Roam+Board :: Hotel Bellevue

[trip style = weekend getaway + luxury + active]

{Editor’s Note: Enter to win a travel set from Shaffali Skincare, inspired by Ayurvedic herbs aromatherapeutic essences including French lavender, Croatian sage, Italian orange blossom, and Egyptian geranium! Contest ends TODAY. Enter NOW!}

What The 67-room Hotel Bellevue is hidden, that's the point. Not a place to be seen or be dazzled, the sub/urban retreat has a secret weapon: Bellevue's most prestigious wellness address. Hotel guests get access to the 200,000-sf Bellevue Club with a state-of-the-art spa, health club, indoor jogging track, gym, three pools {one outdoor}, tennis, racquetball and squash.

Wrapped in a West Coast architecture with a refined contemporary interior, the sub/urban retreat leaves you with a sense of low-key luxury. Above a landscaped garden, one of the rock pillars fronting the property holds a small, gold sign -- Small Luxury Hotels of the World -- which sets the tone for your entire stay. With discreet service and amenities like a Mercedes towncar, this health hotel holds its own, without having to be in the centre of it all.

I recently stayed here and this property is Trip Styler approved. {See my detailed Trip Advisor review here.}

Where Bellevue, Washington. Two minutes outside of downtown Bellevue, 15 minutes from Seattle and 2.5 hours from Vancouver.

When Year-round. Stay and play in the health facilities, walk in nearby parks, or shop at Bellevue Collection or The Bravern. Don't miss our fave restau picks.

Who/Why You're seeking a calm and collected trip style = weekend getaway. Ideal for a girls shopping/wellness weekend, couples health retreat, personal escape or family getaway.

Cost From $135/night including access to sports facilities and fitness classes {incl. yoga and pilates}, wifi and Mercedes S63 AMG towncar service. Valet is $12/night. Dogs are $25/stay.

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More Roam+Board Rolling Huts - Methow Valley {WA} Golden Rock Inn - Nevis The Ace NYC – New York The Viceroy – Palm Springs Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire From ice hotels to Anna Wintour's steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos via Hotel Bellevue]

Tech Tuesday :: The Six-Week Rule

[trip style = any]

{Editor’s Note: Enter to win a travel set from Shaffali Skincare, inspired by Ayurvedic herbs aromatherapeutic essences including French lavender, Croatian sage, Italian orange blossom, and Egyptian geranium! Contest ends TOMORROW. Enter today!}

Today's Tech Tuesday is not so much about new tech, but how to use existing travel tech to show airline tickets who's boss!

It's true, we've written about the best time to buy airline tickets before, but we thought we'd resurrect the topic in light of new data released by Airlines Reporting Corp., a US company that handles ticketing transactions between airlines and travel agents.

The findings are not mind-bending, but serve as a solid reminder of when to ask the flight you're eyeing out on a date.

After crunching almost 144-billion flight ticketing transactions over in 2011, the study found that passengers pay the lowest price, nearly 6% below the average fare, if they buy six weeks before their flight. Other findings include: ticket prices soaring a week before departure, and up to a 40% ticket price hike for day-of tickets.

Note to self, don't buy a same-day flight ticket to Rome like Omar did on Sunday's epidode of Pan Am! He's a Prince, he can handle 40% more.

Next time you're searching for the best flight and fare, consider the above findings, plus a few other commandments we've compiled: - Six Ways To Save On Airfare :: to help you score the lowest airfare for your next trip - How To Book The Best Flight :: without hours of research - The Airfare Dance :: key findings from Kayak.com's Chief Scientist

PS - After a 14-year stint, Priceline's Negotiator has been killed off. Here's the final hurrah: {If you're having trouble seeing video, click here}

[photo by @tristyler taken in Australia at the Gladstone airport]

Conquer & Plan

[trip style = any]

{Editor’s Note: Enter to win a travel set from Shaffali Skincare, inspired by Ayurvedic herbs aromatherapeutic essences including French lavender, Croatian sage, Italian orange blossom, and Egyptian geranium! Contest ends Wednesday, Jan 25th, 2012.}

"Test your fears. Do something you’ve always wanted to do...and you’ll be surprised how quickly all will be illuminated." - Dan Levy

I recently read an article in Flare Magazine {a Canadian fashion mag} by Dan Levy, TV host and son of actor Eugene Levy, about getting out of your comfort zone and conquering fears. Dan's kryptonite was anxiety and after almost becoming blind from the physical stress of his ailment, he made a bold move and moved to London to face and conquer his challenges and gain independence.

Among other things, it made me think of how exploring new frontiers---as simple as trying a new restaurant or as complicated as taking your first multi-leg trip to Rio---relates to travel. Not every trip has to be a soul-searching retreat where you dine on tree bugs and drink spring-fed water, but I can honestly say I've learned something---good or bad---from every trip style I've ever taken, conquering fears in the process.

Since we're still in January---a time where people tend to resolve to make changes and plan ahead---I thought the idea of aligning our goals/resolutions/fears, and of course budget, with travel planning seemed apropos. Perhaps the reason Dan's realizations struck such a chord is because the message is not far from Trip Styler's mission: to inspire different types of travel---from luxe to budget and glamping to urban---and grow from every experience.

The Skinny - take an inventory of your goals, fears and resolutions - dream where these might take you via trip styles or destinations - plan ahead and budget to see what's doable - make it happen and tell the story

[photo by @tripstyler]

IMG_FRI :: Honolulu

{Hilton Hawaiian Village's famous tiled rainbow wall}

[trip style = sun + beach]

{Editor's Note: Enter to win a travel set from Shaffali Skincare, inspired by Ayurvedic herbs aromatherapeutic essences including French lavender, Croatian sage, Italian orange blossom, and Egyptian geranium! Contest ends Wednesday, Jan 25th, 2012.} 

Yesterday we wrote about a more modern Honolulu. Here are some some additional photos from dawn to dusk. See the full gamut on Instagram {@tripstyler}.

{Lagoon at the edge of Waikiki}

{Koi pond at The Hilton Hawaiian Village}

{Pool at The Modern Honolulu}

{View of pools at The Modern Honolulu and lagoon}

{Black and white sky}

{Afternoon sun at The Modern Honolulu's private beach pool}

{Sunset}

[photos by @tripstyler and @nate_fri]

Spotlight :: Modern Honolulu

[trip style = sun + beach + urban + weekend getaway]

Maybe you love crowds, duty-free shopping galleries, two-hour restaurant waits and garden-variety hotels, but I don't. It's not my idea of a tropical affair. So, this past weekend I custom-tailored a trip style = sun + beach + urban + weekend getaway with a modern mantra. You have to know what you're doing to enjoy Waikiki like you're the only guest at the luau.

First order of biz: find a cool hotel just off the strip with a sense of space---not an easy task in Honolulu until recently. In late 2010, a hotel opened that ruffled the feathers of traditional beachside resort cash cows and beckoned a forgotten breed: discerning travelers with an appetite for cool.

The Modern Honolulu is sleek, spacious and social, hanging between Waikiki and Ala Moana beaches. A massive surfboard installation hangs above reception and the rest follows this abstractly composed aesthetic: neutral rooms decorated with tropical accoutrements; a wood-deck pool surrounded by beach beds for two; an outdoor bar with picnic and yellow bistro tables shaded by overhanging trees and lit at night by strings of twinkly wine-bottle luminaries---the list goes on. {See my detailed Trip Advisor review here.}

Rethink Honolulu. Your curated, DIY luau is waiting {without the crowds and watery mai tais}.

Eat

• Breakfast: Cream Pot {in the Hawaiian Monarch hotel}. I was a little skeptical about this breakfast factory with a cult following, but once I tasted the food, I was converted. Don't let the grandma's-kitchen-meets-French-countryside decor throw you. The service is slow, but with a smile, and the food is sinfully good. Dishes like the homemade vanilla custard cream-filled crepe with salted caramel sauce and the ahi carpaccio eggs benedict with a grilled rice cake, avocado and orange miso shoyu sauce are exactly the kind of meals you want to avoid before lounging poolside. But if you go for an early-morning surf, SUP or run, it's all good!
• Dinner: Morimoto {in The Modern Honolulu hotel}. If celeb Iron Chef Morimoto's self-titled restaurant is good enough for Obama {who dined there over the holidays}, it's good enough for me. A stark white interior with splashes of green and purple accentuates the open kitchen. Those who want an al fresco experience while soaking in the warm climate can sit outside in the covered dining area. Make a reso in advance and try the tuna pizza. I don't like anchovies, olives or jalapenos, but I LOVED this inventive appetizer.
• Drinks: La Mariana Sailing Club. Sandwiched between shipping yards and boat repair hangars in Honolulu's pier district, La Mariana is a museum-quality ode to all things tiki. The lush grounds facing the marina lead you into 1950s exotica with wooden carvings, preserved puffer fish lights, netted ceilings and multicoloured glass fishing floats in every corner. Go for umbrella drinks here and dinner elsewhere, and stay long enough to croon to the live piano music. Ron, the longtime {and blind} pianist plays songs like "I just called to say I love you..." {Thanks for the recommendation Steve & Kelly!}

Getting There Getting to Honolulu is easy with a multitude of nonstop flights and departure points. WestJet and AirCanada fly from Vancouver {approx $700 return}, Alaska flies from Bellingham {approx $400 return}, and Alaska, Hawaiian and Delta fly from Seattle {approx $500 return}.

Related A Tropical Experiment High/Low :: Booking A Vacation In Maui

[photos by @tripstyler]