Didn’t summer just get started? We know, we say this every year, but suddenly the days are getting shorter, our skin is growing paler and (gasp) we’re starting to run out of rosé! Fortunately, there are still a few ways to get away for Labor Day and send off summer in style. Check out some of our favorite places to spend the last long weekend. So, carpe diem—or in this case, carpe solis!
When was the last time you were impressed by a mint on the pillow? Yeah, we can’t remember either. Not that we’re complaining: High-end hotels have been engaged in something of an amenities arms race for years, with guests ending up the winners. We’ve all come to expect—and usually receive—niceties like flat-screen TVs, crisp duvets, multiple charging ports and high-end bath products. That’s why we’ve created the Skylark Originals: a list of innovative amenities that show a spark of creativity or thoughtfulness, and special experiences that bring a destination to life in a new way. Along the way, we also discovered airlines, airports, and apps that made us feel like V-VIP’s, so we included those, too. Hats off to them and the other travel providers that are Making Amenities Great Again!
Sunshine 360 days of the year, Instagrammable views, nightlife that rivals Miami’s and a quick 90-minute flight from LA—it’s easy to understand the appeal of the southernmost tip of Baja California, better known as Los Cabos. What’s not so easy? Choosing which resort to stay in. Whether your plans include working on your tan in solitude or tasting your way through the resort’s tequila collection, here’s our condensed guide to Cabo’s top stays.
Feeling a little too attached to your iPhone—as in, you’re one app away from plugging directly into the Matrix? Or have you been watching so much television that the Netflix logo is burned permanently into your retinas? Maybe it’s time to put down the remote and go remote. Here are our favorite, no-phones-at-the-table hideaways.
“The time has come,” the Walrus said to the Carpenter in Lewis Carroll’s famous rhyme, as they prepared to dig into a small fleet of innocent, unsuspecting oysters. But to us, it’s never _not _a good time to feast on a platter of freshly shucked marine morsels, especially when we’re on or near the shore. So, just in time for National Oyster Day, August 5, here are some of our favorite spots to slurp.
Arguably the most beautiful and glamorous of all the resorts on the Amalfi Coast, Le Sirenuse is usually fully booked for the entire summer. But we’ve uncovered some last-minute availability in last August that, combined with our deeply discounted insider airfare, adds up to once-in-a-lifetime savings at a bucket-list hotel.
For example, you can fly from New York in Alitalia business classon Friday, August 18, spend four nights in a junior suite, and return on Wednesday, August 23, for just under $13,000 for two people. Not a cheap date, but the same trip normally costs about $30,000. That flight connects in Rome, with the quick hop to Naples in the economy; if you’d rather fly non-stop, you can take Meridiana in coach for the same price.
You can plug in your own home airport to find similar deals. For instance, we’re seeing that same fare from San Francisco on Air France in business.
Le Sirenuse only has limited rooms available for the dates August 19-23, but if you want to extend your trip at another hotel, whether in Amalfi or beyond, get in touch with one of our agents and we'll help you out.
Soon enough, you’ll be raising an Aperol Spritz to toast your own good fortune—and travel savvy.
There’s a sweet spot between summer’s dusty crowds and the boarded up off-season. It’s called autumn—and for the savvy traveler, it means a visit to Greece is smiled upon by the Gods: lower rates, lower temperatures and less crowded sites.
Ever since Stag’s Leap snagged 1st place from Montrose in the scandalous 1976 Paris wine-tasting conference, Napa Valley has been the go-to for American oenophiles. Now we love Napa, but sometimes there’s a craving for a different terroir. So, here are some of our favorite vineyards, complete with exquisite grapes, stunning views and, of course, superlative-worthy hotels.
One could be considered loony, lonely or even loco if they booked a hotel based its resident pet. But—puppies. Need I say more? So, without further ado, here’s a list of hotels that come with the best amenity ever: loveable pets.