If you’re gagging for a holiday but just can’t find the time (or justify the expense), don’t despair! It’s easy to get away from it all without hopping a plane, loading up the car with suitcases, smashing your piggy-bank or getting your rabies shots.

All you need to do is subscribe to the newsletters of travel websites & your favourite hotel chains. Throughout the year, at seemingly random intervals, they have cut-price specials where you can snap up a fabulous room for a fraction of the normal price.

It is certainly not the cheapest thing to do — a room might equate to the price of two good meals out. But it’s much less expensive than flying cross-country, taking a week off if you own your own business, or going completely bonkers!

It may sound silly, but just sleeping for a night or two in a different neighbourhood of your city might be all the recharging you need!

Staying in a wonderful hotel is one of life’s ultimate pleasures. A huge, fluffy bed, immaculately clean sheets made up with military precision, an oversized shower & someone to pick up after you! (That last part is like having mute parents! BEST!)

Grab your favourite person, pack your fancy knickers & stay a couple of nights! Have a pillow fight, go out for a meal in a restaurant you’ve never tried before, sleep in, order room service, cuddle, have an in-room massage, soak in the tub, plot the future, laugh…

It’s the perfect way to check out of your life for a little while.

Hotel On Rivington, which I love… & who wouldn’t?

Ways to improve the experience:
Try to leave your phone & your laptop at home. It really makes a huge difference. No distractions, no obligations, & total silence if you want it.
Pack a scented candle in your suitcase! (Decadent, & totally worth it.)
Take a camera! Snap Polaroids at sunset & sunrise.
Clean your home before you go, so that when you come back, you’re pleased to see it as opposed to stressed out!

Night Hotel, NYC. I’ve never been, but need to!

My favourite sources for good hotel or travel deals are…
Kayak: I book all my flights through Kayak, without exception, but they do hotels too!
Tablet Boutique Hotels: If you join their site, they do private sales every Tuesday with excellent rates! I also use this site regularly.
Starwood Hotels: Home of the W (LOVE), Westin & Le Meridien.
Gilt’s new site Jetsetter: I haven’t used this yet but their prices & deals look amazing.
Time Out magazine had a great article recently on how to get incredible discounts on travel.

What’s the best hotel you’ve ever stayed in? My all-time favourites are the W Union Square & W Hollywood (amazing beds, insane food & every detail intimately considered), Hotel On Rivington (incredible views & possibly the best bed in town) & New York Palace (opulent to the max).

Taj Lake Palace. Oh. My. God.

What about hotels you’re dying to experience for yourself? My list would include Hotel Fox (Denmark), Chateau Marmont (Hollywood — read the history), Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills — it’s a big pink castle!), Pink Sands (Bahamas), The Sukhothai Bangkok (Thailand), Taj Lake Palace (India — honestly, look at these photos) & the Park Hyatt Tokyo (Japan). Killer.