Monday, September 29, 2008

Hola Mexico

Flip-flops, sunscreen & swimsuit...yes, I'm off to Mexico. I leave Wednesday for Puerto Vallarta, my first visit to this formerly sleepy fishing village. I'll be one one of the first to walk through the doors of a new Riu, the Riu Palace Pacifico, located in Riviera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta).

This Riu will offer 445 guestrooms, four specialty-themed restaurants, five bars and two conference rooms. The family-owned resort chain currently offers two hotels (1,250 rooms) in Puerto Vallarta. Riu Palace Pacifico will be the third RIU hotel in this Pacific coast resort city.

Also in 2008, Riu Hotels & Resorts will break ground in a new area of Mexico: the coastal resort town of Mazatlán. Hotel Riu Emerald Bay, a 5-star, all-inclusive, beachfront hotel will offer 716 suites, three specialty-themed restaurants, five bars and three conference rooms. The hotel will open in May 2009.

“We have invested in Mexico since 1997 and our guests want to explore more of this beautiful country,” stated Mr. Riu. Mexico, the top destination for RIU in terms of arrivals and revenue, is currently home to 13 Riu resorts, offering a total of 6,937 rooms. By the end of 2008, Riu will offer 14 hotels (7,382 rooms) in Mexico. By Spring 2009, RIU will offer 15 hotels with 8,098 rooms all in Mexico.

About Riu Hotels & Resorts
Riu Hotels and Resorts, a family owned business, was founded in 1953 in Mallorca, Spain. Ranked as the 27th largest hotel chain in the world by Hotels Magazine (2007), the company operates more than 100 hotels worldwide with 27 hotels in the Americas region. Worldwide, RIU employs 20,000 people in 17 countries on three continents, offers 35,000 rooms and serves 2.7 million guests annually. For more information about Riu Hotels & Resorts visit http://www.riu.com/ or contact your travel professional.

Adios Amigos, Diana

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Broadmoor & Rocky Mtn Concours d'Elegance

New quote -- Some girls have a black dress, I have a black bike!

This post is on my "home" blog: www.dianarowe.com/blog
Elegance d’ classic. Hot cars. Hot bikes. Vibrant imagery of colors and sparkling chrome. (Isn’t it amazing the colors you can paint cars these days?) Amazing food and wine — and beer during the CU/CSU college game. Hey, what more could a girl want?

Over Labor Day weekend, The Broadmoor’s West golf course is transformed into an amazing showfield of 120 classic, historic, racing & vintage automobiles, plus 60 Concours motorcycle entries. (The Vincent motorbikes received special recognition with a display of the British company’s history.)

Unfortunately, if you weren’t there, you missed a showing of the classics! Car and motorcycle buffs alike lined the golf course, gaping at the amazing showing of motorized excellence. All I can still say is — WOW! The event was the 2nd annual Rocky Mountain Concours d’Elegance, held at The historic Broadmoor.

The event took me back to the days of the county fairs, when everyone dusted off their show cars and made their way to the county seat. You name it, we drooled near it. I checked out more chrome and testosterone in a motorized vehicle than I’d seen in one place — ever! Check out this sampling of show vehicles: ‘27 Ford T, ‘67 Chevrolet Corvette and ‘67 Ford Shelby, ‘68 Pontiac Firebird 400 and a ‘70 Plymouth ‘Cuda. Two-wheeled entries included ’36 Harley-Davidson, ‘37 Indian Scout; and Vincent motorcycles ranging from ‘36 to ‘68.

Special guests included author Clive Cussler and Pikes Peak Racing Legends Al Unser and Bobby Unser. Check out their racing museum in Albuquerque: Unser Racing Museum.

Any event that is hosted at the Broadmoor is a guaranteed success. But don’t feel intimidated by its sheer elegance. Sure, the food will knock your elegant socks off, and the wines, especially chosen by some of the youngest sommeliers in the industry, will get your taste buds to rocking! Yet the Hotel Bar is also a great place to hang out and watch your favorite sports — GO CU BUFFALOS!

Speaking of great eats, this event also featured a new way to enjoy your food: Chop Mix & Mingle (web site coming soon!), an innovative lifestyle cooking school, August 30 - September 1, 2008, held at The BROADMOOR’s Cheyenne Lodge. This Rocky Mountain Style - Farm to Table weekend program focuses on mastering the art of gracious entertaining in your home with simple food from the outdoor grill. The event is being held in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Concours d’Elegance.

If you missed this year, make sure you include Labor Day Weekend in Colorado Springs for your plans in 2009. Dates for the 3rd annual Rocky Mountain Concours d’Elegance will be held over Labor day weekend. Check in to The Broadmoor on Friday, September 4 and stay through Labor day, Monday, September 7, 2009!

Bring your walking shoes – you’ll be hoofing it over the greens on the golf course just to get a good look at all the bikes and cars!
Until next time, Diana