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| HOLIDAY Travel Getaways
HOLIDAY Travel Getaways
by Shelley Waugh


Santa Claus is coming to these towns…


Blantyre, Lenox, Massachusetts
When snow is on the ground, and the estate is covered in holiday lights, and if Charles Dickens and Norman Rockwell had been looking for the quintessential country house to write a novel about, or paint a picture, then this was it.

Blantyre is a house for all seasons, but when it's cold outside it has cross country skiing and ice skating on the property. There are 23 rooms and suites, eight in the main house, eleven in the carriage house and four cottages on the grounds.

Dining is a formal event, and gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie in the evenings. If you forget, a selection of jackets in your size and a box of Hermès ties will be brought to your suite.

Visit www.blantyre.com/
       
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, California
If you’re looking for holiday rejuvenation, you can try the seasonal cocoa pomegranate body polish or the detox body treatment throughout the month of December. Relax over a delicious Snowflake cocktail, made with White Godiva Chocolate, Frangelico and Whipped Cream or take part in golf clinics, cooking courses and wine tastings.

The Inn is located in the historic town of Ojai, named by Chumash Indians and meaning Valley of the Moon. Ojai is one of the few towns in the world to have a ‘Pink Moment’ that occurs daily as the sun sets. The fading sunlight creates a brilliant shade of pink on the Topa Topa Bluffs (over 6,000 feet), at the east end of Ojai Valley.

Operating since 1923, the historic Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, is a AAA Five Diamond property located on 220 tree-shaded acres offering a golf course ranked as one of the finest in North America. Located 35 minutes south of Santa Barbara and approximately 90 minutes north of LAX.

Visit www.ojairesort.com

Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey
The casino is ready to send off 2011 in style and bring in the New Year with a bang promotion, dubbed Bally’s Big Bang, that will last until the end of January. Every Sunday in December between 3pm and 4pm up to 2011 Total Rewards customers will receive $11 in slot play.

Every Sunday in January between 3pm and 4pm will receive $12 in slot play. On top of that, every day in December and January guests can earn same day slot play when they play Bally’s slots with their Total Rewards card.

At Bally’s Atlantic City, guests can choose their experience from three casinos: Bally's, the Wild Wild West Casino and Claridge Casino with multiple dining destinations, four hotel towers, a hotel spa, a beach bar, big name entertainment and championship fights.
Visit www.ballysac.com.

Elegant Hotels, Barbados
Elegant Hotels is offering guests holiday magic across their properties that include The House, Colony Club Hotel, Tamarind, and the all-inclusive Crystal Cove Hotel and Turtle Beach Resort.

The Colony Club, left, has a festive program planned with a range of activities from yoga on the beach and a complimentary tennis clinic, to the Christmas-themed lobster and jazz evening. Guests can enjoy Christmas Evening "under the stars" on the Sunset Deck for a Christmas dinner, with the St. Peter's Anglican Church Choir on hand to perform traditional Christmas carols.

The adults-only property, The House, combines the intimacy of a bed and breakfast with the style of a boutique hotel. On Christmas Day, guests will enjoy eggnog served beachside and a special Daphne's Christmas dinner menu accompanied by traditional Christmas carollers.

Tamarind holiday guests will take pleasure in the many events on offer such as cooking classes, food & wine pairing dinner, vodka and Sambuca tasting and the "King of the Grill" barbecue competition.

Crystal Cove and Turtle Beach are offering discounted rates during the holidays, with a range of activities included. Crystal Cove will celebrate the holiday season themed "Caribbean Cohobblopot" and will include movies under the stars, beach Olympics and karaoke. Turtle Beach will also be a lively location over the holiday season, hosting beach volleyball, a mixology demo, treasure hunt, and beach Olympics.

Visit www.eleganthotels.com

Santa Monica, CA. - from Farm to Table
The weather outside is far from frightful in Santa Monica where beachfront hotels, world-class restaurants and an award-winning Farmers Market celebrate this holiday season. Zagat Survey has named Santa Monica the best neighborhood for dining in all of Southern California for two consecutive years.

• Hotel Casa del Mar offers gluten-free menus (including gluten-free holiday cookies) to enjoy with ocean views from their dining room. Executive Chef Jason Bowlin has created menus for the holidays featuring sustainable seafood and farmers market fresh ingredients.

• Celebrity chef Michael McCarty has a new Farm-to-Glass mixology program at the dining bar/lounge at Michaels. Mixologist Jason Robey features fresh seasonal herbs and fruits grown on the new rooftop garden along with fresh produce from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, which celebrated it's 30th anniversary this year. 

• Locanda del Lago has been located on the Third Street Promenade for over twenty years will feature an Apple Tortelloni at Christmas.

• The Lobster Restaurant offers guests pairs of the freshest catch alongside vegetables and legumes from area farms. Dishes like steamed American Lobster with Sautéed Swiss Chard and Weiser Farms Heirloom Potatoes, and Grilled Wild Alaskan King Salmon with Rutiz Farms Fava Beans and Fiddle Head Ferns.

• True Food Kitchen, new seasonal dishes developed in partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil includes appetizers like Roasted Beet & Mozzarella Agrodolce, Gluten-free Harvest Chopped Salad and Vegan Organic Tomato, and Roasted Kale Pizza for a healthy complement to the holiday shopping experience.

• At Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, guests can enjoy ocean views and holiday cheer in the lobby lounge with the menu of small bites like Roast Pork Taquitos, Candy Cane and Peppermint Shrimp, Turkey Rhubarb and Roasted Pumpkin Seed on Lavash Crisp.
 
• Mélisse's Master Chef Josiah Citrin presents his first collection of recipes "In Pursuit of Excellence." An ideal gift, the book is available at Mélisse, www.melisse.com, selected retailers and www.Amazon.com. 

Visit www.santamonica.com/dine-la.  
 
Ashford Castle, Ireland
It doesn't get much grander than Christmas in a castle. The Ashford Castle is Ireland's most historic five-star castle hotel. It is set on 350 acres of County Mayo, on the shores of Lough Corrib and the River Cong, with a backdrop of woodlands, lake, river and mountains. 

This holiday season the Castle is highlighting the best of Irish cuisine, music and traditions. The three-night package includes:
 
December 24 - Christmas Eve
Guests will be greeted with mulled wine and mince pies. After settling in, guests will be served afternoon tea in the Drawing Room before being welcomed by the General Manager to a special cocktail reception with chamber music. A Christmas Eve dinner in the George V restaurant will be followed by a visit from Santa - with gifts for all, of course! The evening ends with Christmas carols from the St. Mary's Church Choir.
 
December 25 - Christmas Day
Christmas Day at Ashford Castle starts with a hearty Irish breakfast in the George V dining room. The day's activities include golf and a cruise on Lough Corrib with traditional Irish music and hot whiskey. A Christmas buffet lunch in the George V restaurant is followed by a treasure hunt on Ashford Castle's grounds, and evening cocktails will be served in the Drawing Room with chamber music. A special Christmas Gala dinner in the George V restaurant will be followed by dancing and midnight mulled wine and mince pies.
 
December 26 - St. Stephen's Day
The festivities continue on St. Stephen's Day with a jazz brunch in the George V restaurant, a cruise on Lough Corrib with live music, and a guided historical walking tour on Ashford Castle's grounds and gardens with local historian Mick Maye.

The evening concludes with a St. Stephen's Day dinner in the George V restaurant and entertainment ...and for those who don't want the festivities to end, the resident entertainers will continue the celebration in the Dungeon.
 
December 27
Guests can enjoy a leisurely Irish breakfast before bidding farewell.
 
Visit www.ashford.ie.

MGM Resorts, Las Vegas, Nevada
Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Dec.2 - Jan. 2.
Visitors will discover a 42-foot-tall Shasta fir decorated with more than 13,500 lights and 1,800 ornaments, a charming polar bear trio created with 35,000 white carnations and a family of 34 penguins on an ice pond.

On Christmas Day, Le Cirque at Bellagio is offering a five-course menu (US$145 per person) starting with Sauteed Foie Gras with white chocolate and raisin brioche, citrus compote and elderberry emulsion and followed by Paupiette of Sea Bass with crispy potatoes, braised leeks and wine.

For an Asian-inspired Christmas dinner, guests can sample the “Taste of Shibuya” menu at MGM Grand. Dishes include Ezi Ebi, which combines Australian Lobster Tail and Day Boat Scallops in uni sake butter sauce as well as the Tataki, Australian Wagyu beef with lemon tamari soy, tarragon oil and garlic chips (US$120 per person).

Next door at Jean Philippe Pâtisserie, is a six-foot-tall Mr. Grinch, made out of 50 pounds of chocolate and 112 pounds of fondant!
 
The Mirage with A Very Terry Christmas (running to Dec. 24 Tuesday – Saturday) In addition to his current show, Terry Fator: Ventriloquism in Concert, Fator will complement his routine with 10-12 popular holiday tunes. Tickets can be purchased at the Terry Fator Box Office, online at www.mirage.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
    
Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil visits Mandalay Bay Events Center Dec. 3-27. The show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of this entertainment icon. Tickets are US funds: $175, $125, $80 and $50 (inclusive of tax and fees) at any Mandalay Bay ticketing outlet, online at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Visit www.Bellagio.com, www.mgmgrand.com
 
The Peninsula Hotels & Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Peninsula Hotels' Trees of Hope fundraising campaign, in conjunction with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is now in its ninth year and has raised over $385,000 for the foundation.

Guests at each of the nine Peninsula hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Bangkok and Manila, can purchase ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree in the lobby. The proceeds from these ornaments go towards making holiday wishes and dreams come true for children around the world.
 
Additionally, The Peninsula Hotels continues this holiday theme with special Trees of Hope Cocktails and Teas of Hope - a festive version of the celebrated Afternoon Tea served at each Peninsula Hotel – with the Make-A-Wish Foundation receiving a donation for each cocktail and Afternoon Tea sold.
 
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The mission of Make-A-Wish International is to create hope and happiness for children with life-threatening illnesses around the world and can be found in 31 countries on five continents. Make-A-Wish International serves children outside the United States. Make-A-Wish Foundation of America serves children within the United States. Both organizations have granted more than 210,000 wishes around the world since 1980.

Visit www.peninsula.com and www.worldwish.org
 
Chicago, Illinois - Free Greeter Service for Holiday Season
Chicago Greeter will offer free, one-hour walks of N. Michigan Avenue and surrounding areas led by knowledgeable locals – Magnificent Mile InstaGreeter. The walk-up service is available through December 31 on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., leaving from the Water Works Visitor Information Center, 163 E. Pearson St. Volunteer greeters will provide information and insights on the Streeterville and Gold Coast neighborhoods; landmarks such as the John Hancock Center and the former Playboy Mansion, historic hotels and cathedrals; and best bets for holiday shopping.

Visit www.ChicagoGreeter.org.

WeddingsHoneymoons.com | Holiday Travel Getaways | December 11, 2011
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