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Make it Easy for Your Friends to RSVP

The process of receiving RSVPs to an invitation seems to be getting more difficult with time. With our ever increasing busy schedules, it seems that many people just don’t find the time to let hostesses know in a timely fashion whether or not they can attend a party. And no matter how explicitly the request for an RSVP is written on an invitation, there always seems to be a few people who don’t respond at all.
Luckily there’s a new approach that can be taken by the hostess who would like to make the process of responding to her invitations easier for guests. There are now several online services that will allow you to send out your invitations and will collect the RSVPs for you. With everyone spending increasing time on computers at both home and work, this may well become the solution to catching the attention of potential guests, and making it simple for them to respond to you.

Here are several of the services that aim to make your hosting life easier.

Evite is one of the oldest services on the web that allows you to send customized online invitations to your friends and track their responses.

In a recent effort to expand their product offerings, Evite now includes a section devoted to regional restaurant, bar and nightclub reviews by users of the site, as well as event listings in major cities. All of these services are free.

Waitrose is a chain of supermarket and department stores located in the UK. The main function of Waitrose.com is to sell all things surrounding the needs of entertaining including food, wine, flowers and gifts. However, in an effort to increase sales of these products, this website offers a simple online invitation and RSVP response service. You can send a customized invitation and request a response with dietary needs and number of attendees. The invitation service is free.

Sendomatic offers an online invitation and response service. You can use the service to track your RSVPs and send follow-ups, maps, directions, and weather information. When you invite more than four guests there is a small charge for the service, but this site is free of advertising.

RsvpHQ.com helps you track you to send invitations and track RSVPs in one online location. You can customize it with your own logos, photos, maps, etc.

MyPunchbowl is the newest service to help with online party management. Founded by a group of software professionals, their goal is to create a simplified user interface. Some of their features include the ability to import your address book, upload and share photos, a party message board, and party store locator. There is no charge for using this site.

From Donna Pilato,
Your Guide to Entertaining.

Here in the States, we’re familiar with all manner of nutraceutical snacks like fiber cookies and sweet chewable calcium supplements. These items are often marketed to women with nary a trace of sexism. Sadly, that’s not the case for these Japanese cookies I just encountered.

The makers of F-Cup Cookies claim women can increase their breast size by eating two of these cookies a day. Each biscuit is said to contain 50mg of a breast-enhancing herb. No indication has been given as to how many days it takes to eat your way to an F cup or what size your butt will grow to as you snack your way to a bigger bosom. Obviously, the very idea of breast-enhancing cookies is ridiculous. Surely everyone knows F-Cup Cookie is the name of a famous Japanese porn star.

Picture yourself lazily day-dreaming in a comfortable hammock stretched between two palms on a sandy, sun-kissed beach. Feel the powerful rumble of the diesels as you battle a majestic sailfish to the boat.

Watch the flight of your golf ball against the brilliant blue backdrop of the tropical sky.

Wonder as you gaze through water clear as crystal at the outrageous palette of colors and endless variety of marine life on the living coral reef. The sea and bay surround you.

Just off shore, the wild tarpon wander from the bayside to the oceanside. Deeper out, beyond the whistle buoy, roam the gladiators – the sailfish, dolphin, wahoo and marlin.

And now you are invited to discover just how special it really is.

Come. Bring your family.
Experience Ocean Reef Club for yourself.

35 Ocean Reef Drive
Key Largo, FL 33037
Phone: (305) 367-2611
Fax: (305) 367-2224

Ocean Reef Club is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Key Largo.

It is surrounded on three sides by water, and on the fourth by protected lands under federal and state ownership.

Our location - just 50 miles south of Miami - is readily accessible by land, sea or air.

Ocean Reef Club is a private club located in the Florida Keys with a limited number of property owning and non-property owning members. Membership is by invitation and approval.

The Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental, Miami, situated on the waterfront enclave of idyllic Brickell Key, is offering the perfect escape for residents of Florida with its “Fantastic Florida Escape” package.

Providing an opportunity to vacation close to home and enjoy world-class accommodation, unrivalled levels of service and extensive facilities including a three-level spa, Oasis Beach Club featuring a private beach, infinity-edge swimming pool and outdoor jogging trail and innovative
restaurants and bars, the “Fantastic Florida Escape” package includes:

_ Luxury accommodation

_ Daily breakfast for up to two persons

_ 20% off select spa treatments (two-hour minimum, Monday through Thursday only)

_ One spa fitness class per person per stay

_ Spa welcome gift

_ Complimentary valet parking

Rates are from $299 per room per night from Sunday through Thursday and $319 on Friday and Saturday.

Package is valid from June 1 through September 30, 2007. Rates are subject to availability and change, exclusive of tax and apply to Florida residents only.

The 326-room hotel features Miami’s most spacious guestrooms and suites; The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami; the waterfront Azul – a 120-seat signature restaurant under the culinary direction of Chef Clay Conley; Café Sambal, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, offering indoor/outdoor dining and an Asian-inspired menu with American classics and wok specialties; the elegant Lobby Lounge; and M-Bar, a martini and champagne bar.

For reservations, please contact the hotel directly by calling (305) 913-8288 or toll free (866) 888-6780. For Mandarin Oriental’s worldwide sales and reservations offices or direct on-line reservations service,
visit www.mandarinoriental.com/miami

Four Seasons Resort
This summer, book a “Palm Beach Getaway” package at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach and enjoy an incredible getaway and exceptional value for longer stays. From June-September, 2007, rates start as low as $250 per room, per night for stays of 3-4 nights and $225 for 5 nights or longer. Rates are slightly higher in October. Guests will also enjoy twice-daily maid service, 24-hour room service, and, to top it all off, kids can head to Kids For All Seasons for fun, summer camp-inspired activities, from participating in Olympic-style games on the beach to learning about the area’s local wildlife (plus, those under five eat free, too!) while mom and dad relax and rejuvenate in The Spa or in a cabana where ever-present pool and beach staff attend to their every whim. For more information, please call 561/582-2800
visit www.fourseasons.com/palmbeach

Boca Raton Resort & Club
Whether it’s an impromptu getaway or an extended vacation, the exclusive Boca Raton Resort & Club offers travelers a variety of summer package options that offer significant value. With 2007 summer packages, the timing has never been better to visit the legendary Resort & Club. The Resort’s acclaimed amenities and world-class dining offer guests some of the finest facilities in the country for an unforgettable experience.

The Resort’s 2-night Summer Spa & Golf Package is the perfect combination of golf at one of America’s top golf resorts and relaxation at the renowned Spa Palazzo, modeled after the Alhambra Palace in Spain. The package offers accommodations; one round of golf on either of the Resort’s two 18-hole championship courses for each adult in the room, use of a shared golf cart with GPS screens, ice chests, towels and tees; daily full American breakfast; choice of one 50-minute spa treatment plus the signature Ritual Bath treatment for each adult; a spa welcome gift; and complimentary use of the Resort’s fitness centers. The package rates start from $362 per night from June 15 to September 30, 2007, saving guests $295 over winter rates for a similar stay.

The Summer Spa Package offers guests the restorative benefits of three days at Spa Palazzo. The package includes accommodations, daily, full American breakfast, two Palazzo Ritual Bath treatments, any two 50-minute spa treatments, three days’ complimentary use of the spa, a spa welcome gift and a 25% discount on additional spa services. The package starts from $383 per night from June 1 to September 30, 2007 and saves guests $239 over winter rates for a similar stay.

The Summer Unlimited Golf Package offers guests accommodations, unlimited play on each of the Resort’s two 18-hole championship courses including the signature Resort course, use of a shared golf cart equipped with GPS screens for one round of play, one golf clinic (for each adult) taught by a Resort professional, and daily breakfast. The Summer Unlimited Golf Package starts from $386 per night from June 1 through September 30, 2007 and saves guests $380 over winter rates for a similar stay.

For a schedule and pricing information, go to Pelzgolf.com and click on Boca Raton school.

For tennis lovers, the Summer Tennis Package offers guests accommodations, unlimited tennis court time (with reservations), a one-hour professional tennis lesson per person, the unique services of a tennis concierge, daily Resort fee, daily full American breakfast, 10% Tennis Pro Shop discount (excludes sale items), and a complimentary can of Resort logo tennis balls.

Fresh from more than $100 million in renovations and located in the heart of Florida’s Gold Coast in Palm Beach County, the Boca Raton Resort & Club is one of the country’s premier resort destinations and private club facilities. Set within a backdrop of casual elegance, Boca’s amenities include a half-mile stretch of private beach, the acclaimed Spa Palazzo, two eighteen-hole championship golf courses, 30 tennis courts, full-service marina, several pools, state-of-the-art fitness centers, and a variety of water sports. In addition, the Resort & Club features an outstanding selection of dining options and a full range of activities including a comprehensive children’s program. For information and reservations please call the Boca Raton Resort & Club at (888) 495-BOCA or (561) 447-3000, or contact your travel professional.
visit www.BocaResort.com