The sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, where rooms start at $1,525, is expanding the category of luxury accessories by providing all guests with a 24-karat gold iPad upon check-in. The hotel, part of the Jumeirah group of hotels and resorts, is often listed as the world’s most luxurious hotel and already provides iMacs in each of its 202 suites.

The iPads were manufactured by Gold & Co. London and designed exclusively for Burj Al Arab. Each one is engraved with the hotel’s logo, as well as Jumeirah’s motto “Stay Different.” Every tablet also comes loaded with interactive customer experience,  or ICE, software that enables guests to use the 24-karat gold iPad as a virtual concierge to access information and hotel services.

The iPads provided to guests are 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi iPad3s and for now run only the ICE program. The hotel is working on expanding customers’ access to other iPad applications.

A 64-gigabyte version of the gold iPad3 is...

For couples hoping to get hitched in Las Vegas, the offer for free weddings on Memorial Day (Monday) could prove to be the deal of a lifetime. Victoria’s Wedding Chapel is offering free marriage ceremonies, with roses included, for active-duty service members and veterans.

The chapel normally charges $535 for the ceremony.

“The men and women of the military do so much to keep our country safe, and we wanted to show our appreciation by donating a day to give them the gift of a wedding ceremony,” Janeen Hinden, owner of Victoria’s Wedding Chapel, said in a prepared statement. “All they have to do is call and make a reservation and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Couples should call (702) 252-4565. The chapel is at 2800 W. Sahara Ave. in Las Vegas, just west of the 15 Freeway.

Ceremonies will be performed from noon to 8 p.m.

Las Vegas rightfully claims the title of “Marriage Capital of the World.” The Clark County clerk’s office...

Big Bear is combining the sweet cool of its mountain lake with the exploding popularity of stand-up paddleboarding, or SUPs, in a series of distance races and sprints June 29.

Entrance fees start at $35 for the annual Big Bear PaddleFest at the Meadow Park swim beach. Races, which also feature kayaks and canoes, include 5K, 10K, 20K, downwind, sprints and relays. To register, go to the Paddlefest registration site.

Races begin with a 20K SUP event at 6 a.m. and continue with various sprints and relay races until late afternoon. Separate kayak and canoe races will also be held. The tentative schedule also calls for a kids fun race at 9:30 a.m. for ages 5-12. Live music and food will also be part of the festivities.

Entry does not include any kind of paddlecraft, but they can be rented at nearby marinas.

The sixth annual Big Bear PaddleFest is sponsored by North Shore Trading Co. For more info, go to the Paddlefest website.

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Given a choice between flying next to a crying baby or a smelly passenger, 63% of fliers would choose the crying baby over the stinky seat companion.

This was one of several interesting findings of the 2013 EquiTrend Study by Harris Interactive, which in March polled 2,276 adults who agreed to be surveyed. 

According to the survey, 58% of fliers who fly once a year or more are willing to pay for extra legroom on a flight of three hours or more, while 33% will pony up fees for more space on less than two-hour flights.

Although 68% of passengers won’t pay to avoid a middle seat on short flights, the study found 53% will pay to avoid the middle on long flights.

In-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi are very important amenities to parents traveling with children younger than 18, second only to a desire for an aisle or window seat. Male passengers value Wi-Fi more than females (28% vs. 14%) , but women value in-flight entertainment slightly more than men (18% vs. 16%). 

Alaska Airlines...

Fans of Asian food can sample dishes from a variety of nations without any jet lag during a visit to Richmond, British Columbia, the city that’s home to Vancouver’s international airport (YVR).

Within three blocks along Richmond’s Alexandra Road -- in the suburb’s Golden Village district -- 200-plus restaurants feature styles including Cantonese, Szechuan, Korean, Malaysian and more. While many are small “holes in the wall” tucked into strip malls,  the food befits the city’s residents, two-thirds of whom are of Asian descent. (A full 45% are of Chinese ancestry.)

It’s no surprise that this short street is better known by its Chinese name, “Wai Sek Kai," which translates as “Food Street.”

Officials at Tourism Richmond suggest an itinerary that includes hopping from country to country and cuisine to cuisine with visits to several different restaurants.

Visitors can start with Hong Kong-style noodles and dumplings before...

Those visiting Honolulu over Memorial Day weekend will have a chance to visit three museums at a discounted price -- and spend as much time as they like at each site. The Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Iolani Palace are offering a two-day pass good for unlimited visits.

The deal: The pass is called Two Museums and a Royal Palace and costs $19.95 for adults and $5 for children 3 to 17 years old. It allows unlimited entry to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, which showcases history, arts and culture; the Honolulu Museum of Art; and the historic Iolani Palace, where Hawaii's monarchs once dwelled.

When: The pass is good May 25 and 26 only.

Details: The savings are good with the 3-for-1 pass. Admission to all three for an adult can cost up to $51.70, according to the museums.

Info: Two Museums and a Royal Palace, (808) 847-3511.

Mary.Forgione@latimes.com
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Globus has joined the ranks of well-known tour companies offering trips to Cuba under a special U.S. Treasury Department license that permits people-to-people educational exchanges on the Communist island.

Its nine-day “Undiscovered Cuba” itinerary, based in Havana, includes a city tour led by a local architect; meetings with musicians and university students and local car club members; dinner at a family-owned paladar (privately owned restaurant), with a discussion of the free-enterprise system; a visit with a tobacco farmer and his family; and an excursion to the home of late novelist Ernest Hemingway. Beach time is not on the agenda.

“Our Cuba programs are not about leisure time and being a normal ‘tourist’ in Cuba,” says Pam Hoffee, vice president of product and operations at the Globus family of brands. “They are about interacting with the Cuban people.”

Dates: Frequent departures July 14 to Dec. 8; also Jan. 5 to Feb. 19, 2014.

Pric...

Longtime comic and impersonator Rich Little is extending the run of his one-man show, “Jimmy Stewart and Friends,” in Las Vegas. The show will now continue through July 1 at the LVH resort.

The master mimic has more than 200 voices in his repertoire. Little was a favorite of Ronald Reagan. Following one of his several performances at the White House, the impersonator recalled the president telling him, “Rich, you do me better than I do.”

Reagan is one of the more than 30 celebrities Little invokes during his graceful journey through the life of the legendary actor Stewart. Among others making “appearances” during the show are George Burns, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and John Wayne.

Little performs Saturday through Monday in the Shimmer Cabaret at the LVH, formerly the Las Vegas Hilton. Showtime is 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are roughly $70, or $80 for premium seating, plus tax and fees. They’re available online or by calling (702) 732-5755.

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The Baja resort, an hour’s drive south of San Diego, is offering Saturdays at the Ranch, a one-day visit that includes fitness and spa activities, meals and a hands-on afternoon in a class at the culinary center.    

The ranch and spa, tagged World’s Best Destination Spa by Travel & Leisure readers in 2010 and 2011, is a 3,000-acre property that specializes in health and wellness activities.  Its multi-day programs include exercise, healthful cuisine, spa amenities and entertainment. Rates for seven nights start at $3,250, double occupancy.

But the Tecate, Mexico, spa’s Saturday experience is $235 per person, or $300 including a 50-minute massage.  Groups from 12-16 can also be accommodated.

The day includes round-trip transportation from San Diego, fitness class, free time to explore the gardens, pool and tennis courts, lunch, a three-hour culinary...

The Time Warner Center in the curve of Columbus Circle in New York City houses markets, restaurants and shops -- what better combination of services for shopping and relaxing? A free pass is available with discounts and freebies for dining and shopping at the center as well as packages that add a massage or museum tickets.

The deal: The VIP Shopping Pass applies to the center's Shops at Columbus Circle and the Restaurant and Bar Collection. Some examples: a free appointment with a stylist at J Crew, $50 off purchase of $250 or more at C. Wonder and a free glass of wine with a reservation at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.

Then there are Explore New York as an Insider packages with six themes that all come with a VIP pass. The Food, Fashion, Fun option features prix-fixe lunch for two at A Voce Columbus, two tickets to the Museum of Arts and Design and drinks for two at Porter House New York. The cost? $110 for two people. The Day of Leisure package costs $135 per person for a 50-minute massage...

More than a simple price calendar, Momondo’s Flight Insights tool considers six essential factors that determine the price of a ticket for a particular flight search: number of days in advance, time of day, day of the week, seasonality, airport and airline. 

Even if you are booking a last-minute ticket, this tool can help determine which airline normally has the lowest price fares for a particular route.

Momondo says more than 400 searches currently offer Flight Insights, including most flights from/to New York, London and Copenhagen. The tool is offered on routes between LAX and Chicago, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Cophenhagen, Stockholm and Tehran. Although flights from San Francisco and Chicago aren’t yet in the mix, Momondo is working hard to add more Flight Insights daily with the goal of...