My next journey

I think I've made some decisions regarding my next trip; my family's journey to the Florida Keys. In fact, I have to say that since I wrote last I have actually committed to many more elements of our trip. The good part is that I'm able to sleep at night.

So here's where I'm at. I've booked the last night's stay. This was the decision that I "obsessed" over the most, as my husband would describe it. This means that I've spent hours reading hotel reviews, surfing all of the wholesale websites and the hotel sites directly to find the best deals. I've been able to sleep at night, because I'm now convinced that if there was a more suitable deal I would have found it. While I did not find breakfast included (hot, fresh, no stale doughnuts), I did find a place that offers a great buffet, according to other travelers. So our last night will be in South Beach or "SoBe" Miami (yes, I'm learning the vernacular) at a nice looking Marriott property. I was able to have my mother-in-law book the room using her senior discount. Might as well call in every card, eh? Now I'm convinced with their beach location, beautiful pool, comfortable rooms that boast some of the only two queen plus sofabed room I could find in SoBe, that I have the best deal going. With that, I can rest easy. SoBe is not cheap, nor particularly nice for the money from what I hear. Now I know I have not underbooked our time in this fabulous Art Deco portion of the city.

As for our transportation for the nine days, that's another decision already made. I've been watching rental car prices for the last month on sidestep.com and orbitz.com comparing the two. The highest prices were well over $400 for the trip, while the lowest had fallen around $350. The other day I hit a hotwire.com special (you book the car and dates but don't get the company name until you've paid) for $237. Visa charged. Done. Now that's a bargain.

Perhaps an even bigger bargain that's letting me sleep very well at night is the Hyatt condo that I booked in Key West for the bulk of our trip. I knew that with the four of us we'd need space, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. All reviews, pictures, and research led me to this condo right across from the most popular beach in all of the Keys. I booked the condo at $225/night (two bed/two bath, washer/dryer, kitchen, solid 4 star). So last night - just to make sure I can continue to sleep peacefully - I checked the rate. I figured I could always unbook and rebook if they had a better deal. And the rate was....$390! Score!

Moving on to the final dilemma. I must say I'm quite pleased with my finds. As my husband told his mom the other night "my wife's research is making this trip very cheap." Hey, that's what I want. Value for a price that allows me to travel again, and soon! Back to my final question mark. I'm pretty convinced that I've found a good location for our first night, before we travel to the Keys the next day, which is brand new and includes a husband-approved breakfast. Now, I just have to commit.

So what will I do with my time once I've made this last, crucial decision? And what will I write in this blog? My next endeavor is to research restaurants and attractions to do. I've taken care of the 4th of July, but now what to do with the other 8 days?

More later! Now I'm off to bed for a good night's sleep. We'll see where my next dreams take me. I do know I will be dreaming of fine accommodations, sand, water and sunshine. What could be better?

Stop obsessing?

So as you know I spend way too much time thinking about and researching travel - both the trips that I actually take and those that I just dream of. Obsession or hobby? I think it's a little of both.

My latest project is planning our family trip to the Florida Keys in early July. So far I've made the biggest two decisions: booked our airfare, and the bulk of our nights in Key West. I got a great deal going directly through the hotel, and found a two bedroom/two bath full size condo complete with washer/dryer. This should be a fabulous set up for three adults and one child for the week. So what's left you ask??? The other two nights.

We'll fly into Miami and then have one night on each end in the city before our travels to and from the Keys. I'm determined to get the best value for our money and figure that I'm planning early enough to watch all of the deals. So far this is paying off. I've been watching car rental prices (also have to book this one) through Hotwire.com, Orbitz.com, and Travelzoo.com. When I began tracking prices several weeks ago, the cheapest rate for the nine days for a full size car was $400. Tonight I found $218, and I hope it continues to go lower. The question becomes when does one stop gambling and commit? It's hard to say, but I think I'm close.

I seem to be a lot further away from the elusive one night on either end hotel deal. I'm pretty sold on a Best Western (three star, of course) for the first night that includes a very well-rated breakfast buffet. I always try to get breakfast included, and more than just an "OJ and a dry doughnut" as my husband says. This concession is for him. I'm certain I've found us a good deal through BestWestern.com but have yet to commit.

As for the last night, this one really is troubling me. I've decided that I will put us on Miami's South Beach for the night, but the choices are endless. And between Priceline.com and Orbitz.com there are some great deals to be had. I just can't seem to decide on the best value. I keep coming back to a Courtyard by Marriott that includes breakfast and two queen beds plus sleeper couch for the little one, but then I keep wondering if I'm missing out. Will I get there, look around at other properties, and be disappointed? Too many choices! Does anyone out there have any recommendations for SoBe???

There are simply so many choices! Obsession or hobby? Perhaps a little of both.

On the road: Viva Las Vegas

The fact that I've been to Las Vegas a zillion times works in my favor. Vacations always should be one thing; fun. The definition of fun varies with the user. I can define fun in different ways, but for this trip with my nearly four year old daughter, husband, and mother, it was all about "relax and get warm." For many people, the temptation to "do" Vegas is 24 hour pursuit. The glitz and glamor, lack of clocks, aromatherapy, and psychology of the place can convince a person never to slow down. Slowing down, though, is what vacation is for me. Because we've BTDT, it's a relaxing place full of every option. Heck, even the busy preschooler was able to lounge for four hours by the pool! Now that's a vacation - especially when we heard we missed snow and a wind storm at home.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, or so the story goes. Well they can have their sins. While I partake in several (alcohol, gambling) the nudy cards on the streets and such can stay there. This is where bringing a child gets interesting. Up until a few years ago, Vegas was trying hard to promote this image of being a "family friendly destination." Yeah, right. It is sin city and shall always be. But for the half price airfare that we got through Southwest and a cheap room with my player's card discount at the Flamingo Hilton, the destination is just right for a quick and warm get away. We decided, though, that the destination is probably not a place to bring our little one back to for a long while -- perhaps until she's 21. She's becoming a little too aware of her surroundings!

While we tried to skirt carefully around the "sins" of the place, we did not shy away from the great food. In fact, we bellied up cheerfully for that! We greatly enjoyed the Carnaval Buffet at the Rio for a fabulous dinner (with a discount coupon from our hotel stay as well), while the Harrah's breakfast buffet was just passable. My daughter discovered that she can pack away the fresh fruit and desserts. She quickly added the concept of "buffet" to her working vocabulary! We always enjoy a theme meal of cheeseburgers in paradise along with appropriate frozen concoctions at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (Flamingo), and our daughter asks to go to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (Caesars) for the delectable blueberry coffeecake served during brunch. I have to hand it to her; she has remarkable taste for a little kid. The food at Mesa Grill is amazing; layers of flavors accented with the most delicately chosen chili peppers. It is exquisite service and great tastes that just don't end or fail to surprise. We also discovered a new restaurant quite worthy of a mention. Lombardi's in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile mall (formerly Aladdin), had exceptional service and great quality Italian food. Italian food can be either run-of-the-mill (Batista's Hole in the Wall) or something special like Lombardi's. We had a pleasant dining experience, and enjoyed dining "al fresco" by the show fountain. Go to Lombardi's - neither the food nor service will disappoint. They also happily catered to the child.

While we do enjoy our meals (and cocktails, but that goes without saying), we also enjoy other activities that Vegas has to offer. We did our share of gambling, usually taking turns while the little one took a nap, we also seek out the free. The malls of Caesars and Planet Hollywood are our favorites to browse, and promise hours of entertainment that costs whatever you want it to. Also, this trip we actually paid the $15 per adult to go to the Secret Gardens of Sigfried and Roy at the Mirage. This was worth every penny. You can spend as long as you like watching the dolphins in pools that you can walk right up to, view them from under the water, visit the exotic lions and tigers oh my!, and bask in the warm sun at the same time. The four year old was enthralled, and the adults got their sun. These are the best odds in Vegas. The pool at our hotel is a terrific feature of the hotel, but was not heated so was fairly chilly when we were there the end of March. This didn't stop us from lounging and splashing in the shallow parts. There's also a 2-for-1 happy hour every afternoon that includes all poolside drinks!

While my husband and I are always anxious for our next trip to Vegas, we will probably opt to leave the little one with suitable caregivers and make the journey ourselves. We might take in another show (we've done several on past trips). We think we'd like to see Wayne Brady. As for the daughter, she's starting to catch on to her environment, and now recites the names of slot machines on site. Good parenting? Well, there could be worse things. At least she's cultured. So we should perhaps balance this out and make our next trip to Disneyland? Nah...why be so traditional. Just because it has the word "Disney" doesn't mean it's the only place to take a kid.

We're off to the Florida Keys in early July. I'm working on planning both kid and adult activities, and, of course, a whole lot of nothing but beach and pool time! And a round of frozen concoctions with that -- after all, we'll be in Jimmy Buffet heaven: home of the original Margaritaville. Stay tuned!