Vote for your favorite city
Travel & Leisure, Headline News and CNN.com recently opened the polls for the America's Favorite Cities 2008 survey, accessible on www.travelandleisure.com/afc/survey and via www.cnn.com/robin.
From now until June 15, participants can rate 25 U.S. cities on everything from their restaurants and their museums to the attractiveness and friendliness of the people who live there.
The 25 cities included in the survey are: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Charleston; Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; Denver; Honolulu; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Nashville; New Orleans; New York; Orlando; Philadelphia; Phoenix/Scottsdale; Portland, Ore.; San Antonio; San Diego; San Francisco; Santa Fe; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.
For complete results from the 2007 survey, visit www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2007. Whether you agree or disagree with last year's results, now is the chance to vote and have your opinion heard in the 2008 survey.
Skybus checked-bag fee more than fares
Skybus (www.skybus.com), the little upstart airline famous for its $10 one-way fares, just raised the fee it charges for checked luggage.
It used to be $5 for the first and second bag, but now it's $12 each way, so you could pay more for your bag than your seat. (If you check your bag in online, you'll save $2).
That's for the first two bags weighing 50 pounds or less, so long as they're not oversized. Each additional bag will cost $50.
But Skybus charges a lot less for oversized and overweight bags than other airlines do: just $25 for each oversized bag and an additional $25 if that bag is also overweight. Still, two oversized and overweight bags will set you back $148 on a round-trip journey. See full details at http://ask.skybus.com/info/baggage-rules.shtml.
Skybus flies out of Gary-Chicago International Airport (www.garychicagoairport.com), about 25 miles southeast of downtown Chicago.
Historic Dallas hotel reopens
The historic Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Uptown Dallas had a soft opening on March 3 after a $36 million top-to-bottom renovation and restoration meant to emulate the unique historic grandeur present in its 1923 debut.
The hotel has 170 art deco-inspired guest rooms, a brand new full-service luxury spa and decadent modern Italian dining in Bolla and Bolla Bar overlooking Uptown's residential scene.
Former Iron Chef Challenger and James Beard nominee David Bull has created a menu featuring elegant fine dining, shared plates and delicious bites. The Bolla Bar will revive the "three martini" vibe of its glory days when celebrities from Andy Warhol to Oliver Stone to Dan Aykroyd -- as well as rich, divorced husbands, socialites and local theatrical celebrities -- stayed/lived/partied there.
The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa is within walking distance of Turtle Creek and Katy Trail and is minutes from the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, North Park Center and the American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.stoneleighhotel.com or call (800) 921-8498.
ResortQuest offers family adventures
From rafting down the Colorado River to biking up the face of Aspen Mountain, ResortQuest's new Family Adventure package is designed to help families maximize their fun this summer.
The package includes a $100 Family Adventure Card redeemable for a variety of outdoor activities, including horseback riding, Jeep tours and fly-fishing lessons. The Family Adventure package is available May 1 through Oct. 1, subject to availability, with a three-night minimum stay.
ResortQuest offers 3,000 properties in 10 Rocky Mountain destinations, including Aspen, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Keystone, Steamboat and Telluride in Colorado, Park City, Deer Valley & The Canyons, Utah, and Sun Valley, Idaho. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply and vary per location. This offer may not be combined with any other promotional offer.
To book (use promo code DIR ADV), visit www.resortquest.com or call (800) 467-3529.
Book a Maine eco-adventure
The Maine Windjammer Association and the Historic Inns of Rockland have joined forces to offer vacationers the chance to experience the natural beauty, unspoiled scenery and relaxation of a coastal Maine eco-adventure, by combining a four-day Maine Windjammer cruise with a three-day stay at one of the three Historic Inns of Rockland.
The package features plenty of green schemes, from leaving no trace on remote islands to arrival presents such as a compact florescent light bulb.
Simply start by booking a four-day windjamming cruise aboard one of the 12 windjammers in the fleet, then ask to add the land portion of the package.
The Land and Sea Package includes plenty of extra value, such as the four-day Maine Windjamming cruise, including breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, island exploration and Leave No Trace Outdoor Awareness Certification; Windjammer Watching field guidebook; transportation via hybrid taxi from docks to Historic Inns of Rockland; early check-in and/or free luggage storage and free parking; three-night stay at one of three Historic Inns of Rockland, each certified as a Maine Environmental Hospitality Leader; gourmet breakfast each morning; $50 in Midcoast Money to spend at one of Rockland's restaurants; tickets to Maine Lighthouse Museum; Maine seascape in chocolate by Safe Harbors chocolates, a community-based chocolatier; and INN-Dulgences Cookbook, a collection of Historic Inns of Rockland recipes.
Land and Sea Packages start at $825 per person for double occupancy for the seven-day package through 2008. Upgraded rooms and extended cruise or inn stays are also available at an additional charge and subject to availability.
For more information, visit www.SailMaineCoast.com, www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com or call (877) 762-4667.
Reach George Hobica at hobica@gmail.com, Kim Liang Tan at KimLiangTan@aol.comor log on to www.airfarewatchdog.com.