Seeing as it’s suppose to be Spring but its crazy miserable outside, I decided it would be a good time to reflect about our trip to Costa Rica that we took in January.

Nothing beats looking at photos of the beach and blue skies while its freezing rain outside and -1C  with strong winds, on April 15th, right?

 

While planning our trip to Costa Rica we decided to do it all …Beach, Cloud Forest and Rain Forest! This meant that we needed time and a car. So we took 12 days to visit Nosara (beach town), Cloud Forest (Monteverde) and the Rain Forest (La Fortuna).

We were a little nervous to drive throughout Costa Rica but google maps and an all wheel drive, ensured we took the right roads plus we allowed plenty of time to get to our destination in the daylight!

Here’s some highlights of our trip:

1. Nosara:  This is a hip, small beach town that is super chill which is well known for its surfing. Theres no huge developments, franchises, etc. Its the perfect place to relax and was the ideal location to start our vacation to get us into “vacation mode”.

We stayed at a friends house while visiting Nosara but had the chance to visit two properties that you should check out in the event that you are planning a future trip to Nosara: Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort  or Tierra Magnifica. 

2. Cloud Forest – (Monteverde): We stayed at Hotel Bel Mar which allowed us to see amazing views. Sadly it rained a lot and was grateful that we were prepared with the right shoes and ponchos. Notice the colour of the sky in the photo below.

3. Rain Forest: (La Fortuna) We stayed at the beautiful Tabacon Resort and Spa for 6 nights and were spoiled rotten with their thermal waters, buffet breakfasts and our massive room. This part of our vacation was definitely a highlight.

We took advantage of the thermal waters twice a day!

The water was tht perfect temperature which meant you didn’t want to do anything but hang out in the thermal waters, however we took advantage of going to the spa on TWO occasions. I had my first four hand massage and it was heaven.

We found a restaurant (Don Rufino) in La Fortuna (thanks to Trip Advisor) that I believe we went to 3 nights in a row. Usually I want to be adventurous and discover other restaurants but the food was that good that we just kept going back.

As for activities in Costa Rica:  There’s no shortage of zip line adventures, coffee tours, night walks, farm tours, suspension bridges, hummingbird parks, boat tours, surfing lessons, yoga, and more!! There’s a reason why this country has become a popular destination.

However, I was on vacation-mode and the only thing I wanted to do was see a sloth (accomplished), see some pretty birds, see a monkey or two and visit a suspension bridge (accomplished). However you could be super busy if you wanted to!!

As for shopping: I bought some chocolate and coffee back to Toronto and naturally I wish I bought more! Why oh why did I only buy one bar?

Costa Rica is a wonderful country to visit as its really unique in many ways. Will remember this vacation for a long long time!!

PS Many thanks to my facebook friends for all the recommendations.

Disclosure: I’ve been provided with complimentary accommodation in exchange for this blog post however all opinions are my own.

Here’s a little list of where I’ve been lately:

1. In August I took a wonderful road trip to Montreal and to the Laurentian Mountains.  It was a week full of food and relaxation.

1. At the end of August I went to London, England for two days to attend a fabulous family wedding but I also managed to do squeeze in some sightseeing.

1. From London, I travelled to Israel to hang out on the beach, eat as much shakshuka as I could and visit family and friends.

1. In January I went to Costa Rica for 12 days of adventure as we visited Nosara, Monteverde and La Fortuna.

1. In February I went to Athens/Crete for 10 days to hang out with my daughter.

As you can see, I LOVE to travel.

Seeing as I love travel so much, I subscribe to a lot of  “emails” from a variety of different brands, airlines, etc so I can stay on top of every promotion. This enables me to save some $$ and everyone likes to save money right?

So, here’s some news: IHG just announced its 3 “Nights Escape” promotion where you can save 10%-25% on your accommodation at more than 150 participating hotels in Canada. Please note the sales ends at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, April 13, 2018, and for a minimum of three-day stays through to June 15, 2018.

I just love these “3 Nights Escape” promotion as I’m a big believer that sometimes you just need a few days to totally feel “relaxed and removed” from your everyday routine.

Participating hotels include guest favorites like the InterContinental® Montreal or the newly renovated Crowne Plaza® Fredericton-Lord Beaverbrook. You can take extra time at the Candlewood Suites® Calgary Airport North, or stay right on the water at the beautiful Holiday Inn Express® Windsor Waterfront. Want to see the sights? Take advantage of all Canada’s cities have to offer by staying at either the Holiday Inn Express Toronto Downtown or the Holiday Inn® Hotel & Suites Vancouver Downtown.

You can book your 3 Nights Escape here.

Other cool facts:  IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,300 hotels and nearly 800,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries, with nearly 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

Happy Travels.

For more information:

wwww.twitter.com/ihg

www.facebook.com/ihg

www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

 

 

The last few months have involved quite a bit of travelling but I’m not complaining. I really do love to travel. One could say its a priority for me. For example, my second hand car that I purchased in 2012 has really had its day but I rather travel than buy a another car. See what I mean?

Just last week I returned from Athens and Crete. My schedule looked like this: eat, sleep and shop!! Again, I’m not complaining. It was exactly what we needed.

I made my reservations to stay in Hotel Lozenge with Booking.Com. I’ve been a fan of this website since I was introduced to it in 2015 at a Travel Massive event. Its’ so user friendly that its been my go-to website for several years now.

I selected this hotel for a few reasons, but mostly because of this great rating.

The hotel was also located in a really nice area (kind of like Yorkville) of Athens and close to everything. We couldn’t have been happier with the location. Another great reason why to stay at Hotel Lozenge!

We loved our room which had a beautiful bathroom and an enormous balcony. Not to mention a fridge in the room, which always comes in handy.

Our hotel room included a generous breakfast buffet every morning. Even though there was a wide range of options, I couldn’t stop eating the Greek Yogurt with honey!!

Hotel Lozenge also has a roof top lounge that enables you to see the Acropolis. This photo says it all. Not a bad place to hang out after dinner!!
One last feature of this hotel that I loved was the fact that they had this USB port in our room for travellers (like myself) who didnt have the right adapter!!

I love using Booking.Com so much that I would like to share this unique link for $40 CAN off your next booking when you use Booking.Com.  Sweet eh?

https://www.booking.com/s/vweiss20

Happy Traveling!!

Disclosure: I partnered with Booking.Com for this blog post however all opinions are my own. 

I have a long history with the Sheraton Tel Aviv. It actually goes back to 1988 when I had my last dinner there after spending 4 years attending Tel Aviv University. #truestory

However over the years, I continue to stay at this hotel and to be honest I haven’t ever considered staying at any other hotel when visiting Tel Aviv. Plus I know many friends and family members who stay at the Sheraton Tel Aviv so I know it has a great reputation.

Here’s just a few reasons why I  continue to stay at this hotel.

1. The views: Need I say more?

2. The Israeli Breakfast: This is a must so make sure it’s included in the price of your hotel. If not, it’s wroth the $$ to pay for it.  The selection is unlike anything you have ever seen in an North American Hotel. You have been warned!!

I couldn’t possibly capture the entire range of what’s offered at this Israeli Buffet however I can tell you that the ENTIRE restaurant is dedicated to it. Trust me – it’s a sizeable restaurant.

3. The pool/beach proximity: I spend most of my time at the pool however if you cross the street – voila – you are the beach!! As you can see, it’s a great place to capture the gorgeous sunset.

4. The service: Everyone was courteous and helpful – the bellboys, the front desk staff and front desk staff too. We had no complaints.

5. The Club Lounge: I’m not a world traveller however I have seen a few club lounges in my life and this one is the best ones I’ve ever seen. There’s food served all day long and an incredible outdoor patio to view the city.

For more information:

Website: www.sheratontelaviv.com

Twitter: @SheratonTelAiv

 

It wasn’t easy to choose a hotel in New York. I couldn’t decide to go the AirBnb route or do a mystery deal on Hotwire or just look for a good deal.

I ended up searching on Booking.Com. My criteria was:

-price and location (in that order).

I originally booked the Courtyard By Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park, but was graciously upgraded to stay at the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park which is directly above the Courtyard Marriott (how convenient).

The price was right and the location was prime! Not mention that we could always find the hotel when we got off the subway as it’s the tallest building around.

Here’s what we loved about our stay:

1. It was convenient to get to our room i.e. we didnt have to walk a mile down the corridor to get to our room. (huge pet peeve of mine).

2. The view was spectacular. It was so spectacular that we kept the curtains open all the time.

3. The hot buffet breakfast was a definite perk.

4. Our spacious room had a full kitchen.

When I pulled out one of the drawers in the kitchen I discovered that it wasn’t a drawer but it was a dishwasher. As you can see, we even used it.

5.. The lounge had these cozy spots so I could watch the U.S Open and sip on my happy hour cocktail.

I adore Happy Hour menus.

6. The location was just perfect. We were exactly where we wanted to be..walking distance to Times Square, Central Park and 5th Avenue. PERFECT.

7.  I loved the decor of our room and the fact that it was a corner suite was an added bonus.

I truly had a wonderful experience at the Residence Inn Marriott Manhattan/Central Park and would stay there in the future. As always, I’m looking forward to my next trip to NYC.

For more information:

Website: Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park

Address: 1717 Broadway Ave, NY, NY

Phone: 1 212-324-3774

Disclosure: The upgrade was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

My last blog post was called “My Bags Are Packed and I’m Ready to Go”. This blog post is called “A Week of Bliss” which means I had a SPECTACULAR vacation.

Here’s what I would like to share about Karisma Resorts and specifically El Dorado Maroma in  Mayan Riviera.

THE PROPERTY:

The words lush, manicured, and immaculate all come to my mind. The best thing about this property was the fact that there’s only 90 rooms so that means everything is close by. There is no such thing as a 10 minute walk to get to the pool or a restaurant or the lobby. It’s all just steps away from your room. Yes – I’m a sloth and I’m proud of it!!

THE ROOM:

The room was SPACIOUS, SPOTLESS and CONTEMPORARY. No outdated “Spanish” themed rooms! YAY.

THE FOOD:

I seriously never thought the word gourmet and all inclusive could be said in the same breath. Well, it’s possible. There were 6 restaurants to choose from and all of them were excellent. Presentation, quality of ingredients and freshness were evident in every dish. Plus each restaurant was tastefully decorated (modern and contemporary).

BOOZE:

Grey Goose Vodka was available EVERY DAY….ALL DAY. Do I need to say more? LOL. There was even a tequila tasting one afternoon by the pool. However I had this drink everyday (ok maybe twice a day). It’s called: MANGO JALAPENO, which included the following ingredients: Tequila anejo, lime, sugar, orange liquor, mango and jalapeno. OMG what a combo.

SERVICE:

I kept joking that there were more staff than guests! Every day our “Personal Concierge” found us by the pool to ensure we were satisfied guests and to answer any questions. Not to mention, the lobby has 4 desks where 4 agents SIT DOWN and check you in. (with a cool towel and a glass of bubbly as well). I was super impressed when a staff person called us the night before we were leaving to ask us if we wanted a wake up call and what time we needed assistance with our bags. They truly do anticipate your needs!!

CONCLUSION:

I would return to this property in a heart beat. However please note: There’s a solid line up of entertainment at at night but the week we were there it wasn’t well attended. Not sure if guests left the property (to visit Playa De Carmen) or just preferred to have dinner and relax in their rooms.

In the event you want to see some great photos, please head over to Instagram  and plug in the hashtag #KarismaExperience or #KarismaResorts

For more information:

Website: www.karismaresorts.com

Instagram: @karismaresorts @eldoradoresorts

Oh ya…I discovered one of my Instagram followers is a travel agent and has visited numerous Karisma Properties (and other properties in Mexico as well). Check out her photos as well: @lorirachelgold.

Hope you had a wonderful vacation as well. Already looking forward to my next vacation which will be either a cruise or another visit to El Dorado. Time will tell!!

 

A few weeks ago, I was totally spoiled and had the opportunity to experience a Winterlicious lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel followed by a Winterlicious dinner the next day at the Toronto Hyatt Regency on King.

From January 30 to February 12, more than 200 of Toronto’s top restaurants are offering three-course prix fixe menus at one of three price categories:

Lunch:   $18  |  $23  |  $28

Dinner:   $25  |  $35  |  $45

There’s still time to pick up the phone and secure reservations of Winterlicious and I do hope that you would consider both of these restaurants!!

Here’s my (brief) review of my Four Seasons Winterlicious lunch at Cafe Boulud:

Cafe Boulud doesn’t disappoint when it comes to service, atmosphere or execution. For some reason, I had never been to the new Four Seasons before but I would certainly return!! I even dressed up for the occasion which is not something I usually do.

Please click on this link to check out their Winterlicious menu!

b) Toronto Hyatt Regency Winterlicious Dinner:

Again, I was treated to exceptional service. There’s no question there’s value in any Winterlicious meal at a hotel!! Please click on the link to read more about their Winterlicious menu.

Now – go pick up the phone and make a reservation.

Toronto Hyatt Regency:  370 King St. West, Toronto,  416-963-6000

Four Seasons – Cafe Boulud: 60 Yorkville Ave, Toronto 416 964-0411

Happy Winterlicious!!

Discloure: Both meals were complimentary however all opinions are my own.

Just came back from a quick quick visit to Ottawa. This visit was special as I discovered something NEW plus I went to visit a museum that I use to enjoy when I was a kid. (keep reading).

Let’s talk about the NEW discovery first.

As you know I spend a lot of time on twitter. Here’s a classic example of a finding out about something via twitter. One day I was on twitter and I noticed  @LiftRestaurant had sent me a tweet . I checked out their profile and noticed that they were a restaurant in the Delta Ottawa City Centre – exactly a block away from where I stay in Ottawa!! We started to chat on twitter and I mentioned that I would drop by on my next week. So I did.

When we arrived  at Lift Restaurant, the first thing that impressed me was the contemporary, bright, space. After chatting with our super friendly waitress, we ordered the Lift Chowder (Bay Ccallops, Shrimp, Atlantic Salmon, Surf Clams and a Charcuterie Board to share. We scored with our order. The soup was probably the best chowder I’ve ever had and there’s a reason for that. IT’S  MADE FRESH WHEN YOU ORDER IT.

I was also given a quick tour of some of the suites and LOVED the fact that the CLEAN DESKS had all sorts of  computer plugs in it. This certainly appeals to people like me, who travel with no fewer than four cords on each trip!!

I can’t wait to return for more Chowder and have even posted the menu in my parents nearby condo so that this restaurant is on their radar too!!

Now for the part of my trip that brought me down memory lane.

We went to visit The Canada Science and Technology Museum. This museum was my favorite museum as a kid because they had an exhibit called the KRAZY KITCHEN. Forty years later – it’s still there.

I swear I was smiling throughout my visit.

I love visiting Ottawa! Period.

For more information:

Delta Ottawa City Centre 101 Lyon St. N, Ottawa,  613 237 3600

Lift Restaurant  101 Lyon St. N, Ottawa 613 688 6802

Canada Science and Technology Museum1867 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa 613 991 3044

Ottawa Tourism