The Atrium at the Gaylord National I’ve raved before about how much I love the Gaylord Hotels, and I’m so thrilled that they’ve recently partnered with Dreamworks to create a more family-friendly experience at their hotels. Now, they are offering Family Fun Nights with Shrek and Friends on special nights in February and March 2011. These nights are the perfect way for kids to really enjoy themselves in a family vacation experience! The Family Night Nights start at $99 per person, double occupancy, and include the following: Accommodations at a Gaylord Hotels resort for a family of up to four Admission to DJ dance party with appearances by Shrek, Fiona, and Puss in Boots Admission to a DreamWorks movie shown on a big screen Puss In Boots Quest for the Magic Beans Scavenger Hunt Swamp Juice and Ogre Treats A souvenir photo for the families A DreamWorks craft activity The daily resort fee Self parking The Family Fun Night with Shrek and Friends takes place on...[more »]

The Exterior of the Walt Disney World Dolphin I recently decided to plan a last minute trip to Walt Disney World to cheer on some of my friends at the marathon. Since it’s a popular weekend, and I was booking very last minute, my hotel options were fairly limited. As an American Express cardholder, I was able to get a great prepaid deal at the Walt Disney World Dolphin – a hotel I hadn’t visited before. While the Dolphin isn’t an official Walt Disney World hotel, it does have some Disney perks. Guests are able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours as well as Disney transportation. However, Magical Express transportation is not available. We had booked a two double-bed room, as there were three of us sharing the room. However, when I checked it at 10pm, my room wasn’t available. Instead, we got a king bed room with a sofa bed and a pull-out couch, along with a one-time $50 credit and complimentary breakfast for three. I was a little disappoin...[more »]

A King Suite at the Comfort In and Suites Plattsburgh When I travel, I generally look to find nice hotels with unique amenities. While I do stay in chain hotels frequently, I don’t always expect to find anything especially unique in them. So I was quite surprised to see all of the wonderful family-friendly amenities during our recent stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites Plattsburgh in the Adirondacks. We traveled to Plattsburgh, in the Lake Champlain region of New York, over Christmas break to visit Ausable Chasm and to ski, and stayed in a king suite – pictured at left. The suite, which was one large room, included a king bed, a pull-out couch, a dining area with a table, microwave, and refrigerator, and a large bathroom with a shower and whirlpool bath. The room itself is huge, and offered plenty of room. Everything is very new, and extremely clean. The only issue I’d have about the room is the location, which was right across from the weight room and adja...[more »]