Luxury Link: Articles

Nov

27

Surf Cyber Monday Travel Deals Tomorrow

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With Black Friday behind us, online retailers are ramping up for their version tomorrow, Cyber Monday. One of my girlfriends mentioned a friend of hers books ALL her trips for the following year online tomorrow because the deals are incredible!

I subscribe to several online travel sale sites and noticed in my Jetsetter email today they are geared up for a huge day of sales tomorrow.

Starting at 9am EST they’ll announce a new deal every hour through 8pm. Each deal is only available for 24 hours and the first 10 people to buy each one will score special perks.

I haven’t used Jetsetter yet but I have had great experiences and gotten amazing deals with Luxury Link and SniqueAway. I also subscribe to Vacationist and LivingSocial Escapes.

Get ready to hit these sites tomorrow and check out great travels deals for your 2012 adventures!

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Dec

11

Grape Occasions Gift Guide: Travel

Travel  Written by / 3 comments

In the spirit of holiday giving and of Grape Occasions theme, this week we’re sharing great gift ideas for wine, spa, travel and you.  Today is TRAVEL…

Alistair Sawday’s

Alistair Sawday’s is a great set of resources based in the UK that I found while living in Europe. My first discovery, that I’ve used many times since, is their Special Places to Stay: Italy. The book features a collection of 345 properties to stay throughout Italy. And this is only one of many guidebooks they’ve published on Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and India. They’ve recently introduced a few new resources focused on Go Slow and Canopy & Stars: Luxury camping. The goal of their guidebooks is to be THE guides for those looking for: warm, very human, interesting people; beautiful buidlings, original style, elegant simplicity; delicious food, much of it grown at home and cooked with devotion; and a touch of fun with a touch of class.

A visit to their website allows you to search for places to stay in any of the countries mentioned above. For Christmas, you could purchase one of their gift cards or their featured French Vineyards Gift Set. Sign up for their monthly newsletter for great tips and information on their new products.

Luxury Link

There are a lot of auction travel sites out there these days but Luxury Link remains my favorite. I’ve used its several times to get fantastic deals and never been disappointed (including our incredible trip to Santorini booked through them)! From a few hundred dollars to thousands, “Its where sophisticated travelers go for inspiration, to indulge their passion for discovering the world’s best places to stay, and to find world class values.” The Luxury Link family of websites was founded in 1997 with the goal of connecting passionate travelers to the world’s best places to stay at exceptional prices. Give someone on your list a “gift certificate” (you’ll have to create your own) to Luxury Link to pick out a vacation of their dreams!

Italia! & France Magazine

For the Italy or France lover on your list, how about a magazine subscription that takes them there throughout the year? These are two great publications (I asked for an Italia! subscription for Christmas) as resources and a nice escape whenever you open up the magazine.

Weekend Away

A weekend away for your significant other is a fabulous surprise gift! Why not give them a romantic weekend away to a not too distant inn, winery or cute town in quiet January?  Two great options close to the Washington, DC metro area are Prince Michel Vineyards for a wine tour, tasting, dinner and stay OR The Inn at Little Washington for a over the top dinner and stay. Check out Travel+Leisure for local ideas near you.

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Sep

02

Vendema Resort Santorini, ‘a legendary corner of paradise’

Travel  Written by / 2 comments

Built around a 400 year old winery in the quaint Santorini village of Megalochori, one of the oldest villages on the island, stands Vendema Resort.  Forty-five white washed villas look out to gorgeous views of the vineyards and Aegean sea creating what truly is, as they call it, “a legendary corner of paradise.”

I booked this amazing (and quite affordable for what we got) package through Luxury Link and from winning the auction on, Vendema was incredible.  They emailed right away to secure our dates and helped coordinate any details we needed.  Our package included 5 nights in a Dorian Apartment with welcome drinks, wine & fruit in room, champagne breakfast daily for 2, 3 hr private island tour, 2 olive oil massages, wine tasting for 2, rose petal turndown, shuttle to private beach w/ beach services, taxes and service charges. Only $1,800 (retail value of $4,353).

The staff was perfect from start to finish. We arrived into port via ferry from Mykonos and were greeted by a friendly driver who took us directly to the Resort.  We checked right in, were upgraded to a stunning Athenian Suite (I could have lived in this 2 floor villa complete with upstairs veranda and downstair deck with jacuzzi), then with champagne in hand we were whisked away on a tour of the Resort which offers it all …

  • Restaurants & Bars: our favorites were Vinsanto Restaurant in the 400 year old winery where we enjoyed an incredible candlelight dinner our first night and Canava Wine Bar in a catacomb carved out of the earth where you can enjoy a Greek Wine Journey with the resort’s incredible Sommelier Vaios Panagiotoulas!  Oh and champagne buffet breakfast every morning at the Pergola Pool Restaurant was a great way to start each day.
  • Spa & Fitness – we enjoyed relaxing Olive Oil Massages in the cool cave like spa.
  • Excursions from boating to private guided tours – our 3 hour private island tour was perfect.
  • Pool & Jacuzzi – great spots for lounging (the only small draw back of the whole experience was many American honeymooners hanging out poolside at times made it feel like you weren’t on this incredible Greek Island).
  • Private Beach & Restaurant on Perivolos Beach with shuttle service.

You’d never have to leave if it wasn’t for the amazing island out there waiting.  And the sweet town of Megalochori is right outside with a few cute local restaurants.

Vendema is the perfect spot and very romantic (we even have dear friends who got engaged here)!  Check more great photos of Vendema and Santorini in the gallery.

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Mar

06

Luxury Link… affordable luxury!

Travel  Written by / 3 comments

Isn’t that one of the buzz words of this recession? Well here’s a way to get it.

Last weekend I rediscovered a travel site from a few years back. Hadn’t been on in a while but quickly remembered how cool it is!
Luxury LinkLuxury Link, founded in 1997, calls itself the ‘world’s premier online luxury travel resource.’ It showcases ‘more than 1000 extraordinary hotels and resorts, cruises, tours and villas in more than 60 countries’ with access to exclusive offers and many via auction.

I decided to make a bid on a package in Santorini, Greece… and I won! Check it out…only made 2 bids and saved 60% for an amazing package at Vendema Resort built around a 400 year old winery on this beautiful island!

vedema-resort-santorini-greece2

Package includes 5 nights in a stunning Dorian Apartment with welcome drinks, wine & fruit in room, champagne breakfast daily for 2, 3 hr private island tour on day of your choice, 2 olive oil massages, wine tasting for 2 on evening of your choice, rose petal turndown, shuttle to private beach w/ beach services, taxes and service charges. Only $1,800 for retail value of $4,353.

Gave credit card details, they sent confirmation I won, now I just call the resort directly to book.

I’ll share details after we visit in May!

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