RESORTING

Travel America, Nov, 2000

Alaskan Luxury

When Princess cruise passengers arrive in Fairbanks next summer, they will find the line's popular Fairbanks Princess Hotel features not only an additional 125 rooms, but a completely new look and a new name: Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. A new decor, with dark woods and natural colors, will add to the outdoor feel, and new Alaskan artwork will enhance the atmosphere. The main restaurant will be expanded with an outdoor deck offering river views. The property will be featured in Princess cruisetours that combine a Princess Alaska cruise with a land tour.

Contact: Princess Tours (TravelAmerica Magazine), 2815 Second Ave., #400, Seattle, WA 98121; (206) 336-6000; www.princess.com.

Florida Panhandle

"It takes a village," according to Intrawest Corporation, the new owners of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, near Destin, Florida. The centerpiece of the revitalized resort will be the Village of Baytowne Wharf, a $172-million retail and residential venue. Phase I, scheduled for completion in 2002, will feature boutiques, galleries, and unique eateries, all in an intimate pedestrian setting. The upscale resort already includes expanded golf (including the Raven Golf Club designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.) and new tennis facilities.

Sandestin is located in Northwest Florida between Pensacola and Panama City. It features 730 rental accommodations on 7.5 miles of beach and bayfront property, with a 98-slip marina, Jolee Island Nature Park, health club and day spa, KidZone children's programs and KidSail Sailing Academy, and two waterfront restaurants. Resort guests receive a Park Pass at check-in that entitles them to unlimited use of the health club, bicycles, boogie boards, canoes, kayaks, tram, children's fishing license, and an hour of tennis court time daily.

Contact: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort (TravelAmerica Magazine), 9300 Hwy. 98 West, Destin, FL 32541; (850) 267-8000; www. sandestin.com.

Arkansas Ozarks

The historic Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, recently underwent a renovation designed to restore its 19th century grandeur and add updated 21st century amenities. All 68 guest rooms have new wiring, plumbing, beds, baths, bedspreads, drapes, and carpets. Another highlight is the long-overdue restoration of the hotel's turreted roofline, which was damaged by fire almost 100 years ago.

Contact: Crescent Hotel and Spa (TravelAmerica Magazine), 75 Prospect Ave., Eureka Springs, AR 72632; (800) 342-9766; www.crescent-hotel.com.

Vegas Spin

The popular TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" has come to Las Vegas as the interactive "Wheel of Fortune--Live on Stage!" ($18.50 per ticket) at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Participants, randomly selected from the audience, get a chance to spin the wheel, solve the puzzles, and possibly win cash and prizes. Each player also has a chance to win the Progressive Big Money Jackpot, which starts at $25,000 and increases $500 per day. MGM Grand, "The City of Entertainment," features 5,034 guestrooms and suites, a state-of-the-art gaming complex, world-class entertainment venues, and recreational facilities. It is centrally located on the Las Vegas Strip.

For information, contact: MGM Grand (TravelAmerica Magazine), 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109; (800) 929-1111; www.mgmgrand.com.

Southern California

Located just 10 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport, The Beach House at Hermosa offers an East-Coast-style hotel evocative of a time when people "summered" at the beach. All 56 Ocean Loft suites ($199-$299 per night) offer sweeping beach views, separate living room and bedroom areas, a private balcony or deck, wood-burning fireplace, bathroom with deep oval tub, and kitchenette. In-room spa services (including massages, facials, and wraps) are available.

Contact: The Beach House at Hermosa (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1300 The Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254; (310) 374-3001; www.beach-house.com.

Poconos Retreat

Pennsylvania's Skytop Lodge is offering a specially priced "MidWeek Getaway Package." Available Sunday through Thursday, the package (priced for two at $550 for one night, $900 for two nights, $1,200 for three nights, and $255 each additional night) includes three meals daily, and use of seasonal recreational facilities (including golf, tennis, sporting clays, indoor and outdoor pools, and cross country and downhill skiing). Skytop Lodge, a historic Dutch Colonial stone manor nestled in the Pocono Mountains, opened as a private club in 1928 and today operates as a public resort. It is centered upon 5,500 acres of untouched wilderness.

Contact: Skytop Lodge (TravelAmerica Magazine), One Skytop, Skytop, PA 18357; (800) 345-7759; www.skytop.com.

Pajama Party

Join a pajama party at Felicita, a garden, golf, and spa oasis in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Available only to female guests, the party starts with a light dinner, followed by an (optional) all-night chat in a mountain lodge guest room. Wake up to a continental breakfast featuring fresh fruits and coffee, then enjoy a 30-minute facial, manicure, massage, and therapeutic bath. Felicita (which means "great happiness" in Italian) is a 650-acre mountain retreat surrounded by 14,000 acres of state game lands and the 1,000-acre Boyd Nature Preserve.