There are business hotels and then there are hotels with themed rooms designed for a romantic getaway. These are fun and exciting with a little bit of naughty thrown in for good measure. Especially in a time like this where you might desperately need an escape but aren't really wanting to go out and hang around with people, finding a themed hotel room near you might just be the perfect solution.…

This has been a tough year and frankly, my wife and I needed an opportunity to escape. My conditions were that it had to be somewhere fun, relatively close to home, have a private entrance with no elevators, and be impeccably clean. Those are clearly different conditions than I might have used when selecting a place for a quick weekend getaway in the past but these are different times.…

The Mississippi River is a legendary maritime highway that allowed Midwestern states to prosper. From the 1800's to today, this river continues to generate incredible amounts of wealth leading to culturally diverse cities spanning it's 664 navigable miles. While not quite the romantic castles and palaces that you might find along European rivers, the Mississippi offers an opportunity to explore a…

When planning a romantic getaway, few things top the idea of a beachfront room ... except for a private cottage right on the beach. That's what Island Bay Resort offers and instead of those mega-resorts that you might find on South Beach, these cottages are laidback and relaxed. There's no long hallways to walk down or extra fees to worry about. Instead, you just park your car right next to the…

When planning a romantic getaway, few things top the idea of a beachfront room ... except for a private cottage right on the beach. That's what Island Bay Resort offers and instead of those mega-resorts that you might find on South Beach, these cottages are laidback and relaxed. There's no long hallways to walk down or extra fees to worry about. Instead, you just park your car right next to the…

Northern Sonoma County's Wine Road has a fabulous assortment of hotels, inns, and bed & breakfasts available but the Geyserville Inn combined all of the best aspects of each type of property. The rooms were modern like a hotel, it was small and personal like an inn, and the restaurant on-site had the personality of a home-cooked breakfast that you might find in a bed and breakfast property.…

Compared to other parts of the country, Southern California doesn't really have a lot of great places to escape to on weekends. Truthfully there's amazing terrain all around us but really very few destinations that I can see wanting to escape to vs just doing day trips. While I've been to Palm Springs several times now, there's another answer that's even closer - Lake Arrowhead. It's quite…

Wine lovers will find that a stay at the Bernardus Lodge will warm their hearts in a special way. It's a fabulous property surrounded by vineyards and horse ranches but still close enough to the Bay Area that it makes for an easy weekend getaway. For those who have never visited, Carmel Valley is a true hidden gem. The area is sometimes overshadowed by other California wine regions and missed by…