Escape Villas Offers Family Vacation Rentals for the Holidays

Trade the cold winter weather in North America for a tropical Christmas vacation in Costa Rica, where travelers can spend their holidays enjoying outdoor family adventures in the comfort of an Escape Villa family vacation rental.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
As the holiday season approaches, more Americans are planning to travel for Christmas compared to 2011, according to a report by HomeAway, Inc. – an online vacation rental marketplace. The number of families traveling in December is expected to nearly double, rising from 22 percent in 2011 to 40 percent this year.
And while everyone looks forward to a “White Christmas,” some families are trading in blankets of fresh snow for the pristine white sands of a tropical beach. Costa Rica has long been a sun-kissed haven for vacationers seeking outdoor thrills and wildlife encounters, and its balmy weather is a welcome respite during the blustery winter season.
Escape Villas, Costa Rica’s leading vacation rental company, sees a ten-fold increase in reservations during the holiday season, with the majority of bookings made by large family groups. “One of the terrific features about vacation rentals is that extended families can stay together with all the creature comforts of home – but with a lot more space and privacy. They have their own swimming pool, kitchen, laundry facilities and an array of other amenities at no extra charge," says Escape Villas spokesperson, Sara Hopkins
With an impressive portfolio of villas and vacation rentals in some of Costa Rica’s most family-friendly locales, including Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo and Flamingo, Escape Villas caters to those seeking plenty of warm sunshine with easy access to national parks, beaches, nature tours and vibrant nightlife. According to Ms. Hopkins, most guests book their holiday beach vacation rentals at least six months in advance, sometimes even earlier.
On why families choose Escape Villas for their holiday plans, Sara Hopkins explains, “A Christmas vacation in Costa Rica takes the stress out of the holidays, as families can enjoy each other’s company in one of the most spectacular places in the world. The kids never forget the year Santa visited their beachfront home, where every day promised a new and exciting adventure.” Another built-in benefit to their vacation rentals: private chef services. No more slaving in the kitchen, as families can relax and spend time together while someone else prepares a home-cooked holiday feast.
When considering a holiday rental, timing is everything. Costa Rica has two tourism periods: a high season that lasts from December-April and corresponds with the country’s dry weather. And a low season, which runs from May-October, during Costa Rica’s rainy months. December and January are known for their fabulous climate, with cool breezes and average temperatures hovering around 82 F.
While prices may be steeper during this peak time, travelers are willing to shell out extra funds to reap the season’s many rewards, according to Escape Villas’ reservations manager. Recent statistics from a HomeAway, Inc. poll reveal that 31 percent of travelers are booking a vacation rental this December, and 21 percent say they’d pay more for more spacious accommodations, especially those that included a pool or spa tub, kitchen and laundry facilities.
Costa Rica has been a treasured vacation destination for many tourists during the festive holiday months. With its temperate climate, proximity to North America, and wealth of adventure activities, the perks of Christmas in paradise are many. And with more airlines offering direct flights into San Jose and Liberia, travelers have new budget-conscious options for booking their vacation. This past October, Canadian carrier WestJet announced non-stop seasonal service from Toronto to Guanacaste’s Liberia terminal. Other low-cost airlines including Spirit, JetBlue and Frontier also provide direct flights from major U.S. cities like New York, Denver and Orlando.
If the current travel trend continues, the team at Escape Villas anticipates another 10 percent increase in their Costa Rica vacation rental bookings for December 2013. Ms. Hopkins confirms “Our experienced concierge is committed to providing the tropical holiday vacation of a lifetime, with engaging activities for the whole family, from zip-line canopy tours and horseback rides to sunset sailing excursions.”
Families can celebrate the holidays in contemporary rainforest villas – where playful monkeys are regular visitors – to luxurious oceanfront homes with sublime views. Consider the many advantages of a Christmas vacation in Costa Rica with Escape Villas. Feliz Navidad!

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Shiny Reputation Highlights Airbnb for their Focus on Local Neighborhood Information

Shiny Reputation proclaims their opinion on the recent launch of Airbnb’s Neighborhoods program, in which they are looking to narrow the focus of their site to concentrate on services in local neighborhoods where rental properties are located.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Shiny Reputation has issued an announcement about the launch of the Airbnb Neighborhood program, which seeks to give users of its online holiday lodging rental marketplace more information about the areas in which the lodging is located.
The editor of ShinyReputation.com stated, “Local businesses will benefit greatly from the launch of neighborhood ratings by Airbnb, in which local neighborhoods are rated based on transportation, services, quality of local restaurants and more. This will create an all in one service for renters. The service, which is in its trial stage in San Francisco, will lessen Airbnb’s members need to use services such as Yelp. We still see Yelp going strong and always tell businesses that improving your reputation online is key to developing the business relationship with patrons. The neighborhoods service is another resource.”
Airbnb is an online marketplace in which people can offer their homes, apartments, and other types of lodging for rent directly to travelers, bypassing hotels and apartment-finding services. Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2008, and has since grown to host more than 200,000 unique listings in 26,000 cities in 192 countries across the globe. On Airbnb, individuals can search for lodgings available in a certain city for a certain timeframe, and then choose from the listings on offer by private renters in that location. Payment is done through the website itself, while all interactions between renters and lodgers are done on a personal basis. The Neighborhoods program is an attempt to give travelers more information about specific local areas of cities they travel to and choose lodgings in the area of their choosing. Currently the program is for information purposes only, and is not yet a channel for marketing online. “That being said the photos used to highlight the local businesses on the neighborhoods tool are amazing. Most travel savvy individuals will seek out those businesses’ websites. It is always recommended that server uptime monitoring receive some attention as we are primarily connected via the internet.”
Airbnb has launched the Neighborhoods program in this city in which it is headquartered, San Francisco, California. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and technological capital of the West Coast of the United States. With over 800,000 residents in the city itself and more than 7.5 million in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area, it is one of the largest and most important cities in the US. The San Francisco Bay Area is known for being the home of Silicon Valley, and the center of technological innovation in the US. Some of the tech companies with headquarters in the area include Apple Computers, Adobe, HP, Google, and Intel.
The launch of Airbnb’s local Neighborhood program will give local businesses further exposure within this large community of travelers, and possibly increase business. Additionally, it will position Airbnb as a rival to Yelp when looking at local businesses and determining where to stay, and what to do. It has yet to be determined if the program will be successful, but local businesses should be entranced by the thought of become visible to a new pool of potential customers.

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KSL Cars Adds Contact At Once! Live Chat in Ads

Utah Dealerships Can Integrate Chat to Connect with Potential Buyers

Atlanta (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Contact At Once!, the leading live chat provider connecting online and mobile car shoppers to auto dealers, today announced that it has been selected by KSL Cars, Utah’s leading online marketplace, as its exclusive provider of live chat for automotive advertising. KSL Cars will bundle Contact At Once! in its auto dealer packages.
Contact At Once! live chat is used by over 10,000 automobile dealerships and the world’s busiest online automotive shopping sites. Dealers who use Contact At Once! say they typically experience a 25% increase in the number of connections with website visitors.
“Contact At Once! was the first to put live chat in online automotive classifieds and they have unique features that make the software especially well-suited for connecting thousands of shoppers with dealers through chat in ads,” says Eric Bright, KSL’s Vice-President of E-Commerce.
“More and more shoppers prefer text and chat to old-fashioned lead forms and they like the instant access, as well as the convenience,” says Lloyd Hecht, Contact At Once! Director, Business Development. Advertising with mobile and desktop text and chat options can draw more attention and appeal to shoppers who might be reluctant to call or email.”
KSL Cars is the leading provider of auto classifieds in Utah, serving more than 45,000 car shoppers per month. Another factor in choosing Contact At Once! was ease of use and implementation, says Bright. “Our advertisers can be chatting with potential car buyers in a matter of minutes.”
About Contact At Once!

Contact At Once! pioneered the use of website chat in automotive advertising, enabling instant connections between online shoppers and dealerships through search websites, dealership websites, social media and mobile sites. More than 10,000 customers rely on Contact At Once! chat to drive incremental sales opportunities and increase return on advertising investments. For more information, visit http://www.autodealerchat.com.
About KSL

KSL.com is owned and operated by Deseret Digital Media (DDM), and powers the largest online marketplace in Utah - including auto, real estate, deals and local search verticals. In total, Deseret Digital Media properties attract more than 5.5 million unique visitors and serve nearly 300 million page views per month. The DDM network of web sites includes KSL.com, Deseretnews.com, DeseretBook.com, MormonTimes.com, LDSChurchNews.com, FM100.com, OK.com and 1035TheArrow.com. Deseret Digital Media's two-part vision is to become the largest and most compelling regional commerce marketplace in the United States and to also become a world-leading, values-based digital content marketplace. Deseret Digital Media is a part of Deseret Media Companies.

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BedEd.org Launches Blog for Mattress Reviews, Education, Consumer Tips & More

New blog, BedEd.org announces launch; to promote consumer awareness via buying guides, shopping tips, product reviews, and information related to mattresses and sleep.

Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
BedEd.org launches mattress education blog designed to offer consumer resources including reviews, buying guides, shopping tips, and more.
Shopping for a new bed can seem like a daunting task with so many brands, models, and types in the marketplace. How can consumers figure out the best bed for their needs? BedEd.org seeks to help shoppers make the research process a little smoother with informational support regarding mattresses, brands and innovations.
Using an easy to navigate blog format, the website will provide first hand research as well as write ups and summaries of third party reviews and research. As an information aggregate, the blog will contain information on the spectrum of companies and offerings available, making research simpler and more efficient for shoppers.
Planned topics are to include mattress buying guides, pros and cons of specific mattress types and brands, product reviews, and sleep hygiene tips. They will also run series detailing the best mattress types based on specific needs in response to common concerns and reader questions. The blog also hopes to serve as a social tool via commentary on personal experience and recommendations.
The blog’s initial post takes an informational stance on mattress material composition and effects on health. Titled “What’s in Your Bed? Choosing the Best Mattress for Your Health” the post outlines how flame retardants, volatile organic compounds, and allergens impact sleepers. Using these criteria, it is explained why natural latex and memory foam offer superior alternatives for individuals concerned about mattress health.
Upcoming posts will include tips for combating allergies in the bedroom, detailed information on mattress types, and how to pick the best beds for back pain and fibromyalgia. BedEd.org offers newsletter options and a Twitter feed for interested readers to receive updates on recent posts and industry news.

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Five Star Service Award for SIPP Providers Dentons Pensions

Dentons Pensions are the only Bespoke SIPP Providers to be Awarded 5 Stars at Financial Adviser Service Awards – the benchmark for service levels in the retail financial marketplace.

Godalming Surrey (PRWEB UK) 20 December 2012
Hosted by comedian Stephen K Amos, The Financial Adviser Service Awards were held on 22 November 2012 at The Natural History Museum. Dentons Pensions were the only bespoke SIPP Provider to win the 5 Star ‘excellent service’ Award, which is voted for by advisers.
The Financial Adviser Service Awards identify the importance of the highest possible quality services from all financial product providers to their IFA clients. They are well known to be the absolute benchmark for premium service levels across the retail finance marketplace.
“Dentons has always been focused on delivering exceptional service and flexibility – reacting to changes in the marketplace and making it easier for advisers to do business. It’s why we are delighted to have been awarded 5 stars at the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2012,” said David Fox, Director of Sales & Marketing.
These are not the first awards that Dentons has won. Having already received the Investor In Customers (IIC) ‘outstanding’ award, Dentons’ SIPP earlier this year was given a 5 star rating by Defaqto, a leading UK independent financial research company. The rating shows the level of benefits provided, allowing adviser’s clients to base decisions on features, not just on price. With this level of service and understanding, clients can be confident they will enjoy a comprehensive range of features, options and benefits.
These awards underline Dentons’ commitment to advisers and their clients whose ethos has always been one of delivering service and flexibility to clients without putting unnecessary barriers in the way. With the SIPP marketplace becoming increasingly crowded in recent years the continued delivery of a market leading service proposition has become crucial. As one of the few areas where a firm can really stand out from the competition, one can see that service remains a key focus for Dentons.
So the root of this success? The average pension consultant at Dentons has been there for over 20 years and each one is skilled at dealing with a range of investments from simple to complex transactions, including property purchase. Working with all appointed professionals to ensure everything runs smoothly and allowing clients to use their own contacts and to manage their own properties (if required) is part of the key to Dentons’ success. It currently manages in excess of 700 properties.
Dentons has made a huge investment in their SIPP and SSAS propositions, supported by an interactive website and secure adviser portal, giving advisers instant access to their client information 24 hours a day. The sales, technical and marketing functions have been strengthened and a new technical advisory service for advisers has been launched.
Overall, Dentons ethos has always been one of delivering service and flexibility to its clients without putting unnecessary barriers in the way. In such a competitive marketplace, introducers and clients want more than just competitively priced products. Dentons listens to client needs and this award endorses their ongoing commitment to deliver.

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Kenya police: 28 people killed in clashes

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A police official says 28 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in south-eastern Kenya.
Anthony Kamitu, who is leading police operations to prevent the attacks, said Friday that the Pokomo tribe of farmers raided a village of the Orma herding community, called Kipao, at dawn in the Tana River Delta.
The latest deaths in a tit-for-tat cycle of killings may be related to a redrawing of political boundaries and next year's general elections, according to the U.N.
At least 110 people were killed in clashes between the Pokomo and Orma in September and October.
Animosity between the two communities over land and water resources has existed for decades.

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FBI: 1 of 2 bank robbers who escaped federal Chicago jail arrested after dayslong manhunt

CHICAGO - Police say one of two bank robbers have been arrested after the pair's brazen escape from a high-rise federal jail in downtown Chicago sparked a dayslong manhunt.
FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde says Joseph Banks was captured late Thursday.
Banks fled the Metropolitan Correctional Center early Tuesday with Kenneth Conley by apparently smashing a hole in a wall at the bottom of a narrow cell window and squeezing through, before scaling down about 20 stories using a knotted rope or bed sheets.
Police helicopters and canine units swarmed the Chicago area, but not until hours after the men were last accounted for by correctional officers' headcount. The search later spread beyond Chicago to the homes of anyone officers could find with ties to the men.
Both men face hefty prison sentences.

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Raid on Kenyan coastal village leaves 28 dead

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Raiders killed villagers and burnt homes in an early morning attack in Kenya's volatile coastal Tana Delta region that left 28 people dead, police said on Friday.
They said the raid appeared to have been a revenge attack following clashes between farmers from the Pokomo tribe and semi-nomadic Orma tribesmen, who have fought for years over access to grazing, farmland and water in the coastal region.
More than 100 people died in a series of attacks in the area earlier this year.
"About 150 Pokomo raiders attacked Kipao village which is inhabited by the Ormas early Friday, but the Ormas appeared to have been aware and were prepared. A confrontation ensued and as result 19 Ormas and 9 Pokomos were killed," Robert Kitur, Coast Region deputy police chief, told reporters.

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French leader: Al-Qaida link to Nigeria kidnapping

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — President Francois Hollande says a French engineer kidnapped in northern Nigeria was "without a doubt" seized by a group linked to al-Qaida's north African wing, or its jihadist affiliates.
The French leader told Europe-1 radio on Friday that "powerfully armed" assailants captured the engineer two days earlier.
Nigerian police have said that about 30 attackers stormed the French man's home in the northern town of Rimi. They also killed two Nigerians — a neighbor and a security guard of the engineer with French energy firm Vergnet SA.
The kidnapping occurred in a quiet area close to Niger. France has been among the Western countries pressing for international action to rid northern Mali, to the north, of al-Qaida-linked jihadists who have controlled the vast, arid zone for months.

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Bernard Madoff's brother gets 10-year sentence

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Madoff was "frankly, not believable" when he claimed he was as surprised as anyone to learn his brother had blown $20 billion of investor money in a massive Ponzi scheme that lasted for decades, a judge said as she sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
The disbelief was a recurring theme at the sentencing proceeding Thursday for the 67-year-old former chief compliance officer before U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan. Two investors among 40 who wrote victim impact statements for the court expressed the same disbelief and a prosecutor was skeptical as well.
Investor Michael T. De Vita, 62, said he believed "it to be physically impossible for a single person to carry out such a gargantuan task all by himself."
"Four years later, Peter still has chosen to take no action and turn a blind eye, leaving us the true victims," said Amy Luria Nissenbaum, 49, whose home is in foreclosure as wave after wave of crippling financial news continues to hit her family. She choked back tears as she described her struggle to "clothe and feed my children" since Bernard Madoff four years ago revealed the Ponzi scheme that wiped out her family's life savings.
When Swain announced that Peter Madoff will not have to report to prison until Feb. 6, Nissenbaum laughed out loud bitterly. The delay will let Peter Madoff attend his granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah on Jan. 19.
The judge noted that 10 years was the maximum sentence allowed by the charges to which Madoff had pled and repeatedly urged Madoff to relieve the pain of investors by revealing more about the Madoff business.
"I challenge you to be honest about all that you have done and all that you have seen. In other words, all that you know," she said to Madoff, who wore a well-tailored charcoal suit. The judge said Peter Madoff was "frankly not believable" when he claimed he only learned of the fraud when his brother revealed it just before his arrest.
Peter Madoff had agreed when he pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy and falsifying the books and records of an investment adviser that he would not challenge a 10-year sentence. He follows to prison his 74-year-old brother, who is serving a 150-year sentence.
Peter Madoff spoke only briefly, saying: "I am deeply ashamed of my conduct and have tried to atone by pleading guilty and have agreed to forfeit all of my present and future assets."
He added: "I am profoundly sorry that my failures let many people down, including my loved ones."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Baroni said it would have been easy for Peter Madoff to blow the whistle on the fraud. Instead, she said, he even conspired with his brother to distribute the remaining $300 million in the company's accounts to family, friends and favored clients before the FBI put an end to the plan by arresting his brother.
The sentencing comes four years and a week after Bernard Madoff first revealed the fraud, which occurred as the former NASDAQ chairman built a reputation for delivering unparalleled investment results, even in bad times. The revelation came only days after the business sent out statements that made investors think their investments had grown to a total of more than $65 billion.
Peter Madoff said at his plea that he had no idea his brother was running a massive Ponzi scheme, paying off longtime investors at times with money from newer investors.
"My family was torn apart as a result of my brother's atrocious conduct," he said. "I was reviled by strangers as well as friends who assumed that I knew about the Ponzi scheme."
Peter Madoff, who joined his brother's firm after graduating from Fordham Law School in 1970, has been free on $5 million bail after agreeing to surrender all of his assets.
Prior to sentencing, his lawyer, John Wing, said in a memorandum that Peter Madoff will "almost certainly live out his remaining days as a jobless pariah, in or out of prison." He called him a victim of his loyalty to his brother, saying he had been mistreated by the sibling who was eight years older and was viewed as "the prince" by his mother.
As part of a forfeiture agreement, Madoff's wife, Marion, and daughter Shana must forfeit nearly all of their assets. The government said those assets and assets that will be forfeited by other family members include several homes, a Ferrari and more than $10 million in cash and securities. It said his wife will be left with $771,733. Besides the Madoff brothers, no other family members have been arrested.
Though Peter Madoff had been the firm's chief compliance officer for nearly four decades, the government marked his start in the conspiracy as 1996, when he created false and misleading compliance documents and false reports for the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since the fraud was revealed, a court-appointed trustee has reached agreements to recover approximately $9.3 billion and is hoping to recover another $3 billion over the next 18 months. About $3 billion has been approved for redistribution to victims through an ongoing claims process.
Besides his brother, Peter Madoff is among six who have pleaded guilty, including the former finance chief, a payroll manager, an accountant, a comptroller and a securities trader.
Five others face trial next year, including Bernard Madoff's longtime secretary. All have pleaded not guilty.

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