Historical Hotel and Spa Overlooking San Francisco Bay

The Claremont Hotel & Spa-a historical, AAA Four Diamond Award-winning hotel-overlooks the San Francisco Bay from a perch atop the Claremont Canyon. During the California gold rush, a private, English-style castle stood on the property. But after the castle burned down, real estate tycoon Frank Havens won the land in a game of checkers, and in 1915, he opened the sprawling Mediterranean-style resort that still stands today.

Of the many improvements made to the hotel over the years, none shine as brightly as the Spa Claremont, a 20,000-square-foot facility dubbed the Top U.S. Urban Spa by Vogue magazine. Beyond offering standard therapeutics such as facials and massages, the spa's staff administers body treatments, acupuncture, and water therapy, a means of relieving stress by wielding a seltzer bottle à la the Three Stooges. At the hotel's fitness center, 60 exercise classes are scheduled every week. There are 10 tennis courts onsite and a number of swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, and saunas.

Three restaurants provide a range of fine-dining options. The landmark Meritage at the Claremont, a farm-to-table affair, serves dishes such as the Sonoma goat-cheese-potato terrine beneath a two-story ceiling while diners gaze out onto the bay. The more casual Paragon Restaurant-an American brasserie-offers hand-shaken cocktails, live jazz on the weekends, and outdoor deck seating. The Bayview Cafe serves up light fare poolside. Upstairs, the hotel's Distinctive Bay View rooms have been newly renovated so that no two are exactly alike.

Berkeley, California: Eclectic College Town Full of Art, History, and Culture

The Claremont Hotel & Spa stands just a few minutes from the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, home to some 36,000 students and a still-thriving activist spirit. Lined with cafes and smoke shops, colorful Telegraph Avenue bustles with scholars, bohemians, and vendors hawking tie-dyed graduation gowns.

World-famous musicians and actors take the stage at Hertz and Zellerbach Halls and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and plenty of bars and restaurants along Shattuck Avenue pour microbrews and serve farm-to-table cuisine. Wandering Berkeley's residential neighborhoods can be a charming diversion in the spring and summer, when tangled gardens spill over onto tree-lined sidewalks.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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You can bet the Resort at Squaw Creek is where the deer and the antelope would play -- if they had opposable thumbs. Feel at home on the range with today's deal: Drop $47 and get one round of 18 holes on a championship golf course with a bucket of balls and included parking (a $95 value). Accuracy is the name of the game at this majestic par-71 course, which winds up the mountainside and through the wetlands of Tahoe's Squaw Valley, some 6,200 feet above sea level. Challenge yourself with stunning natural obstacles such as pine trees, tall grass, marshes, and narrow fairways as you traverse the wooden cart paths. Roam on over to this unique course, which doubles as an Audubon-certified Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary and opens for the season on May 25, and deer won't be the only thing you see as you birdie. Want more? Check out the Resort at Squaw Creek on Facebook.

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No matter how much Reno changes, some things remain the same. Maybe that's why Bertha Miranda's Mexican Food Restaurant & Cantina and the original Reno arch are within spittin' distance of each other -- both are oldies, but hot darn if they ain't goodies! Preserve tradition (and your savings): Pay $10 for two Mexican beers and a sampler platter with today's deal (a $20 value). Or, make it a fiesta with two margaritas and a sampler platter for $12 (a $26 value). For more than 20 years, this downtown institution has been serving up fresh, authentic dishes inspired by Bertha's North Mexican roots. From the brick walls to the roving mariachi bands, Bertha's effortlessly captures that south-of-the-border vibe without ever seeming contrived. Sample all her specialties with a platter including a flour or corn quesadilla, a chicken or shredded beef taquito, and a chicken or shredded beef mini chimichanga -- all served with nachos, sour cream, and to-die-for homemade guacamole. No need to buck tradition, 'cause this deal is an instant classic.

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Sumptuous Accommodations amid Mountain Terrain

The Resort at Squaw Creek's golf course looks out over lush prairies and mountainsides covered in pine trees. It's a gorgeous scene in sunny weather, but summer is technically off-season here. In the distance, you can see the six peaks of Squaw Valley USA, a sort of Shangri-La that served as the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. When the landscape is blanketed with snow, the mountains are dotted with skiers and snowboarders. The golf course is transformed for the season into the Nordic Center, leaving it crisscrossed with tracks left by dogsleds, cross-country skis, and snowshoes.

Whatever the season, The Resort at Squaw Creek serves as a convenient home base from which to enjoy the outdoors; it's tucked into the Sierra Nevada on Lake Tahoe's north shore. Hiking trails wind through the property, and on hand you'll find a private outdoor ice rink and an onsite fly-fishing center. Guests can also feel free to stop by the outdoor pool complex's plunge pool and 120-foot water slide and choreograph water ballets in its heated lap pool and three hot tubs.

Six Peaks Grille, one of the resort's four dining venues, serves up breakfasts of fresh fruit, lox, and a goldmine of pastries kept warm in white linens. The breakfast buffet allows you to load up on made-to-order omelets, bacon, french toast, and pancakes.

The resort's 405 rooms and suites underwent a $53 million renovation in recent years. The deluxe forest-view room has a marble shower and a grand picture window that overlooks Tahoe National Forest. In fact, the entire guest tower-where all the rooms are located-is sheathed in lustrous black glass to maximize views of the valley.

Squaw Valley USA: Hiking and Cycling Through Mountains on Lake Tahoe's North Shore

Located about a 15-minute drive from North Lake Tahoe, Squaw Creek is situated amid some of northern California's most revered scenery and varied terrain. The resort rents out bicycles by the hour, including Marin cruisers for adults, Trek mountain bikes for kids, and tagalong carts for infants and beloved pet rocks. Use these to hop on Truckee River Trail, a gently rolling, paved path that follows a crystal-clear river 7 miles to Tahoe City. There, you'll happen upon a paved trail with views of the Lake of the Sky and access to Tahoe Vista's beaches 10 miles to the north.

Lupine and buckwheat paint the mountainside, and the High Camp here is a nice jumping-off point to hike on some dry, pebbly trails. If you're unaccustomed to the high altitude, you may find yourself easily winded on even short hikes; still, the 1.5-mile jaunt uphill to Emigrant Peak is worth the trip, as you get 360-degree views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada.

Quaint clapboard buildings housing shops and restaurants line the Village at Squaw Valley. One of these is PlumpJack Cafe, the brainchild of former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. In a dimly lit dining room, the restaurant serves seasonal contemporary fare such as the inventive ceviche cone, a feuille de brick cone filled with tuna, avocado, and ginger and topped with chili threads ($15).

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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Mechanics, like pediatricians, work on patients who cannot verbally express where it hurts or why they're covered in bumper stickers. Find answers in the incoherent babble with this Groupon: for $33, you get a car-care punch card from Auto Care Super Saver (up to a $179.95 value), valid at the Meineke, R & T Performance Automotive, and Tire Pros. Each Super Saver punch card includes the following:

Three oil changes Three tire rotations Two check-engine-light diagnostics Two vehicle trip checks or winter/summer check-ups One brake inspection One air-conditioning performance test Additional discounts on service and repairs

Auto Care Super Saver relieves car owners of some expenses and fretting with a bundle of maintenance services redeemable during the course of a full year. The full-service oil changes keep joyrides running smoothly with up to 5 quarts of oil, lube, and a new filter. Mechanics also mitigate rubbery soles' wear and tear with tire rotations and find out why vehicles' check-engine lights are illuminated or blinking out the script of Macbeth in Morse code. The brake inspection reveals any stopping problems and gains customers a discount of up to $30 on any brake servicing. Customers can transfer the punch card's services to any vehicle, ranging from station wagons to sports cars to feral merry-go-rounds.

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Ever since a certain astronaut took a small step for mankind, we've wondered how it would feel to take a giant leap of our own. Thankfully, moon walking isn't just for astronauts -- anyone can experience the fun of low gravity at a low price with today's deal from Pump It Up: Pay $15 for a five-punch pop-in play pass (a $30 value). Your kids ages 2 to 11 will think the giant, soft, fun-filled interactive inflatables are out of this world, while you'll love meeting other parents and making new friends as they bounce, slide, and play in a safe, clean, and air-conditioned environment. Pump It Up is open at various hours throughout the week, and the schedule is on the website. At this price, you can let your kids bounce off the walls without it hurting your pocketbook.

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A sore back is often the result of days spent hunching over keyboards or playing catch with wet bags of flour. Get back in the game with this Groupon.

$99 for a Couples Spa Package ($230 Value) A 60-minute couples massage (a $150 value) A 30-minute detoxifying sauna session (an $80 value)

Inside treatment rooms decorated to resemble exotic locales, therapists tailor their massages with blends of techniques that draw on Swedish, deep-tissue, and therapeutic modalities. After the relaxing couples massage, soak in the infrared sauna's healing rays, which penetrate the skin to detoxify, stimulate circulation, and burn calories.

Ahhh! Massage

The massage therapists at Ahhh! Massage want each of their treatments to feel like a vacation from the stresses of daily life. They seem to have taken this idea to its local extreme, decorating their treatment rooms so that each resembles an exotic locale: Hawaii, Fiji, and the Caribbean islands are all represented. Along with the therapists' soothing Swedish, therapeutic, deep-tissue, or prenatal massage strokes, the tropical decor encourages guests to slip into a state of relaxation disturbed only by the banging of steel drums or the howl of a lonely toucan. When they aren't tending to backs and shoulders, the staffers perform hot-oil scalp massages and cleansing foot scrubs; the breezy facility also houses an infrared sauna and hydraulic massage beds.

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Victorian Bed & Breakfast in Heart of Historical Mining Town

During the California gold rush, the town now known as Placerville was dubbed Dry Diggings in reference to the scores of miners passing through with cartloads of dirt on their way to pan for gold in nearby streams. Though the town's name has since changed, links to the past remain. In fact, a number of the 100-year-old buildings and ornate Victorian houses lining Main Street are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A five-minute walk from downtown lies The Albert Shafsky House Bed and Breakfast, a restored Queen Ann home built in 1902 and distinguished by its charming gabled roof.

Local wine awaits new arrivals as they are greeted by innkeepers Rita Timewell and Stephanie Carlson and their miniature dachshund, Lily. There are only three guest rooms at the bed and breakfast, and each is decorated differently. The romantic Vineyard room features a blush and burgundy palette, local artwork, and live Cupids flitting around the space. In the morning, you'll wake up to a full, hot breakfast, which may include Rita's baked apple pancakes or cranberry-banana-nut bread along with coffee, fruit, and bacon.

Placerville, California: Historical Mining Town near Vineyards and Woodlands

Located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of eastern California, the small town of Placerville is right on the edge of the Eldorado National Forest, about 40 minutes from Sacramento. Downtown Placerville is a pleasant place to take a stroll. It's steeped in Old West history and filled with century-old buildings, such as Placerville Hardware, one of the oldest hardware stores in the country. The celebrated late painter Thomas Kinkade hailed from this gold-rush community-the original Kinkade Gallery is located right on Main Street.

The town lies in the heart of El Dorado wine country. Dozens of vineyards dot the area, and most have tasting rooms and offer daily tours. The wines are noted for their distinct, powerfully fruity flavors, which are said to be caused by the extreme elevations of the Sierra Nevada and by the area's soil, which is made up of blackberry preserves.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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Scientists continue to find new uses for lasers, such as herding flocks of roaming domesticated cats and accessing the long-mysterious content of Blu-ray discs. Let lasers cajole your corpus with today's Groupon to Body By Laser. Choose between the following options:

For $149, you get a laser fat-reduction treatment (a $649 total value).

For $399, you get three laser fat-reduction treatments (a $1,649 total value).

Each option includes:

One initial consultation (a $149 value) Laser fat-reduction treatment (a $500 value for each treatment)

Body By Laser's experienced staff members synergize cutting-edge technologies with holistic approaches to health and nutrition. Patients for laser fat reduction first receive an introductory consultation, during which they can ask questions and work with an experienced doctor to decide on an area of the body to target, such as the arms, butt, chin, or spare liver. The treatments utilize cold lipolasers, designed to gently target fat cells under the skin with low-level light, dislodging the lipids from their surroundings so that they can be fully expunged through the body's natural metabolic process. This noninvasive process doesn't break or burn the skin, require any downtime, or steal diaries. Following each approximately one-hour session, patients receive nutritional guidance and information on recommended detox procedures that aid in maintaining treatment results.

Like art-house films and fish-flavored popsicles, Body By Laser's procedures are not intended for everyone; females who are pregnant or nursing should not undertake the treatment, nor should patients with active forms of cancer. Should any complications be discovered during Body By Laser's initial screening, the company will issue a refund.

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Being hip enough to own a vintage gramophone won't get you very far if all your discs are scratched... or herniated. Get your body back in tune with today's deal from Core Health & Wellness Center: For $49, you can enjoy a chiropractic consultation, examination, report of findings, and three customized treatments (a $200 value). Your appointment will be tailored with a combination of spinal and extremity adjustments designed to relieve back and neck pain, reduce muscular inflammation, improve posture, and treat everything from acid reflux to chronic fatigue. Along with techniques that range from Diversified to Thompson Drop-Table to Gonstead, Dr. Karl V. Forsberg offers a wealth of kinesio-taping and nutritional experience -- and a positive, lighthearted demeanor sure to make you feel at ease. Visit this practice on the northeast corner of Terminal and Vassar (near the Reno-Tahoe International Airport), and take your healthy new body for a spin.

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For centuries, horseshoes have been associated with good fortune, which is why homeowners hang them over doorways and brides lob them at groups of their single friends. Get hitched with this Groupon.

Choose from Three Options $25 for a one-hour horseback-riding lesson (a $60 value) $39 for a one-hour horseback-riding lesson for two (a $120 value) $69 for three one-hour horseback-riding lessons (a $180 value)

Private lessons for all ages (a $50 value each) cover diverse styles and include use of the facility's horses (a $10 value/lesson). Instructors tailor each lesson to the rider's comfort and skill level.

Fitzpatrick Performance Horses

On Carson Valley's Cutter Ridge Ranch, the steeds of Fitzpatrick Performance Horses spend their days roaming more than 100 acres of lush pastures and their nights dreaming of never-ending saltlicks in a heated 50-stall barn. Bridget Fitzpatrick, the owner and head trainer of her eponymous business, guides the horses with a steady hand that has produced nationally recognized amateur and youth riders. Her skills seem to have rubbed off on the facility's hooved residents as well; among her many accolades, she can take credit for training several prize-winning arabian horses.

Fitzpatrick continues to introduce new students to equestrianism in lessons that impart the principles of styles such as Hunter and Western. Though the echoes of galloping hooves carry across the outdoor arena during warmer months, horses tend to retreat to an indoor arena and switch their shoes out for semicircular slippers when the weather gets colder.

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For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, which is why every time a human attempts to fly, a bird attempts to drive a stick shift. Engage in one of the primary mandates of physics with this Groupon.

$129 for a Tandem Hang-Gliding Flight (Up to $300 Value)

During 15- to 25-minute flights, fliers and instructors launch off Slide Mountain, soaring across mountains while an expert hang glider controls the craft. Those who wish to fly can take over the controls after a brief lesson.

Thermal Sky Sports

Currently ranked as the 14th best hang glider in the United States, 23 year-old Alex Cuddy flies, competes, and teaches around the globe. But each summer, Cuddy returns to the familiar air of the Sierra Nevada, where he heads up Thermal Sky Sports, sharing his passion for engine-free aviation with illuminating lessons and tandem hang-gliding sessions. Before unleashing worthy pupils on their first solo flight with radio assistance, he'll teach them how to soar with the grace and majesty of an eagle-shaped helium balloon during low-flying ground towing sessions, tandem flights, and training-hill lessons. In his free time, Cuddy travels to various competitions and strives to break personal records, recently completing a 198-mile hang-gliding journey in 5 hours and 47 minutes.

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