The Best Vacations for Couples in the USA

No matter what you and your significant other think is the perfect vacation, the immense variety of the United States offers a spot for you to relax, recharge and enjoy each other's company. There's no one "best" vacation to fit all preferences, but whether you want to lie on a beach, cuddle in a mountain cabin, enjoy the great outdoors or stroll through a city to a gourmet restaurant, the two of you can make memories to last a lifetime by exploring all that America has to offer.

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Northeast

Millions of tourists visit New York City every year, with good reason: gourmet restaurants, world-class hotels, museums, clubs, shopping and iconic sites to visit. Hold hands with your partner on the top of the Empire State Building, stroll through Central Park or take the ferry to Staten Island for a view of the Statue of Liberty. The CBS Local website recommends The Chatwal (thechatwalny.com) and NYC.com lists the Bryant Park Hotel (bryantparkhotel.com) among the many romantic hotels available in the city. The Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania combine natural beauty with resorts designed for romantic getaways, including the Cove Haven Resorts (covepoconoresorts.com/rooms), where you can find heart-shaped whirlpool tubs for two, as well as dancing, golf, hiking and horseback riding. Another traditional couples destination is Niagara Falls; gamble the night away or indulge yourselves with the couple's massages and facials in the spa at the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino (senecaniagaracasino.com); for a cozy bed-and-breakfast experience, stay just 500 feet from the falls at the historic Red Coach Inn (redcoach.com), with champagne and red roses included in one of the special romance packages. Take a fall foliage tour or a winter skiing trip in New England, snuggling before the lobby fire at the North Conway Grand Hotel (northconwaygrand.com) in North Conway, New Hampshire. Nearby you can shop at outlet stores or from spring to fall, take a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad (conwayscenic.com/) through the White Mountains.

Southeast

If a romantic getaway means strolling on a beach with palm trees waving in the warm breezes, the Florida Keys offer all that and more. For the ultimate in secluded luxury, visit the resort at Little Palm Island (littlepalmisland.com), where you can dine privately on the beach and return to find your bungalow prepared with candlelight, rose petals, champagne and strawberries. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cobblestone streets of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Look out over the harbor while staying at the HarbourView Inn (harbourviewcharleston.com), one of Conde Nast's Gold List Award hotels; book a room with a working fireplace and venture forth to visit nearby antique shops. A romance package welcomes you with a dozen roses and offers turn-down service with rose petals and sparkling wine, as well as continental breakfast delivered to your room.

Midwest and Central States

Slow down the pace and focus on each other during a six- to 14-day Mississippi River cruise. The American Queen (americanqueensteamboatcompany.com) travels from Minneapolis to New Orleans, visiting such ports as St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Vicksburg, Mississippi. The steamboat features Victorian decor; relax in your stateroom and on your private balcony, or enjoy nightly dancing, music, gourmet dining, lectures from an historian, shore excursions or spa treatments. Get away from it all in Tennessee and enjoy stunning views of the Smoky Mountains while staying in a luxurious log cabin (resortsandlodges.com) with a fireplace, hot tub and rocking chairs on the porch. In the Pigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg area, you'll be near the Dollywood theme park and plenty of dinner theater and music shows, as well as such outdoor attractions as hiking, ziplining and white-water rafting.

Mountain States

High in the Rocky Mountains, Aspen, Colorado, offers winter sports such as skiing, snowmobiling and snowboarding, as well as cool, comfortable summer weather and an upscale, artsy town. The Sky Hotel (theskyhotel.com) features king suites with gas fireplaces and jetted tubs; guests can use the 24-hour fitness center or book a spa treatment and then head for the evening wine hour and Chef Shawn Lawrence's take on local ingredients for dinner at the 39 Degrees Lounge. The Resort at Paws Up (pawsup.com) in Greenough, Montana, is a luxury resort on a working cattle ranch. The two of you can stay at a private home or in a camping tent -- with an en-suite bathroom and a camping butler. Take a private horseback or a horse-drawn wagon ride, indulge in a couple's massage or enjoy fire and fondue for two, as well as wine tastings and chef's demonstrations.

Southwest

The desert southwest offers stunning sunsets to wind down your day; consider one of Concierge.com's World's Sexiest Resorts, the Hotel Valley Ho (hotelvalleyho1-px.trvlclick.com) in Scottsdale, Arizona, with its midcentury decor. Soak in a tub for two, schedule a spa treatment, reserve a private poolside cabana and have chocolate-dipped strawberries or handcrafted truffles delivered to your room. Hawaii abounds in lush resorts where couples can relax; Travel and Leisure's website lists the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay (fourseasons.com/manelebay) as one of the United States' 10 Most Romantic Hotels. Take surfing or hula lessons, play golf or tennis, scuba dive or snorkel, renew your vows or create your own signature perfume before retreating to your private terrace for a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.

Northwest

Napa Valley in northern California is one of the most popular romantic destinations in the United States, with rolling hills of lush vineyards. Take a wine tour, see the countryside by bicycle or horseback, or ride in a hot-air balloon for an unforgettable experience. The Knot website notes that the best weather is from August to November. Stay at the luxurious Auberge de Soleil (aubergedusoleil.com), as famous for its restaurant, overseen by Chef Robert Curry, as for the French-inspired inn. A completely different experience awaits lovers in Alaska, where the "New York Times" notes that you can enjoy the luxury of solitude by renting one of the state parks' public-use cabins (http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins). Some cabins are on lakes or saltwater beaches -- go fishing for the ultimate in fresh dinner -- and most are accessible only by plane, boat or hiking trail. You'll be roughing it while taking in majestic scenery, such as glaciers and waterfalls, as well as possibly sighting bear, seals, bald eagles and other wildlife. This far away from it all, you may be able to hear nothing but each other's heartbeats.

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Discover Jamaican Culture - FEEL THE RHYTHM

FEEL THE RHYTHM

LEARN HOW WE TRADITIONALLY EXPRESS OURSELVES IN MUSIC

In Jamaica, there’s always a reason to dance. Whether you’re celebrating, or just walking down the street, you’ll find us Jamaicans swaying to the beat. Find out where our moves come from.

In Jamaica, dancing is part of our daily lives. We dance everywhere and for all occasions - for worship, cultural celebrations, formal events, social gatherings and to tell stories. When there’s music, our hips start to sway, hands clap and the whole family from young to old, move to the island beat.

If you treat yourself to an evening in a local club or HQ, you’ll discover many new dance moves. You can bet that every time you visit Jamaica, there will be a new style to try.

The Edna Manley School of Dance, the National Dance Theatre Company and other well-known groups keep Jamaica’s dance tradition alive with regular shows. Often the themes of their performances explore the works of Jamaican composers and artistes. They have received both local and international acclaim, exposing our dance forms to our people and the world.

For us, dancing is about expression and we recommend that you try a few moves whilst on holiday. To live is to dance, so enjoy!

http://www.visitjamaica.com/feel-the-vibe/culture/dance

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THE KAHALA HOTEL & RESORT

At the very end of one of O‘ahu’s most scenic drives, around the iconic Diamond Head Crater landmark, rests an oasis of luxury and elegance. Just 10 minutes from the shopping and entertainment district of Waikīkī, The Kahala Hotel & Resort is set on an 800-foot stretch of pristine white-sand beach, offering impeccable service, unrivaled accommodations, world-class dining and unsurpassed amenities.

Grand Island Style
Graciously designed for the luxurious jetsetter, each of the 338 rooms and suites overlooking the majestic Pacific Ocean and Ko‘olau Mountain Range is elegantly appointed to reflect a grand island lifestyle. For the ultimate Kahala experience, the four expansive suites of The Kahala Signature Suite Collection await.


Imaginative Island Cuisine
Classic, yet uniquely contemporary, The Kahala Hotel & Resort’s five award-winning restaurants offer exceptional dining experiences with masterful and innovative cuisine, using Hawai‘i’s bounty from land and sea, paired with global influences.

Transformative and Blissful Escape
Embark on an unparalleled journey. The Kahala’s award-winning spa offers bespoke treatments that incorporate elements of native Hawaiian healing methods, delivering a transformation of the mind, body and soul.


Unprecedented Experiences for Timeless Memories
Whether you’re seeking a romantic oceanfront dinner à deux under the stars, an educational session with our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, or undisturbed yoga meditation while floating in the Pacific Ocean, a vast array of distinctive experiences await you at The Kahala.

     

How to Be More Organized, Productive and Effective

Organizing Your Life So You Can Live It

Are you busy? Or are you productive? Do you have too much to do and not enough time? Do you feel stressed out because you have put in a long day. And still haven’t completed the important things? Are you running your business? Or is it running you?

The comment is heard frequently, “I don’t have time to organize.” We save paperwork because there are some great ideas we might need one of these days. But we never get to it, and the piles of paper continue to grow. We shuffle, search through and stress over it, yet we don’t take time to stop and establish a system that works. Getting organized is vital because it cuts through confusion, promotes productivity and enhances effectiveness.

The truth is, it takes a lot less time and effort to be organized than it does to be disorganized. Disorganization takes more time than you can imagine and places huge obstacles in the path of getting things done. By becoming more organized you can complete more work in less time and with less effort.

The only prerequisite to getting organized is the desire and willingness to change. Instead of saying, “I don’t have time to organize,” start thinking just the opposite: “I will organize to have time.” Changing your thinking is the first step to getting organized. In fact, if you organize your thinking, becoming organized will follow naturally.

How Do I Start to Get Organized?

More productive and effective time on the job sounds great, but is your real problem simple disorganization? Perhaps you’re not sure where to begin. Or maybe you are feeling overwhelmed. Here are a few guides to get you started:

1. Visualize. In an environment plagued by chaos and haphazard schedules, you can feel to frazzled and unfocused to set and reach goals. If your head is filled with clutter, you can’t organize your thoughts. Imagine, for a moment, how wonderful life is going to be when your environment is clutter-free and organized. Focus on the desired outcome, not the effort.


2. Get Started. What’s bothering you the most? This is usually the best place to begin. If you hate that pile of papers or mail in your inbox, start there. If you’re getting stressed that you can’t fit another item in your desk, then you’ve found the perfect starting point. The important thing is that you just start somewhere. Organize your environment by removing the small irritants that hinder your achievement. Rather than thinking about the huge project ahead, break that project down to little bite-sized, manageable pieces. Get it started. Take the first step, and you will likely continue it to completion.


3. Write It Down. Now it’s time to go beyond wishing and dreaming. For a few days write down each thing you do and how much time you spend on it. Once you’ve identified your main time wasters, create an ideal schedule. Assign time slots to tasks you do every day. You’ll be less likely to let one job expand at the expense of others. Writing things down helps you to more easily remember all that you accomplish.


4. Do Daily Planning. It is said that people do not plan to fail, but a lot of people fail to plan. Take the time each night to manage one of your most precious resources: the next twenty-four hours. Write out a To Do list for the following day. Without a plan for the day you can easily get distracted, spending your time serving the loudest voice rather than attending to the most important things that will enhance your productivity. A schedule doesn’t close you in a box. When you plan well it allows you to prioritize with balance, be ready for the unexpected and choose what is most important to produce the results you want.


5. Avoid Distractions. Work on only one item at a time. Remove all other projects from your desk to avoid distractions. Time is lost sorting through other items while you‘re working on one.


6. Clear the Clutter. We all need to cut back, cut out and cut down. The vast majority of us simply have too much stuff. When you bring something new into the office try to eliminate something else. Give away old computers, furniture and equipment to the young businesses in your area, your local schools or not-for-profit organization. Donating will discourage hoarding and provide you with the satisfaction of knowing you have helped others.


7. Reward Yourself. Make something you want or love to do dependent on the completion of a certain task. If you promise yourself that you will not watch your favorite television show tonight unless you work for 15 minutes on organizing your products, you’re sure to get hat small task finished. No cheating allowed. A little extra motivation is often enormous help!


8. Maintain Balance. Your life consists of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional and Spiritual. You spend different amounts of time in each area every day. But if you are spending a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, then your life will be more balanced. Ignore one or more of these areas, and you will get out of balance. Fail to spend time on your health, and you may develop an illness later on. Ignore your family, and it may cost you a lot of time to repair relationships in the future.

If you can recapture a wasted hour here and there and redirect it to a more productive use, you can make great increases in your daily productivity.

Without organizational skills you waste time. With limited time you find it difficult to get organized. This is a viscous circle that robs talented people of the life they want. People who are organized are getting the best out of life. They are getting things done. They’re achieving their goals. They’re finding the time they need to do the things they love and to spend time with the people they care about. As you put these organizational tips into practice you will become more productive and effective in all you do.

The Top Ten Time Wasters

1. Shifting priorities.
2. Telephone interruptions.
3. Lack of direction/ objectives.
4. Attempting too much.
5. Drop-in visitors.
6. Ineffective delegation.
7. Cluttered desk/ losing things.
8. Procrastination/ lack of self-discipline.
9. Inability to say “no”.
10. Meetings.

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Next Stop Vegas!!!

Next Stop Vegas!!!!

Best Day Trips from Las Vegas

Nearly 42 visitors came to Las Vegas last year to teeter around in seven-inch heels, wait in line for a celeb sighting outside a mega-club, drink yard-long margaritas (in a pool, while gambling), and finally hop on the plane back to sober reality. No one can beat this city for crazy fun; but what many people don’t know is that it’s also the perfect base for a day-long adventure in nature. Give your liver a break for a day and try one of these spectacular trips, right from the Strip.

Helicopter to the Grand Canyon (or just to Red Rock)

There are myriad tour companies, but the fanciest new trip is in one of Sundance Helicopters’ ultra-modern chromed helicopters with their wraparound glass cockpits, which touch down 3,500 feet in the base of the Grand Canyon for a Champagne lunch, and have you back in three and a half hours. One of the most extravagant tours is its six-hour Airplane Quest, involving a prop plane flight to the Grand Canyon over the Hoover Dam, a helicopter flight into the base of the canyon where you’ll pick up a river boat down the Colorado River, then ascend back for a picnic on the rim of the canyon, and later visit the rustic Hualapai Ranch. Can’t commit to a full day? Sundance recently added a two-hour trip just minutes from its Strip terminal to Red Rock Conservation Area. While no other helicopter company can land in the conservation area, Sundance brokered a deal with a local private property owner right on its border. You’ll fly over the homes of Floyd Mayweather and Teller (of Penn and Teller) on your way to Red Rock, then watch the dramatic sunset with a bucket of Champagne and appetizers before hopping back in, circling to the north end of the Strip, and following all the way from the Stratosphere to the southern end. (Keep your eyes peeled for 80's soap icon Lorenzo Lamas, now a Sundance pilot!)

Hike the Valley of Fire

Hike Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, at just the right time of day and you’ll understand why it’s so aptly named. Just 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas via the I-15, it’s a massive park of red sandstone formations that’s also filled with ancient petrified trees and 3,000-year-old petroglyphs made by the prehistoric Basket Maker people and the Anasazi. Although it’s open year-round the best time to hike the park is between October and April, when the heat is a bit more manageable (daily summer highs can reach 120 Fahrenheit). Hikes you shouldn’t miss include Rainbow Vista, a short hike that leads you to Fire Canyon and lends a spectacular view of the vista to the north. Fire Wave, only one and a quarter miles round trip, takes hikers to a fabulous view of wildly colorful sandstone, the hallmark of the park. Don’t leave without at least stopping by Elephant Rock, a hike that only takes about 10 minutes from Valley of Fire Highway. Climb behind Elephant Rock to see the incredible “trunk,” a natural arch that looks like an elephant. 

Kayak Hoover Dam

You could take a tour of Hoover Dam, which itself is an amazing experience: Most tours follow a guide through the interior and exterior of the highest concrete dam in the western hemisphere, which stands a daunting 700-plus feet above the Colorado River. You’ll get a look at the generator room and Lake Mead, the world’s largest manmade lake. Or, you could get in a kayak and get one of the most exceptional views possible of this modern wonder.  A seven-hour tour run by Evolution Expeditionspicks you up at your hotel and starts with a descent down the original road that was excavated from the canyon walls to create the dam. You’ll then kayak from the base of the Hoover Dam down the Colorado River and through the Black Canyon, stopping inside a “sauna cave” in a geothermal hot spring pool, exploring the preternaturally green Emerald Cave, and then through the Colorado River Valley. You’ll see lots of wildlife (Desert Big Horn sheep, coyotes, falcons, and even the occasional bald eagle) from the river. Feel free to quiz the guides, who can talk all about the dam, the history of the Black Canyon, and the vertiginous new Bypass Bridge. 

http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-id…/day-trips-las-vegas