Most years pre-COVID, Eric would get work approval to attend the PAG conference in San Diego and I would tag along. I typically worked while Eric was spending the day in sessions and this time my...
Blog posts from hotel
Grand Cayman: Kimpton Seafire Resort
The main reason to go to Grand Cayman was to use two free night certificates from IHG that were expiring. After investigating several California properties, we decided we'd rather go to the...
Namibia: Otjiwarongo
The drive from Omaruru to the Hadassa Guest House in Otjiwarongo was straightforward and full of warthog sightings! He was not in a hurry or his tail would be straight up! Upon arrival, we were...
Namibia: Roidina Safari Lodge
As requested in their pre-arrival email, we called the lodge from the winery to give them a heads up on our arrival time, and they said they were expecting us. From the gate it's a about a 15 minute...
Namibia: Moon Mountain Lodge
By the time we returned from the Water Kloof hike our bags had been delivered to our room, so after a refreshing welcome drink of sparkling lemonade we headed over. Our tent was quite large, bigger...
Namibia: Desert Camp
After gassing up and a quick lunch in Solitaire we completed the rest of the (very bumpy) drive to our accommodations for the next two nights — Desert Camp. We were assigned the last unit on the...
Dublin: where we stayed
For whatever reason, hotels were quite pricey for the weekend we were in Dublin and we weren't finding any good deals near the river. Leandra found a great rate on a car rental, so I expanded the...
Vietnam 2016: living cheap in Hue
The Vedana Resort graciously allowed us to take their free shuttle into Hue, which was appreciated, but for some reason we stopped at a different hotel. It seemed like our driver wanted us to drop...
Vietnam 2016: hotel in Hoi An
Originally we planned to stay at the Goda Boutique Hotel, halfway between town and the beach. However, as we were packing for our trip we noticed the weather looked like it was going to be cloudy...
Beijing 2015: Introduction
Earlier in the year Leandra went to Hong Kong because of a good airfare deal and to keep her Platinum status for 2016. After that, she needed another long trip and Beijing was pricing well for...
Auckland: where we stayed
For our four nights in the Auckland area we stayed at the Abaco on Jervois, and we quite enjoyed our stay. We had an executive studio room on the second floor with lots of space, including a...
Scandinavian summer weekend: Bella Sky Comwell
Bella Sky Comwell We landed in Copenhagen around 10:30am, quickly cleared customs, and picked up our 72 hour city card before locating the hotel shuttle. The shuttle ride took less than ten minutes...
Nusa Dua: Grand Hyatt
We wanted to be relatively close to the airport for our final night, and since I had a free night with Hyatt, we decided to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua. I'd seen the Nusa Dua area described...
Candidasa: Puri Bagus Candidasa
The word that comes to mind with the hotel is weird. Enough that we made a list during our stay: When we arrived around 12:30pm the two men at the front desk seemed confused to see us and even more...
Ubud: Alaya Resort & Spa
The Alaya Resort is relatively new, so our driver didn't know where it was. Fortunately we had the location marked (accurately!) on Google maps and were able to guide him to the correct spot. The...
Bali: The Menjangan
For our time in the northwest corner of Bali we decided to stay at the The Menjangan given it's proximity to Menjangan Island for snorkeling plus the National Park that the resort is located in. We...
Lombok: overview & hotel
Arrival after dark, several hours late, but at least we made it. There are several taxi and tour stands between the baggage claim and when you exit the airport, so we grabbed a ticket with a set...
Texas! overview
In mid-October we found ourselves on a plane to Texas. This is not all that strange; we fly through Dallas DFW airport all the time. Unique on this trip was that for the first time ever we would...
Our Itinerary
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Bordeaux (Sep)
Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castile and León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)