Hotels

…And maybe for your ideal spring break getaway, you start in Miami and head south, as far south as you can go in the United States: the Florida Keys.

The views from Highway 1 are said to be amazing, the fish fresh from the boat. And the accomodations? Many of them are pricey. But here are our top picks for the best budget hotels in the Florida Keys.

Key West is the most famous of the keys, and likewise the most expensive. For a truly budget experience, stay elsewhere and drive down to Key West as a daytrip. The drive from the farthest north Key Largo to the farthest south Key West is about 2 hours, so there’s a lot of ground to cover and explore.

Sunset Cove in Key Largo

Sunset Cove Beach Resort in Key Largo offers a wealth of arrangements, from cottages, suites and single rooms to RVs and Airstream trailers. Amenities include a barbeque pit, canoes and kayaks free for use by guests, and the occasional visit by pelicans and white herons. Rates start at $120 per night.

Bonefish thanks you for being a friend

For a mid-Keys experience, try the family-owned Bonefish Resort, with rooms as low as $89 a night. The rooms resemble Blanche’s decor in circa 1986 Golden Girls, but hey: it’s Florida. Dusty rose is going to happen.

Patio at the Southernmost Point Guest House

If only Key West will do, try Southernmost Point Guest House, a family-owned inn where high season rates range from $125 to $175 a night for a standard room. Unlike many Key West hotels and inns, the Southernmost welcomes children, a boon to traveling families.

If you’re stuck in the late winter chill, Miami probably sounds appealing for your week away. But if you’ve visited before, you know the city of sunshine ain’t cheap. Here are a few budget options for your visit.

Rooms at the Clay Hotel

The Clay Hotel wins Budget Travel’s seal of approval. Coated in pink paint and just steps away from the bustling nightlife of South Beach, this is our top pick if you’re in town, on the cheap, and looking for a party. Budget rooms with shared baths start as low as $62. The related Clay Hostel is even cheaper if you want to mingle with backpackers.

IKEA Showroom or Circa39 Hotel?

With its stenciled seagulls and crisp whites, breezy Circa39 Hotel took a page from the tropical version of an IKEA catalog. Rooms during high season land at around $240 per night, a decent deal for a boutique hotel in this location. Score a 20% discount if you book a March reservation online.

Just outside of Miami in Coral Gables, home of the University of Miami, the Holiday Inn Coral Gables won the budget hotel audience choice award over at Citysearch. Rooms are available for about $125 per night, and probably a good choice if you want to step out of the hustle and bustle of the city when you bed down for the night.

The Top 10 Green Ski Resorts Hotel Report is a look at where to stay if you visit one of the top 10 green ski resorts selected by the non-profit group Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition,

Robert Redford, Sundance Resort, Utah

Sundance Resort is pretty famous because of the celebrity connections — Robert Redford and the Sundance Film Festival. It’s also renown for a dedication to environmental stewardship and preservation, so it’s no surprise it made the Top Ten Green Ski Resorts list.

Guests at the resort can enjoy down hill and cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. You can attend a variety of nature programs, including a class about green practices, a clinic on nature photography, and a privately guided snowshoe tour. I wonder if Mr. Redford is ever the guide — I’m sure lots of ladies wish he would!

Ski at Sundance Resort, Utah

You can shop at the General Store, which is filled with “green” treasures from the Sundance catalog — actually the store inspired the catalog, but now most people think it’s the other way around. You can also get ski gear at the Mountain Outfitters store, or visit the gallery and take home an artistic memento of your visit.

Owl Bar, Sundance Resort, Utah

The restaurants are just as appealing. You can choose from the elegant Tree Room, to the more casual Foundry Grill that looks up at the 12,000-foot Mount Timpanogos, to the Owl Bar (or in Utah lingo, “a private club for members” i.e. you can get alcohol there) which boasts the actual bar from the joint where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid planned all those heists!

With all of these attractions, why would you want to stay anywhere besides at the resort?

Room range from:

Standard: $359/night, or Studio: $379/night

Standard room, Sundance Resort, Utah

• 450 square feet
• queen-sized bed
• coffee maker
• In addition to the above, a studio also has a fireplace and mini-fridge

Sundance Suites: $399/night

Sundance suite, Sundance Resort, Utah

• 700 square feet
• queen-sized bed
• fireplace
• patio
• small sitting area
• kitchenette

Mountain Suites: $399/night

Mountain suite, Sundance Resort, Utah

• 900 square feet
• Queen-sized bed in Master bedroom
• Fully equipped kitchen
• Living and dining area
• Fireplace
• Patio or deck

Mountain Lofts: $559/night

Mountain loft, Sundance Resort, Utah

Same as the Mountain Suites, but with the option of a King sized bed, plus a loft area for sleeping — kids love that!

If that’s not enough for you, there’s the option of moving up to a house which starts at $1359/night.

All photos courtesy of Sundance Resort

The Top Ten Green Ski Resorts

Aspen Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado
Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado
Sundance Resort – Utah
Park City Mountain Resort – Utah
Squaw Valley USA – California
Alpine Meadows Ski Area – California
Aspen Highlands Ski Resort – Colorado
Bogus Basin Mountain Resort – Idaho
Mount Bachelor Ski Area – Oregon
Telluride Ski Resort – Colorado

Election year has meant that Washington, D.C. has been an incredilby busy and crowded place. I love the city, though, and I really want to go back and visit again soon. Money’s tight though (not that this problem has ever stopped me from traveling before!), so my next trip will definitely find me sleeping in more modestly priced accomodations. Besides, who spends all of their time on vacation inside of a hotel room? There’s so much to see and do in a new place!

I’ve narrowed down my list of possible choices to these hotels in Washington D.C. Hopefull I have a winner!

15 Squares American Bistro at Renaissance

The name is definitely a mouth full, but your wallet will still be full after a stay here, too.

The Top 10 Green Ski Resorts Hotel Report is a look at where to stay if you visit one of the top 10 green ski resorts selected by the non-profit group Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition,

Number two on the list is Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort, known as the “easy” mountain in Aspen. This is where you come to learn to ski, hang out with the kids, or take a run or two before retiring to the lodge with a hot toddy and that cute hottie from the lift line.

In the spirit of indulgence, and since it helps to be rich if you want to go on a ski vacation to Aspen in the first place, here are three fabulous luxury hotels to make your stay in Aspen pampered and cozy.

The Library at the Hotel Jerome

The Jerome Hotel, Aspen, Colorado

Built in 1889, Hotel Jerome started out as an old school grand hotel. Through several renovations they’ve kept the charm and added luxury boutique hotel amenities like a fitness center, heated outdoor pool and in-room massage services. You can even get a ride to the slopes in a chauffeur-driven luxury SUV! (Yes, I know it’s not green, but it does sound nice!)

Jerome Hotel King Size Room

A favorite of celebrities, rates for the 94 rooms and suites start at $500/night and go up … way up!

Sky Hotel

Part of the Kimpton Chain, the Sky Hotel is a green hotel option in Aspen. It’s also a cool, hip, modern hotel where you can bring your dog, drink by the heated pool and hot tub, and oh, yeah, ski if you feel like it.

Sky Hotel, Aspen, Colorado

The rooms are pretty swank, too, with down duvets, L’Occitane bath products and iPod docks by the fireplace.

Sky Hotel Room

Depending on how flexible your dates are, you can find rooms as “low” as $350, but in general figure you’ll be paying around $500/night.

Hearthstone House

For a smaller, more intimate experience (”Please, no paparazzi!”) there is Hearthstone House. Just two blocks from the center of Aspen, this pretty, little Frank Llyod Wright-inspired building has an air of privacy and serenity.

Hearthstone House, Aspen, Colorado

Guests enjoy a continental breakfast in the morning, wine and cheese in the afternoon, the ubiquitous outdoor hot tub and an herbal steam room. Back in your room, you can play with nice smelling Aveda products in your whirlpool spa tub.

Hearthstone House Room

Rates during the winter season range from $250-$430.

The Top Ten Green Ski Resorts

Aspen Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado
Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado
Sundance Resort – Utah
Park City Mountain Resort – Utah
Squaw Valley USA – California
Alpine Meadows Ski Area – California
Aspen Highlands Ski Resort – Colorado
Bogus Basin Mountain Resort – Idaho
Mount Bachelor Ski Area – Oregon
Telluride Ski Resort – Colorado

Photos: courtesy of Hotel Jermone, Sky Hotel and Hearthstone House

South Beach in Miami, Florida

I’ve written about Hotel Indigo before – the one here in Atlanta – and anybody who read that post knows how much I adore that hotel. It’s so pretty and fresh and clean looking, and it even has a cute little bar and lounge area off the lobby which is a fun place to hang out.

Well, I just found out that Hotel Indigo Miami Lakes opened earlier this month, and as I’m planning a trip to Miami in the near future, I am very excited about this! The hotel has 86 rooms and it used to be the Don Shula Golf Club. I have to admit, all the palm trees surrounding the hotel give it a very inviting feel, and the tropical colors remind you of how close you are to the water. This hotel has a restaurant on site called Phi, which looks great. There’s a pool, too, which is even more of a must for Florida hotels than here in Atlanta; Florida summers feel like you’re walking around in a boiling sponge most of the time. And check out the location – right next to the championship Senator Golf Course and the delectable Don Shula Steakhouse. You’ll be pretty close to South Beach too.

I learned something new about the Hotel Indigo brand, too – they offer something called Seasonal Renewal. In the hotel’s public areas, changes will be made to the scents, music, artwork, murals and signage four times a year to complement the changing seasons. How neat!  That means that even the most frequent visitors will have something to look forward to on their next visit.

Three more Hotel Indigo’s are set to open later this year in Miami Beach, St. Petersburg and Ft. Meyers, so stay tuned for info about those as well.

Photo Credits: Heather0714,

It finally rained in San Francisco, which means snow in the Sierra. Since people who love to ski and snowboard also usually love the environment, I was curious about the green credentials of some of the big resorts. I was excited to find a really well researched list of the Top 10 Green Ski Resorts in the West.

The list is put out by non-profit group Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition. The organization works to keep environmental concerns at the forefront of ski area managers. They use a heavy-duty weighted criteria to grades resorts, reviewing everything from how well the resort stays within the existing footprint, to preserves environmentally sensitive areas, to energy conservation practices.

Of course, since I’m not a snow bunny –  I’d rather hang out by the fireplace in the hotel lobby and sip a hot toddy or three — I decided to check out the hotel situation at these ten resorts, which are spread across California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Utah.  Over the next week I’ll tell you about the resorts and give you budget, moderate and luxury hotel options in the area.

Starting at the top, the greenest ski resort of 2008/2009 is...Aspen Mountain Ski Resort in Aspen, Colorado.

Aspen Mountain has some of the craziest steep powder in Aspen. They don’t have any “easy” trails. It’s for hardcore downhill skiers and snow boarders, a.k.a. dudes who shred.

And what about the hotels? Aspen has tons of lodging options, including:

Budget: Mountain Chalet

Budget Room at the Mountain Chalet

It’s a simple place, but it offers laundry, locker room, internet access, sauna and steam rooms, and a heated outdoor pool. It’s heavy on the social areas, so a good choice for the hostel-type of crowd.  A “budget room” has two queen beds or two single beds, a TV and small fridge, but no A/C, and costs $105-$240/night, depending on when in the season you go. Serious ski bums just looking for a place to crash can get a bunk for $70 to $85/night.

Moderate: Aspen Mountain Lodge

Four-story fireplace at the Aspen Mountain Lodge

This traditional lodge has 38 rooms, over four floors. The rooms themselves are about average — wet bar and refrigerator, cable TV with VCR, direct dial phones, a CD stereo, bathrobes, a coffee maker, and internet access. The big appeal is the 40 foot high river-rock fireplace in the atrium. Winter rates for a standard room range from $146 to $276/night.

Luxury: Mountain House Lodge

A standard room at the Aspen Lodge

If you’re willing to spend a little more so you can enjoy relaxing in the privacy of your own room, take a look at the Mountain House Lodge. A standard room includes two queen bed, cable t.v., refrigerator and a phone. Most rooms also have decks, and are big enough for a sitting area. Winter rates range from $189-$299/night.

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy

With this trip to Dallas, Texas, our series based on Sarah Vowell’s excellent Assassination Vacation comes to a close.

Despite several documented attempts, only four U.S. presidents have been assassinated: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy. And not every man died from his bullet: both Garfield and McKinley died from infections days after being attacked.

In Dallas you’ll likely center your trip around a visit to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the former Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald aimed his gun at the passing motorcade–unless you believe alternate theories.

Before you check out the grassy knoll, drop off your bags at one of these fine establishments:

Rooftop Pool at The Joule

The Joule lives up to its name, with impeccable design, a restored 1920’s facade and a rooftop cantilevered pool. Must be fancy: the Jonas Brothers and Martin Scorcese attended the grand opening–imagine that conversation.

Guests rave about the warm, personal service and luxurious details: in-room phones connect directly to a personal shopper at nearby Neiman Marcus, and Charlie Palmer at The Joule is just downstairs. Rates start at around $275 per night.

Hotel Lumen at Night

Pet-friendly Hotel Lumen is just across from the Southern Methodist University campus, which probably accounts for its status as the hip young thing of Dallas hotels. The stylish boutique property (part of the Kimpton chain) is small, with fewer than 60 rooms, and within a quick walk of the bars and restaurants in the Park Cities area. It’ll set you back about $169 a night

If you’re planning a trip, check out Dallas flights.

Luxury Link home page

For the brave traveler, an auction site can be a great way to get under-market prices on air fares and hotel rooms. But, while we all love a good Bill Shatner commercial, Priceline is geared toward more affordable travel arrangements.

So what to do if you need a room in at an ultra-luxury property, but don’t want to pay full price in this buyers market? Head over to Luxury Link.

The auction site offers deals on sumptuous hotels in locations all over the world. In addition to special offers and packages, you can bid on auctions for rooms at major U.S. destinations like Los Angeles, New York and Florida.

If the prices are still out of range for your travel budget, Luxury Link is great for developing future travel wishlists, one of my favorite lazy afternoon pass-times.

After all, the secret to a great vacation is thorough research and planning. Someday, when I win the lottery/ write a best-selling novel, I’ll be ready to log on to Luxury Link and organize my spa-beach-ski vacation in minutes!

Gettysburg National Park

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It’s one of our country’s most famous historic sites,  and understandably so. During the first few days of July, 1863, one of the Civil War’s most important battles was faught here, at great loss of life. The Union won the Battle of Gettysburg, but if they hadn’t today’s world might look considerably different. Take trip back in time and visit – and stay – in Gettysburg, where virtually every field you walk upon was or was once a graveyard, and where virtually every church and public building had been made into a makeshift hospital. It’s a fascinating, sad, spooky and very sobering place to take in some remarkable history.

Quality Inn at General Lee’s Headquarters

This hotel is a consistent award winner, part of which has to do with its great location overlooking the Gettysburg Battlefield. You’ll be sleeping next to where General Lee had his headquarters, which adds a fun historic element. The hotel is actually just outside the actual town of Gettysburg, but the advantage to this is that, if you visit during peak tourist season, you won’t have to deal with all the hustle and bustle as much. All rooms have been updated, and there are some nice perks: free admission to General Lee’s headquarters, a free continental breakfast, and you can get picked up for the Battlefield Tour directly at the hotel. Book as early as possible, this hotel fills up very quickly! Rates start around $115 for the spring season.

Brickhouse Inn (Bed & Breakfast)

If you’re looking for a really nice hotel smack in the middle of Gettysburg, the Brickhouse Inn could do the trick. It’s a gorgeous, 1898 Victorian that has eight rooms for guests. Next door, the Welty House has five additional rooms; the Welty House took some bullets during the Battle, and you can still see the scars in the brick! All of the rooms at the Brickhouse have beautiful, original wood floors, cable tv and, in most rooms, there’s wireless Internet too. Rates are $139-$179 depending on whether or not you choose a suite with a private porch. Some rooms have claw-foot tubs! You can’t do much better than this if you’re planning a trip to Gettysburg National Park.

Brafferton Inn

I would love to stay here the next time I visit Gettysburg! The Brafferton was built in 1786, which gives it enough of a “wow” factor to outweigh pretty much anything. In this case though, there’s not much to not love, it’s a great hotel. The Brafferton is Gettysburg’s oldest continually operating residence, and it’s located just a short walk from all of the quaint shops, stores and restaurants in downtown Gettysburg. You can choose from 18 rooms, 6 of which are suites. Rates are $115-$215 depending on the room.

Photo Credits: Kable