With the large amount of visitors that come to Las Vegas every year, it’s only natural that the wear and tear on rooms would necessitate the occasional renovation, especially among the luxury end hotels.

The Bellagio recently completed a six-month renovation that started last summer on the 2,568 guest rooms in the main tower. The last time these rooms had been redone was in 2004, so they were definitely due.

The $70 million invested in the project resulted in rooms redecorated in three color palates: plum and tea green; butterscotcch and amber; and the pictured indigo and silver.

The rooms are listed as deluxe resort rooms when booking and will average about $20 to $30 more than rooms that were not part of the renovation. The spa tower and the hotel’s suites, which were redone in 2007, were not a part of this upgrade.

The Bellagio is one of my favorite resorts in Las Vegas and is worth a visit even if not staying here. There is so much to see and do within the hotel, from the dancing fountains outside to the ever-changing conservatory indoors. The great part is a lot of it is free, so any Vegas visitor can afford to see it.

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Bellagio Resort
3600 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 888.987.6667
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[Image courtesy MGM Resorts International]

EverGreen Escapes

Is the one you love an outdoorsy type? Do the nouns ‘romance’ and ‘snowshoe’ mean the same thing to your sweety? Then this Washington Winter Package is the way to spend the 14th of February (or thereabouts)!

I’m from Oregon and the last time I was home I went on one of EverGreen Escapes’ wine tours around Dundee. I was really impressed by EverGreen Escapes, my guide, and their commitment to sustainability.

Covington

So, when I got word that EverGreen Escapes was teaming up with Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle to put together a Winter Package for love birds, I got all excited! The package sounds like a great bargain and a lot of fun for what you get.

Included:

***Overnight stay at Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle in a Deluxe King Room. The 153-room hotel is in the city’s Lake Union Neighborhood.

***Full day tour with EverGreen Escapes. The tour takes you snowshoeing and then off to taste wine and have a massage. Yes!

And:

-Snowshoe adventure leaving the hotel at 7:30am

-Wine tasting and gourmet lunch at Covington Cellars

-Two 30 Minute Soul Revival Reflexology Massages at Vida Spa

-Floating orchid bubble bath in oversized soaking tub

-A box of Seastar truffles.

Yeah, I’d like to do this tour! Sounds fabulous, and a steal at $689.00! Too bad I’m currently in Spain. Boo-hoo! The only real drawbacks I can see with this Winter Package might be the starting time (7:30am is really early in my world to be walking out the door to snowshoe) and the fact that just one night is included. In any case, this romantic  package is sure to knock the socks off an adventurous Valentine, and score you big time creativity points!

MORE: http://www.evergreenescapes.com/

Hotel Web SIte

Post  by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more at The Spain Scoop.com!

Photos thanks to EverGreen Escapes!

As the cold and snow invades the majority of the U.S., wouldn’t it be nice to take your significant other to a romantic getaway some place warm? Well, I found three great packages in sunny San Diego, California that will let you do just that.

Image courtesy Kimpton Hotels

1] Hotel Solamar – starting at $399 per night

This hip luxury boutique hotel is situated in the heart of downtown San Diego, so the city is practically at your doorstep. However, you may not want to leave the room when you book the hotel’s Suite Spot package.

Rates start at $399 per couple per night and include deluxe accommodations, flowers and chocolates, breakfast in bed with mimosas from the hotel’s Jsix Restaurant, a hosted evening wine reception and a “romantic intimacy kit” for your personal use. Members of the Kimpton InTouch free loyalty program will also receive their normal benefits like free wifi.

This package is only available February 10-19, 2012, and you can book online or by phone at 877-230-0300, using promo code PVAL.

[Hotel Solamar, 435 6th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101]

Image courtesy Andaz Hotels

2] Andaz San Diego – starting at $189 per night

Located in the historic Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, Hyatt’s Andaz Hotel offers the feel of a small intimate boutique hotel (only 159 rooms here!) with ultra modern amenities like platform beds, glass-enclosed bathrooms and flat screen TVs.

Bring your Valentine here for their “Your Crush for the Night” package. Rates start at $189 per couple per night and include accommodations, bottle of sparkling wine, chocolate covered strawberries, VIP access to the hotel’s Ivy Nightclub (Thursday through Saturday), an intimacy kit, and a full breakfst for two the next morning.

This package is available through March 31, 2012. Book online or by phone at 866-907-0704. Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program members also get their benefits with this package.

[Andaz San Diego, 600 F Street, San Diego, California 92101]

Image courtesy Southcoast Winery Resort

3] South Coast Winery Resort & Spa – starting at $549

A little over an hour north of San Diego is the Southern California wine country of Temecula. It’s here that you’ll find the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, which is offering a package that combines adventure with romance.

Their “Love Above All” package offers accommodations in a luxury villa decorated with rose petals, a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the vineyards of Temecula Valley, chocolate covered strawberries, a mimosa breakfast for two, a bottle of South Coast Wine plus six tasting tickets to the South Coast Winery Tasting Room.

The package starts at $549 per oouple and is valid for stays through February 29, 2012. Book it online or by phone at 866-994-6379. Ask for the package by name.

[South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, 34843 Rancho California Road, Temecula, California 92591]

The manor house at Glenlaurel-where a bag piper pipes you to dinner

When a trip to Scotland isn’t doable, Glenlaurel in Ohio’s Hocking Hills is a Scottish fix. Fashioned after the manor houses,crofts and cottages of the Scottish Highland, Glenlaurel is a romantic getaway complete with a bagpiper and Robert Burns. In February, there’s a murder mystery to be solved.

Whether you’re an overnight guest or a person who relishes gourmet cuisine and dining entertainment, Glenlaurel’s Murder Mystery Dinner at the Glen is a way to lengthen a Valentine’s Day celebration and shake that dreadful feeling that can come with winter’s cold and grey.

The dinner, to be held on February 25, pairs a Glenlaurel 7-course meal with a murder mystery musical performed by the  traveling theatre company-Random Acts. Musical Murder Mysteries are one of the specialties Random Acts performs across the U.S. Laced with humor and improv, lightheartedness is the key here. Not a bad idea for the end of February in Ohio.

Humor-filled Musical Murder Mysteries are a specialty

The Hocking Hills and Glenlaurel are a fitting backdrop for such an endeavor. Glenlaurel is where fog and mist reside in the early morning and the landscape is a series of craggy nooks and wooded trails made for wandering and contemplation.

The manor house, with its warm walnut beams, stuccoed walls and stone fireplace details is where the Scottish theme begins. A bagpiper greets guests if they arrive to dine on a Saturday night. This is also where a Robert Burns poem is read before dinner is served. And what a dinner it is.

The beginnings of a 6 or 7 course meal

Along with the main course that ranges from the rack of lamb (on Saturday nights) to beef,  pork, duck, or pheasant depending upon the day, and seafood on Fridays, the culinary creations of the Executive Chef are made fresh daily from local ingredients season permitting.

If heading to Hocking Hills isn’t doable for you the last weekend in February, there are other reasons to make the trip at another time. Glenlaurel is where pampering might have been invented.

The bedroom of one of the cottages

First, there’s the complimentary homemade shortbread that comes with each lodging option. The shortbread flecked with ginger is something I still think about and it’s been awhile since I’ve had some.

Then there’s the wellness center that offers yoga, reflexology and a variety of massage treatments–both at the center or in the privacy of your room or cottage. Each cottage–named after a prominent person in Scottish history, and each croft–a smaller version of the cottages, has a hot tub on a private deck and a garden area where you can hang out in a hammock in warmer weather. The hot tub, though, is  for year round pleasure.

Cottages and crofts also have  fireplaces for relaxing by and furnishings you wish you owned. If you walk along the trails that wind through the property, you’ll see items like garden benches that guests have given to Glenlaurel to commemorate their excellent stays– stays that are repeated again and again.

A stone fireplace to chase away the winter's chill

For less expensive accommodations in the quiet loveliness that Glenlaurel offers, the manor house  and carriage house have four guest rooms and three suites between them.  At this time of year,  it’s possible to book a one night stay if you come mid-week.

I was fortunate to be a guest of Glenlaurel once upon a time and could not believe my good fortune. The only downside–all that romance was spent by myself. I think hubby and I need to make a weekday jaunt.

By the way, this is an adult only establishment.

*Cost for the Murder Mystery dinner is $79. If you pair the dinner with an overnight stay (two nights minimum) lodging is 15% off. The room rate includes a gourmet breakfast. Rates: $159-$290 weeknights; $189-$349 weekends.

Glenlaurel, A Scottish Country Inn
14940 Mt. Olive Road
Rockbridge, Ohio 43149-9736

Toll Free: 800.809.REST (7378)
Local: 740.385.4070
Email: info@glenlaurel.com

Photos courtesy of Glenlaurel

Related Posts: Escape to Hocking Hills Ohio; Hocking Hills State Park– Logan, Ohio