Ah, what a luxury a true vacation sounds like to me. You know, the kind where you actually pack a week’s worth of “another season’s” clothing, board a plane, and arrive hours later in a completely different climate, ready to relax and shed the stress. These days, I’m lucky if I can get an overnight “vacation” with the hubby. It requires organizing sleepovers at “Ammy and Papa’s” house for both baby and dog, and with life’s have-to’s being what they are, often one-nighters are the most we can pull off without throwing everything off it’s axis. Thus I’m a huge fan of the “daily deal,” which often offers great deals on 1-night stays within a 3-hour or so drive of Westchester. Perfecto!
Here’s my personal go-to list of online sale sites I frequent. I’m a picky traveler, so I’m very excited to say a lot of these feature 4 and 5-star properties. All hail luxe, Italian cotton sheets and fancy shmancy bath products!
Groupon Getaways – take the awesome, often too-good-to-pass-up Groupon deals on things like bowling and laser hair removal and apply them to travel. Yes, Groupon now features hotels and inns in their daily deal roundup. Today features overnight stays at The Westport Inn (Fairfield County, CT) for $89-99/night, Barton Hill Hotel & Spa (Lewiston, NY) for $99-129/night, and The Dormer House (Cape May, NJ) for $89/night.
Living Social Escapes – Living Social, the more level-headed little sister to the Groupon, also now features travel deals under the title “Escapes”. Current deals include a 1-night stay for 2 with brunch, champagne and strawberries, 2 inclusive spa-treatments and spa credits at Anastasia’s B&B (Hempstead, NY) for $224. You’ll also find two NYC boutique hotel deals.
Gilt Jetsetter – If you aren’t familiar with Gilt, you might be living under a rock. In which case I say, please come out and meet Gilt, your new online addiction. Gilt has carved a niche in the high end, making deal shopping not only a chic experience, but an incredibly addictive, rewarding one. Their customer service is second to none, and their daily offerings across every category are diverse, distinct, and well, deal-licious… Jetsetter is their travel deal arm. You’ll find awesome global digs here, but you’ll often scout some pretty cool “local” deals, too. Right now they’re featuring The Bedford Post Inn for $295/night (regularly $495). How’s that for a local getaway?!
While you’re on the Gilt site, pop over to their City tab and take a peek at some awesome NYC restaurant deals. Gilt City is my go-to site when I’m on the hunt for an interesting date-night itinerary. Today I found a dinner for two package at Tartinary for $68 (regularly $108), and a Make-Your-Own-Mimosa Brunch for two at Trix Restaurant for $42 (regularly $80).
TripGram – TripGram’s tagline is “Exclusive last-minute getaways near New York City.” And that’s exactly what they are. With current hotel and B&B offerings in Boston, MA and Newport, RI, this is a good place to have on your radar when you’re willing to hop in the car for a 2-4 hour drive.
SniqueAway – This site is affiliated with TripAdvisor, which means it’s synced up with those super-helpful user reviews, which makes decision-making that much easier. While they offer deals globally, there almost always is something within driving distance of NY. Right now, for instance, you can book a room at The Standard Hotel in the East Village from $209/night, or head down to D.C. for a weekend and stay at posh The Normandy Hotel from $109/night.
Jauntsetter – Jauntsetter is technically a newsletter, not really a “deal” site per se, but they often aggregate travel deals that are great for New Yorkers, from other sites. So sign up for their email newsletter, and see what they’ve got cookin’.
Savored – If you haven’t signed up for Savored, hop to it. You’re missing out on saving 30% off your restaurant bills. Sure, they are still limited in restaurant inventory, especially in Westchester County. But they are also still in their nascent stage. In the meantime, book a rezzie through their website at partner restaurants like Crabtree’s Kittle House or X2O. The way it works is you pay $10 to book the reservation through Savored, and then when your bill comes at the restaurant, 30% of all food and drink will have automatically been deducted from your check. Yes, you heard me correctly – the discount is good on wine and liquor too! There are no coupons to redeem, no QR codes to scan on your phone. It’s discreet discounting at it’s finest! On a recent visit to Crabtree’s, we saved $90 off our $300 bill – NINETY BUCKS! If that’s not worth the $10 reservation charge, I don’t know what is.
I was not paid for this post in any way. I just LOVE a good deal, and in honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I’m sharing the LOVE with you all…
Westchester Life 