Miami Spa Month

Spa vacations aren't just spas and facials and massages and treatments. They're about luxury, pampering, relaxation and locale. If its a spa in the middle of a hectic urban jungle, that takes away a major part of the attraction. On the other hand, if the spa sits adjacent to a beach, with a view of the ocean, lost of sun and natural beauty, that adds up to a lot of relaxation and luxury and pampering.

Plus, if you add in the list of things to do in Miami - The shopping, dining, entertainment, the hot beaches and cool nightlife and happening palces like Lincoln Road - what you have is a spa vacation. Photo by Mr. Usaji via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Which is why a gaggle of the world's best spas are situated in Greater Miami and the beaches. These spas offer opulent luxury, spacious comfort and professional masseuses trained to cater to upscale customers. In short, these are facilities fit for royalty, and you'll be treated like a Queen.

To make the whole concept of taking a Miami spa vacation more worthwhile, Miami is celebrating a 'Spa Month' in July (http://www.miamispamonth.com/). For the whole month, a collection of select spas will be offering special treatments at $99, topped off with an additional 10% discount on add-on spa services.



The list of participating spas include the Aquagene Spa, Doubletree Ocean Point Resort & Spa, Aquanox, Trump International Beach Resort-Miami, The Boutique Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami, ESPA at Acqualina, Guerlain Spa at The Regent Bal Harbour, Jurlique Spa at the Mayfair Hotel and Spa, Le Spa at the Le Meridien Sunny Isles Beach, mySpa at the InterContinental Miami, The Ritz-Carlton Spa at Key Biscayne, The Ritz-Carlton Spa on South Beach, Spa Chakra at the Conrad Miami , The Spa at Doral at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, The Spa at The Setai, The Spa at The Shore Club, The Spa at Shula's at the Shula's Hotel & Golf Club, Spa Terre at The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, Spa V at Hotel Victor, Uhma Spa, and Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club.

Hotel Gas Rebate Packages

With the price of gas heading south, unpredictable summer weather promising to further increase the pressure on oil prices and hotels already reeling under an overall recession in the general economy, the Hospitality industry is coming out this year with novel inducements and package specials to woo travelers to book in. One of these inducements is a free gas card or rebate. ranging from $20 to $150, these rebates are meant to offset the additional cost of traveling the same distance this year, thus keeping hotels in the competition for long distance travelers. Here's a listing of some of the best offers.

Expedia $50 Gas Card: Get $50 for free gas from Expedia when you book a stay of 3 or more nights at participating U.S. and Canada hotels and pay using your MasterCard® card. More details here.

Hotels.com Gas Package: Book 3 nights or more between May 19, 2008 to July 6, 2008 and travel by Sept. 1, 2008. At booking, use code GAS50 A $50 gas card will be mailed to you after your trip. More details here.

Hilton San Diego Del Mar: Gas and Go package offers a $25 gift card, free self parking and breakfast buffet for two. This could be even more attractive, if rooms are available, considering that the San Diego County Fair is just around the corner. More details here.

Algonquin Hotel, NYC: Provided you drive into the City, the Ahistoric Algonquin offers a 15% discount on best available prices. You'll have to provide proof that you drove in by presenting a parking ticket upon check-in. More details here.

Personality Hotels, San Francisco: Personality Hotels, which runs 7 boutique hotels in San Francisco, is offering the "Bend Over Backwards, But Don't Pass Gas!" package featuring a $10 gas card for each overnight stay, complimentary parking and deluxe overnight accommodations. More details here.

Mayflower Park Hotel, Seattle: I don't really know much about the things to do in Seattle, but if you must go, then stay at the Mayflower Park and take advantage of the Guests Gas It Up Package, which offers classic or deluxe guestroom, $20 shell gas card for each night of stay and complimentary valet parking. More details here.

Sanborn Guest House Los Angeles

The Sanborn Guest House is a charming little Bed & Breakfast nestled in the shrubbery on Sanborn Ave in the Silverlake/Los Feliz neighbourhood in Los Angeles. This B&B is ideally situated just off Sunset Blvd for visitors who want to visit the many attractions and things to do in Los Angeles, including Hollywood, Universal Studios, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, the J. Paul Getty Center & Museum, Disneyland, Magic Mountain and for trips to and from the beaches.

Inspite of being in the middle of one of the most tourist friendly places in the world, the Sanborn Guest House sits in a quiet residential area, with neat houses and gardens. Run by two caretakers, Jaime and Gary, the Sanborn offers a guest room and a guest suite. Both are well furnished and equipped with centralized aiconditioning, private baths, television and VCR, wi-fi internet, telephone, ceiling fan, and queen size beds. Additionally, the Guest house offers use of a shared kitchen and a living room for guests, along with a gated parking lot. The house is furnished elegantly with a simplicity which one can only say reminds you of home, and so do the clean and comfortable rooms and all the books.

One quirky thing about this B&B is that while they offer you use of a kitchen, the cost of a prepared breakfast is not included in the booking charges. A minimum stay of 2 nights is required and no smoking or pets allowed inside the guest house. The guest room costs $75 or $95, depending on single/double occupancy, and the guest suite costs $89 or $115.

Info: 1005.5 Sanborn Avenue Los Angeles CA 90029; Online reservations; Contact