Take a Break from Fruits Cakes and Bad TV Specials
We’re Going on Vacation!
By Beau Taylor

Well, here comes winter ~ and you know you’ve gotta’ grab yourself a holiday getaway before all that unselfish-giving-to-others stuff takes over your life. So what you need is a few options on where you can go before all that madness sets in (or once all that madness sets in and you decide to just say, “Screw it all, I need some fun!”).

Short on cash? No problem! Let’s start off with the four day vakay of your dreams… OH YEAH, we’re talking VEGAS, Baby!! You know you want to…c’mon…and maybe you can even win some extra holiday spending money while you’re at it, right? And we all know that what happens in Vegas stays in… well, never mind, you know the drill.

One of the tricks to Vegas is knowing when to go ~ and the first half of December is THE time to go. As America snuggles into its family holiday scene, the casinos need to reach out and touch…you, and they do it with discounts. Check online to find some great deals. I looked at Expedia.com and Orbitz.com and sure enough, Bingo! ~ How does four days at the HOOTERS CASINO HOTEL LAS VEGAS sound?! Yee- hah! Non-stop air Boston to Las Vegas, three nights at the Hooters hotel (and since you’re so hot, you’re only paying for two nights ~ the third’s on the house, in true high-roller style). I’ll bet (Get it? Vegas? Bet?) you didn’t even know there was a Hooters hotel, not to mention that it’s right off the strip in Vegas. So, all this is yours for under $360 per person total. Plan for temps in the 60s. Sweeeest. Just be sure to spend some time outside of the right-there-onsite Hooters bar, guys ~ there’s a whole town out there and there’s a lot that’s legal just in Nevada…of course we’re talking about gambling …wink wink.

Now, if you’d feel a little guilty about spending time on a mini vakay for yourself when you really should be spending time spending money on holiday gifts for your friends and family, why not combine the two? There’s nothing like a quick road trip to New York and the phenomenal shopping/shows/restaurants/nightclubs that await you. And since we’re not up to breaking the bank just yet, the secret with NYC in December is “the later the better.” You want to hold off on your Big Apple excursion ‘til as close to the Christmas holiday as you can. The whole rest of the world is there the first two weeks of the month and that’s when you’ll see rooms at the Sheraton New York, Hudson (Phillip Starck’s ~ as in the amazing Delano in South Beach Starck ~fab new property of DELANO South Beach fame) or even always reasonable Hotel Penn going for close to (ouch) $400 per night! Wait until around the 20th and these rooms will plummet to $200 or less per night. The stores are having their sales, the Rockettes are still kicking up their heels and heck, we can drive there whenever we want in just about 3 hours from Wormtown or take (with iPod firmly in ear) a bus (just remember to steer clear of the accident-prone Fung Wahs so that you actually make it to the Big Apple!). Winter in NYC is absolutely gorgeous and the city is buzzing with even more energy and excitement at this time of year, if you can believe it.

All right ~ I promised that we’d get to a trip that could really max out the credit cards (always easier to swallow if it’s someone else’s bank we’re breaking, so feel free to mention to your special someone that he or she will be…appropriately rewarded…for springing for this getaway!), so here goes. Nothing says cold New England winter better than a warm, private, stay in a world-class tropical paradise.
We’re going to the Dominican Republic ~ not the part all your little sister’s friends are considering for Spring Break…no Sirree. We are going to spectacular spot on the eastern shore called Punta Cana. This gem has been an almost-secret spot for the last few decades, full of stunning half-moon white beaches, turquoise waters and forests of coconut palms swaying in the breezes. Basically, it’s just one of the best places on the planet.

Julio Iglesias and Oscar De La Renta made Punta Cana their new home (separately, Silly, we don’t want to start THAT rumor!) and are two of the primary developers of the Punta Cana Resort and Club ~ and that’s where we’ve reserved a tropical, pastel-colored beach bungalow just for you. These two- bedroom beauties are ocean FRONT (not ocean view, if you know what I mean). At $470 per night, we have you in for three nights. And yes, you can fit up to four people in the bungalow, but let’s face it, the whole reason for going someplace so delicious is so that you can be there ALONE with someone equally delicious (unless you prefer to do a little shopping for yourself upon arrival, perhaps picking up a yummy cabana boy to show you the local…customs?)…and you’re going to want that extra room for your luggage, too, so just get the idea of bringing Mom and Pop on this little excursion. Air from Boston is excellent, figure around $450 per person for coach (I know, I know, it would be nice to fly to a first-class resort in first class, but let’s not be greedy. Save the extra for tipping that cabana boy). The food there is out of this world ~ almost as amazing as the beach.

Hooters and the glitter and sin of Las Vegas, the Rockettes and shopping in the Big Apple, or Julio on the beaches of the Dominican Republic ~ so many choices, so little time. So get to deciding and then get to going ~ ‘cause before you know it, you’ll be looking at a long, cold January and wondering why you didn’t kick up your heels while you still could.

Best travel shopping spots online: for Vegas packages, airfare or NYC Hotels try www.orbitz.com or www.Expedia.com ~ and if you’re going my way, www.puntacana.com

Happy Holidays, you fun lovin’ people, you!