A Fabulous Vacation

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

Okay. We’re back from the holidays, feeling refreshed, and ready to charge blindly back into the fray.

Well…. maybe not blindly. Boldly. Or bravely. That’s what we’re doing. We’re charging *bravely* back into the fundraiser.

Let’s start over.

This year, when we announced that Worldbuilders was accepting donations, we got an interesting offer from a resort out in California. They offered to donate stays at their posh hotel so we could auction them off and raise some money for Heifer International.

This is a bit of an experiment for us. And to be completely honest, I have no idea how well it’s going to work. It’s vastly different than the bookish things we usually put up for auction.

But the truth is, Rancho Las Palmas seems like a pretty great place to take a vacation, if you’re into sun, beaches, and that sort of thing.

So we’re giving it a try. I’d be obliged to y’all if you’d spread the word to anyone you think might be interested.

  • Auctions: Six (6!) 2-night packages at Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, California!

This package offers accommodations for two nights including daily breakfast for two at the bluEmber restaurant.

They’ve got a 29 hole golf course there, which seems like a lot to me, not that I know anything about golf. Not to mention tennis courts and… well, I’m sure if you’re curious, you’re fully capable of clicking a link to see for yourself what the place is like.

Keep in mind that this auction does not include any airfare or other transportation.

We have SIX packages up for auction, so you have lots of opportunity to win.  Also, we’ve verified with the folks at Rancho Las Palmas, if you win more than one of the auctions, you can combine them into a longer stay. Or you could go with friends. Or you could use one room for sleeping in and the other for… y’know…. doing it.

Auction 1 is here, auction 2 is here, auction 3 is here, auction 4 is here, auction 5 is here, and auction 6 is here.

These auctions will be ending in 10 minute intervals on Saturday, January 12th, so if you lose one… well, you can just outbid the other guy on the next one.  Or the next one.  Or the next one.

So enjoy that.

  • Auction: 2-night *Suite* package at Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, California!

Rancho Las Palmas

This package offers suite accommodations for two nights including daily breakfast for two at the bluEmber restaurant, two (2) 50-minute spa treatments, and unlimited golf & tennis.

Take someone you love. Hell, take someone you hate, maybe you’ll love each other by the end of it.

Again, travel isn’t included in this. Just to be clear.

To bid on this swank vacation, head over here.

*     *     *

Stay tuned for more.  Now that the holidays are over, we’ve got a lot to post before the end of the fundraiser on January 21st.

It’s worth remembering that for every $10 you pitch in on the Worldbuilders Team Page, you get another chance to win something cool.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to the main page.

This entry was posted in Worldbuilders 2012. By Pat14 Responses

14 Comments

  1. tozka
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 6:26 AM | Permalink

    Hi,

    When is Worldbuilders ending ? I want to participate this year but right now that is not possible.

    • Looknan
      Posted January 3, 2013 at 6:33 AM | Permalink

      Hi,

      I believe the fundraiser will end – as stated in the blog itself – on Januray the 18th. Hopefully you can participate by then!

      Have a good one :)

  2. Richard
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 7:49 AM | Permalink

    “But the truth is, Rancho Las Palmas seems like a pretty great place to take a vacation, if you’re into sun, beaches, and that sort of thing.”

    Actually, if you’re into beaches, I’d recommend something more located on the shore, rather than the desert.

    That said, I’ll forward this to my dad, who happens to love Palm Springs.

    • Posted January 3, 2013 at 12:11 PM | Permalink

      They’ve got lakes and such, too. Says on the website….

  3. Luke
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 8:08 AM | Permalink

    I must say, that is pretty kick ass of them! Sounds like you have some fans out in Palm Springs!

    One thing: The post mentions there are 6 packages while the worldbuilders auction page has 7: http://www.ebay.com/sch/worldbuilders/m.html?_ipg&_from&_nkw&_armrs=1&_sop=1

    • Amanda
      Posted January 3, 2013 at 8:33 AM | Permalink

      Yup! There are six regular 2 night packages, and one SUITE package, that comes with two spa treatments, plus all the golf and tennis you want to play, on top of everything else. So seven total.

      • Luke
        Posted January 3, 2013 at 9:46 AM | Permalink

        Wow, thats even more kick ass!

        Wish me luck!

  4. Neville Longbottom
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 9:53 AM | Permalink

    Y’know, I think this is pretty damn cool. There’s nothing particularly geeky about it, but here’s why I think it’s cool.

    Because I think in these flesh-eating economic times, the hotel was having trouble meeting its minimum occupancy requirements. So the marketing department (or, more probably, the parent company’s marketing department) said, “we’ve *got* to unload some of these.”

    Now, they could have put them up on us.lastminute.com for $19. But *somebody* there is a geek, and knew about Worldbuilders, and they suggested it. And the marketing department said, “what the hell.”

    Marketing departments have done worse things in the world.

    Am I making this up? Demonstratably, yes. But I’ve worked plenty in the hospitalities industry, and I bet I’m not too far off.

    So I say, if you win it, try to find that geek. Buy them a Mai Tai and speculate about Pat’s third book. I can tell you for sure it won’t be the first time fantasy novels have been discussed over Mai Tais….

    • Melissa
      Posted January 3, 2013 at 5:58 PM | Permalink

      Actually, I’m just a girl who loves Pat’s books and happens to work in the marketing department and am able to make gift certificates for the charities I love. Sometimes, it’s just that simple. :)

  5. Neville Longbottom
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 10:00 AM | Permalink

    And let’s face it. Lots of us are out here right now going, “Spa treatment? That’s like a massage, right? Or a facial?”

    I bet at least alot of us man-geeks are….

  6. Hawks
    Posted January 3, 2013 at 11:11 AM | Permalink

    Pat,

    Just a thought…..Use these as a meet and greet with yourself, maybe a new chapter from the new book being read by the bearded bandit himself. Select a set timeframe and auction off the remainding 5. I know it would be the highest selling item in the auction.Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to afford it but it would help the cause……

  7. Posted January 3, 2013 at 11:40 AM | Permalink

    Gettin’ fancy this year. LOL.

    Pretty cool that they donated all this to world builders. Which reminds me, I better donate some of my next check to it myself. January 18th? Really? That close?

    Maybe it’s just me but seems like all this only started yesterday….

    Off subject, I noticed your facebook status the other day and was wondering what your new car was like? Enjoying it? I bought a truck a few years back for $1600 and I thought that was expensive. At the time I’d never paid over $500 for a car either LOL. But it was worth it in the end. Did you get something super fancy or just practical?

  8. Pyratheon
    Posted January 4, 2013 at 8:01 PM | Permalink

    While I don’t have a lot of money, as I’m a student, I donated $30. I guess I’ll live off canned peaches for a week. Best of luck, sir!

  9. Tait
    Posted January 5, 2013 at 1:28 AM | Permalink

    My wife was in the area and stopped by to see Rancho Las Palmas.

    It is an upscale family-friendly resort. There is a large water-play area for kids (Splashtopia) which had our 3 year old begging to go swimming. The restaurants also definitely accommodate families with children (she saw a 1 year old with parents on the bluEmber’s patio).

    Even better, the resort is just a short drive from our favorite zoo, the Living Desert, where you can feed a giraffe every morning, brush goats in their petting zoo, and ride a merry-go-round (and ride a live camel or two if they are in a good mood). All this plus shows and seeing animals like cheetahs, jaguars, zebras, ostriches, etc.

    My wife only meant to be there for 5-10 minutes and ended up staying for 2 hours (1 of which was in the gift shop….). The website really is a good representation of the resort.

    For winners planning their trip, be advised that Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage can get ridiculously hot in the summer – it might be ideal to visit before June or after September…

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