On Our Radar: The New Ritz-Carlton Credit Card

Today Ritz-Carlton and J.P.Morgan launched the first Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card. It comes with special member rewards like three annual upgrades to a Club Level Room, and we love Club service! It also gives you access to airport lounges and you can earn rewards towards free dining and spa treatments. There's also no foreign transaction fee if you're a frequent international Jet Set Girl.

The W Hotel App

W Hotels recently launched its first iPhone app and as befitting the hip hotel, it's a must download. Not only can you book a room and check out special offers, it has streaming music playlists curated by its D.J.'s. You can opt to listen to Living Room, Retreat, Wet Deck, After Dark or Sweat, depending on your mood.

You can also use the app to:

• Check out the local weather, get directions or take a first look at W photos.
• Get Insider Access: Find out about special events and exclusive W Happenings in each destination through the "Insider" tab on each hotel page.
• Order In: View and order from the hotel’s in-room dining menus at all hours. No more hunting for the room service menu!
• Have it Delivered: Tap the “I Need” tab for immediate service.
• Shop the W Hotels The Store 

Download the W Hotel App for free in the Apple Store. 

On Our Radar: Hotel Plaza Athénée

The French Open has given us a fever for Paris again and we're sure a few lucky readers will be there this summer. The most fortunate of you will get to stay at the Plaza Athénée. Last fall we stopped by the iconic hotel to see the redesigned lobby and learn how you can truly eat, stay and play there.

Located on the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, the Plaza Athénée is a gem, worthy of its guest spot on Sex and the City. The Plaza puts you steps from the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, serious designer shopping, and much more. Here's how we see a perfect day in Paris:

Arrive at Charles De Gaulle airport from your overnight flight and head to Hotel Plaza Athénée. Check in early and sit down outside at Le Terrasse Montaigne for a croissant and some coffee. Soak up a few rays at the sidewalk café (good for your jet lag) and watch the fashionistas strolling down one of the city's most beautiful streets with their bags from the Chanel, Céline, and Prada stores nearby.

Make an appointment at the gorgeous Spa Dior Institut for a rejuvenating facial to combat the drying effects of the in-flight air. Afterwards head up to your room for a quick disco nap and get ready for drinks and dinner downstairs.

The rooms at the Plaza Athénée are decorated in either classic Louis XVI style or Art Deco which we preferred. The ultimate room in the Plaza is the Terrace Eiffel Suite which has floor to ceiling windows that look out at the Eiffel Tower from the grand living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Wait til see it light up at night! This room is the ultimate girls' getaway destination.

Head downstairs to Le Bar du Plaza Athénée for a couple of creative cocktails like the delicious black mojito and small bites like the sushi colada pictured above. Don't let its benign looks fool you- this treat packed a serious alcohol kick. Take the time to check out your neighbors for Parisian people watching at its finest. At 10:00 the otherwise blue bar turns red with lighting and eludes an even sexier vibe than before. We'll go back to Le Bar, whether as a guest of the hotel or not.

You have a few options for dinner. The night we were there we ate at Le Relais Plaza. The foie gras ruined us for any other, as it was as rich and decadent as one can imagine. Also of note were the wine selection, the potato soup, the fish, the cheese plate and the warm bread.

If we've tempted you, the Plaza Athénée is currently offering summer specials in August. Have you been a guest there? We'd love your comments below.

Waikiki Edition Surf and Bikini Boot Camp

Sun, surf, yoga and spa-ing combined with more hedonistic delights like shopping and clubbing. Sound like  a dream trip. All are combined at the Waikiki Edition Surf and Bikini Boot Camp. The Waikiki Edition Hotel, on the island of Oahu, is one of the first hotels from Ian Schrager's partnership with Marriot, so you know you can count on gorgeous decor, a sophisticated, yet fun clientele and delicious food—in this case courtesy of Morimoto.

During the Boot Camp, you'll have daily surf and yoga lessons, as well as opportunities to hike and kayak. Healthy meals are provided during the camp by Executive Chef Kaleo Adams. If you're still standing come nightfall, you can check out the hotel's Crazybox club.

The dates for the upcoming camps are June 21-25; August 17-21; October 16-20; December 18-22. Visit EditionHotels.com for more info.

Makeover on Madison at the Carlton Hotel

One of our NYC faves, the Carlton Hotel, is offering a Makeover on Madison package this summer. Included is:

• 2 Nights in a Superior Room
• Professional in-room make-up application and personal makeover by a professional make-up artist from Parson's School of Design; the Parson's make-up artists celebrity credits include grooming services for Nicole Kidman and Melanie Griffith
• Bottle of Champagne
• Spa Gift Basket

The package starts at $379.99 per person excluding taxes and gratuity. Makeover on Madison is available through Labor Day. Visit CarltonHotelNY.com for more info.

On Our Radar: San Diego

San Diego has been on our minds lately, probably because we endured a particularly long winter and San Diego has perfect weather. But also because the BlogHer conference will be there in August, and even though we didn’t get much out of the last one we went to, it gives us an excuse to visit San Diego.

Feeling like a visit yourself? Start in the Gaslamp Quarter where hundreds of restaurants, bars and shopping boutiques will keep you busy. We’d like to stay at the Kimpton’s Hotel Solamar. It’s just a stone’s throw from Petco Park if you want to catch a baseball game (where the boys are!). Hotel Solamar also boasts a beautiful rooftop pool, which turns to into the club LoungeSix at night (pictured above). It’s great to have a nightspot built into your hotel so the early-to-bed crew can head back to the room safely while the rest of you keep dancing.

Back in the Gaslamp Quarter, don’t miss Top Chef finalist Brian Malarkey’s new restaurant, Searsucker. Its décor is eclectic and its food imaginative like farm bird lollipops coated in Bloody Mary mix and spicy Baja shrimp with bacon grits. Drink a Peter Rabbit with Pimms #1, bruised basil, pressed lemon and pickled carrot or a Lullaby with white whiskey, St. Germain, Chamomile Bitter and rose geranium. You can’t go wrong with either!

Photo credit Richard Wood: Flickr Creative Commons

No visit to San Diego would be complete without some time at the beach, so head to Coronado beach (above) or Encinitas' Moonlight beach or, better yet, ask that cute surfer dude where he’ll be. Happy travels!

Memorial Day Getaway Ideas #5-- Sea Island, Ga.

If Vegas sounds overwhelming and you're looking for a more relaxing vacay for Memorial Day weekend, consider Sea Island, Ga. It's easy to get to, especially from the East Coast by flying into Jacksonville and renting a car for the quick hour or so drive to Georgia. The wide avenues and Spanish moss hanging from the banyan trees will put you in that laid back Southern mood right away.

We'd recommend a stay at the Cloister where guests are encouraged to "do everything or nothing at all." Perfect! If you can gather a larger group of girlfriends, consider renting one of the two or three bedroom villas which have spacious living rooms and kitchens.

When you're there don't miss the Cloister Spa, which is in our top-five most lux spas we've ever visited and we're not alone: Forbes, Mobil and SpaFinder have all ranked very high. It has a curving stream which winds through the huge 65,000 square foot facility.

There are five restaurants on the property and shopping nearby. We'd be lounging by the pool or walking on the beach; but there are also golf courses everywhere, if you're ready to hit some balls. You can expect great weather in Georgia this time of year, so enjoy!

Memorial Day Getaway Ideas #4-- Las Vegas

We just had a debate over where to spend our next girls' getaway and Vegas ruled the conversation. We all agreed that regardless of when we go or what else we do, we're staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel (pictured above). We'd request one of their terrace suites with a balcony-- just imagine fresh air in Vegas! We'd also spend some time in their desert-theme Sahra Spa and otherwise enjoy hanging out in the latest, chicest resort on the strip. The Cosmopolitan has a handful of impressive offers including the Book 3, Stay 4 package where your fourth night is free and the Stay Until Sundown package where checkout isn't until 6:00 p.m.- perfect if you like to stay out til morning or have a late day flight home. Both would suit a party filled Memorial Day weekend perfectly.

Another good choice would be the City Center with its three impressive resorts: the Mandarin, Aria (its adults only pool, Liquid, is pictured above) and Vdara, a non-gaming eco-swank hotel. With so many resorts interconnected you don't have to take a taxi or hoof-it-in-your-stilettos all weekend. 

Wherever you stay in Vegas over Memorial Day weekend, you can expect the pool scenes to be lively during the day, many hosted by celebrity dj's, like at the Encore Beach Club (known as XS at night). Before the Cosmopolitan and the City Center were hotspots, the Wynn and its partner, Encore, were the most glam hotels in town. While the Wynn may have a more mature rep, its opening of Surrender, another inside/outside pool party scene amps up its coolness factor. Look for a full line up of entertainment across all of the Wynn and Encore pools and lounges over Memorial Day weekend. 

Memorial Day Getaways Idea #3 -- New York

Courtesy of FreeThingstoDoinNewYork.com

With all the sailors in town for Fleet Week, New York is a natural choice for a girls' getaway over Memorial Day Weekend. Seriously, who can resist a man in uniform? Plus with many locals out of town you can hit popular museum exhibits like the Metropolitan Museum of Art's upcoming tribute to designer Alexander McQueen without having to deal with the same mass of crowds.

If you're looking for a beach experience, you can head to Governor's Island on the free ferry (though it's more of a grass lawn than a true beach). Come night time, it's over taken by Water Taxi Beach for the 21+ crowd.

For an affordable place to stay--check out the Grace Hotel in Times Square. Formerly the Hotel QT, it features what we're pretty sure is the only swim up pool bar in the city!

We're sorry the Yankees will be on the road; but you can catch a Mets game. When you're there, hit the Shake Shack for a juicy burger or Blue Smoke BBQ for some tasty concessions.

Memorial Day Getaway Ideas #2--Portland, Oregon

In the past three months, we've heard of more friends traveling to Portland than in the past decade. And why not? Though it has been a few years since we've been, we remember Portland as an accessible and friendly city. Add to it the burgeoning wine, dining and art scene and you've got a winner for Memorial Day.

Food carts reign supreme with options ranging from grilled cheese to Korean to empanadas.  That's the double decker bus that's home to the Grilled Cheese Grill below. Check out FoodCartsPortland.com for more options and a map.

We've begged all our friends who have visited us to bring us back a sweet treat from Voodoo Doughnuts. If you go, please try the bacon maple bar and let us know how it is!

Courtesy of Voodoo Doughnuts

To walk off some of those calories peruse the art galleries along Old Town, the Pearl District and Alberta Street. Or head to the International Rose Test Garden, which is home to more than 7,000 rose bushes. Weather-depending, you may hit it while they're all in bloom. This year, the annual Rose Festival takes place from May 27-June 19.

Portland has a large number of boutique hotels. Two to consider are hipster-fave Ace Hotel in downtown Portland (below) and the Hotel Lucia, which is home to Typhoon Restaurant that has won raves for its Thai cuisine. 

Memorial Day Getaways Idea #1: Kennebunkport, Maine

Anyone who loves lobster, bike rides and beaches should consider Preppie enclave Kennebunkport, Maine for a Memorial Day getaway. Though it will be too cold to swim (and pretty much always is unless you're Candian), the new Tides Beach Club and its sister property Hidden Pond are enough to entice. The Tides Beach Club, situated on Goose Rocks Beach, underwent a renovation this winter. The rooms are decorated in soft neutrals and are as relaxing as they are comfortable (below). While you're lounging beachside, beach tenders are there to bring towels, treats and more. At night, enjoy the on site restaurant and beach bonfires.

If you're traveling with a bigger group, you may want to consider the well-reviewed Hidden Pond. It offers cabins that sleep up to four people, plus fun activities like a watercolor painting class, morning yoga and free loans of beach cruiser bicycles. We're dying to go just to try out the new Tree Spa!

On Our Radar: Vintange on Loan at London Hotel

On one of our annual girl's nights, our friend Heidi brought—and subsequently left hanging in the closet—so many clothes, we thought the hotel had provided us with them as potential loaners. So the new Berkeley Hotel in London partnership with vintage e-boutique Atelier-Mayer.com makes perfect sense to us. Travel and Leisure reports that the boutique is offering guests with a steamer trunk filled with jewelry and bags for loan during the duration of their stay. So that means the Charles Jourdan baby (above) can be yours for the night. Guests are able to purchase any items they can't bear to part with. Think of all the room you'll save in your suitcase!

Rainforest Travel Sweepstakes from Biolage

We love Biolage's Hydrathérapie line and now there's even more reason to pick up a travel set before your next girls' trip:

From now through May 31st, enter to win a trip for two to Costa Rica from Biolage.  Purchase a Rainforest Travel Kit for $9 and you'll receive a unique code for an on-line entry. The travel kit includes two travel-sized Hydrating shampoos and two travel-sized Conditioning balms.

The trip includes accommodations at the 4-star Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort in Guanacaste, Costa Rica for five days and four nights plus roundtrip airfare. It's valued at $5,000! Learn more at www.biolage.com/getaway.

Review The Parker Meridien New York

I chose the Parker Meridien for a weekend trip to NYC in March. Its location on West 56th between 6th and 7th Ave. made it ideal for shopping, dining, and theater going. The lobby is stylish; and the surprising burger smell wafting through the lobby was a hit for meat eaters like us. The "hidden" Burger Joint serves up burgers and fries for those-in-the-know all day long.   Norma's has a delicious breakfast with french press coffee I'm still trying to recreate and applewood smoked bacon that's so thick and tasty it rivals my favorite served at the Kimpton hotels. Our bill for breakfast each morning topped the $100 mark, so keep that in mind when you're budgeting.

Our room was spacious and way beyond New York standards. The two oversized twin beds and pull out sofa worked well for our party of four. It was a challenge to find a reasonably priced room with much space at all for four. The Parker Meridian's junior suite had two televisions, an eating area and a reasonably sized bathroom.

The rooftop pool had amazing views of Central Park and is open most of the day giving you a chance to take a dip after a long day of wondering around the city.

The shot glasses in the bathrooms were a nice touch, as were the Peter Thomas Roth products:

I'd recommend a stay at the Parker Meridien mostly for its location and style. My only reservation would be the extra charges like $10 for the toothbrush I forgot (hint: there's a Duane Reade across the street); $6 for each of the wine glasses I asked to be sent to the room (I've always tipped on the service; but haven't been charged for using wine glasses before); and the WiFi charges of $12/hour in the lobby or $16/day in your room is always a pet peeve of ours.

If you're curious to check it out yourself, they're offering specials starting in the $300 range. Happy travels!

On Our Radar: W London

If all this talk about the royal wedding has you thinking about making a trip across the pond, here's another reason: The newly opened W London - Leicester Square Hotel. The hotel is centrally located near the West End theaters (The upcoming Batman is another reason to head to London this summer) and the shopping on Regents and Oxford Streets.

In the Wonderful rooms the sinks are in the middle, a take on the American trend of putting tubs in the center of the room. (The shower is behind closed doors.) The rooms feature Bliss spa products and iPod docs.

When it's time to party, you can hit the Wyld Club or the Lounge Bar. There's a branch of NYC's Spice Market in the hotel for meals that are both delicious, fun and sexy.

Ready to go? When you book two nights, the third is free. Get ready to call in sick that Monday!

Kentucky Derby Tickets on RueLaLa

Annie at the Kentucky Derby with her friend Clint.

Attending the Kentucky Derby is one of the items we've already crossed off our Bucket List--so we can tell you this Hats and Horses package from RueLaLa is definitely worth it! It includes:

• Two First Floor Clubhouse tickets to the horse races at Churchill Downs on May 6 for Oaks Day (3-year old fillies race. Race aficionados often think say it's even more exciting than the Derby.) and May 7 for the Derby.  
• Three nights in a Deluxe Room at the Hyatt Regency, Louisville. 
• Access to an exclusive on-site concierge to assist you with any needs that may arise.
• And more.

The boutique closes on Friday, so act fast!

Viceroy Miami Review

We're just back from our girls' getaway to Miami, where we stayed at the Viceroy in the downtown area.  The best thing about the hotel was the decor--the rooms, lobby and public spaces are light and airy, as befitting the climate, but don't cross the line into austere. The bed was super comfy and the bathroom was enormous.

The pool at the Viceroy is on the 15th floor and while the hotel isn't on the beach, there's plenty of water all around. It's within walking distance from the Epic Hotel and the delicious Zuma, a Japanese restaurant. (We not only saw Lebron James there--turns out our group kept him waiting for his table!) You can see the Mandarin Oriental from the pool.

Our main complaints about the hotel revolve around the pool. While there was plenty of seating, including comfy beds that easily fit our group of three, there are NO umbrellas. While there is plenty of shade, it moves around. So if you want to be in the shade all day, you're going to have to chase it around. Plus, it made hard for all three of us to sit together when one wanted sun and the others didn't.

The other—and—bigger complaint about the Viceroy is that the food, both at the pool and from room service, is really bad. At the pool, it's served to you in a brown paper grocery bag and the food itself comes in flimsy plastic containers. It doesn't taste good either. Sandwiches were dry and salad dressings were bland. On our last day, we went off property to nearby Rosa Mexicana because we all agreed we didn't want to eat our last meal of the trip in Miami at the Viceroy.

The spa, however, was one of the most beautiful we've ever seen. Those are the plunge pools and hot tubs below. The gigantic yellow chandelier is the center piece of the room. Entrance to the spa is free for guests. We didn't have time to experience a spa treatment on this trip.

What else? The crowd at the hotel was a mix--lots of Europeans and South Americans (who made for good eye candy), a handful of families and at least one bachelorette party. The scene at the hotel's Club 50 was a bit too young for our tastes--we're guessing 25 and younger. But the views from the 50th floor are certainly worth seeing.

Let us know if you have any questions about our stay!