Bermuda: A Nice, Quick Getaway (Part 2)!

The pink sand beaches in Bermuda are gorgeous!  But what makes them truly outstanding are the cool sand and warm ocean.  You don't have to tap dance your way to the water and you don't have to do a quick hold-your-breath-and-dunk-yourself-into-the-water move.

Sunshine fell in love with Horseshoe Bay:

We also went to Elbow Beach, but we didn't enjoy it as much.  Maybe because it was a cloudy day?

We did happen to come across this very amazing and very large sand-structure:

I wonder how long it took to build it?

Stay tuned for Part 3...

Bermuda: A Nice, Quick Getaway (Part 1)!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when Sunshine sprung a surprise last minute trip to Bermuda.  We usually go to a sunny place where we can relax, drink and party.  But it's pretty well known that Bermuda is not a party island.  It is, however, a perfect island to go to for relaxation and drinking (I'll get to Rum Swizzles in Part 3).

Bermuda is a semi-tropical island...only about 1.5 hours away by plane from NYC.  Unlike the Caribbean, spring/summer is the high season and autumn/winter is the off season.  The weather was beautiful: sunny but not too hot (I don't think we experienced a day over 85F).  However,  it was pretty darn humid.

We stayed at the Royal Palms Hotel, a small boutique hotel in Hamilton.  It's up a hill, in a residential area, but still within walking distant to the the restaurants and shops.

Here's a quick tour of the property:

• Check-In/Lobby:

• Sitting Room:  All hotel rooms are equipped with free ethernet connection.  But since Sunshine and I only brought our iPads (which don't have ethernet ports), we had to go to the Sitting Room so that we could use the free Wi-Fi there.  (I'm thinking I'm going to get an AirPort Express, so that when I travel, I can create my own Wi-Fi network and avoid the no-ethernet port issue.)

• Our Hotel Room with a cute patio (that isn't shown):  It wasn't the fanciest hotel room, but it was spacious and clean.  Plus, it contained a kitchenette!  Since dinner portions were rather large everywhere, we were able to reheat our (or rather my) leftovers in the microwave for quick but yummy early-evening snacks.  

Going back to our hotel room at the Royal Palms felt like going home to a studio apartment.  By the end of the 2nd day there, we felt more like residents than hotel guests.

But what made our trip truly special?  The staff.

The staff at Royal Palms was genuinely nice and extremely helpful!  They did everything and answered everything with a smile.

Additionally, you get two GREAT bonuses with your room: (Food is very expensive in Bermuda...significantly more expensive than NYC.)

• Free Continental Breakfast:  The breakfast spread was more than sufficient.  I love soft boil eggs, so I especially enjoyed the option to soft boil eggs in a crockpot!!  For the kid in you, you also had the option to make your own waffles.  Personally, I couldn't stop eating the warm croissants and banana bread.

• Happy Hour:  From 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Royal Palms offers its guests free red/white wine for you to sip on while sitting on the porch.  Or if you had your own patio, you could enjoy your wine on your patio.

We will most definitely be going back to Bermuda.  And when we do, we will most definitely be staying at the Royal Palms Hotel.

NOTE:  There is an abundance of Whistling Frogs in Bermuda.  This means that there is a lot of loud (dare I even suggest harmonious?) chirping at night.  Bring earplugs and you'll be fine.  Seriously...bring earplugs!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2...

Fire Island: Great One-Day Beach Trip!!

About 2 weeks ago, Sunshine and I did a day trip to Ocean Beach at Fire Island.  I wanted a quiet, relaxing day at the beach, so I chose Fire Island.  No cars, clean beaches, a choice of restaurants and a casual atmosphere. Ocean Beach sounded like the right town for us.

LIRR offers Beach Getaway packages to the Fire Island.  You pick the town you want to visit for the day and purchase the package for that town.  The Ocean Beach package was $30 per person from Penn Station.  It includes (1) the train ticket to get to Bay Shore Station (you must transfer at Babylon Station; don't worry, the transfer involves simply walking across the platform - it's the 1st stop after the transfer), (2) the David Brothers Taxi shuttle ticket to get to Fire Island Ferries, and (3) the ferry ticket to get to Ocean Beach...and all the tickets you need to get back to Penn Station.

We caught the 10:10 am train.  I won't lie.  It was a hike.  It took us about 2 hours to get there.  But it's worth it!!  We were ready for lunch rather than the beach by the time we got to Ocean Beach.  Since Ocean Beach is super strict about it's "No Food/Drinks" policy on the beach (except for water bottles), we ate lunch first and then hit the beach.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that the police continuously patrolled the beach for food/drink violators.

As a result, the beaches are pretty much pristine!

I'm all about packing light for the beach.  The last thing I want is to lug around a bag filled with sandy personal belongings and other bulky beach items.  Sunshine, however, wanted to bring chairs and an umbrella.  Thankfully, I convinced him that all we needed were beach blankets.  You can rent beach umbrellas from the lifeguards for $10 (or is it $15?) for the day.  It's first come first serve; so if you want an umbrella, stop by the lifeguard station first.

Here is the walk to the beach.  No cars are allowed on Fire Island so people get around by using golf carts and bicycles.  They transport items via little red wagons.  It's both weird and cute at the same time.

Here's another view of the beach:

Here's a view going back to the town center:

It takes all of 5 minutes (at most) to walk from the town center to the beach.  I think it took us a little longer because I kept on getting distracted by the cutes cottages and houses.

The prices of the restaurants were reasonable (and the seafood is fresh and a little cheaper than what you'd find in the city).  Maguire's make a really great pitcher of sangria.  The special for that day was a very generous lobster roll.  It was only $15!  Needless to say, we had a great lunch.  (Note: Per LIRR's website, we were supposed to get 10% off our lunch entrees with our LIRR coupon, but the restaurant waitstaff/manager seemed unaware of this promotion.)

For dinner, we went to a restaurant (I forget its name) that had a 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Weekend Happy Hour?) oyster, clam and beer special.  I gorged on oysters and pina coladas while Sunshine gorged on clams and beer.  We caught the 8:05 pm ferry back.  It was a much-better-than-expected beach day...we'll be going back soon!

National Park Week: 04/17/10 - 04/25/10

If you're looking for something to do this weekend or next, and you live within driving distance to a national park, you're in luck!  National Park Week starts on 04/17/10 (this sat) and runs through 04/25/10.  What is National Park Week you ask?  It's the one week in the year when the National Park Service waives entrance fees to our national parks.  This makes me want to go camping...go ahead and laugh, Sunshine and Big Buddha always do when I tell them this...but let me finish, this make me want to go camping in a  luxury RV!  For more info, click here:  National Park Week.

Mondrian (LA): 40% Off Code!

If you're planning a trip to LA and looking for a fun place to stay, take advantage of Daily Candy's 40% off promotion code "SPCAND" and stay at the Mondrian!

[Images Courtesy of MHGC]

This code expires 5/31/10 but hotel bookings are good through 6/30/10.  You also get a free St. Tropez spray tan (and tote bag with St. Tropez products) or a free 30-minute reflexology foot massage at the Agua Spa.  Don't forget to visit the J Brand Factory Outlet while you're there...

Amex Travel 2-For-1 Vacation Deal: Cruise & Cabo

These days, there is more "fine print" to read than ever.  That is why I was so very skeptical when I ran across the following American Express Travel Agency cruise deal 2 years ago: Book a 7-day cruise and get a 7-night stay at a luxury resort Mexico.   (This is still an on-going promotion and why I'm bringing it to your attention.)

My first thought was, "What kind of scam is this?"  But since it's Amex Travel and not some random travel agency or travel website, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.  We were already planning a week-long cruise, so why not check it out?  I am so GLAD that I did.  We booked 2 cabins on a 7-day Caribbean Cruise and with our cruise documentation came the resort voucher for 2 rooms, good for a 7-night stay.  

Luxury can be interpreted in many ways.  I wasn't expecting Four Seasons but I was hoping it wasn't the Holiday Inn.  It ended up being a choice between two Pueblo Bonito resorts: one in Cabo San Lucas and one in Mazatlan.  Having never heard of Pueblo Bonito resorts, I immediately turned to my favorite travel site, TripAdvisor.com, for reviews.   I had always wanted to go to Cabo and a quick search revealed great reviews!  This really seemed like it could be the real deal: a great 2-for-1!

Before I go further, I want to point out that then-promotion was for Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort & Spa.  This is an adults only resort (something I greatly appreciated).  The current promotion is for Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.  This is not an adults-only resort.  It's more family oriented but still very nice.  Both resorts are located on the same compound and guests can easily use the other's facilities.

I ended going to Cabo with Sunshine, Big Buddha and Big Buddha's sister.  We had no issues checking in/out - they simply accepted the voucher and that was it.  Painless...and free!!  In the interest of transparency, I want to mention that Pueblo Bonito's timeshare program is heavily promoted.  You don't have to attend the timeshare presentation but it would be in your interest to do so (just do get sucked into the timeshare pitch).  When we attended, we got 1) free breakfast, 2) an activity for the morning - pretend you're on House Hunters and 3) $150 food credit per room.  You're spending 7-nights there.  It's worth it!

The Cabo trip was one of the best vacations that I've ever taken.  Ironically, it ended up being way better than the cruise (the main vacation).  Free room aside, the food at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach was TERRIFIC and inexpensive!  Sunshine and Big Buddha were obsessed over the resort's carne asada.  As a foodie, this really was greatly appreciated and fondly remembered.  Usually, the food at beach resorts are bland/non-edible and expensive (ahem - Cancun Ritz Carlton, anyone?).  As an added bonus, the food in town was terrific and cheap!!

I'm usually not a huge fan of fish but this was the BEST FISH EVER from a restaurant called Mariscos Mazatlan.  They drizzled some sort of magic sauce on the fish before they grilled it.

We hit up at least one taqueria a night!

I want to highlight the important fine print for you:

• Your cruise fare per cabin must be $1,990+.  (It's one voucher per cabin.)
• 7-night stay is for double occupancy.
• You must make the resort reservations within 90-days of the issue date printed on the voucher.  (You have to complete the cruise before you can use the voucher.    If my memory is correct, the voucher is dated the last day of your cruise.)
• The vacation must be completed within 18 months of the issue date printed on the voucher.
• The voucher is issued to the individual who's is the primary passenger of the cabin.  ( I had to call Amex Travel to gripe about this because I used my cc to pay for both cabins.  As such, I expected both vouchers to be in my name.   Plus, the website specifically states the following, "Member will receive one certificate per cabin."  Amex Travel eventually re-issued another voucher in my name.)
• The voucher is NOT transferable.