The Bluffs, Bay Head, New Jersey - The Story of a Hotel at the Jersey Shore Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a beautiful book. As a member of a family that summered at Bay Head in the late '50's and early 60's, it brought back a host of memories. The summer culture at "the shore" was truly represented.
I enjoyed all the small copies of the Bluffs Hotel trivia. It was fun to read. I only wish I had been older when we summered there, so I could have seen the Bluffs in it's hayday.

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Standing on a high dune overlooking the sandy beach and Atlantic Ocean, The Bluffs of Bay Head, New Jersey was one of the last great, old Jersey Shore resort hotels. For more than a century, this Victorian landmark was the summer destination for the affluent from Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey as well as the year-round meeting place for the "locals." Francine LaVance Robertshaw began summering in Bay Head as a child in the mid-1950s, eventually moving there in 1967. She worked at The Bluffs from 1979 through 1986, first as a desk clerk and then as assistant to Kathleen Johnson Spies, manager and daughter of owners Alfred E. (Sonny) and Martha Johnson. This is Francine Robertshaw's inside story of The Bluffs. Through her research, interviews, experiences, photographs, and documents, you will meet the owners as well as many of the employees, hotel guests, and bar patrons who made The Bluffs unique and charming over the decades. You'll meet the "regulars" and the "eccentrics" and be taken inside The Bluff's social scene as well as behind the scenes of the hotel and bar, including details of how it functioned as a business. Rarely has there been a book that has documented in such detail the story of a hotel. This beautifully-crafted volume contains more than three hundred historic photographs, documents, and facsimile reproductions as well as more than a dozen paintings by artists Dick LaBonte, Ludlow Thorston, Robert Loder Jr., Al Barker, M. E. Whitehill, Rodell C. Johnson, Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh, and E. J. Meeker. The book is divided into three chapters: The Hotel, The Bar, and The Memories (written by dozens of Bluffshotel guests, bar patrons, and employees), plus an Appendix of documents that includes twenty pull-out facsimile reproductions featuring a 1936 map of the area, a circa 1910 Bluffs booklet brochure, historic restaurant and bar menus, hotel rate schedules, vintage postcards, and more. The Bluffs is gone forever but held in the hearts of many who had the privilege to cross its threshold. This unique book will transport the reader back into its world, preserving The Bluff--and a now lost way of life at the Jersey Shore--in memory and for generations to come. Our heirloom editions are beautifully printed and bound, with many features not found in most books... Oversized (9 1/4" x 12 1/4") to enhance the reading and viewing experience. Features 20 pull-out facsimile reproductions of historic documents. Luxurious embossed kidskin Kivar 7 case. Precious gold type and accents are stamped on the cover and spine, adding distinctive, classic beauty. Superbly printed on archival quality, acid-neutral paper that will not yellow with time. Sturdy hand-sewn binding (Smyth-sewn), inspected at every stage, ensuring strength and durability throughout the years. Bound in satin ribbon bookmark

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Bed in a Tree: and other amazing hotels from around the world Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this as a gift, and it came in on time. The book is supper interseting, and has coupons for staying at one of the mentioned hotels!

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A handpicked selection of 27 extraordinary hotels from around the world. Every hotel offers an unforgettable and original place to stay. Hotels spotlighted include the Ice Hotel in Sweden, an actual bed in a tree, a room underwater, a wine barrel and even a night in a suitcase! Each hotel entry suggests three interesting, and often unusual, things to do nearby. The book also features vouchers offering a 10% discount at selected hotels.

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Overnight Sensations Asia Pacific: Hotels for the Discerning Traveler Review

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(More customer reviews)//Overnight Sensations// is a coffee table book for frequent and armchair travelers. This volume in the series focuses on Asia Pacific hotels and resorts, drawn from some of the hotels that make up the Kiwi Collection, a travel guide and booking service for some of the most exclusive destinations around the world. Interestingly organized into five categories (Islands, Countryside, City, Jungle and Beach), //Overnight Sensations// provides gorgeous pictures and some evocative descriptions that create a sense of the atmosphere one could expect at the location. The photographs are excellent, though the most compelling tend to be the panoramic shots of outside views in resorts beyond the urban areas.
The range of resorts and hotels is wide, from jungle resorts on the beaches of Bali to downtown luxury high-rise hotels in Tokyo, giving prospective travelers plenty of options and suggestions for vacation planning. There are no prices listed, and the only information beyond name and location is in the index--a simple listing of each hotel's website and phone number, organized by country. As such, this is not a traditional guidebook but good for exciting the senses, while one plans a trip overseas. Or imagines it from one's armchair.
Reviewed by Ross

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From Kiwi Collection the world's most trusted resource on luxury travel comes Overnight Sensations, a lavish, three-volume tour of the best hotels on the planet. Stunning photography and witty narratives whisk the reader around the globe and into celebrated and undiscovered hotels alike handpicked by Kiwi's team of travel experts. Each portfolio of properties is a definitive resource to the best accommodations of each region: Travel to Machu Picchu or relax in California's wine country in The Americas. Soak in the exotic splendor of a private island in the Maldives or rejuvenate in Australia's outback in Asia Pacific. Sunbathe on Aegean beaches or go on safari in the African savannah in Europe Middle East Africa.These complete and authoritative collections will inspire many an armchair vacation, if not the real thing.

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Secret Hotels: Extraordinary Values in the World's Most Stunning Destinations Review

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(More customer reviews)You can't get a room during peak season at a resort for $1,500 a night --- the rich took them all long ago.
So what can you get for less than $250 a night?
You'd be surprised.
The editors of Budget Travel challenged themselves to find resort hotels "that don't show up on big online booking engines or get written about in fussy travel magazines."
They discovered an interesting, unreported truth: Not everyone who goes to live in a beautiful place is filthy rich. Some bliss-seekers have just enough capital to get themselves there and make the down payment on a property. A season of sweat equity later, and they're the proprietors of a small hotel --- a human-scaled retreat, "run by real people for real people, and run with love."
This book features picture-and-text profiles of eight destinations: Provence, Bali, Cornwall, Costa Rica, Tuscany, the Caribbean, the French Riviera and Tahiti. I've spent a fair amount of time in Provence, Costa Rica and the Caribbean, so those are the sections I read most closely.
Provence: I expected to find all the recommended hotels far from the madding crowd, tucked away on rocky hillsides in the Luberon. Well, the Mas du Loriot (the book says it's $63 to $157 a night --- but that was before the Euro began to stomp the dollar) is in those hills, but that's a good thing: Each room has a private terrace overlooking lavender fields. If you're off to see the Pont du Gard, La Begude Saint-Pierre ($88 to $251) is nearby; with welcome candor, the text alerts you that a few of its 23 rooms are right near the road. There's an urban hotel in Arles, a 12-room inn just five miles north of St.-Remy, a 23-room charmer five minutes from Avignon, and, to round it off, an auberge in a 12th century building in the Luberon. A nice selection, all with contact information that includes web sites.
Costa Rica: We were there as eco-tourism was just revving up. But we never got to the Ylang Ylang Beach Resort (from $120, including breakfast and dinner), reachable by a 15-minute beach walk. Might have been worth it just for the swimming pool that has its own waterfall. We also missed the more developed Pacific coast, though the Amor de Mar (from $55) seems absolutely bucolic. Also on the Pacific side is the dramatic Moana Lodge (from $60), where surfers chill under Zulu shields. From the photographs, I could easily develop a soft spot for the 8-room, Swiss-owned hotel called The Place, and I am a fool for any hotel that's named after Milarepa, the Tibetan Buddhist saint. The rest of the hotels are all on the Pacific, which made me wonder: nothing in the rain forest or the Ossa Peninsula?
Tuscany: It's the Provence of France. And so my initial thought was: Why not Umbria, just as nice and delightfully overlooked? Then I looked at La Rignana ($133 to $177), in the vineyards of Chianti, and Podere Torrena ($240, including breakfast and dinner) in nearby Radda. Ancient houses, carved furniture, family-style dinners --- what's not to like? I was particularly struck by the variety in this section. On one hand, there's a fairly-tale village on a hilltop that's home to Castello di Gargonza; on the other, there's a restored 17th century farmhouse at the end of a two-mile dirt road.
The thing about secrets, of course, is that no one keeps them --- especially the editors of Budget Travel. Is it possible that you'll go to one of their suggested hotels and find it booked solid with people just like you? Oh, yes. So it's always best to consult tripadvisor.com and compare notes with veteran travelers. And if the parade's moved on, don't tell anyone where the smart money is vacationing --- except, maybe, me.


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The inside deal on fabulous yet affordable hotels in the world's top vacation destinationsWhere should we stay?" This may be the most vexing question facing anyone planning a holiday—especially travelers whose resources aren't unlimited. But finding affordable accommodation does not mean having to settle for surly desk clerks, paltry meals, and a cramped hotel room whose only window faces a brick wall. Breathtaking views, attentive service, great on-site food, and the full range of amenities—all are available at a cost that won't make you cringe. You just have to know where to look.That's where Secret Hotels comes in. Compiled by the editors of Budget Travel magazine, this out-of-the-ordinary guidebook acquaints you with an enticing array of lodgings—from beachside cottages, to hilltop villas, to gracious, family-run guesthouses—where you'll vacation in comfort and style without having to worry about breaking the bank. Setting its sights on eight of the world's top travel destinations—Provence, Tuscany, Tahiti, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Cornwall, Bali, and the French Riviera—Secret Hotels scopes out the hidden treasures that, till now, have mostly been known only to the locals. The description of each hotel is accompanied by sumptuous color photos of the grounds and interiors, and contact information and rates (usually less than $200 per night) are provided.

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