Luxury

 I recently had an opportunity to take a group for a stay at the Pelican Hill Resort and Golf Club. Here are my top ten reasons that make The Resort at Pelican Hill and Golf Club a great choice for a group or individual stay.   

I was a little skeptical when a good friend of mine called and suggested we head down to Biloxi, Mississippi, for some gambling and the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Well, even though I was skeptical, I have never had a bad time in the “Big Easy,” and I had never been to Biloxi so, why not….? I packed my bags and headed out the door – short notice, but I am always ready to hit the road!

Located about 45 minutes north of the Kona International Airport in Keahole, The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel was a great group hotel! It’s a quick, easy drive from the airport on the same road as the Iron Man competition takes place. The road is not quite what you would expect of Hawaii; it’s all black lava rock but scattered with white coral. A lot of people write messages or logos with the coral; a fun way to literally leave your mark in Hawaii.

Wow, talk about a great conference and meeting hotel.  I went to this Marriott in Los Angeles a few weeks back, it’s a new property, opening in February 2010 and seems to be well on its way to being a well-established hotel.  While staying at L.A. Live, I experienced very few hic-ups as compared to a recent visit to the The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Orlando.

How much can you do in 72 hours in a city you have never been to before?  A lot! @ZipSetRachel and I flew out of our home city bright and early Friday morning to get into Boston by 10:00 AM to be able to have a full day of touring and sightseeing before our event Friday night  - We hit the ground running! 

Pros:

Groups often find themselves in Palm Springs because of the fantastic Palm Springs golf resorts. Seriously, there are a ton of courses and each one is better than the next (so I am told). Palm Springs hotels also boast some amazing amenities and beautiful grounds. I am here to tell you that you don’t have to be a golfer in order to enjoy Palm Springs. There are quite a few amazing activities that are just right for kids of all ages (including adult “kids”).

By: Jake E., New York City, NY

What better way to drink in Sydney than while cruising the Sydney Harbour, and that’s exactly what I did the day after I arrived in Sydney. I was still adjusting to my 24 hours of flying from the states to Australia from the day before, and while my luggage had not arrived yet, but I was excited to board and Yacht and exploer the harbour. Once I got some fresh ocean air, my jet lag started to fad away.

Not everything is perfect in Costa Rica, as I soon found out. This is a serious luxury getaway off the beaten path and therefore you are really limited as to where you can go out to eat and what you can see. The closest city is 45 minutes away … that meant I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Four Seasons. But that was okay; I could deal. After all, we’re talking about the Four Seasons!