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01-12-08 |
Love View |
St John VI |
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| Family vacation with Jessica, Jay, Annie and Matt. Villa on top of Minna Hill in Virgin Islands NP overlooking Johns Folly Bay. Incredible view, but rough road getting to the top. |
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06-02-08 |
Hotel Alyeska |
Girdwood, AK |
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| Nice accommodations, but not much to do at a ski resort in June. |
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06-04-08 |
McKinley Chalet |
Denali, AK |
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| Since there is no lodging inside Denali NP, this is a suitable alternative. We had a room in the Cottonwoods facing the Nenana River. |
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07-26-08 |
Mayflower Hotel |
Washington, D.C. |
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| Home of many Inaugural Balls in the Grand Ballroom, and temporary home of both Harry Truman and FDR. Nicely restored and convenient location away from the tourists. |
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08-07-08 |
Hotel Bethlehem |
Bethlehem, PA |
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| After many years of enjoyable stays, we are looking elsewhere for next year's Musikfest. The combination of being stuck in a tiny room next to the elevator, plus the fact that they will no longer take National Trust discounts, will send us to a local B&B next time. |
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05-08-09 |
Churchtown Inn |
Churchtown, PA |
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| Greatly expanded from the original two room house built in 1735, sitting on a hill overlooking Amish farmland. Friendly hosts with good breakfast, but if it were my house, I'd rip out the ugly wall to wall carpeting. |
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12-27-09 |
Hotel DuPont |
Wilmington, DE |
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| After 50 years in the the area, finally get to stay at the premier Wilmington landmark for my birthday. Got a package that included a $50 breakfast in the Green Room and tickets to Yuletide at Winterthur. |
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05-02-10 |
Hosteria Puertolago |
Otavalo, Ecuador |
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| Beautiful setting on the shore of San Pablo Lake with charming rustic cabins. The fire in the fireplace was even lit for us while we at dinner. Unfortunately, our stay was only for one evening. |
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05-03-10 |
Termas de Pallacta |
Cumbayá, Ecuador |
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| Located high in the Andean rain forest, between two volcanoes, Volcano Cayambe and Volcano Antisana, which fuel the hot springs located directly outside of our door. Another one night stand, but I did mange a hike in the morning before we were on our way. |
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05-05-10 |
La Casa del Suizo |
Punta Ahuano, Ecuador |
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| Accessible only by canoe on the Napo River, just east of the Andes and at the start of the Amazon basin.. We enjoyed tubing down the piranha and anaconda infested waters! |
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05-06-10 |
Hacienda Leito |
Patate, Ecuador |
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| A former Jesuit residence in colonial times, located just inside Llanganates National Park and within view of the Tungurahua volcano. Now a surprisingly luxurious resort and spa. |
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05-28-10 |
Henley Park Hotel |
Washington, DC |
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| Charming small hotel with an acceptable room, but a tiny lobby and not much going on in the neighborhood. The Mayflower is a better choice for an historic hotel in downtown DC. |
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07-21-10 |
Bristlecone Inn |
Estes Park, CO |
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| Original cabin moved from Rocky Mountain NP misleadingly advertised as a tranquil setting and able to walk out back door into park. In reality it sits over a restaurant parking lot. Cabin was charming, but setting was noisy and very disappointing. |
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07-23-10 |
Stanley Hotel |
Estes Park, CO |
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| Inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shinning". No evidence of paranormal activity on Ghost Tour, but Mr. Stanley, of Stanley Steamer fame, built a magnificent hotel at the gateway to Rocky Mountain NP. |
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10-29-10 |
The Pierpont Inn |
Ventura, CA |
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| Beautiful setting overlooking the Pacific, and wonderful breakfast, but losing some of it's luster. |
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10-31-10 |
Queen Mary |
Long Beach, CA |
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| Wonderful experience of the luxury life in the 30"s. Most art deco fixtures retained, and period music on the sound system. We even had a large cabin overlooking the harbor and the skyline of Long Beach. |
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05-08-11 |
Divani Palace Acropolis |
Athens, Greece |
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| Convenient location, we could see the Acropolis outside of our window, nicely secluded pool, and terrific breakfast (best food of the trip) but standard issue western style hotel. |
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05-09-11 |
Louis Majesty |
Greek Isles |
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| Not big cruise fans to start with, but this ship was showing it's age, the food was mediocre and though we didn't bother, the entertainment amateurish. Convenient way to see multiple Greek islands though. |
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05-28-11 |
The Churchill Hotel |
Washington, DC |
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| Located in DuPont Circle, away from the tourists, but unfortunately, uphill from the Metro stop. Nice neighborhood, with many restaurants and active street life. Classy room, but nondescript lobby. |
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07-21-11 |
The Spa at Norwich Inn |
Norwich, CT |
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| Didn't stay long enough to take advantage of the spa, but a very posh place. Ironically, the only entertainment in the area is at the opposite end of the class scale, two massive Indian casinos. |
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07-22-11 |
Providence Biltmore |
Providence, RI |
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| Great old hotel and the hub of the historic district Seems as vibrant as it must have been in it's heyday. As a bonus, it's walking distance to a terrific brew pub, the Union Station Brewery. |
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07-23-11 |
Wayfarer Inn |
New Bedford, MA |
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| Tiny, dirty, uncomfortable room, no air conditioning on a brutally hot day, mediocre breakfast. Good breakfast company was the only positive part of stay. Didn't even bother to take a photo. |
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07-24-11 |
Griswold Inn |
Essex, CT |
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| Very charming inn in an equally charming town. Didn't stay in the original inn, but in the c. 1790 Amasa Hayden house next door. Enjoyed a good beer in the pleasant inn restaurant and a good breakfast the following morning. |
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10-28-11 |
Bahama Bay Resort |
Orlando, FL |
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| Uninspiring, cookie-cutter architecture, but nice setting on a lake and convenient to Disney World. Beware the one time cleaning fee though, not recommended for short stays. |
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12-26-11 |
Hampton Inn & Suites |
Baltimore, MD |
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| Although not an official HHA, nice retrofit of a former bank, convenient to the Inner Harbor, attractive lobby, but the indoor pool needs to be heated. |
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01-29-12 |
Roughley Manor |
Twentyninepalms, CA |
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| Surprising elegance in a very remote area at the gateway to Joshua Tree NP. Excellent breakfast in the impressive great room. We didn't stay in the main house, but in a converted barn which included a complete kitchen. A resident owl was an added bonus. |
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01-30-12 |
Desert Riviera Hotel |
Palm Springs, CA |
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| A mid-century classic with a very friendly staff . Rooms are nothing special, but nice pool and garden area. Be sure to borrow their bikes and explore the neighborhood which includes trailers on an Indian reservation and upscale homes in the adjacent blocks. |
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02-01-12 |
Furnace Creek Ranch |
Death Valley, CA |
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| Pricey motel style rooms built on the former home of the famous Borax twenty mule team. The Inn is probably a much better choice if staying in Death Valley, but is way out of my price range. |
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05-06-12 |
Duboyne Castle Hotel & Spa |
Duboyne, Ireland |
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| Only got to spend a few hours here, but it looked very nice. The spa covered three floors and though we had full access, we unfortunately never saw it. As with all the castle hotels on this trip, our room was actually in an addition and not in the original structure, which was a bit disappointing. |
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05-07-12 |
Lough Eske Castle |
Donegal, Ireland |
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| Fortunately, got to stay two nights at the best hotel of our trip, yet we still didn't have time to visit the spa. The castle, dating back to the 1400's, was magnificently restored, and contained all the public spaces. Our room, again, was located in a very luxurious, though modern addition to the back. |
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05-09-12 |
Glenlo Abbey Hotel |
Busypark, Ireland |
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| Our room had a view of Lough Corrig and The Pullman Restaurant created from Orient Express rail cars. Breakfast in the classy River Room Room and dinner both nights in their pub. Very nice public spaces as well. |
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05-11-12 |
Muckross Park Hotel |
Killarney, Ireland |
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| Located at the entrance to Killarney National Park with a room view McGillycuddy's Reeks. Another unexplored spa and too little time spent enjoying the hotel . |
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05-13-12 |
Fitzpatrick Castle Dublin |
Dalkey, Ireland |
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| The only disappointing stay during our Castles of Ireland Tour. A bit run down and dirty, with only a dumpy pool (unused again!).Very helpful staff though helping resolve a last minute snafu. |
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05-25-12 |
Channel Inn Hotel |
Washington, D.C. |
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| Dated and could use some renovation, but nice location on the waterfront with a view of the Jefferson Memorial and close to a Metro stop. Cheap, free parking, but insist on a river view room. |
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07-21-12 |
Cornwall Inn |
Cornwall, PA |
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| Our base of operations as we searched for Barbara's ancestors in Central PA's cemeteries. Brought back memories of her childhood summer camp located nearby as well. A building of many uses over the years including Post Office and jail. |
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07-28-12 |
State House Inn |
Annapolis, MD |
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| Nice historic building and convenient location in the heart of Annapolis, with a view of the State House out our window. Disappointing though. Jack got a leaky air mattress rather that a roll away, and although there was a restaurant on site, no breakfast was included. Often, there was no one on site and no way to reach anyone. |
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10-06-12 |
Maryland Inn |
Annapolis, MD |
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| One of the oldest inns in Maryland, houses The Treaty of Paris 4 star restaurant, as well as the The Drummer's Lot pub which was our first food stop. |
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2008 - 2012
