Archive for September, 2009

Would you like to stay in a luxury boutique hotel but didn’t think you could afford it? Well think again. There is a chain of hotels world wide and they have fewer than 300 hotels that are in chic, unique locations.

They have hotels in 17 states in the USA and three of them happen to be in Los Angeles, CA. The hotel I looked at is offering holiday rates for specific dates. The name of this hotel chain is called Luxe Wordwide Hotels. I checked out one of their places on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles. The name is Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd.

They have a Holiday Web Only Deal going on right now. Those of you who are celebrating their anniversary or just want to have a romantic getaway in November or December might want to look into staying at one of the Luxe Hotels.

Please note when I was checking out the rates I found that if you went directly to the hotel that you want to stay at the rates may be different than you might get if you went to the Luxe Worldwide Hotels website. Check out the rates on both websites. Here is the breakdown for a one night stay at the Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd:

Special:   Holiday Web Only Deals
Dates:   November 21 – November 22, 2009
Rate:               $159
Parking Fees:      26
Tax:                    23
Total:              $208

If you save $260 that would leave you with $52 left over to go out to dinner.

Check out both websites and see what kind of deal you can get:

  www.luxehotels.com
  www.luxehotelsunsetblvd.com

See if there are any Luxe Wordwide Hotels near your area for that special romantic getaway.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

Do you ever wish that you could create a website for those special moments in your life together that your family or friends could look at? Well there is a website that helps you tell a life story of milestones and memories to be treasured for generations.

You pay a one time fee of only $55 or $5 a month for 12 months. Once full payment is received the website will remain online forever.

It is a unique way to celebrate those special moments. The website categories that are available are:

• Birth of a baby
• Wedding anniversary
• Birthday
• Life Story

Your website will be assigned a unique Internet address which includes the name of the person who the website is dedicated to. The site can be accessed directly by using the internet address. You can choose to keep your website private with a password you select or make it public for all to see. It is up to you. It takes approximately two minutes to create the site. Afterward, you will be able to add and edit content at any time.

Check out their website: www.celebration-of.com

I have not used this website but thought it is something you might be interested in. It is inexpensive and unique and would make a memorable gift that lasts forever.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

Even small changes makes a difference in your marriage, like saving your $5 a week!

Keep those sparks flying!

JoJo

© 2009 – 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

This week I was talking to a friend from Colorado and she told me what she and her husband, Roger, do on their dates. It has become a tradition and they both look forward to their quite time together. Their dates are not what you typically think of doing. Most people after they are married assume when you are talking about a date it is in the evening. This is not always the case and because this couple thinks out of the box, they have a longer and more enjoyable date than most couples.

Karen is off every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Roger has a 3 day weekend every other week. The Fridays he is off and the kids are in school they go to see the early bird show at their local theatre. When I say early I am talking the 10:00 AM showing and then they go out to their favorite little restaurant for lunch.  They finish the afternoon off by running some errands and getting a cup of coffee before the kids get home.

They get to see all the latest films and there are no crowds. The bonus is it is cheaper because they are going to the early show.  She told me they try to be fair by taking turns choosing the movies. One Friday they were in line and there was an older couple in their late sixties in front of them and they were going to see two movies. She heard the older guy say to his wife now I chose one it is your turn to choose the one you want to go to. She thought they were cute. When you look at these two couples they were both very considerate of the other.

She also told me that their friends are always a little envious because they see all the latest movies. Karen reminds them that the only way they could do this is because they go to the early bird shows.

This is such a great idea. You may not have Fridays off like Roger and Karen do but you could trade off on a Saturday or Sunday with another couple to watch the kids. Each couple benefits every other week with some alone time and the kids have fun at the other couples house.  The couple that is watching the kids could also host dinner for everyone. You get to see a movie, have lunch out and then go to dinner at the other’s house. This makes for a wonderful relaxing day every other week for each couple. If every other week is too much then try once a month.

Plan on having a date on a budget, it will become a tradition you and your husband will look forward to.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

Every week on Monday you receive a “Thought of the Week” reminding you to put money away for your romantic getaway. Most of them are corny, some are thought provoking and others are a little naughty and fun. (After all we are talking about your marriage.)

I hope every week when you get the thought of the week that you put your $5 away and that I put a smile on your face.  And more importantly I hope that you are smiling on your marriage.

Before I started to blog I would call or e-mail close to 200 people every week to remind them to put their money aside for their anniversary. There would be no thought of the week, just the reminder to put that money away. As the weeks evolved I felt I needed to add something to the calls and that is when I started to do a “Thought of the week”. What I began to notice is people started looking forward to hearing from me and the “saying” for that week. They would let me know if I didn’t call on the day they expected to receive it.

People where always asking me where I came up with these sayings? My answer was always the same, “Through the grace of God.” There is no other explanation.  I have watched and heard about the wonderful trips people have taken and would have never gone on if they had not received these weekly reminders. This is why I do this.

One Monday when I was making my regular calls, one of my savers told me how much she looked forward to me calling her every week. She proceeded to tell me that it made her smile and feel good about her marriage and that there was an anticipation of getting to do something special with her husband. What she told me was so important because at that moment I knew what I was doing was helping marriages have that special feeling so many couples claim they have lost.

So put a smile on your marriage and keep saving your $5 a week. It does a marriage good.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

Yesterday you learned about my favorite website, TripAdvisor.com. This is the website I to refer to before I go on a trip. Today you will see how it works. I choose Portland, OR for a romantic getaway. The hotel I chose to compare was rated number 1 by popularity on this site. Out of 5 stars it got 4 ½ stars. There were 84 reviews and 65 reviews rated the hotel excellent. Here is the breakdown on how TripAdvisor.com showed me the differences in rates for this particular hotel. You will be very surprised at how varied the price can be.

Date: 11/7/2009 through 11/8/2009

Hotel: RiverPlace Hotel, Portland OR

Room Type: Deluxe King, City or Courtyard view, Featherborne Bed

• Hotels.com  $122.10
• Orbitz.com  $160.64
• Priceline.com  $169.00
• Expedia.com  $122.10
• Travelocity.com $149.40
• PerfectEscapes.com $144.00

As you can see the difference in price can vary as much as $46.90. Please be aware these prices do not include tax and parking fees.

Also on the left side of the hotel information you can find out what to do in Portland. See the list below:

• Travel Guide
• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Map

TripAdvisor.com is a great place to refer to for a one stop shop for the best prices on hotels reviewed by people like you and me. TripAdvisor.com will help you find that perfect hotel for your perfect romance.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

I have mentioned to you some travel books to consider purchasing when deciding where you want to go for your romantic getaway and the importance of being an informed traveler. Well today I want to tell you about a great website I like to refer to all the time. The great thing about this site is that there are over 25 million traveler reviews and opinions.

You can get rates for airlines and hotels all in one place from:

• Expedia
• Hotels.com
• Orbitz
• Hotwire.com
• Travelocity
• Priceline
• Lastminute.com

This site will also assist you with what to do and where to go when you are visiting an area you are not familiar with. A while back a friend was telling me that he was planning on taking his wife to Hawaii. I told him to look at this website to see what the reviews were for the hotel they were staying at. He called me a couple of days later to thank me because he found out that if he and his wife wanted to lay out by the pool that one of them needed to get up early and reserve lounge chairs for both of them for the whole day. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to bask in the sun by the pool like they had planned. This was written in several of the reviews for the hotel he was staying at. He also read the reviews on where to go and the best places to eat. When he came back he called to tell me they had a wonderful time there with the help of the comments and reviews from the website.

Check out the website to see what kind of deal you can get for an airline flight and hotel room. Then don’t forget to look at the hotel reviews and where to go and what to do when you are there. It is like having a private travel agent that has visited or lives in the area.

The website I am talking about is: www.tripadvisor.com

If you want to be an informed traveler you will always refer to this website before you go anywhere.
Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

You won’t lose that lovin feeling in your marriage if you keep saving $5 a week!

© 2009, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

A friend told me about a cute date night she and her husband, Brian did. Cecilia and Brian are a handsome looking couple who love each other very much and are always doing different things. As a matter of fact they went through rigorous training to climb Mt Whitney together. Before the climb, their date nights were several nights of training for weeks on end. How fun is that! They had a goal they reached for and accomplished as a team.  Isn’t that what a good marriage is all about working together as a team? I am not here to talk about this adventure though. I am here to tell you about a more simple and romantic date.

Years ago, Cecilia and Brian decided they wanted to have a steak and lobster dinner but going to a restaurant was too cost prohibited. After all they were a young couple trying to make it. They had 3 small children, all toddlers, and there wasn’t much money left over to go out and splurge but they wanted to do something special. That Saturday they went to the grocery store and purchased steak and lobster, makings for a small salad, French bread, dark chocolate candy and a good bottle of wine.

That evening Cecilia made arrangements to have her sister babysit the kids then they drove to the beach with their dinner in tote. Brian started a fire on the beach and Cecilia pored the water into to a big stockpot for the lobster and put it on the fire. They then threw the teriyaki marinated steaks onto a pan and but that on the fire. Cecilia was told by someone that if you put soap on the bottom of your pans when you are putting them on the fire they are easier to clean. Guess what they were a breeze to clean!

They had a wonderful steak and lobster dinner by the fire overlooking the beach and watched the sun set in the horizon. After dinner they went for a long walk along the shore. This was simplicity at its best!

 As Cecilia was telling me about their date night they had done years ago she had a big smile on her face remembering this very simple romantic evening.  This is what a good marriage is made of, making memories together.  And that is exactly what Brian and Cecilia did over 30 years ago and they are continuing to do so today!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post

Last Thursday you learned about another way to add extra money to your envelope besides putting your $5 a week away.  I told you about sending in that refund/rebate coupon and once your received the check to immediately put it into your envelope or savings.  This week you are going to learn about additional spare money you may not have considered.

When you go to the grocery or discount store and you have paid for the items you purchased and when your cashier hands you a receipt, do you look at the bottom of the receipt to see how much you have saved?  It could be as little as a few cents or as much as $10 or more. Then you smile at yourself and think what a good shopper you were, the items you purchased could have cost you a lot more.  What do you do with that extra savings? I can almost bet you don’t do anything with the extra money saved from that purchase. My question to you is “Why not?”

Is it really money saved if the money is not put aside? Why not write yourself a check with the money saved from the receipt and cash it and put it in your envelope or the savings account you have for your romantic weekend?

Remember extra cash means an extra special weekend. You already know if you put $5 a week away that you will get $260 at the end of the year. Why not save more than $260? Why not put these little savings into your stash? Who knows how much money you will end up with. So go ahead and make those reservations for that extra special room that costs you $260. You know you could possibility have more than enough money to cover additional expenses from your little unexpected savings.

When you are consistent with implementing these little strategies I have been telling you about, you will be able to have a memorable romantic getaway for you and your spouse.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Share This Post