Reviews by Jennifer

Jennifer says "Loose Slots in a Four Diamond Resort" about Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa - Cabazon, CA

Jennifer — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:53:58 GMT

The 10 Freeway in California is a straight shot from the Pacific Ocean to Palm Springs (and beyond). After driving east of downtown Los Angeles, much of the drive becomes, shall we say, less than interesting. Auto dealerships and strip malls dominate the flat landscape for a while, and then - just when the boredom threatens to tip over into annoyance, the Monongo Casino, Resort & Spa comes into view.

The Monongo Casino, Resort & Spa is really quite an interesting sight. It's the tallest building between LA and Las Vegas, and it's right off the freeway, so you can't miss it. This 4-Diamond, 27-story hotel features a "port cochere" structure at its base, made to look like a desert blossom (and the hotel is, in fact, in the desert). However, to me, the port cochere resembles an abstract phoenix - fitting, since the jobs and financial base created by the casino, resort and spa have helped the Monongo tribe of Mission Indians so tremendously. Walk under this port cochere and you are instantly......

Jennifer says "Great for families and business travel!" about Delta Vancouver Suites - Vancouver, British Columbia

Jennifer — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:23:56 GMT

Vancouver is one of the great, most livable cities in the world, and anyone considering a trip there won't be disappointed. For a mid-range hotel with amenities and meals worthy of a luxury hotel, you can't do much better than Delta Vancouver Suites.

As you may tell from the name, all rooms are suites here; family vacations made easier and more affordable with convertible sofa-beds (available upon request). Delta Vancouver Suites is on West Hastings Street, right in downtown Vancouver, so ask for a high floor to reduce the sounds of traffic. While I was in Vancouver for a business trip, I saw several families with happy children at Delta Suites Vancouver. And why not? At check-in, every child up to 7 years old receives a "Kids' Essentials" kit, and kids old enough to write can fill in their own check-in request and preferences card. The parents looked happy too: Kids under 17 stay free, and children up to age 6 eat free. This special deals for traveling families are available......

Jennifer says "More top-rated golf courses than any other island in Hawaii" about Kauai, Hawaii

Jennifer — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:30:10 GMT

Guys, I know a lot of you work hard all day, every day of the workweek. When it's time to plan a vacation, you don't want to have to put too much effort into that as well, right? If it's a luxury golf vacation you want, it should be a luxury golf vacation you get - preferably somewhere tropical, with palm trees, poolside mixed drinks, the works. If you're on the West Coast, try some of Kauai's best golf courses. You can play them all in one great week, and they are literally four of the five best golf courses in Hawaii as a whole (the fifth is on Maui).

The Princeville Golf Courses: Hawaii's #1 ranked golf course is the Prince Course, designed by Robert Trent Jr. This may be the most challenging 18-hole course you'll play. Forget the elevation changes; the scenery alone is so beautiful, it's hard not to be distracted. The Makai Course, also part of the award-wining Princeville sets of links, is a 27-hole golf course, with each of the nine-hole tracks set in different terrain:......

Jennifer says "The best part of Maui for a luxury vacation is Wailea." about Maui

Jennifer — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:59:23 GMT

Well, the experts have spoken (some of them, anyway). Conde Nast Traveler readers voted that the #1 Resort in Hawaii is The Four Seasons in Wailea, Maui. I had the pleasure of being at this Four Seasons last winter, and I admit that these voters know a great thing when they see it. Every thing is 5-star at this resort hotel, from the spa - called, appropriately enough, "The Spa" - to the restaurants to the pools and beach.

Wailea is the most luxurious part of Maui, and it's no surprise to find the three best resorts along Wailea's peaceful stretch of sand and ocean. The Grand Wailea, on one side of the Four Seasons, is kiddie heaven with water slides galore and a rollicking day camp. On the other side of the Four Seasons is The Fairmont Kea Lani, my personal favorite of the three with a perfect blend of adult- and child-friendly activities. Then there's this one, the Four Seasons. Sedate and calm, even at the height of tourist season, it's the ultimate luxury resort for adults......

Jennifer says "LA - so much more that star-sighting!" about Los Angeles

Jennifer — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:41:12 GMT

A vacation in Los Angeles can take on many forms, from stereotypical tours around the homes of famous people, to learning to surf some of the country's best waves, to partying all night along Melrose Ave or the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, to high-end shopping at The Grove or Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade, to touring museums like the Getty, LACMA, and the Hammer Museum. It's all good; a trip to Los Angeles can be tailored to fit nearly any type of vacation desire. It is, after all, the entertainment capital of the world.

For a family-friendly, kid-oriented vacation in Los Angeles, I recommend putting a day aside for a theme or amusement park. The best are Universal Studios Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier, and (it goes without saying) Disneyland. Other kiddie favorites include Travel Town, the Griffith Park Pony & Wagon Rides, and Legoland.

People of all ages, children and adults alike, often go to the La Brea Tar Pits. It's interesting to consider that the geologic history......

Jennifer says "Small-town friendliness and gorgeous beaches" about San Mateo County

Jennifer — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:03:28 GMT

Travel south of San Francisco, and you'll find out how enjoyable a mellow vacation can be. San Mateo County, in between San Francisco and Palo Alto, makes for a slower-paced, relaxing stay. Kids have a great time playing on the beaches, and the many independently owned inns and family restaurants are a welcome break from the ubiquitous McDonalds and Holiday Inns in North America. In fact, the region is itself the welcome break; the friendly, small town attitude of its residents seems like a throwback to a more innocent age.

There isn't much in terms of excitement or thrill rides in San Mateo County. The activities we did there are enjoyable on a much smaller scale than many travelers may have come to expect.

Recommended Activities:

The San Mateo County History Museum - This museum, and its docents, proudly showcase exhibits spanning the major historical eras of the San Francisco Peninsula. From the gold rush and whaling ships, to modern technology and internet businesses (like Electronic......

Jennifer says "The best luxury business hotel in the region" about Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley - East Palo Alto, CA

Jennifer — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 01:25:00 GMT

When people think of traveling to San Mateo County, they usually think about San Francisco. San Fran is a popular urban vacation destination, of course. Why, then, is a relatively new 5-star hotel in East Palo Alto, south of San Francisco and east of most of San Mateo? Based in East Palo Alto, the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley is an unlikely contender for luxury travelers to make reservations. East Palo Alto, after all, is the antithesis of a high-end destination; mostly known for a high crime rate, office parks and possibly the ugliest highway offramp in California, East Palo Alto has the looks of a city that should sport Days' Inns, not Four Seasons.

This is the sort of question that arouses curiosity in a luxury travel writer's mind. A visit to Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley quickly cleared up my confusion. Granted, the Four Seasons here is almost directly across from that above-mentioned offramp, but inside is a bustling, popular spot. With the standard Four Seasons luxury......

Jennifer says "A luxury golf resort hotel at the birthplace of golf" about Fairmont St. Andrews - St. Andrews, United Kingdom

Jennifer — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 04:53:53 GMT

Luxury golf vacations take on a special meaning in Scotland. After all, golf was invented in this country; the rolling hills and spectacular vistas provide a glimpse back in time to what it must have been like when the sport first got started. The Scottish city of St. Andrews is known as the "home of golf," and the Fairmont hotel that bears its name here does justice - and more so - to the historic town and its ties with golf. The Fairmont St. Andrews is a great place to take a 5-star golf vacation in Scotland.

Both the Scottish Golf Tourism Industry and HotelReview.com named Fairmont St. Andrews as the Golf Resort of the Year, and this luxury travel fan has to agree. It's set on a 520+acre estate with a cliff overlooking the Forth of Fife (a bay). The service is remarkable; we arrived late and fatigued after a long day of getting lost in the Highlands, and the staff immediately helped us to our room. The paperwork was completed the next morning. it may have been because it......

Jennifer says "The best guide book I've read in a long time!" about Rome with Kids: An Insider's Guide

Jennifer — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:00:53 GMT

Whenever we travel to a different country, we buy a guide book. Major cities like Paris and London are best approached when armed with a list of attractions, recommended hotels and restaurants and the like. All these guide books are basically the same; the same information about museum hours, etc, presented in a straightforward and dry manner.

Rome with Kids: An Insider's Guide, by JM Pasquesi, is different. Family travel to Rome can to be a trial; boring for kids who don't care or understand the historical context of attractions like the Colosseum or Forum, aggravating for parents who want to see said attractions without their children whining and complaining. But Rome with Kids helps makes a family vacation in Rome fun and exciting for children. In an interview with the author, JM Pasquesi told me that the key to easy European travel with kids is "spacing and pacing." Slow down the pace, and take time to experience sites. Parents need to adjust their expectations: Changing......

Jennifer says "Ecotravel with amenities" about Cotton Tree Lodge - near Punta Gorda, Belize

Jennifer — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:18:21 GMT

Belize is a such a wonderful country. Ecotravel opportunities abound here, with the coastal waters and coral reefs on one side, and the rain forest, lush and wild, on the other. Sometimes it's nice for luxury travelers to change pace, to slow down, forget all those modern amenities, and take a ecologically friendly vacation amid all this millennia-old natural splendor. It helps remind us what's really important in life: A sense of connection to our families and the world around us.

The Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize manages to touch on all important factors at once, and successfully as well. This is no easy task; sometimes, the sacrifices a traveler makes for ecotourism can leave him cold and damp, in a tent on the ground. The Cotton Tree Lodge uses solar power for cooking and lights, and the electricity used is "off the grid." It's as close to pure ecotourism one can have in Belize, without losing basic amenities like (eco-friendly) flush toilets and hot water.

The Cotton Tree......

Jennifer says "A family vacation that everyone will love" about Atlantis, Paradise Island - Royal Towers - Paradise Island,

Jennifer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:27:31 GMT

By now, just about everyone in the US must have heard about The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Practically taking over all of Paradise Island, the resort is an architectural marvel - truly, a sight to see.

Atlantis is most famous for its walls of aquariums, with sharks, manta rays, grouper and tropical fish lazily swimming by gawking tourists. These gigantic fish tanks literally make up the walls of much of The Atlantis Resort. Children and adults alike are amazed.

The Ruins Lagoon, in the most upscale Royal Towers hotel area, is just one of six huge aquariums at The Atlantis. Here, a visitors can see a 2.7 million-gallon tanks with over 20,000 tropical fish and crustaceans living out well-taken for lives. Also by the Royal Towers is the Mayan Temple Lagoon. Guests of the resort can go down a water slide right through the middle - and see sharks all around. The Predator Lagoon contains sharks, barracuda and other top-of-the-foodchain marine creatures. This is the giant tank with......

Jennifer says "Relatively Remote 4-star Resort" about Maui Prince Hotel Makena Resort - Makena, HI

Jennifer — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:49:44 GMT

The Maui Prince Hotel is in Makena, the easternmost, rugged part of Maui. No other full-service hotel on the island makes it more clear than this one, that Maui was born from volcanos: The sand here is comprised of darker volcanic rock, and a beach walk east away from the resort quickly becomes treacherous for beach shoes. The Maui Prince Hotel is more remote than many other resorts; Makena is home to the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Reserve. The coastline area of Ahihi-Kinau is otherworldly. Miles and miles of black lava rock make up the shoreline, with the clearest tidal pools, sunbathing green sea turtles, and occasional free shows by playful porpoises making this part of Maui alone worth the trip.

This comparatively isolated feeling a tourist gets in Makena, helps add to the adult, romantic flavor of the Maui Prince. While there is a children's day camp here, I only saw two children in it on a rainy day. The hotel is definitely not as family-friendly as are its more upscale cousins in......

Jennifer says "The Top Hotel in the World" about Four Seasons Hotel George V - Paris, France

Jennifer — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:44:50 GMT

Imagine this: You're a world-traveler, and you love to go in style. If you're a five-star traveler who has the time and means to take great vacations, you're going to want to stay at the best hotel in the world. According to many of the classiest international travel guides and polls, that hotel is the Four Seasons Hotel George V, in Paris.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a week in Paris this summer, and even more fortunate to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel George V. It is, beyond a doubt, the apex of 5-star hotels in cosmopolitan areas. Now, I've stayed at other Four Seasons hotels and resorts and have never been disappointed. The George V in Paris, however, blows them all away.

From the moment I walked through the large revolving doors, I knew I was in for a hotel experience par excellence. Our luggage was whisked away, and was waiting for us in our room. The staff at the Four Seasons is always exemplary; here, they speak several languages (to accommodate their......

Jennifer says "The Four Seasons Resort in Maui brings luxury to a new level." about Four Seasons Resort Maui - Wailea, Maui, HI

Jennifer — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 03:55:24 GMT

Maui is considered by many reliable travel polls to be the best vacation island in the world. Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler - which know a thing or two about luxury travel - consistently rank Maui in the top 3 of tropical vacation spots. Clearly, Maui is an island worth visiting.

Maui certainly is my favorite island vacation. The South Pacific breezes are warm but not muggy, and the lush, tropical vista is famous throughout the world. While vacations of all classifications can be had here, from budget to eco to mainstream to luxury, a five-star traveler can find the most upscale amenities and activites at the Four Seasons Resort Maui. This resort is in Maui's luxury beach area of Wailea, and it is Hawaii's only recipient of the AAA Five Diamond award.

The day spa at the Four Seasons Resort Maui is a Mobil four-star award-winning spa, and the massages are among the best you'll have. The Spa at the Four Seasons Resort Maui has joined exclusively with Kate Somerville,......

Jennifer says "A memorable blend of fun and education for the whole family." about SeaWorld Adventure Park, San Diego

Jennifer — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 05:27:22 GMT

There are three SeaWorld locations, each with its own Shamu (then again, every mall has its own Santa during Christmas season, too). My family of four went to the San Diego SeaWorld, and we all had a fantastic time.

It didn't start out that way, however. We arrived at around ten in the morning, and were immediately faced with seemingly endless lines. Like other families with school-age children, we need to arrange our travel plans around their school schedules. SeaWorld is a popular tourist destination throughout the year, but during peak travel times, the sheer mass of people can be pretty intense. Everybody want to see Shamu the Killer Whale do her tricks. Everybody wants to see the penguins. Everybody wants to see the dolphin show. And everybody, it seems, is either a whiny, complaining 5-year old, or (like myself) the parent of one.

With tickets at $47 for kids and $57 for adults (plus $10 parking), visitors to SeaWorld deserve a good time, time that is not spent mostly fighting......