Travel Posh

The Charles Hotel situated on the Harvard Square is the member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and has won AAA Four-Diamond award-winner. It offers a lot to tourists with its thriving jazz club, the Regattabar, two restaurants, and a private ice-skating rink too.

Now, in tune with upcoming festivities, from the Thanksgiving weekend onwards, the hotel is offering a wide variety of deals which will go on till New Year's Eve. You can take your pick from a number of great offers:

• Trimmings & Thanks Package - November 20 to 29, 2009
The Trimmings & Thanks package includes overnight stay in a deluxe guestroom, a personal signed copy of Chef Peter Davis' cookbook, choice of festive pie made at Henrietta's Table and packaged to-go and breakfast for two at Henrietta's Table.The cost of Trimmings & Thanks Package begins at $279 a night.

• Holiday Tree Lighting – On November 28, 2008, after dark
Join the community of Cambridge in lighting the official Harvard Square Christmas tree. The guest will be served sweets and hot chocolate and festive Music will fill the atmosphere with festivities.

• Ice Skating in the Square – On December 6, 2009 from 12 pm to 8 p.m.
Enjoy skating with Santa on December 6. The guests will get complimentary skating and rentals, holiday treats, and loads holiday music.

• Shop 'Til You Drop Package – From November 22, 2009 to January 3, 2010
The Charles Hotel is offering the guests an exclusive card to shop at the Harvard Square. The card will be given at check-in and can be used to get great discounts. The package includes overnight stay in a deluxe guestroom, two cocktails in the Noir bar, free skating and rentals for two people at The Rink and breakfast for two at Henrietta's Table.

The price of Shop 'Til You Drop Package begins at $259 per night, based for two people.

• Shop-Over Package - December 18 to 20, 2009
With the Shop Over Package, The Charles Hotel and Harvard Square will help the guests in completing their holiday shopping in style. The stores in Harvard Square will stay open of shopping until midnight. This package comes at a special price of $159 per night and includes overnight stay for two, two cocktails in Noir, skating and rentals at the Rink and breakfast for Henrietta's Table for two and a special Shopping Discount Card for shopping in Harvard Square Stores.

• Toast the New Year Package - December 31, 2009
The Toast the New Year Package includes overnight stay, a bottle of sparkling wine, breakfast in bed or breakfast for two in Henrietta's Table and complimentary day of fitness for two at the Wellbridge Athletic Club.

The price of Toast the New Year Package begins at $199* per night on per room double occupancy basis.

• Regattabar New Year's Eve - December 31, 2009
The Regattabar will start the New Year with music bash with great performers. The basic package costs $99* and includes party favors, champagne toast and the evening performances. Besides, there’s a $129* Dessert Package that also includes a complimentary dessert buffet. The $209* includes all this plus a full dinner at Henrietta's Table. For more information on the party, you can visit www.regattabarjazz.com.

• Rialto New Year's Eve - December 31, 2009
The informal dinner party style New Year’s Eve bash includes dinner by Chef Jody Adam. A four- Course dinner will start at 6 p.m. and will be priced at $85*. A six course meal will start at 9 p.m. and will be priced at $110*. Visit www.rialto-restaurant.com for more information.

• Gilded New Year's - December 31, 2009
This package includes overnight stay, bottle of Dom Perignon in the room, 6 p.m. seating dinner at Rialto, tickets to the Regattabar's New Year's Eve Bash, a champagne toast at midnight, breakfast at Henrietta's Table and access to an overnight garage parking.

The package is priced at $900 for two people and rooms will be booked on double occupancy basis.

To make your reservations for packages, log on to the hotel's website or call (800) 882-1818.

Considered by many as the lesser known cousin of Tokyo, Seoul has been making big strides towards establishing itself on the global travellers list. An ancient city which boasts of an exotic blend of history and the modern world, Seoul has a lot to offer to the curious traveller. Seoul is already an international travel hub and is also known for its culture, art & design, food, shopping and friendly people. The ‘City by City’ tour begins with a stay at the 16th century Bongeunsa Temple (www.bongeun.org) which was once the leading temple of the city but is now open to visitors to stay. Here you can experience the life of a Buddhist monk thanks to the tranquil environment which lends itself brilliantly to prayer and meditation for revitalizing your ‘chi’. The stay here will help you experience inner peace and calm.

For the more luxury oriented, there is the ultra modern Hotel W (www.wseoul.com), currently the hippest hotel in town. A contemporary luxury hotel The W features avant garde interiors mostly done up in white with occasional splashes of wood, metal and colour. The interiors are furnished with futuristic Swedish style furniture and numerous designer decorative pieces like the wooden mirror which has cubes which depress and tilt to reflect. The hotel has a choice of designer restaurants and Wooba which is a 24 metre bar, the longest in the city and is a must visit.

If you like motion art and cinematography, then head to the Nam June Paik Art Centre in the suburbs. This new art centre features work of the revolutionary South Korean video artist and also features other artists.

The foodie in you will love the Naos Nova (www.naosnova.com), a unique restaurant designed by former clothing designer Kyle Lee. The restaurant is made essentially of cement and glass with stark diagonal lines, deep black and red furniture upholstery. The designer call it a Disneyland for dining. The Naos Nova runs across three floors, which are based on three themes, Heaven, Earth and Hell.

If you aren’t tired by the end of your day in Seoul, try out the The Circle Club (www.thecircle.co.kr), the most happening bar in town. The city has a fast changing night club scene and as of now, the Circular Bar is one of the hottest places thanks to its uber cool interiors, good music, well stocked circular bar and young crowd.

If the smell of sumptuous Caribbean delights and the best of handpicked wines drives you crazy then the St Lucia food and rum festival is for you. With some of the best chefs, wine and rum connoisseurs, mixologists, food critics and music fans, this food festival is surely going to be a gourmet’s delight.

Some absolutely mouth watering delicacies from a few of the most celebrated across the world and 40 of the finest rums hand picked from the region are some of the few highs of this extravaganza. Rodney Bay Village stands to be the proud host of this absolutely exclusive and one of its kind food fiestas.

The festival will be held from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th January 2009. If you are looking for some out of the box fun then make sure that you hit the festival on the first two days. The initial two days of the fest offer you a luxury trip on a rum sponsored boat along the coast of St Lucia. Tantalize your taste buds with a lunch at the Ti Kaye and Ladera resorts or simply catch up with the splendid views of the magnificent twin peaks of the Pitons.

Located near the Reduit Beach, the social hub of the island you would be spoilt for choice with an abundant range of shops, galleries and restaurants on offer. And if you are looking for some adventure, you have that too. Try zip-wiring through the lush rainforest, horse-riding on the beach, a round of golf, or deep sea diving. This food festival is surely going to be one of its kinds. So you know where to head next January.

For more information on the Rum & Food Festival, visit www.foodandrumfestival.com.