The view from our Seagrove Beach, Florida condo. HUGE balcony!

Some friends and I spent three days in Seagrove Beach, Florida last week, and it was a glorious trip. The sands were so white and soft, the water was calm and clean and our condo was stunning! We stayed on the 11th floor (can you say view?) of BeachCrest, a mid-rise condominium just steps from the beach. We stayed in unit 1101, if you’re curious – and I have to reiterate that the view from the 11th floor is beyond beautiful. Here’s a short list of what we loved about this place:

*Very close to the beach – 5 minutes from door to sand. You could easily hear the ocean with the doors cracked open – loved that. Seagrove, Seaside, Rosemary Beach and all the other little beach towns in this area aren’t like some other places in Florida where “beachfront” means seeing cars and the ocean in the distance. Here, beachfront means ON the beach!

*Two complimentary chairs and a big beach umbrella were provided every day for us. All we had to do was ask Darryl, who manages that portion of the beach. Darryl was really amazing — he even set    aside chairs for us every morning in the first row so that we had unobstructed views of the ocean. He cut us a good deal on a kayak rental too. Thanks, Darryl!

View into the living room and dining room area

*The pool. Perfect temperature and it was a lovely way to end out the day.

*The condo was a 2 bed, 2 bath, and it was quite large! The best part was the HUGE balcony — it spanned the entire width of the condo, so it must have been at least 25 feet long. And it connected to both the main living space and one of the bedrooms with no wall in between, so it was just one, large space. Awesome spot to enjoy sunsets from.

The kitchen! Lots of good meals were whipped up here as well as lunchtime margaritas

*Having a kitchen while on a vacation is the way to go! Doing a little grocery shopping up front saves a ton of money on meals, and it’s fun to cook together.

*BeachCrest is about 2 minutes from Seaside. (That being said, all the towns are super close together)

One of the bedrooms

The only problem we had was getting our cell phones to have reception all the way on the 11th floor, and we still have no idea why. Wi-Fi worked on our laptops, but nothing would work on our phones. Oh well! Who really wants to be checking email that frequently when you’re on vacation, anyway?

I would absolutely stay at BeachCrest on my next trip to Seagrove/Seaside. Part of me would love to stay in one of the cute beach cottages, too, but they don’t have all the amenities that this place did, such as a concierge service, pool and chair and umbrella service. The individual units here feel very beachy with all of their cute decorations, but if you’re looking for lodging that’s really beachy in and of itself, I’d stay in one of the smaller beach houses/cottages. We loved this place though!

BeachCrest from the beach -- see, almost on the sand!

Now, one final word — tragically, we had to stay during the last few days of high season (low season literally started on the day we checked out). What did that cost us? For three nights, the total came to about $645, or $215/person. Not cheap, but the view was amazing and we had a great time. If, however, we had booked one week later, the price would have gone down to about $525 for everything. Maybe not a huge deal, but the difference in the smaller beach cottages/houses is usually greater.

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert

The Marriott Surf Club in Aruba

Aruba’s Marriott Surf Club has a lazy river. Need I say more? To be honest, I can’t actually say too much more, since the hubby and I sort of, well, snuck in to the lazy river on our recent trip to Aruba. Totally worth the risk of getting caught! The pool that’s connected to the lazy river is awesome as well. It has a gorgeous waterfall and a slide, but we didn’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves. As difficult as it is to “tuck away” a property as large as this Marriott, the amazing thing about it is that, when you’re walking around the hotel, it’s easy to forget that busy Palm Beach is just steps away. The grounds felt secluded, protected and private when I walked around, despite all of the hotel guests. It was lovely.

Marriott Surf Club's Lazy River (Aruba)

That being said, you are in Aruba, and you’ll want to get off the property at some point. This Marriott is located on Palm Beach, and there’s a lot going on right around there. The hotel’s very close to the dock that the Jolly Pirates snorkel tour starts at, and you’ll have a wide selection of water sports to choose from, too. You can play sand tennis on the property, which looked like lots of fun! There’s always a party of some sort on Palm Beach, and the people watching is the best on the island. Restrooms and food are always within easy reach, too, which is a nice alternative to the island’s other beaches that lack basic amenities.

Not to harp about the lazy river pool…but it’s pretty neat. Keep your eyes peeled for Ralph the Really Big Iguana (that’s what we named him). He sits on the rocks above the lazy river, just watching everyone float by. And if you make your way up to the hot tub, he’ll watch you soak from the tree tops. Bet you haven’t seen that at any other Marriott you’ve stayed in!

Like I said, we didn’t have a chance to check out the rooms, but the lobby area and the grounds were immaculate. The Marriott Surf Club is likely not the place you want to stay at if you’re on a tight budget — but if you aren’t, I’d say it’s a really solid choice. Very family friendly and not at all stuffy — all the staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful. I almost felt bad that we snuck in! Almost.

Ralph the Iguana at Aruba's Marriot Surf Club Pool

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert

IF YOU GO: Probably best not to sneak in like we did. Next time, we’re going to try to stay at The Marriott. It’s not cheap, but the amenities are amazing. Take full advantage of them!

I consider myself “lucky” to have had the opportunity to stay at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. Granted, I was 5 months pregnant at the time with my first baby, so I was happy to be anywhere before the baby arrived. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a STELLAR place to stay. Locate within the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Resort property is the modern-day, luxurious (but not-over-the-top) THEhotel.

Over-sized one-bedroom suites populate the 43-story hotel right on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. With the access to all of the amenities of Mandalay Bay including the Shark Reef Aquarium and Mandalay Bay Beach, guests can escape to the luxury of their 725+ square foot suites. On-site at THEhotel is The Bathhouse, a European-style spa with elite clientele. The Bathhouse spa is adorned with slate walls, exotic baths, and the ultimate in relaxation services.

The Bathhouse Spa at THEhotel, Las Vegas, NV

Current room rates start at just $120/night, suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows, separate living and bedrooms, and 42″ plasma televisions. Bathrooms are decorated with marble-top counters and separate tubs and showers.  These well-appointed rooms are perfect for couples looking for a romantic getaway in Sin City, staying on the Strip with access to all of the best amenities of a large resort.

3970 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Photo courtesy: THEhotel

According to my two young children, the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s Downtown St. Louis property is “the best hotel in the whole world! Probably even the country!”

That’s high praise from five and ten year olds.

What makes the Crowne Plaza Hotel Downtown the best place to stay in St. Louis?

The hotel offers free wi-fi, fitness center and a full service health spa.  The guest rooms are spacious and the Crowne Plaza brand has a strong reputation of offering quality service and amenities; you won’t find threadbare linens on worn out mattresses here.  And of course the locations is excellent, offering guests easy access to the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, and other fun things to do while on a St. Louis vacation.

But my children were not impressed by the high speed internet or clean bedding.  The best hotel in the world, apparently, needs exactly two things to hold on to its title:

1. A great view.

St. Louis Gateway Arch

This was the view from their hotel room, as captured by a cell phone.

2. A great pool.

Rooftop Pool at Crowne Plaze St Louis Downtown

The pool was “on the roof! So you can swim – ON THE ROOF!”

I don’t remember my children being impressed – or even interested in – the view outside a hotel room before, but it seems that the Gateway Arch, one of the Midwest’s most notable landmarks, is enough to amaze even the most cynical tourists.

Photos provided by Britt Reints and Crowne Plaza.