Review - Great stay at the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel

This was our first time taking our daughter to NYC so we were excited to find a brand new hotel to try with a perfect location, the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel! (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycsg-renaissance-new-york-midtown-hotel/) We booked a Skyline View Room with 2 queen beds.  Things started a little rocky, when I went to print our reservation confirmation, I noticed the room changed to a Midtown Standard, Guest room, 1 King which was a cheaper than the room we booked and had a max occupancy of 2 guests.  Seeing as how we had 3, I had to call and have this corrected.  While it was taken care of and we were assured we would have the correct room at check in, I couldn't help but be a bit nervous.

We drove into the city, and decided to valet our car.  Immediate as we pulled into the hotel, we were impressed.  All the valet attendants were extremely pleasant and helpful.  They were even very kind to our 2.5 year old daughter, points for them!  Luggage was unloaded fairly quickly, and we went right up to the lobby to check in.  The employees at the check in were extremely pleasant and once again made our daughter feel important as they all talked to her and told her how pretty she was, she is used to being ignored in hotels so she was loving all the attention!  My husband, who is Platinum Elite with Marriott, even remarked how much nicer the employees were at this hotel and he is hard to please! 

Our room was on the 33rd floor.  As soon as we walked in, we were blown away with how beautiful everything was and how spectacular the views were!  No detail (except one which I will address shortly) was overlooked.  The size of this hotel room is large compared to typical NYC standards.  The bathroom is beautiful and includes Aveda shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion & soap.  Very nice!

We heard very little outside noise, except the sirens which no amount of sound proofing could completely remove.  The only noise we did hear was from the air conditioning/heating unit in the room.  It made a very loud sound when it turned on and off.  At night we simply turned it off and the room never reached a temperature that was uncomfortable, not sure it this would be possible when it's warmer outside.  I'm not certain we would've slept through it, but having a toddler in the room, it was a risk we weren't willing to take.  Sleep is important with little kids traveling!

Without a doubt, we will be visiting this hotel again.  Not only for how beautiful the hotel is, or how perfect the location, but mainly because how amazing get employees are!  Keep up the great work Renaissance!

Great Diffuser!

200ml Essential Oil Diffuser Showpin® Ultrasonic Cool Mist Whisper Quiet Aroma Humidifier Waterless Auto Shut-off 4 Timer Settings 7 LED Color Lights Free Cleaning Brush Included (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Showpin-Ultrasonic-Humidifier-Waterless/dp/B01B2OVMXG?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr-mr-title)

Our household is working our way up to a diffuser in every room and this one was perfect for my home office! I choose it specifically because it has a nicer "finish" over the plain white plastic ones. Also, this one holds more than our other diffusers, at 200ML. Since this diffuser would be placed in our living room, a larger space, I liked the larger tank capacity.

On the front of the diffuser, there are 2 buttons. The first controls the light and the 2nd selects the run time. You can either have the light on or off and can run the diffuser for a set time of 1 hour, 3 hours or 6 hours - or let it run until it's out of water and shuts off. Strong/ weak adjustable mist. If you want to run the diffuser without any lights on, just press the light button for a few seconds. 200ml water capacity that can continue use up to 6 hours with low mist. It produces a more visible mist and fragrance. When time is up or there is no water, it will turn off automatically. The cleaning brush was a great addition, this is the first time I have received a cleaning brush with a diffuser purchase.

The diffuser arrived quickly. It was extremely easy to set up and within minutes I was diffusing oils! Maintenance on this unit is typical to other diffusers we own.

For those just searching and wondering if this diffuser is right for you, I would definitely recommend it. Our family uses diffusers for many reasons, which I've listed below based on our research. Hope this review helps, happy diffusing!

Using essential oils in a diffuser is an enjoyable and effective way to experience aromatherapy in your home. Through air diffusion, a few drops of essential oil can deliver therapeutic aromatherapy throughout one or more rooms while clearing the air and creating a pleasantly fragrant environment.

There are many different types of diffusers to choose from, from lamp rings to candle burners to water vapor diffusion. Since heat can cause essential oils to evaporate and degrade quickly, cold air diffusion is typically preferred over heat diffusion to obtain full therapeutic effects. Single essential oils can be chosen for a desired effect, or several oils can be used in the diffuser together to create a custom aroma with multiple therapeutic benefits.

Diffusers disperse essential oils as a fine vapor throughout the air so they can be absorbed gently into the body through the respiratory system. The aroma can prompt the nervous system to transmit signals to the limbic system in the brain – the same part of the brain that houses emotion and memory. The brain may respond by initiating various physiological functions, such as a release of hormones, relief from pain, or a positive boost in mood.

If restful sleep is the goal, try diffusing relaxing lavender, Roman chamomile, spikenard, neroli, mandarin or sweet marjoram in the bedroom for 15 minutes before bedtime. Some diffusers are equipped with automatic settings that can turn off the diffuser after 20 minutes or can deliver short bursts of diffusion at intervals throughout the night.

During times of colds and flu, try diffusing thyme, eucalyptus, rosemary, manuka or ravintsara. Cinnamon and clove are excellent for prevention, and smell lovely with a bit of orange added. Lemongrass, tea tree, eucalyptus, oregano and juniper are specific for air purification, and can also help to clear the air of the smell of mildew.

Mental clarity is supported by peppermint, basil, lemon or rosemary. These are great choices to diffuse while studying or working on a project.

For uplifting mood enhancement, clary sage paired with any citrus can work wonders. For stress relief, add geranium and lavender. To promote some romance, try jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, sandalwood or patchouli. Don’t worry -- nervousness can be soothed with neroli, frankincense, petitgrain, chamomile or melissa.

A special holiday ambiance can be created by diffusing pine, spruce or fir with a bit of spice like nutmeg and cinnamon. Peppermint and spearmint create a refreshing aroma while frankincense and orange promote relaxing contemplation.

No matter what the desired effect may be, and with minimal effort, essential oil diffusion has endless possibilities for supporting health and wellbeing.

tgin Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner for Natural Hair

This conditioner is really good! (http://www.amazon.com/tgin-Moisture-Replenishing-Conditioner-Natural/dp/B00FLI1YLK?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_rdp_product)I have dry curly hair, so it's difficult for me to find conditioners that moisturize my hair enough while not weighing down my curls. This conditioner is one of the very few I've tested that does the job & does it well! I also appreciate that you get a generous amount (14.5 oz) of the conditioner for the price. I would highly recommend this conditioner, especially if you have dry curly hair!

Information from tgin:

tgin Moisture Replenishing Conditioner is the perfect pick me up for even the most dry, damaged hair. Our special formula is enriched with shea butter and sweet almond oil to hydrate, smooth and repair strands with every use. The result is healthy hair that stays soft, moisturized, and easy to manage.

NATURALLY VIBRANT HAIR: Our Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner for both men and women aims to give you soft, shiny, moisturized and manageable hair with smoother cuticles as fast as possible.
RESTORES MOISTURE AND IMPROVES HAIR HEALTH: Made with Shea Butter and Argan Oil to promote new hair growth, ease inflammation, prevent hair loss, protect against heat, and to tame frizz and fly-aways.
EXCEPTIONAL MOISTURIZER: This conditioner works to moisturize all kinds of damaged hair and rejuvenate hair of any type, including dry, straight, curly or color treated hair.
ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS: A combination of three moisturizers, Shea butter, Argan Oil and Jojoba oil, ensures that your hair will be moisturized and sealed from the inside out.
NATIONAL MEDIA RECOGNITION: Our products have been featured in several publications such as Essence, Ebony, Marie Claire, Black Enterprise, USA Today, Heart and Soul, and Sophisticate's Black Hair.

Ingredients
Aqua (Water) , Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera ) Leaf Juice, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Flower, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower, Behentrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Lactic Acid, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA , DMDM Hydantoin,TEA Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate , DPG, Potassium Chloride, PEG 150 Distearate , PEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether, Cetrimonium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone

Directions
Wash hair with tgin Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo to cleanse scalp and remove excess product buildup. Follow with tgin Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner. Rinse out. For extra deep conditioning, finish with tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask.

Harman Kardon Esquire 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-Esquire-Portable-Bluetooth/dp/B014VCLBF0?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_orig_subj

Blown away. Period.

I work from home and needed a good speakerphone, I have tried every single bluetooth speaker out there, you name it, I have tried it and returned them all. Anyone that works from home knows that you can't be on a headset all day long, your head will hurt, your ears will hurt, etc. Just doesn't work out.
Blown Away. Amazing audio quality, quad microphones actually work, Perfect Conferencing Speaker!! Music Playback Also Excellent

Use Case Primarily - Speakerphone for WFH Employee
Nice to have - awesome audio playback for jamming between calls

The problem with speakerphones in this price range is they don't have noise cancellation. Only a few manufacturers offer it and its usually not active and tuned. This unit has VoiceLogic and 4x microphones on it. Thank goodness. Someone in the Design Team found out that One Microphone, no matter the position or type simply doesnt do it. You need more then one, two isn't enough, four is perfect.

I have zero echo issues or noise issues with this unit. The call quality using on my cell phone - VoLTE or Wifi Calling (T-Mobile) is amazing, no issues hearing the other party or them hearing me. I do thousands of minutes of calls with this thing, zero issues. There is a top mute button that will turn RED on mute and GREEN off mute. The only compliant is I wish the light was a little brighter and bigger, other wise its fine. Have to have a easily accessible MUTE button!! :)

Playing music through it - actually was not great at first out of the box. After a few days of conference calls and music playback it improved. I am assuming the speakers needed a breakin period. Now I am blown away with the sound quality from this thing. Its full and sounds wonderful to the ear. It doesn't have massive bass but its full, highs are crisp and mid's sound typical Harman Kardon.

Overall - this has met my expectations fully - I use it in the car vs my in car bluetooth system due to the amazing noise cancellation and I play music when not on a call with it. You can't beat it... the sound quality is remarkable and people can hear you!

Great job HarmanK!

Okay stay at Kalahari Poconos

Our family was excited to visit Kalahari in the Poconos (http://www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania).  Our 2.5 year old daughter LOVES swimming and we showed her a few pictures to get her ready for the waterpark.  As soon as we arrived, she was anxious to get right into the pool.

We booked the regular Desert Room with 2 Queen Beds and it was a good size for our family.  In addition to the 2 Queen Beds, there is a queen size sleeper sofa, microwave, Refrigerator, Free high speed Internet access, Ironing board and iron, In-room safe, Complimentary access to Fitness Center, Table and chairs, HD Television.

Upon checking in, we were extremely happy with how clean everything was.  All in all, our family enjoyed our stay.  The waterpark itself entertained all of us, the chlorine smell wasn't overwhelming and our skin didn't get any rashes!  The toddler area is really nice and that is where I spent most of the time.  My husband did go on a few of the other slides and he said they were great!

The first complaints we had was the bathtub in our room wouldn't fill.  It is a beautiful tub and part of our routine with our daughter at night is to have a bath before bed.  After repeated calls to have it fixed went unanswered, we gave up and were forced to give our daughter a shower every night.  This is extremely inconvenient for many families and even when we mentioned it at checkout, no one apologized.  Four days without a broken item to be fixed is unacceptable, especially at the prices they are charging.

The second complaint was the food.  While I was surprised it wasn't more expensive, I was disappointed in the offerings.  Almost everything is fried or carb heavy!  After the 2nd night we had to leave the resort to have dinner elsewhere.  Even our daughter was happy to eat something other than pasta or chicken fingers!  We would've had every meal in the buffet, but it was only open for breakfast while we were there.  Apparently they make the call base don occupancy as to whether to open the buffet for dinner or not.

Third complaint was the hot tub area.  There are signs posted that no children should be in the hot tub.  While my husband was playing basketball with our daughter, I snuck away to the hot tub and was upset with how many unsupervised children were in there.  After about 10 minutes, my husband and daughter came to the side of the hot tub to get me to go for lunch.  My husband was immediately apprehended and warned "no children in the hot tub" at this point I snapped back and told the "Head Life Guard" he should be less concerned with a supervised child NOT in the hot tub and focus his attention 10 feet away to a bunch of children splashing and screaming.  He did go over to talk to them, but I was already annoyed. 

While I would probably go back to this resort, I likely will not stay longer than 2 nights.  With a 4pm check in and an 11am check out, you almost need 2 nights to be able to experience the resort.

Great Wolf Lodge Neighbors Promo Code!

Good Neighbor Days are Here! Take advantage of an exclusive deal for a limited time. https://www.greatwolf.com/poconos/plan Family Suites starting at $ 149 .99  per night   Sunday - Thursday   __________________________________________   $ 199 .99  per night   Friday Use this promo code GOOD Stay Dates 09/09/2015 - 12/17/2015* LIMITED AVAILABILITYMust book by 10/09/2015.   Other suite styles are available at an additional cost. *Offer valid only at Pocono Mountains, PA location, September 9 – December 17, 2015. Offer valid on a per night basis, must be mentioned at time of reservation. Limited number of rooms available for each date. Offer is limited to Pennsylvania residents living in nearby Monroe, Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Schuylkill, Wayne, Pike, Warren Counties and NJ residents residing in Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex Counties. Proof of county residency required. May not be valid during holiday and blackout periods or combined with any other discount or promotional offers. Multiple night minimum stay may apply. Must be reserve by October 9, 2015 and stay by December 17, 2015 for offer to apply. Offer based on 4 guests and may end at any time without notice. Must have one individual 21 years of age or older staying at the resort. Blackout date(s): Saturdays, 9/13 - 9/14, 9/27 - 10/01, 10/11, 10/16, 11/05 - 11/06 & 11/26 - 11/27/2015.

Review - Fairfield Inn & Suites Hershey Chocolate Avenue

My family and I recently returned from a one night stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Hershey Chocolate Avenue(https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/harhs-fairfield-inn-and-suites-hershey-chocolate-avenue/).  We live about 2 hours from the park, but since our daughter isn't a fan of long car rides when she's over tired we thought it would be best to stay the night close to the park.  Being a Platinum Elite member, my husband's only request was that I book a Marriott property and I was extremely happy to find the Fairfield is only 1 mile from the park.

Before heading to the park, we decided to drop our suitcase off at the hotel instead of leaving it in the car all day (it was predicted to be in the 90s).  From the moment we walked in, we weren't greeted with the usual hello and smile we were accustomed to at other Marriott properties.  We let the woman at the front desk know we'd like to leave our luggage at the hotel since the room wasn't ready.  At no point did she say anything remotely friendly, just business.  She assured us our bag would be placed in our room when it became ready (this was NOT something we requested, but something she offered) and we were thankful.  Off we went to the park, in the car both my husband and I commented that a simple smile would've gone a long way.

After a long (hot) day at Hershey, we were looking forward to a restful night.  We went to check in at the hotel and since we used mobile check in, we knew our room was ready.  The man who handled our check in was pleasant, explained when breakfast was and  told us they were able to get us a room on the top floor even though they were sold out because we were platinum elite members. At the time, we were happy to have the top floor room because it meant no one would be stomping above our heads all night.  As we were walking to the elevator, I noticed our suitcase sitting there with a note on it to deliver to room when it was ready.  Obviously, it wasn't.  So we wheeled it ourselves (not a big deal, but don't offer it if you cannot accommodate it.

As soon as we walked into the room, you could tell it smelled like moldy old wet towels.  We assumed it was the air conditioner, but did call to mention it to the front desk and they didn't really seem to care.  When it was time to go to bed, it was impossible to ignore a vibrating sound that turned on and off every 6 seconds right above our room.  By 1am, after neither my husband or I getting any sleep and our usually sound sleeping toddler had woken up approximately 20 times we called the front desk again to complain.  They knew exactly the sound we were speaking of, explained it was the air conditioner and they have complaints ALL THE TIME.  Seriously?  FIX IT THEN!  And DO NOT brag to your platinum elite members you secured them a great room on the top floor KNOWING how loud it is.

After a night that was far from restful, we headed to breakfast which was okay.  The coffee, as usual, was so HOT it melted the cup.  At this point, we were just happy to be leaving so we went and packed everything up and checked out. 

At check out, we again expressed our dissatisfaction to the woman at the desk, and she said she KNEW the noise and smell was an issue with those rooms.

I would NEVER recommend this property to anyone and regret wasting the money we did on it.  They are charging for a high end hotel, but you would likely get better service and sleep at a budget hotel.  We would've been better off driving home, at least we all would've gotten some rest. 

We are extremely disappointed.  We have stayed at other hotels in major cities that offered better rooms and a much better quality of sleep.  For instance, my husband just returned from San Francisco and stayed at the Courtyard downtown and had less complaints about noise!  Sadly, the Fairfield in Hershey was ALMOST the same price!

Review - Residence Inn Colorado Springs North/Air Force Academy

My family recently spent 7 nights at the Residence Inn by Marriott - Colorado Springs North (https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/costw-residence-inn-colorado-springs-north-air-force-academy/) in a 2 bedroom suite and while there were MANY issues with our stay, there were also really good things too.

I'll start with the good:
-Room was ready on time.
-Staff was extremely friendly and even knew us by name and went out of their way to be kind to our daughter (who was 1.5 at the time of the stay)
-Great location
-Free Parking
-Clean


And on to the not so good:
-Even though we requested the top floor months in advance and again a week in advance, we were put on the 3rd floor with a LOUD group above us for the first half of our stay.  At no point were we offered to move to the 4th floor after that group checked out.  AND another group was put above us.  While they weren't AS loud, it would have been nice to have our request honored.
-We also requested our room face the mountains, this request wasn't honored either.
-Housekeeping always came LATE to our room, close to dinner time, which resulted is not having our room cleaned a few times.  One time they even put a sign on the door that we didn't need service, but our door handle was STILL in our room.
-Breakfast ran out really quickly

Overall, we would stay here again, but would hope to have the top floor.  Would also hope that housekeeping would come a bit earlier in the day.

Marriott's Newport Coast Villas - Review

 

My family and I recently completed a week stay at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxnc-marriotts-newport-coast-villas/) and I can sum the entire stay up in one word – underwhelmed.  To elaborate, almost nothing stood out as great about our stay, but many things were subpar.   This was our first “real” family vacation since our daughter was born a year ago, so we spent a considerable amount of time looking for a family friendly resort in the Newport Beach area.   My husband travels extensively for work and has previously given all his loyalty to the Marriott brand, which is why he has platinum status with them and we were also very interested in becoming Marriott Vacation Club members. 

To start, weeks in advance my husband notified the resort that we were requesting a room in a specific block (4100-5000) on the top floor and that we needed a high chair. He was assured all items were reasonable and would be taken care of.  Fast forward to the day of our arrival.  Our flight from the east coast miraculously arrived on time, our rental car was ready and we were on our way to the resort we spent a lot of time researching and we were excited for a spectacular week!  We arrived at the hotel at 1pm.  Yes, we knew check in was 4pm, but we were told an early check in shouldn’t be an issue since it wasn’t peak season.  Anyway, we were told at check in that our room wasn’t available and most likely wouldn’t be ready until AFTER 4pm and they would be happy to call us.  They didn’t offer to hold our luggage and suggest somewhere we could go during this time, even though they knew we were traveling with a child.  My husband (who has been platinum with Marriott for years) asked if we could possibly have a room OUTSIDE of our requested room block sooner than 4pm.  We were informed that the room we were waiting for WAS NOT in our requested block of rooms but was right outside the main pool on the bottom floor.  My husband informed the man checking us in that room was not acceptable and asked why our request for a room location wasn’t honored and we were informed this must have been missed and all rooms in that section have already been assigned and people have checked in, but he did see the note on our reservation. Gee, thanks.  So we ended up in the 1400 block and we were assured we were on the top floor so we wouldn’t have to drag all of our luggage to the nearest elevator or up and down stairs.  Even though we had requested a room with a view of the ocean, we had a view of trees.  Wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for, but as long as it was quiet we could deal without the view.  Our room was nice and clean; I honestly have no complaints about that.  We did learn that if you shut the room to the master bedroom, the air conditioner wasn’t strong enough to keep the room cool.  So we thought it would be nice to sleep with our windows open.  Big mistake.

Since our windows were open, the first morning we were woken up promptly at 5:30am to what sounded like a lawn mower, thanks to our room being on the opposite side of trees from the golf course.  We hoped it would be a one-time thing, but we were wrong.  Every morning by 6am the same sound of golf course machinery could be heard loudly enough to wake all of us up.  Even after leaving the windows shut and making the air conditioner cooler than necessary, the sound was still loud enough to wake us every morning well before we would have liked to be awake.  After golfing at Pelican Hill, we learned that the culprit is hole #2.   If the early morning noise isn’t enough to leave you yearning for more sleep, about half way through our stay a rowdy group of people were put in the room right next to us.  While they were always louder than we would have liked, it got to the point one night where we could no longer take it.  The loud music and even louder singing and dancing on the deck past 1am was too much, so my husband called security.  Security must have showed up because things got quiet for a little while, then the noise returned with a vengeance. We should have called security again or the police, but at this point we didn’t want to anger them anymore so we dealt with it for the night and made the decision to speak with a manager in the morning.  Upon speaking with the manager, we learned that our neighbors were vacation club owners and resented us for calling on their noise.  In their mind, they “own” the property and they should be able to behave as they wish.  I don't know how much control Marriott has over who rents or “owns” their villas, but they do have the ability to enforce rules once these people get on their property.  In my opinion, that is extremely disrespectful for others who are not up in the middle of the night.  I’m sure they wouldn’t have appreciated us being loud at 6am when they had only been asleep for approximately 2 hours.  There’s the difference, we are considerate; these people were not.  When we explained our other issues with the manager (room location and air conditioning) little was done except he was given points in his Marriott account.  We were told my husband should have replied to a pre-arrival email questionnaire that he had received.  When he asked why that was any different than the phone call he made which resulted in a note being on our reservation, the only reply was that they had success with the emails.  I don’t buy it.

Since our vacation was meant to be restful, but resulted in too much stress we will never return to the property.  My husband is seriously reconsidering his loyalty to the Marriott brand and we have decided NOT to purchase their time share.

Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria - Review

I recently had the opportunity to stay at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dalqc-dallas-addison-marriott-quorum-by-the-galleria/) on the first trip my husband and I have taken with our 3 month old daughter.

There wasn't a single thing we found to be disappointing about this hotel.  The rooms were extremely clean, our room was ready upon arrival (very important when traveling with a baby) and the employees were always friendly.

When we first started planning this trip, we made sure to find a hotel with plenty of restaurants close by and places to take the stroller for a walk.  I know, not extremely demanding.  What we found with this hotel was more than we could have asked for. 

We were able to check-in on the Marriott iPhone App, advising the hotel what time we would be there.  When we walked in, we were greeted by name with our key card handed to us.  We had also called in advance to request a refrigerator for formula and a crib for our daughter to sleep in.  When we got to our room, both items were there as promised.  We were very thankful and pleased.

One item we were a tad concerned with was housekeeping.  We weren't sure if it would be an issue timing when the room was cleaned with when she was napping.  Turned out to never be an issue.  Not sure what time housekeeping came, but whenever we were in the room we were never disturbed and by the time we would come back the room was always cleaned.

Being Platinum, we have access to the concierge lounge.  Some days this was a life saver!  The breakfast was always very good, fresh muffins, danishes, eggs, bacon, , juices, coffee & teas.  Having the ability to get soda & water any time during the day was also very convenient.  We didn't stop in there at dinner time often, just once and it was to get some fruit and dessert.  I can't complain about anything we had in the concierge lounge, very good!

The area around the hotel is nice.  Behind the hotel there is a nice street with sidewalks to walk on and there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. 

The wifi was always working well.  There is a very nice fitness center and a pool that has a pass through so you can go either inside or outside.  There is also a Starbucks in the lobby. 

Overall I would definitely recommend this hotel if staying in this area and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again if we were to travel back.

Residence Inn San Francisco Airport/Oyster Point Waterfront - Review

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfori-residence-inn-san-francisco-airport-oyster-point-waterfront/

I recently returned from a 2 day stay at this hotel and don’t have enough nice things to say about it.  My husband and I flew into San Francisco, stayed there for a few days in a different hotel, drove to Pasadena/Arcadia for a 5 night stay, and then drove back to San Francisco for a few more days…so we had a bit of an exhausting trip! I was extremely excited about this hotel when I booked it.  Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.  Upon arriving at the hotel, we walked into the lobby and the woman at the check in was too busy chatting with someone else about what she was ordering for lunch to even glance at us and say hello.  It wasn’t until the other person nodded her head at us that the woman decided she should do her job and take care of us.  When she looked to us, my husband handed her his credit card so she could check us in.  Up until that moment, she was very disinterested in assisting us.  As soon as she looked up our reservation and saw we were platinum, her whole attitude changed and she “upgraded” us to a room with a view.  Whenever we stay at a hotel we always have a room on the top floor, but we did not have a room on the 4^th floor this time…we were on the 3^rd. We went out to the car and then lugged our suitcases to the only elevator in the hotel and then took the longest walk to our room that I can remember.  Finally, we get to our room only to be met with disappointment.

I guess I should start with the good parts of this hotel before I get carried away with the bad.  The location is excellent.  Outside the hotel is a beautiful walking path with beautiful water views.  The hotel appears to be kept clean.  The pool looked beautiful and even had a pool with disabled access, which was nice to see.  There was adequate parking, which is always good.

The hotel was close access to the airport.  So with our early morning flight, it was easy to get there.

The bad parts of the hotel…The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was a loud jet engine sound.  I assumed it was from an airplane (since the airport isn’t far) but the sound continued for far too long.  We later found out it was the air conditioner.  Honestly, this air conditioner was SO loud it woke us up many times and did not allow us to get a good night’s sleep.  If we were here longer than 2 nights, I would definitely have requested a different room.

The kitchen is severely lacking.  There are 2 burners on the stove top (no oven) and one knob on ours was broken.  There were no spatulas to cook with.  When we called to ask for one, they said they didn’t have any and would have to go to the store later to buy one.  We never did get that spatula.

With all the great places to stay in this area, I do not think I would recommend this place.  The service we received was not to the Marriott standard, the room was loud, the kitchen in the room was useless and I have definitely had more comfortable accommodations. There is a Courtyard next door…if I was back in this area and did not wish to stay in the city; I would certainly try that before returning to this Residence Inn.

Residence Inn Pasadena Arcadia - Review

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwrar-residence-inn-pasadena-arcadia/

I recently returned from a 5 day stay at this hotel and don’t have enough nice things to say about it.  My husband and I flew into San Francisco, stayed there for a few days, drove to Arcadia for a 5 night stay, and then drove back to San Francisco for a few more days…so we had a bit of an exhausting trip!

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were met by a very friendly woman at the check in counter (I believe her name was Cindy) who quickly checked us into our room, explained the amenities and showed us where our room was on a map.  Within minutes we were at our room.  This Residence Inn is like many of the other Residence Inns I’ve stayed at; rooms are laid out well and are kept very clean.  

I slept extremely well at this hotel, it is very quiet and the rooms are well insulated from your neighbors.  We were able to get a room on the top floor, so I cannot speak to how it is if there is someone directly above you, but I have no complaints with the sound proofing from people next door.  

The kitchen is well appointed.  Coffee maker, dish washer, refrigerator, toaster, pots, pans, cooking utensils and all the plates, glasses, and silverware you would need!

There were a few items that I feel could be improved upon, but nothing that would prevent me from staying here again or recommending it to a friend.  First, the internet was so slow it was unusable.  For most of the trip, I found myself using my cell phone or iPad instead of my laptop. Second, when the air conditioner turned on, it was louder than I am used to from a Residence Inn.  However, after staying at our next Residence Inn – Oyster Point in San Francisco…I no longer think this air conditioner was loud!  It wasn’t so loud it disrupted sleep, but like I said, it was still louder than I am used to.

Parking wasn’t an issue except on one occasion where we returned pretty late and had to circle the parking lot twice waiting for someone else to leave.  Every other time we had no issues with parking.

I am unable to comment on food because we either prepared meals in the room or went out to eat.  We also did not use the pool, but there were people using it and it appeared to be extremely clean.  Also, there were barbeques available for guests use.  

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this hotel, the staff and the room and would recommend it to anyone!

Disney Magic Canada & New England Cruises

My husband and I left from NYC on the Disney Magic, September 7 returning September 12. From the moment we stepped on board until we left it was wonderful. Because of the week we chose, there weren't very many school aged children on board, some little ones. However it doesn't really matter because there do have adult only spaces and activities;and they enforce the rules which is important.
Our dining experience was great. 

Our stateroom was in an excellent location, clean and tidy. I do feel the staterooms could use a face lift, we had problems with air conditioning, the shower head wasn't working properly, and our refrigerator wasn't cold. All we needed to do was ask the stateroom attendant and they were fixed. The service is superior.
I would recommend this cruise line to anyone., with or without kids. 

Canada was wonderful, and the 5 days were just enough.                                

Marriott Residence Inn II Sunnyvale, CA Review

Location: 7/10 If you have ever been to the Silicon Valley area you will know first hand how hard it is to find a decent hotel. You would think with how "state of the art" the area is that the hotels would be on the same level. Sadly, that is not the case in this area, specifically the Sunnyvale/Cupertino/Palo Alto area. The majority of hotels in these areas are not the greatest nor the greatest hotels you are going to find. There are a few Hiltons around but even they are very limited and their availability is even worse. The location of this hotel is literally directly off the 101 in Sunnyvale and is directly across from the AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) US base for operations. There is another Residence Inn not far some this same location called Sunnyvale 1. The problem with the Sunnyvale 1 location is that its directly across from the 101 highway and is extremely noisy. Other reviews say they recommend that you request a room away from the highway. This location is not nearly as close to the highway as the Sunnyvale 1 location so any room should be acceptable. The location of the hotel provides easy access to all major companies in the surrounding areas (too many too list!).

The Hotel Itself: 7/10 The hotel itself is a typical Silicon Valley hotel although this location has recently been "refreshed" and is on the same level of the Marriott standard. The rooms all have full kitchens, fresh paint and refreshed decor and new furniture in the rooms. The hotel campus itself is in very good condition and is kept in good condition. The hotel staff are very responsive to requests and the check-in and check-out process was smooth with no delays. The only thing I recommend is asking for a room that is on the second floor since the rooms are stacked on top of each other the bottom rooms are going to be very noisy. I even noticed quite a bit of noise from the rooms adjoining me but not anything horrible. At night the rooms are dead quiet and you will get a great nights rest from these rooms. The only thing that could be better is the beds themselves, I found them to be slightly worn and in need of replacement, which I did mention to the front desk staff upon checkout.

There is a nice pool and outdoor tennis/basketball court that appeared to not be used very much. Even during my 2 week stay I never saw anyone use the pool facilities, but I did check it out and confirmed that it was always clean and ready for use. Sadly this location does NOT have a hot tub just a pool. I didnt have to use the on site laundry but be aware that each load of laundry is $1.50 and each dryer session is also $1.50, so bring some money with you if you plan on doing your laundry on an extended stay!

Breakfast/Coffee/Internet Access: 4/10 Part of me thinks that this should probably be even lower then a "4". The Breakfast at Residence Inn's are usually one Marriott's higher quality breakfasts, toted as the complete hot breakfast with complete buffet style options for selection. The problem? The food stinks. Plain and simple we are talking about some of the worst food you can find in a hotel, seriously I have had better food at Fairfield Inns then this Residence Inn. Very upsetting and not what I expected at all considering this is one of the highly toted features of staying at a Residence Inn. The good side of the coin, you have a full kitchen and you can go to the food store and make almost anything in the room which is much better then eating the breakfast in the hotel.

Coffee: Again…. Marriott…..Please….. its time to DUMP BARISTA Bold or whatever its called. Its just junk, its horrible, un-drinkable sad excuse for coffee. Every review I say this and maybe some day someone at Marriott Int't will listen and start getting something better. It doesnt have to be Starbucks (which isnt that great anyway) just something better then Barista Bold junk!

Internet Access: Fail. So let me explain about how the internet works at the Residence Inn and others that set up similarly to this one. Since the facility is completely outside campus they dont have access points that cover the property. Instead there are mini access points in each room, similar to your home wireless setup in each room. Located under each desk is a mini wireless router/dsl modem combo unit. At first your probably thinking, wow this is great, I get my own dedicated internet circuit and dont have to share with anyone else, sadly this is not the case. The internet speeds are horrible we are talking maybe a 1MB/256K DSL speed on a good day. Even after rebooting the system (pulling the power and plugging back in) the system was no better. I even took the liberty to call the "support" number that routes you to a center call center in India where the support person requests your MAC address and remote access webex session to test the speeds and your computer setup. Again, this is a huge FAIL. I used my Mifi device the entire time I was staying here, which by the way, the AT&T service in this area is absolutely horrible in.

Final Words: 7/10
The hotel itself isn't horrible but its not amazing either. I will definitely stay here again but not maybe not in the near future without trying another location first. There are a lot of pro's about this hotel, mostly the fact that you can cook your own meals in the hotel and not have to eat out all of the time, which really does save money in the long run. I would strongly recommend asking for a top floor and definitely a room away from the road if possible, although not a super requirement for this location. Considering the area and its options this may the best and only bet. One word of caution, this hotel is usually booked a month or MORE out, so if you have a trip planned you must book ahead of time of you are not getting a room. I booked a month out and barely got a room and the entire time I was there (2 weeks) the hotel was sold out 100% of the time.