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CNN Live Saturday
CNN Weekend Getaways: Valentine Vacations
Aired January 31, 2004 - 12:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, love is on the calendar. Valentine's Day is just two weeks away, and it's not too late to plan a romantic weekend getaway still. Conde Nast Traveler has a few choice nests for lovebirds. But you got to break out the wallet because some of these lovely destinations are quite pricey.
Dana Dickey is a senior editor at the magazine and she joins us from New York.
Good to see you, Dana.
DANA DICKEY, CONDE NAST TRAVELER: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. It's not too late. Is package - a package vacation still the way to go?
DICKEY: There's a lot of great package vacations to choose from and what's super nice is that it's not too late to plan something really sort of stunning either nearby or a little farther away.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about nearby -- at least nearby for me, because in Washington, D.C. right now. Washington being a great place, always a great weekend destination.
But there are a lot of great hotels in with Washington. Why the Hotel Monaco?
DICKEY: Well, the Hotel Monaco is offering a really great pampering deal in which they have a chef come to your room and prepare an aphrodisiac laden candle lit dinner for two.
WHITFIELD: Oh my.
DICKEY: And then while - and then while you're listening to their commemorative Sinatra CD after dinner, you get an after-dinner drink that room service prepares for you, and a specially drawn bath in one of those huge oversize Jacuzzi tubs.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And it'll cost you a pretty penny. Starting at $650?
DICKEY: That's right. But remember, it's dinner, it's -- you know, pampering and it's pretty much a -- really special evening.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's go to the West Coast. Laguna Beach, California. Montage Resort and Spa. What makes that one so special? DICKEY: Well, starting with the location, the new Montage Resort and Spa is on this stunning hillside overlooking the Pacific. And for their Valentine's Day package, you get a beautiful bungalow suite, and also an in-room dinner for two and simultaneous massage where you and your partner can get a massage at the same time.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's nice.
All right. And then Canyon Ranch -- folks know about Canyon Ranch in Massachusetts as well as in Arizona. I didn't realize there was one in Las Vegas.
DICKEY: There is. There's the Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Venetian and there's a lot of amenities there. There's a climbing wall, there's a beautiful workout area. But for couples, there's couples yoga, instructional massage, where you can learn how to give the best possible massage to your partner. And these classes are all free when you're staying at the Venetian.
WHITFIELD: And I know a lot of the ladies love these spa, but, you know, how are a lot of these spas being catered for the man out there to really enjoy himself. Say, for instance, at the Miraval Resort?
DICKEY: Well, the Miraval Resort, there's something called partners, pleasure and passion. And this is a big trend for men and women to go away to basically sex retreats.
In this one, at Miraval, noted author Lana Holstein and her physician husband lead these retreats in which they enlightens the guests as to what they call the seven essential dimensions of sexuality, and they give you homework assignments.
WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. These destinations are making me blush, Dana.
But at Mandarin Oriental Miami - that's getting an awful lot of press lately as being, you know, kind of one of the new, very nu veaux (ph) hotels being brought to Miami's coastline.
DICKEY: The Mandarin Oriental in Miami is something quite different for this great destination because it's off on its own key that you, you know, reach by a private sort of bridge and it's not right on South Beach. So it's a little more isolated, a little more quiet.
And for Valentine's Day, they have real indulgent packages that include round trip transfers in a Bentley from the airport and...
WHITIFELD: Oh my God. Is that what's constituting $10,000 for a couple?
DICKEY: Well, you get more than that.
WHITFIELD: I thought that was a typo. DICKEY: These tailor-made meals, body treatments -- every day you get another body treatment in the spa in heir couples room, and also breakfast in bed.
WHITFIELD: Shoot. Your name's got to be Rockafeller to enjoy that one, though.
DICKEY: Depending and -- well, the view is amazing, and depending on the length of stay, it can go from a thousand to, as you said, $9,000.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana. Thanks very much. You've given us a lot of ideas for some planning. We have to go. Thanks a lot. Good to see you.
DICKEY: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 31, 2004 - 12:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, love is on the calendar. Valentine's Day is just two weeks away, and it's not too late to plan a romantic weekend getaway still. Conde Nast Traveler has a few choice nests for lovebirds. But you got to break out the wallet because some of these lovely destinations are quite pricey.
Dana Dickey is a senior editor at the magazine and she joins us from New York.
Good to see you, Dana.
DANA DICKEY, CONDE NAST TRAVELER: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. It's not too late. Is package - a package vacation still the way to go?
DICKEY: There's a lot of great package vacations to choose from and what's super nice is that it's not too late to plan something really sort of stunning either nearby or a little farther away.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about nearby -- at least nearby for me, because in Washington, D.C. right now. Washington being a great place, always a great weekend destination.
But there are a lot of great hotels in with Washington. Why the Hotel Monaco?
DICKEY: Well, the Hotel Monaco is offering a really great pampering deal in which they have a chef come to your room and prepare an aphrodisiac laden candle lit dinner for two.
WHITFIELD: Oh my.
DICKEY: And then while - and then while you're listening to their commemorative Sinatra CD after dinner, you get an after-dinner drink that room service prepares for you, and a specially drawn bath in one of those huge oversize Jacuzzi tubs.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And it'll cost you a pretty penny. Starting at $650?
DICKEY: That's right. But remember, it's dinner, it's -- you know, pampering and it's pretty much a -- really special evening.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's go to the West Coast. Laguna Beach, California. Montage Resort and Spa. What makes that one so special? DICKEY: Well, starting with the location, the new Montage Resort and Spa is on this stunning hillside overlooking the Pacific. And for their Valentine's Day package, you get a beautiful bungalow suite, and also an in-room dinner for two and simultaneous massage where you and your partner can get a massage at the same time.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's nice.
All right. And then Canyon Ranch -- folks know about Canyon Ranch in Massachusetts as well as in Arizona. I didn't realize there was one in Las Vegas.
DICKEY: There is. There's the Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Venetian and there's a lot of amenities there. There's a climbing wall, there's a beautiful workout area. But for couples, there's couples yoga, instructional massage, where you can learn how to give the best possible massage to your partner. And these classes are all free when you're staying at the Venetian.
WHITFIELD: And I know a lot of the ladies love these spa, but, you know, how are a lot of these spas being catered for the man out there to really enjoy himself. Say, for instance, at the Miraval Resort?
DICKEY: Well, the Miraval Resort, there's something called partners, pleasure and passion. And this is a big trend for men and women to go away to basically sex retreats.
In this one, at Miraval, noted author Lana Holstein and her physician husband lead these retreats in which they enlightens the guests as to what they call the seven essential dimensions of sexuality, and they give you homework assignments.
WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. These destinations are making me blush, Dana.
But at Mandarin Oriental Miami - that's getting an awful lot of press lately as being, you know, kind of one of the new, very nu veaux (ph) hotels being brought to Miami's coastline.
DICKEY: The Mandarin Oriental in Miami is something quite different for this great destination because it's off on its own key that you, you know, reach by a private sort of bridge and it's not right on South Beach. So it's a little more isolated, a little more quiet.
And for Valentine's Day, they have real indulgent packages that include round trip transfers in a Bentley from the airport and...
WHITIFELD: Oh my God. Is that what's constituting $10,000 for a couple?
DICKEY: Well, you get more than that.
WHITFIELD: I thought that was a typo. DICKEY: These tailor-made meals, body treatments -- every day you get another body treatment in the spa in heir couples room, and also breakfast in bed.
WHITFIELD: Shoot. Your name's got to be Rockafeller to enjoy that one, though.
DICKEY: Depending and -- well, the view is amazing, and depending on the length of stay, it can go from a thousand to, as you said, $9,000.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana. Thanks very much. You've given us a lot of ideas for some planning. We have to go. Thanks a lot. Good to see you.
DICKEY: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
