Caribbean Escapes: Discounted Flights, Over-Water Spas, & Chic Yoga Retreats

This hot off the press from an independent island hopper who reps some hidden gems in the Caribbean.
Kamalame Cay, Bahamas - Outer Islands

BAHAMAS & JAMAICA
In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, Kamalame Cay, a 96-acre private island resort in the Bahamas, invites guests to FLY FOR FREE* THROUGH DECEMBER 14 and is also offering 20% OFF ALL SPA TREATMENTS for any Girls World* bookings. With the addition of new General Manager Peter Bauer, a new Spa Director, an onsite wedding planner, a new solar power system – and a new sister property in Jamaica – there are so many reasons this year is better than ever to seek out sunny serenity at two of the most authentic hideaways in the Caribbean. Perched on the edge of the ‘Tongue of the Ocean’ in The Bahamas, Kamalame Cay is a private island hideaway unlike any other. The secluded beachfront cottages combined with the three miles of white sand shores that run the length of the island are just what the body and soul need to re-center, relax and rejuvenate.
Kamalame Cay Private Island Resort Room

The new 'Best of Both Worlds' package encourages guests to extend their barefoot Bahamian getaway to Jamaica’s lesser known northeast coast – and the Hew family’s (who own Kamalame) – personal getaway. Using either Air Jamaica’s direct Nassau to Kingston service or flying private to maximize precious holiday minutes, the package includes three nights at Kamalame with choice of full day fishing or equivalent spa credit, 3 nights at Kanopi House, a VIP river rafting trip with quintessential Jamaican barbecue and another full or half-day excursion to one of the countless nearby waterfall wonderlands. Kamalame is also bringing back its ‘New Year, New You’ workshops in January at no extra charge. With (optional) daily yoga and motivational life coaching sessions with renowned Handel Group Life Coach Jo Sawalha to inspire and reinforce the “to thine own self be true” philosophy and encourage participants to exercise the power of body and mind to achieve the life of their dreams. The Kamalame Spa is also located over the turquoise waters of the lagoon and its five treatment rooms face out onto the surrounding sea with floor-to-ceiling windows that fully collapse. Hello?!?

Diving, snorkelling, tennis, sea kayaking into mangroves, as well as deep sea and bone fishing are all available right on property. So dine on the conch fritters at Hank's Place (242/368-2447; www.hanks-place.com) on the water at Fresh Creek and tell Kamalame we sent you.

Kanopi House, in Jamaica, is a low-impact resort featuring a relaxed club house and four individual eco-chic tree houses in a luscious rainforest with commanding views over Port Antonio, often referred to as the Jamaican Riviera. A stone’s throw from the world famous Blue Lagoon, all meals and activities are catered to individual tastes.


www.kamalame.com
www.kanopihouse.com

Rates for six nights as above including inter-island air start at $2500pp based on double occupancy.

Visit: www.kamalame.com/news/The_Kamalame_Summer09.html for complete details.

Reservations for both properties (and the Best of Both Worlds) can be made by calling +1.800.790.7971 and mentioning this deal and where you heard about it. Meanwhile, Jet Blue launches service from JFK to Saint Lucia (UVF) October 26 and to Kingston, Jamaica on October 30th making this offer even more tempting.

Chicago's Best Eco-Boutique Hotel

We fell in love with Chicago when we went to see Cats at the Shubert Theater as a small kiddie. Deep-dish pizza, jazz, Carmine's and good old Midwestern values... what's not to love? So when we hunted around for the best boutique digs in Chi-Town, a little birdie alerted us to a European inspired hotel just a block off of Michigan Avenue. Unique among it's competitors in that it's still family-owned, The Talbott Hotel has all the sophisticated charm of a bygone era coupled with the modern conveniences of today.

A cozy wood-lined lobby, roaring fireplace, large rooms, plasma TV's and superlative service make this property feel like you're in an upscale English club. The best part? It's just one of five hotels to receive Green Seal Certification by the City of Chicago in recognition of their commitment to "sustainability without compromise." Their "greenficient" efforts stretch beyond the basics - it's 100% carbon neutral. Having just completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment of all the hotel's 149 rooms and suites, it's the warm, luxurious base from which you can enjoy all of Chicago's shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
Owner, Basil Kromelow, inherited the property when he and his dad Jack bought it together as Basil's first project back in 1965. Apparently, Basil always wanted to own a boutique hotel so he converted the old apartment hotel into a luxury boutique hotel that reflected the boutique hotels he fell in love with across Europe as a kid. As such, many of the antiques inside are purchases from Kromelow's own shopping trips to Europe. Still visible in the hotel, Basil even greets and interacts with guests, unlike far too many Blackberry-obsessed proprietors these days.

On the corner of Rush street, you'll find famous restaurants like Gibsons (www.gibsonssteakhouse.com) and Carmine's (www.rosebudrestaurants.com) where we recommend the Baked Clams, Chicken Marsala, and Eight-Finger Cavatelli. No, we won't tell you what it that is, you'll just have to find out for yourself.

Guests also have free access to the 55,000 sq foot Equinox in the 900 North Michigan building just a block away. If that's not swanky enough, those who participate in the Green program by selecting the "eco-mode" on their thermostats (which automatically adjusts the room temp when guests come and go, in addition to alerting housekeeping not to change sheets everyday), they'll receive a 1 month carbon credit for their home to continue the Green lifestyle they embraced at the hotel.

If our staff wasn't galavanting around the globe right at this very moment, we'd stop by again just to give Basil a big old Chicago bear hug.

www.talbotthotel.com
Rates start at $179 (in low season)

Vancouver Island, Canada: Free Spirit Spheres!

We don't know why, but we're always strangely drawn to capsules, pods, and spheres. And, just to prove we're not alone...







Welcome to the world of Free Spirit Spheres!







Set amid the tall trees of Vancouver Island's rainforest, it's, you guessed it, a tree house for adults. Jaunt says, 'Finalmente.' Built with an un-tamed vision of nature and engineering, you'll feel like an Ewok swinging from the canopy and crawling from your tree sphere at dusk.

Handcrafted spheres are suspended like pendants from a web of rope and, as their website says, "They occupy a truly unique place in the world while providing a habitat for the un-tamed spirit that exists in all of us."

So just how un-tamed are you? If you really want to make a statement, you can purchase a pod or components to build your own. Recommended uses include: Healing, meditation, photography, leisure and game watching.

Spheres, Eve and Eryn, are available for overnight rental and promise a truly unique, jungle experience. Approximately 30km north of Parksville on Vancouver Island along the Inland Island Hwy (#19), near Qualicum Bay. The acreage is on private property close to Horne Lake Caves, Georgia Strait and Mount Washington.

Rates: $125-$175/night

Free Spirit Spheres
Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada
Tel (250) 757-9445
Cell (250) 951-9420
Email: tom@freespiritspheres.com

www.freespiritspheres.com

Sleep It Off: An Eco-Chic Boutique B&B - Hollywood, CA

An eco-chic boutique B&B right in the middle of Hollywood? Wait a minute. Why haven't I ever written about this before? I know I've seen it.

Good thing I was chatting up Erika McQueen, my Pilates instructor at Whole Body Gallery; otherwise, I never would have known just how cool it actually is. She and her hubby, Dougald, own the place.

Perfect for the semi-working actor, DP, writer, or family member, Hollywood Pensione is a 1915 Craftsman specializing in weekly stays. Featuring eco-pure rooms with specially-made organic mattresses, fine organic bed linens by Anna Sova, complimentary organic wine and dark chocolate truffles, and state of the art in-room technology like flat screen TV's, DVD's, and high speed WiFi, it was 'designed for the discerning traveler and professional seeking the privacy of a hotel, with the comforts and conveniences of home for short and long term visits to Los Angeles.'

Walking distance from the Hollywood sign, Griffith Park, the Metro Station, cafes, markets, shops and Hollywood landmarks including the Mann Chinese Threatre, Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Hollywood & Highland, it's close to the studios and offers a different, more unique sort of experience than the other (more pricey) digs near Sunset or Beverly Hills.

Just what you might be looking for when it comes to planting those creative seedlings.

Oh, and the owner? She says she's adding a yoga studio so you can thankfully leave Hollywood with a tighter ass too.

Rates are from $149/daily - $2,000/month

1845 N. Wilton
Hollywood Ca. 90028
Tel: (323) 369-2411
hollywoodpensione@gmail.com

www.hollywoodpensione.com

Chile: Domo Domo

With the most powerful economy in South America (and a woman at the helm of the country... HURRAH!), Chile tops my list of 'Get Off Your Hiney And Go's. Inexpensive accommodations, economic stability, vibrant graffiti art that rivals the street sketches of Buenos Aires, Chile has the Andean peaks and plenty 'o plenty of vino. What more does one person really need? Sharing a string of ice blue glacier lakes in the South with Argentina and hosting a plethora of vineyards scattered about the country, Chile is the next big thing. Which is why, when we here at Jaunt happened upon this little gem of a secret spot, we said, 'Aye Dios! Que Bueno!'

There's something about a geodesic dome that just screams serenity, doesn't it? It's a bit off the beaten path (about 580 Km from Santiago), but you won't regret the trek. The road is paved until you reach the town of Pisco Elqui, but the resort will help arrange travel from there. One of only seven astronomic hotels in the world, you can literally sleep with the top down. Each has two floors. The first, with a living room and the bathroom, and the second, with the main bed (and your detachable roof). They also have a terrace, as well as a telescope and offer a fridge bar, free tea & coffee, specialized astronomic literature, BBQ's and cutlery. In addition to viewing the night-sky with your lover, they offer astronomic tours and nighttime horseback rides.

Does it really get any more romantico? Oh, and it's all earth-friendly too. So hitch that wagon to a star. Orion's waiting.

$85-100/night

www.elquidomos.cl