Travel like The Great Gatsby

The summer blockbuster movie, The Great Gatsby, is generating lots of buzz along with travel deals with a Gatsby theme. Here’s where to get that Gatsby vibe and party like it’s 1922 and you are Leonardo de Caprio:

St. Petersburg, Florida — Jay Gatsby would have felt right at home at The Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club , which invites rebellious couples to rekindle their love affair with a Roaring 20’s Experience starting at $379 a night for luxe bay view accommodations for two, prohibition cocktails and a picnic lunch while touring downtown St. Petersburg via horse-drawn carriage, plus dinner for two each night at Vinoy’s signature restaurant. The Roaring 20s Experience package also includes a couples dance lesson, either swing dancing or The Charleston, which was considered so scandalous that it was banned from most dance halls in the 1920s. The Roaring 20s Experience is available through May 31st.

Originally opened on New Year’s Eve in 1925 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of the Historic Hotels of America, The Vinoy is only historic luxury resort on Florida’s west coast with a private 72-slip marina, 18-hole private golf course, 12-court tennis complex and 5,000 sq. ft. fitness center. It sits along the water in downtown St. Petersburg overlooking Tampa Bay, looking like a small pink castle. The Vinoy just completed a multi-million dollar renovation to all 361 guetrooms and public areas, including lobby artwork by world-renowned glass sculpure artist Dale Chihuly. He’s a favorite of mine whose works also decorate the ceiling of the lobby of the Belaggio in Las Vegas, the ceilings of several gallery rooms at the Norton Simon Museum in West Palm Beach, and a giant center atrium sculpture in the Indianapolis Children’s Museum I wrote about last year here on ecoXplorer.

New York City – If you have a spare $14,999, you can lavish with the Great Gatsby Package at the Trump International Hotel & Tower New York in Columbus Circle, the flagship of the Trump Hotel Collection. The Trump Great Gatsby Package is available through August 3, 2013, and includes:
· Three-night stay in a luxurious Central Park-view suite
· For the ladies, an Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry Art Deco shagreen and onyx cuff, accompanied by a personal note from Ivanka Trump
· For the gents, a custom-tailored suit and shirt from Bergdorf Goodman, plus vintage Art Deco cufflinks
· Chauffeured car service for the duration of the stay
· Dinner for two at the hotel’s Three-Michelin-Star restaurant, Jean Georges
· Breakfast daily at Nougatine at Jean Georges
· A magnum of Veuve Cliquot Champagne served in-room

Aruba — We doubt that Jay Gatsby ever visited this Caribbean island, but that isn’t stopping The Westin Resort & Casino Aruba to escape on a roaring ‘20’s retreat with its new “Gatsby Getaway” package. Sun enthusiasts can live the “American dream” Caribbean style with nightly rates starting from $192. There are no Gatsby cocktails, no Gatsby dance lessons, no Gatsby anything. Just a discount room rate with the name Gatsby for the deal, which is available through December 19, 2013.