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28/10/2024

LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton

On a cold, rainy day I had the opportunity to visit this centrally located hotel on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago.

The LondonHouse name was chosen in homage to one of the original tenants of the space, the London Guarantee Insurance Company. The Beaux Arts building completed in 1923 is a Chicago landmark. The space does feature a mix of original and new fixtures.

LondonHouse took possession of the space in 2016. The building is old and the elevators definitely show their age.

The stylish lobby bar was bustling with people having drinks and high tea. Yes, several tables of women were wearing fascinators and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Most of the rooms offer great views of the Chicago River and cityscape. Tip - the rooms equipped with Peloton and Therabody equipment do not have what the hotel deems to be a good view.

The roof top bar does offer wonderful views, so make sure you visit it during your stay.

27/10/2024

Sable at Navy Pier Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton

Here are some photos from a recent site visit to the Sable. It was named after one of the ships stationed at the pier during World War II.

The hotel is located at the far end of Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. All of the rooms feature great views of Lake Michigan and Chicago. The hotel opened in 2021 and still looks brand new.

Within the Navy Pier complex there are a number of restaurants and tourist activities. Boat tours galore!

Lirica is the Sable’s restaurant and Offshore is their roof top bar. They claim that it is the world’s largest.

It is a bit of a distance from other tourist sites so budget for taxis/rideshare/public transportation.

There are a number of meeting rooms (also with great views) available for both business and social events. Both indoor and outdoor events are possible.

Tip - try to plan your stay to watch Navy Pier’s fireworks show. Usually held on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer.

25/10/2024

Waldorf Astoria Chicago

A collection of photos from a recent site visit.

25/10/2024

05/09/2024

Lee’s Famous Recipe
Anderson, Indiana

If you happen to be married to someone that loves fried/broasted chicken like I am, you may or may not want to introduce them to Lee’s Famous Recipe. My husband loves this restaurant so much that we now need to include one of their locations in most of our road trips. As a result we end up driving miles out of the way in order to visit one.

On the latest trip, we stopped off in Anderson, Indiana and had lunch in their restaurant. The chicken and sides were excellent, at least according to my connoisseur husband.

Check it out (if you dare). Your road trips may be similarly impacted.

05/09/2024

Residence Inn Indianapolis South/Greenwood

Room 219
Studio King Room (king bed and fold out sectional)

Check in time 3:00
Check out time 11:00

The hotel appears to be newly built in an area surrounded by other new hotels. A Kroger grocery store is easily walkable from the hotel.

The room’s layout design was great. From the large, well equipped kitchenette, the comfortable sitting and desk area to the large bathroom.

The kitchen area has a refrigerator (no icemaker), two burner stovetop, microwave, toaster and a dishwasher. The coffeemaker is the single serve sachet variety.

Since the hotel is new, there are plug outlets and usb outlets galore.

Soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, makeup remover, mini emery board, qtips and cotton swabs are provided in the bathroom.

Shower design - Interesting and appreciated that the shower adjustment mechanism was on the opposite side of the shower head. Unfortunately, it had very low water pressure. Boo.

It was very easy to hear people walking in the room above. There was also quite a bit of hallway noise. You may wish to bring along ear plugs if you are a light sleeper.

The hotel does have a bar and restaurant in the lobby area that was quite busy in the evening. It also has a half court basketball area, a fitness room and an indoor pool.

Guest laundry room: $2.00 wash and $2.00 dry. No laundry pods are allowed.

A free breakfast is offered from 6-10. I did not try it during our stay so I cannot comment on quality.

Overall, it was a very nice hotel. The staff wasn’t the friendliest but that seems to be common. Psst. Smile when greeting guests.

23/08/2024

Home2 Suites by Hilton
Terre Haute, Indiana
Room 408
Standard two queen room

This was my first stay in a Home2 Suites property. I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, the property was new so that always skews my reviews positively.

The brand is an extended stay property and features a kitchenette, a sitting room/nook and a large bedroom with substantial amounts of storage.

In addition to the beds, the room also has a sleeper sofa. So it is possible to fit quite a few people in the room. Great for a family.

Bedding is on the thin side, but this might be due to the timing of our visit. July.

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, lotion, dish soap and dishwasher detergent are provided in the room.

The kitchenette is fully stocked with utensils, refrigerator and microwave. It does not a a range top so all cooking would need to be done by microwave. The coffee maker is the individual pod style variety.

A safe, iron, ironing board and a multiple plug and usb outlets are in the room. Room lighting is on the darker side.

A free breakfast is provided each morning, however we did not try it. Coffee is available all day in the lobby.

A fitness center, an indoor pool and whirlpool are available.

The hotel offers a free shuttle to and from the local casino.

Housekeeping - there is a bit of conflicting printed information at the hotel. One item indicated daily housekeeping while another indicated a different frequency. If daily housekeeping is important to you, be sure to clarify before booking. During our stay, a customer was very upset about his room not being cleaned.

21/08/2024

Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Northwest
Richmond, Virginia
Room 214

Friendly staff

The room was large and very clean. The hotel is in the process of renovating rooms.

Standard amenities are included. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and soap.

Water pressure was not very strong.

Outlets near bed were quite loose so used the wall outlets instead.
Connecting room

We could hear hallway noise, but that was most likely due to a bunch of kids having a water gun fight in the hallways.

The hotel does have an indoor pool. Grounds were nicely maintained.

21/08/2024

Holiday Inn Express Ironton
Ironton, Ohio
Room 212

We spent one night in this pleasant Holiday Inn Express. The staff were friendly and welcoming.

The room was clean and comfortable. Dove shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and hand soap were provided. In room coffee and tea were the Keurig variety.

Sufficient outlets were available.

We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast provided in the breakfast room.

20/08/2024

Courtyard Williamsburg Busch Gardens Area
Williamsburg, Virginia
Room 201

This hotel is on the older side and could use a refresh. The bathroom ceiling in this particular room is starting to crumble.

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap and lotion are provided. A single serve coffee pot is in the room.

Front desk staff was hit or miss. One woman was friendly and helpful while the others did not want to be there.

The location is great for visiting the Busch Gardens properties. It was very popular with families during our stay.

The hotel has a combined indoor outdoor pool.

A restaurant and bar are located in the lobby. Wendy’s, McDonalds and a KFC/Taco Bell are just a couple of blocks away.

Tip - Be sure to request a room away from the ice machine. It is loud!

17/08/2024

Residence Inn Tysons Corner Mall - Vienna, Virginia
Room 413

We stay in this hotel on a frequent basis. It is always clean and comfortable. It receives frequent refreshes. Pricing tends to be higher during the week than on weekends. The current parking rate is $8.48 (with tax) per night. It is a dog friendly property (with an added fee).

This was the first time we were given a corner room. The room was different than other rooms in the hotel by having a much larger bathroom and a smaller sofa instead of a sleeper sofa. In general, room size is smaller than most Residence Inn properties.

Since it is an extended stay hotel, the room has a full size refrigerator (with icemaker), dishwasher, microwave, small stove top and common kitchen utensils. Coffee and tea sachets/pods were available. Standard outlets and usb outlets were sufficient for our needs.

39 degree shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided in the shower.

A breakfast is included in all room rates. A number of restaurants are just across the street. Pho, kabobs, pizza, Subway, Taco Bell and a McDonalds are all available.

The closest metro is the Greensboro stop. Approximately .6 miles away by foot. The hotel no longer offers a local shuttle.

The hotel has an outdoor area with a pool and grilling area. A self service laundry area and small fitness center are also available.

17/08/2024

Courtyard by Marriott - North Olmsted, Ohio

The hotel was fine for a one night stay. Clean and comfortable.

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap and lotion were provided in the room.

Plenty of outlets available for charging devices.

An airport shuttle is available should you need one.

16/08/2024

Jamestown Settlement - a living history museum.

Our visit to this museum was at the end of a hot and humid day. As a result, a number of the reenactments were closing for the day.

Kids would love this museum. Replica ships, a rebuilt fort and a Paspahegh Town are all available for visitors to wander through and to talk with reenactors.

My favorite part was going on board the replica ships. Seeing the conditions that the early colonists traveled in was quite the eye opener.

Tickets are $20.00 per adult and $10.00 per child. AAA discounts are available. There are also bundled admission tickets available which include other museums and parks in the Historic Triangle of Virginia.

15/08/2024

Historic Jamestowne - Part of Colonial National Historical Park Virginia

A portion of this national park is included in the America the Beautiful annual pass and another portion requires an additional admission fee of $15.00 per adult. It is also possible to purchase admission in a variety of packaged tickets on offer in the Historic Triangle.

Note - this park is not a part of the Jamestown Settlement Museum. That is a separate entity.

This particular park includes the original location of James Fort, which was one of the first colonial settlements in the US.

In the “no added fee” portion of the national park, one walks among some of the former building foundations. A highlight is the reconstructed Glass House, where it is possible to watch artists blow glass. Yes, there is a gift shop where you can purchase glass items blown on site.

In the “added fee” portion of the national park, there are a few reconstructed buildings, a museum as well as some active archaeological digs. The archaeologists and volunteers were willing to answer questions and discuss their findings.

There was a short driving portion of the park which highlighted some additional points of interest.

Tip - be sure to look for turtles when walking from the visitor center into the park.

14/08/2024

Yorktown Battlefield - Part of Colonial National Historic Park Virginia

We lucked out with a sunny, hot and humid day with just a few rain drops. An added bonus was an almost empty park. If you are visiting in the summer, midweek is the time to go. Just make sure your car’s air conditioning is working.

Admission is included in the annual America the Beautiful National Park Pass. There are a variety of other entry options as well that include Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg.

The park itself requires one to either have a car or to utilize the Yorktown shuttle bus to access the various locations comfortably. It is a beautiful drive as you make your way between the various battlefield locations. There are a couple of examples of British redoubts (temporary earthen forts) that you may walk through. The NPS offers tours of some of the structures on the property, however this is dependent on staffing. They were not open during our visit.

Note - since this is a battlefield park, you need to use your imagination when touring. If you have kids, you may wish to go over some Revolutionary War history with them before you arrive.

There are locations nearby which feature structures as well as reenactments. Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.

02/07/2024

Antwerp’s beautiful Central Railway Station.

02/07/2024

Antwerp Central Station/Antwerpen Centraal Station - part one. Photo post.

The main train station in Antwerp is one of the most beautiful stations that I have encountered in my travels. It was built in the early 20th century in the Beaux Arts style. Louis Delacenserie served as architect.

Should you have the opportunity to visit Antwerp, please make sure you spend some time exploring the station.

19/06/2024

Holiday Inn Express - Amsterdam Arena Towers

Room 1335
Standard Twin

If you are looking for an affordable hotel in Amsterdam, you may wish to consider this one. It is a short walk from the Bijlmer Arena Train and Metro Station. So an easy commute to Amsterdam’s city center for sightseeing.

The newly built surrounding area has a variety of restaurants, grocery stores, a sports arena, hotels and office buildings.

The check in process was friendly and efficient with a multi lingual staff. When guests requested a Dutch speaker, they were quickly accommodated. In addition to my key card, I was given a stroopwafel, a bottle of water and a Tony’s candy bar.

The room is a standard European Holiday Inn Express. Compact, with limited storage. In the room - safe, hot water pot/kettle, iron, ironing board, instant coffee and tea. The bathroom is stocked with a hair dryer, Soak shampoo, soap and body wash. The room did not have a refrigerator. There are multiple outlets in the room.

A free breakfast is provided.

The hotel shares the building with the Holiday Inn Amsterdam Arena Towers

18/06/2024

Hilton Garden Inn Venice Mestre San Giuliano

Standard room

The hotel is very nice but not in the best location if you are relying on public transportation, have mobility issues and have large luggage. It is a short bus ride from the Piazzale Roma transit area in Venice to the hotel. This transit area is right in front of Venice’s people mover and across a canal from the Venice train station.

You will need to use a pedestrian overpass to cross the highway to reach the hotel. Unfortunately, the elevators in the overpass are not functioning so you will be required to carry your luggage up and down a few flights of stairs.

The bus stop and overpass are directly in front of the hotel so the ease of reaching Venice itself is great. When we took the bus, it was only a six minute ride.

Front desk staff is multi lingual and very helpful. If you are arriving right around the official check in time, be prepared to wait a bit. Guests in front of us had a lot of questions that the staff assisted them with.

Our room was large and overlooked a beautiful pool. Beds and bedding were comfortable. The bathroom was stocked with Crabtree and Evelyn shampoo, conditioner, soap and body wash. The room had an iron, ironing board, safe, mini refrigerator, hair dryer, hot water pot/kettle, instant coffee,tea and bottled water.

The hotel has a lobby bar and a restaurant. Room service is also available. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet the morning of our departure. The price is approximately €20 per person, if it is not included in your room rate.

The hotel also has a standalone spa. The Garden Space.

The hotel offers a €35 private airport transfer.

Parking is available for €10 per day.

18/06/2024

Hotel Lindner by Hyatt, Antwerp, Belgium

Room 911
Standard twin

I spent several nights in this hotel, which is located just outside of the south entrance of Antwerp’s Central Railroad Station.

Since I used the hotel as a base for day trips it was a great location for me. Various forms of public transportation were within walking distance. Grocery stores and restaurants were also close by.

It was approximately a twenty minute walk to Amsterdam’s old town area.

As you enter the hotel, you will encounter one of the best parts of the hotel… the self serve candy bar. Check in is handled at the other bar instead of a front desk. The check in and check out staff were friendly and helpful. They provided a nice list of suggested restaurants and must sees as well.

The lobby was modern and large with a variety of seating areas. Live music was available at times.

The room itself was large and comfortable. It was not possible to control the room temperature (March stay) but windows did open.

In the room:
Instant coffee, tea, cookies, water pot/kettle, refrigerator, safe, hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, lotion and cotton swabs.

Multiple outlets are scattered throughout the room.

A breakfast buffet was available for €26 a day.

A fitness center and clothing optional sauna are also available.

Room videos are available in the comment section below.

10/06/2024

Holland America Eurodam Cabin SA7057
Category SA Neptune Suite
Wheelchair Accessible
Mid Ship Starboard
Itinerary - Alaska

Here is an example of a wheelchair accessible cabin on Hal's Eurodam. I toured the Eurodam this past August and had the opportunity to view a number of cabins during the visit.

This summer, the Eurodam is sailing round trip itineraries from Seattle. Ports include Victoria, Ketchikan, Sitka, Junea and a beautiful sail into Glacier Bay.

The room features a large rollout balcony to accommodate wheelchairs.

Please contact me if you are interested in an Alaskan cruise. HAL offers a number of cruise itineraries and cruise tours in addition to the route noted above.

HHolland America LineTTravel Weekly

08/06/2024

Viator -10% off bookings made between June 8, 2024 and June 17, 2024.

Use promo code VIATLN24 and book through the link below:

The experiences do not have to take place during this time frame.

https://www.viator.com/?pid=P00001417&uid=U00248578&mcid=58086¤cy=USD

Viator is one of the TripAdvisor brands and gathers a number of excursions worldwide. More often than not, even in your community.

* Please be sure to read through some of the reviews prior to booking. Some companies are better than others.

18/05/2024

Hotel Al Codega, Venice, Italy
Room 305, Standard Twin
April 2024 Stay

The pretty, centrally located hotel is situated in a quiet courtyard. It is a ten minute walk to San Marco Square and a less than ten minute walk to the Rialto Bridge and vaporetto stop.

It can be a bit difficult to find. In fact, a map is sent out with the reservation confirmation. There are also videos on line which provide directions too.

We found the staff to be very friendly and welcoming.

A substantial breakfast is included in the rate.

The room was comfortable but on the warm side. It was too early in the season for the air conditioning to be turned on so we opened the windows. And paid the price. Mosquito bites galore.

Other comments:
It has an elevator
Good storage
Multiple outlets
Assorted toiletries
Safe

We would stay here in the future.

16/05/2024

MSC Armonia - Cabin 1001 - Tenth Floor
Category: Suite
Port Side
Front of Ship
Ship built 2001

We were pleasantly surprised at just how much room the cabin had. A walk in closet, two additional closet banks of shelves, a stand alone desk area and a larger than normal balcony.

The ship was built in 2001 and has limited balconies. The balcony is covered so it could be a bit cool at times.

The cabin has a safe, refrigerator, two standard US outlets and two standard Euro outlets. All outlets are found in the desk.

Noise -
The cabin connects with the neighboring cabin and it is possible to hear your neighbor at times. Directly above the cabin is the spa. We rarely heard noise from above.

Bathroom -
The bathroom has a bathtub which may be too high for those with mobility issues to climb in and out of.
Wall mounted shower gel and soap dispensers are in the shower.

14/05/2024

Zakynthos, Greece
April 27, 2024
MSC Armonia

This port visit required a short tender boat ride to shore.

It is probably most well known for a spot called shipwreck beach. There were a number of vendors available who were actively selling boat trips to view the location. The trips also included stops for swimming. Since it was too cold to swim I decided to skip the boat trip and just walk around town instead.

It ended up being a nice, low key, flower filled day.

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The Rose Chicago O’Hare Tapestry by Hilton

The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare

#muchtoexplore, #TheRose

Antwerp Central Station

Antwerp’s beautiful Central Railway Station.

Hilton Garden Inn Venice Mestre. Located just outside of Venice

MSC Armonia - Cabin 1001 - Tenth Floor Category: Suite Port Side Front of Ship Ship built 2001 We were pleasantly surprised at just how much room the cabin had. A walk in closet, two additional closet banks of shelves, a stand alone desk area and a larger than normal balcony. The ship was built in 2001 and has limited balconies. The balcony is covered so it could be a bit cool at times. The cabin has a safe, refrigerator, two standard US outlets and two standard Euro outlets. All outlets are found in the desk. Noise - The cabin connects with the neighboring cabin and it is possible to hear your neighbor at times. Directly above the cabin is the spa. We rarely heard noise from above. Bathroom - The bathroom has a bathtub which may be too high for those with mobility issues to climb in and out of. Wall mounted shower gel and soap dispensers are in the shower. #muchtoexplore #mscarmonia #msccruises

Gran Premio di Bari

April 28, 2024 Bari, Italy MSC Armonia port visit Our port day coincided with the Gran Primo di Bari weekend.

Princess Cruises newest ship, the Sun Princess. Sailing by her at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy (a/k/a Rome). Filmed from the MSC Seaview deck 15. Very slow sail by. #muchtoexplore #princesscruises #sunprincess