travel sweeps

I NOW BLOG ON TUMBLR

2011-11-03T22:28:00.001-04:00

Please visit TRAVEL SWEEPS on Tumblr. I post regularly there, at least once a week, sometimes more, as the sweeps move me.

FIVE NIGHTS IN BELIZE

2011-09-21T11:55:00.004-04:00

Here's a sweeps for five nights in Belize, posted on my Tumblr blog.
Tweet

SWEEPS: FOUR NIGHTS AT THE HOTEL HASSLER ROMA

2011-08-12T11:39:00.010-04:00

Talk about location. The Hotel Hassler, one of Rome's finest, is practically situated on the Spanish Steps. This sweeps, from Lucky Magazine, comes with an assortment of goodies, including round-trip airfare, dinner for two at Il Palazzetto, shopping sprees worth $1,000 at the fashion house Krizia and at Lucia Odescaldchi's jewelry boutique (Italian jewelry is exquisite, if you haven't noticed), Max Mara sunglasses (so Italian, Italians are seriously into sunglasses!) and a collection of soaps, lotions and candles from Ortigia.

To enter, click HERE. One entry per person. Closes on August 29, 2011.

six nights in hawaii

2011-04-18T09:16:00.004-04:00

SWEEPS | This comes from Liberty Travel, the travel agency. The prize is three nights in ocean view rooms at two Fairmont properties: Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island and the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui. This sweeps does not include airfare. If you win, make sure you note the blackout dates. And that the Fairmont Kea Lani will be undergoing renovations between 8/15/11 - 12/15, 2011. Travel must be completed by June 30, 2012. To enter, click HERE.

seven nights in follina

2011-04-15T12:53:00.005-04:00

SWEEPS | Another subscribe and enter sweeps, this time to Bon Appetit, though you can enter the sweeps without subscribing to the magazine. To be sure, I did subscribe, I'm trying to support magazines in this world of virtual content. This one is for seven nights at the Hotel Villa Abbazia in Follina, Italy, with airfare. (I love this photo of the villa, from the Kiwi Collection listing.) This sweeps is co-sponsored by Luxury Link, and there are fixed travel windows: July 1 - September 30, 2011; November 1, 2011 - January 5, 2012 and the trip must be taken by January 5, 2012. Other than that, it's a gem. To enter, click HERE.

three nights in st. martin

2011-04-13T10:03:00.002-04:00

SWEEPS | Oh, I want to go to the French Caribbean! Here's a sweeps for three nights in St. Martin, sponsored by the Official French Government Tourism Office. Ooh la la. Though, per the accompanying video, more people speak English than I'd realized. To enter, click HERE.

trip to spain + venice

2011-04-12T13:02:00.002-04:00

SWEEPS | Divide and conquer, subscribe and enter. I just renewed my subscription to Travel + Leisure and in doing so became eligible for a trip to Spain and Venice. Make that a dream trip. You can also enter without subscribing. To enter, click HERE.

uber-wonderful: four urban hotel stays

2011-04-11T10:41:00.001-04:00

SWEEPS | Tablet Hotels is my absolute favorite hotel collection. And they sponsor one of my absolute favorite sweeps. Every month, it's a new hotel. This month, it's four! Yes, three-night stays in four uber-wonderful urban hotels: The XV Beacon in Boston, Angler's Boutique Resort in Miami, Hotel Oceana Santa Monica in Los Angeles and Hotel Andra in Seattle. The co-sponsor is Thrillest, they're throwing in $1,500 in cash for airfare and other incidentals. All you have to do is sign up for the Tablet Hotels' newsletter. If you're already receiving it, like I am, you sign up again. This runs through the end of the month. To enter, click HERE.

surfing, hawaii, u.s.a.

2011-04-07T09:56:00.002-04:00

SWEEPS | Here's a little place-name cognitive dissonance for you. Old London Foods is sponsoring a sweeps to Oahu, Hawaii. After scratching my head, I realized that Old London Foods, a purveyor of crackers, flat breads and melba toast, has little to do with London these days, except that one if its top products, melba toast, was first created in London by Escoffier, for Dame Nellie Melba when he was working with Cesar Ritz at the Savoy Hotel in London. So, that's the London part. Now, the Hawaii element. This sweeps includes three nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa plus dinner, a massage, private cooking lesson at Chef Mavro restaurant, surf lessons on Waikiki Beach. Ah, bliss.

This is a Facebook sweeps. I'm still trying to figure out the whole Facebook sweeps paradigm. You're entering via Facebook, and giving the sweeps administrator permission to access your information. Apart from that, I am not detecting any difference with a traditional website entry sweeps. Facebook changed its rules and no longer allows sweeps entries through "like" clicks, entrants have to provide the usual personal information, name, contact information. As to privacy, well, based on past transgressions, it's safe to say only Facebook knows for sure.

To enter, click HERE. The sweeps runs through June 30, 2011.

trip to london

2011-04-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

SWEEPS | I've been a busy bee! I just entered a sweeps for a trip to London sponsored by Betty Crocker. You have to register in order to enter. To do that, click HERE. Go for it!

six nights in waikiki

2011-03-30T15:01:00.005-04:00

SWEEPS | Here's a daily for six nights at an Aqua Hotels and Resorts property in Waikiki on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. There look to be four: Park Shore Waikiki, Best Western Coconut Waikiki, Aqua Waikiki Dawn and Aqua Waikiki Wave. A friend who went to Hawaii last summer did the absolute coolest thing: night snorkeling! Folks shine light into the water, not too bright of course. Can you imagine? This sweeps, a daily, runs through May 8. To enter, click HERE.
+

It's promotion Purina pet food. The theme, For the Love of All Pets, is right up my alley. Over the years, my son has had fish, crabs, birds, snakes, tortoises and let's forget the standard cats and dog! You know the missing snake at the Bronx Zoo reminds me of the three times our corn snake went missing. His name is Ripley for Ripley's Believe It or Not. He escaped in the car on the way home from the pet store, we thought we'd never see him again, we could exactly put a sign up in the building about a lost snake, and five days later he fell into my son's lap while I was driving him to the doctor's to make sure he did not have strep throat. This is one of the great stories of my son's childhood. We went to the 7-11 and put the snake in an empty coffee cup with a lid and then went to the pediatrician's. There were these new parents with days-old twins in the waiting room and I didn't want them to know we had a snake with us so I kept coughing and clearly my throat because the snake was sure moving around in that coffee cup.

spa retreat in thailand

2011-03-28T14:37:00.007-04:00

SWEEPS | Without going into details, this has been one of the most complicated years of my life. No crises per se, but every little thing seems bumpier than it should. Which has me fantasizing more than usual about winning a damn trip. Ah, the passion of possibility. Plus, I learn lots about all the wonderful properties out there. This one, Kamalaya on Koh Sumai Island, is sumptuously situated near a former monk's cave off eastern Thailand. Talk about a setting. This sweeps, a daily, runs through, well, I think through May 31. The Official Rules link seems to be down. To enter, click HERE.

four nights in paris

2011-03-24T12:33:00.005-04:00

SWEEPS | One of my college roommates and I reconnected last year after many years and she was incredulous that I was still living in Washington, D.C. She thought I'd end up in New York or Paris. Well, me, too. But here I am, residing 1.75 miles due north of the White House and living the single-mom, soccer-mom, work-from-home-mom life. This sweeps to Paris might take the edge off my accidental domicile. Air is in business class. Yes! Four nights in an unspecified four-star hotel in Paris. Double yes! This one-entry sweeps runs through May 15. The sponsor is Elle Magazine. To enter, click HERE

Tweet

ah, youth. accidental double exposure in my father's studio

2011-03-23T11:23:00.001-04:00

four nights mexican riviera resort

2011-03-23T08:52:00.000-04:00

SWEEPS | I remember flying over the Mexican Caribbean coast en route to Mexico City several years ago and promising myself I had to get there one day, the sooner, the better. Well, promises, promises and more promises, I still have not gotten around to it. Maybe this sweeps will prove corrective. Here's a sweeps for four nights at the all inclusive Hacienda Tres Rios on the Mexican Riviera, south of Cancun. It's a one entry affair, yeah, that closes May 31. To enter, click HERE.

three nights in beverly hills

2011-03-22T09:51:00.000-04:00

SWEEPS | It's fun when travel sweeps have add-ons. This one includes a $1,000 credit voucher for Nanette Lepore. Ooh I just love her stuff, especially her shoes. This sweeps also includes three nights at the Thompson Beverly Hills. It's sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a fun, and practical, collection of boutique hotels and romantic accommodations.

Yes, the name throws me, too. Reminds me of that movie starring you-know-who.

This is a one-time entry sweeps that closes April 1. To enter, click HERE.

two days in nyc or l.a.

2011-03-21T09:01:00.001-04:00

SWEEPS | This sweeps is short and sweet: two nights in NYC or L.A., on Patch, a new-to-me "local knowledge" website, that includes spa treatments and spending money, too. If I won, I'd definitely choose L.A. since I get to New York now and then. The sponsor doesn't identify the hotel, so I'd keep my fingers crossed it was a swell one. This is a daily entry that runs through May 1. To enter, click HERE

three nights in bermuda

2011-03-18T11:45:00.037-04:00

SWEEPS | This isn't the first sweeps to Bermuda I've entered, but for some reason I'm itching to win this one more than the others. Perhaps it's the quasi-
local angle. (I'm really a provincial at heart.) AirTran is sponsoring the sweeps to celebrate its new nonstop service to Bermuda from B.W.I. Airport, one of my three area airports. The other two being National (don't you call it Reagan loud enough for me to hear) and Dulles. Wow, come to think of it, BWI, which is also known as Thurgood Marshall airport, is the only one named after someone whose politics I share.

To enter, click HERE.This is open to all U.S. residents. The winner gets three nights at the Tucker's Point Hotel & Spa. This is a one entry sweeps that closes March 31.

happy st. patrick's day!

2011-03-17T11:53:00.000-04:00

SWEEPS | Better late than never! This daily sweeps for six nights in Ireland, sponsored by Irish Spring, has been underway since last month and, luck of the Irish, runs through next week. The prize is two nights in Cabra Castle in Cavan; two nights Abbeyglen Castle in Galway and two nights in Clontarf Castle in Dublin, plus a rental car.

I'll keep my fingers crossed when I drink my celebratory green beer later this evening!

To enter, click HERE. The sweeps -- a daily! -- runs through March 26.

five nights of luxury in delhi

2011-03-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

SWEEPS | Sigh. Another place I want to see. This sweeps, a one-entry only, from that purveyor of Indian delectibles, Kitchen of India, is for five nights in New Delhi at a luxury ITC Hotel. (There look to be three.) There's not much else to say except good luck and enter. To do that, click HERE. This sweeps closes March 31.

japan, visual history

2011-03-15T00:12:00.003-04:00

Do you know this Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849)? The first print is The Great Wave at Kanagawa. I first encountered it when someone gave me a Japanese tea set with the image on the teapot and the cups. This image suggests the long history Japan has had with tsunami. Lest anyone in the nuclear power set try to suggest that what's happening this evening was not foreseeable. I assume it was part of the risk analysis. But what we have here is, by the latest assessment, is something between Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. I'm not sure what it would take to surpass Chernobyl.

want some seafood, mama!

2011-03-14T11:20:00.015-04:00

SWEEPS | Hard to believe, but once upon a time I did not love seafood. Fish on Fridays was the bane of my Catholic childhood. Then, at some point, I fell for seafood. Hard. We'd catch blue fish in Long Island Sound, broil it for dinner that same day. Eat fresh clams, gathered at low tide. Feast on lobster dredged in drawn butter, lobster from up the coast, usually Maine.

Here are two sweeps, and a song, that celebrate seafood.

Four nights in San Francisco, sponsored by the Mussel Industry Council of North America. One-time entry through March 31. To enter, click HERE.

This sweeps, from Gorton's Seafood, hinges on which destination gets the most votes. Oddly, one of the choices is Las Vegas. The others are the Greek Isles, Caribbean, Key West, Italy and Gloucester, Mass. (I've been to all save Las Vegas!) This is a daily entry through April 1. To enter, click HERE.

five nights in macau - wow!

2011-03-10T19:53:00.001-05:00

SWEEPS | One of my favorite all-time trips was to Hong Kong. What a city. We didn't get to Macau. I hear, from my good friend Scott who was there last year, that the place is just hopping. Development is booming. It's a mix of Portuguese and Chinese. Highly dependent on tourism and gambling, per Wikipedia. This sweeps is for five nights at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. The flight, economy, on sponsor (or maybe co-sponsor) Cathay Pacific. The prize includes a ride on the Cotai Jet Ferry, tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show, Zaia, a spa treatment, a dinner at Portofino restaurant. (I'd hit some Portuguese restaurants, too. This one-entry sweeps (yeah!) closes March 31. To enter, click HERE.

three nights at the miraval in tuscon, arizona

2011-03-09T11:36:00.003-05:00

SWEEPS | So what if Hush Puppies shoes code orthopedic footwear or impaired fashion sense? They're offering a sweet sweeps, for three nights at the Miraval Resort in Tuscon, Arizona, and I am in, as in as I can be. To enter, click HERE. Don't dillydally. The sweeps closes March 13.

mississippi road trip, winner keeps the car

2011-03-07T11:28:00.003-05:00

SWEEPS | Watch my dust! But first, I will share an interesting sweeps experience. I went to enter this one last Friday and there was no listing for the District of Columbia. I emailed the co-sponsor, the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division, they emailed back within hours to tell me they'd added D.C. to the list. Thanks, folks! (Poor D.C., when oh when will we ever get state rights?)

The prize is a one-way ticket to Jackson, Mississippi, and a Toyota Corolla, and a whippy-trippy one-stop-per-day itinerary starting in Jackson and finishing in the Gulf Coast. (If it's Tuesday, it must be Tupelo.) The car is the winner's to drive home. If it were I, I'd head to Oxford, to visit the university. I'm especially interested in the Southern Foodways Alliance, an affiliate of the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture that "documents, studies, and celebrates" the food of the American South. I'd avail myself of its impressive culinary tourism section, for sure.

To enter, click HERE. This sweeps closes March 31.

my kind of sweeps

2011-03-04T10:11:00.006-05:00

SWEEPS | This is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite sweeps: a terrific destination (Peru), a worthy cause (Whole Planet Foundation's microlending program), and, in a noble twist, a place to donate to that cause right on the sweeps entry page. Major props on that. Plus, it's from a pioneering retailer (Whole Foods) and led by an awesome outfitter (Intrepid Travel) and, ta da, it's a one-time entry. One time and you're in. None of this silly daily stuff. (Lately, these daily sweeps have seemed sillier than ever because with so many of them you have to key in all your information every single time you enter. Sigh.) This closes March 31. To enter, click HERE.

four nights in montego bay

2011-03-03T09:30:00.001-05:00

SWEEPS | Click on the Rose Hall Resort and wait for the image of the swimming pool. It will only take a second. Is that not exquisite? Is that not just what you could use after this long, cold, dreary winter? Man, I sure could. This sweeps is for four nights at the Rose Hall Resort. The sponsor is Puma. The sweeps website is a rocking multi-media affair with voiceover. Ah, Jamaica. To enter, click HERE. This daily sweeps closes March 31.

here's to your dutch uncle

2011-03-02T11:48:00.023-05:00

SWEEPS | I bit the bullet and entered my first ever sweeps on Facebook yesterday, to Amsterdam in May. It's pegged to a Picasso exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum. Out of pent-up curiosity, I'd searched "win a trip" on Twitter and found a stream of sweeps tweets. You enter some by retweeting the sweeps, and others by clicking a link to Facebook. The problem with Facebook sweeps is so classically Facebook on the privacy front. You have to grant the sweeps administrator permission to access your Facebook account. My read of this was that it did not access more than is already public. Ah, it's a complicated world, this.

To enter this sweeps to Amsterdam via Facebook, click HERE. The sweeps closes April 17. This morning, I entered one to Miami, also on Facebook. Three nights at the Gansevoort. (What's the connection? Well, doesn't the name Gansevoort look Dutch? It does to me. Maybe at long last I'll meet my Dutch uncle there, tee hee.) To enter, click HERE. This sweeps closes March 18. UPDATE: I can't stop clicking and entering! Here's a six-day sweeps to Costa Rica. To enter, click HERE. Not sure when it closes. Go for it!

sweeps to the galapagos

2011-02-28T06:27:00.012-05:00

SWEEPS | Short and sweet: A trip to the Galápagos. To enter, click HERE. The sweeps closes August 31. The winner must take the trip by December 31. A tall order for anyone with a school-age child. (Who might that be?) Otherwise, I feel wretched today. I've got a nasty cold, plus I stayed up late and watched that god-awful Oscars. The worst I've ever seen, to be honest.

a luxury mediterranean cruise

2011-02-24T11:39:00.031-05:00

SWEEPS | Never say never. When I first started sweepstaking, I vowed to avoid cruise sweeps unless they went someplace where a cruise really, really made sense, like the Galapagos or Alaska or Norway. David Foster Wallace's famous Harper's article on the subject, published back in the mid-1990s, sealed my disdain for the mega-cruise. For life. Or so I thought.

Now I find myself rethinking my cruise stance. You see, my son Isaac has started clamoring to go on a cruise. He's a great traveler, my boy, but sometimes our tastes diverge. For instance, he loved Club Med so much -- he went with his father to the one in Punta Cana several years ago -- that they went back a second time. I was mortified that his father, who usually takes really, really interesting trips, even considered Club Med.

Which brings me to today's sweeps. It's sponsored by TravelDK, publisher of those gorgeously produced Eyewitness Travel Guides. They're calling it "Your Perfect Trip," and give entrants the choice of three: Exotic exploration in Istanbul, City Sophisticate in New York City, and Luxury Mediterranean Cruise.
I entered. And, you guessed it, I chose the cruise.

This sweeps closes April 30. To enter, click HERE. Note: Residents of Florida and New York are not eligible. One quibble: This is a U.K.-based sweeps, so instead of Official Rules, we've got Terms & Conditions, and they don't specify if this is a one-time entry or a daily-entry sweeps. I just entered a second time, with no bounceback or error message. I will update if I confirm what's up. Really, really.

three nights at the cove atlantis

2011-02-23T10:29:00.018-05:00

SWEEPS | If I won this one, I would have to surrender to the idea of extreme tourism development. The Cove Atlantis is if anything an exaggerated execution of what might have been an interesting concept. Atlantis, the lost civilization, and all that fascinating classical stuff, first noted by Plato in his dialogues, imaginatively reconstituted by Francis Bacon and then, more recently, by the folks at Walt Disney. Why, the developers might have had fun with that. Then they went and built a complex of massive multi-story buildings with over 400 rooms. Talk about blocking the view. I wonder how many gallons of water this joint goes through on a daily basis? In any event, not to get all caught up in anticipatory ingratitude and eco-fantasies!
This sweeps, sponsored by Redbook, ends February 28, so get clicking. To enter, click HERE.

a grand tour of europe

2011-02-22T14:28:00.028-05:00

It's hard to believe that wheeled luggage did not come into being until the end of the 20th century. Not a moment too soon, that. A commercial pilot invented the Original Rollaboard in 1987, reminding us once again the necessity is the mother of invention. Though apparently some necessities are more plodding than others. After all, this is almost 30 years after the Rolodex hit the market, and my built-in necessity meter suggests that wheeled luggage is more urgent than Rolodex by spades.

But I digress. TravelPro, the leading manufacturer of wheeled luggage, is sponsoring this 12-day sweeps that includes 10 stops in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. It's an ambitious itinerary. TravelPro is throwing in two suitcases so the winner can roll with the flow. To enter, click HERE. Here are the OFFICIAL RULES. This is a daily sweeps. It closes March 31.

three nights in turks and caicos

2011-02-21T12:03:00.023-05:00

JetBlue is celebrating its newest Caribbean route, New York to Providenciales, with a giveaway. Three nights and round trip airfare to the Turks and Caicos. To enter, click HERE. Details, including the deadline (!) and Official Rules, after the jump.
Eligibility: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, aged 18 years or older at time of entry. Void in Puerto Rico. Grand Prize (1): JetBlue Getaways Package for two (2) to Turks & Caicos. Prize includes two (2) round-trip air transportation JetBlue Travel Certificates valid for travel between the gateway airport serviced by JetBlue Airways closest to the Winner’s residence and Turks & Caicos (PLS), and 3 nights/4 days accommodations at Sponsor-designated hotel. (ARV $2111.)

First Prizes (3):     Each First Prize consist of two (2) round-trip  air transportation  JetBlue Travel Certificates valid for travel between  any two  destinations in the JetBlue Airways route network (ARV $598).
 
Deadline:    Thursday,  3 March 2011 @ 11:59:59 (EST)

Official Rules:      http://jetbluegetawayspromotion.com/rules/english.html

'tis the season: sweeps to venice

2010-12-17T13:56:00.029-05:00

SWEEPS 12.17.10 | I've decided to resuscitate Travel Sweeps while I "grow" my business as they say. No reason to stop trying my luck at trying to win a trip, and comment on all things travel. Even if, irony of ironies, I am not doing much farflung gallavanting these days. There is a chance we'll get to Geneva this summer, to visit a friend, though plans are pretty much up in the air. I'm making my resolutions early this year. It's fitting since this blog started as a New Year's resolution to try and win a trip.I wonder how many sweepstakes I entered over the past five years? As we inch toward 2011, I realize that my longstanding preference for even numbered years is on the decline, 2010 was an odd year for an even year. 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the 10-year anniversary of that tragic day in September. Speaking of which: this study's making the rounds: Click HERE. It suggests that backscatters, commonly known as full body scanners, might not catch all explosives and other nefarious contraband. Surprise, surprise.

P.S. Here's a sweeps for five days in Venice: Click HERE.

the busiest travel weekend of the year

2010-11-21T10:32:00.004-05:00

I came this close to driving to Connecticut for Thanksgiving. But the backup at the Delaware Memorial Bridge proved too challenging, alternate routes notwithstanding. We are definitely getting up there for Christmas, departing Thursday or Friday. Oh, the merriest time of the year!

london calling: six nights in a swell hotel

2010-08-13T15:02:00.008-04:00

Attention, mates and matrices! This ends on Sunday, August 15, so if you're interested and that date's not passed, I suggest you enter immediately. Also, this entry is dependent on subscribing to an e-newsletter from Travel Squire, an online travel magazine and, for a fee, itinerary planning service. You can always unsubscribe, even if you win! My penultimate caveat: The prize does not include airfare. It's six nights, plus 

breakfast every morning, in one of Distinguished HotelsSir Christopher Wren Hotel and Spa, Cannizaro House, The Cranley Hotel and The Royal Park Hotel. properties. Possible accommodations include 

I've been pining to get to London for ages. Maybe this sweeps will let me answer London's call.

To enter, click HERE.

This ends August 15.

four nights on the gulf coast

2010-08-12T11:37:00.005-04:00

Not to go Politico on you, but Margaritaville Beach Hotel, in Pensacola Beach, Florida, is smack along some of the worst-hit shoreline in the Gulf of Mexico. It opened in June, so they're not having the best launch, even with Jimmy Buffet's wattage in the mix. He's a partner in the hotel. Apparently the Obama family is visiting the Gulf this weekend, but they're staying 80 or so miles east of here, in an area that was not as hard hit. I am so curious about how the spill is affecting everyone, I'd love to go and get a firsthand look. I saw today that BP wasn't paying hotels' claims for lost business. Whose claims are they paying?

This sweeps is for four nights at the hotel, air, a tour of the sites and a gumbo cooking class with Jimmy's sister Lucy, who runs a restaurant called Lulu's a few towns over in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

To enter, click HERE.

The sweeps closes August 25 at 5 PM EST.

three nights at sofital l.a.

2010-08-11T16:19:00.015-04:00

SPA-DI-DA: THREE NIGHTS IN L.A.

One of the most unsettling pieces of news I received as a child was learning that my parental grandmother had lost her sense of smell. She woke up one morning and it was gone. Of the five senses, smell seems the least essential, though it still serves a utilitarian function when it comes to possible fire, bad food and personal hygiene. But losing it would mean no more inhaling to take in the just-cut grass or, my favorite, baby's head. 

This sweeps will elevate some lucky winner's sense of appreciation for the sense of smell with DECLÉOR aromatherapy spa services during a three-night stay at Sofitel L.A. The package also includes a spa lunch and dinner at  the SIMON LA restaurant at the hotel.

To enter, click HERE. 

The sweeps runs through September 15.

five nights in paris

2010-08-10T18:14:00.007-04:00

FIVE NIGHTS IN PARIS

When I think of mussels, my mind jumps to Brussels, even though the delectable bivalve is quite popular in Paris and much of France. The good folks at Discover Mussels are sponsoring a sweeps to the City of Lights, with accommodations for five nights, round trip air and, once you're there, tickets for two for the City Tour by bus, Seine River Cruise, The Moulin Rouge,  the Louvre, the Versailles and the Eiffel Tower with dinner at Restaurant 58. I'm not seeing mussels on the menu, but I'm sure I'd manage to find some somewhere in Paris, were I to win, were I to go. I hear tell that the best are from Mont St Michel.

To enter, click HERE.
The sweeps closes October 28. Allez-y!

2010-05-05T09:00:00.005-04:00

EIGHT DAY TRIP TO ITALY 
To enter, click HERE.
More proof that Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany exists, a burning question if ever there was one. For more, see this probing Wallet Pop piece. 
The prize: A guided eight-day culinary tour of Italy, including classes at Olive Garden's Culinary Institute. Andiamo! Note: Winners must be available on specified dates in March or April 2011. Here are prize details, from the Official Rules. (As ever, read the fine print.) 
Trip package includes roundtrip, coach-class air transportation for two (2) from a major airport near winner’s home to a major airport in Italy (airports determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); eight (8) days and seven (7) nights standard hotel accommodations (single room, double occupancy); all guided tours, 2 meals per day, all ground transportation in Italy; and excursions to the following cities: Florence, Rome, San Gimignano, and Riserva di Fizzano, near Castellina in Chianti to visit Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany. Trip must be taken on dates specified in March or April 2011. The sweeps closes on May 9. 

2010-05-04T08:56:00.001-04:00

FOUR NIGHTS AT CAL-DE-VIE SPA 

To enter, click HERE. 

Four nights at Cal-de-Vie Spa in Vista, California, north of San Diego. This sweeps, sponsored by Shape Magazine, closes May 20. 

2010-05-03T08:58:00.005-04:00

FOUR NIGHTS IN BELIZE (NO AIR)
To enter, click HERE. 
Oh, to kayak and snorkel with abandon! The winner gets four nights at Hamanasi Adventure Camp & Dive Resort in Belize. The sponsor is Islands Magazine. This one-entry sweeps closes May 31.

2010-04-30T14:55:00.002-04:00

CRUISE THE GALAPAGOS

To enter, click HERE.

This trip, sponsored by Eddie Bauer, is with National Geographic Expeditions on board the Pinta, which looks like a charming, storied little ship. All in all, not shabby. It closes May 3.

2010-04-29T09:01:00.007-04:00

THREE NIGHTS AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA

To enter, click HERE.
Ah, this is one of the greats, the Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan. The prize includes three hours of treatments at the Guerlain Spa. The very thought of that is relaxing. This is a one entry sweeps that closes June 1.

2010-04-28T05:08:00.011-04:00

SYDNEY: AIR FROM L.A., SEVEN NIGHTS AT FOUR SEASONS
To enter, click HERE. 

Seven nights at the Four Seasons Sydney, with round-trip air to L.A. then, from L.A., to Sydney on Sir Richard Branson's newest airline, V Australia. This is a one-entry sweeps that closes May 16. The sponsor is Travel + Leisure Magazine. 

2010-04-27T13:31:00.015-04:00

FIVE NIGHTS IN BORA BORA AND AIR FROM L.A.
To enter, click HERE.
This is a daily sweeps that runs through June 1. Look  where you'd stay, my oh my pie in the sky. The above-water Hotel  Maitai. I think the beauty of this place  would make my eyes ache dry.

back in the saddle

2009-10-07T11:08:00.002-04:00

I'm back. After the marathon of September, back to school, back to soccer, Isaac's birthday, the Jewish holidays, and the usual various and sundry, October feels nirvanaistic. If that adjective exists. I haven't entered a sweeps since last summer. Off I go!

hiatus status

2009-08-27T16:49:00.002-04:00

I've been on hiatus. It just sort of happened after I got busy with some family responsibilities. I plan to resume posting after Labor Day. Earlier if the spirit moves me. I hope everyone's been having a wonderful summer.

2009-08-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

two nights in santa barbara!

2009-08-09T09:11:00.002-04:00

Still busy, here's one for two nights in Santa Barbara, no air. OOPS. Link to come!

paris sweeps!

2009-08-06T22:30:00.004-04:00

Too busy but here's a daily sweeps for a trip to Paris.
To enter, click HERE.

the most expensive trip in the world

2009-08-05T20:38:00.003-04:00

Alas, no sweeps for this one, an Urbane Nomad extravaganza. This Singapore-based travel planner is brilliant but, not surprisingly, over-the-top expensive.

five nights in the maya riviera

2009-08-04T10:52:00.007-04:00

Our “big” trip this summer was to Miami and the Florida Keys. Lovely, but my first choice was Tulum and the Maya Riviera. I chose Florida because of lingering concerns over H1N1 and drug cartel violence. I still want to go. Here’s a sweeps that might get me there: Five nights at the El Dorado Royale Spa Resort. It’s an adults-only property, it made Conde Nast Traveler’s Top 100 Reader Favorites so it must be doing something right. If I win, I hope they let me invite a friend.

To enter, click HERE. The sweeps closes September 4.

three sweeps from saveur magazine

2009-08-03T09:44:00.005-04:00

Hometown Tourist: Isaac and I stopped by the newly opened W Washington Saturday afternoon to check out the view at the Sky Terrace. Great view, enhanced by glass siding, but the hotel has not figured out how to handle the flow of interested locals versus hotel guests. We shared the elevator with a man who’d been best man at his friend’s wedding at the hotel 10 years ago, and encountered several other interested locals during our visit. We were told the Sky Terrace was “fully committed” but upon entering saw numerous empty tables and couches. I decided not to press to be seated, we were really only interested in taking a peak, but I was thirsty and I did want to order a drink at the bar. Well the bartender acted like he was alone doing inventory. No eye contact with me or any of the customers trying to order something. I stood there for 10 minutes with zero acknowledgment. The place seems very amateurish. Also, why all the empty tables? And why not more tables? According to reviews on TripAdvisor, my experience is the norm.

Saveur Magazine, always a favorite, is sponsoring not one, not two, but three sweepstakes at the moment:
1. Three nights at the Lake Austin Spa Resort in the Texas Hill Country.
2. Two nights at the Phoenician in Scottsdale.
3. A week at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.
I’m gunning for the one to Singapore. I’ve been to the Texas Hill Country, though not to the Lake Austin Spa Resort, and I’ve actually stayed at the Phoenician, for a writers’ conference. So Singapore is my Holy-Grail sweeps in this mix.

To enter one, two or all three, click HERE.

two nights at fairmont san francisco

2009-07-31T09:18:00.004-04:00

This one’s for two nights at the Fairmont San Francisco, a hotel that likes to participate in sweepstakes as evidenced by the two sweeps I entered last fall and in October 2006. This time, the hotel is more than justified: this getaway, for two nights, is pegged to the release of CBS’s 1980's show Hotel, which was filmed at the Fairmont San Francisco. I never saw an episode. I wasn’t into prime-time television at the time. The prize also includes airfare and the DVD set of Hotel: The First Season.

To enter, click HERE. Enter once. The sweeps closes September 18.

four nights in madrid + a soccer match

2009-07-30T13:00:00.005-04:00

This one is a little tricky. If you are an AA Advantage member, have your number ready. If you are not, be prepared to enroll if you want to enter. At least that's what supposed to happen. I'm not sure my entry is valid, because I clicked that I was not a member but I never got an entry form, which is what the Official Rules state is supposed to happen. This sweeps includes four nights at the Melia Madrid Princesa, a most centrally located hotel, and tickets to a flamenco show and also to a professional soccer match. But which one? Real Madrid, one would hope.

To enter, click HERE. One entry. Enter by September 30.

trust me: a lovely getaway

2009-07-29T14:49:00.002-04:00

Too rushed to post details but trust me, this is a swell one.

To enter, click HERE. One time entry. This sweeps closes September 6th. P.S. I so want to swim in this pool.

i shall return later this week

2009-07-28T10:16:00.002-04:00

I've been busy lately. I've got a post in the works, hope to start posting regularly again later this week.

ceci n'est pas un sweepstake

2009-07-15T09:08:00.005-04:00

I merrily entered what I thought was a sweeps last week, the Family First one to Hawaii, without realizing that it was actually a promotional campaign for time shares and cruises and other travel what-not's. If I'd read the fine print more closely, here's what I would have noticed:

Entrants give express permission and agree to be contacted by telephone, e-mail or regular mail for the purpose of promoting the sale of vacation packages and tours of timeshare properties in Pigeon Forge, TN, and/or Branson, MO by Surrey Vacation Resorts, Inc., its affiliated companies and third-party companies who make similar vacation offers. Entrant acknowledges that participation in this promotion supersedes any in-house, state or national no call list.

I'm already getting calls. I'm annoyed that the campaign is holding itself out as a sweeps and that the language about agreeing to calls is buried in the terms. So, once again, caveat entror! Here's a link to the form, and a link to the terms with the language about calls.
Enter if you like, but enter at your own risk!

the art of unpacking; four nights in london

2009-07-11T12:06:00.018-04:00

Over the years I've seen countless articles about the art of packing. I even contemplated pitching one myself. I am a proponent of the master list approach, creating a bespoke checklist for each trip, printing out said list and then checking off each item as it's tucked in its designated suitcase or carry-on bag. Ideally, I note which piece of luggage I've packed an item. Alas, a proponent does not a practitioner make. I did approximate this method last summer, when Isaac and I went to Italy, but for our recent trip to Miami and the Keys, I was not as organized.

Yet I packed reasonably well. I did not forget my thyroid medication (something that has never happened, thank goodness), and I did not overpack, either. But I did blow it in several ways, and I would have been doing myself a major favor if I'd used a checklist. I forgot the ear plugs. Me, the person who is prone to swimmer's ear. And I swam for nine straight days without ear plugs. And now I have a major ear infection in my left ear. There is, in the words of my kind otorhinolaryngologist, a fungus among us. It flared up Friday evening, too late to see the doctor until today.

That's the packing. What about unpacking? I excel at emptying my luggage, but fail at organizing the flotsam of cards, pamphlets, maps, receipts and, panic attack, notes. (I think there's an essay in this trip but I can't find my notes, scribbled on National Hotel bedside pad.)

For now, here's an article on packing from the Times Travel section.
Which serves as a lovely seque into today's sweeps: A trip to London, a four-night stay at the Metropolitan Hotel and, drum roll, airfare on Virgin Atlantic's dreamy looking Premium Economy class. To enter, click HERE and sign up for Tablet Hotels emails. This runs through July 31.

four nights at surf lodge in montauk

2009-07-10T08:18:00.006-04:00

Okay, there’s some cognitive dissonance going on here. The sponsors of this sweeps, Royal Pains, a new TV series about a failed Manhattan doctor who reinvents himself as concierge doctor in the Hamptons, are calling this a HAMPTONS GETAWAY SWEEPSTAKES. Only, the four grand prizes include four nights at the Surf Lodge in Montauk, which is not technically the Hamptons, which is precisely what the Surf Lodge’s own website notes, thus: For decades, Montauk on the east end of Long Island has been considered the un-Hampton, a sleepy fishing village with the regions (sic) most beautiful coastline.

Also, the sweeps website says the accommodations are beachfront. But I don’t think so, the lodge is on a pond and the website says nothing about a beach. Ah, isn't the devil in the details. I am feeling rather devil may care this morning and I entered this sweeps anyway. After all, I have never been to the Hamptons or Montauk, and it would be great fun to go. The winners will get to visit standard Hamptons haunts like Nick and Tony's.

To enter, click HERE. Daily entry through September 2.

as easy as ABC: trips to bonaire and hawaii

2009-07-08T21:46:00.010-04:00

That's Isaac in the Keys, holding his morning glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. What a trip! Daily swimming, kayaking, snorkeling. In Miama, we encamped at the National Hotel. Heaven! Try their tree-tinis! Then, we stayed at a Singh property in Key West for two nights, the Parrot Key Resort. Then we stayed at Conch Key Cottages in the Middle Keys, a lovely place, for four nights. The first night we stayed in the Coral Room. It was too small, depressing and cave-like, so we asked for an upgrade. For two nights, we stayed at the beachfront Fighting Conch cottage. An apt name, we were at loggerheads over inanities like rules and boundaries. The third night, we stayed in one of the stilt houses, I forget its name, Conch Horse perhaps.

This trip left me obsessed with snorkeling. I literally left home a snorkeling innocent, so much so that when we pulled into Bahia Honda State Park on our way to Key West, I had no idea it was a great place to do both shore and reef snorkeling. We snorkeled twice, on the Sombrero Reef off Marathon and a little shore snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Now I am ready for more. Fittingly, here are two sweeps, one to Bonaire and one to Hawaii, two places with excellent snorkeling.

Bonaire: To enter, click HERE. The sweeps closes July 31. This is for a trip that will take place August 15 - 22 next month. Details:

“Celebrate Our Planet Week,” will take place August 15-22, and Bonaire will be host to famed Oceanographer, Dr. Sylvia Earle, who was named Time magazine’s first “Hero for the planet” in 1998. During her stay, Dr. Earle will lead a series of themed dives and activities and will participate in several on-island events designed to highlight Bonaire’s continued leadership in Sustainable Tourism. Just fill out the form to enter your chance to win a vacation for two that includes a hotel stay at the famed Captain Don’s Habitat Bonaire including room, transfers, daily buffet breakfast, welcome drink, 6 days unlimited shore diving and complimentary airfare on Continental Airlines, our airline event sponsor this summer for “Celebrate Our Planet Week”, August 15-22, 2009.

Hawaii: To enter, click HERE. This sweeps, for a 10-day trip to Hawaii, runs through December 31, 2010 (!). The sweeps is void in Florida, New York and Rhode Island. UPDATE: This Hawaii "sweeps" is actually a promotional campaign, entering gives the sponsor the right to call you. Details HERE.

morocco camel trek

2009-06-13T22:49:00.005-04:00

Wow. I'm getting this one in just under the wire, it ends on Tuesday June 30. I think "He's camel trekking in Morocco" should be added to the great list of adventure-travel alibis. He's hiking the Appalachian Trail is just the beginning. He's climbing Mt. Kilaminjaro, he's crossing the Atlantic, etc. There are surely less obvious ones.

If there's one thing I hate, it's a liar. After that, the one thing I hate is a bad liar.

To enter, click HERE. Shoot, I'm using a hotel computer and I can't embed the URL! Please cut and paste this: http://www.exofficio.com/morocco/

five nights in st. john's

2009-06-11T12:08:00.005-04:00

I wonder if there’s a homeopathic remedy for wanderlust. I got it bad last evening whilst watching a documentary about Crete and the Minoans. Apparently the latest theory is that a tsunami wiped out the civilization. The Mediterranean is my favorite part of the world. I so wish I were getting there this summer. Alas, maybe next year. Speaking of homeopathic remedies, I’ve been popping arnica montana since Sunday, when I twisted my ankle and took a tumble. I have been counting my blessings ever since. I easily could have wound up on crutches. I’m still sore but on the mend.

This morning I entered a challenging sweeps for a five-night trip to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The sponsor is Indagare, a fabulous subscription-based travel website. I’ve long admired the way Melissa Biggs Bradley “does” travel. With Indagare, the former editor of Town & Country goes for depth, breadth, sophistication all while avoiding cliché and increasingly silly superlative-tilting lists (weirdest this, oddest that). To enter this sweeps, click HERE. Be prepared to answer 10 multiple choice questions about the U.S Virgin Islands. The winner will receive airfare and five nights at the Westin St. John Resort & Villas for two adults and two children.

seven nights in ischia

2009-06-09T17:32:00.003-04:00

Wow. Frette is sponsoring a sweeps to Ischia, for a week at the Mezzatorre Resort and Spa and business class tickets. You must click on the link and appreciate the gorgeousness of this place. Divine! My only quibble is I can’t find the Official Rules. If you do, please provide the link in the comments section. It does look like a one-time entry. And by entering you are signing up for emails from Frette. I can live with that. To enter, click HERE.

summertime and the living is easy!

2009-06-08T11:50:00.004-04:00

School is over and we are looking extremely forward to a full three months of summer vacation. Hip, hip. We've got some great plans lined up: Isaac and I are going to the Keys in a few weeks, he's doing some cool camps (soccer, basketball, theater), we're going to Connecticut, he's going to Scotland and North Carolina's Emerald Island with his dad.

Here's a sweeps that's a bit out of the ordinary at least for my purposes: The Grand Prize is an Airsteam Flying Cloud. Fun! Somehow I never did the cross-country road trip. It's never too late would be the working principle here. The sponsor is Mike's Hard Lemonade, I'm trying to get my mind around that concept. To enter, click HERE. It's a daily that seems to run through September 11. For a demo of the 2009 Airstream Flying Cloud, click HERE.

four nights in paris and a makeover

2009-06-05T11:02:00.005-04:00

Another daily, another Grand Prize with no identified hotel accommodation. Though the Official Rules of this one do state “deluxe hotel accommodations.” This sweeps is for a 5 day/4 night trip to Paris with a makeover is from L’Oreal in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The sweeps runs through September 8. To enter, click HERE. (I apologize if this post comes off as uninspired. I'm feeling a bit under the weather today.)

trip to antigua's curtain bluff

2009-05-27T21:48:00.005-04:00

What a day. I could use a cocktail. Instead I entered a sweeps with a theme of cocktail. Tales of the Cocktails Sweeps, a trip to Curtain Bluff in Antigua/Barbuda. Look at Curtain Bluff. The sponsor is Saveur Magazine. That makes me sad. This was my father’s favorite magazine. Things keep reminding me of my father. A friend visits the Erie Canal, and I remember my father loved locks. I go to a music store, and I remember my father loved Sibelius. I find a website, Old Jews Telling Jokes, and I remember how funny my father was, I remember people used to think my father was Jewish. But he was a WASP. I think I am writing like this because Isaac and I are going to the Florida Keys. Hemingway, you know.

To enter, click HERE. The deadline is July 17. One time only. Yeah.

the luck of the irish

2009-05-21T09:46:00.004-04:00

There were lots of sweeps to Ireland when I first started sweepstaking in early March 2006. Here’s one from National Geographic Society: six nights on the Emerald Isle, three nights at the Absolute Hotel in Limerick and another three night at the Regency Hotel,, in Dublin. The winner flies into Shannon and out of Dublin.
Limerick: I’d want to re-read Angela’s Ashes.
To enter, click HERE. This is a one-time entry (thank goodness) that closes June 30.

airfare to london

2009-05-19T08:28:00.004-04:00

This morning I entered a Visit Britain sweeps for roundtrip airfare to London. I’d hoped to get to London this summer but it’s not panning out, in part because airfare is not coming down in price. Drats to that. As for this sweeps, it’s a one-entry, it closes June 15.

After you’ve entered, a confirmation appears on the screen, with the following:

We'll contact winners by email, so keep checking your inbox - it could be you!

I don’t believe I’ve seen this courtesy before, a sweeps sponsor informing entrants how they’ll notify the winner. Charming touch, I’ll be checking my Spam inbox as well! To enter, click HERE.

cautionary tale: read the fine print!

2009-05-18T10:29:00.003-04:00

There's a news story floating around in cyberspace -- I saw it on the AOL Welcome Page yesterday so presumably it's legit -- about a fellow who entered a sweepstakes and got stuck being charged with magazine subscriptions because he had not read the fine print. In sweeps, the fine print is always always always the Official Rules. I would not enter a sweeps without reviewing them. They're presented in a predictable order, so once you've gotten familiar with the flow, you can skim them for salient details, including restrictions on dates of travel. I read them to protect myself but also because I do not enter sweepstakes I do not want to win. Another hardfast rule: I only enter No Purchase Required sweeps. I also almost never enter sweeps where you have to submit an essay or a photo or, goodness me, a design, but sometimes I make exceptions, like back in 2006 when I submitted a short essay to win a trip to that summer's World Cup in Germany. Also, be careful about which boxes you check in the entry form. I often subscribe to email notices but then unsubscribe, this doesn't affect your chances of winning. The U.S. sweeps world is pretty well regulated but there's always some nut job trying to scam sweepsters so be alert and you should be able to enter sweeps unscathed.

Here's a Cinco de Mayo-themed sweeps from Furmano's for a $3,000 travel voucher to Mexico, swine flu and drug cartel be damned! It's a one-time entry, it ends May 31. To enter, click HERE.

an exception: spa weekend in l.a.

2009-05-14T18:43:00.003-04:00

So, I'd never heard of this Dr. Murad and his treatments for hormonally aging skin until I saw a post for this sweepstakes for a trip to L.A. on FlyerTalk. It's for a weekend in LA, with your own personal skin evalulation by Dr. Murad himself. You're automotically entered in the sweeps if you purchase a $40 sampling. If you want to take advantage of the No Purchase Required stipulation, you can snail-mail an entry as follows:

Enter for free by mailing to: Murad Resurgence Sweepstakes AMOE, P.O. Box 1252, Elmhurst, IL 60126. The Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:01 am Pacific Standard Time ("PST") on 10/23/08 and ends on 11/01/09 at 11:59:59pm PST. Mail entries must be postmarked by 11/2/09 and received by 11/9/09. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules for details. Sponsored by Murad Inc., P.O. Box 1630, Manhattan Beach, CA 90267.

I couldn't find the Official Rules link, so I live chatted as follows:

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...
All agents are currently busy. Please stand by.
You have been connected to Caroline M.
Caroline M: Hello, Barbara, how may I help you?
Barbara Benham: What is the link to the official rules for the sweeps?
Caroline M: I'm sorry, but I don't understand. The sweeps?
Barbara Benham: https://www.resurgence.com/resurgence-sweepstakes.asp
Barbara Benham: Yes the sweepstakes.
Caroline M: Thank you so much. One moment please while I look that up for you.
Barbara Benham: It says see Official Rules but I don't find them anywhere.
Caroline M: My apologies, ma'am. "Official Rules" should be a link you can click on, however the address is: https://www.resurgence.com/sweepstakes-rules.asp
Caroline M: Is there anything else I can do to assist you today?
Barbara Benham: No, thanks so much!

I'm going to enter by snail-mail. This sweeps runs through November 11. It's a one-time entry (one purchase or one mail-in.) For the Official Rules, click HERE.

where for art thou, sweepstakes

2009-05-13T09:02:00.005-04:00

Maybe the recession is dampening sweeps offers after all. I'm not finding as many as I sometimes do. Though summer often means a lull in new sweeps. So it seems that everyone and their mother's been in a tizzy over Elizabeth Edward's new book and of course most people are not responding to the book, they're responding to the process around the book -- the decision to write and publish and then promote the book. I find this a bit maddening, but it's the reigning cultural dynamic, ours is a process culture, we talk around most events/objects/personalities instead of about the event/objects/personalities themselves. The detail that gets lost in the telling is that she had a book contract before John confessed, which for me is critical, I could see her saying, "Dang, that man might stray but he is not going to mess with my right to construct narrative." Or some such. Tina Brown wrote a scathing column about the book on The Daily Beast yesterday. I took offense at some insensitive phrasing in the piece, Elizabeth Edwards Fed Herself to the Vultures.

She’d written this:
Some first TV impressions are indelibly strong and Edwards’ media blitz now is unlikely, in any case, to wipe out the ghastly car crash of her Oprah exchange.

I posted this in the comments section:
Tina Brown,
Shame on you to be so insensitive to your subject.
You wrote "to wipe out the ghastly car crash of her Oprah exchange."
Elizabeth Edward's first born died in a car crash. Did you forget?
What's next? A cancer on a presidential candidacy?

Later, the sentence had been changed to this:
Some first TV impressions are indelibly strong and Edwards’ media blitz now is unlikely, in any case, to wipe out the ghastly spectacle of her Oprah exchange.

Conclusion: Tina Brown is easy to edit.

two nights in new york city

2009-05-11T16:58:00.002-04:00

First, let me say that I don't think Wanda Sykes went too far. Rush Limbaugh has said some of the meanest things about public figures, absolutely vicious, and she left her worst for the worst. He's a public figure who has more than once sounded like a racist. He said he hoped the Obama administration failed. Poppycock! That is treason!

I guess they won't invite Chris Rock next year.

A hectic Mother's Day weekend, capped with dinner at a local rooftop restaurant. I just found another daily sweeps, for two nights at an unidentified NYC hotel, a promotion for Martini and Rossi's new rose. So, presumably a nice one. Pop! To enter, click HERE. This runs through August 31.

four nights at red mountain spa (utah)

2009-05-08T11:31:00.000-04:00

I’m late to the party for this one; it’s a daily that started January 1. Drats. Just the other day I was wondering if I might stumble upon another Red Mountain Spa sweeps, they’re fond of this promotional approach. Lo and behold, I just did.

The sweeps runs through June 30, so there’s a chance to have a chance. To enter, click HERE. The sponsor is Healthy Valley Organic food.

three nights in paris

2009-05-07T16:02:00.004-04:00

What a day. This morning my beloved cleaning lady Milagros asked mid-sweep, or maybe it was mid-sigh -- she happens to have a rich repertoire of sighs, this one -- if I’d heard about the priest who was caught on the beach with a lovely lady. Of course I had. The story’s all over the place. Well, Milagros is a devout Catholic. When she can’t sleep, she reads Vanidades and la Biblia. By some strange six-degree-of-separation fate, several years ago she spoke by phone with this now infamous and telenovellaistic priest, and he asked her how old she was and if she could come to Miami. When this latest news broke, her whole family remembered their telephonic flirtation and told Milagros, “Look, it’s your friend.” Milagros and I found a picture of him online and agreed that he was a mango. (Slang for guapo.) Then she added, “Es hombre, como todos.” Please note: Milagros is a huge extravagance for me, one that helps keep me sane. UPDATE: Here's a bizarre CNN clip about the priest, Alberto Cutie, bizarre because the CNN news fellow sounds like he belong on Fox: CNN CLIP.

Otherwise, I’m busy with work (a magazine assignment) and soccer (rainouts, tryouts, sitouts).

Here’s another sweeps to Paris, for three nights at an unspecified four-star hotel and spa treatments at the Darphin Institute, which happens to be the sponsor. To enter, click HERE. The sweeps closes May 19. Depeche-toi si t’en as envie d’essayer celle-ci.

passe-moi le fromage, four nights in paris

2009-05-06T09:42:00.005-04:00

Ooh la la four nights in Paris. This sweeps does not specify the hotel, but does indicate the neighborhood, St. Germain des Prés. I would expect the Maison de France, the sponsor of this cheese-themed affair, to do the winner right with sumptuous accommodations. The prize includes a wine and cheese tasting and an artisanal cheese experience. This is a one-entry sweeps, not sure of the deadline, I can’t access the Official Rules since I’ve already entered. Allez-y, allez-y! To enter, click HERE.

five nights at parrot cay, turks and caicos

2009-05-04T12:11:00.005-04:00

I have a serious case of the cranks this morning. I will spare you a full recitation of the details. The short version is that The Boy’s soccer game was rained out yesterday, there was presidential motorcade traffic this morning, The Boy resumed campaigning with a vengeance for an iTouch, also this morning. By 9 A.M., I was exhausted despite a decent night's sleep. Here’s a soothing sweeps: Five nights at Parrot Cay, the sine qua non private-island resort in the Turks and Caicos. Tablet Hotels is the sponsor, they give away a five-night stay every month. To enter, sign up for Tablet Hotels’ email. It’s worth it, especially with the site’s new Last Minute feature.

three-night getaway at the may fair

2009-05-01T11:26:00.003-04:00

Ah, Wikipedia. Even hotels get entries these days. Here’s a short one, for the loverly May Fair in London. I’ve been entering a sweeps for a three-day stay there, the prize includes round-trip business-class tickets from British Airways Club World. You depart from L.A. or New York for this one, a small inconvenience if you don’t live in either area, wouldn’t you say, love? This is a daily entry that runs through May 31. To enter, click HERE.

tennis and paris, anyone? the lowdown

2009-04-30T08:14:00.016-04:00

One reason I love sweepstaking as much as I do is I get to learn about all sorts of hotels that I'd never hear about if it weren't for my online affliction. This sweeps, a trip to Paris for the 2010 French Open, includes a five-night stay in the Castille, a charming looking place in the 1st arrondissement. Though I wish there were more photos of the hotel on the hotel website. The ones they do show are closeups of sumptuously upholstered furniture. If that weren't ooh la la enough, the sponsors, the Tennis Channel and Longines, are throwing in a sensational looking watch, a Limited Edition Grande Vitesse.

To enter, click HERE. This is a daily that ends June 7. If I sound gushier than usual, it's because I've been hankering to get to Paris.

tennis and paris, anyone?

2009-04-29T22:08:00.003-04:00

Coming anon. This is a good one! Tease: This is where the winner gets to stay.

come fly-by with me!

2009-04-28T16:18:00.012-04:00

Here's an Air Force One photo op, the presidential jet flying over Mt. Rushmore. It's just preposterous that they spend taxpayer money doing these things. Yesterday's fly-around the Statue of Liberty was insensitive beyond belief.

I've got a case of the cranks about where to go, what to do, this summer. We've been thinking London, but only if the airfare comes down. In the meantime, I'm looking at domestic possibilities.

Here's a sweeps for a trip to either Dublin or Berlin. Four nights stays, at either the Ashford Castle in County Mayo, or at the Schlosshotel im Grunewald, in Berlin.

Tough call, that. The winner flies out of LA or New York.

To enter, click HERE. One time entry through July 1.

that's what friends, or fans, are for: free stays in greater phoenix

2009-04-23T15:40:00.009-04:00

I'm coming out of hibernation for this one. It was bound to happen, sweeps meet social networking. The Greater Phoenix Visitors and Convention Bureau is giving its Facebook fans the chance to win a series of stays at some of the areas finest properties. This is directly from the email press release that just landed in my box.

Starting April 29, fans of the CVB's "Visit Phoenix" Facebook page can win multiple-night stays, dinners for two, spa treatments and rounds of golf at some of Greater Phoenix's most renowned resorts.

First up: A two-night stay at Royal Palms Resort and Spa and candlelit dinner for two at the resort's signature restaurant, T. Cook's. To win, Facebook users simply must be the first to post the correct answer to a trivia question about the resort on the Visit Phoenix wall.

In subsequent weeks, Facebook fans of Visit Phoenix can expect to find similar packages from the Ritz Carlton, Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, Montelucia Resort and Spa, The Fairmont Scottsdale, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, The Westin Kierland, The Phoenician, the Arizona Grand and more.

Fun! I'll be there. On Facebook, and at one of these resorts if I get lucky. For the Greater Phoenix CVB, click HERE.

find the four leaf clover

2009-04-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

withdrawal

2009-03-26T15:53:00.002-04:00

I'm back. There's a nifty and highly audience participatory sweeps starting next week, for a chance for a trip to the Galapagos with Jeopardy's Alex Trebek! For details, click HERE.

salvation consumption

2009-03-19T19:09:00.004-04:00

My new shopping strategy is to shop at stores I really, really, really want to stay in business. I call it "salvation consumption."

One of Isaac's vocabulary words this week is "hiatus." It's on the blackboard with "spate" (as in "there's been a spate of armed robberies in our neighborhood this week") and alienate; I can't remember how alienate found its way into our conversation. But it did.

As for hiatus, I've been on one, from blogging at least, as the disruption in posts not doubt telegraphed. And I'm going to continue my hiatus. I plan to return. I don't want to predict when.

and the beat goes on

2009-03-04T08:14:00.005-05:00

I just added a trip to Italy to the Sweepslusting section to the right.

snow day

2009-03-02T17:36:00.001-05:00

golly gosh darn dang computer

2009-02-26T10:11:00.007-05:00

Here's a sweeps for two nights at the Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale. NO, it is not one of the two Scottsdale hotels that are in or going into foreclosure. (They would be the W and the InterContinental.) I curse the computer because I scanned a photo with the idea of writing about its subject but I can't find it. It's mystifying that some uploaded or scanned images go to a folder named MY PICTURES and others play cache-cache (that's French for hide-and-seek). NOTE: There is no airfare with this one. And it ends Saturday, February 28. So tarry not, my friends. To enter, click HERE. I highly recommend clicking on the Valley Ho link. It's great the best hotel website "score" I've ever heard!

i say tomAHto, you say tomAYto

2009-02-24T08:59:00.005-05:00

Actually I say tomAYto. These cans of tomAYtoes sit on my newly-installed elfa shelves, which have absolutely positively transformed my kitchen. For the first time in years, cooking is a pleasure because there is a place for everything and later today everything will be in its place. In the kitchen at least.

I entered a sweeps for a trip to London today at Visit London's website. This is where Isaac wants to go most this summer.

for the roses

2009-02-20T23:05:00.003-05:00

One week after Valentine's Day, and the roses at the Safeway are spectacular. As for sweeps: The Natural Habitat Great Five Trips ends one week from tomorrow. It's never too late to start entering a sweeps, even if it's a daily that's been going on for months. To enter, see the link in the margin to the right under "Sweepslusting." Go for it!

loving virginia is for lovers

2009-02-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

Virginia's grown on me, even though I start wanting to shirk my Yankee-ness about 50 miles in. The slogan "Virginia Is For Lovers" turns 40 this year. To celebrate, there's a sweeps for a trip to either Virginia Beach, Hot Spring, Richmond or Abingdon. Not sure which one I'd chose. To enter, click HERE.

look what happens when you win a trip

2009-02-08T15:23:00.007-05:00

And you invite T. Payne to come along. This video, "I'm on a Boat," from last night's Saturday Night Live, was a trip. And what a production!

I watched the documentary Grey Gardens on Friday and am still recovering from the experience. First and foremost, I wish I'd been forewarned about Edie the Younger. She was truly mentally ill, her borderline reality was more than mere eccentricity. Her mother seemed much more lucid, highly intelligent in fact. Edie the daughter was intelligent and creative as well, but she seemed to exist in another dimension, due perhaps to some sort of a chemical imbalance or short-wired circuitry. She does hit the nail on the head with observations like this one:

But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken, no matter what.

Staunch is a great word, one we all too often see attached to a not-great word, the word "Republican." I'd certainly like to think I was a staunch woman.

staunch
adj. staunch•er also stanch•er, staunch•est also stanch•est
1. Firm and steadfast; true. See Synonyms at faithful.
2. Having a strong or substantial construction or constitution.

This afternoon I entered a sweeps for a trip to Taos. It's clever in that it lets the winner select one of three hotels, and asks entrants which one they would choose if they won, which of cause prompted me to look up all three of them. I am torn between the Historic Taos Inn and the Sagebrush Inn. The El Monte Sagrado looks lovely, too. I'm sure I had drinks and possibly dinner at the Taos Inn when I was there in the mid-1990s and it was swell. To enter, click HERE. One entry per person through July 31.

five nights at the royalton

2009-02-06T18:55:00.002-05:00

Check out this post on HOTEL FETISHIST for a chance to win five nights at the Royalton in NYC.

my occasional mascot, accordion girl

2009-02-02T11:15:00.015-05:00

I live for coincidences. Here's a recent one: The word 'accordion' emerged last week as an apt metaphor for weaving the micro and the macro in a narrative. On eBay over the weekend, I found an Italian ceramic lamp for sale. Here she is, Accordion Girl:

No, I did not purchase Accordion Girl. She's not my style. Plus, at something like $200, she wasn't in my budget. That doesn't mean she won't be my occasional mascot and muse.

Anyway, here's a sweeps, for a trip to Venice.

micro, macro

2009-01-28T15:50:00.003-05:00

I never published my Inauguration post because I was conflicted about how much to disclose about a personal situation that unfolded over that weekend. I've decided for now to leave that part out, and simply reiterate that being in D.C. that weekend and down on the Mall for the swearing in were among the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

The picture posted below was taken in my best friend's mother's living room. Pretty as a painting.

I've been entering sweeps but I'm too lazy to write about them. I've been posting on my blog at HotelFetishist.com. I'm also entering the daily sweeps linked to the right.

2009-01-25T00:51:00.000-05:00

$1 a night hotels at lastminutetravel.com

2009-01-23T13:23:00.002-05:00

LastMinuteTravel.com is sponsoring a nifty if intricate promotion starting Monday. Click to this post on my HotelFetishist.com blog for details.

drained by the enormity

2009-01-23T12:08:00.023-05:00

I've composed a post about the Inauguration, but want to let it simmer. I will publish it over the weekend. In the meantime, here's a sweeps: A trip to Paris on Chambord. To enter, click HERE. P.S. The last time I entered a Chambord sweeps, I went out and bought some Chambord. Maybe this time, too.

Here too are some pictures, in chronological order:

The Lobby at the Willard Hotel. Taken Friday January 16, 2009.

A display case at the Willard Hotel. Taken Friday January 16, 2009.

Focusing on the President-Elect at 14th and U Streets. Taken on Monday January 19, 2009.

Alice Walker reading at Busboys at Poets. Janaury 19, 2009.

The Mall. Arriving at the Washington Monument at about 8 AM.

The swearing in.

The view looking west after the exodus had started. A veritable sea of humanity.

Back in the neighborhood: The window display at Idle Time Books on 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Taken about 6 P.M. on January 20, 2009.

the mall, january 20, 2009

2009-01-21T09:59:00.004-05:00