TRAVELS WITH
THE POSSE
Romantic Getaways for Valentine's Day
Since we Noodlers are romance writers and this is the month of
love, we decided to go a little hog wild on this month's travel
feature - a compilation of romantic getaways for you and your
sweetie. These five fabulous locations offer everything from the
lush Canadian West Coast to the stark desert beauty of South
Texas. Hopefully one - or all - will sound like the perfect
getaway for this Valentine's Day, a place where you can relax
and indulge.
Lajitas - The Ultimate Hideout
By Stephanie Feagan
Pronounced Lah-HEET-us, this resort just outside the western
border of Big Bend National Park hugs the banks of the Rio
Grande, affording vistas of the Chisos Mountains and the
Chihuahuan desert, extending into Mexico. If you're looking for
a taste of the Old West, updated to high standards of luxury and
sumptuous beauty, Lajitas is the place for you. It is quiet,
soulful and immensely romantic - if you want it to be.
Whether y ou're into golf, horseback riding, spa treatments, or
just lying around letting the sun seep into your bones, Lajitas
provides something for everyone. The resort offers hunting
expeditions, river rafting trips, birding and nature walks, as
well as cooking classes and wine tastings. Right next door is
one of the least visited, yet most unique national parks in the
lower forty-eight. Personally, I could spend a month in Big Bend
National Park and still be sad when it was time to leave. It is
a place of extremes, from crisply cool alpine forests in the
Chisos, to the arid heat of the desert, all teeming with a broad
range of unusual wildlife. That said, if you prefer to spend
some time in the privacy of your room (wink, wink - nudge,
nudge), no one could blame you. The rooms are fabulous - all of
them! There are actually four different hotels on the property,
with seventy-two rooms in all, each one uniquely furnished, from
modern cowboy, to elegant Victorian, but every one outfitted for
pampering and comfort. The staff is quietly unobtrusive, always
eager to assist.
I could go on for another several paragraphs about the food at
Lajitas, but I'd make myself so hungry, I'd be compelled to head
down for another visit. Suffice it to say, Lajitas is an
adventure in food, particularly Texas food. The menu at the
beautiful and romantic Ocotillo restaurant includes everything
from rattlesnake cakes to grilled quail. Trust me, you'll never
look at wildlife in quite the same way. If adventurous food
isn't your thing, they do have more ordinary selections, all of
which are equally extravagant and delicious.
 The only drawback to Lajitas is its remote location, which makes
getting there something of a challenge. Ironically, it is the
very remoteness of the place that holds such appeal. That's why
the man who bought Lajitas and renovated it to become one of the
Leading Hotels of the World calls it The Ultimate Hideout. In
Lajitas, one can easily forget the rest of the world. And
sometimes, that's just what we need - somewhere to hide out and
reflect.
I urge you to visit the Lajitas Resort website, itself something
of awe and wonder. I confess, sometimes, at the end of a very
stressful day, I open the Lajitas web page, listen to the
soothing guitar music and dream over the photographs, mentally
planning the next time I can go for a visit. Maybe I'll go for
the hot stone massage at the Agave spa. That's after I get back
from a raft trip down the Rio Grande. Did somebody say
margarita?
Lajitas, The Ultimate Hideout website:
http://www.lajitas.com/
Going Cruising
By Kiki Clark
One of the main things couples disagree about is money, and
vacations aren't exempt. By taking a cruise, where almost
everything is paid for up front, you're free to enjoy yourself
in perfect harmony.
Cruises themselves are one of the best deals out there. Let's do
the math: As I write this in early January, I can fly to Ft.
Lauderdale on Feb. 28 and take a seven-day cruise that visits
Grand Cayman in the Bahamas, Cozumel in Mexico, and Ocho Rios in
Jamaica for $860. That's including taxes, tips, food, lodging
and round-trip air. It includes swimming pools, hot tubs,
movies, dance classes, workouts at the gym, trivia and limbo
contests, formal and cocktail parties, and a different show
(dancing, magic, comedians, cabaret) every single night. In
fact, the only thing it doesn't include is booze, soda, Internet
access, and doing stuff off the ship. Maybe you think this
cruise is with Carnival, the bargain-basement line so beloved of
college kids. I left off one telling destination on the above
itinerary - Princess Cays. This is a Princess cruise. If you
want to cruise Carnival, cut the price by half and make sure you
bring your thong bikini.
Where can you find these deals? At a cruise discounter. The one
I work with is
http://www.vacationstogo.com. Their site is well
organized, the staff is fabulous, and if you register online,
you often get an extra fifty bucks off the listed price.
When working with a discounter, speed is key. A deal might stay
for two weeks or sell out in two days. And heaven forbid you
should get the good cruise price and lose the bargain airfare.
The last time I booked a cruise, I was on the phone with the
discounter while I booked the airfare on Yahoo Travel, to make
sure I got both prices.
So your cruise is booked. What about land excursions? Strolling
and window-shopping don't cost a thing, but say you want to go
diving. You might spend an hour trying to find the best deal and
still not be satisfied. Booking your excursions with Princess
might seem a little spendy, but every detail is taken care of
and the cruise line auditions the local tour companies. Once
your cruise is booked, log into
www.Princess.com to reserve land
tours. They can fill up fast.
And finally, visit the ship description online or ask what
you'll pay in tips. Princess has a fixed rate of $10/person/day.
Cumberland Island, Georgia
By Dianna Love Snell
I'm wading ankle-deep in the gentle ocean surf. There's not a
soul as far as I can see up and down the sugar-white beach or in
the miles of shimmering aqua water stretching to the horizon.
Dusty-orange and lavender pastel bands canopy the desolate
shoreline. Where am I? On a private island only celebrities
frequent?
No, I'm soaking up rays off the coast of southeastern Georgia on
Cumberland Island - not your standard barrier strip of land. The
first solid clue to my location is when I turn around to find
three wild horses standing hardly fifty feet from me with noble
heads raised to catch the gentle breeze flicking their manes.
There's no way to share all the wonderful facets of Cumberland
Island in one short article, but I'll give you a peak at one
day. I would probably never have visited if my very dear friend,
Donna Browning, had not invited my husband and me to stay at
what was once the slave quarters - now restored by a private
individual - for the Plum Orchard estate.
I'm an early riser so after making coffee I grab a cup and head
for the porch. Clomp, clomp clomp...next thing I know
three goats have me surrounded. Eddie, a resident horse - but
not one of the wild ones - sticks his head through an opening of
the barn. Not to be left out, he noses the gate open and joins
us. Once the rest of our group is up, we strike out to explore
the island.
On our excursion, we encounter small wild pigs rooting around,
the occasional armadillo waddling through the woods (during the
daylight) and literally a flock of turkeys. We stop at a simple
one-room wooden building with whitewashed sides and eight
hand-made pews - the First African Baptist Church where John
Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette married, extracting Cumberland
Island from anonymity when the wedding made headlines.
Continuing along the dirt road, we pass an open field where a
couple of deer stand alert in tall grass. Our joint oohs and
aahs travel across the stillness to startle the does...and the
 fawns and the bucks that had been grazing. The herd moves across
the field, gifting our party with yet another wonderful memory. We eventually stop at Greyfield Inn, an elegant step into the
past that now serves as a bed and breakfast. No less than ten
feral horses graze along the property and cool themselves under
the shade of moss-draped oaks.
Next stop is the ruins. In 1783, Revolutionary War hero
Nathaniel Greene purchased 1,000 acres. His widow built a
four-story home she named Dungeness. Many years later, Thomas
Carnegie (brother to the famous steel magnate) began to build a
mansion on the same site, but he did not live to see it
completed.
This was only a glimpse of the fascinating island. I will always
be thankful to Donna for her gracious hospitality. I plan to
return some day just to make sure it wasn't a dream.
For more information on Cumberland Island, visit
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/
or call 888-817-3421 or 912-882-4335. The island is accessible
only by National Park Service ferry or private boat. Make any
reservations for the ferry or B&B far in advance.
Canada's West Coast
by Lee McKenzie
 What's my idea of a romantic getaway? Someplace secluded, close
to nature, a little rugged even, but with touches of luxury too.
If you think that sounds intriguing, then you'll love staying
at one of my favorite places on Canada's West Coast-the Wickaninnish Inn near the Pacific Inn National Park Reserve and
the town of Tofino, British Columbia.
I love it during the wintertime because t he weather that
rolls in off the Pacific drives spectacular waves that crash on
the rocks and sweep across the sand of Chesterman Beach. Every
room at the Wickaninnish offers an ocean view but if that's not
close enough, you and your sweetheart can pull on the yellow
rain slickers provided for you and take a walk on the beach. But
be sure to watch out for rogue waves!
 The service at the inn is excellent, yet unobtrusive, and the
food is wonderful. After dinner, you can enjoy a soak in your
soaker tub-which is plenty big enough for two-then cozy up in
the terry robes you'll find hanging on the door, and curl up in
front of the fire. Share a bottle of wine. Talk. Remember why
you fell in love, and fall in love all over again. Before you
snuggle under the duvet for the night, I suggest leaving your
window open, just enough to let the sound of the waves put you
both to sleep.
To find out more, pay the Wickaninnish Inn a cyber-visit at
http://www.wickinn.com.
The Inn at Monticello
by Diane Perkins
Full of history and beauty, Virginia truly is for Lovers. At the
foot of its verdant Shenandoah Mountains is one perfect location
for a romantic getaway, a very special bed and breakfast, The
Inn at Monticello.
One and a half miles from Monticello, the house Thomas Jefferson
lovingly built and rebuilt, the Inn is a charming country manor
house built in the mid-1800s. Decorated with period antiques and
fine reproductions, walking through its doors is like taking a
step back in time. My husband and I chose the Inn at Monticello
to celebrate a very special anniversary and the sale of my first
book, The Mysterious Miss M.
Innkeepers Norm and Becky Lindway were welcoming and helpful,
suggesting a good restaurant for a romantic dinner in nearby
Charlottesville, a charming town and the home of the University
of Virginia. Of the Inn's five guestrooms, we chose the Lilac
Room, a serene, spacious room with a private porch where we
toasted each other with sparkling wine from a Virginia vineyard
and pretended we were back in the nineteenth century, the time
period I write about. The Inn did have essential present-day
amenities (a full private bath). Breakfast was suburb - honey
nut stuffed French toast with peach apricot sauce - and the
conversation with other guests was pleasant and relaxing. We
would return in a heartbeat. In fact, we hope to return this
spring.
To learn more about the Inn at Monticello, visit their Web site:
http://www.innatmonticello.com/index.html
Author's note: The morning of our stay, I had scheduled a 5 a.m.
phone call to the United Kingdom to finalize my first sale to
Mills & Boon Historicals. The Inn's only telephone was located
right outside the other guests' bedrooms, so my husband drove me
to a nearby convenience store where I negotiated my first sale
in a trans-Atlantic call from a pay phone while trucks and cars
whizzed by.)
To
read last month's Travel article, click
here
back to the top |
