Today I have a guest post from a recent friend, Sue Henly.  Sue and I met at a travel event, and charmed me with her Australian accent.  I think she’ll charm you with her writing as well.
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In the soft grey light of early morning, we sit quietly on a bamboo mat, wicker baskets of sticky rice beside us, across from a shuttered colonial mansion heavy with bougainvillea.  Birds chatter in the flame trees until a gong sounds, momentarily startling them into silence.
Around a corner, dozens of barefoot monks and novices appear in a swish of saffron, golden bowls hanging …read more

For most of my life I spent Thanksgiving with one family member or another (or all of them), eating a huge turkey dinner, listening to football-related yelling, and navigating the delicate balance between family arguments and peaceful co-existence.  If that sounds familiar, and the thought of spending another holiday like that is truly painful, consider taking a Thanksgiving vacation this year.
And I’m not talking about a vacation to go visit family – I’m talking about a real vacation – for everyone!
I first tried the holiday vacation plan nearly 10 years ago, and while I don’t do it every year, it’s …read more

I was in Las Vegas last week, and if you haven’t been recently, well. . . you haven’t been at all.  The landscaped has changed so much over the last several years.  With the demise of many Las Vegas institutions, and the building of new ones, the skyline along the strip doesn’t bear many of the original founding names.
Today’s Matchbook Monday is a little trip down Las Vegas memory lane, back to the glory years of the desert, and the once infamous Desert Inn.  The Desert Inn was once the home to reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, who rented a …read more

I spend a lot of time in hotels, and I’m pretty good at sizing up how the stay is going to be in the first minutes after I walk into a hotel lobby.  Just as first impressions are important in business and personal relationships, so are they important in setting the tone for a hotel stay.
Take a read and see if you agree that these items do not bode well for a good stay:

Lines.  All the time.  To check in, to check out, to ask a question.  If the lobby is always full of lines, you need more staff.  …read more

I’ll be heading off to Las Vegas tomorrow, and exploring the family-friendly side of Sin City.  While the city once promoted itself as a family-friendly destination, it has long since abandoned that idea, and has had great success (and fun) with “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
With so many families wishing to vacation close to home this year, and often trying to find a destination that keeps both adults and kids satisfied, Las Vegas seems to be cropping up as destination that’s starting to appeal to families once again.
Las Vegas offers bargains galore, on food and accommodations, has shows …read more

Ah, vacation!  It conjures up all sorts of wonderful day dreams, grabs our attention and “forces” us to spend countless hours doing “research” on the internet at great travel blogs like Flyaway Cafe.    We pick up guidebooks, go to the library, we talk to friends.  Sometimes the planning is a great deal of the fun in arranging vacation plans.  Still, do you always find yourself going to the same old places and doing the same old thing?!
Maybe what you need to do to get out of your rut is to look at vacation through a different lens, and …read more

Special events call for special trips and destinations.  And what could be more special than a vacation, with your closest family and friends, spent on a private island?  Not a hotel, not even an exclusive resort, but an entire island with luxurious accommodations that will celebrate a special life occasion in style.
You don’t have to be a celebrity, or come as part of their entourage, but you do have to have money.
Little Whale Cay, a private island in the Berry Islands in the Bahamas, is available for parties of up to 12 to rent out.  The 93-acres island has …read more

While I was traveling, I wasn’t able to keep up with Matchbook Monday, but now that I’m back I’ll just pick up right where I left off!  I also picked up a few matchbooks on my travels, Europe still allows smoking in many places, so look for them in the coming months.
Today, though, I step back to a popular destination, Las Vegas, and the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino.
Located right on the Las Vegas strip at 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard South, the Imperial Palace is an Asian-themed hotel owned by the Harrah’s corporation.
It’s two primary attractions are the Auto …read more

Today’s Matchbook Monday comes compliments of Kevin Crain, the reservation manager at Villa Verano.  I met Kevin at a trade show last year, and although I have not had the opportunity to visit his property, I’ve had my eye on it for awhile.
Villa Verano is a vacation rental located in the most elite residential neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta, on the beach in Conchas Chinas.  You’ll have a beautiful view of the Bay of Banderas, and a steps away from the beach.
The villa is privately owned, but is occasionally available for rental.  This is luxury at its finest, and you …read more

Scoring an upgrade at a hotel can be done, and often it is more about being polite and gracious rather than about an Andrew Jackson crossing the palms of the front desk clerk.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for that FREE hotel room upgrade:

Manners are everything.  You’ll find a front desk clerk will be more likely to pass on an upgrade if you are polite, gracious, and engage in a bit of small talk.  A polite good afternoon, how are you will go a long way to starting the conversation off on the right …read more