gulf coast

Boca Grande, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Locate on a small spit of land on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida, Boca Grande offers a secluded, tropical setting on Florida's Gulf Coast. Today's home is a large family compound in this small quaint village where golf carts are a popular form of transportation. This home is located on Shore Lane and includes both a main house and a guest house as well as a swimming pool with a large deck and easy access to a white sand beach.

The main house has four bedroom suites, a large open kitchen and a wrap-around deck with well-placed ceiling fans. The home is designed for relaxed living with a family room, theater room, exercise room, library, elevator, large wine refrigeration/storage, multiple laundry rooms, garage and a back up generator system to provide power when the hurricanes come a'knocking. High ceilings and wide windows add to the sense of air and light in the home creating a very welcoming environment. The two suite guest house has a large living and dining area. This home is listed at $12 million.

Gallery: Boca Grande

Tags: boca grande, estate of the day, florida real estate, gasparilla island, gulf coast, gulf coast region

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Travel Association Calls For $500 Million Gulf Coast Advocacy Plan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Just how devastating has the BP oil spill been to the Gulf Coast? The U.S. Travel Association says that up to 400,000 travel industry jobs could be lost. The total potential cost of the spill to the travel and tourism industry has been estimated at $22.7 billion and it could take up to three years for the area to recover. Florida's Gulf Coast could be worst affected, losing as much as $18. billion.

"Travel is a perception business and the impact of disasters like the BP oil spill on the industry is actually predictable," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association in a press release. "We know from this research that the oil spill will have long-term effects on businesses and jobs in the Gulf Coast region unless we counteract the usual course of events with an unprecedented response."

The association has called for a $500 million marketing campaign to get travelers back to the Gulf. Proposed techniques include the creation of a central website to provide information about safe areas for travel, getting the U.S. Commerce department to create travel-related trade missions to encourage tourism from international buyers, and expanding the categories eligible for federal tax credits for tourism-related businesses.

Hotel News Now reports that Dow is expected to testify before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee in order to advocate for the funding which could prevent a loss of $7.5 billion during the next three years.

Tags: gulf coast, gulf coast oil spill, gulf coast travel

Tobacconist Association to Meet at CasaMagna in Cancun

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

The 2009 Tobacconists' Association of America (TAA) Convention kicks off on Sunday, March 8. Tobacconists and manufacturers from around the world will converge on the CasaMagna Marriott for four days of reconnecting, deal-making and of course plenty of cigar smoking. I'm currently at this Cancun resort and am happy to give the attendees – and jealous onlookers – a few insights into the event's host.

Surprisingly, smoking bans have crossed the border, forcing the CasaMagna to be smoke-free. The lobby, restaurants, bars and guestrooms, for the most part, are off-limits for puffing. Fortunately, poolside smoking is fine, and you can light up in the bar that sits alongside the beach.

Igniting your cigar may be a challenge. With airlines frustrating efforts to carry torches, matches may be your only available option (unless you bleed your lighter and find someone to refill it for you in Cancun. The wind off the Caribbean is strong, so look for sheltered corners to use when firing up (there are a handful of them almost everywhere on the property).

A loophole in Mexico's smoking laws allows CasaMagna to welcome TAA's smokers into the Sa Si Thai restaurant, as it is a covered outdoor space. So, you'll be able to enjoy your favorite Avo, Fuente or Davidoff (or anything else) unmolested. The hotel has extended this restaurant's hours of operation to accommodate late-night indulging. After last call, you can retreat to your room's balcony to tie off the night with your preferred stick.

Gallery: CasaMagna Marriott