Destinations — Page 3

A Hotel Room When You Need It

August 26, 2015 By Jillian

Visiting a new city can be daunting, but even if it is familiar territory, you may still have some trouble finding a place to stay. While there are a few factors to consider when choosing a room, there’s no avoiding the fact that you need a place to call home base in your new city. Nine times out of ten, that’s going to be a hotel. For business travelers, having a quiet and comfortable place to work before your next meeting or conference is essential.

While standard hotel reservations work for travelers on longer trips, there’s a gap in availability for short-term options. Or at least, that was the case until recently. With new booking platforms like Hotels by Day, hotels are beginning to accommodate a broader range of options.

It’s a place to rest, freshen up, and stay productive for the afternoon. Whether you’re submitting a report, or putting together a presentation, you’re able to get it done more efficiently when you have the space and the resources to do so.

Day Stays – The Ultimate Solution

Regardless of where you’re headed, there are short stay options at some of the best hotel properties in cities around the world. From London to LA, hotel managers have started to recognize the opportunity to increase their booking revenue by offering guests day stay options. Those valuable guest rooms were going unoccupied for half the day, wasting tons of money on underutilized space.

You can easily find great hotels to book a short stay for the morning, mid-day, or afternoon. If you need more information about services and amenities, you can easily check out the website and browse the catalogue of properties. There’s a range of available options from budget-friendly accommodations to rooms and suites with luxury amenities.

These rooms give you the ability to book ahead of time and pay when you arrive at the hotel. You can easily make your reservation on an iOS or Android mobile device in just a few taps. In addition to that, you can cancel up to 24 hours prior to check-in, giving you complete flexibility in your traveling schedule.

What to Expect

Because hotel rooms with daytime booking options are a fairly new phenomenon, there is some uncertainly about what it actually entails. To help clarify things, day stay guests have access to the same range of property-wide amenities that an overnight guest of the hotel would enjoy. Whether that’s a rooftop pool, and on-site gym, room service, you name it, it’s available to day guests as well.

Obviously if you’re in town for business, you’re going to want to check ahead of time about availability for free Wi-Fi, work spaces in your room, a complimentary business center, and maybe on-site meeting rooms if you’re hosting clients. It never hurts to do a little due diligence beforehand so you know what to bring along with you on the trip, even if it’s just for a day.

With a day stay, you have a quiet place to work, all the amenities you need, and most importantly, a place to comfortably unwind in your down time.

The Sweet Side of Sin City

July 14, 2015 By Guest Blogger

Las Vegas is famous for many things, and it often means something different for different people. Some see Vegas as the gambling mecca that it obviously is, while others see it as sprawling party playground where anything goes. Some visitors come for the golf, while still others come for the legendary stage shows and concerts.

And then there are the ones who come for the food.

Las Vegas has claimed its spot as a culinary destination, and rightfully so. The hotels on the strip compete with each other and outdo themselves with decadent buffets and restaurants owned and run by the world’s top celebrity chefs. For foodies, this city has a little bit of everything that you could ever want to see on a plate.

And that includes dessert.

For those with a sweet tooth Las Vegas might just be the city of your dreams. From lavish dessert buffets to decadent ice cream shops and candy stores brimming with your favorite treats, Las Vegas offers a little something for the kid in all of us.

If you’ve had your fill of prime rib and cocktails, learn more about where you can go to get a glimpse into the sweet side of Sin City.

The Cream of the Crop

Since Las Vegas is an over-the-top city, it’s fitting that you can find over-the-top desserts in many of its most famous eateries. At Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace you can try their Golden Opulence sundae, which consists of many of the things you’d expect in a sundae, as well as 23-karat gold. Yes, you’ll find edible gold leaf atop Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and gold-dusted edible sugar flowers. This treat will set you back a measly $1,000, but you also get to keep the gold spoon and the crystal goblet that it’s served in.

Serendipity 3 has many other desserts on offer that have topped the city’s “Best of” lists, including a frozen hot chocolate and a fried Oreo sundae that kids and adults will both love.

The Candy Shop

If you are a fan of candy stores and want to immerse yourself in the midst of chocolate sweets of all kinds, why not pay a visit to HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE WORLD Las Vegas? With shelves piled high with all of your favorite HERSHEY’S products, as well as the ability to customize your candy bar labels, this shop is a candy lover’s dream come true. It’s also a great place to pick up gifts for those friends and family who weren’t lucky enough to make the trip.

For retro candy choices, try the B Sweet Candy Boutique, and pick up a Couture Pop at It’s Sugar as the perfect accessory for your outfit when you hit the clubs.

I Scream, You Scream

Let’s face it. The temperatures can be on the warm side in Las Vegas, and what better way to beat the heat than with ice cream. You’ll find plenty of ice cream stores here, from simple places to grab a cone to those boasting truly gourmet flavors.

Lappert’s Ice Cream is famous for its smooth ice cream base and the natural ingredients used to flavor it. Think exotic guava, fresh coconut, and macadamia nut for a taste of Hawaii, and other fabulous flavors from around the world. They offer incredible coffee as well.

For a break from the traditional, try Luv-It Frozen Custard, which Las Vegas residents have consistently voted as the best in town for several years.

The Dessert Buffet

If you’re the type who eats dessert first, Las Vegas is your kind of town. If you’re the person who only eats dessert then you might as well move here. Dessert buffets abound here, and the world may never be the same.

Try the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace for cakes, pies, and cookies, as well as tasty mochi, creme brulee, and cinnamon rolls. The Buffet at Wynn keeps things elegant with cake pops and homemade gelato. However, the one that takes the literal cake is Studio B at M Resort. If you visit from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and all day Saturday and Sunday you’ll be overwhelmed by the collection of every single dessert item from each of the buffet options.

And don’t worry, all of these buffets serve real food as well.

Las Vegas. Sin City or Sweet Spot? You be the judge.

Only the adventurous eat swamp pizza…

March 16, 2015 By Danny

Nearly a year ago I stumbled on an article about about Everglades Pizza in Ft. Myers, Florida. The pizza had all the best of the Everglades on it: snake, gator, swamp cabbage and frog’s legs. I promptly emailed a few friends about this and then began harassing them on Facebook about making the trip as a guys outing. One was tepidly interested, the foodie was sarcastically interested (which meant he wasn’t interested) and the rest shared varying levels of being grossed out. Those were my guy friends, quite the manly and adventurous bunch.

Last weekend Laura came to town. Somehow we started talking about Everglades Pizza, which we keep calling swamp pizza, and she was intrigued. Once we nixed a spontaneous day trip (Laura, unforgiving, didn’t think to bring her passport!) to the Bahamas, Laura suggested we drive across Florida to try the pizza. My guy friends have nothing on Laura.

I went back to that old Facebook thread and email list to let my buddies know we were actually going to do it. The one who was tepidly interested in the past decided to come on for the ride, along with his family, and no others joined. We did alert Jillian’s parents, who live in the area, and they met us as well. I made it clear that everyone agreeing to try the pizza, it is $45 after all, needed to commit to eating at least one slice. In the end that meant that of our caravan of 7 adults and 3 toddlers, only 4 of us were going to make the try. Oh, and we planned to have the kiddos each try one new meat….we were expecting leftovers and those kids eat ANYTHING! Needless to say, I was relieved when we arrived and learned that our pizza was a medium with 6 slices rather than a large with 8 slices, far less food to eat.

The pizza arrived, it clearly had frog’s legs on it but otherwise looked, more or less, like any other pizza. I dove in and found it delightful with just a hint of spice courtesy of one of the meats. The others did more or less the same but took the time to take apart their slices so that they could try each of the tastes.

Rob, the guy friend who made the trek, was surprised at how flavorful the whole thing was when he was expecting it all to be gamey. He thought the gator was the best part and thought the python was chewy but still incredibly flavorful. Jillian’s dad, Jimmie, agreed with Rob on the python and compared it to Rabbit. He also felt the Alligator was spiced just right. Unlike Rob though, he really enjoyed the ‘swamp cabbage’ which was hearts of palm. Neither seemed too entranced or offended by the frog.

Laura pointed out, and I have to agree, that it was a bit annoying to have actual bone (from the frog) on the pizza, which we all had to pick off. She had actual been quite nervous and non-committal toward eating the entire slice but loved it all and the frog best, pointing out the frog had a nice, crispy skin. If anything, she was disappointed that the gator reminded her of chicken.

As for me, I just ate the whole thing and didn’t look back. Had the frog not had a bone and you told me it was a meat-lover’s pizza I might not have known the difference.

We ordered three pizzas and some other food and the Everglades pizza was the first item finished. We all had our initial one slice and we dived up the leftovers as equitably as possible. The next day, no stomach ailments were reported.

Interested in trying it yourself? Head to Evan’s Neighborhood Pizzeria in Fort Myers, FL. Call ahead if you want the Everglade’s Pizza – it takes an hour to make.

Surviving Disney World With Toddlers

December 16, 2014 By Jillian

So we made it. No, seriously. And it was better than we expected. I’ll be the first to admit I dreaded the lines, the screaming kids and the inevitable break down our kids would have at Disney World, but you know what, it didn’t happen. That’s right, our kids were wide eyed and excited about EVERYTHING at Magic Kingdom, and frankly who could blame them.

Here’s our top 5 tips for surviving Disney World with toddlers:

Bring your own stroller. Our kids napped on the go at Disney, and having our stroller was so much easier than having a hard plastic rental.
Download the app and book your fast passes for the morning! You can get a secret fourth fast pass either at the fast pass+ kiosks or on your phone once you’ve used up your three for the day. And once you’ve used the fourth you can get a fifth and so on…
Tie something to your stroller so it is easy to identify! And no, a mickey mouse tag is not unique in Magic Kingdom, nor is your kids nemo stuffed animal!
There are actually some quiet places in Magic Kingdom for downtime – we took the girls to Tom Sawyer Island for some running around time and time away from the crowds. They appreciated it and so did we!
Disney’s baby room is going to be super crowded. Just saying. It’s great that they have it, but man it is crowded.

Have you survived Disney World with toddlers? Share your tips below!

We’re Going to Disney World!

December 10, 2014 By Jillian

No, we didn’t win the Super Bowl, but yes, we are going to Disney World.

The last time we went to Disney World was in 2011. We drove up to Orlando to visit family and decided to go to Disney World just for the heck of it, because frankly, who doesn’t love Disney World. We planned nothing and spent our time running from ride to ride trying to get in as much as we could in one day. Fast forward three years and now we are planning a trip to Disney World around nap times, looking at height restrictions and thinking about stroller parking. My times have changed.

Planning for Disney with Toddlers

Orlando is home to the most famous theme parks in perhaps the world – Disney World. It’s actually four parks in one: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Thankfully it’s only about three hours from our house, so it is an easy weekend and an easy trip with kids. That being said, we aren’t planning to spend three days at the theme parks with 1 ½ year old twins – that seems like a bit too much for them and us – so we wanted to find ways to maximize our time at the parks and minimize the chances for toddler chaos.

Turns out in the last three years A LOT has changed at Disney World. The fast pass system, which allows you to skip long lines on the rides has changed from a paper ticket you got at the ride, to an electronic system you book in advance. And you can book a “fast pass” for character meetings, parades, shows and all sorts of activities. The reviews on this new system are mixed, but from my perspective, not having to haul the kids around from ride to ride to get fast passes for later sounds like a good idea to me! We booked our fast passes online before going to the park – you select which rides or attractions you want to fast pass and Disney offers you four options on fast pass times. That was terrific for us since we could plan to group together rides and activities in each of the lands. If you have a chance of heart or plans, you can always update your fass pass selections online or at the park.

Transportation within Disney World is easy and convenient. We had planned to stay at a Hilton property on Disney property, to maximize the convenience of the shuttle, but other plans got in the way and now we’re staying about a 10 minute drive away. That’s ok though, because we heard from a local that the hotel/resort shuttles are slow and time consuming if you aren’t at a Walt Disney World Resort or aren’t planning to park hop. She recommended we bring our own car (with car seats) instead of waiting for a bus with cranky toddlers. We’ll see if we made the right choice.

For now though, it’s off to Disney World!