For travelers with deep pockets and an overabundance of holiday spirit, several luxury hotels across the country are offering over-the-top Yule-themed packages. Here are three of the most ridiculously extravagant options we've come across so far (we'll update the list as we encounter more):
* At the Schofield Hotel in Cleveland, you can stay in a suite designed to look just like Ralphie's home in the classic holiday comedy A Christmas Story. In addition to holiday decor, the room will have bunny-suit robes, a decoder ring, Lifebuoy soap, and, of course, a sexy leg lamp. Don't expect to find a Red Ryder BB gun, however, because, well . . .
Rates for the Ralphie Suite start at $679 per night.
* The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain near Tucson will soon unveil a lifesize gingerbread house where up to six guests at a time can have lunch or dinner. The edible structure will be constructed from 400 pounds of honey, 856 pounds of sugar, 350 pounds of flour, 100 pounds of ginger powder, 50 pounds of cinnamon, 10 pounds of nutmeg, and 250 eggs. There will be a working fireplace inside, too.
* Finally, there's the borderline-appalling Christmas State of Mind Package at Langham Place in New York City. For an astronomical $150,000, you get accommodations in a brand-new penthouse, use of a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce, an eight-course tasting menu served in your suite by a James Beard Award-winning chef, four seats at the New York theatrical production of your choice, four VIP tickets to the top of the Empire State Building, two in-room massages, and a fully decorated Christmas tree in your room—with wrapped gifts for you to open.
It's billed as a Christmas package, but the money-to-burn, let-them-eat-cake feel of it makes us think more of Bastille Day.
