Comments on Vacation Spots

The words “boutique”, “elegant”, and “luxury” are not common terms associated with this working-class riverfront town in southern Indiana. However with the “permanent docking” of Casino Aztar in Evansville the need for a more upscale place to sleep made sense.

This hotel is exquisite! The furnishings are first rate, the bar is fun and often crowded with attractive people, and the shower is wonderful. Actually, wonderful is an understatement when describing this shower since it has 5 shower heads and it dumps so much water on you that you feel like you just finished a professional massage.

Embassy Suites are usually a good deal for families as well as frequent travelers. While they are rarely a destination themselves, they can be a great respite after a long day at a vacation destination or a restful stop in your journey.

The Embassy Suites that is just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport is very nice at first glance but tends to fall apart after a closer look. The lobby of this hotel is laid out in typical Embassy fashion - a very large atrium surrounded by floors of suites. This atrium is very well done featuring a large waterfall that fills the space with white noise. The waterfall lands into a very nice looking pond that is filled with koi.

However, entering your suite brings a different perspective. Here you will likely find outdated and worn furniture. A sink that doesn’t have a stopper. And worse yet, water damage on the ceiling of the bathroom that has been poorly plastered over and said plaster has never seen a brush with paint on it.

Water damage that has been poorly fixed and old furniture is what I expect at discount hotels along the interstates. It is not expected at a suite hotel that is part of the Hilton family and costs in excess of $150 per night. You can bet that Paris would never stay at this location!

The Canada Pavilion will definitely remind you the ruggedness and landscape of the northernmost country of the North American continent. The architecture features stone and exposed wood. The pavilion is decorated with a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles.

In general the shops in this pavilion are quite forgettable. While you may find a carving that you admire or other such craft item, you will recognize nearly every item in every store.

Canada does feature a beautiful movie, O Canada!, that shows much of the gorgeous countryside of this vast nation. This movie will be very enjoyable to the adult members of your family but may not appeal to the children of your group.

Taking a cruise on Carnival can be an exciting adventure for you and your family. Since every cruise sports different ports of call, I won’t discuss the itinerary here but rather will discuss the ship and leaving from Tampa Bay, Florida.

There may be great advantages to leaving from Tampa Bay rather than the more traditional Miami, Florida. The most likely advantage is cost. Since Tampa Bay is farther north on the Florida peninsula, logic dictates that your cost to get to this port should be lower. Unfortunately, logic never seems to be a driving factor with airline prices!

This is a first class facility for watching basketball with 18,000 of your best friends. The Pacers have a long history as part of the NBA and, previously, the ABA. You will see plenty of tributes to the great players and teams of the past and if you are a big fan of professional basketball you will be tested by your knowledge of the history of the game.

The food in the arena is not fantastic but is typical of most professional basketball venues. The Starbuck’s and the gift shop are top notch.

Parking in the area is fairly affordable and convenient. You should be able to find a $5 spot within a couple of blocks (unless the Pacers are playing great and the rates go up). While you are in downtown Indy, make sure that you spend some time enjoying some of the great shops and restaurants that make up this thriving downtown. The city leaders of Indianapolis have done a great job in making the city vibrant and you would not expect that a city in the “rust belt” would have their act together so well.

Tickets to any professional basketball game will set you back considerably and the Pacers are not an exception. However if you can afford it, an evening at Conseco field while visiting Indianapolis is a great time!

Do you like steak?  I mean, do you REALLY like steak? Then, when you are in Dallas TX, you should check out the Butcher Shop Steakhouse on Munger Avenue.

Unlike most steakhouses, here you have more than just your choice of a fine cut of meat.  At this large, open restaurant you have the opportunity to grill your steak to the perfection that you desire. If you want the experts to grill the steak for you while you enjoy your salad and favorite beverage, that is fine as well.

This is probably the Midwest’s best family resort and spa that also includes great fantastic golf. This resort has enjoyed a $14M renovation since 2003 and that only adds to the luster of this great destination.

The resort features 3 great golf courses. Bear by Jack Nicklaus, Wolverine by Gary Player, and Spruce Run by William Newcomb. These three amazing golf courses will thrill and challenge any golfer but offer fair play for the average or young golfer. Jim McLean also runs a great school on the facility which will help you work out that kink in your swing.

Have you ever wanted to send some of your things ahead for your trip?  This can be especially helpful for beach or skiing vacations.  For the beach, you may want your beach ball, tennis racket, etc. to be waiting for you.  For skiing, you have all that heavy winter clothing that needs to arrive at your location but you don’t need it until then and definitely don’t want it on the plane.

The easiest way to do this is to contact your hotel that you are visiting.  Most of the better ones will hold your package for a reasonable time. If they don’t perform this service, you may want to consider a different establishment for your business!

This post is not about a travel location but rather is about the process of getting there and how it seems to be unfair for airline travelers.

The article was originally written on MSNBC by George Hobica.  George wrote a few paragraphs on each topic so if you are interested in what he was talking about, click through.

1. Making a reservation on the phone or in person

2. Re-banking frequent flyer miles

3. Cashing in frequent flyer miles without sufficient advance notice

4. Bringing a pet onboard in the cabin

5. Checking luggage

Earlier, I wrote about being stuck in the Atlanta airport and suggested that instead of trying to rush through the airport you instead spend the night and enjoy the city.  But where to stay? You might consider The Glenn Hotel.

Sure, you could stay at the standard chain hotels but they will look the same as the ones in your own hometown and all you will really get is a decent bed (maybe). The Glenn Hotel is different. It is designed to be a "boutique" hotel and is not like any chain hotel that you ever stayed in.