San Diego Vacation Rentals are for Cool People

Looking for a fun, fabulous and unique way to enjoy your vacation? Try a luxury San Diego vacation rental. You can plan a romantic weekend away for two, or an amenity-filled group getaway with your friends. Luxury vacation rentals come with everything you could ever want on a beach vacation - jacuzzi, bbq, swanky beachfront deck, an amazing view and of course San Diego has amazing summer weather.

Imagine waking up in a big comfortable and cozy house - not a teeny, stuffy hotel room - and then strolling right out to the beach for some surfing and sunbathing. Mmm delicious.

Since I'm from San Diego, I have been looking into this whole luxury vacation rental thing quite intensely. It seems to be a very cool way to spend a weekend or a even a whole week!

Penny Realty is the "trusted leader in San Diego vacation rentals" so I've been perusing their listings. They've got some pretty cool looking houses available - I definitely want the one with the cool open air deck and extremely large living room. Did I mention it's right on the beach?

$43,000 Will Buy You Two Dead Birds

Who wants to fork over $43,000 dollars for some roadkill? Roger Vivier says you do! Check out these rockin' robin shoes! Yeah, those are real birds.

Each stuffed bird has a crystal-encrusted head, 24 ct gold-coated mesh, silk, ribbons and crocodile-skin rosettes. Every pair also comes with special protective crocodile or snakeskin platforms that attach to the bottom of the shoes so they never have to come into contact with the ground. You only have to wait three months after you order them, presumably because they need time to hatch and raise the birds before killing and hot glue-ing them to the front of a pair of generic gold shoes. Oh what money can buy!

Vivier does have some other shoes in his 2009 Spring/Summer collection that are quite unique and kinda cute too. If you want to travel in style, definitely consider some of his shoes.


Source: Luxist.com

Forbes List: World's Most Decadent Hotel Amenities

True luxury travel is more than just a nice big room - it's what comes with the room. Come one, come all, and read about the extravagant amenities available at some of the the world's most luxurious hotels.


Pet Services - Pet's are luxury travelers too! If you think you love your pet, image to what lengths a rich pet owner would go to make sure their furry friend is taken care of. At the Lowell New York, the pet room service menu includes filet mignon tartar and organic buffalo marrow bone. Sounds more gourmet than most of my meals. It doesn't stop there. Pets that need pampering will enjoy an aromatherapy spray, oatmeal shampoo or paw moisturizer treatments.


Butler Service - There are more than 150 butler programs around the world, including those at the Marriott Moscow Royal Aurora, the Rixos Hotel Premium Belek in Turkey and the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Hawaii. Butler service gets pretty specific at Keswick Hall, an Orient-Express hotel in Virginia. New moms can take advantage of the baby butler - they warm bottles, place a rocking chair and personalized crib in the room and rock the baby to sleep while mom soaks in the tub.


Excursions - Who says you can't go on vacation while you're on vacation? At the Banyan Tree Phuket, guests can fly by private plane to a secluded island where they'll watch the sunrise over breakfast.


Transport - Instead of arriving at the hotel by taxi, why not roll up in a Bentley or Rolls Royce? The JW Marriott in Beijing will escort guests from the airport in one of these. At Taj Palaces in India, guests arrive in a restored vintage car and are greeted by hotel staff--as well as elephants and camels.


Details - It's hard to feel truly doted upon without the little touches. At the Ritz Madrid in Spain, monogrammed robes are placed in a guest's room before arrival. The Conrad Bangkok in Thailand provides its guests with personalized milk, white and dark chocolate business cards.


Tech Stuff - It's a tech world and the hotel industry is not one to be left behind. Plasma TVs, DVD players and iPod docking stations are increasingly common at high-end hotels. Aloft, a W Hotel brand, offers guests the ability to plug and play with a 42" LCD TV that hooks up to other electronic devices. At Pueblo Bonito's Cabo hotel, Pacifica, guests are provided with their own iPods - while they lounge on a private beach bed and enjoy a gourmet 3 course dinner and champagne.

Want to read more? See the full list of Forbe's World's Decadent Hotel Amenities!

Brangelina Continues to Disgust Us With Their Perfection

Breaking entertainment news guys:

Angelina Jolie Misplaces $1.6M Diamond Earrings

Angie on way to airport when she realized she didn't have the earrings

Yeah, she has 1.6 million dollar earrings. Oh, the traveling woes of the rich and famous.
Why they're so sickeningly perfect:

Exhibit A:


Aww teaching the kids with books and stuff.

Exhibits B - F:

• They have "adorable six-month-old twins, Knox and Vivienne" and they couldn't be happier with their big family.


• Angelina says, "He is the man that made all my dreams come true" about Brad and Brad says "[Angelina's beauty] never gets old." !!!


• They're both considered someone of the most beautiful people in the world.


• They make millions of dollars and get to travel all over the world as a family.


• To top it all off, they've both been nominated for best actor/actress for this year's Academy Awards.

Why must you everything fall so perfectly in place for you? Why Brangelina why?
Read the full article about the earrings here

In the Lap of Luxury (for V-day, at least!): Cabo Spas

With Valentine's day around the corner, everyone has dimly-lit restaurants, chocolates and relaxing couple's massages on the mind.

Well what better place to enjoy a weekend away from it all than Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! And if you're going for a romantic vacation, you have to visit one of the many luxurious Cabo spas. Hey, a Cabo hotel vacation is good any time of the year, not just Valentine's day :)

Pueblo Bonito's Cabo spas are uh-mazing, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for complete pampering and relaxation. Here is just a short list of the luxurious spa treatments they offer, from facials to manicures to a million different types of massages.

Honey Scrub
An innovative body treatment that nourishes and regenerates the skin by exfoliating dead cells, revealing smooth, healthy skin. Its exclusive formula incorporates crystallized honey, which nurtures and hydrates the skin, and a delicate floral scent that promotes relaxation. This soothing treatment ends with a body lotion massage. 50 minutes - $110.00 USD

Temazcal
A steam bath of pre-Hispanic origin that is utilized for therapeutic, detoxifying and ritual purposes. Exotic! Healing benefits include menstrual period regulation, release of muscle tension, and release of stress and negative energy. The close quarters are also great for bonding and "introspective exploration". Ceremony - $130.00

Therapeutic Stone Massage
A wonderfully soothing treatment that includes a variety of massage techniques combined with the healing properties of heated river stones. These smooth stones are placed on key tension areas to open the chakras or energy channels. This massage is designed to take you into a deep state of relaxation. 80 minutes $170.00





For The Guys: Gentleman's Nourishing Facial
A remarkable treatment specifically designed for men. This facial begins with a deep pore cleansing with enzyme peeling and steam. A relaxing anti-stress facial massage follows, ending with a hydrating mask. As a final touch, a moisturizer and soothing gel are applied to prevent razor burn and sensitivity. For best results, we recommend shaving prior to the treatment. 50 minutes - $100.00

Couple's Massage
The perfect choice for couples. Massages are given side-by-side on two separate tables, each with your own therapist, in a relaxing private environment. Select from Swedish, Sport or Deep Tissue massage. 50 minutes $200.00, 80 minutes $280.00

For more indulgences, check out the complete list of luxury spa services.

Hotels on Myspace

Hotels on Facebook? Check. Hotels on Twitter? Double check. Hotels on Myspace? Hmmm... well it comes as no surprise that hotels have plugged into this vast social network but it took a little work to find some good ones. I was curious to see how hotel Myspace profiles would look and how they would approach the whole thing and it was actually pretty interesting to see what worked...and what didn't.

Vibes Hotels - Definitely the best one I've seen. Very sleek design that actually loads fairly fast! It's well organized, clean and just generally very visually appealing. Two thumbs for this Australian hotel chain. Could use some more info about the hotels though - but I guess that's what the real website is for.

Luxor - Captures the essence of Myspace and Las Vegas very nicely. The color black, clubbing, gettin' crunk, being fabulous, etc. Customized design, looks like it's updated pretty frequently, thousands of friends and very user-interactive. Good job Luxor. You are dominating the social media scene.

Mandalay Bay - The layout had a lot of potential in terms of colors and photo placement, but a few elements are cut off, which is very off-putting.

Pueblo Bonito - They kept it simple, so it looks good and I can read all about their Cabo hotels with ease. Who says you need to be flashy to be credible?

Hotel Chelsea - Okay this one is actually a tribute to the Hotel, not made and managed by the hotel. Weird. The page has a cool artsy background with a collage of pictures making one picture but it makes it hard to see anything else. Whatever, they're artists.

Ghostbar at W Hotel Dallas - Let me just say that this fits the Myspace vibe perfectly. Party party party and about 5 million too many pictures.

Madagascar (not the movie): A Luxury Travel Destination?

Madagascar is more than just a kid's movie! Did you know that some people think it is a made up place? Well it is not. Madagascar is a tropical island (the fourth-largest in the world) off the southeastern shores of Africa. The island is home to many exotic plants and endangered animals, including the lemur, a type of primate found only in Madagascar and surrounding islands. In fact, most of the plants and animal species in Madagascar are found nowhere else in the world.

Want more fun facts? Madagascar is the world's largest producer and exporter of vanilla.

Okay, so it's a fabulous place for ecologists, but is it a worthy luxury travel destination? While Madagascar is considered a third-world country, the presence of breath taking natural surroundings and just general unique-ness (who wouldn't want to see a ring-tailed lemur up close?) and remote-ness have made way for a few luxury hotel and resort gems. With the rise of the eco-tourism market, travel to Madagascar has become increasingly popular.

Anjajavy
Set along the Mozambique Channel in an extremely diverse environment, the hotel comprises an outstanding complex of 25 rosewood villas. Each villa features a large terrace facing the ocean, a living room area and breakfast area and a bed room. A small staircase provides access to the first floor which features a relaxation room that can be used as an office or children’s/guest room.

The nature reserve alongside the hotel is home to over 1,800 floral species, most of which are endemic to the country along with many medicinal plants. The forest is also home to many animal species such as the famous Sifaka lemur, birds of paradise, chameleons and Cuvier’s oplure (a type of iguana).

Anjajavy can be accessed by plane from the private airline Air Hotel from Antananarivo or Nosy Be.


Constance Lodge Tsarabanjina
This luxury eco resort is actually on its own island of the same name, and is comprised of twenty-one thatched-roof bungalows looking out on the sea, each with private terrace built from rosewood. Every bungalow is unique and bears the name of a flower, a tree or fish. In addition to the supreme seclusion and "an island, all your own, just for you" concept, the resort is an ideal place for diving, kayaking, nature walks and other eco activities.






Princess Bora Lodge - Ile Sainte Marie
Located on Sainte-Marie, a small island just off the northeast coast of Madagascar, the Princess Bora Lodge is a beach-lovers paradise. The hotel boasts two private beaches, Coco Bay and Clipper Bay, both of which are surrounded by a large forest of coconut trees.

The Executive Beach Villas include a large central bathtub made of stone, a double shower, a double basin, separate closets, a wide terrace and a king size bed that faces the Indian Ocean. Everything from the food to the spa treatments is unique and luxurious, but it doesn't stop there. Bicycle, kayak and snorkel gear rentals are all included, and if you crave more than just basking in the resorts superb surroundings, activities such as whale watching and scuba diving area also readily available.

There are many other beautiful options in Madagascar, ranging from luxurious to adventurous to all-natural. Each make for a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world - that in itself is a luxury!