In the spirit of holiday giving and of the Grape Occasions theme, this week we’re sharing great gift ideas for wine, spa, travel and you.

Today is TRAVEL…

Alistair Sawday’s

Alistair Sawday’s is a great set of resources based in the UK that I found while living in Europe. My first discovery, that I’ve used many times since is their Special Places to Stay: Italy. The book features a collection of 345 properties to stay throughout Italy. And this is only one of many guidebooks they’ve published in Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and India. They’ve recently introduced a few new resources focused on Go Slow and Canopy & Stars: Luxury camping. The goal of their guidebooks is to be THE guides for those looking for: warm, very human, interesting people; beautiful buildings, original style, elegant simplicity; delicious food, much of it grown at home and cooked with devotion; and a touch of fun with a touch of class.

A visit to their website allows you to search for places to stay in any of the countries mentioned above. For Christmas, you could purchase one of their gift cards or their featured French Vineyards Gift Set. Sign up for their monthly newsletter for great tips and information on their new products.

Luxury Link

There are a lot of auction travel sites out there these days but Luxury Link remains my favorite. I’ve used its several times to get fantastic deals and never been disappointed (including our incredible trip to Santorini booked through them)! From a few hundred dollars to thousands, “Its where sophisticated travelers go for inspiration, to indulge their passion for discovering the world’s best places to stay, and to find world-class values.” The Luxury Link family of websites was founded in 1997 with the goal of connecting passionate travelers to the world’s best places to stay at exceptional prices. Give someone on your list a “gift certificate” (you’ll have to create your own) to Luxury Link to pick out a vacation of their dreams!

Italia! & France Magazine

For the Italy or France lover on your list, how about a magazine subscription that takes them there throughout the year? These are two great publications (I asked for an Italia! subscription for Christmas) as resources and a nice escape whenever you open up the magazine.

Weekend Away

A weekend away for your significant other is a fabulous surprise gift! Why not give them a romantic weekend away to a not too distant inn, winery or cute town in quiet January? Two great options close to the Washington, DC metro area are Prince Michel Vineyards for a wine tour, tasting, dinner and stay OR The Inn at Little Washington for an over the top dinner and stay. Check out Travel+Leisure for local ideas near you.