Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino in Lakeside, California
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a commentIt felt like we’d been driving for hours to find the turn-off road. Of course my traveling companion had to take an alternate route from the directions on the website, but still, how far out was this place? Quite far as it turns out. But we eventually ended up at our destination, the Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino near San Diego.
Barona Valley Ranch Resort - Front View
The resort is very upscale, and seems themed after a Texas oil baron ranch. We had a two-bed queen room and it was spacious with a equally large-sized bathroom. It also came with in-room Wi-Fi and small touches like slippers for use during the stay. Each room also had a small standing-room balcony. Ours looked out towards the back of the resort, where the desert gave way to a lush designed golf course.
My companion had a spa treatment scheduled shortly after we arrived, so we headed up to the AmBience Day Spa on the 7th floor. I opted to sit out on spa’s larger balcony and watch the sun set over the hills, sipping some tea before supper. Very relaxing.
We ate at the Oaks Steakhouse, which is actually located in the casino building next door. Service there was impeccable - quite possibly the best we received the entire trip, aside from the spa personnel. After every dish, crumbs were instantly whisked off the table, and after my friend’s napkin fell to the floor, the server immediately gave her a new one without her even saying a word. That kind of attention to detail was wonderful to experience. The food was excellent, too, with everything cooked to order. Expect average entree prices in the $20-$30 range, and they do have a dress code.
Barona Valley Ranch Resort - Two Queen-Bed Room
Neither of us were huge gamblers, which is probably why we didn’t thoroughly enjoy our stay. The resort, which is operated by the Barona band of Mission Indians, is located on reservation land, and as such, it is so far away from the heart of San Diego (the nearest major city) that if you’re not here for the casino action, there’s really not much else to do.
It was also a bit inconvenient to have to go to a totally separate building for our dining options, even with the walkway. I was also a bit mystified that they made the resort building so nice looking, but the casino was housed in a barn-themed building.
Basically, as nice as the resort was, there’s no reason to stay here if you don’t want to gamble or play golf or just enjoy being in a luxury hotel in the middle of nowhere. But if you’re in Southern California - more specifically the San Diego/Temecula area - and want to get away for some peace and quiet with some gambling mixed in, this would be the perfect place to do it.
Weekday room rates start at $129, with weekends starting at $219.
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Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino
1932 Wildcat Canyon Rd
Lakeside, CA 92040
619-443-2300 or 888-722-7662
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[photos courtesy Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino]
Three of the World’s Most Shark Infested Beaches
Posted , add a commentI tried to learn how to surf once. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) bought me a longboard for my birthday and took me out surfing in Cayucos. It was almost impossible to paddle out–me with my noodle arms that earned me the childhood nickname “T-Rex.” But I did it and there we were, bobbing in the ocean that suddenly seemed so much bigger than it ever had from the sand. “Look!” my boyfriend said, “Dolphins!” And then he took the next wave in and left me there to wonder how he was so sure those fins were that of dolphins smiling smart and not those of sharks most certainly out to eat me. I never did surf again, my arms too skinny and my imagination too fat, and my boyfriend eventually commandeered my birthday present longboard as his own, which I somehow think was the plan all along.
I don’t know how surfers do it–bob out there with nothing but a board and their thoughts. I am too macabre, too weak, too yellow maybe, my toes tingling with the maybe of it all. So what if more people die from car crashes, wasps, from snakes and bees, from drowning? There is just something about a shark that holds a special place primal cold in my nightmares. So in honor of Shark Week, I give you three of the World’s Sharkiest Beaches (based on nothing but my own research of the www):
Catch of the day. http://www.flickr.com/photos/zainedriscoll/3623710592/
New Smyrna Beach, Florida holds the dubious honor of being called The Shark Attack Capital of the World. Surrounded on all sides by water–the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway, Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River–New Smyrna Beach boasts subtropical weather ideal not only for tourists and beach-goers, but also attractive to sharks: tiger sharks, blacktips, spinners and more. Given the large shark population and the increasing amount of people swmming and surfing in the waters just off the coastline, it is no wonder New Smyrna Beach holds the title of Shark Capital of the World.
Cape of Good Hope. http://www.flickr.com/photos/haakon/10398408/
Of course no discussion of shark attacks would be complete without mention of the coastline of South Africa. Here there has been documented footage of Great Whites leaping from the water to feast on seals, a watery ballet of grisy proportion. And it doesn’t even truly matter which particular beach you choose on South Africa’s eastern coastline—from Cape Town, up the Garden Route, and beyond to Durban. The entire area is famously shark infested. The fishing village of Gansbaai near Cape Town, for example, is known as Shark Alley for its unrivaled density of great whites. And the mouth of Kosi Bay in KwaZulu Natal, is known for its aggressive Zambezi, or bull sharks. Something tells me that it is of little solace to know that most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity, a shark’s way of poking at something to see what it is. When the poke in question produces a deep gash down the side of one’s innards, it is of no matter that you are not a sea lion but a surfer.
How it got its name. http://www.flickr.com/photos/89044634@N00/24548709/
And then there is the poetically named Red Triangle, that is if the poet were Edgar Allen Poe and the subject the tell-tale shark attack. The Red Triangle is the name given to the roughly triangle-shaped area off the coast of Northern California extending from Bodega Bay, north of San Francisco, out to the Farallon Islands and down to Big Sur. The waters here are snack-rich, full of marine life such as elephant seals, harbor seals, sea otters and sea lions, favorite cuisine of the Great White Shark. Around thirty-eight percent of recorded Great White Shark attacks on humans in the United States have occurred within the Red Triangle - eleven percent of the worldwide total. And it just so happens that the Red Triangle includes my hometown beaches of Stinson, Bolinas, Tomales Bay where the sharks mate, and Ocean Beach where my husband now surfs sheathed in a black wet suit looking for all the world like a seal, a little gamey but good. Here the Great White rides at the tippy top of the food chain, fish and seals at the bottom, and surfers and swimmers only a half notch up from that.
So there you go. From my primal fear to yours, keep your toes tingling and stay dry–Happy Shark Week!
9 Hotels That Reach Customers and Job Prospects on Twitter
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Twitter is becoming a more popular vehicle for hotels to reach clientele and job prospects.
Twitter is fast becoming a medium for companies to reach their clients. (We’re on Twitter too! Follow us @UpTake!) Just yesterday my own websites went down and instead of going to my server company’s web page, I went directly to their Twitter page. In seconds I saw they had a power outage and service would be restored within the hour. What took the company 5 seconds to Tweet saved us both time and satisfied my need-to-know immediately.
Here are some of the top hotels on Twitter. Feel free to add to the list in comments.
The Hyatt has twitter streams for two purposes. One @hyattconcierge, to reach clientele and prospective clients, as well as promote their brand. The other, @hyattcareers, is meant for a search of job prospects and to post employment opportunities within the company. It will be interesting to see if separating the two genres will prove to be lucrative for The Hyatt.
The Marriott International (@MarriottIntl)posts interesting updates and does a good job of keeping their followers. With 13,000+ following their feed, it’s obvious The Marriott is taking Twitter seriously. The Marriott Vacation Club (@MarriottVacClub) is an active feed, with plenty of deals for would-be travelers. Watch this space closely for coupon codes.
I love how the Ritz Carleton actually has PR rep Allison Stitch as their front woman on Twitter (@RitzCarletonPR). Not only does that instill a sense of humanity to the stream, you know you’re actually talking to someone who’s job it is to make you happy. Great job Ritz Carleton!
Starwood Hotels are also doing a great job of engaging fellow Tweeters at their stream (@StarwoodBuzz) They ask questions, post interesting stories and links and reply back - a key to keeping your followers!
Omni Hotels (@OmniHotels) have a Twitter Team, complete with pictures. They help clients and post deals when they have them. Seems to me they are really taking the time to answer questions and go above and beyond to help others.
Joie de Vivre Hotels of California (@JDVHotels) take the time to post interesting things near their locations, answer customer questions and solve problems. Hotel guest Michael Fishman put the JDVHotel Twitter stream to test with shredded towels (!) and received new towels and a reply on Twitter.
Morgans Hotel Group (@morganshotels) also seem to love Tweeting about nearby nigthlife and the like. It’s proven to be a good move for them obviously, so say their high number of followers (3100+ to be exact). One tip for Morgans? Follow back. We don’t bite and your ratios are whacky.
Fairmont Hotels (@fairmonthotels) have a fun stream with contests and trivia questions. If nothing else, this Twitter stream is enjoyable and light. Twitter host Mike Taylor does a great job or keeping his 4500+ followers on board.
Millennium Hotels (@MillenniumPR) does a great job of posting job fairs, contests and replying to clients and prospective travelers. There’s a bonus to being one of their followers too: they post things just for us. I can see this account growing in popularity if Millennium keeps up the momentum.
There are many more hotels on Twitter. Here is a comprehensive list for you to find your favorites or to touch base with any of the hotels you plan on visiting.
Photo Credit: Karen Bodkin (screenshot of Twitter)
Chicago’s Hyatt Regency McCormick
Posted , add a commentPosted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip
Hyatt Regency McCormick, Chicago
While I don’t recommend arriving in Chicago at 1:30 in the morning on a flight from San Francisco, it’s safe to say that I didn’t encounter any rush hour traffic. I was in the windy city to speak about travel writing at the BlogHer conference. This was only my second visit to Chicago and I was excited to be back in this museum filled city.
Unfortunately, my luggage, on a non-stop flight from San Francisco, didn’t arrive on my United Airlines flight. I should have known better than to check my bag, but I was attending a conference and knew my carry-on suitcase would not be able to hold the items I would take home with me.
The folks at Chicago Hyatt Regency McCormick were very understanding of my situation. I was given the key to an $850 Executive Suite and a fully-stocked toiletries bag was delivered to my beautiful hotel room. At least I had a wonderful view of downtown Chicago and the lake while I waited for my luggage to be delivered.
Executive Suite & Cool Jazz
Executive Suite 2933
My room was on the twenty nineth floor of the 33-story hotel. There were nineteen Executive Suites at the Hyatt Regency McCormick with one suite located on floors 14-33. For the convention goers, the 800 room Hyatt is connected to the McCormick Place Convention Center and Arie Crown Theater via a concourse pedestrian walkway and is a ten-minute drive from downtown Chicago. I appreciated the complimentary shuttle that dropped me on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, otherwise known as Michigan Avenue. Check with the hotel for shuttle service times or hop on the #3 bus, which will take you downtown to shopping and dining heaven or Millennium Park, between Randolph and Monroe streets.
The hotel is hip on social media, is on Twitter and even has a blog, but still doesn’t offer wireless internet throughout the facility. Plans are underway to remedy the Wi-Fi situation. If you find yourself staying here mid-week in the summer, you can check out Cool Jazz Thursdays from 7-9 p.m., where a Columbia College jazz quartet plays music on the patio. Available at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts worldwide, the company is offering a collection of value-added packages such as Amour, Balance, Awaken and Explore. The “Field Explorer” package includes two tickets to the Field Museum and complimentary one-way shuttle service to the museum.
In case you were wondering. United Airlines did eventually deliver my bag to the hotel. If you ever find yourself separated from your luggage, I have some Lost Luggage Tips for you to consider.
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place (312) 567-1234
2233 South Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
Photos by Nancy D. Brown
Days Inn San Francisco — Civic Center/Hayes Valley
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Clean, convenient, and soulless, the Days Inn SF.
Sometimes, what you’re looking for is a predicable hotel chain that offers a decent value for your money. Two words: Days Inn.
There are three Days Inns in the city, all individually owned franchises. This Grove Street location, also called Days Inn San Francisco is close to San Francisco’s geographical center and borders on the Civic Center area — home to City Hall, the ballet, symphony, Herbst Theatre, the Asian Art Museum, and a great Farmers’ Market. It’s a block north of trendy Hayes Valley with great boutiques, restaurants, cafes, corner markets, and a nice open greenspace.
It is also adjacent to some of the city’s toughest housing projects, so vigilance is mandatory, particularly at night.
You get what you would expect at Days Inn. Free parking in a lot out front, clean, antiseptic-smelling rooms, polyester bedspreads, in-room coffee makers, decent mattresses, convenience.
The Days Inn San Francisco on Grove Street.
At the Days Inn San Francisco, they also throw in free wi-fi, newspapers (USA today), refrigerators, microwaves, cable, and free continental breakfast — if you call individually-wrapped muffins with a shelf life of more than 50 years and a styrofoam cup full of weak coffee breakfast… This location also offers suites and Jacuzzi rooms and there is a burger joint on the premises.
If you’re looking for charm, character, or perhaps to meet other travelers, this is not the place. But, if you want something reliable, clean, and affordable with parking, Days Inn won’t disappoint.
Rates seem a bit arbitrary with different discount promotions bandied about on the website, but basically ranged from $80.75 on the low end with a 15 percent discount to $145 for a king bed suite. I would call personally first and ask for a discount.
Days Inn San Francisco
465 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 8654-4040
Photo credit: Lisa Dion
