$76 rooms at the Villa Brasil Motel in Los Angeles

If you're fond of the tango, then now might be a good time to start tangoing. Because I found you the only true Brazilian digs in Los Angeles. That's right. Out of all the hundreds of Los Angeles motels, the Villa Brasil Motel on 11740 Washington Blvd is the only one which offers an authentic Brazilian lodging experience in the City.

That's because you get 2 for the price of 1. In addition to the 18 airconditioned guest rooms, there's also the Cafe Brasil restaurant right next door, which dishes out totally authentic Brazilian cuisine.

As for the motel itself, in addition to free wireless acess, you also get free satellite digital flat screen TV which provides the Rede Globo (Brazilian channel) in addition to the usual HBO, CNN, TNT, ESPN, Discovery, National Geographic, adult and local channels, and so on.

Amenities offered include free parking, maid service, kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, breakfast bar and a complimentary fruit basket. Every room has a Queen size bed and full bathroom. Double bed rooms are also available. The manager is on site 24 hrs.

And in spite of all this, and in spite of having a location ideally suited as a base for vacations in Los Angeles, the motel is still surprisingly cheap, and offers rooms for $76.

Info: 11740 Washington Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90066; (310) 636-0141; www.villabrasilmotel.com/

Lodging meets Art at the Gershwin Hotel in New York

There's very few New York hotels which can match the Chelsea for sheer Bohemian panache and a long history of putting art over commerce. One of them happens to be the Gershwin Hotel on East 27th St, which is now a 100 years old, and still has a 'artist in residence' program.

The artists for 2009 are Mark Webber, painters Elma Alkema & Tina Oelker, with special selections being Siren Deluxe and Yandell Walton.

And the rates offered by the Gershwin start even lower than those charged by the New York motels and hostels. Fabuloso bunk beds for $45-$55, the 'Essential' with a double size bed and basic essentials for $109-$185, Le Standard which has a bit more in the form of amenities than the Essential type (such as a slightly larger room with wireless internet, etc.) for $179-$275.

For those upwardly mobile artists who preer a little more luxurious quarters, the Gershwin offers 'Superior' rooms with a comfortable reading area, designer chairs and artsy lighting for betweem $199-$355.

If you're in a group or have a family, then the Gershwin offers 'Family & Friends' accomodations from $329-$455 with seperate sleeping areas for added privacy and comfort. If you're entertaining a special someone and want to show your taste and class, then the Gershwin's suites are available for $299-$405, equipped with refrigirators and all the things you need to enjoy an extended stay in a hotel suite with a very individualistic touch and decor.

Common services and ameniteis offered to guests, regradless of chocie of guest room, include wireless internet, airconditioning, hair dryers, iron & board, safe deposit boxes, discount parking and baby-sitting and laundry services. The last two have add-on charges applicable.

The Gershwin might be a good place to set up base and get to know the landscape, so to speak, if you're a European artist coming for the first time to New York. Especially so if you're French. The Gershwin has a real spot spot pour Le Francais...

Info: 7 East 27th Street New York NY 10016; (212) 545-8000; www.gershwinhotel.com/

Hotel room with a view in Ocean Beach

What's so special about a hotel room with a view of the ocean? Well, for starters, if you can see the ocean from your room, then it's likely to be a beachfront hotel, and those carry a lot of advantages. Like, it's easy to walk over to the beach...

So anyway, the subject at hand is to discuss the merits of the rather cheap Ocean Beach Hotel, which offers a full unblocked view of the ocean, is located on the beach in Ocean Beach, which is one of the more popular beach communities. So you can enjoy the full pleasure of the San Diego beaches at the Ocean Beach Hotel without having to fork over your entire 401(k).

FYI, far as I know, the beach on Ocean Beach is the only one which offers a 'Dog Beach'. The section to the north end of the beach is open for dog owners to allow their pets to run leash-free. So imagine you're a city-slicker and your dog is totally frustrated with being cooped up in the high-rise condo all day long. Wouldn't it be fun to enjoy your San Diego vacations at the Ocean Beach Hotel, where any time your dog gets antsy, you just hop over to the north end of the beach and let him run wild, with the wind and spray in his face, and paws digging into the soft wet sand. I betcha your dog will never want to leave.

Oh, and if you're a tackler, you can enjoy fishing on the Ocean Beach Pier, where it's legal for anyone to fish even without a valid California fishing license. The view of the ocean from the 1 mile long pier, is, to say the least, magnificent.

As for the Ocean Beach Hotel itself, well, you get complimentary wi-fi, free parking, guest laundry services, microwave, iron and board, refrigerator, hair dryer, and morning coffee in the lobby. It is, of course, pet friendly.

Not that there ain't other hotels and motels in San Diego which offer all this. Sure there's plenty of hotels, cheap motels and vacation rentals lining the beachfront in Ocean Beach. But most of them will take your shirt, and then send you a bill for the rest. And those that are affordable are usually places where you wouldn't stay even if they paid you to do so.

Which is why the Ocean Beach Hotel stands out as a decent ands cheap alternative, with rates from $119.95 onwards. For this rate, you get a room steps away from the beach with a Queen bed and French Provincial furnishings. Complimentary parking, free wi-fi and all the other stuff mentioned above comes with the room.

Info: 5080 Newport Avenue San Diego CA 92107; (619) 223-7191; www.obhotel.com/

Rise and Dine at the 71 Hotel in Chicago

Looking for old world hospitality and charm in a stylishly different hotel? Try the Hotel 71 in Chicago. It is located on the Chicago River at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue (Magnificent Mile), which means that a middle-of-the-road Hotel 71 has to fight for it's survival. There's luxury chain hotels beating down from one side, and the budget offerings of the Chicago motels and hostels stealing customers from the other side.

So what does the 71 offer that makes it stand out from the pack? Well, for starters, Chicago is very much more conservative in it's hospitality offerings than say, New york or Los Angeles. So the fact that the 71 is a boutique hotel makes it different, as in not so conservative.

Secondly, they're priced well below what the big brand hotels charge. A 2 day getaway weekend package starts at $169. A Rise & Dine package, which includes an in-room daily full American breakfast,costs only $152. A Shop Til You Drop package, which facilitates Magnificent Mile shopping, clocks in at $159.

Amenities offered include concierge, complimentary 24-hour fitness center, 24-hour business center with high-speed internet access, valet parking, same day laundry and dry cleaning, and 10,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting and event spaces.

In-room amenities in the 307 guest rooms with river and city views include work desk and leather ergo chair, sesigner bath products, luxurious bed linens, oversized bath sheets, bathroom phone, complimentary in room coffee, individually controlled cooling and heating, complimentary morning newspaper, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, and Non-allergenic pillows (on request).

Combine the rates with the amenities and facilities the 71 offers, and it's as good a bet as any that you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal in Chicago. The hundreds of dollars saved, which otherwise would have ended up in the bank accounts of deep pocketed Hilton or Marriott employees and shareholders, can now be used for your personal spending, in order to enrich and make your Chicago vacations an expereince worth remembering.
Info: 71 East Wacker Drive Chicago IL 60601; (312) 346-7100; www.hotel71.com/

Bear Bites Travelodge in Washington DC for Breakfast

If you're having visions of a grizzly snucking into Washington DC motels and stealing bites out of travelers' brownie bags, you can put the overactive imagination to rest. All we're talking about here is the free Bear Bites breakfast amd other amenities offered by Travelodge motels in and around Washington DC.

Take, for example, the Travelodge on 700 North Washington St in Alexandria, VA. Amenities offered, in addition to the free Bear Bites breakfast, include free parking, free wireless high speed internet, refrigerator, cable TV, 24 hour front desk, and coffee maker.

The location offers convinience and easy transit access if you're visiting the Smithsonian, the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the other major tourist attractions in Washington DC.

Rates from $109.99 for a standard room with 1 King Bed. The Travelodge is pet friendly, and sits in a leafy and tree lined residential setting, with a red-brick exterior and neat square windows which makes it look like a friendly neighbourhood pharmacy store with residential partments above.

All said and done, a pretty nice place to spend a night in Washington DC. And even more so when you consider that you can quickly end up blowing hundreds of dollars in 1 night, where luxury hotels in Washington DC are the norm, rather than the exception.

Info: 700 North Washington St, Washington St & Wythe St, Alexandria VA 22314; (703) 836-5100; website

Alexander The Great inn Palm Springs

No, Emperor Alexander's ghost hasn't come down to enjoy spa vacations in Palm Springs. We're talking about The Alexander Inn, Palm Springs, located on 1425 South via Soledad. It's a great place.

Imagine an outdoor heated pool, set in the middle of a courtyard with a flowery garden and tall palms, which looks like one of those old haciendas, with the mountains rising up in the background beyond the walled grounds. Poolside deck chairs, tables and umbrellas, with a pillor lined corridor leading into the building all lending a touch of lazy grandeur. That's the Alexander Inn.

It really looks like a place fit for Kings and Emperors. You can almost imagine Alexander the Great lounging about in the pool, sipping a martini and making plans to conquer Wall Street by sending forth an army equipped with new-flanged derivative financial products. Well, that's what they use nowadays, instead of swords and spears...

So anyway, in addition to the heated pool, you also get complimentary off-street parking and daily maid service. The 1200 sq ft poolside villa suites contain separate bedrooms and a living area, along with fully equipped kitchens. You also get free internet, a flat-screen LCD TV and movie channels, centralized airconditioning and heating, a washer/dryer, fine linen, cal-king beds with down comforter and pillow-top mattresses, branded toileteries and Spa towels, Starbucks coffee, hairdryer and iron & ironing board.

Current specials at the Alexander Inn include spa packages and discounted spa rates for guests. If you're staying there, you can get a 50 minute massage or a Botanical facial for $79. If you want the full works, you can go in for a $129 spa pedicure+manicure+hydrating facial or massage.

And accomodation rates at the Alexander Inn vary from $130 to $235, depending on when you visit (summer rates April onwards are much lower), and depending on your preference of suite (master suite, 1-bedroom villa, 2-bedroom villa, etc.).

$130 per night, along with discounted spa treatments, aren't so bad, considering the kind of amenities and the setup they have waiting for you. Course, Palm Springs is so cheap that you could easily shave off a 100 bucks off that amount at one of the Palm Springs motels, but that depends - On whether you want to be treated like Alexander the Great, or one of his foot soldiers.

Info: 1425 South via Soledad Palm Springs CA 92264; (760) 327-4970; www.alexander-inn.com/