Top Customer Picks for Valentine’s Day Gifts
I know, I know. The 2011 holidays have just ended. We're all finally getting adjusted to writing 2012 at the end of our dates and most of us have whittled our list of resolutions down to 1 or 2 that we might keep up for another couple of weeks. It almost feels like there might be some time to take a deep breath and relax for a few minutes. Until you look at the calendar and realize that Valentine's Day is less that 4 weeks away!
Lucky for you (and yours), we've got you covered with a roundup of our most popular Valentine's Day Gifts. Whether you're looking for a gift that will give them a memorable experience or something that the two of you can do together, we have something that fits the bill:
Last Minute Gifts: Ten Experience Gifts for Sixty Dollars or Less
Private Fly Casting Instruction in Indianapolis
In these harrowing moments before Christmas, Cloud 9 Living presents you with a list of the ten best experience gifts under sixty bucks. Perfect for your boss, your sister's new boyfriend whom she toted unexpectedly home for the holidays, or even as a punchy stocking-stuffer, there's a little something for everyone, and every wallet.
Private Pilates Session in Chicago: A private lesson for this popular exercise combines stretching and strength training to provide the ultimate in body toning. After your introduction, you'll come away with the knowledge to practice--and strengthen--on your own.
Horseback Trail Ride in Orlando: Whether it's been fifteen years or your entire life, hop back into the saddle and nudge your sturdy friend forward into a laid-back exploration of Kissimmee, Florida.
White Christmas: Gifts for Snowbirds
Happy feet.
For those who prefer their temperatures well below freezing, with torrents of powder swirling in the air and frost forming on their beards (or eyebrows or nostrils or long, sooty lashes), any one of these snowy gift experiences will light up the snowbird in your life.
Helicopter Skiing in Telluride: Take off from Las Vegas and traverse the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in a helicopter. Touch down on the backcountry slopes of Telluride again and again, carving your way down these untracked peaks in a day of the best skiing of your life. (Also available with starting points in Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver, or in Alaska with starting points in Seattle and San Francisco).
Helicopter Skiing in Telluride
Intro to Snow Kiting in Minneapolis: For the mountain-starved Midwesterners, here's a chance to learn the basics of snow kiting before you set off to the high country. This introductory lesson teaches you how to capture the wind in your sails with a board (or skis) strapped to your feet, kite control, safety, equipment, and more--all the building blocks you'll need to tackle this adventurous new sport. (Also available in Denver.)
Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Romantic Gifts for Couples
With just a few days left before Christmas, Cloud 9 Living has you covered. These five romantic experience gifts will keep you and your loved one warm and cozy as the winter wears on, perfect for the rose-colored gifts on your list--no diamonds, roses, or fancy watches needed.
Couples Private Yoga in Phoenix: Take a deep breath, open up your mind, your heart, and your chest in an intimate setting. This private session caters to the two of you and your specific needs, like working out the kinks in that lower back of yours or increasing flexibility in sore shoulders, all the while building trust and encouraging relaxation.
Couples' Private Yoga in Phoenix
Couples Massage in Philadelphia: The only thing better than a private massage is a private massage for two. Strip down and unroll yourself onto the heated massage bed, with your partner an arm's length away. Separate but equal, this luxurious afternoon is perfect for a drowsy conversation or indulgent silence with your love as you both get the stress rubbed from your bones.
New Food and Wine Experiences for the Holidays
Just before the holidays, Cloud 9 Living introduces a bundle of new Food and Wine Experiences, perfect for the foodies in your life. Whether they're in Austin or San Diego, Chicago or Boston, there's a little something new for everyone.
For the wine connoisseurs (or those who'd like to be), take a look at the Host a Wine Tasting Party in Chicago, where you and up to fourteen friends can gather in your own home to be wined and dined by a professional sommelier. The Sunset Wine Tasting Cruise in Los Angeles whisks guests to the Long Beach peninsula on a fully restored vintage sailboat, with appetizers paired to complement the four wine tastings. For a thorough introduction to the sommelier's world, check out Wine 101 in St. Louis, Portland or Denver, or get outdoors to the Private Hill Country Wine Tour in Austin's rolling, tree-dappled hills.
Daredevil Holiday Gifts – New for 2011
Wild things, wild presents.
Witness the risk-seeking, thrill-hunting adrenaline junkies, those who prefer a leap into thin air over a leap of faith, waltzing across hot coals instead of the dance floor.
Whatever your particular brand of crazy (I say that with love and affection), this season Cloud 9 Living introduces more hair-raising, heart-pounding, scintillating, adventurous experience gifts than any one daredevil knows what to do with--not that they won't try.
Aerial Stunts
Those dreaming of flight have much to get excited about this season, as twelve plane experiences and eight helicopter experiences join the Cloud 9 hangar, like the Ultimate Seattle Scenic Flight and Winnipesaukee Biplane Ride in Boston. True thrill-seekers can get their hands on the joystick with Learn to Fly in Boston(also available now in D.C. and Seattle, among other cities), a beginner's introduction to the sport game art of flying.
Holiday Gifts for Foodies
Cooking lessons, from Wok Star to In-Home Gourmet, are a foodie treat.
For foodies, I suspect no time of year is greater than the holidays, filled with multiple, multicolored feasts, cocktail parties with fancy hors d'oeuvres and champagne flutes, and now, the possibility of receiving any one of these delectable foodie experiences from Cloud 9 Living. From Wok Star or gourmet in-home cooking lessons to wine and beer tasting sails to niche food tours in cities across the country, we've left no stone unturned.
Personally? Here's my list:
Gondola Dessert Cruise for Two in Vegas These hit the Cloud 9 scene last month, and they look positively romantic with their sleek boats slipping through the canal, shimmering glasses of champagne, and arrays of elegant desserts.
Kayak to Dinner on the Dunes in L.A. Work up an appetite kayaking through Morro Bay, catching sights of local wildlife and the calm waters, then shore up to the pristine dunes and watch the sun sink into the water, local vino or brew in hand, while your guide grills a California beach-style dinner for you and your partner in crime.
New Cloud 9 Experiences: October 2011
Yes, please.
Just in time for the holidays, Cloud 9 Living introduces a few dozen new experiences. Very exciting for you; very difficult (to whittle down to four hundred words, near which I have not come close) for me. Without further adieu, I present you with an abridged early bird holiday gift shopping special:
Gondolas! Que romantico. Slip through calm waters as the sun sinks, clink glasses with your sweetheart, and drink a toast to the incredible odds of finding each other. With three variations available, I suggest selecting an experience by your hunger level: the Vegas Romantic Gondola Cruise (also available in L.A., Ocean Beach, and Dallas) includes a box of chocolates to nibble on and some sparkling cider; the Los Angeles Gondola Dinner Cruises for Two (also in Ocean Beach, Dallas and Vegas) present you with a gourmet meal; and the Dallas Gondola Dessert Cruises (in Los Angeles and Las Vegas too) display an array of delicacies for your sweet tooth. Here I believe a photo really is worth a thousand words, so see top-left for a vision of your romantic future.
For the Nice Guys: Christmas Gifts for Guys
Shhh. I won't tell.
It’s that time again. Doorknobs suddenly jingle with brassy sleigh bells, be-ribboned garlands appear above the mantle, and storefronts advise you to get rollin’ on that monster Christmas List scroll.
At least I wish I had a scroll. Too many of the men in my life (I’m talking about you, Dad) refuse to let loose a gift they’d like, leaving me grasping for books, fancy sea salts and (seriously) socks.
If this all sounds familiar, I offer you here a few clues, courtesy of Cloud 9 Living. From six-day wind surfing lessons in San Antonio to Private Ninja Lessons (also serious) in New York, the days of socks and sea salts are over.
Golf Lesson with a PGA Pro This ever-popular (yet never dull) experience pairs the golf-enthusiast in your life with a bona fide PGA pro for a one-on-one lesson of a lifetime. He’ll hammer out the quirks of his swing, learn how to beat the sand trap, and reap the rewards of a pro’s lifetime in the game.
The Great Outdoors Series: Greater Denver
Next up in the Great Outdoors series, the country’s most infamously active city: Denver, CO.
By Land:
Denver Snow Kiting: Snowboarding’s old hat? Skiing’s been mastered? Toss the pro into snow kiting lessons and watch her learn all over again--a perfect Christmas gift experience for her. This introductory course combines kite-boarding with snowboarding or skiing (either works, but skiing is easier). Words like “wind window,” “launch,” and “de-power” promise to defamiliarize traditional snow sports.
Zipline Adventure in Colorado: Hit the ropes at thirty miles per hour, zipping through three-thousand feet of Colorado wilderness. Among the snow-capped Rockies in Buena Vista, CO, with the Arkansas River roaring past, there’s plenty to nature to soak up, suitable for nearly all ages (kids over ten are welcome to join the high-speed fun.)
Arkansas River Photo Safari: Postcards, my friends, will be a thing of the past. Take your observational powers beyond the simple point, click and shoot with this guided photo safari. Renowned local photographer, Jon Sheppard, guides you through territory and composition along the Arkansas River in its Rocky Mountain home near Leadville, CO.
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