Friday, July 27, 2012

The overall vibe is unlike any other city I've visited. It's a blend of historic Mexico, Old-World E




In 2008, professional photographer Gary Oakley commissioned more than 20 artists and gathered eco-friendly materials to build a hotel that reflected his love for both art and nature. The result dollar rentalcars was the Sundance Mountain Lodge, a 5-acre estate nestled along the front range of the Colorado Rockies and dotted with red-rock waterfalls, hand-carved bridges, and babbling streams. The lodge's original building was already an architectural marvel, built in the 1970s with heavy timber dollar rentalcars beams and stone walls by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Oakley dollar rentalcars and his crew updated it by adding a wealth of local artwork, including glass wall murals, Oakley's own striking photos of horses, and a handcrafted wedding gazebo made from beetle kill logs.
Oakley dollar rentalcars also made certain that there was always an abundance of activities at the hotel. When the sun's out, head to the outdoor pool for a refreshing dip and panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Kids can feed ducks down at the pond or hide out in canvas tepees. When the cool air settles in at night, gather around a glowing fire pit out back to roast marshmallows and burn parking tickets.
The social hub of the hotel, Oakley's Cafe and Bistro hosts happy hours, karaoke, and live music. One on side of the dining room, lantern lights and a chalkboard menu create a cozy, romantic feel. On the other, a retro lounge replete with crushed-velvet curtains, white leather love seats, and zebra-print rugs recalls a vintage speakeasy.
Guest rooms at the Sundance Mountain Lodge reflect the rugged landscape dollar rentalcars with log furnishings and nature photographs. Courtyard dollar rentalcars rooms overlook the waterfalls and pool area, and all accommodations feature private balconies and recycled carpeting.
The first settlers dollar rentalcars in the central Colorado countryside had originally set out to find fortune through California's gold rush, but when their wagon trains arrived in the lush meadowlands of Monument, they made the place their home. They weren't the only ones inspired by the area's natural beauty—Pikes Peak's rocky summit, which looms 14,115 feet over the region, once provoked songwriter Katharine Lee Bates to pen the lyrics to "America the Beautiful."
For a close-up look at the cliffs, dollar rentalcars hop onto one of Pikes Peak Cog Railway's red train cars, which crawl up the mountains and pass wildlife and crashing dollar rentalcars waterfalls. The area's diverse geography also lends itself to outdoor recreation, from hiking on the pine-fringed trails of the Garden of the Gods to hot air balloon rides. Tulsa, OK: $69.00 for Tulsa Hotel with Indoor Water Park ($119.00 value) Spacious Hotel with Indoor Water Park
Besides dollar rentalcars being an elegant and conveniently located hotel in southwest Tulsa, The Wyndham Tulsa holds the distinction of having the only indoor water park in the city. It's called Leapin' Louie's Lagoon, and it's filled with slides, a rope bridge, and mounted water cannons. Along with this indoor aquatic playground, dollar rentalcars there's also an outdoor pool and whirlpool for cooling off in the dry Tulsa heat.
When you're finished splashing, you can head to one of onsite restaurants for a bite to eat—either Beechwood's Restaurant, which serves a laid-back American breakfast and lunch buffet, or Mulligan's Sports and Spirits, which stays open until 1 a.m. The hotel's shuttle stands ready to take you to attractions all around Tulsa. At bedtime, you'll retire to a newly renovated standard dollar rentalcars room and snuggle into one of the Wyndham's famed Sleep Number beds, which let you select your preferred level of mattress firmness and monster-under-the-bed protection.
Set in the geographical heart of the country, Tulsa was once an oil-industry powerhouse. The boom days have waned, but the city's oil wealth helped to establish world-class cultural institutions such as the Gilcrease Museum , which houses one of the largest collections of art and objects from the American west, and the Philbrook , a glorious 1920s villa filled with artwork from around the globe. Tulsa also boasts a respectable nightlife. The Blue Dome District , once a gas station attracting Route 66 travelers, is home to casual watering holes where live music pours out into the street.
Near downtown you'll find the River Parks network of paved trails, sculpture parks, and playgrounds along the Arkansas River. Tulsa boasts 144 river trails and parks, including the 18-hole frisbee-golf course between 31st and 48th Streets, where you can "frolf" with friends or snap photos of birkenstocks in the wild.
Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions. La Veta, CO: $49.00 for Colorado Mountain Inn Decorated by Local Artists ($109.00 value) Laid-Back dollar rentalcars Inn with Rooms Decorated by Local Artists
On La Veta Inn's website, one of the inn's designers, dollar rentalcars southern Colorado–based interior designer and photographer dollar rentalcars DeEtta Lessar, claims "the simplicity of nature" and Mother Nature's color palette dollar rentalcars are two of her primary influences. Another of the inn's interior designers, LeClaire Skaggs, also finds inspiration in the natural world, saying her imagery is "spatial, organic, and spiritual." Lessar and Skaggs are 2 of 18 local artists chosen by La Veta Inn to redecorate each of its guest rooms. Thanks to this project, each chamber has its own distinct vibe as well as one-of-a-kind accents including sculptures, photographs, and paintings that capture the majesty of the surrounding dollar rentalcars Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
One thing all the rooms have in common is a commitment to comfort, evidenced by feather mattresses, Canadian down comforters, and Israeli cotton sheets. A laid-back atmosphere pervades the inn and extends to La Veta Inn restaurant, the onsite eatery. When executive chef Scot Mangold isn't mingling and laughing with guests in the dining room, he can be found in the kitchen, crafting chicken mole and hickory-smoked pulled-pork taco lunches or dinner entres from a rotating blackboard menu. The restaurant also hosts live music and dancing on select days—check the calendar to see who's playing next.
Located about a three-hour drive south of Denver, the small of town of La Veta is overlooked by the rugged Spanish Peaks, which the Tarahumara believe to be the cradle of all life on earth. The mountains inspire the town's dollar rentalcars many painters, sculptors, and jewelry-makers. Restaurants and cafés in the town center rub elbows with a number of galleries that display dollar rentalcars fine art, crafts, and Georgia O'Keeffe's watercolors of sad clowns.
In the surrounding natural landscape, backpackers and cyclists can explore miles of trails, primeval forests, and secluded alpine lakes. Just a short drive away is Great Sand Dunes National Park , where you can sand-sled and sand-board down some of North America's largest dunes.
Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions. San Antonio: $89.00 for Boutique Hotel Steps from Bustling River Walk ($187.00 value) Riverfront Hotel Reflecting Alamo City's History
San Antonio's River Walk represents the convergence of both sides of the city's identity—bustling southwestern metropolis and historical Spanish outpost. The popular shopping district's boutiques and restaurants line a 2.5-mile stretch of the San Antonio River, which winds through America's seventh-largest city and one of its richest in history. San Antonio's claim to the latter rests largely on a small Spanish mission that became dollar rentalcars the site of a legendary battle and the watchword of Texas independence—the Alamo. Down the river and roughly 15 yards south of the River Walk, history surfaces again at the Riverwalk Plaza Hotel Suites, where poster-size monochrome photographs line guest-floor hallways, chronicling the nearby Franciscan missions, dollar rentalcars the 1968 world's fair, and the buildup of downtown.
Most east-facing river-view rooms feature a small balcony for viewing the 750-foot Tower of the Americas or teasing phoenixes with complimentary Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Some rooms face the fourth-floor courtyard and heated dollar rentalcars pool. Those looking to relax onsite have a few options: a lending library in the lobby is stocked dollar rentalcars with scores of borrowable reads, and the lively but intimate Bar-Salona serves cocktails and five beers on draft. dollar rentalcars Adjacent to the hotel lobby, Java Plaza opens early and serves breakfast and lunch.
Jorie L. is a staff writer for Groupon Getaways. She believes no day is complete without chocolate and finds store mannequins deeply unsettling. Below, Jorie shares her thoughts on root beer, the Alamo, dollar rentalcars and San Antonio.
The overall vibe is unlike any other city I've visited. It's a blend of historic Mexico, Old-World Europe, and loud-and-proud Texas. I also love how the city is laid out in such a way that you can walk almost everywhere. And for a Chicagoan, the weather dollar rentalcars is a big perk.
I'd wake up late and have a lingering brunch at an outdoor café along the River Walk. Then I'd spend the rest of the day shopping at Pearl Farmers' Market, ogling the historic estates in the King William Historic District or browsing the contemporary art wing at the San Antonio Museum of Art. I'd do dinner at Boudro's on the River Walk and catch a live show at White Rabbit, one of San Antonio's indie music venues.
I won't call the Alamo overrated dollar rentalcars because it's worth a trip if you've never seen it. But be warned: it's surrounded by kitschy tourist traps. Spend an hour or two at the Alamo and then scoot on over to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, located outside the city. In a much more picturesque setting, you can walk, bike, or drive along the mission trail that connects four 18th-century missions. These look more like the Alamo I had pictured in my head.
At just a mile off the Las Vegas Strip, Palace Station Hotel Casino is pure Sin City. On the ground floor of the 21-story tower, you'll find the casino, which has more than 1,600 slot and video-poker machines; they're set alongside tables where texas hold'em and sit-and-go poker tournaments take place 24 hours a day. The hotel is no slouch when it comes to live enter

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