Photo of the Week - The Plaza in Central Park

This week's photo is of the Plaza hotel peaking through the trees in Central Park. New York City is an amazing city. We love to go for the weekend, both as a couple and with Montana. Montana absolutely loves New York for the excitement and shopping of it all.

Warren and I have a soft spot for New York City as our very first trip away together over 13 years ago was to Manhattan. We stayed at the Plaza solely due to the movie Home Alone 2 (if you can remember that one!). We have done that a lot in our travels. We choose a hotel or destination because of a movie we liked. Hey inspiration can come from anywhere!

Through a series of mess ups (on the hotels part) we were upgraded to the actual "Home Alone Suite" It was HUGE and overlooked 5th Avenue. It was a perfect first trip away together.

Since then, the Plaza was bought, renovated and reopened in 2008. The Plaza now offers 282 hotel rooms and 152 private condo hotel units. It is operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

One day we would like to stay in the Plaza again, but with the prices around $1000 a night, we will have to find a more "value for our money" type of rate.



The World Famous Plaza peaking Through the Trees in Central Park

 Have you stayed in the Plaza in New York City? Comment below on your experience

Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor about the Plaza

Read More

Photo of the Week - The Macau Tower, Macau

On a tour of Macau we were taken to the Macau Tower. We didn't have any desire to go there before, but were happy we did. The tower gives you a lovely view of Macau, and China. There were many activities available including bungy jumping and the Sky Walk (where you walk around the outside of the tower).

It is worth the visit if you are visiting Macau.

Macau Tower peaking through the Trees

But I do have to say, Toronto's CN Tower is still taller! (yes we are from Toronto, Canada)



For more information on Macau, try the Lonely Planet Guide for Hong Kong and Macau.

Read More

Photo of the Week - Eiffel Tower Paris, France

On a recent trip to Paris, we spent a lovely afternoon in the Parc du Champs de Mars, just below the Eiffel Tower. We were not sure of our plans, so didn't book a time online to go up the Eiffel Tower, because of that we missed it as we weren't willing to wait the 3 hours in line to venture to the top.

Not sure what we missed out on, but we did climb to the top of the Arc De Triomphe, so we still got an amazing view of the city, at sunset too. We really enjoyed our couple of hours napping in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower on a Beautiful Sunny Day in Paris

 The book we found most helpful on our 3 day whirlwind through Paris was Frommer's Paris Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket). It helped us figure out exactly what we wanted to see, and if we came across anything that we weren't sure about it gave us enough of a description to answer our questions.
We highly recommend it for Paris!

What do you like about Paris? Comment below, we would love to hear about it.

Read More

Photo of the Week - Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California

I love to watch the sun set. Warren says that I wore him out of sunsets when we were in Hawaii. That could be true!

This is the sunset over Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin Inn (which we highly recommend for a romantic getaway) and had a patio oceanview room.

We could snuggle in the patio "loveseat" under a blanket and watch the sunset each night.

This is my favorite sunset photo from that trip:





Sunset at Moonstone Beach,
Cambria, California

 


















If you have a favorite sunset photo, please send it to me or link it in the comments section below.

Read More

Amelia Island Florida - Looks like a Great Family Vacation Idea

On Twitter this morning this Tweet came through from @travelingmoms:

All I could think of was "Wow Really?". We place a premium on family time around here. But one thing that we tend to have issues with (and we are all guilty of it) is releasing the technology...even when traveling and supposed to be on "holiday". There are only two requirements when I am choosing somewhere to stay:

1. It must have a King Sized bed; and
2. IT MUST HAVE WIFI or some kind of Internet other than dial up.

I must admit that sometimes it would be nice if we could just unplug together. Kim Orlando managed for the most part to get her kids to turn off the electronics and spend time together (OK she didn't' totally win but I think the compromise still worked).

What really worked for them was the fun planned activities, they made sure they included something for every member of the family. I enjoyed watching their activities and even said to Warren that the next time we are in Florida (we go often as my parents spend their winters there) that we should check out Amelia Island!

The original post was here: Amelia Island: Mom vs. Electronics

For more Florida vacation ideas check out our Florida Vacation Guide.

Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say  about Amelia Island at TripAdvisor

What are your suggestions for getting your family to unplug and get some family time together? Comment below, we would love to hear!

Read More

Photo of the Week - Mauna Kea Sunset in Hawaii

Wow, 3 weeks in a row, I must be on a roll with these Photos of the week!

This week I chose the sunset in Hawaii. The summer is ending here in Toronto. The kids have gone back to school, and there is a slight chill in the air. I was starting to think about the Christmas and New Year's holidays. That means it will be quite cold here soon. So what sprung to mind but Hawaii!

Hawaii is one of our absolute favorite destinations. This photo of the sunset was taken from a house we rented in Mauna Kea on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island.

My favorite time of day!

Do you love Hawaii? Please share your favorite images of Hawaii with us and we may display them here as a photo of the week on future Fridays.

Contact us here:
http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/contact-us.html

We always welcome comments, or suggestions for our photos!

Read More

Taking a Seine River Cruise in Paris

On our recent trip to Paris, one of the items on my To Do list was to take a river cruise on the Seine. For a change I didn't plan every detail and activity of our trip and didn't know what type of River cruise to do.

So Warren went to the Concierge at our hotel and he recommended doing a dinner river cruise along the Seine but gave us a few options as well. We could enjoy a 4 course gourmet French meal while taking a two hour dinner cruise on a boat like La Marina de Paris, Have lunch at the Eiffel tower and then the Seine River Cruise, or do a bike tour with a Seine River Cruise.

The only thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted to do the river cruise at sunset as I wanted to see Paris on the Seine by day and by night. After some discussion, we realized that we just wanted to do a Seine river cruise, with no other options attached. The Concierge said, that was the easiest and the cheapest option of all then. Sunset is around 9 pm just go to the Bateaux Mouches down by the Eiffel Tower. In High season boat tours go every 20 minutes from 7 pm to 11 pm. We jumped on the 8:30 tour. It cost 10 Euros (children are only 5 Euros or free if they are younger than 4) each and was totally worth the money.

On the Boat Getting Ready for the Sunset Cruise on the Seine

The commentary is a playback and it plays back in French, English, and German (and possibly Japanese). Sometimes it was hard to hear, but that was ok, we just wanted to experience the city from the Seine.

The boat was massive and could hold 100's of people. We were shocked when we saw how many people it could hold.

This Seine River Cruise travels past all of the big landmarks on the Seine. In fact it was the only time we saw Notre Dame as we never made it over there in the short 3 days we were there. We also went under the kissing bridge as I wrote about in our Romantic things to do in Paris page.

It was a great time and a lot of fun. We ended back at the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed it all lit up. 

We then had a romantic walk along the Seine back to our hotel and watched the light show put on by the Eiffel Tower each night.

Another option that I wish I had seen before going to Paris was the Paris Pass. It includes entry to over 60 attractions in Paris, free use of public transport, hop on hop off bus tour, Skip the line access at the Lourve the Museum d'Orsay and many others, a free map of Paris and a free Bateau Parisiens Seine River Cruise.

Seine River Cruise and Paris Illuminations by Minivan - $ 93.30 For a night to remember, cruise along the river Seine, pass under the many bridges and admire the architecture of the historical buildings. Soak up the wonderful Parisian atmosphere and admire the monuments all around you. Paris looks simply stunning at night time, come and see for yourself!

Read More

Photo of the Week - Amsterdam Canal

OK, another Friday has come along, and so does another Photo of the week. This week I chose one of my favorites from Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities in Europe. We went back there for a visit in July 2010.
I love this photo as it was the view from the front of our hotel, the Grand Amrath. I love how is shows the homes of the people in Amsterdam, from walk ups across the canal, to houseboats on the canals.

It is free to dock your boat on any of the canals, so many people hook up and don't leave...makes sense to me if that is the life you want.

Do you have a favorite travel photo you would like to share? Contact us here:
http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/contact-us.html

When in Amsterdam, don't forget to take one of the many Amsterdam canal cruises to get a different view of the city.

What do you like about Amsterdam? Comment below:

Read More

Photo of the Week - Alabater Mosque in Cairo

So Photo Friday isn't really a regular feature in our Travel Journal, I thought that I would like to showcase one of our photos today. I enjoy the photos that many of my favorite travel blogs and websites post so I thought, "Hey why not!"

I am not promising to showcase one every Friday, but I will try. If you have a favorite travel photo that you would like me to showcase, please feel free to send a note to me through our contact page here:
http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/contact-us.html
and we can arrange that.

So for today's photo:

Alabaster Mosque in Cairo
(Mosque of Muhammad Ali at the Citadel)

Not bad for my attempt at being "artsy".

What do you think? Comment below I would love to hear any tips of tricks you may have! 

Read More

Playing with the Elephant Seals

Recently Warren and I took a lovely romantic and relaxing trip to the central coast of California. One of the main reasons I wanted to do this trip was to see the Elephant Seals.

I wasn't disappointed. In fact, on our first evening in Cambria, Warren and I went for a walk on the boardwalk and found a couple baked out on the rocks as the tide was going out.




However the next morning, while Warren did a little work, I went for a walk on my own. There was lots of activity on the boardwalk that morning. The squirrels were out, and quite brave! They are obviously fed by humans often as they followed me and got really close.







I was so excited to see the Elephant seals baking out on the rocks as the tide was out.


I decided I wanted to get a little closer and walked down to the rocks. I sat and hung out with them for a while.



I couldn't wait to bring warren back to see them! Unfortunately it didn't work out as every other time we were near he beach the tide was in and the seals were bouncing around in the water. Tip...take advantage of seeing wildlife when you see it as it may not work out if you "come back later".

These seals were younger as they were smaller. They were most likely the younger males.



On our way out of Cambria and up through San Simeon, we stopped to see the big beach where thousands migrate too in the winter months. There were about 30 hanging out when we got there so Warren got to see them then.

Have you seen the elephant seals on the Central Coast of California? Share your experience by commenting below:

Read More

Does the Amsterdam Red Light District Live Up to It's Reputation?

When I tell people we spent some time in Amsterdam, one of their first questions is, "did you go to the Red Light District?"  I answer, of course we did. There are not many places in the world where you can buy marijuana, sex films and toys, or sex so openly, it is hard not to be curious about it and want to check it out.

Now having said that, we did walk through it often to get back to our hotel due to where our hotel was located. But we didn't mind, we love the vibrancy of the area and would have sought it out anyway.

We love watching the tourists gawk and awe at the ladies in the windows lit up with red light (apparently they chose red as it makes the ladies look better). We also like the energy of the area. You have grooms and brides to be on their Stag and/or Doe weekends (or bachelor or hen night parties), military men from many different countries on leave walking around, young people, older people. The energy is light and party like, with now judgment (at least in my experience). It's a real mix of fun, especially as we were there during the World Cup and Holland was in the Quarter and Semi Finals.

We even did a tour of the Red Light District to learn more about the history of the area and to be honest how it all works. Every tourist we talked to wondered the same thing. What we learned was that the prostitutes are paid anywhere from 30 to 50 Euros for 15 minutes of their time. They rent out the "windows" or work areas for 8 hours at a time. Their services are regulated and they must pay taxes on their earnings. There are also rules on how each girl is to dress (must where a bikini of some sort). There are girls of all shapes, sizes, nationalities and age and sexes (blue lights mean that they are actually transvestites). Whatever you do DON"T take a picture of the girls - in my mind out of respect - but also they will get REALLY angry with good reason.

Trying to catch a breeze in his apartment during the heat wave in the Red Light District

This is just like any other neighbourhood really. There are schools and apartments, restaurants, pubs and coffee shops, even art in some windows (the city bought out 1/3 of the windows to try to "clean" up the area and display local artists work).

You will find live sex shows too.... On our visit in 2004 a doorman at a live sex show told us that it would save our marriage if we saw the show - thanks but our marriage is perfectly fine.

Overall the Red Light District is a lot of fun. As the majority of visitors to it are tourists it really feels like a big tourist attraction.

Have you been to the Amsterdam Red Light District? We would love to hear your experience - Please comment below.

Read More

Back from our Romantic and Relaxing Trip to Europe

Wow. I didn't know it was possible, but Warren and I managed to have a relaxing vacation in Europe. We visited Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nice France and Paris France.

In my younger days (fine I am only 40 but still) I always felt like I had to spend every waking moment experiencing the places I was visiting. I wanted to pack in as much as I could.

This trip however we didn't do that. We actually took it easy and really experienced these cities. Instead of waking up early, rushing from tourist attraction to tourist attraction, we changed it up. (It helped that we had been to Amsterdam and Nice before and I had been to Paris as a teenager).

We slept in, got some brunch (it was rare we woke up early enough to get breakfast). Then either visited a tourist attraction or just walked and experienced the city. We enjoyed dinner (we made it an experience most nights and sat outside watching the people go by), and chose something else to do, either to walk and explore or shop a little.

Holland was in the quarter finals and semi finals of the World Cup while we were there. By taking it easy, we got to enjoy the games with the local people and get excited for them. And we aren't even Football (soccer to North Americans) fans!

In Nice we enjoyed the breeze and sun on the rooftop pool overlooking the Mediterranean and the city of Nice. We still managed to get to Monte Carlo, but for touring that was about it.

If we didn't do the typical tourist things (like we didn't make it up the Eiffel Tower as the line ups in July are way too long), then we were OK with that. After all, chances are these attractions aren't going anywhere. This allowed us to consider things that we wouldn't normally do. Like falling asleep in the park in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower or climbing the Arc de Triomphe just because we ended up there. This style of travel also allowed us to enjoy our hotels and hotel rooms. It took the pressure off to see and do it all.

Don't tell Warren this, but I think I am enjoying this style of traveling more (shhh don't tell him or I won't have the option of going back to trying to jam pack all sorts of activities into a holiday!)

It was one our our best romantic vacations ever!

Please share with us how you like to travel? Are you a pack it all type of traveler or a slow down and relax traveler? Leave a comment below we would love to hear from you!

Read More

Amsterdam, Relax or Not...

Amsterdam is the first stop on our upcoming romantic vacation to Europe. Warren and I visited this awesome city back in 2004 on a whim. He came home one day in June with a map and said that he wanted to go to Amsterdam for our July long weekend.

This wasn't like him back then, so what was I to say but OK!!! Lets see what we can do.

First the airfare, we found a cheap last minute charter flight with perfect times to maximize our trip there, then a hotel right in Dam Square. The famous, NG Krasnapolsky Hotel Amsterdam and when we got there got upgraded to a room with an awesome view of Dam Square.

So 2 weeks after Warren came home with a guide book and the map, we were off on an adventure.


We had an amazing weekend, ignoring our jet lag and exploring. We only had 5 days and it rained everyday we were there. So much so we had to buy raincoats so we could go out and enjoy the city.


We loved every minute of our time in Amsterdam, we saw the main sites, shopped in the markets, toured around the Red Light District, visited the casino and enjoyed the celebrations. To our great surprise, the Netherlands were celebrating their take over of the EU governorship. They had a huge concert in Dam Square right out our window!








This time we will make it a little more relaxed I think. We are taking 5 days there, so we will wander around, take a canal tour, hope for warmer weather.

Here are some of the highlights of Amsterdam.

Watch more Amsterdam videos at tripfilms.com

Read More

Paris, The City of Lights.

Warren and I are taking a romantic vacation to Europe this summer. Things have been really busy around here and to be honest I haven't done a lot of planning for this trip.

We have booked Amsterdam, Nice in the south of France and Paris. I have been to all three places before and Warren has too, except for Paris.

Warren hasn't had much desire to go to Paris, I convinced him to go as we were going to be in France anyway. I am really excited to experience Paris with Warren. It is a city of romance after all!

Inspiration to plan Paris was required, as I didn't seem to have any. Through my search I found this video. Inspiration found!

If you have any suggestions of what we should do while in Paris, we would love to hear what you would recommend - please comment below.

Enjoy this video and let it inspire you to make Paris, France a Romantic Vacation Idea sometime soon!


Watch more Paris videos at tripfilms.com

Read More

European Holiday Cruise to Remember.

We recently returned from a fantastic trip over Christmas and New Years on the NCL Jade out of Barcelona. It really was one of our favorite trips and it reignited my passion for cruising and I fell in love with Europe again.

As it was winter the weather was cooler. We booked this trip 11 months in advance. This is unheard of for us, but we knew that we wanted to do this itinerary in the cooler months (seeing the pyramids in 120 F doesn't appeal to us) and we wanted to make sure we were in a suite at a minimum. This is why we booked so early.

We loved Greece, even though we didn't think we would. We had some hiccups in Egypt, but it all worked out.

We flew to Barcelona a couple of days early to recover from Jet lag and then set sail on Sunday Dec 20.

Our Ports of Call:

• Rome, Italy - rained the whole day but was still romantic - we went back to our favorite spots from our Honeymoon - lunch on the Piazza Navona
  
  
• Naples, Italy - Climbed Mount Vesuvius in a cloud and then visited Pompeii - it was incredible!
  
  
  


• Alexandria, Egypt - did a 2 day tour to Cairo to see the Great Pyramids - Absolutely magical!
  




• Rhodes - missed port due to weather - but that was OK, because after 2 days in Egypt we needed a sea day.
  
• Izmir, Turkey - Wandered around the Bazaar
  


• Athens, Greece - Loved this port more than we thought we would - visited Acropolis and had lunch in the Plaka historic district




• Heraklion, Crete, Greece - New Year's Eve, spent the morning with some new friends in a cafe in the town square, then wandered around the shops - weather was the best here so we went back to the ship and baked out on the Courtyard Sun Deck
  

Not only were the ports of call amazing, so were the people we met, the crew and the ship.

For more pictures check out my facebook shots:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182716&id=752500309&l=bf01bed8d5

Rome:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185942&id=752500309&l=4d196ea639

Egypt:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=186648&id=752500309&l=c72943c4a8

'Til next time.....

Read More