In beautiful Tuscany sits Villa Mangiacane, a hotel that in addition to beautiful scenery and luxury sleep accommodations offers its own wine, olive oil, and now cooking classes.
As part of the "Flavours of Chianti" package you're treated the first night to a 4 course candlelit dinner prepared by Mangiacane's acclaimed Chef Massimo Bocus, which prepares you for the following day's cooking lesson with the Chef and a Villa Mangiacane wine and olive oil tasting. Among other treats (like cooking aprons, daily spa access, and fresh fruit in your room) you'll also get a Tuscan Cookbook and a bottle of Villa Mangiacane Chianti. €1270-€2450
Taking a vacation can be about so much more than just treating yourself -- what about getting away from it all in a way that's not only fun for you but also helps others? Marriott is offering a "Big Easy Spirit to Serve Getaway" package that offers luxurious amenities combined with charitable donations and volunteerism. The package includes a room at a Marriott hotel with breakfast for two in the morning, a "Care Concierge" who will help hook you up with volunteer organizations in the area and help you find a way to help that is meaningful to you, and then $50 of every night's room rate will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. All for rates of $159-$259/night.
The Mandarin Oriental always rolls out the blockbuster packages. This one, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mandarin Oriental's first U.S. property, Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco is called Fantastic San Francisco and is a four-day, three-night stay in the two-bedroom Oriental Suite. Along with your gorgeous suite you also get a three-day use of a 2007 Ferrari F430 or a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo; one-hour private helicopter tour of San Francisco and an exclusive in-suite lunch or dinner prepared by Silks Chef de Cuisine Joel Huff with a bottle of Cristal. Other goodies in the package include a bottle of the 1987 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, 20 long-stemmed roses, daily breakfast and a 20th anniversary keepsake. The package costs an even $20,000 and is available through December.
$175,000 for a seven night stay at a Marriott. Hotel Chatter rightly dubs this the most insane hotel package they have come across. The package at the Marco Island Marriott Resort, Club and Spa in Florida was created to celebrate the resort's $175 million renovation. $175,000 gets you a two-bedroom suite, a private flight in, a Mercedes convertible rental car, helicopter ride and private dive in Key Largo, a couple of shopping gift certificates and a variety of private experiences including dinners and cruises. The package also includes lifetime membership to the Rookery Golf Club and Marco Island's Balinese Spa.
For pregnant couples needing one last getaway before the baby arrives, the Claremont Resort & Spa in San Francisco offers the Great Expectations package. The two-night package includes "virgin-tini" cocktails, a prenatal massage for two, pedicure, a "crave-calming" dinner and a Tiffany silver baby rattle. The vintage hotel is located in the Berkeley Hills and has beautiful bay views. The package starts at $950.
You've heard of man-dates, where two heterosexual men meet for dinner or an event. Now get ready for the man'cation. It's the Fairmont hotels new way to attract men to their hotels. They have created a variety of man-friendly packages including a stay at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston that includes daily breakfast. dinner at the Oak Room steakhouse and your own "Entourage" DVD. On July 28, the Fairmont Chicago will offer a man'cation night that includes a Woodford Reserve whiskey tasting. a three-course steak dinner and a post-dinner cocktail seminar . The event costs $150 and hotel rooms start at $249. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has a Play Where the Pros Stay package that includes two rounds of golf. There is also a racing school package at the The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa and for the metro boys, a spa break package at The Fairmont Royal York and the Elizabeth Milan Day Spa. Do men need a special hotel package just to encourage them to hang out together? I've heard of men meeting for golf weekends or hiking trips but spa dates?
But don't worry, you'll get your
money's worth. For the handsome fee, this package includes:
limo service to and from the
airport
accommodations in the Presidential Suite.
a personal fireworks show by the famous Grucci family set to the soundtrack of your choice
private
helicopter ride over the city
private bath prepared by a personal butler
Dom Perignon and
strawberries
candlelight dinner
in-room breakfast
According to the hotel's
director of guest relations, not surprisingly, only one person has taken advantage of this high-priced hotel package.
Sure, fireworks are fab as is staying at the Ritz, but if you really want to show your special
someone that you are at the same pyrotechnically inspired and
frugal, here's a slightly lower-budget version of the package:
One pack of roman candles from a road side
stand in South Carolina: $7.50
One romantic Celine Dion album: $15
One bottle of pink Andre's
"champagne": $5
One night at a Super 8: $65
And finally:
Not
having to fork out $40,000 to get the Ritz to do the work for you: Priceless!
We thought the Booty Parlor kits at the Mondrian
were saucy but the the tiny Mezzanine restaurant/bar/hotel, a unique retreat
of only four suites in Tulum, Mexico, now offers Kama Sutra products to their amorous guests. The hotel has a live DJ
lounge and Thai restaurant and a swank yet spare look that combines island design with contemporary furnishings for a
hipster-on-the-beach appeal. The suites have Japapnese-style low beds, bathrooms with rain showers and wood staircases
that lead up to private lofts. The Kama Sutra products, including chocolate body paint or honey dust, massage oil and
flavored pleasure balm are part of the Mezzanine's Lovers Package which includes three nights accommodations,
breakfast, a three-course dinner for two, a massage for each person and a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne
on arrival. The package costs $885 during low season (May 1 to Dec 15).
A month ago we mentioned that a London
hotel is offering a Maserati
Quattroporte to lure customers into a stay, now the
Scotsman reports that the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in
Edinburgh is offering a chance to take a Lamborghini Gallardo for a spin. The £600 per person package makes
the hotel the only one in Britain to offer a Lamborghini to its guests. The Lamborghini package includes a double room
on the hotel's butler service floor with complimentary champagne 24 hours a day and access to a
private library. There have already been five bookings for the package.
The Hastings House, a charming country inn on Salt
Spring Island in British Columbia is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a couple of special packages. The three
night package includes three nights in a deluxe suite overlooking Ganges Harbor, welcome champagne, breakfast and
afternoon tea, two three-course dinners, a picnic lunch, two massages at the resort spa and a copy of the Hastings
House anniversary cookbook. A five day package includes two nights at the Wedgewood Hotel in Vancouver with dinner at
Lumiere, a tour of Vancouver and a seaplane flight over to the Hastings House. The five day package costs $3,720 CAD
per couple.
