Zion National Park - April 2012

Visiting Cars Land this past weekend, gave me the urge to write a few blog posts about the epic Utah road trip that Dan and I took last April. Disney really nailed it, because we kept saying how much the landscape in Cars Land, looked like the drive on our trip.

I've always wanted to go to all fifty states, although, I used to say that I wanted to travel to all fifty, minus one, Utah. It's a post for another time, but I have distant relatives in Utah that have created a lot of family drama and animosity. Luckily, as much as we traversed the state, we never came close to them, their area being near Salt Lake City. Nearly everything that I saw and experienced in Utah was amazing and beautiful., not excluding it's citizens.

Prior to hitting the road for Utah, we spent a week in Las Vegas at the Palazzo, so that Dan could work. I sunbathed by the pool and had Pina coladas, while Dan slaved away. We were in two different places starting out the road trip and Dan was a trooper, as I couldn't even help out with the driving. My motivation to learn to drive a stick shift will kick in if I get cast on The Amazing Race, I promise!

We had planned our trip to be three nights in Zion, followed by two nights in Bryce. However, how could we call it an adventure, if we didn't completely change our plans on a whim? More on that later, right now, we are still sticking to the plan...

We stopped in Saint George, the last big town before Zion, to buy a new camera at Best Buy and to get supplies at Walmart. This was my third time in a Walmart and my first time in one that had a gun section. It was all very fascinating to me, as that's just not something we have in Los Angeles. Not just the guns, but we don't even have a BIG-BAD-EVIL-WALMART anywhere near where I live. Admittedly, the prices were amazing and we stocked up on a bunch of snacks, some flashlights and the Milton Bradley classic, Battleship.

If I had realized how close Zion is to Vegas and how truly amazing a place it is, I would have visited years ago. It's only a few hours from the strip. If you're reading this and have not been, GO. Dan had been before and knew the drill. He booked us a room at the official Zion Lodge. The lodge is not only beautiful, but it was the benefit of a great location. It is just a few steps from the shuttles that take you into the park and to the hiking spots. This is like staying on property at Disneyland.

Our bathroom had cute animal tiles.

A pretty tree in front of the main lodge.

The guest room building. Our room was on the second floor and had a balcony with rocking chairs.

The grass area in front of the main lodge.

The view from the main lodge.

A free range turkey that ruled the grass area in front of the lodge.

The river adjacent to the main drive.

Our wheels for the trip..before Thunder got road muck all over her!

The road to Zion.

The road with shadows.

The first evening, we arrived a little late and went to the lodge to have dinner. I had a salmon dish that was utterly amazing. I don't remember what kind we drank, but Utah has some awesome local beer. The lodge is a special place to eat. We sat on the patio, under stars and it was so completely quiet and dark. Perfect for this city girl.

After dinner, we had a magical moment walking to our car. Dan reached out to stop me, because just feet in front of me, were deer. We were completely surrounded by deer grazing. They barely acknowledged us as we quietly observed them. Magic. We went back to the room, played Battleship and decided to forgo setting the alarm.

We woke up around eleven and opted to do some hiking. Dan did a great job at getting us prepared with a backpack full of water and some energy bars.We threw on our hiking attire and some sunblock, Dan bought a hiking stick in the gift shop and we hopped on the bus. The idea was to do a simple hike, especially since we got a late start and leave the bigger hike for our second day.

This was the first place that we threw the plan out the window. Dan, having done it before, convinced me to hike to Observation Point, the big hike. Had I know what I was in for, I would have psyched myself out. This is not a hike for the unfit or unprepared. We were unfit and moderately prepared. It's also not a good idea to set out during the heat of the day, especially on a hot, April day. There was a reason why we kept passing by people on the way down from their hikes, early birds, smart people.

The hike to Observation Point is listed as difficult hike and it's over eight miles round trip. Eight miles, when half of it is uphill, is a very long eight miles. The hike was clearly cleverly carved out by the same people who design Disney ride queues. It has so many switchbacks, that you always feel like you must be close to the end, but never are. It's maddening.

Luckily, the hike is filed with so many stunning views, that even though you are sweaty and miserable, you never regret the hike. It's worth the effort.

A cute little chipmunk on the hike,

One of my favorite pictures. It looks like a postcard.

Dan on the trail.

A pretty part of the trail. Any part of the trail that had shade, was extra pretty.

I love when it looks like the trail narrows because of the rocks. There was so much variation.

One part of the trail had a mini cave with a stream.

Geology is cool.

close-up...pretty shades of yellow.

This was on the way down, when I was beyond exhausted and still had miles to go.

looking up on the trail.

Another cool trail picture, with Dan and his stick. That stick came in handy!

Beautiful flowers.

Another favorite picture.

We found a bit of motivation to plow forward, when we met a couple on the trail who were far less fit and less prepared than us, so we wanted to keep ahead of them. We left them in the dust!

The view at Observation Point.

The marker at Observation Point.

Dan and I at the top of observation point.

Observation Point

Another view from Observation Point.

The hike took about six hours and we hardly saw anyone on the way down. Let me reiterate an important point, smart hikers, hike in the morning. We probably drank about fifteen bottles of water between us and had blisters and chaffing. Although we did it, but we should have been more fit and done it early, after having something for breakfast. The walk back to the shuttle bus was more of a limp. After showering, we headed into town for dinner.

There are no words to accurately describe how hungry we were when we sat down to eat at the Zion Pizza and Noodle Co. For once, our eyes were not bigger than our stomaches. Having only eaten half a power bar, coupled with a mega hike, we were ready to eat anything and everything. We ordered a pizza, each.

I nearly ate an entire pizza by myself.

Dan perusing the menu.

To put this in perspective, I can normally eat two-three slices tops and after the hike, I ate all but one slice chased down by half a pitcher of local beer. Then, we went across the street for ice cream cones and I didn't even feel sick from too much food. I can't remember the last time that I felt so ravenous. On July 4th, I plan to do a long hike and head straight to Coney Island for Nathan's Hot Dog contest, where my newfound strategy will lead me to victory. Sorry Joey Chestnut, but you've had a good run!

Since we had done the biggest hike, we decided to alter our vacation plans and head to Bryce in the morning, a day early. Zion was amazing and really could be a several day stop, depending on which hikes you do. The great thing is that the park is totally accessible for visitors that cannot handle the hikes. They have a free shuttle/tour route that takes visitors to the best locations and gives narration. We saw a lot of senior citizens, some with very young grandchildren and they were enjoying the National Park too, without going on intense hikes. I am relieved that on my next visit, I can forgo the hard hike and do some tamer ones!

This is a really great destination for families and the lodge has guided nature talks and programs for kids. I grew up with a family that was much more into hotels, room service and Hawaii than National Parks, I wish that we had done something like Zion when I was younger.

Canada in October- Hotels and City Views

I flew up to Canada to spend a magical long weekend with Dan during the third week of October. This was my second trip to Canada, but the first on the west coast. Just like America, the east and west coasts of Canada are very different. I experienced snow on both coasts (my only exposure to heavy falling snow) and the both had Tim Hortons, but really, completely different landscape, architecture and vibes. The west coast is just more laid back and what we noticed most of all, were the people seemed mostly fit. Vancouver is an active city with lots of walking and bikes. We felt like the fat Americans (well British for Dan) visiting Canada and we lived up to it through many indulgent meals to be detailed in a future blog post. The focus of this post is hotel views and overall impressions of the two cities that we visited, Vancouver and Whistler. I spent the first and last night of trip at the Holiday Inn Downtown Vancouver. This was Dan's home base for over a week, as he was there on business. The location can't be beat. It's right in the heart of the city, with stores and great restaurants in the immediate vicinity. I felt like I was staying in Manhattan. The hotel itself was no-frills, but it was comfortable. It had a good restaurant and great bar. The best thing about the hotel was the staff, who were incredibly nice and helpful. Dan made friends with a bartender who gave us two fantastic restaurant recommendations and loaned us his personal umbrella to go out into the rain. The hotel has an indoor pool and a newspaper delivered to the door in the mornings. The only strange and very minor negative is that it must be the only hotel in the world to not have movies in the room. We had hoped to rent a movie, but had to make-do with watching a Storage Wars marathon instead. Storage Wars is very gripping!

Vancouver is a gorgeous city. It rained while we were there, so everything looked extra green and lush. We noticed how a lot of the buildings had floor to ceiling windows and everything was filled with light and nature. It's definitely the prettiest major city that I have ever visited. It has a lot of Starbucks. Holy Cow! We saw one Tim Hortons (I don't think a majority of the Vancouver citizens go for Tim Bits) and about a hundred Starbucks. Not exaggerating. It was overwhelming.

We saw a bunch of Smarts in Vancouver, including one that was a police vehicle!

The Smart Patrol!

Stalking Smart cars in Canada!

Here are a few pictures that we took while exploring beautiful Vancouver.

Beautiful Downtown Vancouver.

Vancouver marina on a rainy Thursday.

Vancouver has a lot of windows.

A rained-out park in Vancouver.

A beautiful drive.

I was utterly blown away by Vancouver and then we drove to Whistler. Wow. Whistler is so stunning, that I can't believe people actually get to call it home.

Whistler is stunning.

We stayed right in the heart of the village at the Crystal Lodge and Suites.

Our hotel, The Crystal Lodge and Suites.

This hotel was perfect for us. It was cozy and romantic, which big fluffy robes in the room. I am a sucker for big fluffy robes. It was the type of hotel room that you are just happy to never leave. In fact, the second night, we stayed in and rented a movie to the room.

Warm and Cozy, perfect for hiding from the snow.

The only negative to the room was the bathtub. It was very deep, but not very long. I'm only 5'6, but I was crunched in the tub. This is minor though, because the room was beautifully appointed and the bed was ridiculously comfortable. We also had a decent view and woke up to snow falling on the first morning. Magical.

Our view.

I would highly recommend staying at the Crystal Lodge. The staff was not only friendly, but gave us recommendations and booked last-minute activities for us. The only problem we encountered was finding the lodge when we first arrived. It's tucked away up a hill and Whistler has many, many different hotels. We used GPS and still got lost. Once we found it, we couldn't figure out where the parking is located. It's on the side of the hotel in an odd place and is tricky to find. It's not marked as such, but you can park in the circular driveway while checking-in. We opted to pay to park at the hotel, but it was kind of steep. They are other less expensive parking options, if you don't mind walking. In general, Whistler was a very expensive place to visit, not just because of the exchange rate, but because it's a resort town. Although it was a hundred percent worth it, we spent a lot very fast.

Here are some pictures of gorgeous Whistler...and a few of me, drunk with an ice cream cone!

Fall in Whistler.

All decked out in yellow.

Welcome sign.

Park art.

Whistler stream with fall colors.

Sculptures near the stream.

Somewhat creepy animal skull sculptures.

The most popular picture spot in Whistler.

The most popular photo spot in all of Whistler.

Ice cream cone provided by cows..both the animal and the ice cream shop!

If I had known that the hotel had an Aveda Salon, I wouldn't have made that last-minute pre-trip mad dash to the mall for my products! I really love Aveda!

I'm an Aveda product junkie.

Coming soon..epic culinary adventures, ATVs in the snow, riding in a mine car and so much more, including how this Southern California girl sat outside in the snow wearing nothing but a wet bathing suit without complaining about the cold!

Getting Out of L.A. with Dan's Parents - A Tale of Two Resorts

Our weekend at Tahiti Village was going to be hard to top, but we attempted to do it with two different resorts the following weekend. Our first stop was the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. Dan and I had stayed here for his birthday weekend in July, but as I am going to compare it to another resort, I am going to do another review in this post.

We loved it back in July and this was the reason that we thought that Dan's parents had to experience it. The Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa is a beautiful property and ideally located just a five-minute walk from Arrowhead Village, that has a ton of shops, restaurants and activities.

What makes this resort special to me, is both times I have left feeling completely revitalized. It has gorgeous views and a laid back vibe. I love the pool. When we went in July, the resort was sold out and although the pool was full, it didn't feel over crowded. We easily found lounge chairs and a spot in the hot tub. On this trip, the pool area was very quiet, only a few other people were sunbathing. Since it was a slow day, the pool bar was closed (alcohol was a two-minute walk inside and the bar had plastic cups for the pool) and we had to walk into the spa to get our towels, but it wasn't a problem. It was so utterly relaxing and peaceful, that the lack of extra services didn't matter.

Here are a few pictures of the pool, taken from a balcony where we were having drinks. The area has two hot tubs, one set at a lower temperature for kids. This is a very family friendly resort.

A nice pool is even nicer when we have it to ourselves.

Serene

This time, we had rooms with a lake view. We didn't spend time on the balcony, but it would have been a great place to read a book or have a cocktail.

A room with a view.

Sunset on the lake.

The rooms are a little bigger than the average hotel room and have a sitting area. The bathrooms are big with a separate vanity that has a make-up mirror, which always scores bonus points with me. The only negative for the room is it didn't have a bathtub. That's a small negative, as the resort is overwhelmingly fantastic.

Here is one final picture, taken of the lobby during check out.

The lobby.

The next day, we drove to the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage for a two night stay. I was very excited about this hotel, because I had heard that it had an amazing pool. The pool even has a lazy river. I was all set for Tahiti Village part two.

We checked in around four on a Friday and it was a madhouse. Dan got out of the car to process the check in, while we waited...and waited...and waited... It took over half an hour. We found out that our rooms were in the very back of the property, overlooking the golf course. A great location.

Here is the pretty view from our room on the second floor. The property is set up motel style, with outdoor hallways.

A view of the golf course as we walked around the property.

The room was very nice and spacious. It had a decent sized bathtub and the all important vanity area with make-up mirror. The bed was plush and comfortable. The only issue with the room is that it needed a bit of an update. It seemed worn and the handle to flush the toilet snapped off when I touched it.

Here are a few pictures of the grounds. It was a pretty area, but a little too spread out for walking around during the hot summer. I liked that it is located across the street from a shopping/dining/movie complex. Great location. I also liked the outdoor courtyard with the rocking chairs.

Palms at sunset.

The courtyard at night.

Golf course

As soon as we unpacked, we were ready to hit the pool. During the summer, a good pool is my #1 criteria for a hotel. The hype for this particular pool was only amplified by the wrist bands that we were given at check in.

Splashtopia wristbands.

The area of the pool that contains the lazy river and a kids water play area has been given the corny name of Splashtopia. This should have been our first clue to lower our expectations. The wrist bands are part of the resort fee, which, if I am remembering correctly, is twenty per person/per day. Steep, but again, this made us believe that the pool was going to be something special.

We headed straight to Splashtopia, which we sadly learned closed at five. They were already in the process of kicking everyone over to the main pool, that stays open until ten. We were allowed to walk through Splashtopia and got a good look at it. It was utterly depressing. Unlike the Lazy River in Tahiti Village, which is an island oasis with lots of foliage and waterfalls, Splashtopia is a concrete jungle. It's also a third of the size of the one at Tahiti Village. It looked so unappealing.

We made our way over to the small and overcrowded main pool. Ten minutes later, we had decided that we just couldn't stay at this resort. The pool area killed it for us. Part of the problem was the resort is under construction and the adult only pool is closed. It looks like they moved all of the lounge chairs from the adult area into the main pool, which created major overcrowded and ate up all of the sidewalk space. It made me think of a discount retailer, like TJ Max, where everything is crammed into the space and people are combing through the racks. This pool set up was a disaster and was the antithesis of relaxing. My nerves felt jangled.

Here are a few pictures, that unfortunately don't do justice to my above comments.

One of the worst hotel pools ever.

Pool at night.

The worst rooms on the property have to be those that are adjacent to the pool. If we had been placed in one of the pool rooms, we absolutely would have refused them. The noise would have been unbearable. I'm not just talking about kids in the pool. Nope. The noise from the kids would easily have been drowned out by the awful radio station, commercials and all, that they were blasting over multiple loudspeakers. It was horrendous! Lake Arrowhead did not play music by the pool, it was just peaceful mountain breezes rustling the leaves and birds chirping. Tahiti Village had soft rock muted as background noise. At Rancho Las Palmas, it's like being in a club, if DJ's stopped the dance music to play commercials.

We liked the rooms, so we decided to just stay one night and cut our trip short by a day. The staff was nice at check out, but we couldn't get a refund on the missed day. We left knowing that next time, we would find a better pool in Palm Springs. I mean, any pool is better than Splashtopia!