Archive for the 'News, Tips & Advice' Category
Yosemite: Curry Village ice rink opens today
November 20, 2009 2:57pm
Whether you’re on the ice to pirouette, or to practice skating in a straight line without causing any harm, you can’t have less than an awe-inspiring time at an outdoor rink in Yosemite. The national park’s ice-skating venue, which sits below Glacier Point’s cliffs, is naturally blessed with good views of popular landmarks like Tenaya Canyon, Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest.
And now you can see it for yourself. Located in the western section of Curry Village, the rink opens today for the 2009-2010 winter season.
Though the attraction got its start in 1928, after a Yosemite club flooded a parking lot, the rink is equipped to meet visitors’ 21st-century needs: Rental skates are available, as is a warming hut, and an ice-resurfacing machine comes through regularly to freshen up the rink. Non-skaters can watch the fun next to a fire pit close by.
Skating sessions are scheduled daily, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and 7 to 9:30 p.m. Additional sessions are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and noon to 2:30 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
Disney ship. Virtual portholes. Rich possibilities.
November 19, 2009 4:25pm
They’re still more than a year away from sailing their next new ship, but the Disney cruise people want you to know they’ve come up with a cure for the common inside cabin.
Just about every ship has them. They’re the cheapest units on board, those rooms in the middle of the vessel, closest to the droning engine, farthest from those soothing blue horizon views.
But wait! The Disney Dream, due to sail in January 2011, will feature “virtual portholes” in its roughly 150 inside staterooms. Through these round monitors, guests will not only see the sea in real time (thanks to on-board high-def webcams), they’ll occasionally get animated visits from a haunted pirate ship or Disney characters like Peach (the starfish from “Finding Nemo”) or Mickey Mouse.
The underlying idea here isn’t new.
Delayed and canceled flights across the U.S. caused by FAA computer system glitch
November 19, 2009 9:03am
Flying today? Prepare yourself for possible major delays or even cancellations. A computer system malfunction earlier this morning adversely affected flight schedules throughout the U.S.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is among the major hubs that have been especially affected, and AirTran and Delta Air Lines are among carriers affected. Minor delays have been reported at airports in the New York City area, Boston, Orlando, Fla., and Tampa, Fla.
Though the glitch with the Federal Aviation Administration’s automated system has been resolved, “it was unclear how long flights would continue to be affected,” AP says.
AirTran has posted a travel advisory on its website. It warns passengers that some travel interruptions are “occurring at short notice,” and advises that those who want to adjust their travel plans can make itinerary changes online. Read the rest of this entry »
Queen Mary to update restaurants; two-week December closure for Sir Winston’s
November 17, 2009 2:35pm
The Queen Mary’s signature upscale restaurant, Sir Winston’s, is about to go under the knife. Planned updates to the restaurant named for Winston Churchill follow a recent change in management for the popular tourist attraction.
We can expect the Old World classics on the menu, such as beef Wellington and rack of lamb, to receive “a more contemporary interpretation” as well as an emphasis on local, seasonal produce, according to a statement by Delaware North Cos. Parks & Resorts, which took over management of the Queen Mary in late September.
Menu and restaurant-décor changes are scheduled to be implemented by Dec. 21. As such, Sir Winston’s will close on Sunday, Dec. 6 and reopen on Monday, Dec. 21.
At the helm of the transition is Larry Banares, who was the executive chef at the Queen Mary over 17 years ago, and returned in October to serve as executive chef for all of the ship’s restaurants. Read the rest of this entry »
FlyAway bus service links LAX to Irvine
November 17, 2009 10:45am
For Orange County residents and visitors, access to our country’s third-busiest airport has just gotten a little easier. This week, a new nonstop FlyAway bus service began carrying passengers between Los Angeles International Airport and the Irvine Metrolink Station.
The new service on a 22-seat bus running on compressed natural gas is available to travelers six times daily in each direction. The earliest and latest departures from Irvine are 4:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m, and, upon arrival at the airport, passengers are dropped off at their terminals on the departure level.
Buses headed to Irvine depart from the arrivals level of LAX between the hours of 9:45 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. See the LAWA website for the schedule. Read the rest of this entry »
Oahu, Hawaii: Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk opens
November 16, 2009 2:52pm
Boasting 462 guest rooms over its 38 stories, a new luxury hotel is now open for business in Honolulu. Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk — the fourth property for the Trump Hotel Collection brand — is welcoming its first overnight guests today.
A ceremonial welcoming event, with traditional Hawaiian dance and music, occurred this morning for the inaugural guests of this hotel that is a few minutes’ stroll from the ocean, and right on Waikiki Beach Walk.
Pre-opening rates, valid for stays now through Dec. 21, 2009, start at $255 per night (pre-tax) for a “studio beach walk” room. In January and February, the rack rate for the same kind of room is $385. Read the rest of this entry »
Leonid meteor shower 2009 to peak early Tuesday morning
November 16, 2009 12:34pm
Sky-watchers in North America can expect to see up to 30 meteors hourly tonight as the annual Leonid meteor shower peaks in the wee hours of Tuesday, Nov. 17. Earth will cross the first meteor-producing stream on this date starting at around 1 a.m. PST, experts predict.
This shower, consisting of debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, may not be as grand as the Perseids of this past summer (a recent year’s meteor is pictured above, in Joshua Tree National Park), but the show should still be worth watching.
And it’ll be unusual. “A remarkable feature of this year’s shower is that Leonids will appear to be shooting almost directly out of the planet Mars,” said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office on a NASA blog.
Your best vantage point is a remote, dark place. That means that, yes, you’d do well to pack up your warmest sleeping bag and camp out in the desert or mountains. In the past, Los Angeles Times staff members have recommended Joshua Tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Mount Piños. Read the rest of this entry »
Rental car drop-off fee turnoff
November 15, 2009 10:07am
On The Spot by L.A. Times Travel editor Catharine Hamm
Question: What is the reason for a drop-off charge for a rental car? Sometimes it is assessed, and other times it is not. In October, for instance, I rented a car in Phoenix with a California license plate, and I dropped it off at LAX. The fee was $200. Why?
– George Jones, Inglewood
Answer: Because you have to pay for convenience.
That’s not to say it’s right, nor is it to say that it should always be the consumer’s lot in life, but increasingly, it is. You want to change your airline ticket because your plans change? You pay for it. You need to cancel a hotel reservation? Fork over a fee. You want to change the date of your cruise? Good luck with that. Read the rest of this entry »
Friday the 13th travel deals: Hotels.com 50%-off one-day sale
November 13, 2009 10:31am
I’m going to ignore the bad luck that is associated with Friday the 13th and focus on the good. As in it’s a good time to take some time off with a hotel travel deal. Hotels.com is having a one-day sale on rooms through Nov. 27. Nearly 200 properties in 60 destinations are on sale for up to 50% off. I started looking at hotels in San Diego and Los Angeles, but I might not have been as lucky as I thought. Although the rooms were heavily discounted, I was hard pressed to find them at the promoted prices in San Diego on the Friday the 13th sale page. I did, however, get lucky with hotels in Los Angeles. Let us know what kind of room you scored with this sale. But you better hurry, the rooms with the lowest prices are selling out fast.
Deal or no deal? I had better luck finding the sale rates in Los Angeles than I did with hotels in San Diego.
Los Angeles: On the promotion page, the Custom Hotel was marked down from $178 per night to $95, but when I plugged in my dates for next Saturday, the nightly rate came to $69 pretax for a deluxe room with a queen bed. One of my favorite hotels, Hotel Angeleno, was promoted at $80 per night. I didn’t find it for $80, but I did find it for $99, which is still a great price for this hotel that can sometimes cost more than $200 per night. I also found the Hotel Maya (pictured) for $100 per night. Sure, it was listed at $90 on the sale, but at only $10 more I’d still hop on this rate for a Joie de Vivre boutique hotel.
Cabo San Lucas: Luxe ‘Thanksgiving in the Sun’ 4-night package (with football!)
November 13, 2009 5:58am
If you’ve never thought about leaving town for Thanksgiving because there was no way your family could live without the tradition of watching football, this splurge of a deal is for you. I bet you didn’t even know you could watch NFL games in Mexico. The brand-new Hacienda Beach Club & Residences in Cabo San Lucas knows what you want. It has put together a Thanksgiving package complete with turkey dinner, the NFL, and if you can break away from the bar — a sunset cruise on the Sea of Cortez.
Deal: Four nights in a one-bedroom residence for two people comes to $740 per person, or $1,480 before the 13% tax. When I called, there was plenty of availability for Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Nov. 29. If there are four people staying in a two-bedroom residence, the cost is $640 per person, pre-tax. The package includes a traditional turkey dinner prepared in your residence by a personal chef and butler, a margarita and chips & guacamole welcome, a sunset cruise on Friday, and a tailgating party at the Palapa Bar at the Beach Club, where NFL games will be shown. If you’re feeling guilty about the big turkey dinner, a personal trainer is also included one day during your stay. It’s worth noting that one-bedroom residences are priced at $575 per night after their grand opening in January.
When: Valid through Nov. 30, 2009, based on availability.
Note: The Hacienda Beach Club & Residences has a vacation rental component to it, but because there is no minimum night requirement it operates like a hotel.
Contact: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences, (949) 388-8590
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo credit: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences]
