Sherman's Travel

In a city with dozens of exemplary museums, we’re always discovering new gems. Exhibit A: The Museum of Arts and Design, a showcase of art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present.

Today’s local deal earns you entry for two to the Columbus Circle museum – a $30 value – as well as 10 percent off purchases of unique craft and design items at The Store.

Enjoy MAD’s thoughtfully curated collections, in its charmingly intimate and light-filled galleries, independently or on a guided tour conducted by one of its knowledgeable docents. The museum features ever-changing thematic exhibitions of contemporary art and design, along with a dedicated jewelry gallery, with both temporary and permanent exhibitions of jewels on view, and Open Studios where artists work in residence. After your visit, stay for a meal at upscale Robert, which features modern American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist and overlooks Central Park. Read more

Having a hard time scoring tickets to the hottest runway shows this season? The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, on the Upper East Side is there to help you get behind the curtain to see the designers, models, and celebrities this season. From February 15 – 18, the “Inside Haute” experience teams up with Kathleen Beckett, former fashion magazine guru who has worked at Vogue, Glamour, and Elle, to name a few, to take guests on a whirlwind tour of NYFW, dining with designers and attending much-anticipated shows.

For $6,000 per person, fashion mavens can sip on cocktails with Zac Posen at his studio, lunch with Donna Karen, take tea with Nadja Swarovski, enjoy some bubbly with Sophie Theallet at her atelier, go backstage after two top-secret shows to meet the designers, get a private look at the fashion archives at the Met (after the Alexander McQueen exhibit, we know the archives will be full of exquisite pieces), and enjoy lots of champagne, fashion, and glamour.

To book this package, contact Jamie Beck at The Carlyle Hotel, at 212-570-7127. Rooms are not included in the package; rates start at $795 per night.

Be sure to check out our New York City guide, and then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to plan your trip.

Officially opening on February 1, Palihotel Melrose will offer designer digs, a killer location (especially for shopaholics) on Melrose Avenue, and insanely affordable rates. 32 rooms, though petite at 250 square feet, come with major Boho personality: brown and blue walls, distressed wood furnishings, and balconies (in some). The cafe-style Palikitchen will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Intro rates start from $150/night. www.pali-hotel.com

Following the recently opened Saguaro Scottsdale, The Saguaro Palm Springs, the second Saguaro from Joie de Vivre, debuts this February. Like its predecessor, the hotel will feature a vibrant color palette, envisioned by architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat, a playful vibe, and a Jose Garces restaurant. 249 rooms have patios or step-out balconies and simple modern furnishings that offset the colorful striped bedspreads, purple carpeted floors, and orange-and-pink accents. Pre-opening rates start from $99.50. www.jdvhotels.com

The Saguaro, the first Joie de Vivre property outside of California, opened in downtown Scottsdale in November. Departing from the commonplace adobe white-washed architecture in the area, Stamberg Aferiat architects played off the colors of local wildflowers to create a vibrant, eye-popping palette. The resort’s 194 rooms come with balconies or patios and views of either the Old Town or Civic Center Mall, pool area or garden; custom contemporary furnishings from Mexico; and accents in colorful hues right out of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting. Two heated pools are surrounded by yellow loungers and umbrellas. Iron Chef Jose Garces developed the menus at both of the hotel’s restaurants: Old Town Whiskey, a saloon-style bar (try the burger with bourbon-glazed cipollini, rogue blue cheese, applewood bacon, and foie gras); and Distrito, a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar with a tapas-style menu of Mexican favorites. For its first 100 days open, the resort is offering promo rates of $100/night (available for 100 rooms per week); use promo code PROPEN. Offer is valid until March 1. Regular nightly rates start from $194. www.jdvhotels.com

For general trip-planning info, see our Phoenix Travel Guide.

Fashion designer-turned-hotelier Georgio Armani opened his second luxury hotel in the heart of Milan, Italy, yesterday. This is the second hotel for the iconic designer: The first was in Dubai, with projects in the works in Marassi and Marrakech. Armani Hotels & Resorts has teamed with Emaar Properties PJSC to create luxurious hotels in keeping with the designer’s aesthetic.

The Armani Hotel Milano is in a palazzo designed by Enrico Griffini in the 1930s, with incredible views of the city. The public areas have panoramic views of the Duomo and city skyline, and the restaurant features traditional Italian cuisine. With 95 rooms and suites – from 485 square feet to 2150 square feet – these rooms are larger than the average Italian hotel room. Rates start at 500 euro a night (that’s nearly $700) and the rooms are equipped with minibars, high-tech gadgets, one-way glass shower doors, and Asian limestone surfaces. The Business Center has a conference room and board rooms, as well as a private kitchen to cater upon request. The hotel is also equipped with a Lifestyle Department, created to fulfill guests’ every wish, discreetly, of course; a spa with six rooms and Couples Suite; and a gym and pool.

In keeping with the fashion theme, the Armani Hotel’s brochure is decked out with stunning, chiseled models wearing fabulous dresses and suits, turning the hotel into a mere backdrop for an Armani photo shoot.

For general-trip planning information, see our Milan Travel Guide.

Since its opening on July 9, downtown Brooklyn’s trendy new Aloft, the 49th hotel to open in Starwood’s “style-at-a-steal” line of worldwide destinations, has had between 90 and 95 percent occupancy. Designed with the tech- and fashion-savvy demographic in mind, its 176 rooms and four suites have an openness that defies New York City’s notoriously cramped spaces. With retro, pastel-colored alarm clocks in each room, organic accents of Amazonian fauna, and pod-shaped swivel chairs in the re:mix lobby, guests can’t help but feel groovy, making the Aloft not only a place to spend the night, but a hip hangout that’s difficult to tear yourself away from. The 24-hour re:fuel café offers light meals, snacks, and complimentary coffee that guests can grab on their way out, while the signature w xyz bar’s back wall can be pulled out and flipped at sundown into a glass wall that reflects the galactic neon lights and creates a nightclub atmosphere. Located in a residential area of Brooklyn, this Aloft is an irresistible hideaway to return to after a day of business or leisure in tourist-packed Manhattan. Rates start at $150/night; www.alofthotels.com/brooklyn

For general trip-planning information, see our Brooklyn Travel Guide.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I visited New York City, taking the subway quickly lost its luster after the upteenth time of nabbing the wrong train and getting lost in the system during a Service Disruption Jamboree, also known as every weekend. Sense of adventure be damned! But now that I live here, I can’t really justify cabbing it all over town, especially when the city’s newest gay hot spots – the steampunk-inspired Industry (355 W 52nd St., Industry-Bar.com) and Bedlam (40 Ave. C, BedlamNYC.com), a bi-curious take on a Victorian apothecary from one of Eastern Bloc’s randy geniuses – are a Hell’s Kitchen to far East Village trek (we’re talking Avenue C here).

But no more. To help pick the Taxi of Tomorrow and tailor-fit it to riders needs, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission in conjunction with the Design Trust for Public Space is offering a painless two-minute survey. Grand prize: $5,000 worth of free taxi rides for a year!

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Chef and restaurateur Alain Ducasse brings a “back to basics” concept to his lauded Parisian restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, located in the equally luxurious five-star Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Working with Head Chef Christophe Saintagne, Ducasse has inspired a less-is-more attitude in his Michelin three-star restaurant. His goal is the simple yet artful preparation of the finest ingredients, bringing out the quintessential flavors of nature without filling the palette with the taste equivalent of white noise. To accomplish this feat, the chefs aim to prepare dishes with no more than three of the freshest ingredients. According to Ducasse, “Going ‘back to basics’ means refusing to demonstrate virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake in the kitchen.”

Monsieur Ducasse is known for trend-setting and innovation, and with 27 restaurants in 8 countries under his belt, he knows a thing or two about food. His specialty is contemporary French haute cuisine (the haute part refers not only to the quality of his craftsmanship but also the expensive prices of his masterpieces). “Back to basics” is built on four core concepts: taste, rare table settings, meticulous service, and haute couture décor.
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Chicago is known as much for its innovative architecture and art installations (Willis Tower, The Bean, Cows on Parade) as its calorie-bomb food (deep dish pizza, fatty hot dog toppings, greasy jibaritos), which might be why the city’s newest Kimpton property, the Hotel Palomar Chicago, fits in so well – it doesn’t skimp on art or eats.

Located in the River North neighborhood – just west of Lake Michigan and surrounded by art galleries – the 261-room hotel reflects the nabe’s artsy vibe with sleek furniture, bold carpeting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and guestrooms styled by interior designer Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.

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Between the hot bodies and hedonistic partying, South Beach has plenty of sex appeal, and after five years, The Setai is still one of Miami’s sexiest hotels. Part of a second wave of boutique hotels to sweep Miami Beach, these designers eschewed the Art Deco look for a more subtle and exotic ambience. Inject some heat into your fall — or even summer if you are so inclined — with a deal that offers guests a free 4th night through November 30. Exclusively for ShermansTravel readers, the deal, with rates starting at $550, also includes a daily Setai Grand Breakfast. The hotel pulls out all the stops for this breakfast, offering made-to-order omelets, freshly baked breads and pastries, fresh fruit and smoothies, Asian dim sum and more goodies.

THE VALUE: With the fourth night free, the deal even beats out the Setai’s anniversary offer which promotes rates starting at $475. Plus, the Setai Grand Breakfast has a value of $47 (with taxes and gratuity).

THE CATCH: Be careful of heatstroke if you go to Miami in August. Been there, done that.

THE DETAILS: Call 305.520.6110 or email setaireservations@ghamericas.com and mention the Stay Three Night and Receive a Fourth Free Exclusive ShermansTravel deal.

WE’VE GOT MORE: Find more Florida Hotel Deals. 

Check out our Miami Travel Guide. 

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