Guilty's Sweet Sixteen

We're not here.  At least not mentally. We're on a beach somewhere in Roatan Honduras.  Our Villa is breathtaking and the Guilty Meter is off the charts.  Come join us on Guilty Island and daydream at lunch.

In honor of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, we are re-posting our sensational Sweet 16 of Villas that we created several years ago.  These exclusive properties have only gotten better.

Guilty searched long and hard to find just the perfect getaway. Finding Tropical bliss was a labor of love and a commitment to our never ending  high standards for the Guilty Pleasures Club.  Fortunately, there were numerous vacation options available with cool island breezes, tropical sunsets and family friendly summertime prices. From St. Croix to the Roatan Island in Honduras to Nicaragua and back again, we found a treasure chest of stunningly beautiful villas that met all of our lofty expectations.  It was an exhausting and successful journey in search of opulence, family adventure and fiscal sanity.


We put together a Sweet Sixteen a fun ranking of exclusive, opulent and eco-friendly Vacation Villas to share with our luxury-minded legions. However, just whittling the list of decadent vacation options down to only 16 finalists was quite challenging.  Let alone, choosing just one.  Of course, as always, Guilty and Thin Mint would not be denied.  Here are the 16 finalists for the first ever Luxury Villa Showdown.  Just like March Madness, our fiercely competitive tournament is destined to become an annual event with stunning upsets and big surprises.

http://www.vrbo.com/347898#photos Ranked # 1.  Incredible waterfront eco-property in Honduras. Passed on this property in 2009, but we're giving it serious consideration this summer.

http://www.vrbo.com/252475#photos  Bequia property ranked # 2.  Just an amazing home.  Airfare was a little high for a family vacation.  Did somebody say use points?  We will.  

http://www.vrbo.com/257646#photos

Ranked # 3. Jamaican 3.5 acre waterfront estate.  We stayed there in 2009.  There was lot's of  Guiltorious Glee in the outdoor shower. The Villa is next to the world famous Round Hill resort.    www.roundhill.com.  Their new infinity Pool at Round Hill was epic. We also loved the Afternoon Tea, but it's time to go someplace different.

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p296694#photos  Ranked # 4.  St. Martin villa on Dawn Beach.  An awesome property.  Love this house, but we have been to the island too many already.

http://www.vrbo.com/143126#photos  Very nice cliff side property in St. Croix.  Ranked # 5.

http://www.vrbo.com/175999#photos  Ranked
# 6  Incredible all-inclusive for 6 people in Nicaragua.  OMG 

http://www.vrbo.com/218687#photos  Ranked # 7.  A fantastic property on Grenada.

http://www.vrbo.com/219216#photos  Fabulous for the money in Nicaragua.  Ranked # 8. 

http://www.vrbo.com/216040#photos Ranked # 9.  A very nice Jamaican property with staff. 

http://www.vrbo.com/40246#photos  Great waterfront property in Antiqua.  Ranked # 10   

http://www.vrbo.com/233134#photos Wonderful oceanfront property in El Salvador.  Very tropical and inexpensive.  Ranked # 11, 

http://www.vrbo.com/52036#photos  Ranked # 12.  Great waterfront property in Negril . 

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p227082#photos  Bonaire property ranked # 13. On the beach in dive central

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p334879#photos  St. Thomas property on the cliffs above the water. ranked # 14. 

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p927563#photos  Ranked # 15 a St, Croix property.  Very nice. 

http://www.vrbo.com/271990#photos  A fantastic  treehouse in Nicaragua above the ocean.  Ranked # 16

Enjoying great food and beverage as an Aphrodisiac. Let's get this party started

It's almost Valentine's Day in Guilty Town and romance is definitely in the air.  Our wintry landscape provides the perfect backdrop to enjoy and explore the many purported Aphrodisiac properties of food, herbs and beverage. Since the crown of creation, seduction, intimacy and passion have been cultivated and enhanced by a wide variety of gastronomic delights consumed before a roaring fire.

People are just as adventurous in love as they are with aphrodisiacs. From Istanbul to Sydney, Romeo creates recipes to woo and wow Juliet while heightening his own sexual satisfaction.  He was one smart and sexy teenager.

There are some really hot sensual cookbooks available online or at your favorite bookstore. Looking for some weekend fun, check out Fork me, Spoon me by Amy Reilly or Intercourses by Martha Hopkins.

Although the reasons for physical attraction and sexual desire are almost as much a mystery today as they were in ancient times, we do know that the genesis of sexual desire begins in the brain - in the hypothalamus, which also governs our appetites for food and drink.

The vast oceans cover much of the planet and are the home so many forms of life. Therefore it's no surprise that most sea creatures have the elements to form an aphrodisiac. All shellfish, the strongest aphrodisiacs, contain phosphorus, calcium, iodine, iron, vitamin B and glyco­phosphates, basic essentials for an aphrodisiac. All oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, shark, eel, herring, mackerel and sardines, and many forms of white fish, including sole and turbot, contain phosphorus, calcium and vitamins A, B and D, important elements in a variety of aphrodisiac treats.

Oysters have always been highly prized for their delicate flavor and there is much debate as to whether the native (also known as flat) oyster or the gigas (also known as Pacific or rock oyster) is superior. Traditionalists choose the native, but increasingly more people are recognizing and enjoying the gigas, not least for its juicy, plump texture.

Some oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female and back, giving rise to claims that the oyster lets one experience the the masculine and feminine sides of love.


From a Guilty Pleasures perspective, there's nothing more daringly decadent than enjoying a catered Raw Bar au Natural.

Sensual foods do not have to be the most expensive items at the store. My father loved to eat Radishes. It was one of his favorite Guilty Pleasures. Years later I learned that a Radish is considered a divine aphrodisiac by Egyptian Pharaohs, most likely because its spicy taste stimulated the palate. Apparently, Dad had it all going on.

We have explored the mystical power of Truffles many times before at the Guilty Pleasures Club. They are considered a powerful aphrodisiac due to its rarity and musky aroma. They have long been considered to arouse the palate and the body. To sustain his masculinity, an ancient lover in lore was said to have gorged himself to death on Alba truffles during the wedding feast.

In the last 50 years, the erotic nature of food has been changing radically, along with our attitudes towards love, sex and how to perform. Gone is the belief that men need rare steaks both to arouse desire and to keep up their stamina. Instead, Europeans turn to more subtle meats, although they are not necessarily to be found in the super­markets.

Bunderfleisch, for example, made in the Swiss mountains with a secret formula using mountain herbs and white wine, creates surprisingly sudden strength, and pastrami can do the same. Parma ham, delicious with green figs, is also good for providing instant energy. Lachsschinken (called Filet de Saxe in France) with Roquefort cheese was often eaten by Casanova before his famous conquests.

Vegetarians should also take heart. Peas, broad beans, radishes, artichokes, lettuce, leeks and onions are all confirmed as having aphrodisiac properties. The Greeks noticed that onions “dim the eyes and excite amatory propensities” but also that even the onion “will do you no good if you have no strength yourself.”

Asparagus, an aristocrat among vegetables, still grows in its wild form along the sandy coasts of France, in Greece and profusely on the Russian Steppes. Witte goud (white gold), the seasonal asparagus of Brabant and Limburg - sturdy white shoots towering above their foreign cousins - has become the favourite Dutch treat.

Three courses of asparagus were always served to 19th century bridegrooms due to its reputed aphrodisiac powers. “Asparagus seems to work magic on the Dutch taste buds,” says Joop van Zantvort, owner of Auberge de Koets in ‘s-Hertogenbosh, where a new asparagus menu is offered daily in season (May and June).

Other foods with sensual overtones...

• Caviar: is high in zinc, which stimulates the formation of testosterone, maintaining male functionality.

• Champagne: viewed as the "drink of love," moderate quantities lower inhibitions and cause a warm glow in the body.

• Chocolate: contains both a sedative which relaxes and lowers inhibitions and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. It was actually banned from some monasteries centuries ago.

Fruit delights the senses in many ways. Figs, like oysters, need nothing but their own inimitable qualities. Figs were celebrated by ancient Greeks in a frenzied copulational ritual. The pale golden quince was said to be the original apple which lured Eve, while the serpent that tempted Eve hid in a bunch of bananas. Eve may have been the first person on the planet to enjoy life's Guilty Pleasures.

The fabled Banana has long been considered an aphrodisiac. Not only due to its' elongated shape, but also its' creamy, lush texture. Some research studies show its' enzyme bromelain enhances male performance. Banana blossom also appears in Filipino recipes as an aphrodisiac.

Berries and melons are agents of erotic seduction. From long stemmed Chocolate-dipped Strawberries to Crenshaw melons, moist and sweet is the perfect snack between the sheets.

Good sex needs plenty of energy. Raw food processes far more minerals and vitamins than cooked food. For a better sex life, eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and drink ginseng tea. Al fresco food - a watermelon on a hot day or piping hot soup washed down with malt whisky in the depths of winter - make an equally memorable and appropriate meal.

Great sex needs plenty of pampering. Just ask any Skinny Chick, she will set the record straight. Spoiling yourself and lover should take many creative forms. From the candles to a Tantric massage to creme brulee infused strawberries, there's a party going on and I am Guilty as Charged.

Many thanks to About.com, Amy Reiley and the London Food Festival for their contributions to this posting.