Sadly our time in Florida has come to an end. We had such grand plans when we moved here, but COVID had other plans for us, along with many others. A very short 3 weeks after making the move from Virginia to Florida, the world went into lockdown. We seem to have a penchant for leaving one place for another just before disaster strikes. The Houston floods come to mind. As well as hurricanes from our previous Florida residency.

Issues with our current apartment had us looking for another apartment in the area. We were on our way to sign the new lease when Karen received a text from a former colleague in Washington, D.C. asking her if she would consider coming back to work there. As is said…timing is everything. One hour later and it would have been too late!

So once again, we find ourselves packing up our worldly and not so worldly goods, making arrangements to turn off and on utilities, and planning a quick road trip from Florida to Virginia to meet the movers at our new, unseen (except for a walk-thru video) apartment. Hopefully, we can put our Florida plan into action in Virginia.

I am looking forward to being where the temps are breathable again and the seasons change. Just not really ready for the cold temperatures, coat, hat, gloves, scarf, boots part. Hopefully the fall leaves will be beautiful on our drive there. Peak season is predicted the weekend we will arrive in the Washington D.C. area. We are excited to continue to explore the area with our day trips and long weekend get-aways. We are also excited about seeing ‘old’ friends again and being a bit more social with anticipated events.

I’m hoping that this is the last move for a while. Not sure how much more abuse our household items and family treasures can take from movers and moving. Ultimately, a stand-alone house, white picket fence and a dog are the goal. And of course a pleasant work place for Karen is a must.

On the road again…

Photos by Karen Rosington

One last hurrah before heading north again, we decided to have a celebratory dinner at Disney Springs, Terralina Crafted Italian restaurant during the Magical Dining event. Karen and I love Chicken Parmigiana and order it often. (She’s actually become quite good at making it at home too!) Terralina was offering Chicken Parm as part of their Magical Dining menu ($37 for a 3-course meal). I started with the meatball appetizer. I received two good-sized meatballs, sauce and cheese on top of polenta. That was a meal in itself! Karen chose the Caesars salad – she’s a much more conscientious eater than I am sometimes! We both chose the Chicken Parm, which came hot out of the kitchen in a huge portion with spaghetti. Our dessert choice was the cannnoli – three of them on a plate with wonderful health like bits sprinkled around them. I actually enjoyed the bits more than I did the cannoli!

Be sure to check out the rolling pin display, located in the rest room corridor. A pin or all occasions!

We shopped around a bit, bought a Disney lanyard pouch and charm for Disney’s 50th, which will become an ornament for the travel tree colleciton.

Didn’t spend any other money except to experience the tethered hot air balloon ride. Quickest eight minutes ever! Nice view though.

We travel and explore for our pleasure as well as education.

Going on a cruise is one of my favorite things to do when I travel. Cruising is easy – everything is “under one roof”. Your hotel. Your entertainment. Your restaurants. Move in and take over a cabin for a few days. Feel free to unpack and use the dressers available. It’s easier than pulling out your suitcase for every wardrobe change. I have sailed on many different cruise lines over the years. My current favorites are Viking and Oceania, as they provide the most complete cruise experiences.

So! What should you do on a cruise ship? Let’s see…

When you first board, you are likely to be presented with a signature cocktail (to be placed on your room charge account, of course!) So definitely umbrella drinks and ship’s cocktail of the day are a must.

Don’t forget to go top-side to watch the sail-away! It’s also a great place to be when pulling into or out of a port of call.

Next up is your stateroom. Welcome to your home away from home for the next several days. We always get a balcony cabin. Yes, inside cabins are less expensive and you might not spend much time in your cabin during your cruise, but a balcony offers a refuge from the masses – your own quiet oasis at sea. Enjoy your morning coffee, afternoon snack and beverage of choice or enjoy a book on your balcony while gazing out over the blue waters. Balcony cabins are also great on sea days. Grab a nap inside or out on your balcony. Balconies are also a great place to watch the sunset with the beverage of your choice. Stargazing off your balcony – there’s nothing like the open sea to see the constellations and stars.

Entertainment on board is plentiful. It all depends on you! There are live stage entertainment shows in the main theater. There are small musical groups positioned around the ship for a more quiet type of entertainment – soloists, duos, trios – everything from classics to rock. The ship’s band also plays in the lounge nightly. There are bars, lounges there’s even some entertainment offered by the waiters in the main dining room on occasion. And depending on the ship and itinerary, local musicians, actors are brought on board for the evening’s entertainment. Make sure you attend any captain’s parties or staff introduction events as well. You can even sign up on Cruise Critic for a party hosted by the ship’s officers. This is a great way to meet other passengers and be recognized by the crew.

Another form of entertainment falls under the category of shore excursions. Most people are chomping at the bit to get off the ship and experience the local culture through guided tours that are provided through the ship. After the pandemic, many cruise lines are enforcing that shore excursions need to be booked through the ship. Double check to be sure that this is the case. You may be able to book independently. We find organized shore excursions can be something of a foot race from one point of interest to another. We prefer to book on our own so we can take the time to enjoy the point of interest and take pictures.

Food selection is abundant on board. There’s something for everyone! Be sure to try out a specialty restaurant if the opportunity presents itself. Viking includes 2 specialty dinners with certain cabin types. Make sure you make your reservations as soon as possible as these restaurant fill up fast, especially on sail-away day and sea days. Other options may include a pool-side burger/sandwich shop, a buffet or a chef-named restaurant.

Clothing is definitely a personal choice. You may wish to ‘dress to the nines’ each night for dinner and a show or drink or you may be very comfy in your shorts and t-shirt. Just understand that there are expectations for certain dress in certain areas. Generally speaking, shorts and a t-shirt are OK in the main dining room during breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner. No one expects you to put on a 3-piece suit or formal gown, but the expectation is that you will get out of your shore excursion day clothes and put on long pants or a nice outfit. Check out one of my previous posts on what to wear if you are unsure.

Shopping is a must! Where else are you going to find something unique to a culture or area? Whether. you are looking for tea towels, magnets, or a cuckoo clock from the Black Forest, your opportunities to locate such items are out there. We always bring along a little bubble wrap and a small box to hold precious, breakable items. In the case of the cuckoo clock, most shops will ship it for you. Just be patient as it may take a while to get to you as it has to go through customs and paperwork before being put on a delivery truck. Our favorite souvenir from our travels are locally-made Christmas ornaments.

Cruise terminals vary from country to country and port to port. You initial entry onto the ship is usually more reminiscent of a cattle drive as you wind your way through the path the the agent at the check-in desk. Depending on your cabin selection, you may quality for the pre-sail lounge where you can check in and get a snack and rest until it’s your turn to board. Some terminals offer shopping for souvenirs, cold drinks, money exchange booths, car rental, shore excursions etc. Some cruise terminals are located in a shipyard and do not offer much in the way of anything of interest. You need to board a shuttle bus to get any where as you are not allowed to walk in the area as it is a working ship yard. Some cruise terminals are at the edge of town so you are able to walk to shops etc. There may also be a shuttle. Bottom line is they definitely want your business!

August found us acting like tourists, both on our own and with visiting family. For the most part, the weather was great, except for the Big Wheel, where it was shut down due to incoming inclement weather. But! This is hurricane weather in Florida so you must be prepared!

We started our tourist days at Hash House aGo Go before the weather turned inclement.

On our way home we stopped at the largest McDonalds for a look-see. They make and sell pasta and pizzas here as well as traditional fare.

Act like a tourist day continued when my nephew Keith, wife Missy, son Mason and Missy’s Mom, Carol, visited Orlando. It was a busy week with varied entertainment venues and lots of food. On Monday, we met them in Celebration for dessert – Kilwin’s Ice Cream. I don’t think this gator belongs in Celebration!

On Tuesday we enjoyed lunch at Miller’s, a cabana and pool time at their timeshare after a morning at Gatorland – One of my nephew’s favorite local attractions. Keith, Karen and Mason had fun feeding the alligators as they jumped out of the water for food. While at Gatorland, Karen and Missy enjoyed the zip line. A beautiful sunset ended an amazing day.

On Wednesday, Karen, her cousin and his 10-year old son went bass fishing on Lake Toho in the early morning.. Naps for us; lazy river for the visitors. Dinner at the Pirate Adventure show.

Thursday was road trip day to Clearwater Beach and a beautiful cabana and pool time at the Hyatt. The boys headed to the fishing pier for a while, Missy and her Mom headed to the beach. Lunch from the pool bar and pizza, wings and garlic knots for dinner. At day’s end, we experienced a beautiful sunset.

Friday, Karen was back at work, so only dinner plans at Fords Garage, which we unfortunately missed as I wasn’t feeling well. Saturday farewell dinner – we ate at Rock and Brews. We stopped at Culver’s for some frozen custard comparison to Abbott’s for dessert. No pictures, just had waffle cone and dishes of yummy goodness.

We ended this first edition of Act Like a Tourist with a complimentary overnight stay at Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World. The food was plentiful, the area inside and out was well done. We had a beautiful suite. We enjoyed the adult Oasis pool as well as the lazy river and slides. The weather was beautiful.

A couple things that usually catch our attention when traveling are doors and door knockers. Here’s a few doors and door knockers from our European travels. Don’t you just love the craftsmanship?

We haven’t traveled since December 2019. It’s been a long dry spell. We are starting to do a few local trips so you may see a few more posts forthcoming. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our international doors.

The business of life is the acquisition of memories.

– Carson, Downton Abbey

As the world rights itself and borders, venues and people are adapting after the year-long pandemic, we find ourselves thinking and planning for future travel itinieraries once again. Our plan for now is to stay stateside. Our next international trip is on the books for April 2023 at this time.

Karen’s hotel is offering the employee rates and experiences so we plan to take as much advantage of that as we can.

First stop – West Palm Beach

It’s time to meet up with more friends in one the many places Karen has worked and we have lived. We plan to drive down and stay 2 nights at the newly refurbished Four Seasons hotel. I’ve already invited a friend to join us for lunch and the afternoon so we can catch up. It’s been about a year since we’ve seen each other. It will be a treat for her – and us as well to enjoy this great hotel! This hotel loved my baked goods offerings so I plan to make a batch of cookies to take for them to enjoy and as a surprise.

Next idea – Laurel, Mississippi/Alabama Road Trip

We watch HGTV’s Home Town show and have decided that we would love to see this quaint beautiful town. There is a fabulous B&B that we plan to stay at for a couple of days while we check it all out. Ben and Erin, Hometown hosts, have also worked revitalizing another small town in Wetumpka, Alabama that we may check out while ‘in the neighborhood’. We plan to fly into Alabama then rent a car. Karen’s best friend from Las Vegas days lives there and we will visit her and family for a couple of days before starting the rest of the road trip.

High School 50th Reunion

That brings us into October, I believe. So next up is my 50th high school reunion. This will be a blast from the past as I haven’t seen many of my former classmates since school days or the couple of early reunions that I attended while still living in Rochester. Make no mistake, going home for a reunion is a costly weekend. There’s flights, airport parking, car rental, hotel, food and assorted reunion costs such as clothing and ticket. Due to COVID, this reunion had to be rescheduled. Our gala night will be Friday, Thursday is a casual get-together at a local country bar and Saturday we revisit the halls of the ‘new’ high school where we were the first class to complete our senior education, 10-12 grades. This wil be a quick and busy weekend where we will also try to visit Ed’s sisters and their families while there.

Next up – our Christmas trip

Every year we plan to do something special for Christmas. This year we plan to head to Georgia for a wonderful olde world type Christkindlmarkt in Helen, a town reminiscent of Bavaria. It is said to be one of the best for miles around. We plan to fly to Atlanta, stay a night or two at the Four Seasons there, then drive to Helen and stay within walking distance of the venue for a couple more nights before driving back to fly home from Atlanta. We plan to go with friends from Karen’s work here in Orlando. It shouldn’t be as cold as a market in Europe – fingers crossed at least!

That takes us to the end of 2021. More road trips will be planned for 2022. We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on the list!

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Well, it finally happened! We made it back home to Las Vegas for a short trip – our first in well over a year. The trip was filled with memories, friends and great food – oh and a little gambling as well! Speaking of the gambling – once again I would like to say that I do not like the new huge, bright slot machines. Give me my good old Planet Moola desk model or similar. And also once again, the machines were not very kind to me. But then, I didn’t expect them to be nor did I spend much time playing. We were too busy socially!

Our trip started with a 3-day notice that Karen had the week off. We scrambled to make plans for our limited time and many friends. We arrived by 11AM and as expected, our room was not ready. Ok, let’s eat! Easier said than done. Vegas is still maintaining many Covid closures and our hotel – The Cosmopolitan – was no different. Looking for a lighter lunch, we checked out the open restaurants and struck out. There was a 2-hour wait at The Henry. Nope! That wasn’t going to work for us. We were very hungry and wanted food now! A quick call to the pool area restaurant – Overlook Grill – netted us an immediate table. We soon ordered and enjoyed our meal – breakfast for Karen; lunch for me. Our server was great, wanting us to be 100% pleased with our choices.

But, I get ahead of myself. Let’s discuss our flight experience in almost 2 years. We chose Southwest because they had a non-stop itinerary. The Orlando airport was packed! Karen and I ended up getting separated going through security. We both always have pre-check but the wheelchair valet – I always get gate-to-gate assistance – had other ideas as he was taking care of me and another passenger who did not have pre-check clearance. So Karen went through pre-check with all the bags and my rollator walker and I went through the regular line with nothing. Not my phone or purse. Just my ID and boarding pass. When we got through the line and came out the other side, we did not see Karen. No big deal. She knew our gate and I knew she’d find me there. So off we went to catch the shuttle. Karen caught up with us and we all traveled to the gate together. Whew! I really don’t want that experience again!

Our room at the Cosmopolitan was on the 53rd floor overlooking the Bellagio fountains and the LV Strip. Our friend had arranged for VIP check-in and they called us when our room was ready. The room was very nice and the view was great! Soon, it was time to meet Karen’s friend and his friend from Rochester for dinner at Blue Ribbon. We shared many Rochester memories. It turned out that he worked in the same building at Kodak as my late husband, but did not remember him. What a dinner! We dined on an assortment of menu items family style so we could taste a bit of everything. Our server was great and took excellent care of us.

As the week progressed, we shared many meals with local friends from breakfasts to lunches to dinners. All our food from the Cosmopolitan restaurants was very good. Our offsite lunch was a treat but an offsite breakfast and dinner were rather disappointing food quality-wise. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to re-visit favorite old restaurants as food and management changes over the years. Still, for the entire week we did not go hungry!

One of our traditions when visiting Vegas is to visit the memorial area Karen and I created for Ed on Mt. Charleston. Of course, what’s a visit to Mt. Charleston without a little drama?! Yes, we are talking about me again! This trip was made with a ‘boot’ on my foot and a bandaged toe. Not the most comfortable of all things to vacation or trek a mountainside with! In spite of it all, with the assistance of my wonderful, helpful and encouraging daughter, I made it to and from the memorial none the worse for wear but exhausted from my efforts. It was a bit disappointing to see that the perennial and cactus seeds we planted on our last visit didn’t not survive. We talked about future visits and perhaps what we could do instead. It seems the area is now well used as there were a couple camp fire rings close by.They looked well placed but a spark is possible and another fire on Mt. Charleston would be devastating.

Too soon it was time for our return flight. There were empty seats on this flight so thankfully Karen and I did not have anyone else seated between us. Not sure why, but the cabin was freezing cold! And of course the captain does not like turning off the seat belt sign! We both caught some type of ‘crud’ from this trip and many days later are still trying to get over the coughing part.

To our friends who came out to see us and dine with us, you all know who you are and we thank you for arranging your day so you could spend some time with us. Not sure when we will return, but now that travel is opening up again, it may be sooner than we all thought! Until next time…

UPDATE: I just realized that his blog post was never published. After our return and for many days, I endured a dry, hacking cough that I couldn’t shake. Off to the doctors with me! He quickly sent me to the hospital to be checked out further. After a total of 29 days – between 2 visits – I finally came home with new-to-me illnesses, life changes and a mini pharmacy. As time moves on, I am doing better and the 2 major specialists for my care are pleased with my progress. My daughter, Karen, is part of the progress as she has supported me emotionally and physically during the past couple of months. I lost the month of June. July has been spent visiting doctors and labs on a weekly basis. August is here with a breath of fresh air as I continue to improve and my on-site doctor visits have decreased. I will say that I never want to experience 29 days in any hospital ever again! Value your health – you never know!

The scene is worth the journey.

–Unknown

With many folks receiving the COVID vaccine, thoughts turn to travel once again. Small day trips, longer weekend trips, a road trip perhaps and yes, even airline travel to attend a rescheduled high school reunion in the fall. What about cruise travel you ask? Well, that’s on a prolonged hold for us as this time. We are currently in the process of changing our canceled cruise from 2020 to 2023. I need time for the world to settle down and to feel safe traveling abroad once again.

We have been successful rebooking another itinerary for our next cruise – in April 2023. The plan is to visit Holland and Belgium with Viking River Cruises. With our credits from past canceled itineraries, we only need to pay for the air. The down side is that Viking wants final payment 16 months in advance! I just can’t abide by that. They have had our money for almost 3 years already, from canceled cruises and incentive vouchers, yet, they are asking for more money. In the past, based on the number of cruises we have taken with Viking, we have always had a 6-month prior to cruise payment window. We have asked our travel agent to ask Viking to rethink this date and are awaiting a reply.

I belong to an online Facebook group of Viking travelers. These travelers are 100% Viking-can-do-no-wrong people. If anyone says something that they feel is a negative against Viking, watch out! Even though this group is supposedly the ‘friendliest’ Viking group, there are some that don’t quite embody the sentiment. Still, there is much information shared and some very friendly, kind folks who post on a regular basis. This is the page where I ‘stole’ the alphabet photo idea. Currently, we are doing a #photo ‘game’. It’s always fun to think about our pictures and how they might fit the weekly # request.

My first Viking river cruise was Tulips and Windmills back when Viking was just getting started. We went towards the end of the tulip season so even though there was lots of color and tulips, it was past peak season. I’ve always wanted to go back. This new trip for 2023 will add yet another country to our list of countries visited – Belgium. I’m excited for Karen to see the Keukenhof Gardens and Kinderdik windmills. I’m sure there will be tons of pictures from that trip!

It’s always good to have something positive to look forward to. And while 2023 is a ways off, we are excited!

Travel continues to elude us as yet another upcoming event has been postponed and rescheduled. For many years, we have enjoyed our road trips, international trips and other travels, wherever we have lived. This ban on travel and the repercussions of the pandemic are difficult to deal with. Granted, much less difficult than catching the virus and all that may entail, but difficult just the same. We got so used to packing our suitcases, grabbing the travel fund and our ID’s and heading out to explore something new.

My 50th high school reunion was just canceled by the vendor. And with that cancellation go our extra plans around that event back home in Rochester, New York. We had planned to get together with family and friends, attend the reunion festivities and take a side trip to the 1000 Islands for a few days. On the bright side, this delay and reschedule of the reunion to Fall 2021 gives us eight more months for our country and the world to get healthy again, vaccines to be provided for all who wish to have them and more down time from traveling.

I have to admit, I really wasn’t keen on flying again but definitely would have boarded the plane so that we could have a bit of a local reprieve from the pandemic. On another front, our cruise and airline cancellations are piling up. Hard to use them within the expiration dates when you aren’t allowed to travel. And what then? When we are allowed to travel? Just like 911, travel will never be the same again. And I honestly don’t know at this time if I’m ready to comply with all the COVID-19 preparations and precautions required to travel.

We’ve moved our cruise to September 2022, with hopes that the world will settle by then. However, there’s still a bit of a question about that trip. We already have $1000’s of dollars invested in Viking for cruises we cannot take at this time. On top of that outlay of money that they have had for going on 3 years now, Viking wants payment for September 2022 over a year in advance. Yes, we will still owe more money. Which is a difficult decision to make at this time considering where we live and the entertainment/resort concerns at this time. My daughter, Karen, works in the hospitality field. Right now, many of the hotels in the area have not reopened and work shifts are not back up to 40 hours. So I’m sure you can see my concern about the future of travel and our ability to continue to afford it.

I know we will one day, in the future, be able to travel once again.
Patience is a virtue!
I’m trying!

Until next time, stay safe. Stay healthy. Be kind.

Every year we plan a vacation during the holidays. We love to look at holiday decorations. This year, we decided to take a road trip to Asheville, North Carolina and visit the Biltmore Estate. Visiting America’s largest estate and mansion was a treat from the top floor down to the basement. Karen had her trusty camera ready to shoot many wonderful photographic memories of our visit.

Throughout the estate, there were 100+ decorated trees with 25,000+ ornaments, 1.5 miles of fresh garlands, 500 wreaths and sprays, 2,000 poinsettias and other favorite holiday plants and 100 kissing balls! Definitely lots to look at in addition to the wonderful room displays we visited. As we walked through the estate our first night for the Candlelight tour, the fireplaces were ablaze with roaring, warming fires. So warm, in fact, that there were windows open! Various areas had instrumentalists playing holiday songs for our enjoyment. There is a room for everything in the estate, from a tapestry room to a gun room, from a breakfast room to a music room. Bedrooms with identifying names greeted guests on the upper floors. Bachelors had their own wing. There were living halls, lounges, sitting rooms and a winter garden. The guests of George Vanderbilt wanted for nothing during their stay.

We stayed on property at the Village Hotel. Not exactly what we expected for the price we paid. When we arrived, we were told there were no daily housekeeping services provided and that if we needed anything we could call the front desk or stop by and pick it up. We were also locked out of our room as the front desk agent neglected to combine our reservations on one key, even after bringing it to his attention. We had asked for a quiet area and were hoping the long walk to get to our room would be worth it, But no. They placed a family with young hellions in the room next to us. The parents allowed the children to race up and down the hallway and bang theit room door open and shut for extended periods of time. Definitely not the quiet area we had hoped for. To add to our disappointment, the front desk agent failed to provide us with our complimentary ornament upon check-in. And, we were billed upon check-out for 2 bottles of Biltmore wine that were complimentary, Just not at all what we expect when we travel to elite hotels.

There were some nice things about the hotel, however. One being a walk-in shower and the other that there was a Keurig coffee maker in the room for Karen’s first sips. We wish we had known about the coffee maker as we would have brought our own coffee and hot chocolate. We had to request clean coffee mugs and additional k-cups.

The estate shuttle was not in operation (another disappointment) but we walked through Antler Hill Village and enjoyed a few meals close by at Cedric’s Tavern and the Bistro as well as breakfast in the hotel’s upstairs restaurant. There was also a small coffee shop in the lobby selling pastries and sandwiches. Our first meal was in The Stable Cafe. Yes, originally it was a very nicely appointed stable for the estate’s horses and carriages. We actually had a table in a stall. Our expensive meal was one-note and not very appetizing. Our server noticed our disappointment and sent a manager over. The manager apologized and did the right thing.

The shops on the estate were very busy and admittance was controlled at the door. There was also a gift shop at the main gate to the estate. We purchased a cute snowman ornament with a Biltmore scene to add to our travel ornament collection.

Besides touring the house, one of our highlights was checking out the outdoor model train display near the farm and barn as well as speaking with the informational docent. It is very well done and laid out with miniature train station replicas from cities in the U.S.

One day, we spent wandering around Biltmore Village. We had some delicious bar food in an old railroad depot, the Village Wayside, shopped the shops, listened to costumed Dicken’s characters play instruments and sing throughout the village.

There was a shuttle bus from the estate parking lot to the house. We had a great driver the first day. He helped me on and off the shuttle. He also saw me exiting the house and held the bus for me. I greatly appreciate that type of customer service.

Karen participated in a wine tasting. Biltmore Estates has vineyards in California so many of the wines are produced there. She came home with a few bottles of her favorites. The Winery is located in what used to be the cattle barn. We walked the underground tunnel to get out of the rain and visited the Wine Shop.

The Biltmore Estate is not really handicap accessible on all levels. There is an original operating elevator (one of two) that took us to the second floor but no further up or down to the basement. A side viewing room is available for those who cannot navigate the stairs to the third floor. There is a continuous loop video showing what you would see if you were able to walk up the steps. It also showed pictures and information about the basement level. I was able to descend to the basement and tour that level. Karen carried my rollator walker down the stairs for me! People were very patient with me as I descended and ascended the stairs at the beginning and end. I’m glad I went down to see the kitchens, floral area, gym, pool, bowling alley, laundry and other rooms. It almost reminded me of Downton Abbey. I toured the property and village using my rollator walker. A bit tricky in Biltmore Village due to the disrepair of the sidewalks, but I managed with Karen’s help.

Enjoy this small photo gallery representation of Karen’s photography, showcasing decorations in various rooms and the exterior trees and estate.

All of the trees were beautifully decorated for the holiday season and guests.

I know that Karen and I are critical of our travels. We write reviews and bring issues to the attention of the front desk and management when necessary. If a company does not understand what they are doing to displease a guest and correct the issue, then they learn nothing and the issue continues to be present. Both Karen’s and my customer service employment history in the hospitality industry is why we expect the best from our vacation experiences. No two people will have the same expectations or experiences. We know what we like and expect based on location or venue.