Deals of the Week: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Australia, and More!
Two Weeks of Dining Utopia with dineL.A.
Plated desserts from JAR (Photo: JAR Restaurant/Facebook)
It’s said timing is everything. Plan a visit to Los Angeles between July 14 and 27 and this statement holds true. Why? These are the dates of dineL.A., a bi-annual celebration that speaks to the heart of foodies. Over 300 of the city’s renowned restaurants serve up special menus for the occasion. Border Grill, Jar, Mo-chica, Craft, SUGARFISH, Locanda Positano… Yep, a wide range of cuisines are represented.
Craft LA’s soft shell crab sandwich (Photo: Twitter/Craft LA)
Grab a reservation and the price tag for one of these multi-course, prix-fixe meals will run $15 to $25 for lunches or $25 to $45 for dinners. Bringing even more value to the table is a promotion through dineL.A. partner American Express. Diners who register their cards during the run of dineL.A. will receive a $5 statement credit each time $21 or more is spent participating in the event.
Picnicking Packages in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Finish your hike near Carmel with a beach picnic by the Pacific (Photo: Getty Images)
July is National Picnic Month. In honor of the occasion, Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California is offering a two-night, Take a Hike package. Rates for the promotion start at $150/night for a single queen or $189/night for a single king with a private balcony and ocean view. Included in the promotion is a day pass to nearby Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. All guests receive free WiFi and continental breakfast.
Staff also directs picnickers looking for a scenic stroll to Big Sur’s myriad hiking trails including Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see its coastal waterfall and Los Padres National Forest to take in redwoods. Also in walking distance from the Bavarian-style hotel are the cobblestone streets of Carmel, a kid-friendly park and white sand beaches. Afterwards, kicking back can be done in Hofsas House’s heated swimming pool or its European dry saunas.
Book the Take A Hike package using code HHNature. Two-night minimum required.
Kite Flying and Music Hotels Packages in Boston
Go fly a kite in Boston (Photo: Getty Images)
Experiences that speak to Boston’s personality are offered through two Renaissance Boston Waterfront packages; both are available through September 1, 2014 and offer a 15% savings, along with breakfast at M.C. Spiedo and the use of the hotel’s health club and lap pool.
The Fly High in Boston package, which starts at $349 per night for deluxe accommodations, brings with it a bit of romance by way of a kite for flying in two suggested locales: South Boston Maritime Park and Harbor Islands (ferry tickets for two adults and two children included).
Check out the Making Americas Music exhibit at the Boston Children’s Museum (Photo: Roland Allen/Flickr)
Also appealing for families is the Mini Musicians: Eat Play Laugh package. Along with deluxe accommodations for $369 per night, the promotion includes tickets to Making Americas Music: Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme exhibition at The Boston Children’s Museum.
Other family-friendly hot spots close to the hotel include the New England Aquarium, Museum of Science, Institute of Contemporary Art and Faneuil Hall.
A Downtown St. Louis Hotel Icon Re-opens Its Doors
The historic Mayfair Hotel finds new life as the Magnolia Hotel (Photo: Fitzgene/Flickr)
The historic Mayfair Hotel is reborn this August as the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis. The iconic property was recently purchased by Stout Hospitality and underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. As an invitation for guests to check out the Magnolia, a discounted grand opening rate starting at $199 per night through September 15, 2014 (restrictions apply). Other perks that come with a stay include complimentary buffet breakfast, an evening beer and wine reception, bedtime milk and cookies, and high-speed Internet.
Downtown St. Louis (Photo: Getty Images)
Located in downtown St. Louis, the hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places was built in 1924. Inspired by the hotel’s storied past (Cary Grant is the reason chocolates are placed on the pillows), take in more St. Louis history at the Missouri History Museum, Old Courthouse and Cahokia Mounds. Where to kick back after sightseeing – the Magnolia’s rooftop pool.
Meet the Zoo Atlanta Pandas
Zoo Atlanta’s Pandas are the main attraction (Photo: Zoo Atlanta/Facebook)
A duo that are gaining much attention at the Zoo Atlanta are Mei Lun and Mei Huan, twin pandas born there last year. Celebrating both the pandas and the zoo’s 125th anniversary is a package offered by the Mandarin Oriental Atlanta aptly named Twin Panda family package.
From now until December 31, 2014, those participating in the package can get luxury accommodations in one of the hotel’s Family Rooms or Family Suites for $605 per night (two-night stay required). Setting the mood are included amenities like a panda soft toy, little fan welcome packet and panda-shaped shortbread cookies. Prepping for a day at the zoo is daily breakfast for up to four guests. And, of course, there are four tickets to the Atlanta Zoo.
Panda encounters allow visitors to feed the pandas (Photo: Zoo Atlanta/Facebook)
Waiting at the zoo? An exclusive “meet and greet” with the twin pandas. Additional fun comes by way of a panda-themed scavenger hunt. Upping the ante is the optional Panda Wild Encounters program. For an additional charge, visitors can embark on this behind-the-scenes experience. A perk when ordering is a complimentary one-way transfer to Zoo Atlanta. Not to be left out when it comes to hellos — proud panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang, stars in their own right.
Hayman Island Newcomer Offers Opening Deal
Hayman Island (Photo: One&Only Resort)
Set on Australia’s idyllic Great Barrier Reef is Hayman Island. Much fanfare will be happening on the northernmost of the Whitsunday Islands today as the One&Only Hayman Island private resort opens after a multi-million-dollar renovation.
Those wanting to be amongst the first to experience the resort can partake in a special Opening Offer. Guests whom book by July 31st and travel before September 30th can receive 25% off all accommodations (excluding the penthouse) with rates starting at $514.50.
Accommodations are in three “wings” of the resort with beach, lagoon, and pool views from rooms, suites, villas, and penthouses. Eight dining/lounge venues offer up a diversity of cuisine from Australian to Italian.
Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef (Photo: One&Only Resorts)
Already being buzzed about, the One&Only Spa offers treatments designed to showcase settings from the Coral Sea to the rainforest. More active types can embark on bushwalks or complimentary activities like catamaran sailing, windsurfing, and paddle-skiing. Also on tap: golfing, tennis, snorkeling, diving, fishing, sailing, kayaking, waterskiing, helicopter, and seaplane adventures.
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