PerriHouse Bed & Breakfast Inn Orlando

The PerriHouse Bed & Breakfast Inn is located inside a bird sanctuary located a few minutes' drive away from DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. If you get a bit tensed up by the hustle and bustle of the dazzling range of things to do in Orlando and with the buzz and thrills inside the theme parks, the PerriHouse is a perfect way to unwind and relax with a pond, a small birdhouse musuem and observation paths to watch the woodpeckers and hawks and herons that inhabit and fly in to the 15 acres off sanctuary that surround the Inn.

The Inn itself is kind of a laid back place, with four poster platform beds and fireplaces. A far cry from the luxury resorts that dot the landscape around and inside DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. Of course, there's also a take associated with this give. Meaning that when you get a $99 room in a scenic and peaceful location a few minutes' drive from one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, there's got to be a few downsides.

For starters, its not within walking distance of anything. Second, there seems to be a problem with the service, which is as laid back as the Inn itself. And the grounds are not all that well maintained. Most of the rooms are pretty small, and had it not been for the scenic and central location, definitely not worth $130 or more.

These downsides are probably offset if you ask for a suite in the new Villa de Perri, which can accomodate upto 6 people with a seperate living and dining area, and a full size modern kitchen. All the 8 guest rooms are equipped with private entrances and private baths. In-room amenities include a television with VCR and free movies from the library, hardryer and bathrobes, use of the common kitchen if you wish to cook, and a Continental breakfast from 8 to 11 am.

Hotel amenities include a library, a nice outdoor pool and jazuzzi, with a sundeck.

Info: 10417 Vista Oaks Court Lake Buena Vista FL 32836; (800) 780-4830; www.perrihouse.com/

Canyon Ranch Miami Beach Hotel & Spa

Coming soon to Miami, later in 2008, is an aberration of a hotel - Canyon Ranch Miami Beach Hotel & Spa. Aberration because in a city which prides itself on its gross decadence and overt consumption, not to mention alcohol binges and cocaine fueled parties, the Canyon Ranch's signature offering is peace and quiet and an atmosphere of calmness which goes against the very definition of Miami hotels.

A hotel in Miami exists for one, and one reason only - To push their guests off the edge, in terms of crossing over from an 'ordinary' life into the party zone that blankets the City. The Canyon Ranch, on the other hand, aims to bring their hard-partying guests back to reality with a dose of bodily and spiritual rejenuvation. With the kinds of things to do in Miami, the Canyon Ranch is likely going to be kept very busy 'rejunevating' visitors and locals.

Not that they're not materialistic. A night at the Canyon Ranch Miami Beach will cost you a minimum of $650. And for this, you get a waterfall which is meant to convey a message of peace and joy and stuff like that. You get an ice cave, and Yoga pavilions and other stuff which is all meant to squeeze the party animal out of your brain, leaving it drained and bringing you down to reality with a loud thud.

But these are just the accessories. The main tools are the hotel, the guest rooms and the spa. A spectacular lobby designed by David Rockwell awaits you, awash in natural scents, with a 4 stoory suspended mangrove scupture above and polished stone and shell floors below. Thr 150 luxurious guest rooms, all structured to offer specatular views of the ocean, the intracoastal waters and the City. Inside lies an oasis of luxury and state-of-the-art hospitality offerings, with marble baths, a designer kitchen attached to one and two bedroom suites, fine linens and even more fine bedding.

The 70,000 sq ft Wellness Spa has every possible massage and body treatments available, not to mention a rock climbing wall and a full service gym, along with things you might never even have heard of. Its all more than enough to rejunevate a dead body and push in a soul into it and make it stand upright and head for South beach.

Dining options will include the oceanview Canyon Ranch Grill serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the lobby Carillon Cafe for socializing and a quick break, the Conservatory which offers organic tea in a calming atmosphere by exotic greenery and wooden shutters, the pool side Cabana with juices and smoothies, and EEZZ's juice bar located next to the spa reception.

Two other branches of the Canyon Ranch are already in existence in Tucson AZ and Lenox, MA.

Info: 6801 Collins Ave Miami Beach FL 33141; (800) 742-9000; www.canyonranch.com/

Gas Rebate Summer Package from Hotel Sax Chicago

Hotel Sax Chicago has a summer special package which includes a $50 stored value card from BP/Amoco, along with complimentary parking. Offer valid until September 1 2008. Package rates from $259. More details here.

The hotel is situated on the Chicago River at Marina City in the heart of downtown Chicago, close to North Michigan Avenue shopping, Loop theaters and businesses and the best of the touristy things to do in Chicago.

With the House of Blues next door, the Sax, as the name implies, has a distinctly musical bent to all its offerings and to the look and the feel inside the hotel. Its not really funky, but more like an attempt to be in sync with the hipsters. Let's just say that its kind of like upscale luxury with a designer who may have slightly exceeded his brief - The kind of rooms and service which would appeal to extrovert performers and their groupies. Not that I don't, but just so you know....

Take the Crimson Lounge, for example. Rich and luxurious, upscale and costly, cocktail menu, a unique VIP bottle service, and a DJ who tends to forget that its supposed to be a place to relax and have some quiet conversation. End result is that the Lounge is a cross between a hot nightspot and a luxury hotel cocktail lounge.

The guest rooms at the Sax, again, are spacious, extremely well designed and impeccably maintained, with luxurious furnishings including 42" flat-panel HDTVs and 320-count Egyptian cotton sheets on large King or queen beds, and spacious bathrooms with a large deep-soak bathtub make it a definitive pleasure to stay in. But.. the hotel seems to have some sort of tie-up with Microsoft, and the best rooms, large European sized with rich wood paneled walls, are available only on the 6th floor, near a studio which displays the Microsoft powered gadgets.

Inspite of the somewhat unnerving effort to be 'different', the Sax still comes across as a pretty neat place to put up at when you're in Chi-town, with its location, the high quality amenities and personalized service and the A-grade rooms. Which, in the end, is what a hotel is all about.

Info: 333 N Dearborn St Chicago, IL 60610; (312) 245-0333; www.hotelsaxchicago.com/

Sacramento Summer Package From Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza

Family summer holiday in Sacramento? Look no further. The Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza in Downtown Sacramento is offering a "Historic Sacramento Railroad Museum Summer Package" for $154 on weekends and $199 on weekdays. Includes overnight accomodation, admission for two adults to the Railroad Museum (children ages 16 and under admitted free to Museum), and breakfast for two adults (children ages 12 and under stay and eat free). More details and booking information here.

With the best attractions and things to do in Sacramento bunched around it, the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza is a prime destination for both business travelers and families visiting Sacramento on vacation. The State Capitol Building is steps away from the hotel. The historic treasures and tourist attractions of Old Sacramento, including the Railroad Musuem, lie just 2 blocks from the hotel.

As far as amenities and services for guests are concerned, the hotel has vast and cavernous spaces to accomodate large groups of upto 1000 people. 15,000 sq ft of meeting space, five meeting rooms, an outdoor pool, fully equipped fitness center, valet parking, a comfortable concierge lounge with a flatscreen television and an expansive view of the city are some of the perks of booking a room at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza.

The guest rooms are equally spacious, with complimentary high speed internet, large work desks, free morning newspaper, cable TV, coffee and tea maker, pillowtop bedding, iron & ironing board, and solid wooden floors and a lush ambience with large windows with ornate drapes and deep comfortable couches.

Dining and room service is taken care of by the Cyprus Grille Restaurant which has a casual atmosphere and ofers breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with great views of the city. The hotel also has a full service bar in the lounge mentioned above. In addition, the area is home to a lot of famed restaurants serving California cuisine, including the Firehouse restaurant, River City Brewery and Joe’s Crab Shack.

Info: 300 J Street Sacramento CA 95814; (916) 446-0100; www.sacramentohi.com/

Las Vegas Treasure Island Summer Solstice Offer

Treasure Island Las Vegas has a special Summer Solstice offer with rates from $89 per night based on single or double occupancy and a two night minimum stay. Offer includes free lunch when you purchase one for 'The Buffet at TI', free drink when you purchase one at Kahunaville Party Bar, free VIP viewing access for the Sirens of TI show, $22 Credit at 'WET - The Spa & Salon at TI', and a bonus of $15 Casino Free Play®.

Offer valid from July 1, 2008 through September 3, 2008. Book before Aug 1 2008. More details about the package and booking information available here.

The deluxe guest rooms that come with this package offer floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Las Vegas Strip, Sirens Cove, or sunset over the Spring Mountain range. Each room features one King or two Queen beds, marble bathroom, handcrafted furniture, in-room safe, and high speed internet access.

Not that there's any shortage of things to do in Las Vegas and the Strip, but in addition to the famed and dazzling variety of gaming, entertainment and dining options available at TI, amenities offered to guests include a magnificient and newly renovated pool with plush ottoman seating and double chaise lounges poolside, along with a 25 person hot tub for frolic and fun. Weekends at the pool, from 2 pm to 7 pm, are even more entertaining with a mix of top 40, reggae and party music from DJ Mike Kleid. Private cabanas with LCD TV and private host are also available.

For shopaholics, TI is connected to the Fashion Show Shopping mall by way of a pedestrian bridge, showcasing upscale department stores, in addition to more than 200 specialty shops.

Info: 3300 S. Las Vegas Blvd.Las Vegas NV 89109; (800) 288-7206; www.treasureisland.com/

Cheap Hotels in Anaheim

Thinking about a family vacation in Anaheim? How about that excellent good neighbour participating hotel? Yeah, that sounds good. So does $2000 - To the Disney guys and the hotels and the airline guys and the restaurants, and the...

Well, you get the point, I think. Which is that blowing $2000 on a few days in Anaheim is child's play. Unfortunately, the Disneyland resort in Anaheim is the one place your child really would like to play in this summer. So... So, what we need is cheap and decent lodgings, to offset the costs of going to, and enjoying all the things to do in Anaheim.

Which brings to the top 10 list of cheap Anaheim hotels. Using this link, you can search for hotels costing between $50 and $150. Listed below is what I got from my search. Bear in mind that this list won't include some hotels which might offer rooms for $60 or $50, but could possibly turn out to be rat or roach infested dumps. So I've filtered out the list to offer only those which I know for sure will be fairly decent and comfortable, if not luxurious.

Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Anaheim Resort - Rates from $84 at the Hojo Anaheim. 1380 S. Harbor Blvd. Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 776-6120; www.hojoanaheim.com/

Candy Cane Inn - Rates from $97 at this Inn. 1747 South Harbor Blvd. Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 774-5284; www.candycaneinn.net/

Anabella Hotel Anaheim - Rates from $110 at the Anabella. 1030 W Katella Ave Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 905-1050; www.anabellahotel.com/

Fairfield Inn Anaheim Disneyland Resort - Rates from $119 at this resort. 1460 South Harbor Boulevard Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 772-6777; Web link

Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort - Rates from $119 at the Sheraton Park, formerly known as the Coast Hotel. 1855 South Harbor Boulevard Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 750-1811; Web link

Carousel Inn and Suites - Rates from $140 at the Carousel. 1530 S. Harbor Boulevard Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 758-0444; www.carouselinnandsuites.com/

Best Western Park Place Inn and Mini Suites - Rates from $99 at this Best Western. 1544 S. Harbor Boulevard Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 776-4800; www.parkplaceinnandminisuites.com/

Tropicana Inn and Suites - Rates from $99 at the Tropicana Inn. 1540 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 635-4082; www.tropicanainn-anaheim.com/

Park Vue Inn - Rates from $121 at the Park Vue Inn. 1570 S. Harbor Boulevard Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 772-3691; www.parkvueinn.com/

Sheraton Anaheim Hotel - Rates from $124 at the Sheraton. 900 South Disneyland Drive Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 778-1700; Web link

Pacific Beach San Diego Vacation Cottages

If you've ever tried booking a hotel room in San Diego near the Convention Center when the crowd from the San Diego County Fair starts overlapping with the July 4th holiday visitors, you'll know that its not only difficult, its darn near impossible. For Comic-Con 2008, people are booking rooms as far away as Mission Beach and further. Every year, the first week of July, the number of people and the number of things to do in San Diego goes up sharply. This is where necessity promotes innovation in the form of beach cottages aka vacation homes.


While there's a huge number of choices available in terms of vacation homes, you can filter it down two levels - First, located slam-bang on the beach, and second, located slam-bang on Pacific Beach. Which brings us to the 'Beach Cottages' (http://www.beachcottages.com/), a family owned enterprise which offers one and two bedroom Cottages, Apartments, Studios, Suites and Motel Rooms - All fully furnished and all except the motel rooms come with attached kitchens, again fully equipped.

White walls, tiled roofs, private patios with a tiny table and nice chairs and an umbrella for enjoying the view of the ocean, which is just across the cottage compund. Its centrally located, with the boardwalk, the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld San Diego only minutes away. A 1 bedroom ocean front cottage capable of accomodating upto four people goes for $305 per night. Motel rooms are around $150 and a two bedroom, two bathroom suite comes at $365. Photo credit & copyrights - Beach Cottages, 4255 Ocean Blvd Pacific Beach San Diego CA 92109; (858) 483-7440

Compare all this with a boxed room in a luxury hotel where you'll likely pay twice this amount and the only additional thing you get is room service, and you'll never sleep in a hotel room again. Vacation homes rock, and its my guess that more and more people will be using them instead of hotels as prices go south and the economy slows down.