Hotels

Casa Rafael in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

About four years ago, I went to Cabo San Lucas with my best friend Mayda. We had a blast, and we stayed at a lovely, small hotel called Casa Rafael. This charming, quirky hotel is located a very short walk from the beach as well as from the shops along the docks in Cabo. There are only ten rooms, so any problems you experience are quickly taken care of (we only had one, towels were late, but they were brought up to us in about 5 minutes.) There’s a good restaurant on site as well as a piano bar that’s lively on the weekends.

Rooms are comfortable, basic and clean. Tile floors, decent beds, smallish but adequate bathrooms. The best part about this hotel is that you are about a five minute walk from the beach and about ten minutes from the harbor area with some of the more fancy shops – the location was perfect for us.

If you’re a wine lover, you’ll love the wine list at the hotel’s restaurant – there are more than 120 wines and champagnes to choose from!

Pay cash if you can, you’ll get a 10% discount off the already cheap rates. We went during spring, and at the time our room was $85/night, an amazing value! Now it looks like it’s about $100, but believe me, it’s still worth it.

Photo: Jenny Bengen

Looking for cheap hotels in San Diego? It’s not a question of place, but of time - and the best time to book is now, in between Nov 13-26, which is San Diego Hotel Week.

Sheraton La Jolla, San Diego

Some 50 odd participating hotels are offering upto 50% off, and one all suite luxury hotel is even offering a $15 stay for the 2nd night. Some of these deals are exclusive to the San Diego Hotel Week website. Here’s the best of the lot.

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa:- 50% off – Offer limited to SDHW site. Book by November 26, 2009 and stay before December 30, 2009. More details here.

La Jolla Cove Suites:- They’re celebrating their 50th anniversary, and if you book your first night at the published room rate, you get the second night for $15. And they’ll greet you with a complimentary chilled bottle of champagne upon arrival. More details here.

Se Sandiego:- 45% off, $25 credit for the Spa and a $25 food & beverage credit. More details here.

Sheraton La Jolla:- Rates from $99. And 3rd night free. Valid until Dec 30, 2009. They also have another neat offer, where you pay second or third night rates equal to your birth year (If you were born in 1948, you’ll receive your 2nd and 3rd nights at $48). More details here.

Oh, and if you’re planning to buy tickets online for the San Diego Zoo, use the SDHW promo code 7802 and you’ll get $4 off on the tickets. There’s a bucketload of discounted tickets for other San Diego attractions, and special prices for restaurants with three-course prix fixe meals for $40.

To see details of all the hotel deals, restaurants and discounted attraction tickets being offered for San Diego Hotel Week, visit www.sandiegohotelweek.com/

Photo courtesy Starwood Hotels & Resorts

The city of Jacksonville is looking to entice tourists with tickets to a professional football game.

Granted, tickets to a Jacksonville Jaguar game aren’t difficult to come by.  The team is 3-3 so far on the season and they finished the 2008 season at 5-11.  That’s 5 wins and 11 losses.  Needless to say, fans aren’t pouring into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

However, this does provide an opportunity to save money on a unique travel experience.

Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

One of the travel packages offered at VisitJacksonville.com is a “Football Package”.  These packages include discounted rates at local hotels and tickets to Jaguar games, as well as the option of admission to other local Jacksonville attractions.  For example, you can add tickets to The Museum of Science & History or the World Golf Hall of Fame to your vacation package.

You have to book your Football Vacation package through the website, and it’s difficult to see exactly what your pricing options are without plugging in dates.  You’ll pay about $80 per person for your football tickets, but you’ll also receive a discount at local hotels.  One package I researched offered rooms at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for less than $90 per night.

I priced a weekend in Jacksonville for two people for the November 8th game against the Kansas City Chiefs.  For 2 nights at the Crowne Plaza and 2 tickets in mid-level 200th row (approximately), you can pay just under $350 booking as a package.  For the same tickets on Ticketmaster, you’d pay $530.

Check out the Visit Jacksonville web site for more information.

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik

The indoor pool at the Marriot Courtyard in Niagara Falls

When our oldest son’s hockey coach did his research on the best place for the entire team to stay during a Niagara Falls tournament last year, he analyzed 10 hotels in the area and as a group, we decided on the Marriott Courtyard.

For the group discounted rate we managed to secure, the Marriott Courtyard was at the edge of the main streets leading into Niagara Falls excitement and the kids were in awe of their surroundings. Once done at the rinks for the day, all the families ventured into the museums and attractions at night, and all were within a few minutes walking distance.

The standard room with two queen-sized beds provides ample room for families.

As hockey parents lugging equipment, suitcases, younger siblings and all that comes with them, we were overly impressed with the fact that there was more than enough ample parking in such a busy area of town.  The rooms were enormous of a family of four, and ours came with two queen sized beds.  There was more than enough space to spread out hockey equipment between games and the list of things for families to do is long if you’re so inclined and don’t mind spending a few bucks in this tourist mecca.

The staff at the Marriott was ready for anything.  They were courteous and patient with so many kids running around (we weren’t the only tourney parents there and there were a ton of kids in the hotel).  While they didn’t staff the pool with a lifeguard, the staff that did pop in stopped any kids from horsing around in the pool, employing a hands off policy so you know, nobody drowned.  Knowing how the hockey team likes to play wrestle, I was grateful they couldn’t do it in the pool.

The Keg Steakhouse & Bar inside the hotel offered up a breakfast spread that made the boys go wild.  Everything little boys could ever want was there for the taking and the coffee was delicious.

Lastly, the entire staff all seemed to be extremely familiar with the area and were instrumental in getting us to our arenas on time.

We’re looking at Niagara Falls again this year for our hockey tournament and I sure hope we stay at the Marriott again.  It was a 5 star in terms of convenience, customer service and low stress for hockey moms and dads, which is especially good for a 3 star hotel.

Photos credit: Marriott Courtyard

Push this button for happiness at The W

Recently my friend Karen wrote a post here about not loving The W Hotel during her stay in Chicago. I was thinking about her while I attended the Blogalicious Conference, which was held in The W Atlanta Midtown.

Pretty much all of her gripes about The W are true.

• The lobby and elevator are a hot, loud, rock ‘n’ roll mess of music and scenesters  — even more so the weekend I stayed there because the BET Awards were being held across the street. We saw quite a few “walk of shame” outfits. Ladies, those 5″ high shiny hooker heels, at 9:00 am, give you away every time.
• The sliding door on the bathroom sucks. Forget sound privacy, it doesn’t even close all the way to give you visual privacy!
• All that mood lighting = a freaking dark room. Forget trying to read anything or putting on makeup anywhere besides the (completely not private) bathroom. When I twittered that I forgot to take pix of the hotel for this review, a friend wrote back, “Turn off the lights in your bedroom at home and take a picture in the dark. It will look just like any W room!” So accurate!
• The whole building was insanely hot. No matter what we did, it was impossible to get the A/C to kick in.

As your basic tourist, paying a couple hundred a night, it’s annoying.

But here’s the thing — I was there for business purposes. My social media agency was hosting an event in a suite during the conference, and the W kicked serious ass!

Cool decor, great space, and that Whatever/Whenever customer service rocked my world!

We dialed the Whatever/Whenever button at literally all hours of the day and night. They brought me scissors, a garment rack, extra hangers, another chair, more hangers, champagne glasses, more hangers, room service, extra napkins … I got the feeling that we really could ask for anything and they’d just make it happen.

We paid some big bucks for all of this service — a $20 tip makes even most inane request seem reasonable, right? — but in a business context it made absolute sense. Our event went off without a hitch, and it was worth every penny.

So do I recommend a W property for your next “girls trip” with your Mom and Aunt Mabel? Heck no!

But I definitely give them a high ranking for customer service and put them in my top 5 for places to throw a party or event.

Photo credit: C. Lincoln. Sorry for the poor quality, but it was TOO DARK to get a better shot.

Let me be clear about this. The Howard Johnson Inn on International Drive in Orlando, Florida is not the Taj Mahal. I didn’t expect it to be. In fact, at $38 per night weekdays and $59 per night on weekends I expected it to be a bit of a dump. In truth, it was a tad rough around the edges. The carpet had a long cigarette burn; my TV remote only worked in the “up” direction when scrolling through the channels; the square table/desk had been placed in a corner that was devoid of any receptacle, making it impossible to plug in my laptop; and the room had been overly sanitized, to the point of making my throat sore.

Howard Johnson Inn on International Drive in Orlando, Florida

On the other hand, my room was well-equipped with thick, soft towels; upscale soaps; toothpaste; a mini-refrigerator; ironing board and iron; hair dryer; coffee pot; and keyless safe. Wireless Internet access was included in the price, as was a full breakfast. Other on-site amenities included a large pool, hot tub and sundeck with ample deck furniture, an exercise room, and Read More »

See other Wordless Wednesday posts here.

Photo credit: Karl Erikson

Other photos I took at the Lake Brentwood Motel can be seen on my Flickr set.

Chicago is one of the greatest places to be during the winter holidays.  Yes, it’s cold.  But the snow and the tiny white lights that cover the entire city are beautiful.  Chicago winters perfectly capture the spirit of the most wonderful time of year.

Chicago Christmas Tree

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers is offering guests incredible travel specials for the holidays – as long as you book early.

Here’s the Chicago holiday travel deal:

• Receive a $100 Macy’s gift card for each night of your stay.
• Receive a Macy’s VIP coupon book.
• Get a complimentary photo with the Macy’s Santa on State St. Available for stays Nov. 24 – Dec. 24.
• Reduced rates starting at $175 per night from Nov. 6, 2009 to February 21,  2010.

According to my math, the Macy’s gift card brings your actual room rate to about $75 per night.  You have to shop now anyway, right?

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers will also be offering complimentary shuttle service to Macy’s and Water Tower Place – Chicago’s consumer utopias – during the weekends leading up to December 20.

How to get this Chicago Christmas  deal

• Book by November 6th.
• Offer valid for stays from November 6 to February 21.
• Book online, or call 866-716-8103
• Ask for promo code MAP

Happy Holidays from the Windy City (and Sheraton Chicago)!

Downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas

If you don’t mind having some extra guests in your room, and by guests I mean GHOSTS, then check in to the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas this year! Right around Halloween would be very fun. This sprawling Victorian was constructed in (you guessed it) 1886, and it’s beautiful, spooky and charming all at once. The grounds are gorgeous, and the hotel is chock full of history (don’t forget to sign up for one of the walking tours!)

Rooms here are romantic but not overly frilly. You might want to check out the brand-new cottages which were finished in 2008, they’re supposed to be lovely. If it were me, though, I’d go for the Jacuzzi Suites. They used to be servant’s quarters, but now they’re much nicer. If you’re really going for a splurge,the Penthouse or the Governor’s Suite could fit the bill.

And don’t forget – this hotel also offers amazing, highly recommended spa services! It’s called the New Moon Spa. 7200 square feet of massages, body wraps scrubs and more. That way, if you’re tense and scared by ghostly activity, you can go back up to your room nice and relaxed.

A group of friends and I have decided to meet up once a year at an amazing supposedly haunted hotel in a pretty location…the 1886 Crescent Hotel is now at the top of my list!

Photo: Clinton Steeds

Autumn Leaves

Budget Travel Magazine published this article a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I’d share! You really can’t beat the prices. Move quickly though, these deals expire soon. Some highlights:

Up for some camping? Fall is the perfect season for it! Nights are cool, days are pleasant, and the leaves make daily hikes unimaginably pretty. Crawford Notch Campgrounds in New Hampshire offers tent sites for only $29 or cabins for $64.

Crawford Notch State Park

Another good bet in North Hampshire is the White Trellis Motel in North Conway, which is offering rooms at $69 during the week and $79 on the weekends. Hurry! Leaves are changing quickly up there.

The next two weeks are the last weeks you can take advantage of the Moose Watching Tour and Lodging Package for $119, at the Moose Mountain Inn.  2 night minimum stay. Sleep in a comfy bed and maybe see some moose! Hopefully not in your room.

A Friendly Moose.

Zoom Zoom – rent a convertible and check out the sights and sounds of Cape Cod. You can stay for two nights at the Hampton Inn in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for $150/night including convertible rental. Fun! I did this sort of thing a number of years ago on my own and it was one of the best weekend trips I’d ever taken.

Happy travels from one autumn lover to the next.

Photos: Cliff 1066, Muffet, Aske Holst