Readers can save 10 percent off plus free cocktails at 70 Park Avenue Hotel. Photograph courtesy of Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants
Washington slows down in August—making it a good time to get away. These are special travel deals just for Washingtonian readers. Unless noted, all are for stays in August.
FUN ON THE BAY
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
Cambridge, Md.; 410-901-1234
What’s special: On 400 acres along the Choptank River, the resort offers beautiful vistas, relaxation, and lots of activities including four swimming pools and a spa.
Golfers will be challenged on the River Marsh course. The 17th hole, a par three over Shoal Creek, and the 18th, which runs along the Choptank, make a scenic ending.
Kids love the mini-golf, scavenger hunts, s’mores roasts, and poolside movies where they can float and watch.
At the second annual Crab Week, August 14 through 28, activities include a crabcake-eating competition and crab-walk contests.
The deal: With the Sunshine on Sale package, stay three nights and get the third free. The rate averages out to $186 a night, a 30-percent savings. Present this article at check-in to also receive a $20 credit to use toward the spa, golf, recreation, or dining. Valid August through December.
CLOSE BUT FAR AWAY
Lansdowne Resort
Leesburg, Va.; 703-729-8400
What’s special: With two challenging 18-hole courses and a family-friendly nine-hole short course, golf takes center stage at Lansdowne Resort, just 30 miles from DC. The Robert Trent Jones II Course offers views of the Loudoun countryside; its design incorporates fields, woodlands, and centuries-old rock walls. The Norman Course’s front nine runs along the Potomac River, and its last four holes are called “the hardest mile in golf” by course designer Greg Norman.
A spa features 13 treatment rooms; offerings include massages for couples and golfers as well as services for young spa-goers.
An aquatic complex has four outdoor pools and one indoor. Kids can enjoy the activities in the free Resort Rascals program.
The deal: The Washingtonian Lansdowne First in Class Package includes a room for two plus your choice of two of the following spa services per night: a 50-minute Swedish massage, a Salt Glo body treatment, a manicure and pedicure, or a 50-minute European Facial. (If there’s only one guest, then the package includes one treatment.) If a spa isn’t your thing, enjoy unlimited golf for two daily. Prices start at $299 a night Sunday through Thursday, $369 Friday and Saturday—a 20-percent savings off regular rates. To book, go to lansdowneresort.com/summer or call 703-729-8400 and ask for The Washingtonian deal.
MOUNTAIN VIEWS
North Fork Mountain Inn
Cabins, W. Va.; 304-257-1108
What’s special: In the Monongahela National Forest, this inn offers wonderful mountain views. Co-owner Ed Fischer is a chef and sommelier; wife Carol is a baker. Gourmet breakfasts feature such choices as eggs Florentine and Sleep Late French Toast. If you wish, they’ll create a gourmet picnic lunch (extra charge). Saturday, they prepare a fine dinner ($50 a person). Between meals, you can relax on the porch or go hiking, bird-watching, golfing, antiquing, or paragliding. Other local attractions include Seneca Rocks, Blackwater Falls, Cass Scenic Railroad, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The deal: Mention The Washingtonian to receive a free bottle of wine and 20 percent off the room rate—normally $140 to $245—with a minimum two-night stay. This deal is valid August through September.
BIG APPLE BARGAIN
70 Park Avenue Hotel
New York, N.Y.; 212-973-2400
What’s special: After a renovation, this hotel—on Park Avenue at 38th Street—is a haven of quiet luxury. The rooms have goose-down beds and Frette linens; in-room spa services can be arranged. It’s also pet friendly.
A Kimpton boutique hotel, it’s steps from Grand Central Terminal and close to theaters, Fifth Avenue shopping, and Rockefeller Center. The hotel offers free in-room wireless high-speed Internet, coffee and tea and a newspaper each morning, an evening wine hour, and a new on-site gym.
The hotel’s “retail therapist” helps out-of-towners shop like a local—from boutiques in SoHo to foodie finds in Chelsea Market.
The deal: Receive 10 percent off the best available rate—rooms start at $219—plus two free “red carpet” cocktails at the on-site Silverleaf Tavern and one free in-room movie with wine and snacks, all a $100 value. For guests staying Monday night who want to enjoy a free movie at Bryant Park, 70 Park will provide, for free, a blanket and a picnic basket with popcorn, two bottles of soda or water, and movie-theater candy—a $100 value. To book, call 617-772-5841 or use online code PMSM.
BALTIMORE BARGAIN
Harbor Magic Hotels
Pier 5 Hotel, Brookshire Suites, and Admiral Fell Inn
What’s special: You choose the hotel—the Admiral Fell Inn at Fells Point, Pier 5 on the water by the Inner Harbor, or Brookshire Suites in the heart of the city. All give you easy access to Baltimore attractions such as the National Aquarium.
The deal: Mention The Washingtonian when you book a stay at any Harbor Magic hotel and choose two of the following for free: valet parking (a $29 value, Admiral Fell Inn and Brookshire Suites only); a $25 voucher good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at restaurants such as Ruth’s Chris Steak House and McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant; drink passes to ten of the city’s top hot spots (worth $60 if you were to use each one); a $50 gift card valid on a future trip to any Harbor Magic hotel; or a welcome bag including $20 worth of local items such as Old Bay Seasoning and Otterbein’s lemon sugar cookies. Rates start at $169 at the Admiral Fell Inn, $149 at Brookshire Suites, $229 at Pier 5.
ON THE WATER
The Tides Inn
Irvington, Va.; 800-843-3746
What’s special: The Tides Inn, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, has a serene setting.
For those who like plenty of activity, there are rental bikes, a spa, and a marina that offers sailing lessons, cruises, rentals of electric Duffy boats and pontoon boats, and free paddleboats, kayaks, and canoes.
The resort’s 18-hole Golden Eagle golf course is carved out of the woodland landscape around a 50-acre lake. There’s also a par-three course for honing your skills.
The deal: The Washingtonian Summer Tides Inn Package includes a room for two nights, full breakfast daily, a picnic-basket lunch, a round of golf for two at the Golden Eagle, and one three-course dinner for two in the Chesapeake Club including gratuity. Prices are from $334 a night for a minimum of two nights, based on double occupancy—a 25-percent savings. Taxes and a $24 resort fee are extra. Valid through September 21.
LUXURY IN THE COUNTRY
King’s Cottage Bed & Breakfast
Lancaster, Pa.; 800-747-8717
What’s special: The inn offers luxurious guest rooms and afternoon goodies such as cookies. You can enjoy a gourmet breakfast—options might include grilled buttered-rum peaches or Hawaiian coconut waffles—while relaxing by the koi pond or in the sunroom.
Spa treatments are available; an hourlong massage is $85. The inn is a mile and a half from a buzzing art scene and good restaurants; it’s also just minutes from Amish country.
The deal:
This article appears in the August 2011 issue of The Washingtonian.
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