Hit the Road Jack

In news that rivals the pure excitement of our unplanned tour of Jamaica (Queens) last February, my reviews of our two back-to-back hotel stays in Binghamton, or more accurately, Vestal NY, are now posted on TripAdvisor.

First stop: The Courtyard by Marriott
Second stop: The Holiday Inn Express

The thrill never ends.

Dump and Dumper(er)

Thanks to JetBlue, we had the honor and privilege of taking a three-day tour of Jamaica! And by Jamaica, I mean Queens, of course. Is there any other?

So, of course, I had to write my reviews on TripAdvisor. I'm a sucker for giving feedback. 

In case you're ever stuck at JFK, I would recommend:

1. The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn, if you're with kids
2. The cleanliness and up-to-date features of the Doubletree Hotel, if you value normalcy
3. Nothing at the Holiday Inn Express. Actually, they had some bright, colorful paintings of Manhattan on the walls. So if you choose your hotel based on artwork, this dive hotel comes highly recommended. Also, we discovered this too late but, their take-out drivers will pick up booze, if needed. (And it's needed.)

Since I intend to drive everywhere I go from now on, I hope never to step foot in any of these hotels again.

It's a holiday in(n) Jamaica; it's tough kid but it's life . . .

The Best of Travel with Kids

TripAdvisor just posted my review of Turtle Beach Barbados. It sounds a bit negative because I’m comparing it with other recent all-inclusive experiences but we really had a fabulous time (JetBlue aside).

I think combining all of our trips into one amazing hotel experience would be fun—preferably within driving distance. To do this, we would take the best of the best from each which brings me to . . .

The Night Sweats' Best of All-inclusive Travel with Kiddies Awards (2004-2010)

1. Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana

• Meandering pool snaking throughout property
• Top-notch food
• Elegant lobby and premises
• Miles of walk-able beaches
• Sweet little church on site

2. Crown Paradise Club, Puerto Vallarta

• Sauna-like pool
• Tons and tons of kids; very family friendly
• Fun kiddie cocktails
• Club Nitro kids’ disco
• Flea market next door
• Convenience from airport

3. Beaches Boscobel, Ocho Rios

• Pool with tall, fun slides
• Ocean facing room with lanai
• X-box game room

4. Marriott Aruba Resort and Stellaris Casino, Aruba

• Calm, warm ocean for kids

5. Turtle Beach Resort, Barbados

• Safe island

6. Club Med, Sandpiper

• Kids’ Club

7. Gran Caribe Real Resort and Spa, Cancun

• Nothing (I repeat, nothing)

Wow, just writing this list made me feel so over-the-top, spoiled and indulgent. I want more! Thanks mom for years and years of decadence. I don't deserve it but I certainly LOVE it.

Sanibellisimo

TripAdvisor just posted my review of Sanibel Moorings. Thankfully, we've come a long way from my initial post of "Ay Carumba" (rating: one) for the Gran Caribe Real in Cancun as well as last summer's "OMG" (rating: two) for the HoJo off the thruway in PA on the way to the beach.

Now to hunker down and get to work.

Mini-weekend: Day 5

Another week -- another day off. Missed last week but it's okay because today I'm packing (yea!) for a week in Sanibel. I just wish the weather report looked a bit warmer. I love intense heat and it's only showing low 70s. Anyhoo, nobody likes a whiner. Time to pack the Snuggie.

Highlight of today: a fresh mani/pedi.

Potential highlight of the trip: a spring training game betwixt the Red Sox and the Pirates. Somehow this Mets/Yankees family spawned a Sox fan. Not sure how this DNA mix-up occurred but Son #2 is beside himself with anticipation. My wallet is anticipating a "Can I get a hat?" hit followed immediately by the "Hey, he got a hat. That's unfair. What can I get?" doublewhammy.

I simply cannot wait to hit the beach, relax, read a book, have an umbrella-laden cocktail and, I hope, enjoy the sunshine.

In unrelated travel news: TripAdvisor posted my review of our hotel in NYC. Not much to write about; therefore, not much to read. But I always feel compelled to share my two cents perhaps because I get so much value from that site. How did anyone plan trips before it?!

The Weekend's Too Short

Our long weekend at the beach was much too short. More on that later.

The drive, on the other hand, was waaaay too long. Due to construction in the Poconos (in two separate places), traffic was reduced to one lane and merging was a long, drawn out, slow motion hell. And, unbeknownst to us, traffic was also congested due to the fact that it was Nascar race weekend. Yippee.

Lucky for us, we had two kids in the car -- one of whom was hungry. "I want a cheeseburger." "When are we stopping for a cheeseburger?" "Are we there yet?"

So we had the pleasure of stopping for the night at a lovely Howard Johnson's in Bartonsville PA. I wrote a one word review on TripAdvisor that hasn't yet been posted: "Ew." However, in the process of contributing, I happened to notice that many others who stayed at that hotel had experienced car break-ins and stolen items. (Except for one reviewer who writes, "Truly a wonderful place to stay. Clean, upscale, great service. The restaurant is very romantic . . . " Huh? And by romantic, do you mean dimly lit?) Just feeling grateful that all of our stuff is still with us.

But my favorite part of traveling to the beach was our brief visit to Dunkin' Donuts (a.k.a. Stinkin' Donuts) the following morning when the woman standing beside us in line had either fallen asleep the night before in a vat of raw sewage or she possibly had a festering wound on her (insert unnamed body part here) that needed some critical attention. America certainly does Run on Dunkin' cause I cannot imagine what else is keeping that woman alive.

Am I grateful to have spent some time with my girlfriends and their families? Yes. Was it nice to spend a weekend with the hubby and kids? You betcha. Am I happy to have had a lone walk along the beach where a perfectly formed sand dollar washed up right on my toes? Very much so. Do I want to do it again any time soon? Not so much.

A mi me gusta la playa!

So, what’s the best way to end an absolutely perfect vacation? By coming home to a week of springtime, sunshine, warmth, budding trees and daffodils. And leaving work on time to go to little league practice and ice cream socials at school. Oh and spending the weekend riding bikes and jumping on the neighbors' new trampoline. From now until late August (ignoring the snow this week), I should be happy!

And speaking of perfect vacations—from smooth flights that got into Puerto Vallarta early (yes, early!) to glorious, cloudless days spent oceanside with mountain views all around and cruise ships coming in/out of port—I finally got my TripAdvisor review posted.

The only issue I have with my review: I wrote NATO instead of NAFTA. Silly wabbit. Must slow down . . . or get an editor! Or better yet, give TripAdvisor some usability feedback for the next version of their site: the capability to modify a posting after it goes live would be fabulous.

Anyhoo, thank you mom for yet another week of heaven. You're pretty fly (for a white girl).

I Wanna Rock n' Roll All Night

And party every day!

TripAdvisor has already posted the review I wrote yesterday morning re: our Disney hotel. Not sure what I was smoking when I rated it a "5" out of five. Perhaps I was still asleep? Possibly compared with the dismal state of the properties in Cancun and the Deerfield Spa, this hotel was an eleven; however, the only element that really gives it a strong rating would be the kids' activities. Oh well. Since it's Disney World and that's why we were there, I guess family fun should be a more heavily weighted criterion than decor and ambiance.

Just trying to justify my error. As always, I'm a cheap date. Who needs the Ritz-Carlton when you can do the chicken dance poolside?