Spotlight :: Harrison Hot Springs

[trip style = spa + weekend getaway + active & adventure + budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: Today is Trip Styler's introduction to Harrison Hot Springs, look out for some of the area's foodie stops and wilderness adventures on Friday.}

—————————————————– Dear Harrison, At multiple junctures we've almost brushed shoulders. It's not that I didn't want to meet you, our paths never crossed.

And then, late in 2011, mutual friends connected our interests and a date was set. Harry, apparently you were making up for lost time, pulling out all the stops with a soak in the spring-fed mineral pools, massage in the spa and an evening of dinner and dancing. xoxo, Trish —————————————————–

It was a cold and rainy late-November day and with a weekend bag and still-warm Creme De La Crumb scone in tow, I made the arrow-straight, highway journey to Harrison Hot Springs from Vancouver. This road is well traveled in summer; in winter the lake-front destination is quiet and cozy with budget-friendly appeal.

The area's farm-to-table foodie stops and world-class nature exploration notwithstanding {more on this Friday}, the natural hot springs and spa at the Harrison Resort & Spa are the pièces de résistance. Luxuriate in the mineral pools in the early morning or at night {fewer spa-goers at this time} to watch the steam dance and water glow against the surrounding blue-black mountains.

When the clock strikes eight, get dolled-up like Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant, and go back in time {literally} at the hotel's legendary Copper Room supper club. Dressed-up tables with dimly lit lamps are intimately arranged around the well-heeled dance floor, used every night thanks to the longtime crooners, The Jones Boys. Watching "Erma and Norm" storm the dance floor at the first hint of Moonriver, will make even the most timid dancers bust out their limited moves in the name of love.

—————————————————– Harry, I wish our first date would have resulted in a rose ceremony, but I'm a modern girl, so I'll settle for an itinerary filled with romantic gestures instead.

What To Know

• Getting There: Harrison is about an hour and a half from Vancouver and three hours from Seattle.
• Hotel/Spa/Mineral Pools: A series of adult and family-friendly pools at varying temperatures fit everyone's needs. Comfortable hotel rooms with modest bathrooms start at $99 {includes access to the spa's pools, complimentary parking and wifi}.

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[photos c/o abundantc, harrison resort & trip styler, taken while a guest of tourism harrison]

Travel Beauty :: Heather's Picks

[trip style = any]

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is already whipping up her next concoction post!}

This month we asked our very own Fashion Friday editor about her travel beauty favorites. Check out what Heather has to say. We'll also be featuring other TS editors' preferred products in the coming months, so stay tuned.

What are your 3 favorite travel-friendly beauty products?
1/ I swear by a facial sunscreen that I heard about in a Trip Styler Travel Beauty post over a year ago: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sun Protection SPF 55. I put it on before my make-up and reapply it throughout the day. This sunscreen protects my fairer than fair skin.

2/ Malin+Goetz makes a great travel kit that's both male and female friendly and includes sensitive-skin face cleanser, face moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner, body cleanser and body moisturizer.

3/ I love Giovanni's individually wrapped sanitizing towelettes. They have many uses while traveling, plus they smell fantastic. I love the mixed bag of grapefruit, peppermint and lavender towelettes. So refreshing!

{Heather's tip: As you sweat in the sweltering sun, your sunscreen has a tendency to trickle under your sunglasses and into your eyes. Ouch! Remember to keep it away from your eye area during application.}

What beauty routine do you follow while on vacation?
I'm a fan of the five-minute face. On a warm-weather vacation, I make it a three-minute face, always using SPF 30+ sunscreen as the base, followed by mineral powder. No need for primping your peepers, as they'll be covered by sunnies. I'm also a fan of the top knot and the scarf turban to keep my hair out of the way. On an urban or cold-weather vacation, a hat does wonders for frizzy or unwashed hair and a pulled-together look---applies to guys too!

{Heather's tip: Check out this simple how-to video on tying your own scarf turban.}

Do you do anything in flight to stay beautified?
On a long flight, just before descent, I always brush my teeth, spritz my face with Caudalie Beauty Elixir and apply lip gloss and Laura Mercier Translucent Mineral Powder to make me feel clean, refreshed and ready for public view. Plus a little blush and deodorant never did anyone any harm, right?

[photos via @heatherlovesit, russh mag and products mentioned]

Tech Tuesday :: Promo Codes

[trip style = any]

Notice how any time you check out online---be it for a flight, hotel stay or jacket purchase---there's a promo code input box?

It's a love/hate thing. I love these little blank boxes when I have a discount code to insert, and hate them when I'm checking out sans 10%, 20% or 30% discount. Urg, savings of what could have been.

The Solution Google to the rescue. For example, if you're about to click "buy" on an Air Canada flight to London and you see an empty promo code box; stop! Open a new window and Google "Air Canada promo codes." When I do this type of search , 60% of the time I score relevant promo codes through sites like RetailMeNot. The worst case scenario is the code you find and insert doesn't work. A for effort and only one minute of your day is lost!

Why Using promotional channels like website landing pages, email, Twitter and Facebook, airlines and hotels are always publishing semi-secret discount codes. Take 10 seconds to Google "<insert airline or hotel name here> promo code"  and you could save yourself a good chunk of change, especially if you're about to buy an international flight or multi-night hotel stay.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

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More Tech Tuesday Trading Airline Points The Six-Week Rule {When to buy airline tix} Liftopia Dashboard To Wall Hotel Tonight

[img by @tripstyler]

Spotlight :: PDX'ing in Pictures

[trip style = urban]

Last weekend I was in Portland for the third time in just over a year. I swear, a NASA-grade laser beam keeps drawing me back. And it's not just me; anyone I talk to who's visited once, always becomes a lifer, gobbling up a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g to do with the trip style = urban playground.

What I love about PDX'ing is the farm-to-table, handmade, bike-everywhere spirit. In no other city would someone inquire if my vest was handmade or give directions as if I was biking. Similarly, when I asked the hotel concierge where to shop in the area, he told me about a bunch of independent boutiques, purposefully failing to mention any of the department stores or chain shops like Anthropologie in the area.

Brunch. Tasty n Sons: A neighborhood bistro with a menu that's anything but. Think breakfast tapas like griddled bacon wrapped dates with maple syrup and almond, or sweet biscuits with warm blueberry compote and creme anglais. Trip Styler Tip :: If you want to avoid the brunch rush, go early around 8.45am to secure a table for the 9am open. If you can't get up early, get in line and send your partner to Ristretto Rosters down the street for a coffee.

Brunch. Broder: Scandinavian fare in the Pacific Northwest. Whatever you do, make sure you sample a potato pancake, pictured above.

Shop. Beckel Canvas: After brunching at Broder, walk down the street to Beckel Canvas, a family-run business operating out of a little production facility and storefront in an area filled with family homes. They make all their products---from canvas totes to duffels to tents---on site.

Shop. Schoolhouse Electric Supply & Co: Filament bulbs, deco-modern lights and minimalist decor in a massive brick warehouse with a flower shop and coffeehouse in the space.

Shop. Hawthorne District: Vintage clothing and furniture shops galore. While there, I could have picked up a million things for the home, but I resisted and snapped up a vintage 70s Coach bag {made in NYC before production was shipped overseas} instead.

Related Content
Spotlight Portland {part deux}
Spotlight Portland {part one}
Ace Portland
Jetset Jingles :: Portland
IMG_FRI :: Portlandia
Vancouver to Seattle Must-Stops

[photos by @tripstyler @nate_fri @heatherlovesit]

IMG_FRI :: Bora Bora

[trip style = beach + sun]

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"The most captivating natural beauty I've come across was in Bora Bora, the sand was like flour and the water was so clear you could see down to your feet perfectly." -Marisa

Earlier this week we interviewed Marisa for our monthly The Savvy Traveler column. This NY-based jetsetter works hard in PR to play hard in distant destinations like Spain, Brazil or Istanbul, allocating every available ounce of her vacation time to travel. She gushed most about Bora Bora, so I thought some IMG_FRI photos would be a welcome end-of-the-week distraction.

On my radar: Le Taha'a Island Resort and Spa, a Relais & Chateaux property with a constant position on the Condé Nast Gold List, a 10-minute helicopter ride from Bora Bora.

[photos via la taha'a]