sir Bani Yas island is a wildlife sanctuary, also built from seemingly nothing: the island, rich in minerals and and some of the world's largest salt domes was a stark, rocky landscape. But His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan developed a wildlife sanctuary to preserve the Arabian Oryx, and it
is now home to the world's second-largest population of these beautiful animals, which no longer inhabit the wild. Until last fall, the Sheikh and his family used the island as a private royal retreat, but that all changed when Anantara Desert Islands opened to the public. Nowhere else in the world can you stay in
a luxurious island resort, set amidst a man-made nature reserve alongside a royal palace. For visitors, Desert Islands offers a unique combination of attractions: A luxury resort and spa, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking amid striking rocky landscapes, and a glimpse into how 60 million daily liters of desalinated irrigation water can turn a moonscape into a verdant wildlife reserve. The conservation project is very much a work in progress, with plans to release animals from separate enclosures and introduce predators into a single functioning ecosystem. It was fascinating to witness a moment in this evolution -- as seeing the Burj Dubai (world's tallest building) being built was fascinating. And while the current game drives felt more like visiting the zoo than going on Safari, there's no disputing the beauty of the creatures we got to see, or the thrill of
feeding a giraffe. Or the pleasure of scheduling the game drive as one activity in a day that also included lunch poolside, an afternoon biking excursion, an authentic Thai massage, and a lavish international dinner buffet (which, given that the hotel has diners captive, was remarkably affordable.) Regular rates start about $500/nt, but special deals of $345 are currently available - a great value given the luxurious rooms and service. Desert Islands is accessed by private launch, from a dock that is about 1.5 hrs drive from Abu Dhabi or 3.5 hours from Dubai, or by air from Abu Dhabi's International airport in 8-passenger Cessna Caravan aircraft.
Dubai is a city known for superlatives, excess and hype -- in fact, a lot of the city has been built on it, along with man-made islands in the shape of palm fronds and the continents of the world. And as with any media spotlight, sometimes it can blind you from the truth. No where is that more true than at Dubai's hotels. While the Burj Al Arab has garnered lots of attention as the self-proclaimed "world's first 7-star
hotel," it doesn't live up to the hype, let alone the outrageous room rates.
Dubai's best hotel is a hidden treasure, discretely located in a golf/marina development, close to the airport, downtown and Dubai creek. It's the Park Hyatt Dubai, a sophisticated, elegant oasis of civility and quiet luxury. This is the hotel preferred by Arabian royalty and travel cognoscenti. With beautiful Moorish/Arabic design, a palm-fringed pool oasis that is home to over 40 species of birds, and a heavenly Amara Day Spa, The Park Hyatt Dubai is also a relative bargain, with prices starting at under $500/night. The lobby lounge includes an Arabic pastry boutique, and the Thai Kitchen, one of three restuarants on property, serves some of the best authentic Thai cuisine you'll find anywhere in the world. While Dubai's future may be uncertain, its first-choice hotel is not: The Park Hyatt Dubai.
If you're in New York City January 18-23 or January 25-30, take some time today to book a special prix fixe $24.07 lunch or $35 dinner at some of the city's most famous and popular restaurants. See the list of participating restaurants at nycgo.com/restaurantweek. Many restaurants are bookable through opentable.com -- just follow the link from the Restaurant Week page.
Back when I lived in a Beverly Hills mansion, I had a full-size professional clothes steamer in my laundry room (along with some vintage 1950s soap boxes I bought off ebay). It seemed like a great idea, but rarely got used. And only someone living in a really big house has room for a standing steamer. A travel steamer is more practical, not just because you can keep it in the bathroom or bedroom and quickly deploy it to steam out a garment, but you can also travel with it, and have it at the ready to steam out the suitcase wrinkling. The Jiffy Esteam
is the most powerful hand steamer available, with a 600-watt heating element, a 3-minute warm up time, and 15 minutes of steaming on one fill up. It uses tap water, and requires no maintenance. Buy it for $49 with free ground shipping from AllBrands.com
.
