My Road Less Traveled By

Well, first of all you will want a great view of the ocean (or sea - depending on what country you are visiting). A great view will help you feel relaxed and happy when you’re having your morning coffee - feeling the ocean breeze and seeing the beautiful waves in the distance. If you decide to order room service instead of going to a restaurant for dinner, you can enjoy a glass of wine and the beautiful view as well.

Other things you can expect from a premium vacation resort are a fitness and a SPA center. You don’t have to work out if you don’t want to - you can play tennis or golf instead, but it is good to have a fitness that you can visit if for some reason you feel up to it. The SPA center is an absolute must. There is nothing that says “I’m on vacation!” better than a nice and relaxing SPA procedure.

Staying at a luxury resort can be very expensive and most people prefer to book budget hotels for their vacation. This is why so many people join special travel clubs that help them get great discount to thousands of destination and top vacation resorts.

A good travel club is the Global Resorts Network. You can get great discounts and spend a week at some of the top resorts for as low as $298. With these travel clubs you can also bring guests, which means that your friends can spend a week at the luxury resort with you for $298 as well. This is a great way to get premium vacations at wholesale prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cathy_Cottrell

Source: travel clubs

Well, first of all you will want a great view of the ocean (or sea - depending on what country you are visiting). A great view will help you feel relaxed and happy when you’re having your morning coffee - feeling the ocean breeze and seeing the beautiful waves in the distance. If you decide to order room service instead of going to a restaurant for dinner, you can enjoy a glass of wine and the beautiful view as well.

Other things you can expect from a premium vacation resort are a fitness and a SPA center. You don’t have to work out if you don’t want to - you can play tennis or golf instead, but it is good to have a fitness that you can visit if for some reason you feel up to it. The SPA center is an absolute must. There is nothing that says “I’m on vacation!” better than a nice and relaxing SPA procedure.

Staying at a luxury resort can be very expensive and most people prefer to book budget hotels for their vacation. This is why so many people join special travel clubs that help them get great discount to thousands of destination and top vacation resorts.

A good travel club is the Global Resorts Network. You can get great discounts and spend a week at some of the top resorts for as low as $298. With these travel clubs you can also bring guests, which means that your friends can spend a week at the luxury resort with you for $298 as well. This is a great way to get premium vacations at wholesale prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cathy_Cottrell

Source: travel clubs

Bill and I have been struggling this whole summer so far trying to decide where to take the kids on vacation this year.  With my kids only being 4 and 1, it is a hard call.  I do not want to be spending a ton of money on a trip they are not going to remember.  That being said and with gas prices being so high, we have decided to stay home and vacation.  We live right next to Chicago, and never have any time to enjoy it!  Being that Bill hates to drive downtown more than he has to, we are looking at staying maybe one night (maybe even two) with the kids downtown.  There is a ton of stuff to do in Chicago like Navy Pier, Children’s Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Aquarium, and The Field Museum.  This is just a few things that are just a few blocks away from one another.  On top of there being a ton of things to do, there area also a ton of hotels to pick from.  I personally think we need one with a pool and continental breakfast if we have the kids with.  I love that Hotels Combined has the ability to search on the very parameters that I want.  It makes it so easy to find exactly what I want.  Our plan is to become a tourist in our very own town and visit all the places we never have time for!

Where are you going on vacation this summer?

Bill and I have been struggling this whole summer so far trying to decide where to take the kids on vacation this year.  With my kids only being 4 and 1, it is a hard call.  I do not want to be spending a ton of money on a trip they are not going to remember.  That being said and with gas prices being so high, we have decided to stay home and vacation.  We live right next to Chicago, and never have any time to enjoy it!  Being that Bill hates to drive downtown more than he has to, we are looking at staying maybe one night (maybe even two) with the kids downtown.  There is a ton of stuff to do in Chicago like Navy Pier, Children’s Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Aquarium, and The Field Museum.  This is just a few things that are just a few blocks away from one another.  On top of there being a ton of things to do, there area also a ton of hotels to pick from.  I personally think we need one with a pool and continental breakfast if we have the kids with.  I love that Hotels Combined has the ability to search on the very parameters that I want.  It makes it so easy to find exactly what I want.  Our plan is to become a tourist in our very own town and visit all the places we never have time for!

Where are you going on vacation this summer?

Bill and I are trying to decide where to take the kids this summer for vacation. With money being tight due to our basement remodeling project, it is really hard to decide where to go. We also have the other disadvantage that Will is only going to be one. There is not a lot of things that are going to hold both Madison (who is 4 years old) and his attention. He hates to be in the stroller too. One of the places that we were thinking about taking the kids is Wisconsin Dells. I know, its a tad pricey there. However, I think both kids would enjoy the water parks. Instead of going to all the travel sites like Orbitz or Expedia, I have been using Hotels Combined. They have the largest database available. Nothing is more annoying than having to look at 10 different travel sites just to find the best deal. As a mom with little ones, I don’t have time for that.

There are a couple of different things I am looking for in a hotel room. Now, if it is only Bill and myself, I don’t normally care. However, when the kids are with us, we need a lot more room. They need room to play and walk around. I also really like having wifi. I also do not like having to pay extra for it. I also like not having to look at the fine print of the hotels to make sure they have wifi. I like a site that allows me to search according to my parameters not theirs.

Now, I am checking out hotels that Hotels Combined gave me, and there is a ton of information to comb though. One of the hotels I was actually able to check out and get a way better price is the Great Wolf Lodge. This is one of the hotels we are seriously looking at. I was happily surprised to find out that the prices offered here are way less than go through their site. They list all the different prices that all the travel sites are offering, so you can pick which one you want to use. One you pick which place you want to go through, Hotels Combined directs you to their site so you can book. They definitely make it much easier and less time consuming to book your trip.

Bill and I are trying to decide where to take the kids this summer for vacation. With money being tight due to our basement remodeling project, it is really hard to decide where to go. We also have the other disadvantage that Will is only going to be one. There is not a lot of things that are going to hold both Madison (who is 4 years old) and his attention. He hates to be in the stroller too. One of the places that we were thinking about taking the kids is Wisconsin Dells. I know, its a tad pricey there. However, I think both kids would enjoy the water parks. Instead of going to all the travel sites like Orbitz or Expedia, I have been using Hotels Combined. They have the largest database available. Nothing is more annoying than having to look at 10 different travel sites just to find the best deal. As a mom with little ones, I don’t have time for that.

There are a couple of different things I am looking for in a hotel room. Now, if it is only Bill and myself, I don’t normally care. However, when the kids are with us, we need a lot more room. They need room to play and walk around. I also really like having wifi. I also do not like having to pay extra for it. I also like not having to look at the fine print of the hotels to make sure they have wifi. I like a site that allows me to search according to my parameters not theirs.

Now, I am checking out hotels that Hotels Combined gave me, and there is a ton of information to comb though. One of the hotels I was actually able to check out and get a way better price is the Great Wolf Lodge. This is one of the hotels we are seriously looking at. I was happily surprised to find out that the prices offered here are way less than go through their site. They list all the different prices that all the travel sites are offering, so you can pick which one you want to use. One you pick which place you want to go through, Hotels Combined directs you to their site so you can book. They definitely make it much easier and less time consuming to book your trip.

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon before? Up until February of this year, I hadn’t. I wondered why anybody would want to just see a hole in the ground. When we got there, it was all of 37 degrees and crazy windy. There was snow! I seriously couldn’t believe it. Yes, we all know what snow looks like, but I couldn’t believe there was this much snow in Arizona. I ended up having to buy a hat and gloves! I never thought in a million years I would have to pack that!

When Bill decided to stand here so I could take his picture, I thought for sure that he was going to get blown off. The crazy thing is that the rangers told us it was a light wind that day. Being from the Windy City, we know wind and this was no light wind! My fear of heights didn’t help either. However, by the end of the day, I was able to walk closer to the edge (not as quite as far as Bill). As you can see from the background, the Grand Canyon is a beautiful site.

Pictures don’t do this place justice at all. There are no words that describe how beautiful it is there. The part that amazes me the most is that when the Indians were living here it looked pretty much the same. It truly makes you feel insignificant. You feel like a speck in the history of the world (which is really what we are). It took millions of years to make this glorious site, and it is just awe inspiring.

The really cool thing about the Grand Canyon is that you can literally spend days there. We only planned for one, so we had to squish a lot of things in a short time period. There are several stops along the outside perimeter that you can visit. They actually have a map you can a follow and a sidewalk to hike on in some places. You also are able to hike into the Grand Canyon if you so desire. There are even signs telling you how long each trail is, how long it will take you, what you should pack with you (water and sandwiches), etc.

Even though each spot is still the Grand Canyon, it is truly a different view from each stop. Something that I didn’t know was that you can actually camp on site. The other thing that I had no idea is that there are actual hotels on site too! How awesome would it be to stay in one of those? The other cool thing was that you didn’t have to walk between stops either — there was a bus you could take for free! Bill and I walked most of the Grand Canyon, but by the end of the day, you get really tired. Plus, the last part of the trail was covered in snow, and we were in tennis shoes. I never thought to bring boots.

Running into the elk was very cool (not literally, of course!) We were driving in between stops and were very surprised to come across these elks!

When we left, this was the sight to see. The sunset was so beautiful. I highly recommend stopping at the Grand Canyon if you are in the area. I wish we would have planned for more than one day there!

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon before? Up until February of this year, I hadn’t. I wondered why anybody would want to just see a hole in the ground. When we got there, it was all of 37 degrees and crazy windy. There was snow! I seriously couldn’t believe it. Yes, we all know what snow looks like, but I couldn’t believe there was this much snow in Arizona. I ended up having to buy a hat and gloves! I never thought in a million years I would have to pack that!

When Bill decided to stand here so I could take his picture, I thought for sure that he was going to get blown off. The crazy thing is that the rangers told us it was a light wind that day. Being from the Windy City, we know wind and this was no light wind! My fear of heights didn’t help either. However, by the end of the day, I was able to walk closer to the edge (not as quite as far as Bill). As you can see from the background, the Grand Canyon is a beautiful site.

Pictures don’t do this place justice at all. There are no words that describe how beautiful it is there. The part that amazes me the most is that when the Indians were living here it looked pretty much the same. It truly makes you feel insignificant. You feel like a speck in the history of the world (which is really what we are). It took millions of years to make this glorious site, and it is just awe inspiring.

The really cool thing about the Grand Canyon is that you can literally spend days there. We only planned for one, so we had to squish a lot of things in a short time period. There are several stops along the outside perimeter that you can visit. They actually have a map you can a follow and a sidewalk to hike on in some places. You also are able to hike into the Grand Canyon if you so desire. There are even signs telling you how long each trail is, how long it will take you, what you should pack with you (water and sandwiches), etc.

Even though each spot is still the Grand Canyon, it is truly a different view from each stop. Something that I didn’t know was that you can actually camp on site. The other thing that I had no idea is that there are actual hotels on site too! How awesome would it be to stay in one of those? The other cool thing was that you didn’t have to walk between stops either — there was a bus you could take for free! Bill and I walked most of the Grand Canyon, but by the end of the day, you get really tired. Plus, the last part of the trail was covered in snow, and we were in tennis shoes. I never thought to bring boots.

Running into the elk was very cool (not literally, of course!) We were driving in between stops and were very surprised to come across these elks!

When we left, this was the sight to see. The sunset was so beautiful. I highly recommend stopping at the Grand Canyon if you are in the area. I wish we would have planned for more than one day there!

Can you see the town in the side of the hill there? That is Jerome, AZ. Never heard of it? Neither did I till we went to Arizona. This is a town with a very interesting history.Jerome was founded in 1876 and started off as a tent town. It later grew into a mining town of 15,000 and was known as the wickedest town in the West. This site had almost a billion dollars worth of copper. Many miners died due to explosices and unsafe conditions. World War I brought prosperity and growth for Jerome which flourished until the Great Depression in the 1930s. In its heyday, there were 13 hotels, 21 bars, and 8 “red light district” houses. At its lowest, the population was about 200. In the 60s, the hippies moved in and turned the town in an artists haven for tourists. Many of the original structures still are standing in Jerome.The owners built a home on the land that the mining was done on. Now, that home is a museum that allows you to see what life was life. For example, this is an electrical transformer: Here are a few other old items:

If you are visiting Arizona, I highly recommend that you visit Jerome. Its a small little quaint town that is worth visiting.

Can you see the town in the side of the hill there? That is Jerome, AZ. Never heard of it? Neither did I till we went to Arizona. This is a town with a very interesting history.Jerome was founded in 1876 and started off as a tent town. It later grew into a mining town of 15,000 and was known as the wickedest town in the West. This site had almost a billion dollars worth of copper. Many miners died due to explosices and unsafe conditions. World War I brought prosperity and growth for Jerome which flourished until the Great Depression in the 1930s. In its heyday, there were 13 hotels, 21 bars, and 8 “red light district” houses. At its lowest, the population was about 200. In the 60s, the hippies moved in and turned the town in an artists haven for tourists. Many of the original structures still are standing in Jerome.The owners built a home on the land that the mining was done on. Now, that home is a museum that allows you to see what life was life. For example, this is an electrical transformer: Here are a few other old items:

If you are visiting Arizona, I highly recommend that you visit Jerome. Its a small little quaint town that is worth visiting.

A couple posts ago you may have read about our terrible experience with the Catalina Hotel in Miami Beach.  The hotel we end up staying in was the Albion.  It is run by Rubell Hotels.  When you check out their site, the first page has a list of characteristics they are not (arrogant, formal, intimidating, robotic, or snobby) and what they are (sincere, low key, unpretentious, smiling and human).  I have to agree with the assessment of themselves.  Granted, this is not a 5 star hotel.  However, it had everything we were looking for.

When we arrived, the valet met us — we didn’t have to go up to them to get service.   We told them that we had called ahead and that we needed to make sure we still had a room.  The front desk guy was very nice to us.  When we arrived, he couldn’t guarantee us that we would have a room for the entire time we were in Miami, but he told us to call down to the desk at 9:30 in the morning to see where we stood.

The room was very nice.  It had two double beds, a tv, wifi, a closet, a bathroom — everything we needed.  The beds were very comfortable.  There was a restaurant located inside the hotel plus there were several places within walking distance too.  Both Walgreens and CVS were withing walking distance also.  The other plus was that the Miami Convention Center (where my conference was) was also within walking distance.  It is nice to be someplace where you would not have to rent a car.

When I was getting ready the next morning, we decided to call down to the front desk early to see if we could work a deal to stay in the same room.  The man at the front desk was extremely helpful.  Though he couldn’t give us a room, he told us to call back at 7:30.  That is when the shift change happens and that person books all the groups.  He would know for sure if there were any availabilities.  We kept our fingers crossed and had breakfast at the restaurant.  At 7:30, we stopped at the front desk and were really nice to the guy behind the counter.  He worked it out so we didn’t have to change rooms, and we could stay there our entire trip!  I wanted to kiss the guy but refrained.  I know, it was good customer service to keep us there.  However, after being at the Catalina with their poor customer service, I was prepared for anything.

The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful there.  When I needed a cab to get to the airport on Saturday morning at 4:30 am, they arranged for that.  This is a hotel I would definitely use again if I was even in Miami.

A couple posts ago you may have read about our terrible experience with the Catalina Hotel in Miami Beach.  The hotel we end up staying in was the Albion.  It is run by Rubell Hotels.  When you check out their site, the first page has a list of characteristics they are not (arrogant, formal, intimidating, robotic, or snobby) and what they are (sincere, low key, unpretentious, smiling and human).  I have to agree with the assessment of themselves.  Granted, this is not a 5 star hotel.  However, it had everything we were looking for.

When we arrived, the valet met us — we didn’t have to go up to them to get service.   We told them that we had called ahead and that we needed to make sure we still had a room.  The front desk guy was very nice to us.  When we arrived, he couldn’t guarantee us that we would have a room for the entire time we were in Miami, but he told us to call down to the desk at 9:30 in the morning to see where we stood.

The room was very nice.  It had two double beds, a tv, wifi, a closet, a bathroom — everything we needed.  The beds were very comfortable.  There was a restaurant located inside the hotel plus there were several places within walking distance too.  Both Walgreens and CVS were withing walking distance also.  The other plus was that the Miami Convention Center (where my conference was) was also within walking distance.  It is nice to be someplace where you would not have to rent a car.

When I was getting ready the next morning, we decided to call down to the front desk early to see if we could work a deal to stay in the same room.  The man at the front desk was extremely helpful.  Though he couldn’t give us a room, he told us to call back at 7:30.  That is when the shift change happens and that person books all the groups.  He would know for sure if there were any availabilities.  We kept our fingers crossed and had breakfast at the restaurant.  At 7:30, we stopped at the front desk and were really nice to the guy behind the counter.  He worked it out so we didn’t have to change rooms, and we could stay there our entire trip!  I wanted to kiss the guy but refrained.  I know, it was good customer service to keep us there.  However, after being at the Catalina with their poor customer service, I was prepared for anything.

The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful there.  When I needed a cab to get to the airport on Saturday morning at 4:30 am, they arranged for that.  This is a hotel I would definitely use again if I was even in Miami.

This is a hotel I have to recommend that you never ever stay at. If you are young and in Miami Beach to party, it may be okay. Beyond that, this hotel is your worst nightmare. Rated as a 4 star hotel, I was expecting luxury. What we got instead was a dump. The employees were rude, the walls are paper thin, and the parking is nonexistent. Let me tell you my story.

Check in is at 4 pm. We got there to find that there is no parking anywhere. You have to use their valet parking whether you like it or not and I think it was around $26 a day. Instead of saying hello to us, the guy at the front desk barked at us “license and credit card”. No hello. No please. It was customer service at its finest. NOT. The person I was staying with gave him her stuff and they proceed to copy it and put both on the same page! She asked them not do that. She has had her identity stolen and was a bit leary having all of that information about her photocopied on a piece of paper and stuck into an unlocked file cabinet! She had to argue with them to get them to black out her address and other identifying information on the copy of her license and her credit card number too! With the information they had copied on the same sheet, an identity thief would have a field day. Their response? The front area had a camera on it. Of course, we don’t know how good of a camera it was or anything. The first room they gave us was next to the bar. We marched back to front desk and explained to them again that we were here for business and not partying. They then gave us another room on the other side of the bar. After this, the bellman quit carrying our luggage. That’s how bad the situation got. They told us about the suite they had that had a pullout couch and a double bed. We didn’t think that sounded too bad. However, instead of giving us the keys to that room, they gave us a room on the third floor above the bar. We asked the bellman if we would hear the bar, and he told us we would. He also informed us that not only was it a bar, but it would have karaoke the next couple of night. It’s bad enough to have to listen to music all night. Bad music would be even worse! We went back to the desk and asked about the suite they told us about. A different guy said to us that they did have a suite, but they wouldn’t be offering it to us. He didn’t know why the other guy even told us about it. Yes, he really did say that to us.

Besides their lack of service, let me tell you about the rooms. They were tiny. We would have no place to put our suitcases at all. The bathroom came from the 1960’s and was tiny. Their website says they have free wifi. Guess what? They charge you for it once you are there. There were no phone books in the room. The walls were also paper thin. When we were trying to decide what we were going to do, a cell phone went off. I looked at my roommate and she looked at me thinking it was the other person’s phone. It was in the room next door. It sounded clear as day. There also were no closets or irons in the rooms.

Needless to say, we left. It was bad. I would highly recommend staying as far away from this hotel as you can. The rooms and the customer service were both crappy, and you can do better than this expensive hotel. I have stayed in one star hotels that were better than this!

This is a hotel I have to recommend that you never ever stay at. If you are young and in Miami Beach to party, it may be okay. Beyond that, this hotel is your worst nightmare. Rated as a 4 star hotel, I was expecting luxury. What we got instead was a dump. The employees were rude, the walls are paper thin, and the parking is nonexistent. Let me tell you my story.

Check in is at 4 pm. We got there to find that there is no parking anywhere. You have to use their valet parking whether you like it or not and I think it was around $26 a day. Instead of saying hello to us, the guy at the front desk barked at us “license and credit card”. No hello. No please. It was customer service at its finest. NOT. The person I was staying with gave him her stuff and they proceed to copy it and put both on the same page! She asked them not do that. She has had her identity stolen and was a bit leary having all of that information about her photocopied on a piece of paper and stuck into an unlocked file cabinet! She had to argue with them to get them to black out her address and other identifying information on the copy of her license and her credit card number too! With the information they had copied on the same sheet, an identity thief would have a field day. Their response? The front area had a camera on it. Of course, we don’t know how good of a camera it was or anything. The first room they gave us was next to the bar. We marched back to front desk and explained to them again that we were here for business and not partying. They then gave us another room on the other side of the bar. After this, the bellman quit carrying our luggage. That’s how bad the situation got. They told us about the suite they had that had a pullout couch and a double bed. We didn’t think that sounded too bad. However, instead of giving us the keys to that room, they gave us a room on the third floor above the bar. We asked the bellman if we would hear the bar, and he told us we would. He also informed us that not only was it a bar, but it would have karaoke the next couple of night. It’s bad enough to have to listen to music all night. Bad music would be even worse! We went back to the desk and asked about the suite they told us about. A different guy said to us that they did have a suite, but they wouldn’t be offering it to us. He didn’t know why the other guy even told us about it. Yes, he really did say that to us.

Besides their lack of service, let me tell you about the rooms. They were tiny. We would have no place to put our suitcases at all. The bathroom came from the 1960’s and was tiny. Their website says they have free wifi. Guess what? They charge you for it once you are there. There were no phone books in the room. The walls were also paper thin. When we were trying to decide what we were going to do, a cell phone went off. I looked at my roommate and she looked at me thinking it was the other person’s phone. It was in the room next door. It sounded clear as day. There also were no closets or irons in the rooms.

Needless to say, we left. It was bad. I would highly recommend staying as far away from this hotel as you can. The rooms and the customer service were both crappy, and you can do better than this expensive hotel. I have stayed in one star hotels that were better than this!