Vacationist

Gone are the days where you have to wait for the Sunday paper to get the coupons that could lead to savings.  Now we get daily coupons emailed to our inbox in form of restaurant deals, spa deals and (right up our alley) travel deals.  Even the high-end places are getting into it.  Well Vacationist is a new one I have found.  

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Hotel Raito Vietri sul Mare, Italy Just east of the famous ceramics town of Vietri sul Mare, the Raito's wide tiled terraces and stately eggshell-colored buildings can be seen looming above the Mediterranean amid citrus and olive groves. The hotel makes the most of its location; its three restaurants, two alfresco swimming pools, and spa all have stunning panoramic sea views. So do many of the 77 sleek, high-ceilinged guest rooms, which are crisply upholstered in white and nautical blue.

Ace Hotel New York New York, New York Just as the Ace arrived on the northern edge of Manhattan's Flatiron District, its host neighborhood was being named by critics and real estate agents: NoMad, or "North of Madison Park." Taking over a once seedy hotel from the early 1900s, the Breslin, Ace New York brought in downtown edge with 260 modern and masculine spacious rooms, paying tribute to the area with its own "outside-the-box" cool: guest bathrobes are "boxing robes" (the basement used to be a boxing ring) and closets are simply garment racks (homage to the nearby Garment District).

La Plage Resort Taormina, Italy "The Beach" occupies the triangle of land between the coastal railroad tracks and the bathtub-size bay of Isola Bella, a taxi, bus, or cable-car ride from the town of Taormina, high on the cliff above. Overhauled in 2010, it is a five-star resort with nine rooms and suites and 52 tiny villas, all with soft, clean white lines and wood and wicker appointments. Enjoy bay views from inside the Italian-Asian Fusion Restaurant, or brave the mosquitoes for a romantic table on the terrace.

The people who bring you Travel and Leisure magazine operate Vacationist, which is one of my favorite travel magazines.  There are 3 sections:  vacationist, luxury link and family getaways.  I have been watching it for the last month.  The deals have a wide range.  There is stuff on there that is still light years out of my price range and other places that are amazing deals, places that I would otherwise not be able to consider.  For example, I have seen 5 star hotels for $100 a night for a suite in many major cities across the US and Europe.  That is a pretty good deal.  Right now there are lots of places in warm climates and Europe, but there are also amazing looking resorts in Turkey and S.E. Asia.  Make sure to read the fine print for blackout dates and expiration dates, but all in all it is worth signing up for to watch for great deals on hotels that may pop up in a destination where you were planning a vacation.  You might just get a glimpse of what is like to vacation in luxury for a price that will fit your budget.  Now that is what I call a deal.

Extra tip:  You have to be accepted or invited by friends to join.  Then invite friends and get $25 for each friend who joins.  I am a member so  use my name to join (Susan Molloy)and tell them Don't Forget Your Undies sent you!

Happy Hour in NYC

Happy Hour is a fantastic invention.  I personally love it even more when I can get it at a cute little wine bar right on my corner.  The Tangled Vine on 81^st and Amsterdam offers Happy Hour daily from 5-7 pm.  They offer wines for $7 a glass and the selection is constantly changing.  With your wine is served homemade potato chips with paprika and sea salt that are not only too good not to eat, but also very addictive.  You may just find yourself ordering more once the happy hour ends like I did. 

The Tangle Vine

 The Tangled Vine is a cozy little wine bar on the upper west side that serves a great selection of old world wines.  Most of their wines are moderately priced, but if you feel like having a treat you can order something off the reserve list.  (Yes they have reserves by the glass)  It is a casual, relaxed atmosphere with great, friendly service.  They also have a lovely small menu with everything from apps like pork belly sliders and mussels, to risotto and veal meatballs and of course no wine bar would be complete without a selection of meats and cheeses.  My friend had the endive salad with feta and pear that was superb.  

Endive and pear salad

I opted for the Beet Salad with goat cheese and crushed almonds.  It was not only a substantial portion but also one of the best beet salads I have ever had.  

Beet and goat cheese salad - look at the size of that!

I also had the steamed mussels with saffron, Pernod and fennel.  They were delicious!  The sauce was almost a dish in and of itself.  

Mussels with Saffron and Pernod

They try and use local and sustainable food whenever possible and in my opinion, you can really taste the difference.   The Tangled Vine is a great wine bar to have in any neighborhood, but I’m sure glad it’s in mine.  

Ebates... cash back on travel, clothes, wine, everything!

A bargain savvy friend of ours turned me on to Ebates a few months ago.  It's a website that offers you cash back on online purchases at over 1,200 stores.  There are no points to redeem, no forms to mail in, and no fees.

If you can get past the clunky visuals of the website, it's really pretty user-friendly.  And they are partners with just about every kind of online shopping you can think of.  I recently received a check for money back on purchases at j. crew, urban outfitters and bluefly.com.  But no matter what you buy online, chances are, there's an offer for it.  There are offers for target, wine.com, travelocity... seriously, every kind of online retailer.   And every day, they double the cash back for one retailer.  Today, for example, at Elizabeth Arden you get 10% cash back instead of the usual 5%

It's really easy to use, you just set up a profile and start shopping.  Then every few months you get a check in the mail. If you are going to be shopping online anyway, you may as well get some money back, right?   Just click here: Ebates

Dude, where's my flight? FlightBoard- another fun travel app

Flight Board is a real time arrival and departures board for any airport in the world.  It's available for iPhone and iPad, I like it on my iPad because I like the larger interface (more like a real board), but the pocket size iPhone version is nice too, and more portable.

You choose your airport and tap the button at the top of the screen to slide between arrivals and departures.  The gate listing is very helpful... you can keep up with status changes for your flight without leaving the airport bar! :)   I also like like the elegant, old-school design, inspired by the board at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Once you've chosen your flight, if you tap on that flight, you get options to email a flight status update, post a flight status update to facebook or twitter, or if you have the FlightTracker app (another neat app by the same company which I'll review soon) track the flight.

emailing flight status info

So while this app is not free (it's $3.99) and doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, it does the job, and in an elegant way.  In my opinion, worth it.  It means you can relax untethered to the inconveniently located monitors while still keeping an eye on your departing flight.  Or, if you are meeting someone at the airport, you can keep track of delays, arrival gates, etc.  Also very useful, especially since we've had so much unpredictable weather this year!

Happy flying!

GateGuru... making airports tolerable

As anyone who follows Undies knows, I LOOOOVE to travel.  I have to admit, however, I don’t like flying.  Besides the fact that I am a scardey cat when it comes to actually being in the plane, the airport is enough to turn even a relaxed happy-go-lucky optimist like me into a paranoid wreck who has to check every 30 seconds to make sure I put my passport back in my bag after security, haven’t lost my boarding pass, I’m in the right terminal, I didn’t leave my phone in the bathroom... You get the idea.  Plus it’s chaotic and stressful and you have to dissemble yourself at security only to get though and pay 5 dollars for a little bottle of water.   So when I read about GateGuru, I was hooked before I even downloaded it.

GateGuru is an iPhone app that helps you locate the best food, shopping and service options within any airport.  You can search by a specific place (i.e where is there an Au Bon Pain) or browse options by terminal, which i think is handier.

You can see the list of options in your terminal, with location and user ratings:

And you can even read reviews and see photos:

It's a great app, especially since its FREE.  And while all the functions are not operating at full potential now, if it catches on there is a lot about this app that could be very handy.  (Like being able to check the wait time at security checkpoints.)  So give it a try the next time you fly.  That perfect pre-flight martini at the great steakhouse bar you found out about, may just make all the difference. 

Skye's local :)

There's nothing like a great neighborhood bar, and Longbow Pub & Pantry is ours.

The owners of "The Only Welsh Pub In New York" are great, and the staff is helpful and attentive.  Claire (awesome New Orleans bred bartender) turned me on to some great specialty creations of hers, like a hot gin toddy (!) which sounds weird but is delicious (at least the way she makes them).  They have a nice microbrew and craft beer selection, the best in the neighborhood, with a selection of beers on tap and then dozens more beers in bottles as well.

My current fave is the Founder's breakfast stout, a delicious creamy hearty stout with coffee tones.  YUM!  As far as food goes, The fish and chips are delicious. So delicious in fact, I can't really comment on much of the other food, since I can't help but order it every time i go.

It's also a great place to watch rugby, EPL, or american football.  I often stop in on my own to catch a game, grab a bite and a warm drink.  I've always felt welcome and comfortable at Longbow.

 It's on 3rd Avenue b/w 73rd and 74th St in Brooklyn. (Yes, Bay Ridge, I live there now.)  So go!  And there's a decent chance you'll run into ME :)   I'll be the one with the gin toddy!  See you soon!

Sunny brunch in snowy Brooklyn!

If you are looking for a great brunch spot in Brooklyn, try Scottadito.  Some friends and I planned to meet for late brunch (well, 2pm.. is that late for brunch?) on Saturday and we decided to give this little Tuscan restaurant a try.  There were six of us, and (added bonus) they take reservations, which was great because a lot of places won't take brunch reservations. 

The restaurant is a five minute walk from a few different train lines.  They have organic, sustainably grown and locally-sourced ingredients.  And this lovely sunny room, which is a real treat in the middle of snowy winter.

Brunch is $19.95 and you get unlimited champagne cocktails.  I am not a big champagne fan, so I opted for a bloody mary, which was worth the $8 or whatever it cost.  Yummy fresh ingredients and appropriate vodka/juice proportions.  The brunch menu has a manageable number of options, with all the staples well-executed.  There are several egg/omelet dishes, as well as french toast, pancakes, a few salads and a few homemade pastas. 

french toast topped with berries, organic maple syrup and powdered sugar

The dishes are relatively simple with some minor twists on the basics. Featured ingredients include organic fruit, locally-farmed goat cheese and prosciutto.

poached eggs on a english muffin with prosciutto, hollandaise, and pesto sauce

If you are looking for a lovely brunch spot in Brooklyn, try Scottadito.  It's at 788 Union St in Brooklyn, between 6th and 7th Ave.  Easy walk (even in the snow!) from the R (Union) or B/Q (7th Ave).  And an even easier walk after unlimited champagne cocktails :)  You won't care about the snow one bit!