April 12, 2010

Taking the Plunge

Arlene Howard has gone on vacations before, but they’ve always been work oriented. So when the 70-year-old Santa Monica publicist decided to take her first relaxing vacation in March, she knew it had to be good one.

It was.

Howard and husband Bryce Noel, a financial strategist for families and businesses, went on a 12-day vacation that included swimming with dolphins on the British Virgin Island of Tortola and sunbathing at a nudist colony at nearby St. Martin.

“This was like ‘The Great Gatsby,’” Howard said. “Every moment was programmed with one more fascinating thing.”

The trip was put together by Howard’s longtime friend and millionaire entrepreneur Marcus Katz, a Fisher Island, Fla., resident who organized the extravaganza to coincide with his million-dollar wedding to Pearl Baker.

Howard’s favorite part of the vacation: swimming with dolphins.

“Having been in the entertainment industry for most of my professional life, I’ve been swimming with sharks most of my life,” Howard said. “So when I swam with the dolphins, it was an easy thing.”