Posts Tagged ‘palm springs spa resorts’

Indian Wells Hotels Earn 2010 AAA Four Diamond Awards

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Visit http://au.sys-con.com/node/1141364 for complete article and list of hotels.

Indian Wells, California Resorts to make list:  Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas, and Spa, Miramonte Resort & Spa and Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa

LOS ANGELES, CA — (Marketwire) — 10/13/09 — Sixty-six Southern California hotels and 32 restaurants have earned the 2010 AAA Four Diamond Award, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today. Six locations appear for the first time on the 2010 list, including the SLS Hotel and the Montage in Beverly Hills; two in Rancho Mirage; one in Pismo Beach and one in San Diego County.

The coveted rating plaque featuring a design of four raised simulated diamonds and the AAA Four Diamond Award logo are presented to hotel and restaurant general managers and executive chefs to recognize the award-winning properties, which rank among the top 3.4 percent of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels, and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation’s largest AAA affiliate.

“North America’s AAA Diamond Rating System is a long-time trusted method of rating lodgings and dining establishments, especially during what has been a difficult economic year for the hospitality industry and also for travelers,” said the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. “Southern California’s hotels and restaurants that earn the AAA Four Diamond award maintain a very high standard of service in their hotels and restaurants in order to continue pleasing their guests.”

AAA’s Diamond rating program is the only hotel and restaurant review system in the nation that uses specially trained full-time field representatives. As part of AAA’s national network, the Auto Club’s own staff reviews establishments in Southern California without prior notification using objective and detailed rating procedures.

Lodging inspections include at least one unannounced inspection each year. Inspectors review and rate exterior, grounds and public areas, room décor, ambiance and amenities, guest room, bathrooms, housekeeping and maintenance, management and staff and guest services. Once the inspection process is complete, properties that meet all requirements receive a rating of one to five Diamonds.

AAA approves and rates more than 31,000 lodgings and 27,000 restaurants each year throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. A wide range of property listings are included in regional TourBook® guides, with a yearly distribution of nearly 20 million, and on AAA.com, where many travel planning and information services — including the well-known TripTik® Travel Planner, TourBook® listings and Diamond Ratings — are now available to non-members as well. The AAA Four Diamond rating is exclusive in that less than 4% of all AAA approved properties achieve this rating.

The 2010 AAA Five Diamond Award lodging and restaurant recipients will be announced in November.

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‘Ramble California’ offers offbeat travel ideas

Friday, July 31st, 2009
The Times-Standard

Posted: 07/26/2009 01:37:09 AM PDT
GOLDEN, Colo. — Eric Peterson says California “just might be the greatest state for road trips.” And he’s written a new book to prove his point: “Ramble California: A Wanderer’s Guide to the Offbeat, Overlooked, and Outrageous.”

The book includes sections on Los Angeles and Southern California, on San Francisco, on Central California’s coastal areas and valley, on the High Sierra, on places in the California desert like Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley and Palm Springs and, yes, the North Coast also has several mentions in the book.

Peterson writes about the Captain Courageous roadside memorial in Klamath, the Curly Redwood Lodge in Crescent City, the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum and other locales. He also spends several paragraphs on the infamous “Emerald Triangle,” focusing on Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties.

Listings highlight others quirky attractions, too, like the Bunny Museum in Pasadena, San Diego’s haunted Whaley House, and Barney’s Beanery in Hollywood, where chili has been the house special for decades. Some chapters are more travelogue than guidebook, like “A Beer Drinker in Wine Country,” and “Sand and Surf and a Fence into the Ocean,” about a six-day, 300-mile trip that included 50 miles by bike and time on a surfboard.

The $19 paperback, published by Colorado-based Speck Press, is part of a series of “Ramble” books by Peterson, which also includes guides to Colorado and to the U.S.

Separately, the California Travel and Tourism Commission has just released its free annual road trips guide. Copies of California Road Trips 2009 can be ordered from (877) 867-3748 or downloaded for free from http://www.visitcalifornia.com/visitorsguide. The booklet highlights places like Calico Ghost Town, Old Mission Santa Barbara, and the Sundial Bridge in Redding. The Web site also has a deals section at http://www.visitcalifornia.com/summerdeals mentioning hotel offers, gift cards and gas card credits, and options like the Southern California City-Pass, which bundles theme park tickets at a discount.

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Stress and the skin

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
stress-and-the-skin

Stress-reducing, Anti-aging Skin Treatment program

Richard M. Foxx, MD
Founder and Medical Director
The Medical and Skin Spa at Hyatt Grand Champions

According to the latest figures, stress is responsible for up to 70 percent of visits to a doctor’s office. And when it comes to cosmetic dermatology, that figure is even higher.

It is well-known that chronic unresolved stress raises cortisol levels and weakens the immune system which contributes to heart disease and high blood pressure. What is less well-known is that this hormone also makes collagen less effective. The result is increased wrinkles.

At least 50 percent of the patients who come into The Medical and Skin Spa present with stress-related skin problems including acne breakouts, increased oiliness, dry skin, and increased wrinkles. Our approach combines proven medical tools to improve the skin along with measures that address mind and spirit. Think spirit-enhancing rather than superficial pampering, and ongoing life-coaching rather than a one-time appointment.

Our Stress-reducing, Anti-aging Skin Treatment program combines the ambience of our healing location in Agua Serena Spa with aromatherapy, hot stones, and dermal planing-the most effective and safest exfoliating skin treatment available today. At the conclusion of the 90 minute appointment Doc Foxx counsels patients in supplements and stress management techniques including pranayama breathing that lowers the blood pressure and slows the pulse.

Research has shown that patients who take the time to care for their skin are more apt to work out, eat right, and take supplements. They have even been shown to live longer.

While we cannot promise that regular skin treatments will prolong life, we are certain the environment in which we practice and the programs we offer are conducive to peace of mind and reduction of stress.

The charge for our Stress-reducing, Anti-aging Skin Treatment program is $150 but we are offering it to our loyal Indian Wells supporters at $120.

The Medical Skin Spa is a state-of-the-art medical skin clinic located at Hyatt Grand Champions in Indian Wells. Their phone number is 760-674-4106. You may visit their website at www.medicalandskinspa.com. They are open Tuesday through Saturday.

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