Charlyn's Hotels / Resorts / Inns Blog

This morning, I got an email from Brett Melzer. He owns the Malikha Lodge in the far north of Myanmar, and was vacationing with his family in Australia when the cyclone hit. He has a plan, and could use your help. I'll print his letter in its entirety.

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I left Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and headed north to a historic, even iconic resort. Ojo Caliente Resort & Spa is what you might call "in the middle of nowhere," roughly between Taos and Santa Fe on the other side of the Rio Grande. There are a number of benefits to venturing out into the middle of nowhere on your vacation. First, there is no cell phone service, and no telephones in the room, giving you the perfect excuse to chuck the phone and Blackberry for a few days. (If you can't go that long, the lobby has wireless Internet, but let's keep that our little secret.)

What will you be doing out there? Guests come to Ojo Caliente for one thing: the hot springs. In fact, owner Andy, who came down from Alaska with his wife, Jen, to restore this resort he remembered from childhood, told me that evidence in the area shows people have been coming to this spot to enjoy the healing waters for over 8,000 years.

In fact, Ojo Caliente has the distinction of not one but four types of hot springs - lithium, iron, soda and arsenic, each of which is reputed to be beneficial for different ailments, from arthritis to digestion. One hundred thousand gallons a day flow up and through the pools here, all at temperatures hovering around 100 degrees.

There is one other reason people flock to Ojo Caliente, particularly in the summer -- the mud baths. There's something truly decadent about slathering yourself in the mineral-rich mud pool and laying out in the sun to bake. It's all the benefits of a spa body wrap without any rush to leave. Speaking of spas, the new spa at Ojo Caliente was finishing construction during my visit and should be complete this summer. The 140th anniversary of the resort will be celebrated this fall.

Rooms in the historic main hotel at Ojo Caliente start at under $100 a night. Note there are no private showers or bathtubs in those rooms, although the rate does include soaks in the hot springs every day (and use of the showers there), even the day you check out.

North and Plaza cottages have private baths and kitchenettes and are decorated in a homelike style. North cottages have two double beds, making the rooms perfect for sharing with friends or a family. (There is one soaking tub that allows kids, and you can rent a private outdoor pool for your family.)

For a splurge, the Cliffside Suites (from $250 per night) have adobe-style fireplaces and private outdoor soaking pools. They are decorated in a charmingly rustic style and could be very romantic (although they all have two double beds as well).

Previously:

• Part 1: Left Turn at Albuquerque
• Part 2: Angels, Saints, Ghosts and Billy the Kid (Las Cruces)
• Part 3: An Affordable Spa Town with One Odd Name (Truth or Consequences)

• The Trump Experience Package at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Las Vegas;
• The Spa-licious Retreat Package at Gran Melia Golf Resort & Villas in Puerto Rico
• The Secret Rendezvous Package at Halekulani in Waikiki;
• The Complimentary 5th Night Package at Couples Resorts in Jamaica; and
• The Regent Opening Rates Package at Regent Bal Harbour in Florida.

I'm in search of some hotel-goers' feedback. Have you ever visited a hotel with a funky or interesting design? We're looking for anything from hip and modern to ornate and classy that we can feature in our publication.

How times have changed. Now, aging teddy bears have a posher destination -- the new Bartie Bristle Hotel and Spa (opens as a PDF), appropriately just an hour and a half from Paddington. Tagged as "‘Luxury care for your favourite bear," the hotel offers a pot of honey on arrival, donkey rides, picnics, visits to a rooftop garden and spa treatments. Accommodations, for £80 (about $158), are in a "delightfully refurbished apple crate complete with soft furnishings and tasteful artwork." Teddy bears are treated to cleansing spa treatments and cosmetic surgery as needed. They return with pictures and souvenirs of their stay.

^{Image © The Bartie Bristle Hotel & Spa}

Promotional codes, good for shopping discounts, free shipping, and other freebies, have become pretty common in the online shopping world. If you regularly check the Hot Hotel Deals page, you know I often list a promotional code that gets you access to a package vacation deal. I recently spoke to Barry Boone, founder of CurrentCodes.com, which collects coupon codes for, among other things, travel. Hotels, airfare, even a new suitcase can be had at a discount with codes found on Barry's site.

I checked the travel section of CurrentCodes.com today and found codes for several Las Vegas hotels, including MGM Grand, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. The site also listed codes for Orbitz, Southwest Airlines Vacations, and Travelocity, and even discounts on merchandise at Brookstone.

Also on CurrentCodes.com was a $5 off coupon for a site I hadn't known about before (and wish I did for this past weekend's trip to New York City with a baby in tow; more on that later): BabiesTravelLite. The service ships baby formula, diapers, wipes, baby food, even bathtubs to hotels and resorts around the world. Much better than trying to negotiate with airport security on how much liquid formula you really need to take on the plane.

Saving Money With Travel 'Coupons'

Walt Disney World covers 25,000 acres, or forty square miles. To put that in perspective, that's about twice the size of Manhattan. Disney fits four theme parks, two water parks, the three-section Downtown Disney area, golf courses, lakes, campgrounds and twenty-two resort hotels, with plenty of space in between. A comprehensive system of buses, monorails, boats and highways connect it all.

With such a massive vacation playground, my best advice to you is to stay near where you will play. Decide which of the four theme parks you will spend most of your time in. If you have small children, that will likely be the Magic Kingdom. Adults may want to spend more time dining and shopping at Epcot's World Showcase. Maybe you'd rather be close to golf courses or water parks.

Choose a Disney resort that's closest to your favorite spots. You'll spend less time traveling -- and more time having fun -- on your next Disney vacation. Map of Disney World Resorts

^{Image © Walt Disney World}

• The USD Fixed Rate Package at the Hotel Lutetia and Hotel du Louvre (Paris);
• The Two For One Package at Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Florida
• The Sizzling Summer Package at Fairmont Hotels in Boston, Washintgon DC, Chicago and Dallas; and
• The Summer Pleasures Package at The Osthoff Resort in southeastern Wisconsin (about two hours from Chicago)

• It's cheap -- starting at eight Euros a night. And that likely includes farm-hearty breakfasts. This may be one of the few places in Europe where the dollar does go a long way.
• It's relaxing -- think "camping" in a country setting.
• Your kids will love it -- most are at farms where you can also ride horses, milk cows or bicycle in the countryside.

• Conde Nast Traveler's 12th annual May "Hot List" issue released [Conde Nast Traveler]
• Boutique hotels perform well and are here to stay [PKF Consulting/Hsyndicate]
• Cool Hotels That Take No Prisoners (Jailhouses-turned-hotels) [MSNBC]
• Gaylord resort rebounds after 'a PR nightmare' [USAToday.com]