Vera Wang Suite at Halekulani

Sometimes, a room, or a suite, in a hotel gains so much fame, or notoriety, that it overshadows the hotel itself. This happens when Kings and Presidents stay in Presidential suites, or a famous actor or celebrity prefers to stay in a specific room, and sometimes, when a room is outlandish, such as the Godiva Decadence suite at the Bryant Park Hotel in New York City, which is entirely made of chocolate.

If you limit yourself to Honolulu hotels, only one name comes to mind - the Vera Wang Suite at the Halekulani Hotel, which, as the hotel itself says "is truly one of a kind. Immersed in understated and elegant décor, this one-bedroom suite features 2,135 sq. ft. of interior space, plus a 642 sq. ft. Oceanside lanai. Personally designed by Ms. Wang, The Vera Wang Suite at Halekulani is a timeless, totally original creation.

The hotel takes special care to ensure absolute privacy for the suite's occupants, and to top that off, the suite offers spectacular views of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. Both the master bedroom and the Lanai overlook the beach, and you won't find a better place for a honeymoon, or to celebrate your love, than in this suite, with the open sky, the stars, and the moon looking down on Diamond Head.

The suite has a 50" plasma television with a complete entertainment center, a deep soaking tub and a seperate glass-enclosed shower, private butler service, a special in-bed breakfast, and 24 hour in-room dining served in-suite or at the private Lanai. The Vera Wang suite guests get chauffeured to and from the airport in a private limousine, and are also offered exclusive in-suite spa treatments courtesy of SpaHalekulani. And also free internet, local calls, in-room safe, complimentary newspapers, business secreterial services, twice-daily turndown service, and VIP passes and services to the Honolulu Symphony, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Bishop Museum, The Contemporary Museum and Iolani Palace.

It's a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for common riffraf to stay at this suite. But anyway, its not like we go on Honolulu vacations every other year. So if you're willing to say, what the heck, let's just do it, then call (800) 367-2343 to make reservations.

Info: 2199 Kalia Road Honolulu Hawaii 96815; (808) 923-2311; www.halekulani.com/

Green Getaway At The Ambrose, Santa Monica

Located a block from the Wilshire business district and a few minutes away from the Pacific Ocean, the Ambrose hotel in Santa Monica bills itself as an enticing offer of a 'green experience' with guilt-free luxury Los Angeles vacations.

While Los Angeles does have its share of tree hugging do-gooders, its not as prominent on the environment friendly crusade as San Francisco, which has ultimate eco-friendly hospitality offerings like the LEED certified Orchard Garden. But now, Los angeles hotels have a green role model in the Ambrose, which got itself certified as the first ever LEED-EB (that's short for existing building) certified U.S. hotel. While it would be beyond the scope of this blog to explain what LEED is, let's just say that its the holy grail for being certified as a green outlet, building, service provider, etc. More details on their website - www.usgbc.org/leed/ and detailed info about the Ambrose hotel's green initiatives, certifications and green practices can be found here.

As far as amenities and services for guests are concerned, the hotel offers hybrid car rentals and preferred parking for hybrids, along with complimentary parking for for all guests in the hotel's secure underground parking lot. There's a free organic breakfast with Starbucks fair trade organic coffee for all guests, free hotel wide wi-fi, a recreation and exercise room, business center with meeting space, a lush Asian themed garden, concierge services and 24 hour in-room dining. The Ambrose also offers its guests complimentary transport around Santa Monica in biodiesel-fueled taxis and use of chauffeured limousines powered by alternative energy.

The 77 guest rooms are furnished and equipped with Italian bed linens, Aveda bath products, a mini bar with a choice selection of wines, beer and organic snacks and goodies. Some of the rooms have hardwood floors. Al rooms offer free wi-fi internet, DVD/CD players with surround sound, a complimentary USAToday, guest laundry and same day drycleaning. Rates from $239.

Info: 1255 20th Street Santa Monica CA 90404; (310) 315-1555; www.ambrosehotel.com/

Gas Card Specials From Hotel Cass Chicago

Stay one night at the Hotel Cass Chicago and get a $25 gas card, or stay 2+ nights and get a $50 gas card. Valid until Sept 3 2008. Click here for more details. The Cass is located steps from 'The Magnificient Mile', with shopping at over 460 retailers and 275 restaurants, which is Chi-town's equivalent of Fifth Ave in NYC. Rates from $199 (taxes extra).

Usually, most hotels offering gas cards would also be offering free parking. After all, the gas card really is more symbolic than anything else, and the savings on the gas are usually tucked away as add-ons somewhere else in your hotel bill, while making it seem like driving to the hotel is cheaper because of the gas card. If you're offering free parking, that enhances the impression. Point of all this babble is that Chicago hotels don't seem to get this concept, and the cussed Cass is charging a whopping $32 for self parking, and $45 for valet parking.

So anyway, what the Cass offers is hotel-wide complimentary internet (both wired and wireless), complimentary breakfast which includes bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy, alternate days of scrambled eggs or cheese omelets, and the hotel's signature cinnamon rolls, 24 hour complimentary coffee, tea, and juices in lobby along with daily newspaper, and a business center.

In-room amenities include a pillow top bed, flat screen HDTV, coffee maker with complimentary coffee, hairdryer, iron & ironing board, bath toileteries, an in-room safe and valet laundry service. Not saying the Cass is the best hotel for Chicago vacations, but it is does offer clean and spacious rooms, a sumptous free breakfast, and is willing to reimburse you for a part of your gas bill. The location isn't too shabby either. That's not so a bad deal, anyway which way you look at it.

Info: 640 North Wabash Avenue Chicago Illinois 60611; (312) 787-4030; www.casshotel.com/

Gassy Suite Nights Special at Alexander Hotel Miami Beach

Planning for Miami vacations with family? The Alexander Hotel, Miami Beach, which sits 'on' the beach at Collins Ave, is offering a Gassy Suite Nights special, which includes accomodations for 4 people in a junior 2-bedroom suite, $50.00 gas credit towards food & beverage, and daily breakfast for 4.

The suite includes living area, dining area, full kitchen, 2 full bathrooms, private balcony, master bedroom with a king or queen size bed, and a second bedroom with twin beds. Rates from $224.00 per night (taxes extra), with a 2 night minimum stay required. That comes to $528.24 for 2 nights, for a full family of four people, plus free breakfast and $50 credit for food & drinks. Package valid until Dec 24 2008. More details and online booking here.

Why call it a 'gas credit', when it can only be used for food and drinks? And you get breakfast free, anyway. Also, the $50 food and drinks credit is likely for the Shula's Steak House housed inside the Alexander, and you'll probably end up wiping out the credit in half a meal. Be that as it may, fact is that this is as good a deal as you're going to get at one of the comparable beachfront Miami hotels on Collins Avenue.

The Alexander, like most other Miami Beach oceanfront resorts, has a magnificient pair of lagoon shaped pools, with lush gardens and a cascading waterfall rounding up the impression of a tropical oasis. Two jacuzzis, private cabanas and al fresco dining and bar service add to the luxury. The hotel also offers its guests use of business and fitness centers, along with the Gianfranco Salon and Spa.

The all-suite hotel offers suites ranging fron 1000 to 1250 sq ft., , with balconies either overlooking the beach and the Atlantic, or the intracoastal waterway.

Info: 5225 Collins Avenue Miami Beach Florida 33140; (305) 865-6500; www.alexanderhotel.com/

See Seattle Package from Warwick Hotel

The Warwick Seattle Hotel is offering an all-inclusive Seattle vacations package called 'See Seattle', which includes overnight accommodations for two, American breakfast for two at the Brasserie Margaux restaurant, free parking, and 1 day Go Seattle Card for 2 adults ($98 value with unlimited admission to over 36 attractions in Seattle). Package costs $314, inclusive of all taxes and gratuities. Use promo code PACK2. For more details, call (800) 426-9280 or online booking here.

Let's see if we can break it up into individual compenents and see whether its a fair offer, as compared to other Seattle hotels. For starters, most hotels in Seattle offer free parking, so let's forget about that. Secondly, the breakfast is no biggie either. That leaves the room rates and the Go Seattle Card. If you buy each seperately, the card (for two) costs about $100. And a standard room at the Warwick costs about $154 plus taxes, which comes to about $178. So that's a total of $278 plus breakfast and parking ($27 at the hotel's parking garage), if you decide to buy all of it seperately.

Not much difference either way, whether you book the package or not. So should you buy the See Seattle package or not? On the Go Seattle Card website, it says the package costs $240, while on the Warwick's website, it says $314. I have a feeling the hotel might reduce the rate if you called up, so give it a shot.

Is the Warwick good enough to merit all this hassle? Well, its situated within walking distance of Pike Place Market and all the important things to do in Seattle for tourists. The Warwick also has an indoor heated swimming pool and whirlpool, sauna, fitness and business centers with over 2000 sq ft of meeting space, and internet access ($11 for one day, $20 for two).

Dining facilities include the aforementioned Brasserie Margaux, which serves American and European breakfast favourites including pancakes, French toast, eggs Benedict and Seattle-style standards, along with lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends. The Margaux Lounge is a full service bar offering burgers, salads, chowder and appetisers.

The hotel offers 230 guest rooms outfitted with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors which lead out to a private Juliet balcony, with views of the Seattle Space Needle or city skyline. Rooms also feature Italian marble bathrooms, wet bar with minibar or refrigerator, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, in-room safe, in-room complimentary coffee and tea, movie and games system and designer bath amenities.

Info: 401 Lenora Street Seattle Washington 98121; (206) 443-4300; www.warwickwa.com/