SOUTHERLY SEASON: Try and we might to fight the urge, we can't help but going a little travel-brochure-y on San Diego when December rolls around. All major cities put on the sparkle and dash, from free concerts to train rides to tree lightings, but when you're home to Balboa Park and the Hotel del Coronado and one of the most famous zoos in the world, hanging the frippery just comes a little easier (and things are a bit more photogenic). If you're spending any time in the land of the perfect photograph over the holidays, take note of this unusual and highly merry offering from the Omni San Diego. They have a catchily monikered package on called The San-ta Diego Holiday Travel Package, where rooms begin at $149 a night (which is just about a third off). Eggnog and a yuletidean postcard are part of the deal, but here's the extra we keep coming back to: the in-room Christmas tree.
UNUSUAL HOTEL PERK: It is indeed an extra -- think $125 extra -- but you'll get a "fully decorated Christmas tree" for your hotel room. For all the amenities that modern-day inns put out, and all the bonuses they line up, having a fir next to one's luggage rack and the city magazines in a hotel room is still highly rare. That's why we like it; it brings a bit of home-inspired sweetness to a hotel. And you don't have to go downstairs, to the lobby, to enjoy the twinkle. For more on the Omni package, click. For more on what's happening in San Diego over the holidays, including Balboa Park's famous December Nights, click again.
