Along The Travel Scene

This information was gathered from releases, travel and interviews

Vacation Where the Bachelor Found Romance

You can vacation where The Bachelor does.

The television show The Bachelor had been lured, once again, to the irresistible enchantment of Santa Lucia Island in the Caribbean with Pitons, the two massive remnants of volcanic domes.

In the ABC’s hit primetime reality series The Bachelor, one man is offered the chance to find true love. A single and eligible Bachelor embarks on a romantic journey, getting to know a number of beautiful women, gradually narrowing the field as he continues his search for his soul mate.

This year he is once again doing this search with the fabulous scenery of Saint Lucia in the background.

Saint Lucia Resorts Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain were featured as The Bachelor (Juan Pablo Galavis) came closer to potentially completing his family. The next episode is scheduled to air on Monday, March 3 at 8/7c on ABC but this episode will not take place in St. Lucia. To view the episode from St. Lucia you can go to abc.go.com and find WATCH ABC app (Ep1812).

To celebrate this popular romantic event, Anse Chastanet and sister property Jade Mountain have created Red Rose Romance promotions.

Lovers can see for themselves why this island and these resorts have become icons of love and passion.

Both these resorts face the dramatic pitons soaring above the Caribbean.

The resorts’ 600 acre estate embodies the intoxicating natural beauty of Saint Lucia.

Private dinners are arranged on the beach under the stars or on Jade Mountain’s Celestial Terrace towering above the sea.

Bride’s Magazine called Jade Mountain “Best Honeymoon Destination in The Caribbean 2013,’’ Luxury Travel Magazine calls Anse Chastanet “One of the Best Places to Propose” and For The Bride Magazine calls both Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet “over the top on the romance meter.”

You can experience Saint Lucia romance at its best with the Anse Chastanet’s Red Rose Proposal Package “As seen on The Bachelor and enjoy a 4^th night free in selected categories. It includes accommodation for number of nights chosen, all tax and service, airport transfers both ways, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, romantic Private Beach dinner set up with a bottle of champagne once during stay. This package must be booked by May 31.

Or you can choose Jade Mountain’s Red Rose promotion by reserving the Take 5 Total Romance Package with the 5^th night free in selected categories. This package includes an anniversary certificate of $500 to be used on a return visit (Unused features are not refundable). Travel dates for this package are March 1 to December 19, 2014. Must be booked by December 12.

Airlines servicing Saint Lucia from the USA include Delta from Atlanta.

For reservations call (800) 223-1108 or contact Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain at (758) 459-6100 or (758) 459-4000.

Email: ansechastanet@ansechastanet.com/jademountain@ansechastanet.com

Websites: www.ansechastanet.com, www.jademountain.com

Or You Can Celebrate In Florida with Mission Inn Resort & Club’s 50^th Anniversary Package

Mission Inn Resort, in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, is celebrating a milestone, 50 years of Beucher family ownership and operation. This resort just a 35 minute drive northwest of Orlando is marking the occasion with a Golf Package pairing the resort’s two award-winning championship golf courses with an overnight stay and generous resort credits.

Nestled among the rolling hills of Central Florida’s Lake County, the Spanish colonial style resort offers in addition to golf, 190 guestrooms, suites and villas, three restaurants, two lounges and a poolside bar.

Other amenities include eight tennis courts, trap and skeet shooting range, jogging and bicycle trails, volleyball courts, outdoor pool and hydro-spa, fitness center, Spa Marbella, lakeside nautical center with fishing, powerboats and eco-touring.

Package rates, which range from $260 to $310 depending on the dates of stay, are per person, per night and based on double occupancy with a two-night minimum. Tax, service charge and resort fee are additional.

The resort’s two championship courses include 36 holes of rare tee-to-green elevations of 85 feet, towering forests and sparkling spring-fed lakes. Revered as one of Florida’s finest, El Campeon (The Champion) was designed by George O’Neil of Chicago in 1917 and further enhanced in 1926 by Charles E. Clarke of Troon, Scotland.

The course is consistently ranked in the top 10 of Florida’s 1,500 plus courses.

Las Colinas (The Hills), the resort’s second 18-hole layout, was designed by former PGA Tour Player Gary Koch and opened in 1992.

Both courses are rated Four Star and recognized as “Best Places to Play” in North America by Golf Digest.

For more information, (800) 874-9053 or visit the Web site: www.missioninnresort.com

Hook Kids on Fishing on Fish Earth Day

In partnership with other like-minded organizations, the Anglers for Conservation are coordinating a Fish Earth Day using the Anglers for Conservation’s Hook Kids on Fishing Program on Saturday, April 5, 2014, in celebration of Earth Day.

Kids ages 6 to 16 are welcome along with their parents. The first 80 kids registered may receive a free rod and reel.

These conservation-minded programs teach casting, fishing safety, knot tying, the tackle box, catch and release tactics, fishing habitat and conservation and is taught by professional guides and knowledgeable anglers. Parents and kids bring your smiles, positive attitudes and patience.

Sign in begins at 9 a.m. and clinic starts promptly at 10 a.m. and continues until noon.

The address is Fishermen’s Village, 1200 West Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda, Florida 33950.

Registration is mandatory by calling King Fisher Fleet at (941) 639-2628.

For information about Anglers for Conservation contact: info@anglersforconservation.org, (321) 750-1113 or visit the Website: www.anglersforconservation.org

Philadelphia Hotel’s Concierge Is All Thumbs

Talk about instant gratification, the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia has solved the problem for its guests. To get immediate answers and perks for its guests the hotel has partnered with a personal texting service, called Zingle to offer info and help on demand.

Here’s how it works: at check-in, you register your phone number and create a service profile.

After that, you can text any request- whether you’re inside the hotel or away from it –for the duration of your stay. Your text will be answered within a guaranteed four minutes. And according to the hotel’s release there’s no request the hotel won’t try to honor. One a guest texted about getting football tickets during dinner –now that’s convenient.

For more information contact the hotel at Four Seasons, One Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103. (215) 963-2746.

Cherry Blossoms Inspire Washington, D.C. Seasonal Getaway Hotel Packages

After the winter we have had every state in the union is ready for spring.

The 2014 National Cherry Blossom Festival in our nation’s capital is just what we need for a great spring break.

The three-week long festival (March 20-April 13) honors the 102^nd anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees from the Mayor of Tokyo, Japan to the people of Washington, D.C.

While the actual blossoms can bloom as long as 14 days, the celebration “pinks” the city with free and family-friendly events.

Destination DC, the official tourism and marketing office for Washington, D.C., is abuzz announcing the happenings and hotel packages associated with this one of the nation’s largest springtime celebrations.

To find out what is going on you can go online: Washington.org/spring or call (877) 44BLOOM, (1-877-442-5666).

And for anyone who thinks they’ve seen it all? You can find under the radar tips on DCcool.com, the Destination DC (a marketing organization make up of more than 850 businesses committed to placing a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic events in the nation’s capital) micro site that serves as an insider’s guide to America’s city.

And while walking beneath the famous cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin is often referred to as a “bucket-list” experience for many travelers, there are multitudes of only-in-DC experiences running concurrently with the festival that make DC an ideal spring break destination.

For example, you can visit a cache of European art saved in World War II by the military division known as the Monuments Men. These items and the tale of their saving is currently the theme of a new movie apply called the “Monuments Men.”

This show, The Monuments Men and the National Gallery of Art continues through September 1, at the National Gallery.

World Stages, a 20-country strong international theater festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts takes place March 10-30.

Families should also plan on coming nose-to-nose with little Bao Bao, the roly-poly panda at the National Zoo and there is no admission to visit her.

There is also a hands-on-natural science exhibit including bird song karaoke at Q?rius, the lab experience for tweens and teens at the National Museum of Natural History.

Families can relax with a casual dine-around at Union Market, the District’s artisanal food market uniting almost 40 regional vendors under one roof in the Northeast.  

More than 30 District and area hotels are offering springtime packages focusing on experience and value.

The Fairmont Washington, DC Georgetown has the Pip Pip Cherry-io! Package which includes cherry-infused tea with sweet and savory treats and a box of assorted note cards featuring scenic views of the capital’s monuments by noted D.C. photographer Jake McGuire. These packages start at $269 a night.

Kimpton Hotels are offering a “Blossom & Bubbles’’ package which includes a welcome amenity for children; a gift of locally-made cherry blossom soap, complimentary sake at hosted evening Wine Hour; a $30 room credit per day to use toward parking or dining. Participating hotels in this package include The George, Palomar, Madera, Rouge and Monaco. The packages start at $169 a night depending on the hotel.

The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel has cherry-inspired welcome cocktails; commemorative blooming cherry blossom branch in-room and two one-day Metro passes. Packages start at $203 a night.

By Diane Siskin
dianesiskin@mediacombb.net