Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort: Traveler Reviews

     As usual, I used Priceline to bid on a resort on Hilton Head Island. This time my bid got me The Omni Oceanfront resort. It's in the same plantation as the Marriott Resort & Spa. They are practically right next door. It is different than the other resorts we've stayed at on the island. Here's my view:

     The lobby is smaller than the other resorts. The lobby (among other places) is a free wi-fi area. The front desk staff is much more friendly than the Crowne Plaza but not as friendly as the Marriott. The Concierge, Will, is great. The bellmen are all great. You never have to go through this lobby to go to the pools or other outdoor areas, which is a plus to me.

     The room is pretty nice. It has a table with a couple of chairs, a larger than usual fridge for a hotel room, microwave, a few plates, mugs, bowls, and silverware. The bathroom is a bit awkward with door configurations rendering the outer area unusable since it's a tight pass-through to the actual bathroom, but it's nice to have two sinks and counters. In our King bed room there was also a desk with chair, two more chairs, plus a sofa bed. Adding up all the chairs in the room and you have 6 plus a three seat sofa. There was a good sized balcony with two chairs and a table inside, upping the possible seating to 11. No real complaints about the room at all. It has an iron & board, hair dryer, and safe. Two robes are provided as well. Coffee maker with decent coffee. The freezer section of the fridge doesn't keep things frozen. We learned this the hard way with our beloved Blue Bell ice cream turned to liquid.

     My biggest complaint of the whole stay would be the housekeeper we had. One day of our stay we had a different lady because it was the regular housekeeper's day off. The regular housekeeper returned and the service she provided was just junky. The replacement should replace her permanently. She did the whole thing with love. The regular lady didn't clean a lot of stuff - sinks, floors, counters - all dirty when she was done. Replacement housekeeper had made everything perfect, left the towels all fancy-folded and put toiletries on the tray in an organized way. Regular housekeeper literally tossed the stuff on the tray all willy-nilly, left the same dirt on the floor our whole stay, left the same thing in the sink, threw out toiletries which were still half full, and in general had a nasty attitude when we saw her. She even kept leaving only decaf, even though my husband only drinks regular. I would have to go out in the halls and find other maids and trade after she did our room every day but one.

     Room service is totally lackluster. We are usually big room service piggies, but this place left much to be desired, even for us. If my husband says a chicken sandwich was too greasy to eat, it had to be bad.

     The layout of this resort kind of wins me over. It's not as high-falutin' as Crowne Plaza or Marriott, but you go down the hall and go outside and you are at the pool. You are almost at the beach. If you want to go to the beach from your room in the Crowne Plaza you have to go through the lobby and walk through a maze of gorgeous to get out to it. I enjoyed the simplicity of being dressed for the beach and being practically there when we got outside. The balconies all allow for an ocean view. Ours was nearly the furthest from the ocean, so it wasn't a perfect view, but you could see it. It beats the views we've had at Crowne Plaza and Marriott. (I don't mention the Westin much because we only stayed there once for a couple of nights and I wasn't impressed. Sorry Westin lovers.)

     The fancy restaurant on site was also disappointing to me. Not much on the menu and I felt like it was trying to hard to be 'fancy' and not trying hard enough to be delicious. The desserts were sad looking, so we passed. It just seemed like there was no love.

     The pool setup was pretty nice. Two pools, one for adults only, which was far away from the family pool. The water was like a lukewarm bath, which was good for me. There are also two jacuzzi tubs, although they were a maze-walk away from the pools. The bartender at the pool area bar was unfriendly to the extreme, but reviews online all seem to agree about him, so I guess it's not very shocking. We kept our encounters with him to two.

     There is a little cafe/store downstairs which offers many types of drinks, a bunch of candy, some desserts, and things like microwave popcorn. The cafe serves you at little tables. Burgers and pizza, etc. We used the store part, but not the cafe. My husband loved the coffee at this little cafe - and the girl working the counter said they cleaned their machine daily, which, according to her, is what makes their coffee so much better than other places. My husband gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

     Internet is $9.99 a day per device unless you sit in the lobby or other free wi-fi areas. Parking was $9.00 or $10.00 a day with valet parking being an extra $3 per day. Valet parking doesn't seem as necessary in this resort as the others because it seems like parking is readily available, but don't take my word for it because we used the valet.


You can't go wrong with any oceanfront resort at Hilton Head Island as far as I can tell. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.


Go on and visit. Tell them I sent you!

HIlton Oceanfront Resort: Hilton Head Island, SC

As usual, I used Priceline to bid on a resort on Hilton Head Island. This time my bid got me The Hilton Oceanfront resort. It's in the same plantation as the Marriott Resort & Spa. They are practically right next door. The Hilton Oceanfront is different than the other resorts we've stayed at on the island. Here's my view:

The lobby is smaller than the other resorts. The lobby (among other places) is a free wi-fi area.  The front desk staff is much more friendly than the Crowne Plaza but not as friendly as the Marriott. The Concierge, Will, is great. The bellmen are all great. You never have to go through this lobby to go to the pools or other outdoor areas, which is a plus to me. 

The room is pretty nice. It has a table with a couple of chairs, a larger than usual fridge for a hotel room, microwave, a few plates, mugs, bowls, and silverware. The bathroom is a bit awkward with door configurations rendering the outer area unusable since it's a tight pass-through to the actual bathroom, but it's nice to have two sinks and counters. In our King bed room there was also a desk with chair, two more chairs, plus a sofa bed. Adding up all the chairs in the room and you have 6 plus a three seat sofa. There was a good sized balcony with two chairs and a table inside, upping the possible seating to 11. No real complaints about the room at all. It has an iron & board, hair dryer, and safe. Two robes are provided as well. Coffee maker with decent coffee. The freezer section of the fridge doesn't keep things frozen. We learned this the hard way with Blue Bell ice cream turned to liquid.

My biggest complaint of the whole stay would be the housekeeper we had. One day of our stay we had a different lady because it was the regular housekeeper's day off. The regular housekeeper returned and the service she provided was just junky. The replacement should replace her permanently. She did the whole thing with love. The regular lady didn't clean a lot of stuff - sinks, floors, counters - all dirty when she was done. Replacement housekeeper had made everything perfect, left the towels all fancy-folded and put toiletries on the tray in an organized way. Regular housekeeper literally tossed the stuff on the tray all willy-nilly, left the same dirt on the floor our whole stay, left the same thing in the sink, threw out toiletries which were still half full, and in general had a nasty attitude when we saw her. She even kept leaving only decaf, even though my husband only drinks regular. I would have to go out in the halls and find other maids and trade after she did our room every day but one.

Room service is totally lackluster. We are usually big room service piggies, but this place left  much to be desired, even for us. If my husband says a chicken sandwich was too greasy to eat, it had to be bad.

The layout of this resort kind of wins me over. It's not as high-falutin' as Crowne Plaza or Marriott, but you go down the hall and go outside and you are at the pool. You are almost at the beach. If you want to go to the beach from your room in the Crowne Plaza you have to go through the lobby and walk through a maze of gorgeous to get out to it. I enjoyed the simplicity of being dressed for the beach and being practically there when we got outside. The balconies all allow for an ocean view. Ours was nearly the furthest from the ocean, so it wasn't a perfect view, but you could see it. It beats the views we've had at Crowne Plaza and Marriott. (I don't mention the Westin much because we only stayed there once for a couple of nights and I wasn't impressed. Sorry Westin lovers.)

The fancy restaurant on site was also disappointing to me. Not much on the menu and I felt like it was trying to hard to be 'fancy' and not trying hard enough to be delicious. The desserts were sad looking, so we passed. It just seemed like there was no love. 

The pool setup at Hilton Oceanfront Resort was pretty nice. Two pools, one for adults only, which was far away from the family pool. The water was like a lukewarm bath, which was good for me. There are also two jacuzzi tubs, although they were a maze-walk away from the pools.  The bartender at the pool area bar was unfriendly to the extreme, but reviews online all seem to agree about him, so I guess it's not very shocking. We kept our encounters with him to two. 

There is a little cafe/store downstairs which offers many types of drinks, a bunch of candy, some desserts, and things like microwave popcorn. The cafe serves you at little tables. Burgers and pizza, etc. We used the store part, but not the cafe. 

If you go through Priceline you can't use Hilton Honors at this property, which is the only oceanfront resort on the island with this policy. That said, internet is $9.99 a day per device unless you sit in the lobby or other free wi-fi areas. Parking was $9.00 or $10.00 a day with valet parking being an extra $3 per day. Valet parking doesn't seem as necessary in this resort as the others because it seems like parking is readily available, but don't take my word for it because we used the valet.  

You can't go wrong with any oceanfront resort at Hilton Head Island as far as I can tell.  They each have their strengths and weaknesses.

Go on and visit. Tell them I sent you!

Hilton Charlotte Center City, N.C.

We had friends to meet in Charlotte, N.C. on our way home from Hilton Head Island. Once again, this time from my room at the Crowne Plaza, I hopped on Priceline and named my own price for a hotel. I chose Charlotte Downtown - 4 star hotel. I bid $60. The bid was accepted immediately by Hilton Charlotte Center City. I called them right away to verify our reservations (both rooms) and request bed types.

Upon arrival to the hotel Rebecca at the front desk told me there were no King rooms available at all. She said "That's what you get when you use Priceline." I told her I understood. I do. I understand some hotels will treat you like less than a guest when you use Priceline. No biggie.

We went upstairs to our two rooms (606 & 607) with two full beds in each. (Another hotel which crams you into two doubles instead of two queens - what gives?) The kids dubbed it "The Taco Bell Hotel" because of the colors. They liked it, but thought it was funny. In their room there was something all over the wall above the beds. I don't even want to guess as to what it was. The halls obviously were not the responsibility of anyone in housekeeping, because the walls are pretty beat up and the carpets could use a good granny scrubbing.

When we got to our room we decided not to use the internet since, even though we are priority club members, there was a $10 fee per computer, even if you use the wired internet. My husband was happy to just watch the brand new 42" plasma. Problem: Even though the switch from analog has been in the works forever, and the hotel just had a TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLAR update, none of our HD channels worked. Translation: the only thing we could watch would be pay per view movies, at $16 each, after taxes. Gee, no thanks.

We called for some help. Les came up and was very nice. He tried to fix it, but it wasn't possible. He called down to the desk to ask if he could move us to a different room. Les gets my vote for #1 employee at this hotel.

"Sure" came back the answer on the radio "Room 615 is open." Guess what room 615 was like, REBECCA?? Why, it was a spacious room with a king bed, and a chaise lounge, a newly upgraded bathroom, and... the same problem with the television. Les said he would bring up an ethernet cord and give us free internet and let us watch pay per view movies free. As many as we want!

In the morning a pay per view movie was on the bill and I called down to the desk to tell them Les said he would leave a note on our account to waive the pay per view fees. She tells me it says to waive one. I tell her that is not what he told us, but thanks anyway. She immediately says she'll remove them both and adds "Have a great day." That was a quick turn around, wasn't it? I'm hoping it is because I was nice about it and was going to give up so easily.

The bathrooms are beautiful and have lighting as good as any bathroom I have ever seen. The new showers have marble bottoms, yes... but they are small rectangular marble tiles and they hurt your feet. Even my husband remarked about how uncomfortable they were. He says "No love was put into this place." I think I agree. It's a beautiful bathroom. Everything works well. The sink is not for children or the elderly, but it is modern. The coffee gets two thumbs up. It is a nice LaVazza from Italy.

The lights throughout the room are fantastic. Each little light has a built in dimmer giving you full control of the brightness. The bed was blissfully comfortable. The desk is huge and in the double bed rooms there is the only platform I have ever seen in any hotel which will actually hold a full sized suitcase. Very nifty indeed!

In the morning we ordered an omelet from room service. Nirvana. They bring it with little red potatoes with perfectly sauteed onions and bell peppers. Three of us who were up early shared it.

The hotel restaurant charges $18 per person for the breakfast buffet, and for all six of us, that's a hefty bill. $108. Before drinks and tip. Add $30 for drinks and a 30% tip and you're talking $162.84 for a breakfast buffet! Since I paid $60 per room and $18(!) for self parking, breakfast would have been more expensive than the two rooms and parking. We headed off to IHOP.

If I was going through Charlotte I would definitely stay here again, for the right price. Thank you Priceline!

Crowne Plaza Resort - Hilton Head Island, S.C.

During our time at Hilton Head last week we decided to extend our stay. I hopped on Priceline again and landed a different resort - The Crowne Plaza.We had stayed at this Crowne Plaza on other occasions, so we knew what to expect, sort of. I say sort of because this time, and maybe it was because we booked on Priceline(?) we didn't get the same quality of room as in the past. We always get a view of a rooftop full of air conditioners. This time we got a a better view... of the parking lot. Hey, it's better than air conditioners. Plus there was a big palm tree sort of in our face so it blocked a lot of the parking lot view.

The rooms we had (3065 - and the kids had 3061) started out with a television remote which did not work, a missing ethernet cord, a toilet which took a carnival strong man two pushes to flush, (and it was loud!) and hardly any water pressure. There was a red drink of some kind spilled all over the wall and carpet near one of the beds, which the maids never cleaned while we were there, either. I bet if you go check 3065 today, it is still there. Some odd stuff was falling onto the balcony which was barely wide enough to fit a chair, and and a television signal was very bad, even on our pay per view movie. You know what though? These things really didn't amount to a hill of beans.

As far as the room goes, it's attractive. It had two double beds, which I always find sort of insulting. Come on, you can't give us two queens? To be fair, this double bed thing also happened at the Marriott Resort and Spa. The air conditioning worked well, and the hallways were not hot like on previous visits, but also comfortably air conditioned. The sounds were terrible. You could hear the other rooms taking a shower, flushing, or pretty much anything they did. And it felt like Florida during Spring Break as far as the noise levels in the hallways. I just don't remember any of these issues in previous stays at this location. Then again, we were never on this end of the resort in the past.

Beautiful grounds:

They have gorgeous grounds with lots of lush greenery. There are ponds of water with wildlife. The turtles, especially, love to swim their mossy-backed selves over to the little bridge when you stand on it. The hammocks are the perfect resort hammock, and shaded for the lucky loungers. There is an outdoor pool with chairs. The umbrellas for the chairs are few and far between, leaving most guests in the blaring sun while they lounge. There is also an indoor pool. The lone jacuzzi is indoors with this pool. You have to have a room card with you to access this pool room. There are a handful of chaise lounges in with this pool. The hamburgers from the pool bar are out of this world. The fries hold their own, as well. I had a virgin orange creamsicle icy drink and it was really good too.

Mossy Turtles:

The beach access is fantastic. At low tide you end up with warm and interesting tide pools. There are ample showers and there is a nice big bathroom right there by the showers. Very handy for when you are staying at the beach for a while.

The kids made new friends on the beach:

David from the restaurant was really great with us. He's my choice for #1 employee at this location. We loved the Key Lime pie!

They have a decent gift shop, although the staff, usually consisting of one person, follows you at every turn. They do not greet you or try to help, they just watch you as if you're apt to rob them blind. Do resorts of this calibur have a big old bunch of shoplifters or do I just look like a gypsy?

Did I mention the kids made a few friends on the beach?

The check in desk, save a nice girl from England, could always use a course in 'friendly' as far as I am concerned. Ditto the bartender out by the pool, and pretty much any employee of this resort except the girls in the towel hut, who were sweet. The Crowne Plaza could take a lesson from the Marriott in how to treat the guests to make them feel welcomed. Nobody was terribly rude or anything, they just don't know how to make you feel like they enjoy you being with them.

Checkout is noon, and before 11:30 the same girl from housekeeping had bothered us THREE times to see when they could make up the room. Each time I told her we would be checking out that day. When I told her the third time, at 11:30, we would be gone by 12:00 she gave me an unhappy look. What was this about? I have no idea. I didn't care, either.

This isn't a place to avoid, but it isn't a place to expect a quiet getaway. It more than met our needs for us and our four children aged 16-23. I wouldn't be upset if I named my own price on Priceline and got the Crowne Plaza again, even with their less than friendly staff.

I would give them a B- overall, but on all my other visits I would have given them an A.

Great Wolf Lodge, Mason Ohio

We've taken a couple of trips to Mason in the past few months to hang out at Great Wolf Lodge. The main draw of the lodge is a giant indoor water park. We took our high school and college kids the day after Christmas for a brief stay. There are restaurants in the lodge, which we did not use. There are lots of restaurants nearby, so we chose to leave the property to eat. Partially due to the bad reviews of their eateries, partially because we love the hot fudge cake at Bob's Big Boy, just a minute away. And we frankly did want to escape the whole water park crowd for a while. It can get overwhelming for me with people and noise and confusion.

Here were my impressions:

Parking: The parking is surprisingly good. While it seemed like there was 'barely enough' we always found a spot. They have a good amount of short term parking for you while you check in, even on the busiest of days.

Front Desk: It's a shame, really. This is their chance to make a really great impression on you, but they clearly are not interested. You walk into this grand, amazing lobby which clearly was a labor of love, only to stand in very long lines. I have no issue with waiting in line, but this was ridiculous. They have a big counter where four, or maybe even five people could be checking in the guests. They have a lot of staff behind the counter. But only two people are helping guests. The others stand around talking to each other. And you can tell they don't like their job, they don't think much of their coworkers, and they really don't care about the guests. In a word "Attitude". Attitude with guests, with each other, and audible complaints you can hear even from the back of the line about how many people are in line. It's 4:15 the day after Christmas. The place is booked solid. Yeah, you're going to be busy. This is your job. So do it well and be friendly. The one way they are efficient, in our experience, is you at least get the room you reserved. Also, someone is very nice on the phone about extending your wristband for incidental expenses after checkout.

The Rooms: We had a loft suite. It does give everyone more space and an extra bathroom, which is always nice. The rooms are pretty much standard hotel room fare. The rooms are clean and in good working order. We had a mini fridge and a microwave and coffee maker. We had a packet of decaf Maxwell House available in our room. The fireplace was a nice touch. Although the room we had was for 6-8 people, and we were 6, there were only four towels, four cups, etc. This seems like an issue which just does not need to exist. It's obviously just the standard for them, but in the rooms for more people they should have a 'more towel' policy. There are bar soaps and a childrens body wash (which they sell in the spa) and a shampoo in the bathroom. There is a balcony, but the view is depressing and it was full of cigarette butts floating in a couple of big yuchy containers. I think these balconies must only exist for people to smoke on them. This is a decent room for a family, especially if you are going to be spending most of your time in the water anyway.

Pizza Hut: They were as fast as they could be, considering, but very undercooked. (Think dough still raw in the center of the pizza.) Order from a real Pizza Hut from your room. They have a bunch of pizza places who deliver in the booklet in the room. You'll likely get better pizza, more of it, and it will be less expensive. If you buy from the lodge you pay $5 for a 2 liter of Pepsi and nearly twice as much for the food items. Ordering direct gives you more options.

Gift Shop: Prices compare to Disney, but there are a few reasonable items to be found. Gift shop staff is sparse, but they all seem very nice and willing to help. They even have their own Build a Bear type thing. Perhaps the person in charge of the gift shop should be in charge of the front desk as well?

Starbucks: Good service, good coffee. The Starbucks is inside the gift shop.

Spa: I would avoid this place. Better to go to the spa at home. They are about as friendly as the front desk and seem more eccentric than anything else.

Arcade: Kids enjoyed this when they were not in the water. You can win tickets and bring home great prizes. This seems actually very reasonable to me.

Common areas: I can't say enough good things about the lobby. There is a huge fireplace and a story telling area where kids go, dressed in pajamas, in the evening. From the lobby you can access well kept restrooms, a couple of restaurants, the gift shop/Starbucks, elevators, great big windows into the water park, and whatever else I'm forgetting. The day after Christmas it was still decorated beautifully for Christmas. There was a giant Christmas tree, an area with a bunch of regular sized trees, set up for taking snapshots, and a lot of decorations everywhere. Even overhead we were impressed with how much attention they had paid to detail. They even had a beautifully decorated gingerbread house.


There is a nice sitting area which looks into the water park. Big overstuffed couches and chairs, with plenty of tables for books or bags or snacks. This was nice for us on the second day when some of us wanted to take a rest after lunch. We sat there and read and relaxed while still getting to watch the water park fun when we felt like it.

There is free wi-fi throughout the resort. We didn't see anyone using it in the lobby, maybe because it was right after Christmas and people were a little more in the spirit of things. You can forget about taking your laptop to watch Netflix. We tried in the room. The connection is fine for browsing the internet, but just can't quite cut it for Netflix.

Now for the water park: I want to tell you to just go already! It's great. There are plenty of towels available at the door. They keep it a balmy 84 degrees. For the adults 21 and older there is a nice big jacuzzi. They do enforce the 21 and older rule, although they don't actually ask for identification. It's not very hot, but it's warm enough and kind of a nice way to relax after getting flushed. Yeah, I said flushed. You go down a big old water slide and at the bottom you get flushed, just like you were in a giant toilet. I didn't do it because, as difficult as it may be to believe, it's just not one of my fantasies. The rest of the family did, most of them repeatedly. They agree it's great fun. I did ride a couple of the other water slides (I think there are 9) and they are fun. Most of them dump you right out into the lazy river. My husband and I rode around the lazy river on a two person raft. You could just ride around in there all day. There is also a wave pool, many little fountain/geyser type things, a rope course, a pool where there's basketball and maybe volleyball and lots of things little kids like to climb on. There is also a jacuzzi for the under 21 set, which was packed with people all day long.

There are a lot of tables, which people tend to stake out with their towels while they are in the water. There seem to be enough to go around. There are a few private cabanas for rent, although I have never seen one rented. I didn't inquire because although their prices are Disneyesque, their service is not. I'm not paying premium prices for less than premium service. They have lifeguards stationed everywhere and they are really on top of things. They have been efficient and helpful - and even friendly! There are parts of the water park I have not yet discovered, but it all seems very popular. No part sits unused, that's for certain.

There's a snack bar in the water park and a bar, too. I wouldn't know about the bar. The snack bar sells the typical snack bar fare. You can also ask them for a glass of water. It's nice to know they'll give you a cup of ice water with a lid and straw for free. You don't have to buy the bottled water. You don't have to buy anything at all. Outside food is prohibited in the water park by policy, but in reality there seems to be little issue with your own reasonable little snacks in the water park. You can't drag in your own cooler though.

There's also a shop selling swimwear and Crocs. It's a small shop packed full with stuff. Don't go there expecting to find a clearance rack. I think the prices are in line with full price a Macy's type department store, for what it's worth. We picked out a really cute suit for my daughter in July and they were selling the same one in December.


*Remember to take your camera, your flip flops and cover up for walking the halls, and your own big towels if you want. Don't go thinking you are going to 'sit this one out'. This place is truly enjoyable for everyone. There are plenty of things I didn't mention because we didn't use them like the Magic Quest game, which seems to be very popular for kids up to around age 13. There's a program for young children where they do crafts and make t shirts which looks really neat, too.

Although check in isn't until 4:00 and checkout is at 11:00, you can make use of the water park from 1:00 PM the day you check in and until closing the day of departure. They give wristbands to the adults which serve as the key to your room and a way to charge items to your room. No need to carry a wallet or a key. Your wristband can still work to pay for charges even after checkout time, all you have to do is call or stop by the front desk and ask.

Did I mention it's right next to King's Island? Well, it is. Across the street is a giant movie theater, giving you another entertainment option.

I just read this article full of tips about Great Wolf Lodge written by Lorain Blanken. You should go give it a read.

You can always find coupon codes for Great Wolf Lodge, usually on their own website.

Library Hotel, NYC

Do you want proof I'm a geek? Here it is! I haven't stayed at the Library Hotel
in NYC yet, but as soon as I get a chance, I will.

The rooms all have different categories of books. I'd like to stay in the Fairy Tale room and the Romance Room and the Classics Room and the Erotica Room and the Poetry Room. I want to stay in the Paintings Room and the Photography Room and the Music Room and the Fashion Design Room. I want to stay in the Ancient Room and the Romance Room. I want to stay in the Museums Room and the Logic Room and the Ethics Room. I want to stay in the Philosophy Room and the Paranormal Room and the Love Room and the Psychology Room.

Okay, I obviously need many nights at the Library Hotel.

Walden Country Inn and Stables, Aurora Ohio

The Walden Country Inn and Stables is a unique place. This must have been a labor of love for the architect. The design is so interesting, so unexpected. You feel cozy and taken care of and special just because of the way the building feels. The rooms are spacious and luxurious.

We stayed in A loft suite (about twelve hundred square feet!) and really enjoyed it. Even the private stairway had flair. You have a fireplace. The huge bath is across from the bed instead of in the bathroom, which also has a shower. If you want to spend a romantic getaway in a room that lends itself to blissful relaxation go stay at Walden.

Don't order room service from their on site restaurant, however. It takes forever to get your tepid food. As a bonus I got the nastiest case of food poisoning in my life. Waking up the morning of checkout with projectile vomiting is not in their brochure, but it was an unexpected part of our stay. They claim to have movies for rent, but when you pick up the list in the room and call down and ask for a title they are put out. They don't really have those movies for rent, they go and get them from a local rental place. I also don't recommend paying big bucks to ride their horses. One of our horses was entirely spooked by the mud in the trail and decided to run into trees and be otherwise impossible. We all had to return (the two of us and our "guide") after just a few terrible minutes (we didn't get through 5 minutes of our hour long ride) and they still charged us at full rate for the both of us.

Remember I told you the building is awesome, and worth the stay. The staff was mediocre - and I'm being generous. For the room alone, go. Eat and entertain yourself elsewhere.

see their brochure here:
http://www.waldenco.com/brochure/walden.swf

Going to Orlando? Stay at Sheraton's Vistana Resort

You can thank me later. Vistana is close to Disney, across the street from a real, albeit a little depressing, grocery store. It's chock full of nice amenities, including a store or two on property. The pictures online just don't do it justice. Nice apartments, with their screened patios, washer/dryer, full kitchen, grand master bathroom give you all the niceties of home.

The giant pool in the picture is a fun place with lots of people, but there are a bunch of pools and hot tubs all around the property that feel much more private, and are usually right outside your back door. You can sit on the patio while older children swim. You can see the nightly midnight fireworks show from Disney's Pleasure Island from the Vistana property.

They have their own on site Pizza Hut and 3 or 4 other eateries. You can play tennis, rent bicycles, watch the chameleons, use the fitness centers or the game room. Or you could just relax. There's a television in the living room and the bedroom. I can't remember if there was a television in the 2nd bedroom?

Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, Aventura Florida

Turnberry claims a spot in The Leading Hotels of The World. One visit will show you why. It's grand by most any standards. It's one of those places that could have been uncomfortably stuffy with the wrong management and staff. They did a good job hiring the right people, and have created a comfortable resort. The onsite dining is on par with the rest of the fine dining in the area. Even the food ordered through room service is outstanding. I'd suffered a pancake trauma (something to do with a helpful child exchanging salt for sugar in the recipe) and their banana pancakes helped me to recover.

From the time you drive up and leave your keys with the valet you'll notice the folks at Turnberry haven't missed a thing. They've been generous with the gorgeous marble from the check in areas to the perfeclty appointed, spacious guest bathrooms. This may be my all time favorite bathroom away from home.

Hotel Residence Des Arts, Paris

Do you have a picture of the place you got engaged? This is mine. The only thing is, we were still on the other side of the curtain, in the living area. For the first couple of nights in Paris we stayed at The Hotel Residence Des Arts.

There was a restaurant downstairs, part of the hotel. This hotel on the left bank gave us a different part of Paris within walking distance than the little apartment in Sacre Couer.

Perfect Apartment for Parisian Romance

There have been some updates to the look of this penthouse apartment since the photo. In my opinion it looks better now. I love the location. You can look out the large living room windows and see the Sacre Coeur. You can look out the little window in the lavatory and see what seems like all of Paris. Mornings with soft rain, accompanied by the opera singer practicing downstairs, make you feel like you're living in some romantic movie. In fact, maybe you are. This place exudes romance.

When you finally do force yourself to leave, you don't have to go far until you're faced with grand choices for food, shopping, or sightseeing. Monmartre has it all. We set up everything with the owner via email and phone calls. Erica sent Isis to take care of us. Isis has a beautiful, warm smile and was available to help us with anything at any time. It's my understanding that Isis is no longer with Erica, but from what I've read Erica still has great people working with her here: http://www.goin2travel.com/bermanliv.htm

April in Paris? Yes!


I've found the online review I left for Erica after our stay. Here it is:

Service: 10 - Best

Value: 10 - BestAttractiveness: 7 - Nice

Overall: 9 - Outstanding


I can't say enough good things about our stay at Erica's Rue Livingstone apartment. There are so many other categories that could also be rated a "10". The bathtub/shower was perfectly appointed. I'm certain that anyone would be pleased with the cleanliness of the apartment. The appliances and fixtures are all very nice and work without any nuances. I loved the windows- both the amount of light they let in and the ease of operation. Speaking of the windows, the view is, to say the least, inspiring. Sunrise is soft and sweet from the bed in the corner. The view of the Sacre Coeur is so much better than the pictures show.

Actually, the whole apartment is so much better than the pictures. It's my opinion that it's bigger 'in person' than I was expecting. The only noises we heard that weren't our own were: the rain on the roof in the morning (how romantic) and the opera singer in the apartment below, also in the morning. I think she added that last speck of perfect romance to our engagement trip to Paris. We had heard (from friends, family) that it was difficult to get a taxi, especially weekends and evenings, but we never once had any trouble, no matter the day or time.

The location was such a great suprise. This apartment is just a hop away from the bottom of the steps to the Sacre Coeur. (that's a great help in telling the Taxi drivers where to take you, since, when you say "Rue Livingstone they seem to be/stay lost.) We found the most charming man in the little cafe at the bottom of the steps.

The single thing that makes this apartment (or any of Erica's rentals) the BEST place to stay in Paris is the kind of attention offered by this team. Erica was always so fast to respond to any email we sent, and once we arrived, Isis was the warmest, most wonderful hostess I've ever encountered. She was thorough and sweet. I felt reassured that if we needed assistance of any kind she would take good care of us. Anyone running a business could learn how to treat people by taking a lesson from this team - they really have that special something. We would stay again and again, and we'll definitely spread the word.

Errolbank Guest House, Dundee Scotland

While we're in Scotland, let's talk about another little jewel. Errolbank Guest House in Dundee. It's a crying shame Doris doesn't have more pictures online. The ones I can find don't do it justice. I can tell you it's a charming guest house. There is a beautiful garden with a quaint sitting area.

I became quite a fan of the Scottish breakfast while I was in the care of Doris. The Scots don't fool around with breakfast- what an indulgence! It's hearty and delicious. I can't find a picture to do her breakfast justice. It had three kinds of meat, eggs, baked tomato, baked beans, toast, & tea. Possibly oats and potatoes. Who can remember oats or potatoes after all that other stuff?
Contact the guest house for reservations: http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,ACC5161Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html
I found Dundee to be a great town for a girl with some time on her hands. It feels safe and friendly enough to walk around and discover on your own. There's Dundee University, the ocean, (we picked up some black sand, something to do with an extinct volcano, for my father in law), City Square with plenty of shopping including a fantastic book store, and the Discovery ship. Don't let your teenage daughter go there on her own, though, as Dundee has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Western Europe. A whopping 1 in 16 girls! Of Dundee's 115,000 tourists per year, only 15,000 are said to come from outside the UK.


The Dundee City council has even blessed us with a webcam you can control from your computer to check out the sights around City Square. It's pretty neat. Check it out here: http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/webcam/