romantic resort

Vineyard getaways, the kind where you actually get to stay in a room not far from the cellars, are fairly common in the wine country regions of France, Italy, and Spain. The gist of a wine resort vacation is to get the most out of your stay by combining a winery tour with tasting, gourmet dining, and the immersive experience of spending a couple of days right where the magic happens. 

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 room and start relaxing the moment you open the door.

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 literally a world apart and while it shares a similar elevation and crisp clean mountain air as Big Bear... it's a completely different experience.

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 travelers seeking golf in Pebble Beach or beaches in Carmel-by-the-Sea. However, for those that do visit, they are in for a fabulous experience that you will dream of going back to.

There are some parts of the world that are seen as almost exclusively a destination for "romantic getaways", but all too often that simply masks all the other opportunities there. One example of this is Bali. For most Americans, this Indonesian island brings visions of honeymoons on the beach, great food, and unparalleled hospitality. That's there too, but you can also have some great family adventures here as well. We had a chance to talk with the folks at Rimba Jimbaran resort and learn about some of these opportunities. After all, just because you are in one of the most romantic places on Earth doesn't mean you can't enjoy it with kids too!

As an American, it isn't often that I visit a building more than 200 years old, so when I had the opportunity to visit Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam and discovered that the buildings dated back to a collection of 25 restored homes dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, I was super excited for the experience. 

San Diego has more diversity in hotels than nearly any other city of its size. There are ultra-luxury hotels as well as small boutique hotels and then there's The Pearl Hotel. I've driven by this location dozens of times and didn't realize it was even there since it's one of those places that is literally hidden in plain site. However, after staying there a few weeks ago as part of our Beercation with Travelocity I can't believe I've missed this hidden gem.

The words "pet friendly" seems to mean a lot of different things to different people in the resort industry. At the Park Hyatt Aviara is that they mean that dogs are welcome guests - like any other part of your family. This is our second time visiting and on both times all three of us were received warmly and with a sense that they were genuinely happy to see Heather, Niki and I walking through the lobby. This is a special feeling since it can be difficult to spend time together away from home without worrying about someone taking care of her.

On my recent cruise on the Carnival Victory, one of my favorite stops was visiting the island of Barbados and the opportunity to check out the fantastic Turtle Beach Resort. 

One of the tricky things about finding a good resort is finding a good balance between great staff, activities, and amenities. I have to say that I was super impressed by the island of Barbados, and I would recommend Turtle Beach Resort for a great mancation - or for our UK readers, a Lads Holiday! (Barbados is apparently very popular with UK vacationers and has regularly scheduled direct flights from London).

Fresh back from a stay at Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay, I have mixed reviews. The Preferred Club has all the foundations for a wonderful, romantic get-away, but the newly opened resort is still a bit rough.

Our first impression was WOW! My husband and I were greeted immediately from our taxi with warm hospitality. We were whisked away from the main entrance via golf-cart to registration, offered a glass of bubbly and a cold towel to refresh ourselves. By the time we were led to our swim-out Jr. suite, we really felt like VIPs.