Vacations Blog

Manarola from the hiking trail

The Cinque Terre region of Italy is one of the most beautiful spots in the country. Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” in Italian and is a collection of five small villages nestled into the cliffs on the Ligurian Sea. The villages were founded on agriculture and fishing, but now survive with the help of tourists dollars.

Cinque Terre is an easy day trip from Florence, Pisa or Milan (Pisa is the closest airport), but you should plan at least two days on the shortest trip, and more like 4-5 if you really want to relax. There’s not a whole lot to do in Cinque Terre really, but that is its charm.

Each of the five villages has its own distinct personality. Monterosso is the most resorty of the towns. It is the only one with full-service hotels and a true beach – though it is a rocky one. Just south of the town is Vernazza, another village popular with tourists and known for its picturesque harbor (it also has a very small beach).

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A Vineyard in Rioja

The Rioja region is Spain’s largest and most famous wine region, yet it’s still relatively undiscovered by tourism. There are over 500 wineries in operation, but many do not offer tours, or offer tours only by appointment or only in Spanish. It can be difficult to get around the area without a car. But, with some careful planning, you can arrange a few days of touring and tasting even if you are traveling without a car or don’t speak fluent Spanish.

You can still tour the wineries of the Rioja region by bus and train, but a bit more coordination is necessary, and you may have to spring for a taxi to reach a few of the further out wineries.  The rail company Renfe services Logrono and Haro, and Alsa runs regional buses between most of the smaller towns.

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Look, I – as well as most guys – can understand the need to run things by our significant others before acting on them. Yes, a call from Blockbuster before renting True Romance and Bladerunner for ‘date night’ would be nice. No, not everyone appreciates bourbon being on sale when told to run out and grab some wine for the dinner party. Michael Jordan posters do not make for a proper engagement gift, etc.

I understand. We all should.

Which is what makes this quirky little story even better. Read More »

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! Brace yourself.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

Disney Cruise specials and kids sail free!

Marriott wants to Twitter, email and Facebook you to Hawai’i! By all means, let them!

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It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! It’s like exciting.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

LAST CHANCE! If you have a kid, a camera and access to water you could win a $500 Best Western gift card at Babble Playground. The contest ends tomorrow so get that kid wet, stat!

Read More »

Purple Roofs is “your GLBT key to world travel” and features Gay and Lesbian Bed & Breakfasts, Inns, Guesthouses, Hotels, Travel Agents, & Tour Operators.

The site is run by Mark and Scott and they have been kind enough to share some of their favorite vacations with us.

Today we’re looking at the weekend getaway of Amador County in Northern California for wine tasting, bed and breakfasts and everything in between.

When most people think of California wines they think of two places: the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley, and then they go there by the busload.  This premier wine region in Northern California overflows with tourists in the summertime, and wine tastings are often $5, $10, or $15 a glass.  Yes, for a tasting.

However, there are a number of other lesser-known wine regions in California that offer fantastic local varietals, scenic vine-covered hills, and best of all, elbow room.

The Shenandoah Valley in Amador County is such a place.  It is a lovely wine-growing region about an hour southeast of Sacramento. There are at least 32 wineries here within 15 minutes of each other, most of them can be found on one large loop of road that makes it easy to enjoy the grand tour.

How to Get There:

From the East (Lake Tahoe/Highway 50), catch Highway 49 in Placerville south. In 14 1/2 miles, you’ll reach the small town of Plymouth – make a left onto Fiddletown Rd., and you’re there.

From Sacramento proper, you have a couple options. The shorter route is to take Highway 50 up to El Dorado Hills. Take the Latrobe Rd. Exit (it only goes south), and follow Latrobe Rd. about 14 miles south to Old Sacramento Rd. This runs about 5 miles into Plymouth, and becomes Fiddletown Rd., leading you right into the wine region.

For a slightly longer scenic route, exit Highway 50 at How Ave. Go South on Howe and make an almost immediate left onto Folsom Blvd. Stay to your right – in about a block, Folsom veers left and Jackson Highway (16) veers right. Stay on 16 for about 30 1/2 miles, passing through lots of farmland and rural scenery. 16 then becomes 49 north bound and veers to the right – a little more than 2 miles takes you into Plymouth. Make a right onto Fiddletown, and you’ve arrived. Read More »

Bask in the sun poolside at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino

Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion to treat a special mother to a relaxing vacation. What better place than poolside in Las Vegas. The weather in the City of Sin is perfect during the month of May – not too hot, but definitely not cold. Usually, the sun is shining bright and the champagne, wine and exotic cocktails are flowing under blue skies and palm trees.

Remove yourself from the crowds with a private cabana.

The best way for Mom to enjoy a Vegas pool, without having to fight amongst the throngs of tourists for a perfectly located lounge chair, is to arrange for a private cabana. Through the concierge desk, most of the resort hotels offer cabanas to hotel guests and visitors for a fee. It’s worth the money to have your very own poolside retreat. 

For example, recently my wife and her girlfriends celebrated a special occasion at the beautiful Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino, a sensational resort located off the Las Vegas Strip. They stayed in one the hotel’s lavish rooms overnight after enjoying the resort’s restaurants and nightlife. The following day, they arranged for a private cabana. It came furnished with a flat-panel HD television and comfortable sofas with pillows, a safe for valuables, and an endless supply of fresh towels. Right outside of the cabana were two lounge chairs situated in front of a private pool overlooking the resort’s crowded pool and spa complex.

The Pond at Green Valley Ranch is a 21 and over sanctuary.

The ladies were served by a waitress that kept food and drinks replenished throughout the entire day as they swam in the refreshing water and basked in the sunlight and cool spring breeze. The cocktails were delicious and the food was spectacular. The great part was that $250 worth of drinks and food were included with the cabana rental. What a great deal! 

Later, the ladies invited their families, including the kids to join them at the cabana. So, not only did it providing some relaxing girl time, it made for a great afternoon of family fun.

The cabanas at the Red Rock Resort, Palms, Hard Rock Hotel, The M Resort and Mandalay Bay are great choices too. Their prices and amenities vary. Also, many of the hotels offer an exclusive, enclosed pool area with cabanas for the 21 and over crowd. At Green Valley Ranch it’s The Pond.

The Spa at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino

Of course, you may want to treat your mother to more than just a day at a cabana. A spa package is a nice way to pamper her as well. You can arrange for a spa treatment, including massage, in the morning and the cabana for the afternoon. 

Whatever Las Vegas resort you choose, your special mother is sure to enjoy her time in the Las Vegas sun.

Photos by Jason Roth and Green Valley Resort & Casino.

Silverado Mansion

Now this is a contest.  If you have a love for all things spa, wine and blogging with just a pinch of the misandry, then the “Spa Girl Package” is the prize for you!

UpTake has partnered with the Silverado Resort in beautiful Napa Valley for a blog contest with the prize being a “Spa Girl Package” for you and three of your friends.

It’ll be just like Silverado the movie, but without Kevin Costner acting all goofy.

Prize
One winner will receive a “Spa Girl Package for Four” (valued at $1,140.00.) This is the perfect Napa Valley spa package for you and three of your closest friends. Enjoy all that Wine Country has to offer with this Napa Valley vacation package.
Package includes (per person):

• Shared accommodations in a spacious fireplace suite with kitchen, living room and dining area
• One 50-minute Spa treatment and full use of The Spa at Silverado and 20% off additional select 50-minute spa services
• Wine Tasting at Black Stallion Winery
• Silverado Resort tote bag
• Breakfast in either of our cafes
• All taxes, service charges and Resort Fee

Cheers! It's the wine country.

Deadline
The blog contest begins at Midnight on April 15, 2009 (PST) and ends at Midnight on May 15, 2009 (PST).

Submission

1. Write a post about why you deserve a getaway on your blog and include a link to the UpTake.com homepage (www.uptake.com.) Linking to the home page on the UpTake site is a requirement for entry.
2. You must also tell us you entered by commenting on this post. Please include your email address in the comment field. We will contact you using this email address if you are the winner.

Requirements & Criteria

1. The winning post will be judged upon the quality of its writing, its originality and how well it conveys why you and three of your friends deserve a getaway more than any other entrant. Since UpTake is a family-friendly site, we require the post be “family-friendly” and reserve the right to reject unsuitable or pornographic material.
2. Only one entry per day per blogger. Each entry must be associated with a new blog post. Each participant may submit up to ten posts total.
3. Entry materials may not infringe on any third party rights and you must have obtained permission from the third party if their property or image appears in the text of the post or in any photos included with the post. We can disqualify the entry at our sole discretion if we cannot obtain the necessary permissions for any element or component of the post.
4. Prize must be claimed within one year of the contest conclusion. Accommodations and Spa appointments are based upon availability at time of booking.”

Judging
The winning post will be selected by the Silverado executive team by May 22nd, 2009. Winner will be selected on the above criteria.

Terms and Conditions
Since UpTake is a family-friendly site, we reserve the right to reject unsuitable or pornographic posts or images.

Copyright

1. Copyright for any of your original posts will be licensed to UpTake under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
2. Copyright of the post remains the property of the blogger.
3. Entries must be submitted by the original author. Only posts submitted by the original author will be considered. Do not submit a post written by someone other than yourself. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any post submitted. Your submission of the post is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the post.

Official Rules

Please go here for the official rules.