You Don’t Have To Get Away To Get Away
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 Hotel On Rivington](/images/10/05/honr.jpg)
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 Night Hotel](/images/10/05/night.jpg)
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 Taj Lake Palace](/images/10/05/taj.jpg)
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.