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October 19th, 2010
A Weekend at Hyatt Siesta Key Beach
by Patricia Letakis
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Hyatt
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Always on the lookout for new places to stay, I headed to Sarasota to visit the Hyatt Siesta Key Beach resort. Surrounded by impressive private homes and tidy bungalows for rent, the resort is the only luxury property standing six stories tall on the edge of a six-mile-long beach famous for its white, flour-soft sands. Think: Room with a balcony so close to the Gulf of Mexico you can smell the fresh sea air and feel the breezes.

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Tags: Hyatt Siesta Key Beach | Sarasota | Siesta Key

August 18th, 2010
Escape to Epcot and Marriott World Center Resort
by Susan Friedman
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Pool at Orlando World Marriott Center Resort
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I escaped to Orlando for a day at Epcot and to enjoy the Marriott World Center Resort and its amenities. The landscaped swimming pool area alone, with its curvy slide and "mountain" waterfalls, is definitely worth a stay. The resort was hopping with folks in for business meetings (has an attached convention center), but plenty of people were there just for fun. Like me.

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Tags: Epcot | High Velocity Sports Bar | Mexican Pavilion | Orlando Marriott World Center Resort | Soarn'

August 12th, 2010
Ducks on Parade at the Peabody Hotel
by Audrey St. Clair
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Peabody Ducks
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Even though I’m a 20-year resident of Orlando, I had yet to make it down to the Peabody hotel to behold the famous marching of the Peabody ducks. This past Monday evening, I got to see the winged waddlers walk the red carpet, led by their gold-and-crimson-clad duck master, to the timbres of John Philip Sousa's “King Cotton March.” 

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Tags: ducks | orlando | Peabody | Peabody Hotel

July 20th, 2010
Sip Around the World in SoBe
by Shawn Bean
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Lapidus Lounge, Ritz-Carlton South Beach
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Sure, Miami is the Gateway to the Americas, but it seems like the Ritz-Carlton South Beach isn't only steps from Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive, but a short jaunt from the Champs-Elysees, an Abu Dhabi marketplace, and the posh outskirts of London.

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Tags: Miami | Ritz-Carlton | South Beach

July 16th, 2010
At the Presidential Suite, Waldorf Astoria Orlando
by Susan Friedman
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Presidential Suite, Waldorf Astoria
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When friends started calling me “The First Lady” I knew I was in for a real treat (and ribbing) when I had a chance to stay in the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando. I was right. Walking across the lobby’s exquisite marble floors, I recognized the Tower Clock immediately. It is a reproduction of the iconic ticker at the classic Waldorf in Manhattan. How wonderful!

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Tags: orlando | Waldorf Astoria

June 30th, 2010
Escape to Fort Lauderdale this Weekend
by Patricia Letakis
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Cabana Bliss at the Ritz-Carlton
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What I love most about Fort Lauderdale is its beach— a long sandy stretch with a power walking-friendly sidewalk designed for exercise as well as people watching and casual mingling. 

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Tags: fort lauderdale | Ritz | Ritz Carlton | Ritz-Carlton | Via Luna

April 27th, 2010
Discover the New Sunny Isles Beach
by Patricia Letakis
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Marenas Resort
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On a recent trip to Miami Beach I found the perfect spot to set up home base for a pedestrian tour of the “new” Sunny Isles Beach. Marenas Resort, tucked oceanside along the strip, is a tall handsome tower that contrasts with the memory of roadside motels that lined Miami Beach’s Highway A1A (Collins Ave.) decades ago.

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Tags: Marenas | Miami Beach | Resort | Sunny Isles Beach

March 5th, 2010
Naked Viewing
by Patricia Letakis
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Naked Viewing
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My usual travel routine goes something like this: check into hotel and head out into field to survey the scene. But on my last trip to Miami Beach I was so mesmerized by the view from my 14th-floor room at the One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa (oneluxuryhotels.com) that I lingered and lingered and lingered in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the super luxurious bathroom. One morning I soaked in the deep tub, which seemed to be on the edge of the building, memorizing the vista of Haulover Cut and its adjacent freshly raked sandy shore.

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March 1st, 2010
Resort Living
by Susan Friedman
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South Beach
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With South Beach Wine & Food Festival tickets in hand, I decided to call One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa (oneluxuryhotels.com) home for two nights. Just fifteen minutes north of South Beach, I thought it would be perfect. Was it ever. Eighteen gleaming stories, the property’s view leaves you breathless. The location—at the edge of the Haulover inlet and the Atlantic Ocean—is memorable. And it’s exactly that watery scenery that makes this a knockout destination.

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February 22nd, 2010
Off to the Beach--Rain or Shine
by Vicky Hodges
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It is decidedly rare when packing for a getaway inside the Sunshine State that I ever take much more than sundresses and strappy sandals, but this weekend I was throwing sweaters and scarves into my case--and not just for fashion reasons either. I was off to Amelia Island, which is about as north as Florida gets before treading into Georgia territory, and this cold and rainy weekend it really did feel Northern.

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