travelhappy

07/03/2023

After getting a sneak peek of the rooms last month, we can now announce The Villas at Disneyland Hotel will officially open on Sep. 28, 2023! ✨

30/01/2023

30/12/2022

A sincere mahalo to my top 10 hotel/resort partners in 2022:

• Sensei Lanai ✨(pictured here)
• Four Seasons Resorts Lanai
• Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort
• Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole
• Miraval Resort and Spa, Austin
• Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
• Intercontinental New York Barclay
• Turtle Bay Resort
• Four Seasons Hotel Seattle
• Disneyland Hotels - park ticket + room packages at onsite and good neighbor hotels

thank you for your partnership! 💕

* by booked & stayed revenue, not in order except #1 ✨

12/30 note: I’m still on holiday until next week but if you’re ready to book a hotel/resort, cruise, or tour for 2023 and beyond (there are cruise specials happening now for 2024 (!)🤩) — let’s chat in the new year!

18/11/2021

These preservation-worthy spots in Germany, Japan, and Slovenia recently joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/marissagrad/travel/articles/travel-advisor-itineraries-8-favorite-places

16/11/2021

Reason no. 15 to use a Virtuoso travel advisor: They’re always one step ahead.

https://tinyurl.com/yfrzub4y/

11/11/2021

Sometimes, one trip just isn’t enough. Some places are worth seeing twice. (Or three, or four times.)

https://tinyurl.com/yjq65ysl/

09/11/2021

From a paranormal novel set in 1930s Los Angeles to a Turkish family history, here are four new books to try this month.

https://tinyurl.com/yjescabc/

08/11/2021

The Kahala is classic. Built in 1964, its been a celebrity hideout since its opening and has hosted every American president since Lyndon B. Johnson except for one.

The Sony Open is played at Waialae golf course next door, so during January the golf-course view rooms are more coveted than usual (ocean facing rooms are normally in higher demand). The dolphin lagoon rooms are popular with families, and some rooms have patio doors that open right onto the beach.

Restaurants include Hoku’s (fine dining seafood), Plumeria Beach House (local, resort casual), and Arancino (upscale Italian). Enjoy cocktails and snacks at the Veranda Bar in the evenings.

When I make your booking you will receive the following benefits: upgrade upon arrival if available, daily breakfast for two at Plumeria Beach House, $100 resort credit, and priority for early check-in and late check-out.

Kama’aina have special rates that cannot be combined with my Virtuoso amenities so just call them directly to book those!

No resort fee. (Yay!) DM me with questions or if you want to book!

01/11/2021

Morocco’s Royal Mansour Marrakech. Learn more about this exquisite retreat and more than 1,400 other Virtuoso hotels and resorts at Virtuoso's Best of the Best.

29/10/2021

The Ritz Paris. Learn more about this iconic property and more than 1,400 other Virtuoso hotels and resorts at Virtuoso's Best of the Best.

21/10/2021

Reminder: We’re still in a global pandemic so the situation is fluid 😅

17/10/2021

Don’t get PreCheck, get Global Entry and PreCheck will be included!

As a growing number of travelers head back to airports, those shorter TSA PreCheck security lines are sounding pretty good right about now.

17/10/2021

09/10/2021

Learn what TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, Clear, and Mobile Passport are and the differences among these expedited security programs available to travelers.

09/10/2021

Vietnam is preparing to gradually let tourists in from November but a full reopening is off the cards until June 2022.

13/09/2021

United Airlines has told employees who have applied for religious or medical exemptions to the company's vaccine mandate that if approved, they will be put on leave next month.

30/08/2021

These 18 travel apps have everything you need to prevent jet lag, explore a new city, find sustainable restaurants, share vacation photos, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/ygee7eu3/

19/08/2021

Bookmark for your bucket list or return trip to the Sacred Valley, Peru: base camp for your Machu Picchu adventure when it’s safe to visit again.

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Visitor contributions really do help locals in developing nations/struggling economies like Peru. Buy goods at their markets, mind your manners, and eat at local restaurants. ☀️

You will get perks like complimentary breakfast for two daily and massages or transfers for booking with me at the following hotel partners (A-Z):
explora Valle Sagrado
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Inkaterra Machu Picchu
Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel, Sacred Valley
Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu
Sol y Luna
SUMAQ Machu Picchu Hotel
Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado

19/08/2021

Swipe to see accommodation options in the Sacred Valley and Urubamba, Peru. Bookmark for your bucket list or return trip.
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Visitor contributions really do help the locals in struggling economies like Peru. Buy goods at their markets, tip the maids, servers, bellmen, entertainers, etc., and eat at local restaurants. ☀️ Just don’t drink the water or eat raw produce. 😅 And ask your doctor for altitude medicine.

Disclaimer: this is neither medical or legal advice.

19/08/2021

Alpaca friends at Machu Picchu for

📍: , Peru - June 2014
📷: Canon 70d kit lens
🏠: Urubamba -

17/08/2021

I can’t post a photo of my beautiful home without saying this: if you have plans to visit our islands in the next few days or weeks, please consider postponing. Now is not the time to visit Hawai’i.

Our islands are in crisis mode.

You may not see, but it is happening.

Maui is low on water and they’re asking upcountry residents to turn down the tap, while tourists fly in by the thousands daily. Hāna is overwhelmed.

On O’ahu, it seems like everyday a tourist is getting injured or lost on a hike and needing to be rescued. And we have tourists flying in with fake vaccination cards while the government is considering re-enacting an island-wide curfew to lessen the possibility of car crashes because our hospitals are overflowing and cannot handle the trauma patients.

I’m not anti-visitor, obviously - but I can’t just keep posting like a robot without acknowledging that circumstances have shifted within the last few weeks. There will be a good time to visit our islands, this just isn’t it.

16/08/2021

All workers and passengers must show proof of vaccination to fly in Canada.

Starting this fall, Canada's government will also require all federal workers to be vaccinated, citing a "dynamic public health situation" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

15/08/2021

Is this lap pool giving you Lāpule vibes? ☺️

Lāpule means Sunday in Hawaiian
Lā = the sun, the day ☀️
P**e = prayer 🙏🏼

📍: - one of 5 pools on property, if I’m counting correctly (and the one where you’re most likely to find an empty lounge chair 😄)

27/07/2021

My version of ✨

21/07/2021

Pricing update at Sensei Lāna’i! Slide for current/new rates at the resort and check my stories for details.

+ + +

The rates went up overnight, but it is still a really good deal as far as luxury hotels go (and this one is amazing). ✨

14/07/2021

I have a client in Santorini right now on a bday trip living his best life! Is Greece on your bucket list? 🇬🇷

29/06/2021

The saltwater pool at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is understandably not as popular as the beach behind it (🧡) but it is still a favorite. Perfect temp and never too crowded 🙌🏼

25/06/2021

Planning our return trip in 3, 2, 1…

18/06/2021

This communal table at Sensei by Nobu is beautiful but really bright so if you want to sit here in the morning, bring your shades 😅☀️

16/06/2021

Disneyland Paris is going to have a Frozen-themed land in a couple of years, complete with an Arendelle fjord and ice castle.
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Also, was it just me or did you like Frozen II better than the original?