I fly a lot for work and my hub is Newark so I’m on a United Airlines place, often. While some of my fellow road warriors gripe about United for various reasons – I love United.
I enjoy terminal C at Newark with all its cool new restaurants, shops and perks.
I like being able to visit a United Club prior to a flight to get work done (please put a Club at Miami International Airport).
Mileage Plus rocks, plain and simple.
The new-ish website is so much better and the app is super also with the entertainment selection.
I actually think the gate agents and the crews are awesome and helpful. And to illustrate just how amazing these folks are, I thought I’d recap my flight home from Dallas yesterday.
Rush from a client presentation to Dallas DFW for a 1:47PM flight to Newark.
We board the flight and after about 2 ½ hours, the lead flight attendant announces there’s a medical emergency and asks for any medically-trained passenger to come to the back of the plane. Nobody identifies him/herself.
Captain then makes a second announcement saying it’s critical someone with a medical background identifies him/herself. I feel the plane descending (yes, I fly a lot) and know we’ll reroute.
Captain comes on and says we’ll be landing in 20 minutes and to stay seated. He sounds concerned. Everyone sits and all becomes quiet, even the baby that’s been crying for 2 hours.
Captain comes back on to say we’re rerouting to Dulles airport as a baby’s in distress. You know, the baby no longer crying. Chills, all the complainers about a flight diversion shut up immediately.
Medics are onboard within minutes of landing, take the not-alert baby off, get their gear out, we refuel, restock medical equipment and we take off.
We were at the gate at Newark 75 minutes after our flight was due to land – INCREDIBLE!!!
A couple of weeks ago, I went down to Alexandria, a great town by the way, for a team meeting. Since near the headquarters office, we stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, a boutique hotel in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, right on King Street.
I’ve been a big fan of Kimpton hotels for years as they put the fun in functional hotels with quirky décor, upbeat staff and welcoming atmosphere.
Guestroom. Photo by Kimpton.
Lobby. Photo by Kimpton.
Bathroom. Photo by Kimpton
About the hotel
The Old Town boutique hotel recently went through a multimillion-dollar redesign by acclaimed Los Angeles designer, David Hill., The remodel helped re-invigorate the legacy of Monaco Alexandria, its guestrooms and suites and its fun and welcoming communal spaces.
Some of the amenities offered by this Old Town Alexandria hotel are a 24-hour fitness center, a heated pool, in-room spa services, free use of Gaiam yoga mats and custom-designed, PUBLIC bikes.
About the guestrooms
The hotel boasts 241 suites and guestrooms, including two-level loft suites, 28 terrace rooms with balconies, an 800-square-foot Mediterranean Suite plus the brand-new Eleanor Suite, perfect for wedding day prep. The guestrooms are playful yet sophisticated with subtle hints to the hotel’s location and storied Civil War past. Geometric carpet, cheery accent pillows, studded cream-colored headboards, new ergonomic teal chairs and graphic collages of flickering gas lamps adorn each room.
The fun stuff
I must admit that I primarily wrote this post to send kudos to this hotel for its fun robes and clever drink coupon. Is that strange? Perhaps, but as a road warrior, I feel it’s important to commend travel suppliers when they do something great.
I was tired from my trip in to Alexandria when I checked in and as soon as I went to hang my power suit for the next day, there were the two most fun robes waiting for me. Well done Hotel Monaco.
Let’s roll back to me checking into the hotel. The cheerful front desk agent checks me in and then tells me I’ve just missed their complimentary wine hour. I immediately go into a ‘why tell me that!!??’ mode but then the agent hands me the below drink coupon with some the most clever marketing on it. So, I’ve missed happy hour BUT you’re treating me to a drink anyways? Brilliant, simply brilliant.
In a world of cold and impersonal cookie-cutter hotels, I appreciate the thoughtfulness extended by this property and will be staying there again soon.
There are two fitness centers: one within the spa (more about the spa in a future post) and one near the lobby.
Fitness Center at Well & Being Spa
For customers scheduled for spa treatments, the state-of-the-art fitness center located within the spa premises is complimentary. For non-customers, the spa access fee to the facilities is $55.
Well & Being Spa offers an array of fitness classes and personal training regiments to suit every guest. From yoga (aerial and standard) Pilates and Zumba, ideal for all guests, to more advanced classes like Boot Camp, body sculpting, Krank Fusion and TRX, the schedule of classes is varied enough for beginners to experts. I enjoyed an open-level yoga class that was wonderful.
Fitness Activities and Class Schedules
The fitness center at the spa is open from 6AM to 8PM.
Hotel Gym Cardio
Hotel Gym Weights
Fairmont Fitness Center
24-hour access to the hotel’s fitness center is included in the $29/day resort fee charged to hotel guests. I visited this gym at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess twice and liked the space and the equipment both times.
Address: 7575 E Princess Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: (480) 585-4848.
For guests who want to keep healthy on their stay in Scottsdale, the Fairmont Princess has two solid fitness center options.
Just a short note to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and to say how thankful I am to have your support with this blog and my crazy travel adventures.
I’ll be spending the holiday with good friends and, I’m sure, over-indulging on delicious traditional foods.
Earlier this year, LinkedIn made an enhancement I’m not sure everyone fully understands. This enhancement allows users to either “share an update” or “publish a post”. After getting inquiries from some of my connections, I thought I’d clarify the difference between these publishing options.
Share an Update
This option is for short, simple messages – typically a sentence or two and a link to be accessed for further info. For example, my latest update: Sabre to acquire hotel technology company, Trust Group – http://bit.ly/1IgkmJb
Publish a Post
This option is to be used for longer messages or perhaps a complete blog post. See this example of a published post by Michelle Guelbart – Director of Private Sector Engagement at ECPAT-USA: Breaking the Cycle of Slavery: 40 Miles for the TD Bike Tour – http://bit.ly/1IauXKY
Both options get shared to your network, so have no fear an update or a post will be missed by your connections.
With the growing focus on eating locally-sourced foods, hotel restaurants are turning to area farmers for their produce, dairy and meats needs. It should come as no surprise that these same restaurants, while they have strong relationships with local purveyors, have a fiscal interest in growing their own food.
Just a few short years ago, who really considered farming a possibility within major city limits? Check out these popular hotel rooftop gardens across the USA.
The Chef’s Garden at Crystal Springs Resort’s Grand Cascades Lodge brings fresh and local dining to a whole new dimension. This breathtaking al fresco restaurant allows guests a truly exceptional “garden-to-table” culinary experience set adjacent to a beautiful organic vegetables, flowers and herbs garden. The garden was designed to be beautiful, educational and to supply seasonal products to hotel guests, area residents and day visitors. When dining at the Chef’s Garden, guests can see resort chefs pick garden-fresh ingredients and use them to prepare their meal in front of them.
Located at The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami, Essensia Restaurant + Lounge takes its farm-to-table philosophy to the next level by not only sourcing many of its products locally, it uses products from its 750 square feet Chef’s Organic Garden to create a menu focused on purity and taste.
This luxury hotel boasts, Studio Garden, an organic garden adjacent to its signature restaurant, Studio.
The garden is comprised of raised garden beds filled with herbs, vegetables and even fruits. Executive Chef Craig Strong, Studio Garden’s main gardener, incorporates the fresh ingredients in his inventive dishes at Studio and works with the mixology team to add the garden’s harvest to the cocktails at the various outlets. The resort’s Montage Laguna Spa even incorporates the garden’s herbs and produce in its spa treatment.
Waldorf Astoria New York
Rooftop Garden at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, New York
The Waldorf Astoria past, present and future has a rich tradition of roof top gardens. The rooftop garden originally opened in 1903 and was accessible by ticket only and featured two orchestras providing musical entertainment. Since its reopening in 2011, Executive Chef David Garcelon and his team have recreated the rooftop garden and added bee hives that have helped pollinate the many vegetables, fruits and herbs that are used in the hotel’s food and cocktails. The honey made from the rooftop bee hives is even used in the Guerlain Spa
At mar’sel, the resort’s upscale restaurant, Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra’s seasonal culinary approach inspired the extensive herb garden adjacent to the kitchen. Chef Ibarra ever-evolving menu is peppered with ingredients grown in the hotel’s garden and the hand-crafted cocktail often feature herbs and produced grown in-house also. The beaming sun and crisp breezes of Rancho Palos Verdes are the perfect conditions for a garden. The garden was designed and is managed by Home Grown Edible Landscapes and the company hosts hands-on gardening workshops throughout the year for guests.
At Manhattan’s Iroquois Hotel, Swiss-born Executive Chef Florian Wehrli has personally designed the rooftop garden at the boutique hotel. The ingredients grown are used to prepare the dishes at the refined yet comfortable French restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chef Wehrli has hand-built planters at his western New Jersey home and carried them to the hotel’s restaurant on the commuter bus. The full sun on the rooftop allows for proper light to grow anything from nasturtiums to the fennel to potatoes.
The Pyramid Restaurant & Bar is the longest-running AAA / Four Diamond establishment in Dallas. The contemporary dining room features organic wood sculptures and crosscut tree welcomes guests as they enter the foyer. The popular restaurant offers a cuisine inspired by locally-sourced ingredients. To further its sustainability stance, The Pyramid Restaurant & Bar plants and tends to a 3,000 square-foot vegetable and herb garden on its rooftop. The ingredients harvested from the hotel’s garden complement the locally-sourced products in the dishes offered on the menus.
The Sprouting Project at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Florida
The Sprouting Project consists of an advanced aquaponic greenhouse, an expansive organic garden, a large collection of beehives and a soon-to-be completed smokehouse. Guests can join one of the resort’s chefs every Saturday for a tour of the Sprouting Project, including seeing the aquaponic greenhouse, garden and apiary in action
If you’ve visited any of these amazing places, please post a comment to let me know what you thought!
We vacationed at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita a couple of years ago and were thoroughly impressed. We arrived from the Cancun airport, a mere 20 minutes away, by private, personalized chauffeured airport transfers.
The Resort
With only 90 rooms, the all-inclusive Cancun resort has an intimate feel that we appreciated as this was a couples’ getaway. For travelers looking for modern, minimalistic guest accommodations with tons of partying and activities, this isn’t the resort for you. The property exudes a much understated, unpretentious elegance with abundant luxury amenities – just what we were looking for.
The resort is part of the AMResorts chain of all-inclusive hotels and as such, offers what it calls Endless Privileges® – a more elevated service than at other all-inclusive hotels where wellness, gourmet meals, top-shelf spirits, fine wines, entertainment and other luxury amenities are part of the experience.
To say the staff was attentive wouldn’t do it justice. We felt like we were staying with friends at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita. Guests are addressed by name throughout the resort and small gestures are everywhere – from the spa to the bars to the restaurants.
The Food
Guests can select from three gourmet à la carte restaurants, one sushi & ceviche bar and 24-hour in-suite dining. Private dining is also available in various locations. Organic, healthy, vegetarian and gluten-free food selections are available on all menus.
La Canoa – AAA Four Diamond restaurant offering Cuisine de los Soles, a unique fusion of spices and chilies.
Kaax – International Cuisine with a Mexican Twist.
El Chiringuito – Fresh seafood, chicken and grilled favorites prepared over zapote and mesquite.
Sushi & Ceviche Bar – Ceviche, Sushi and Sashimi
The Booze
Top-shelf spirits are served at two exquisite bars, Hippo’s Pool Bar and Library Bar. Guests can also enjoy a selection of wines from the 5,000-bottle international Wine Cellar, including rare vintage and Mexican wines, prepared exclusively for the resort.
The Spa
The 22,000 sq. ft. certified Thalasso Center & Spa, the first one in North America, blends ancient traditions and modern science to provide a wide range of treatments. The spa also offers an outdoor therapeutic saltwater pool, specialized treatment rooms, a fitness center, saunas and steam rooms, a traditional Temazcal Mexican steam bath, a beauty salon and a spa boutique. Note that couples massages are also available on the nearby pier.
For golf fans, the amenities of the resort include complimentary greens fees at Grand Coral Riviera Maya Golf Course.
This AAA Five Diamond Award-winning boutique property is worth a visit when looking for a complete luxurious, pampering experience.
Carretera Cancun-Chetumal km 328, Puerto Morelos 77500 , Mexico. 888-496-3879.
Terrace Pointe Café is one of Wynn Las Vegas’ more casual dining options. The space is richly-appointed and offers panoramic views of the meticulously-manicured gardens surrounding the resort’s pool. There’s outdoor dining available, but with the arid heat of Sin City, the indoor seating with its floor-to-ceiling windows is a better option.
Breakfast at this luxury Vegas hotel is simply outstanding and a special treat. From the giant coffee cups holding rich, dark brew to the ultra-fresh juices, to the high-quality tableware, guests are made to feel pampered as soon as they sit.
Berries Granola and Greek Yogurt
The menu offers options for everyone. A favorite is the homemade granola with rich Greek yogurt with berries. There’s also a corned beef hash skillet that features eggs cooked to the guest’s liking, peppers, onions, scallions and country potatoes. For fans of egg benedicts, there are four options: classic, with pork belly, with a lump crab cake or for diners who can’t decide – a plate with one of each kind. For the health-conscious patrons, there’s also a juice bar.
Terrace Pointe Café is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. In a town with stimulus overload, the calming atmosphere of this restaurant is something I appreciate when I’m in town for business and it’s an ideal way to begin one’s day.
I stayed at the Wine Valley Inn & Cottages on a recent visit to wineries in the Santa Barbara wine country region. We checked in late in the evening with the assistance of an incredibly-helpful front desk person. We’d traveled from New York so we went to bed as soon as we got to our room without taking note of our surroundings. The next morning, when we got up and looked outside, we thought we’d landed in Denmark – what a neat sight!
Chateau Standard King. Photo by Wine Valley Inn
What We Awoke to. Photo by Wine Valley Inn
View of the Main Building. Photo by Wine Valley Inn
We reserved a Chateau Standard King room which was adorable with its shuttered windows and small sitting area. Each room has a refrigerator which is a nice convenience for storing snacks to pair with the delicious wines available in the region. There is also an in-room coffeemaker, a hairdryer and a minibar. Connecting rooms are available and should be requested by calling the hotel directly.
The bathroom was traditional in style, impeccably-clean with a tiled shower and a giant granite counter in the dressing area.
The hotel is situated in the middle of town with many dining options, cute shops and various wine bars and lounges. The Wine Valley Inn & Cottages is located in a perfect place to visit local wineries.
1564 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463. (805) 617-3405.
I fly a lot for work and my hub is Newark so I’m on a United Airlines place, often. While some of my fellow road warriors gripe about United for various reasons – I love United.
