I consider myself “lucky” to have had the opportunity to stay at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. Granted, I was 5 months pregnant at the time with my first baby, so I was happy to be anywhere before the baby arrived. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a STELLAR place to stay. Locate within the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Resort property is the modern-day, luxurious (but not-over-the-top) THEhotel.

Over-sized one-bedroom suites populate the 43-story hotel right on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. With the access to all of the amenities of Mandalay Bay including the Shark Reef Aquarium and Mandalay Bay Beach, guests can escape to the luxury of their 725+ square foot suites. On-site at THEhotel is The Bathhouse, a European-style spa with elite clientele. The Bathhouse spa is adorned with slate walls, exotic baths, and the ultimate in relaxation services.

The Bathhouse Spa at THEhotel, Las Vegas, NV

Current room rates start at just $120/night, suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows, separate living and bedrooms, and 42″ plasma televisions. Bathrooms are decorated with marble-top counters and separate tubs and showers.  These well-appointed rooms are perfect for couples looking for a romantic getaway in Sin City, staying on the Strip with access to all of the best amenities of a large resort.

3970 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Photo courtesy: THEhotel

Seeing as I’m a Florida native (lived in Florida since I was 2, so that totally counts), Fall foliage season is one of those myths we hear about, but never get to see (like snow) unless we take a trip up north of the border. One of my favorite places “up north” is Asheville, North Carolina. It’s small, stuck in the mountains (real! live! mountains!), very laid back, and it has real! live! seasons! For us in Florida, we don’t have a Fall foliage, or really, any sort of massive leaf-color-changing time. Sure, we have a few trees around that change from green to red, but that’s about it.

Seeing the Fall foliage and leaves changing is one of those things every human needs to witness for themselves. Asheville is one of those easy places to get to from all over the east coast, and Asheville is plentiful in hotel rooms.

Biltmore House Fall Foliage, Asheville, North Carolina

Much of the changing leaves can be see within the city limits of Asheville, but a short drive into the mountains reveals vistas of color changes begging to be photographed.

Biltmore Village Inn
Touted as the “closest B&B to Biltmore House, this cottage offers ongoing specials and deals for visitors on romantic getaways. It’s hard to find a negative review of this near-perfect lodging establishment, and when you’re surrounded by the beauty that is Asheville during the Fall foliage season, you want the best.
119 Dodge Street,
Asheville, NC 28803

Holiday Inn Asheville-Biltmore East
An award-winning hotel on the Blue Ridge Parkway with views of the mountains and easy-access to more Fall foliage viewing. Like the name suggests, this hotel is close to the famed Biltmore House where photographers dream of taking their best shots.
1450 Tunnel Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805

Homewood Suites by Hilton
The list of stellar guest reviews speak for themselves at this location. The hotel sits within walking distance of much of downtown Asheville, and the just a short car ride to Biltmore House.
88 Tunnel Road
Asheville, NC 28805

Photo courtesy: Romantic Asheville

Homewood Suites is putting up a quacky new float at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As part of the celebration, Homewood guests have a chance to win parade tickets and a family trip to New York with a free stay at the Hilton Times Square.

Homewood Suites Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float

From now through Oct 17, guests booking online with Homewood Suites will be entered for a chance to win a trip for four to New York City. Winner gets a 4 night-stay at the Hilton Times Square for a family of four, a $3,500 gift card to cover the travel costs, and VIP grandstand tickets for the parade. You can also enter the contest online without having to book a stay.

The 46 feet long Homewood Suites ‘On The Roll Again’ float depicts a family of ducks on a family getaway. The father duck, Lewis, is shown wearing a dapper hat and lugging a backpack, followed by mother duck Lois and the kids. As Lois gets her camera ready to capture the memories, the ducklings behind start flapping their wings from atop a wagon piled high with luggage.

Lewis the Duck is actually the Homewood Suites mascot, and they even have a children’s book series based on Lewis’ adventures. Three books currently available include “Lewis the Duck and His Long Trip,” “Lewis Goes to Canada,” and “Lewis Goes to Mexico.”

Amy Kule, producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said in a statement that “Macy’s and Homewood Suites share a commitment to the whole family and this float promises to be a spectacular new addition to this year’s Parade line-up.”

In addition to the roomy ‘home-like’ studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, the over 300 Homewood Suites locations also offer an on-site Suite Shop convenience store, complimentary grocery shopping services, a business center and laundry services.

All of this is in addition to the complimentary full hot breakfast and evening dinner and drinks, and complimentary high-speed internet in every Homewood Suites location in the US.

More info: http://HomewoodSuites.com/Macys & www.macys.com/parade

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Holiday Travel – Busiest Thanksgiving Airports

If you happen to see a 7 foot long bed in your room at the Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel, blame it on FIBA – that’s a French acronym for the International Basketball Federation.

Renaissance Polat Istanbul

That’s because hotels in Turkey are being forced to replace their beds to accommodate hundreds of basketball players.

Apparently, 6 ft 6 in is the average height of the 288 players from 24 nations who landed up in Istanbul yesterday for the competition’s opening.

The Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel is the official FIBA hotel for the 2010 World Basketball Championship, so they have more than their fair share of basketball players.

In addition to the 100 new extra-long beds that the hotel has ordered, they’re also adding bed extensions to existing beds.

The 27-story Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel offers 414 rooms overlooking the Marmara Sea, and is located 5 minutes from Ataturk International Airport and 20 minutes from the city center.

It also has 6 restaurants and bars, a health club with indoor and outdoor pools, a salon, ATM, florist and a convinience store. They also do daily housekeeping and evening turndown.

Team USA, however, is not slumming it with the rest of the Group B teams (Croatia, Brazil, Tunisia, Slovenia & Iran) at the Renaissance Polat Istanbul. Instead, the USA basbetball team is enjoying the luxury of the Four Seasons. Their accommodation costs for the competition work out to around 1 million Euros.

Team USA FIBA 2010

Inspite of all the hoop-la and expense, Team USA has not struck gold at FIBA since 1994. Here’s hoping they’ll be able to break the jinx this year, starting with the first match on Saturday against Croatia, and work their way up to the finals on Sept 12, 2010. If they don’t, I’m sure we can find them a nice comfy motel for the next FIBA Championship in Barcelona in 2014.

Photos: Team USA – RMTip21; Renaissance Polat courtesy hotel

Info: Sahilyolu Cad. No:2 Yesilyurt  Istanbul 34149 Turkey; Tel: 90 212 4141800; website

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USA Beats Italy in FIFA 2010 World Cup… Lodging Fight