Topics Include:
San Juan, Puerto Rico is the capital of the unincorporated US territory and a vibrant center of activity on the island. It is one of its most important seaports and has attractions including Old San Juan, Ocean Park and Isla Verde. The Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa and Casino is located in Isla Verde, a neighborhood of Carolina that is just east of San Juan and west of the Carolina downtown area. The Atlantic Ocean borders the neighborhood to the north. Puerto Rice is an exotic destination, a short flight no matter where you are flying from in the US and you don’t need a passport to travel there.
The Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel embodies the warmth of the local culture and is conveniently situated to explore the area. It is only a short drive from the San Juan Airport. One of the greatest strengths of the city is the diverse culinary experiences available with both local and international food. A noteworthy attraction of the city is the Museo de Arte de Ponce which is near to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista in Old San Juan. It houses one of the finest collections of Puerto Rican art (as well as European art) in the Caribbean.
There are several spectacular restaurants on site including the BLT Steak Restaurant which is open for dinner. BLT stands for “Bistro Laurent Tourondel”. There is also the Ocean Bar and Grill which serves waterfront lunch and evening sushi and Mares which serves breakfast and lunch.
The Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel is currently offering several special promotions. The hotel’s “Reconnect Package” includes an overnight accommodation, breakfast for two and $100 daily resort credit for $ 349 USD per night. Resort credit can be used towards any dining experience or spa treatment. There is also a new initiative on the property where kids eat complimentary through December 20, 2009. For each adult meal the child eats absolutely free.
There is a wedding package offered at the property for a bride and groom who books twenty five rooms for three nights or more. The ensemble package includes a wedding specialist and planner, a signature bouquet and wedding boutonniere, a great selection of locations for the ceremony, and a complimentary 3 night anniversary stay at any Ritz Carlton in the Caribbean, including Cancun, Mexico.
Also on site is a two level spa with a fitness room, aerobics room and 11 treatment rooms on the upper level. The spa offers both signature and standard treatments options. There is a casino open twenty four hours a day with twenty four table games and four hundred slot machines. The casino also has a lounge area. A few years ago a guest of the casino won $200,000 USD on a nickel slot machine.
The Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel offers legendary service from the moment of arrival to the departure. The credo of all Ritz Carlton brands is "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen."
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=457
For more information visit http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SanJuan
Guests Include:
Steve Redkoles, General Manager, Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel , Spa & Casino, Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SanJuan
Topics Include:
Stephanie finds that every time she is leaving Ireland she finds out about something she has missed. During her last trip she visited the Solis Lough Eske Castle in Donegal Town, County Donegal, Ireland. Structures have stood on the property grounds since the early 1400’s. The first true castle was constructed in 1621 and was owned by the O’Donnell family. It has since been taken over by several families and rebuilt several times. In 1939 it burnt down and stayed in ruins for years. Though the outer shell of the building displayed stunning architecture it was in need of complete repair. There was nothing like it in that part of the country and a developer saw great potential in the building. The castle was bought by Solis Hotels and Resorts and has been completely revitalized. Artwork in the hotel depicts the castle when it was in its dilapidated state.
The Lough Eske Castle opened as a luxury five star hotel on December, 2007 with half its rooms available for booking. Its spa opened a few months later. The hotel has 95 guestrooms including eight garden suites. Stephanie says it is modern and lovely but captures all that one could want in a castle stay. Lough Eske was listed one of the hot new hotels in the world by Conde Nast in 2008 and has received great recognition within Ireland. The grounds and access to the Lough Eske lends the property to activities such as kayaking, archery and falconry. It is also a great place to curl up by the fireplace in your room and read a book. It is close enough to Donegal town so that it is but far enough away to feel removed. The hotel is six miles from the town center.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458
For more information visit http://www.solislougheskecastle.ie
CheapOAir.com deals with all major airlines carriers and has a portfolio of over 300 million airfare combinations. The company negotiates rates with the airlines exclusively and makes fares available to the consumer online. CheapOAir.com is a user friendly site that offers an easy two step booking process. Any traveler can plug in their details and the database will search through the 18 million negotiated airfares. CheapOAir.com is also linked with 60 low cost carriers (in additional to the 300 major carriers) operating around the world. It is easier to get cheaper fares when you book early, book in the off season, book in an airport that is not the main hub, are flexible with your dates and always check for roundtrip airfare. Customer service is available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459
For more information visit http://www.cheapoair.com or call the toll free customer service 866.592.9685
The InterContinental Milwaukee is located on East Kilbourn Avenue in the art and theater district of the city. There are three Marcus Group Hotels in the downtown area, the InterContinental Milwaukee, the Hilton and the Pfister. The Hilton is a 730 room convention hotel that also has an indoor water park. The Psfister is old and stately and the InterContinental appeals to the younger demographic.
Much of the architecture in the downtown area is stunning and is reminiscent of European styles. Milwaukee is only 90 minutes from Chicago and visitors can use Amtrak to reach Chicago in 75 minutes. The train station in Milwaukee is adjacent to the Harley-Davidson Museum.
The InterContinental Milwaukee has 220 guestrooms including 16 suites. It is located four blocks northwest of the Pfister and is 8 blocks from the festival grounds. Milwaukee’s Irish Fest begins August 13, 2009 and continues through the 16th.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460
For more information visit http://www.intercontinentalmilwaukee.com
Fun Facts:
August 19, 2009 is “Bronze the Fonz Day” in Milwaukee. The event includes the official bronzing ceremony of the statue erected to commemorate fictional television character Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli. A parade will be led from downtown to Miller Park and a free Fonzie baseball card will be given to each fan attending that night’s Milwaukee Brewers game. The dedication ceremony is closed to the public.
Guests Include:
Andrew Turner, General Manager, Solis Lough Eske Castle, Donegal, Ireland. www.solislougheskecastle.ie
Sanjay Hathiramani, Vice President, Supplier Relations, CheapOAir.com.
www.cheapoair.com
Tim Smith, General Manager, InterContinental Hotel Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. www.intercontinentalmilwaukee.com
Topics Include:
When a television program starts to suffer in the ratings it has been commonplace for the producers to take the show on the road to Hawaii. Its boosts the ratings every time. The Hilton Waikoloa Village embodies the classic image of a Hawaiian paradise. It is only twenty miles from the airport and is a destination in and of itself. Stephanie says that when you go to a great resort there is no reason to leave the grounds to find things to do.
August is a fantastic time of year to visit the big island of Hawaii. Visitors have the chance to see lava flows from the still active volcano Killawee and enjoy all of the other spectacular natural beauty. The Hilton Waikoloa Village contains much of the wonder of the island in a concentrated area. New trams were introduced to the resort in April that, alongside Hilton Waikoloa’s Mahogany canal boats, allow visitors to conveniently explore the 62 acres and travel to and from any of the 1,240 guestrooms. There are several pools, golf courses and a total of eight restaurants on site. One unique breakfast restaurant is called Lagoon Spoon. Toppings are available such as gummy bears and M&M’s that guests can put on their morning cereal.
The Island of Hawaii differs from the other Hawaiian Islands in that it has a large amount of flowing lava. This allows for stunning contrasts between the lava, blue water, green ivy and white sands. Visitors can hike across the lava at sunset or drive up to the top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano. Its name means “white mountain” in the Hawaiian language. The island of Hawaii can be very dark at night and this is due in part to the presence of the mountain. There are several observatories atop Mauna Kea. It is a popular location to be at during sunset as well as at great place for star gazing. All of the lighting on the island’s roads is amber so as to not obstruct the view of those working at the observatories through the night.
There are three towers at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The Lagoon Tower is adjacent to Dolphin Quest Village which has 12 resident Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins. It is also next to the Kona Pool which has a dramatic 125 foot winding waterslide and a sand bottom pool for younger children. The Palace Tower is in the middle of the property and is in front of Waiulua Bay which lies next to the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel and Palace Garden. Lastly is the Ocean Tower which has another two pools in its area including the adult’s only Ocean Pool and the Kohala River Pool, a system of four pools interconnected by waterslides. It houses a few of the resort’s restaurants and is also where the boat transport system begins.
The resort offers many activities including Camp Menehune for kids ages 5 through 12. The program includes hiking, fishing, building miniature volcanoes, and learning to hula dance and make leis. There are two golf courses at the resort as well as a seaside putting course. There is also a salt-water lagoon that is ocean fed and has sea turtles and nearly every type of Hawaiian tropical fish. Guests can also kayak, ride water bikes or use stand-up paddling equipment in it.
Ocean Sports is the resort’s activity outfitter and provides snorkeling cruises, sunset sails and scuba diving excursions. Guests depart a mile from the hotel and travel to a beautiful black sand beach. There are also several retail stores and restaurant options including the newly developed Queens Market Place and the resorts’ Kings Shops.
For more information visit http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=461
For more information visit http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com
“Travel with Stephanie Abrams” listeners can enter to win lands stay in properties in the US and abroad. To be eligible for selection you have to be a registered user online at www.travelers411.com. Users need to start a new thread in the destination category that corresponds to the current contest. To find out what the current contest is visit the contest forum. The thread must have the title “I want to go to” and the title of the destination. Winners will be announced on air and online.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463
Click here for the list of all contests available on http://www.travelers411.com
Camp Unleashed is a summer and early fall program that puts an emphasis on pets. During the summer, Camp Unleashed is held at Camp Becket which is part of the Becket Chimney Corners YMCA in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It is a half an hour north of Lee, Massachusetts.
Camp Unleashed is rustic vacation that allows guests to be with their dog. Dogs are permitted to be off-leash throughout the property. Guests stay in cabins and gather in the dining hall for meals. There is a large lake for swimming, boating, canine water sports and dock diving. Other camp activities include hiking, fly ball and Frisbee. None of the sports are competitive and the focus is as much on the animals’ enjoyment of the activities as the people’s.
Camp Unleashed has many repeat guests and fosters a strong sense of an animal-lovers community. Camp Owner Annie Brody invites many professionals on canine wellness to hold seminars during camp sessions. During the current session a master spinner is teaching guests how to spin dog hair into yarn.
Camp sessions are limited to 50 people. Each guest can bring up to two dogs. The small size allows the group to get to know one another over the course of the four days. Camp is held during the beginning of June and the beginning of September each year. Fall session 2009 is taking place September 4th through the 7th. Next summer’s camp is planned for June 10th through the 13th.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462
For more information visit http://www.campunleashed.com or call 518-781-0446
Fun Facts:
Mauna Kea is 14,000 feet tall and is the world’s largest mountain at sea level.
Guests Include:
Leanne Pletcher, Director of Public Relations, Hilton Waikoloa Village, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com
Dru Abrams, Creative Director, Travelers411 Family of Brands.
www.travelers411.com
Annie Brody, Founder and Owner, Camp Unleashed, Becket, Massachusetts.
www.campunleashed.com
