If you stay in as many hotels as I do, you probably have a similar stockpile of little plastic bottles of shampoos, conditioners and body lotions taking up real estate in your bathroom cabinet. Recently, in downtown Orlando, I came across a homeless feeding event at a church. I brought of bag of clothes to donate, and noticed piles of the hotel bath amenities had been donated, too. So I quickly went home and gathered my own collection into a bag to donate to the cause. It's a simple gesture that goes a long way. Have a look around your own community and you'll find places to donate, too, I am quite sure. And I was happy to learn there's even a non-profit dedicated to the cause of putting all those hotel soaps to good use called Clean the World, with a website where you can learn more about organizing Soap Drives in your community or get an address for sending off your own supply.

While the majority of the country sinks deeper into a frigid winter, we're still soaking up the vitamin D here in the Sunshine State. And Florida surely has its share of mega resorts to escape to, if big hotels with as many pools as an aquatic center are your thing. But if you're the kind of traveler who prefers hotels of the non-chain variety with a lot of non-corporate personality, here are a few top picks across the state:

• A short drive from Tampa, the Postcard Inn on the Beach in St. Pete Beach is decked out with retro surf-style flair and has an oceanfront bar with regular live entertainment.
• The Seahorse Oceanfront Inn in Neptune Beach (one of the Jacksonville Beaches) occupies a motorlodge-style, two-story building right on the beach and within steps of shops, restaurants and bars in the cute Atlantic Beach area.
• There's no place quite like the Sundy House in downtown Delray Beach, with its rainforest-like tropical gardens and sinkhole-style pool filled with freshwater fish that fin alongside you as you swim.
• All of the guest rooms, efficiencies and one and two-bedroom suites at Captain Pip's Hideaway in Marathon in the Florida Keys include the use of a 20-foot boat for fishing, snorkeling and frolicking in the tropical surrounds.
• Right on South Beach's main drag, Ocean Drive, the Pelican Hotel caters to the fashion set with bespoke rooms named 'Viva Las Vegas,' 'Power Flower' and the like.

^{Image courtesy Sundy House}

It's been a rough season for snow in many resorts in the US. But in Europe this winter ski season, the white gold is having one serious rush everywhere from the French Alps to slopes of Austria. And despite the Euro's strength against the dollar, you'd be surprised how far your greenbacks can go in many popular Alpine resort towns. At La Ferme in the popular French ski resort of La Clusaz (about an hour from Geneva), guest writer Terry Ward tells me she recently bedded down for just 110 euros per night (about $144, double occupancy) in a ski-in/ski-out hotel with village views and a charming restaurant serving local specialties like raclette and tartiflette. She writes:

My room had a balcony overlooking the main slopes, a flat screen TV, super comfortable bed, free wireless Internet and pretty pine wood touches throughout. I felt like I was staying in a true alpine ski hut. The snow is the best they've had here in years, and lift tickets are only 30 euros per day (about $44) compared to double that at many stateside resorts. The best part? The cozy restaurant upstairs full of candles and a warm atmosphere for enjoying all the Savoyard specialties. Now I've got to ski twice as long tomorrow to work off all this cheese!

Can I get a Vive La France?

^{Image courtesy Terry Ward}

One of my favorite Miami hotels is offering a very tempting Valentine's Day package. And since my husband happens to be among my loyal readers, I'm hoping he'll take this blog as a subtle hint to surprise me (hi honey!). Located right in downtown Miami on Brickell Key and surrounded by views of sparkling Biscayne Bay, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami has put together a Couples Delight Package at the hotel's newly renovated spa (Miami's only five star spa, it's among Florida's very best) that includes the following for a rate of $720:

• Two hours of treatments for the two of you in a couples suite, followed by relaxation time
• Champagne and macaroons prepared by the hotel's pastry chef
• Take-home spa gift
• And something equally nice and more obviously delicious is the four-course Valentine's menu at the hotel's excellent restaurant, Azul

Go forth and book, all would-be Cupids!

^{Image courtesy Mandarin Oriental Miami}