My brother-in-law and his wife are expecting their first child at the end of May. It’s the first grandchild on both sides, so the whole family is pretty “over the moon” about it.

The happy couple have been talking about a different kind of moon — a babymoon, which is an often romantic trip that expectant parents take near the due date (although not too near!) You could call it a last hurrah before the baby arrives and distracts them from everything else, including each other, for the next 18 years.

Of course they asked me for hotel recommendations, and of course I had some! Here are my top 5 ideas for a fabulous Northern California (no flying so close to the due date) pre-baby weekend getaway, moving from South to North: Read More »

Renovations in Progress

Whenever I go home for the holidays, I like to get a hotel room near the family. I love the family but I need my space – the mad chaos that ensues requires that I have a nice and quiet retreat (parents + many nieces and nephews + dogs = mayhem!)

I firmly believe that having a little oasis of your own can be the perfect way to keep your sanity. In downtown Monterey, Casa Munras is one of my favorite hotels to choose whenever I return home.

It is centrally located near local shops, a Denny’s across the street, a new Trader Joes and a new Peet’s Coffee around the block. You are just down the street from Del Monte Shopping Center with its stores like Macy’s and other standard mall chains. Fisherman’s Wharf is also within walking distance though a bit further.

Casa Munras has been a part of Monterey since the days when the city was the first capital of California.  The registration desk and business center are located on the property that was the original hacienda of Don Esteban Munras, the last Spanish diplomat to California. His hacienda was built in 1824 and was one of the first built outside the historic Monterey Presidio, which is about a mile away by car.

If you have never stayed here you are in for a treat because over the last few years the owners have been renovating the entire property. Currently a Larkspur Collection Hotel, this wonderful hotel is now boasting a spa called Sano and a beautiful new restaurant, Esteban named after the original owner.

While we were there this time, we didn’t have time to eat at the new restaurant but we cuddled up with our evening nightcaps by the outdoor fire pit and savored the crisp winter air.

The hotel offers a very nice heated swimming pool, a fitness room, free wi-fi, and free off-street parking (this is big because a lot of hotels in the area all charge about $25 a night to park your car).

Heated Pool and Free Off Street Parking

The million dollar renovations are ongoing but many of the rooms are finished. You might want to ask for one of the newly finished ones when you make your reservation. I found the front desk very helpful. If your stay is a special occasion, I can suggest a nice spot for dinner in Pacific Grove.

The rates are reasonable and they often offer AAA discounts – and Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants guarantees that every hotel reservation booked through their websites will have the best rate publicly available on the Internet.

Business Traveler magazine announced the winners of their Business Travel Awards, and the Park Hyatt was one of the big winners, receiving the honor of “Best Hotel Chain” from 4,000 business travelers surveyed.

The Park Hyatt brand is the “smaller, luxury” branch of the enormous Hyatt empire, with white glove service, art collections and “cuisine” rather than food. This kind of experience doesn’t come cheap, so it makes sense that business travelers — with an expense account — are fans of the brand.

If you are one of the lucky wealthy who can afford to stay at the luxurious Park Hyatt, you can find premier locations in North America including Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Park Hyatt Chicago

Outside of the US, you can find Park Hyatts in Buenos Aires, Hamburg, Istanbul, Dubai, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo, to name just a few. They are also building additional properties in locations like Tbilisi, Mexico City and Mallorca.

Park Hyatt Dubai

Rooms and rates vary depending on where you are, but it’s a luxury hotel with corresponding costs and amenities. From the websites I gather that the common decorating theme is “expensive and hard to clean white furniture” which is a treat few of us enjoy at home — one of the many joys of business travel, along with room service coffee and towel service.