by Anna Nordberg, Sunset Senior Travel Editor

Just as the lush, impossibly green forests of Washington's Olympic Peninsula are fading from the collective memory of those who saw Twilight: New Moon, another marketing strategy comes into play: the Pandora package. See, the Olympic Peninsula isn't just home to The Twilight Saga—someone has realized it also resembles the lush, strikingly green world of Pandora, the Nav'is home in Avatar.

Pandora look-alike: A forest on the Olympic Peninsula (photo courtesy of the Lake Quinault Lodge)

At Lake Quinault Lodge, the Pandora package, available through May 1, starts at $109 for the first night and then drops to $50 for additional nights (on weekends, it starts at $129). This package involves some sort of rainforest tour with a big tree, but I stopped reading after the $50 a night part. The lodge itself looks lovely—a stunning location with an old Adirondack vibe.

PHOTO: Courtesy of the Lake Quinault Lodge in the Olympic Peninsula

Lake Quinault's sister property, the Kalaloch Lodge, has an Oceanside Pandora package (I don't remember a beach scene from Avatar either, but there are some nice ocean views here) which starts at $169 per night and includes breakfast for two

Even if you don't want to live like a Nav'i, the Olympic Peninsula is still a beautiful spot to visit. Here are more of our favorite things to do there.

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior travel editor

Maybe it's just me, but does anyone out there really want a rose-petal strewn bed? Call me a prude, but couples massages make me cringe and I prefer my bath filled with bubbles, not chocolate sauce. Often, the most romantic hotels are those without room service or sprawling suites on the 44th floor. Here are a few of my personal favorites (maybe even still with availability for this weekend if you're lucky): 

1. Villa Amor, in Salyulita, Mexico. An aptly-named, open-air inn perched on a cliff directly above the Bay of Banderas. Each of the brightly-colored villas is unique, with endless ocean views, a perfectly placed hammock or private pool, and only a few barefootsteps away from the gentle surf breaking on the white sandy beach below. From $110.

2. Treehouse Point, in Fall City, WA. I just wrote about this place for our March 2010 issue (on the newsstands any day now). That piece is all about how unique it is to sleep halfway up the trunk of a 300-year-old Sitka spruce—in a handbuilt treehouse that is prettier than most city apartments. But what I didn't get into is how ridiculously romantic it is, too. From $195.

3. The West Point Inn, in Mill Valley, California. Some might say this historic, hike-in-only inn on Mount Tamalpais is too much of a hostel to be considered romantic. Okay, yes morning chores, self-cooked meals, and a common area crowded with other overnight guests are not typically components of a romantic getaway. But, oh what you get in exchange!: Your own private hiking trails after all the daytrippers have gone home; an after-dinner stroll to the mountain's tippy-top, lit by your headlamp but illuminated by a star-filled sky; and the rare opportunity to watch the sun rise over San Francisco's infamous fog, with barely a lift of your head from your bed. (Which was one of five otherwise unoccupied beds, oddly enough, in the "Honeymoon Cabin," where we stayed years ago.) From $50 per person.  For more affordable—and rose-petal-free—romantic getaways, click here. And here, for a list of Dream Getaways from our current February issue.

by Emily Chow, Sunset editorial intern

The New Children's Museum in San Diego
Photo credit: Matthew Jaffe

Looking for something to do Labor Day weekend? If you are a Bank of America cardholder, check out their Museum on Us program, which offers free general admission into more than 100 participating museums nationwide on the first full weekend of every month.

• Portland:  Check out the Portland Art Musuem's "Virtual Worlds" exhibit highlighting M.C. Escher's spatial illusions.
• San Francisco: Stroll around Yerba Buena Gardens and stop by San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum.
• San Diego: Visit The New Children's Museum in San Diego, where the entire family can engage and create art in three floors of interactive galleries.

Where will I be this weekend? If it's not too crowded, you'll find me at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, learning about innovative technology solutions in their permanent exhibit that is opening tomorrow, "Technology Benefiting Humanity."

Flash that piece of plastic at the ticket office for some free fun during the upcoming long weekend. It can't get any better than that.

Check out their Web site to locate participating museums near you.

By Trina Enriquez, Sunset copy editor

The Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle is hosting its last $5 Fridays event of the '08–'09 season this Friday, May 22, from 6 to 7 p.m. A dance preview orchestrated by PNB artistic director Peter Boal and put on in one of the Phelps Center's practice studios, the series features excerpts from the current program, except that dancers perform in practice gear and Boal precedes and follows up each excerpt with comments, then a Q&A. Very intimate, pretty informal, and über-cool for anyone who’s interested in the ballet but maybe a little intimidated by their lack of experience with or technical knowledge of it.

Artistic director Peter Boal and young audience members watch
PNB principal dancers Louise Nadeau and Jeffrey Stanton
at the PNB's $5 Friday Swan Lake studio rehearsal.
© Angela Sterling; photo courtesy of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

This particular Friday's event is Director's Choice, featuring parts of Dances at a Gathering (with music by Chopin and choreography by Jerome Robbins) and After the Rain (a pas de deux choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and set to Arvo Pärt's music). It’s a fun way to gain some insight on what goes into creating the slick, tricked-out performances onstage.

Order tix online or by phone (206/441-2424) to secure a spot in the general seating; otherwise you may nab tickets at the box office (301 Mercer St., Seattle). If you miss this $5 Friday, tune in later to the PNB's $5 Friday info page for more on the '09–'10 season.

Make a night (or a weekend) of it

Head for La Dolce Vita, about a mile away from the Phelps Center, after the show ends at 7 p.m. The cozy restaurant opens at 5 p.m., which would make it a tight squeeze for a pre-show bite, but it takes reservations until 10:30. One glance at the dinner menu will have your mouth watering: salsiccia e vongole (housemade sausage and fresh Manila clams in a tomato–white wine sauce) and tagliatelle alla Dolce Vita (fresh pasta with English peas, locally foraged spring mushrooms, pine nuts, and blue cheese), for starters. 

Photo courtesy of La Dolce Vita Ristorante Italiano.

For sleeps, look no further than the Alexis Hotel, featured in Sunset's March '09 issue. Sure, it's a little pricier than what you just spent at the ballet—but it is, as we billed it, "a downtown getaway that lets you curl up with a good book and get out exploring the city." Retrace the story and savor a weekend of culture and learning and eats and words.

Order the mushroom frittata or hot Dungeness crab on brioche
for brunch at the Alexis Hotel's Library Bistro & Bookstore Bar, and have books
within arm's reach while you wait. Photo by John Clark.

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

 

Last year, the Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes added canvas tent cabins. This spring, the scenic, sprawling campground added another supercool option for non-campers— a 1978 Sovereign Airstream. A 31-foot silver bullet complete with a kitchenette, four-burner stove, fridge, and, yes, a private bathroom—with Molten Brown products to boot.

Want to go somewhere in Washington other than San Juan Island? Orcas? Bellingham? Lake Sammish? Your own backyard? You can rent your very own vintage airstream from Northwest-based Silver Cottages Airstream. They’ll deliver it right to your destination. Pitch a tent why? http://www.silvercottages.com/

21 great camp eats

By Amy Anderson, Sunset editorial intern

Hotels are making it easy to travel and take in the West's celebrations on April 22, Earth Day, without going overboard on the budget. Check out these lodging deals, local festivals, and eco-friendly tips for Earth Week.

Photo courtesy of visitlakequinault.com

Lake Quinault Lodge: Stay in Washington's Olympic National Forest for $109 on Friday, April 24, then spend Saturday from 9 am- 4 pm volunteering to preserve the Quinault Rainforest.

• Procession of the Species: April 25, Olympia
• King County Earth Day Expo: April 22, Seattle
• Earth Day with Citizens for a Healthy Bay: April 25, Tacoma

Kimpton Hotels: Help cut back on carbon emissions by taking your vacation by train. Then show your ticket at a Kimpton hotel (try the San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle spots), and receive 20 percent off your stay.

• Berkeley Earth Day: April 25, Berkeley 
• Cal Parks Earth Day Restoration: April 25, California
• Oregon Zoo "Party for the Planet": April 26, Portland

Photo courtesy of whotels.com

W Hotel Scottsdale: Until May 22, your stay at the W will get you a donation of 100 Trees for the Future on your behalf through Trees for the Future’s Plant-a-Tree program, in-room breakfast for two, and two spring cocktails starting at $229.

• Earth Day Phoenix: April 22, Phoenix
• Arizona Earth Day: April 25, Phoenix
• Scottsdale Community College Earth Week: April 20-24, Scottsdale

Hotel Terra Jackson Hole: From May 7 to September 30, you can book the Eco Adventures package in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and get a biologist-led wildlife tour, Flip Ultra video camera and a daily breakfast starting at $174 per night, per person.

• Earth Day in Laramie: April 22, Laramie
• Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Earth Week: April 21-25, Jackson Hole

And finally...

• If you're still feeling guilty about all the greenhouse gas that's emitted from traveling, Carbonfund.org can help your conscience. Just use the calculator to find out how much CO₂ came from your trip--by car, train, bus, or air--then donate the amount of money that will offset.

• Find more ways to green your home and lifestyle with Sunset's Real-world Earth Day tips.

Take time this week to think of other ways you can lower your environmental impact!

by Sophie Egan, Sunset editorial intern

High season in the Northwest officially begins May 1, with prices for everything bumping up to summer rates. If you have a night or two free in the next week and a half, jump on the good weather and good prices for a spring stay in an urban bed and breakfast. We like the looks of these three deals:

$124, The Chambered Nautilus, Seattle

The University of Washington campus, which really wows in spring, is five blocks away, and you’ll find cheap eats on lively University Avenue, an eight-minute walk.

$109, The Corkscrew Inn, Vancouver

Away from the downtown hubbub, the inn is an easy stroll from several public beaches with jaw-dropping views. Stay before May and duck the usual three-night minimum requirement.

$149, Mangy Moose Bed and Breakfast, Anchorage

Ideally located for wildlife sightings: Moose meander through the neighborhood almost every day, and hiking trails at Chugach State Park are a 10- to 15-minute walk. Before May 1, you can affordably swoop on a jacuzzi room or suite. 

Checking out the puffins in Oregon’s Cannon Beach

By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

Confession: I’ve got a thing for birds. I’m a wannabe birder. I can’t tell a scrub jay from a blue jay; I confuse egrets with herons; and, it’s embarassing to admit, but I’ve been known to mistake a turkey vulture for a red-tailed hawk.

However, I do know that tufted puffins—aka Fratercula cirrhata, (okay, I looked that up)—are pretty darn cool. I mean, check out this proud little puffin, with his stocky black body, snow-white face, thick orange bill, and ridiculously overgrown yellow eyebrows. After a winter spent diving on the open seas, the puffins have just returned to nest on Haystack Rock in Oregon’s Cannon Beach, where they’ll be laying eggs and raising chicks now through mid-July.

That’s pretty much all I know about puffins. But real birders from Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock Awareness Program will be on hand all summer long with their big scopes pointed right at the rocky island if you want to learn more.

Whale watching on Whidbey Island

That’s right, the Eastern Pacific gray whale is en route from Baja to the
Arctic by way of Puget Sound—and the cozy-luxe Inn at Langley is giving them
(and you) a rather warm welcome.

Photo by Lara Ferroni

Starting this weekend, $265 buys front-row suites to the Saratoga Passage, a popular whale feeding ground, plus breakfast and a three-hour (a three-hour tour...) for two aboard the 100’ Mystic Sea (valued at $120), where whale sightings are almost guaranteed. If you don’t see any of these massive sea creatures, though, hearing their faint calls off the balcony as you sink into bed is second best.

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor

Eleven day 'til Valentine's Day. Are you ready? I'm not. But there's hope for all of us, especially now that the February issue of Sunset is out, featuring 20 romantic escapes (for under $250!) all around the West.

We interviewed sociologist and sexologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, of the University of Washington, on how to make the big night special. Check it out.

In the meantime, I just came across a screaming deal offered by  Larkspur Hotels: Book a reservation for any night in February, including Valentine's Day, before February 14, and if you use this promo code—TR9899LOVE—you'll get a whopping 40% off, plus a bottle of chilled champagne—the perfect thing for a toast to love in a time of recession. Though all the hotels listed on their site sound promising, here are a few I can personally vouch for.

The following hotels are eligible for the deal:

In the Bay Area:

Larkspur Landing Pleasanton
The Lodge at Tiburon (pictured at left)

In Los Angeles:
The Belamar Hotel

In and around Sacramento:
Larkspur Landing Folsom
Larkspur Landing Roseville
Larkspur Landing Sacramento

In San Francisco:
Hotel Abri
Larkspur Hotel Union Square
Larkspur Landing South San Francisco
Villa Florence (pictured at left)

In the Silicon Valley/Monterey area:
Casa Munras (Monterey)
Larkspur Landing Campbell
Larkspur Landing Milpitas
Larkspur Landing Sunnyvale
PruneYard Plaza Hotel
Toll House Hotel
The Sainte Claire

In Portland:

Larkspur Landing Hillsboro
RiverPlace Hotel

In Seattle:

Larkspur Landing Bellevue
Larkspur Landing Renton