Fast Five Travel Notes: Destinations of 2014

2014 was a good travel year. I took many photos and left nothing but footprints. I enjoyed new foods, new beaches and made new friends.

Over the next few posts I'll detail these adventures in quick little "fast five" blog bites.

I might be feeling reflective, but I don't have a lot of reserve energy after the "un-holiday" that is Christmastime.


Five new destinations I visited in 2014.

1. Bermuda - this was in February. I wrote a lot about Bermuda and would definitely recommend it for a new or nervous traveller, those who want beaches but not scorching sunshine, or those who are celebrating retirement.

2. Devil's Lake, North Dakota. I stayed at the Holiday Inn, bought travel snacks at the new Wal-Mart and used their airport to fly United Airlines. Yes! You can connect to the whole world via DVL and United Airlines. Their twice a day service started in July 2014 and is growing strong. No lines and free parking make this one of North Dakota's best kept secrets.  Did you know you can pick up a round trip to Denver, Colorado for about $270 US? Now you know!

3. Denver, Colorado I had the privilege of experiencing this city with a new friend who already loved and had visited Denver. This gave me the chance to sit back and let someone else lead for once. I greatly benefitted from her knowledge and love of the city. Together we went to cafes, The Union Train Station  stumbled into some weird zombie walk/parade, and cheered as the Denver Broncos beat the 49ers and Peyton Manning threw his record breaking 509th touchdown pass.  What a weekend!

4. Quebec City, Quebec  My son and I took the train to Quebec City and saw this city for the first time together. It was fabulous! I would highly recommend it and can't wait to do it again. I wrote a great deal about it, back in August.

5. Honolulu, Hawaii  This trip wasn't as smooth as most. There were some logistical issues but once we arrived, Honolulu was heavenly. Great reviews (which I still have to write) were largely due to the amazing Sheraton Hotel on Waikiki Beach, and the great travel buddy along for the adventure. I hardly got the chance to see the island, so I think there will be a do-over at some point in my future. But, for 2014 it DOES count, as I did experience Honolulu for the first time.

Top 3 Hammocks

People like different things from a vacation. I like my hammock time. When life starts stressing me, I start strategizing ways to get back to a hammock.

Things I look for in a hammock are comfort, location, proximity to water, and beverage accessibility.

My top 3 hammocks are:

1. At the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando Florida. First of all, there were 3 hammocks available. Never did I have to wait for a chance to sit and relax. It was also a fabric hammock which is certainly more comfortable than a rope hammock. It was a glorious rich purple colour. It was near the man-made lake and had some sun shelter. It was also near the kids' area which included a rock wall. Though I did have some concerns about wrecking my bliss with the sound of screaming kids, that never did happen. One morning I even did some parenting from the hammock and cheered for my son on the rock wall while I relaxed. There is a pool bar and waitress service in the area should you wish to have a beverage. Each hammock also had its own side table perfect to keep your belongings and/or beverage nearby. What puts this hammock over the top is that in the evening, you can see the Disneyworld fireworks in the distance. What could be more perfect than that?

Ocean Club (east) Turks and Caicos Islands

2. At the Ocean Club in the Turks and Caicos. I loved my hammock time here. For a long time the photo of me and this hammock served as my Facebook profile picture. However, it's not my all time favourite anymore. It was a rope hammock, at the edge of the beach restaurant/bar, and next to the ocean. It was under a palm tree in the caribbean, which makes it pretty damn perfect. However, you kind of felt on display to the diners and folks sitting at the patio tables 20 feet or so away. While you could hear the lounge music, which was very soothing, you could also hear other people's conversations and kids yelling and splashing in the pool. BUT, it is located at a near perfect resort, at the edge of one of the world's top beaches (Grace Bay) and I loved my time there.

3. At the Sheraton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu Hawaii. It was the least comfortable of the hammocks, but its location was amazing. It was mere steps away from the ocean, it was tied to a palm tree and it was available when I wanted it. While it lacked beverage service, it made up for it in the view. You could see Diamond Head in the distance.

Do you have a favourite hammock? Please leave the locations in the comment box. I'm always on the lookout for new destinations.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando. Best hammock ever!

Sheraton Waikiki Beach, Honolulu

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 10 The Westin Ottawa

I really can't say enough about the Westin Hotel, Ottawa! They were fabulous to us. Beyond fabulous! The location of this hotel is ideal if you are visiting Ottawa for the first time. You are within blocks of Parliament Hill, Byward Market and the Rideau Canal. There are enough activities and tourist destinations to keep you busy for a week. Sadly, we were just there for a mere 18 hours.

Of those 18 hours, we spent about 3 hours eating, 8 sleeping and primping, and about 7 exploring the city. Pretty intense agenda, don't you think?  Well, it wasn't called our "amazing race birthday adventure" for nothing!

The view from our room. Absolutely stunning!

The hotel itself has a beautiful view of the Parliament Buildings. We were blessed with an upgrade and a nice high floor so that Riley could see the night skyline, and the sunrise as well.

When I was booking this trip, I booked a night at the Westin using my SPG (Starwood... aka Sheraton/Westin Preferred Guest) ID. Using this, I received the best rate, and unmatched service. Before our stay the hotel concierge, Andrew, sent me a note asking if he could arrange tickets or a special dinner or anything for our upcoming stay. I politely declined, saying that we were just there one night and it was my son and I on a "backpack" and "whistle stop" type trip.  To my surprise, Andrew replied and asked if there was anything he could do to make the visit more memorable for my son. I was taken aback by this second offer. This was over and above any service I've ever received at a hotel or resort. I was especially impressed seeing as though it was merely a 1 night stay. (I could see a hotel making this effort if you were checking into a suite for a week, but this was simply not the case.)

With that open invitation, I replied with details of our adventure. I said I would be ever so grateful if they would simply prepare an envelope for Riley with a trivia question and/or something we could search for in the area. They obliged and an envelope was waiting for us at check-in.

Riley was floored. "Even the hotel is in on our amazing race? Awesome!"

Later, he would reveal to me that having outsiders and friends participate in the surprises and challenges were his favourite moments in the journey.

I was very impressed with the trivia question from Team Westin and we tackled the search first thing in the morning. The answer, Terry Fox, was fairly straight forward. Every Canadian student should know of Terry Fox and the Terry Fox Run from school. So, Ry was delighted to have the answer and was determined to find the statue. That part was more challenging, but we surely did it. It was right across the street from the Parliament building and along our previously planned tour of Ottawa.

Team Westin set up the perfect challenge! We stopped by the concierge desk with our photo and were heartily congratulated by Andrew. I think he was pleased as well to be in on our amazing race style holiday.

There are a few more things worth mentioning.... the Heavenly Beds. That's their trademarked name, "Heavenly Beds" and I agree whole heartedly. There is nothing that compares to a Westin bed. Seriously wonderful. If I had the money, or had sleep problems, I would invest in one of these beds. Damn they are wonderful! I honestly could have slept 15 hours in that bed, but I would have missed our whole day in Ottawa. Couldn't do that!

And although we did not get the chance to experience the Westin dining or Shore Club in this trip, the room service was worth raving about. We checked in after 10pm and Ry wanted just a simple sandwich before going to bed. Exhausted from the day's travels I decided just to call room service. They made his simple sandwich look extraordinary, didn't they? I hope he doesn't expect this kind of presentation and service at home now!

All in all, the Westin Ottawa was outstanding. I simply do NOT gush like this over ordinary experience. This was by far the best hotel experience I've had in a very long time. Considering the budget-friendly rate, and the proximity to the tourist hot spots in Ottawa, I give it a 10 out of 10 for value and service. I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting our nation's capital.