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KLMNO BEDCHECK A celebrity hangout in NYC BY NANCY TREJOS
If it was good enough for the Kardashians, it would be good enough for me. That’s what I figured when I
checked into the Smyth in New York’s TriBeCa. The nearly two- year-old, 100-room hotel, part of the Thompson chain, screamed celebrity, and since UsWeekly is my brain candy, I couldn’t help answering the call. The hotel has popped up all
LOOK DIE BILDAGENTUR DER FOTOGRAFEN GMBH/ALAMY
Book a Far East or Caribbean cruise with Silversea and get a credit that covers shore excursions, including a float down the Perfume River in Vietnam.
WHAT’STHEDEAL?
This week’s travel bargains fromaround the globe
LAND l Save 20 percent on the Feb. 6 departure of Intrepid Travel’s East Coast Explorer trip, which travels the Australian coast fromSydney to Cairns. The 14- night trip starts at $2,008 per person single occupancy after discount, a savings of $502. Tour includes hostel-style accommodations, with four to six same-sex individuals sharing a room; 15meals; land transport; tour guide; and taxes. Airfare to Australia is extra. Booking deadline is based on availability. Info: 800-970-7299,
www.intrepidtravel.com. l Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is offering savings of 50 percent for stays Jan. 2- April 24, except blackout dates of Feb. 6-11 and Feb. 26-March 3. Deadline to book is Jan. 31. Rates vary by roomtype and date. For example, lodging in a garden-view roominmid- March, after discount, is $291 (plus $68 taxes) per night; usual rate is $582. The deal also includes a $25-per-person credit (maximumtwo people) to the resort’s Larimar Spa; a $150-per-roombeverage credit on stays of at least five nights and $200 on stays of at least seven nights; and free breakfasts and dinners for children 5 and younger eating with parents at the Laguna buffet. Info: 800-967-9033, www.radisson. com/arubawinter2011.
SEA
lMSC Cruises is offering reduced single supplements of at least 30 percent on select week-long Caribbean itineraries aboard the 2,550-passenger
MSC Poesia departing fromPort Everglades, Fla. Savings on all cabin categories, except suites, are available on six departures in January and February of the Western CaribbeanWonders and the Eastern Caribbean Enchantment cruises. Rate for either itinerary starts at $659 per person single, plus taxes of $69 (Eastern Caribbean) or $81 (Western Caribbean); usual rate starts at $1,058 including taxes. Book by calling a travel agent or the cruise line at 877-287-3313. Cruise info: www.
msccruisesusa.com. l Cruise fromBaltimore to the Bahamas starting at $409 per person double (plus $73 port charges) with a deal from Carnival. Pricing applies to four departures in January of the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride. The week-long cruises stop in Port Canaveral, Fla., and Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. Lowest prices are for interior cabins with upper and lower berths; published brochure rates were $1,669 per person double. Info: 888-227-6482,
www.carnival.com. l Silversea is offering $1,000- per-cabin ($500 per person) credits that can be applied to shore excursions on seven Caribbean cruises and six Far East cruises in 2011. Deadline to book is Dec. 31. The credit can be used on any shore excursion, fromzip-lining in St. Kitts ($89) to a dragon boat cruise on Vietnam’s Perfume River ($159). Cruise prices vary by itinerary. For example, a nine-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Silver Cloud departing Feb. 17 fromFort Lauderdale, Fla., to Barbados starts at $3,638 per person double. Info: 877-215-9986,
www.silversea. com/specialoffers.
AIR l American is offering sale
TRAVEL
fares to New York. Round-trip fare to JFK fromeither BWI Marshall or Reagan National is $119, including $21 taxes, for travel Jan. 5-Feb. 16. Lowest fares apply to Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights. Other airlines are matching. Purchase by Dec. 13 at
www.aa.com, or pay $20 more by calling 800-433-7300. l Delta has deals fromNew York to Europe. For example, fly round trip toMadrid for $589, including taxes (other airlines arematching). Depart Dec. 24-31 or Jan. 10-March 25 and complete travel by April 25. A 14-day advance purchase and Saturday night stay are required. Cheapest fares apply to flights Sunday through Thursday. Buy by Dec. 13 at
www.delta.comor pay $20more by calling 800-241-4141.
PACKAGE
l Spend four nights in Dublin for $525 per person double with a deal fromAer Lingus Vacation Store. The package includes round-trip airfare on Aer Lingus fromNew York to Dublin and four nights at the three-star RegencyHotel. Lowest prices apply to Wednesday or Thursday departures Jan. 5-Feb. 17. Priced separately, deal would cost about $226more per couple. Book by Dec. 31. Info: 800-495-5192, www.
aerlingusvacationstore.com.
—Carol Sottili
Submit travel deals to
whatsthedeal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchasemay apply.
Editor: Joe Yonan • Deputy Editor: Zofia Smardz • Art Directors: Marty Barrick, Alla Dreyvitser • Staff Writers: Andrea Sachs, Nancy Trejos • Editorial Assistant: Becky Krystal • Travel Advertising: Joseph
E. Teipe Jr., 202-334-6250 • To respond to one of our articles: E-mail
travel@washpost.com, call 202-334-7750 or write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Manuscripts: Because of the volume of mail we receive, the Travel section cannot return or acknowledge unsolicited manuscripts, article proposals or photographs.
over the gossip rags lately, ever since the recent opening of the Plein Sud restaurant off the lob- by and the Toro lounge in the basement. And then there’s the Kar-
dashian factor. Two of the reali- ty-TV superstar sisters stayed there while filming a spinoff of their successful show. Actor Ed Westwick was spotted smooch- ing his “Gossip Girl” co-star Jes- sica Szhor outside the building. Jessica Alba set off a fire alarm in her room. And Ed Cotton, one of the finalists on “Top Chef: D.C.,” is executive chef of Plein Sud. Now that’s star power. Alas, I didn’t spot any of those
celebrities during my recent
overnight.Nor did I have a room as big as the Kardashians’ pent- house. I’d reserved a standard room, butwhenIshowedupona Sunday night, the front desk clerk—a young woman in black standing before a whimsical dis- play of colorful toy motorcycles, robots and trains — was kind enough to upgrade me, free, to a deluxe room with a king-size bed.
By New York standards, my
room was gigantic. It had not only a desk but also a couch and a coffee table. I lounged in my mini-living room as I watched cable on my flat-screen TV. I could have happily stayed there all night, but I was curious about Plein Sud. Iheadeddownstairs butnever
made it to the restaurant. In- stead, I parked myself at the lobby bar. With only a handful of bar stools, it seemed more inti- mate and inviting to a solo trav-
THOMPSON HOTELS TheSmyth’s penthouse, where the stars stay in TriBeCa.
eler. And the bartender, seem- ingly bored on a slow Sunday night, appeared eager for me to stay and chat. The menu was the same as
Plein Sud’s, so I wasn’t missing out. The bartender steeredmeto the Provencal flatbread topped with tomato, goat cheese, fennel and olive tapenade. I couldn’t picture it winning a “Top Chef” Quickfire Challenge, but it made for a nice treat. The bartender also insistedon
making up his own libations rather than letting me order off the cocktail menu, which had a creative collection of $13 drinks. (Mintless mojito, anyone?) While I watched, he crushed watermelon slices and mixed the juice with vodka. “What are the Kardashians
like?” I shamelessly inquired as he labored overmy drink. Per hotel policy, he wouldn’t
disclose what, if anything, he knew, but he did offer a tidbit: “They’ve ordered a lot of room service.”
DETAILS
Smyth TriBeCa 85W. Broadway, New York 212-587-7000
www.thompsonhotels.com Rates from $209, but prices vary widely.
—
I took what I could get. TheSmyth didn’tmake a huge
splash when it opened in Febru- ary 2009, but Plein Sud injected some life into the property when it debuted this past spring. So did the even more recent Toro bar, which — with a decor of black leather, red-cushioned seats and matador caps — pays homage to the town of Arles, in southern France, and its bull- fighting tradition. The hotel’s other public spac-
es are just as swanky and fun. The many lounge areas have dark lighting, warm tones and comfortable chairs. In one, a photography book was open to a picture of the garter-belt-clad lower torso and legs of a woman. Racy, even for the chic, contem- porary Thompson brand. And there was nothing wrong
with the service. Peacoat-clad doormen smoothed every exit and entrance.Abellman showed methe elevators and pressed the correct
button.My room service breakfast arrived promptly. But alas, the oversize bagel
tasted like cardboard. I’d never known that you could get a bad bagel in New York. Then again, maybe good bagels aren’t a high priority. After all, according to UsWeekly, celebrities aren’t into carbs.
trejosn@washpost.com
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010
COMING&GOING
Airline performance, tipping points
Airlines: Better but worse The airlines deserve a pat on
the back, followed by a little slap on thewrist. According to data recently
released by theDepartment of Transportation’sAir Travel ConsumerReport (airconsumer.
dot.gov/reports/atcr10.htm), the major carriers showed significant improvement in service inOctober as compared with the previous year, but could notmatch the numbers fromthe previousmonth. The 19 airlines recorded an
Travel Experts Guide to the
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To learn more about promoting your travel services, destinations and specialties with us, please call Anne Bouchard directly at 202-334-7003 or email inquiries to
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overall on-time arrival and departure rate of 83.8 percent, a significant bump fromlast year’s 77.3 percent, yet a small drop fromSeptember’s 85.1 percent. To qualify as on-time, the planemust arrive or depart within 15minutes of the scheduled time. The carriers canceled only
0.97 percent of their scheduled flights, down from1 percent in 2009 and a near-tiewith September, at 0.9 percent. In the category ofmishandled baggage, theDOT found a rate of 2.91 reports per 1,000 passengers inOctober, down from3.51 a year ago but higher than September’s 2.89. The best news:No planes
idled on the tarmac formore than three hours, an industry first. (LastOctober, 11 planes languished.) Perhaps the new tarmac delay law—carriers must let passengers to deplane if thewait exceeds three hours —deserves a little credit, too. Surprisingly, the airlineswe
love themost also inconven- ienced us themost: JetBlue took last placewith 76.7 percent, and Southwest nabbed the second-lowest rung with 77.5 percent.Hawaiian Airlines scored highestwith 95.4 percent, proving once again thatHawaii is paradise. Airports also deserve some
applause and boos.Of the 29 busiest venues inAmerica, Houston’sBush Intercon- tinental Airport got travelers in
and out the
fastest.Newark kept arrivalswaiting, and Chi- cago’sMidwestwasmore turtle than harewith departures.
Cruise tips for tipping Starting July 1,Royal
Caribbean passengerswill have to spendmore to showtheir gratitude to crewmembers. The cruise line has sharply
increased the amount of the gratuity that it recommends passengers give staffmembers on their ships, from$9.75 to $11.65 a day. In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that this is the first increase in 13 years and that it puts the company in line with other cruise lines. The newguidelines
recommend that passengers give theirwaiter $3.75, their assistantwaiter $2.15 and their headwaiter $.75. It also suggests giving the housekeeping staff $5 daily. For guests staying in suites, the recommended tip for housekeeping staff is $7.25. The cruise line pointed out
that the gratuities are voluntary, though a 15 percent gratuitywill automatically be added to bar bills andwine checks.
Travel ticker Lufthansa has relaunched its
inflight Internet service, offering it free through Jan. 31 on flights fromFrankfurt to NewYork’s JFK,Detroit and Atlanta. The carrierwill add FlyNet to other international flights by the end of 2011. . . . Starting Jan. 1,Romewill impose a hotel
tax.Guests at luxury propertieswill pay about $4 per person per night; atmore moderate lodgings, the charge is about $2.65. Youth hostels are exempt, as are stays ofmore than 10 days.
Reporting: Andrea Sachs, Nancy Trejos. Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to:
cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo,Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
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NewYear’s
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