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Leave Las Vegas!

By on October 15, 2011 in General, Slideshowable
Lower Ribbon Falls off the North Kaibab Trail ...

Image via Wikipedia

 

From Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon An increasingly popular road trip with couple travelers is the trek from Las Vegas to the Mecca of road trip destinations, the Grand Canyon. There is a reason why driving to the Grand Canyon can be compared to a religious pilgrimage. It might be the only place on Earth, due to its vastness and unadulterated glimpse into our world’s geological history, that will emotionally move every person who visits it and force them to contemplate the planet and their place in it, or at the very least let out a long, but meaningful “Whoa!” There is something poetic about starting off at the home of cirque du soleil, Caesars Palace and the Mandalay Bay on the strip, whose lights can be seen at night for miles, and heading to the Grand Canyon, whose natural wonder can be seen from space.

 

With Las Vegas in your rear view and the man-made city fading in the distance, there are many smaller natural wonders to see before reaching the Canyon. The roads to the Canyon are not entirely paved which makes taking a rental car a smart idea and the trip can be done in one day but if you want to spend time at the sights along the way, it’s ideally a multi-day trip. If you haven’t seen the Hoover Dam before then you should drive up to it and appreciate man’s ingenuity and the power it provides as it cuts across the mighty Colorado River. Lake Meade is a relaxing place to visit as the peaceful lake will feel like an oasis to break up the ride through the desert roads up north to the Grand Canyon. Lake Meade is a byproduct of the Hoover Dam built in the 1930s, but the Grand Canyon was created through millions of years of geologic erosion.

 

The Valley of Fire State Park is a good place to stop on I-15 after your first 50 miles to check out the beautiful red rock sandstone formations and petrified wood that give the Mojave Desert its unique look. There are people who come here to camp and hike and it is definitely offers great sites for photo opportunities.

 

Once you reach Grand Canyon National Park and the South Rim you’ll be hitting the vantage points as you first enter the South Rim, which is the area that gets the biggest group of tourists. Overlooks at Grand Canyon Village, Hermits Rest Road and Desert View Drive offer you spectacular views of the massive nature of the Canyon. The best way to really appreciate the Grand Canyon is to peer up from it and gaze it at while taking a walk down one of the canyon’s trails. Seeing the canyon from below the rim makes the geological marvel seem more real as if you aren’t looking out at a giant postcard anymore but a real, living environment with amazing wildlife. The Tonto Trail might provide the most dramatic views of the canyon and more solitude than other trails. The Tonto Trail probably is the best choice for the serious hiker and at the section that links it with the Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails is a great introduction to the unique beauty of the inner canyon’s unique character.

A visit to the Grand Canyon will open your eyes wide to our ever-changing planet and the immense beauty of a canyon formed over time. The next time you are planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon and need a rental car, visit www.rentacarnow.com. They offer the cheapest car rental prices around on car rentals from Enterprise, Dollar, Thrifty and more.

5 Secrets to get your “Indoor Girl” Outdoors

By on September 20, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Amazon River trip oneSo how do you get you indoor girl into the great outdoors? Not as simple as it sounds.   (I must first do a shout out to all of your outdoor girls, you rock!)  Luci’s idea of roughing it… is a hotel without room service! Seriously, I salute Luci, she has braved everything from taking a canoe up the Amazon to sleeping in a yurt in the African savannah. We came up with a few hints to make venturing into the wild a little easier.

Be Prepared

We have found an ounce of prevention can equal a pound of cure. Going into the wild, you are going to meet two arch enimies to indoor peoples: Dirt and Bugs. While you can’t pack all of the creature comforts into the woods, you and pack a few things that make the go of it loads easier. Item #1 insect repellant. This stuff is perhaps the most important thing in your pack. Buy the good stuff. If you are going into the really adventurous areas (see Amazon, Nile and other non-blackberry functioning areas) you need a strong concoction with lots of something called DEET. DEET is magic. If you are going in a little less extreme area , find some non-scent insect repellent. The pros of DEET juice: protects the really bad stingers. The negatives of DEET: it smells to high heaven, and it is sticky. YUCK! If the areas you are headed to don’t have mosquito borne illness threats, use the non-scent stuff.

Set Expectations

Some of our best/worst fights came from different expectations. One of the keys in bringing someone that is not an outdoors person into outdoors is they tend to see what they fear most. If they hate bugs….then they will see the bugs. They will see the dirt. They will “think” they hear the dangerous critters in the night. One way to help your spouse is to say paint the picture for them: “There will be bugs. We have the spray to minimize their presence. We will be sleeping in nets to prevent them getting at us at night. Yes, there will be dirt. But, at such and such a point, we are going to shower and at another point we are going to swim under waterfalls.” Building what to expect can go a long way to make the trip bearable for the non-out-of-doors folks.

Share Your Glasses

One of the main barriers for indoor people is that they flat out don’t understand what drives outdoor people to go out doors. We encourage couples to find ways to communicate effectively. Sharing ones passion for the great outdoors can really help one spouse understand the other. One of our experiences in the Amazon really highlights this understanding. It was evening and we had been out on the river the entire day. Luci was swatting bugs in fine form. I invited her to sit on a bench overlooking the river and watch the sunset. Candidly, it was one of the most magnificent sunsets I have ever seen. The sky was lit up with dramatic reds and yellows. We just sat and watched. All of the sudden, the dirt, bugs and hungry jaguars in the distance didn’t really matter. She was looking through my glasses, she understood (for a few mili-seconds) why I love the jungle.

Wonderful Amazon SunsetMix it up

One of our little secrets for couple travel is to amplify. As our voyage progresses we go to better and better places. Start off with the camping trip, then end the trip at the lux resort. This does two things; it gives your spouse something to look forward to after roughing it. It also makes them remember the positive. Great idea huh?

Wanna see some more Amazon pics?  Including some spiders and creepy crawlies?  Just like us on Facebook.

Be a Hero

If your sweetheart isn’t really into the more adventurous destinations, and they suck it up and sacrifice for you, you gotta make it up to him or her. Slip her favorite luxury item into the pack. Do they love honey covered almonds? Stow some away in your pack and at the right time, bam! You are a hero. Even better, pack their favorite elixir… perhaps a bottle of 2009 Txomin Etxaniz (Basque country wine) and break it out at the right time and …..BAM! You are a hero.

That is it!  Our 5 tips for getting your “indoor” girl into the great outdoors.  Be prepared in advance of your trip, build realistic expectations.  Help you sweetheart understand what you love about nature.  Perhaps the best hint is to be a hero, look for little things along the way that will make the outing more pleasurable.  In the end, regardless if you are in the Amazon Jungle or taking touring caravans in the UK. Make the most of your adventures by following a few of the steps spelled out above.

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10 Things to Know for Your First International Trip

By on September 5, 2011 in General

We put together a little cheat sheet for you folks who are attempting your first international trip.  These little hints are the sum of all our knowledge from visiting a couple dozen different counties on 5 continents.  These are the things that we wish we would have known, but were painful lessons learned out on the road.

1)Roll with it

Ok, this is your first trip abroad.  You happen to be the type A, planner type.  Take a chill pill!  Regardless of how planned you are, things are going to be different than you expect.  Roads don’t exist that are clearly on the map!  This is a really good thing.  Experiencing another culture, another language, and another environment makes you a better person.  You can understand and cope with differences better after your return.  You become more deep as a human being.  Just to recap, things are going to be crazy.  A lot of things are going to come at you fast.  Savor every moment!

2)Speak the Language

If you are a loyal 1000 Fighter, you know that we always harp on this.  It is so critical in order to really get to know a new country, you must, must, must know some of the language.  You by no means need to be fluent.  Its better if you are not.  You do need to know enough to engage in a small conversation without relying on your native tongue.  Our goal is always to know enough to chat up a taxi driver for 10 mins.  Know how to talk about the weather.  You don’t need to conjugate every verb, you need to know how to ask a kid their name, and how old they are.

Turkish Breakfast

3)Just Try It

This little nugget of advice applies on so many levels.  Lets start with the food.  As you departing on your first international trip, you are going to see menus that look Greek even if you are in China!  When you walk into the food establishment, glance around,  pick out something that looks interesting and give it a try.  Why not?  (If your are in Cusco, Peru- give the guineu pig a try!) You have never been on balloon flights UK?  Follow rule number 3.  Just try it!   The beauty of experience days is stepping outside your comfort zone.

4)Ask a Lot of Questions

Luci is a real pro at this.  It is her reporter background.  Regardless if we are on a plane, in a museum, taking a nature tour, or just in a cab, she is always pumping anyone that will listen for information.  Why?  Frankly, you don’t know what you don’t know.  There may be another bigger unknown waterfall just around the corner.  There may be a cheaper place to buy your souvenirs just down the road.  The taxi driver might have a brother that runs a better tour.  All of these things have happened to us.  Only because we asked.

5) Follow your instincts

Traveling internationally, trust your gut.  One of our fave couple travel bloggers: Y Travel Blog recently did a post on safety tips for single female travelers, in this article Caz says: “Trust your intuition.  It always knows best. If something doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it. There is a reason why you get that unsettled feeling in your stomach when you meet that strange person on the beach.  Don’t freak yourself out by imaginary monsters, but definitely pay attention to those little messages our animal instincts give us.”

If you are in a place that doesn’t fell right, leave. Common sense kinda stuff.  We must say, be careful of situations where your instincts are dulled: “see drinking too much barley pop.”

6)Smile

We give you permission to forget every other one of our hints in this post, please don’t forget this one.  This is the most powerful hint to traveling abroad.  The smile is the universal language.  Attempt to speak Turkish,  compliment them on their beautiful country and then grin ear to ear.  Your feeble attempts at communication  will be supplanted with the power of the smile.  If you are struggling figuring out the exchange rate and what all of the multi-colored monopoly money means…flash a big toothy grin.  No problems.   Smile at everyone.  Give the little children you pass on the street a warm smile, the old man in the chair in front of his flat a big one as well.  The returns from this small gesture will pay huge dividends.

7)Be Prepared

The old boy scout motto applies to international travel.  If you are going to the Amazon, buy some medical evacuation coverage.  If you are going to Tahiti and you only wear a certain sun tan lotion, bring it.  Think through things on a couple of levels.  Put your money in a couple different places.  Another couple of our travel friends, Cam and Nicole have a great story about this!  “How I got robbed by a Thai prostitute on the streets of Bangkok.”  Cam shared this story with us when we were up in Vancouver, BC this summer.  We are still laughing.  The moral of the story is always be prepared!

8) Don’t Follow the Other Tourists

It is soooo tempting when traveling abroad to do what everyone else is doing.  But didn’t your mom warn you about doing this?  If not, we are!  Don’t go on a tourist bender.  If you are prepared, and follow the other tips above, wander out of the norm.  See the undiscovered sites.  Are they still out there you ask?  YOU BET THEY ARE.  Will you get lost?  We sure hope so.  Some of our best moments traveling are when we get lost.  Be a leader, not a follower.

9) Show me the Money

Every place you go, you are going to need rupees, pounds, yens, or coconuts…Be prepared.  Exchange some cash at the airport.  Have a couple different flavors of credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, and something else.  Anywhere you go, money will flow.  Have some.  The law of travel we have found that is that ATMs are never close, and they are finicky.  Having cards from different banks is literally a lifesaver.

10)Pack Light

We really hate to put this one in.  How can we preach something we don’t practice? Mike is the all time worst packer.  He packs a ton.  He is a child of the 1980s so he has to match the seasons, with clothes for every event, restaurant, and setting.  Don’t follow his example!  Here’s why it is so critical that you follow this suggestion.  Luggage is heavy.  On every single international trip we have taken, we have ended up walking long, long distances with luggage.  It WILL happen to you.  If you pack heavy, you will be tired.  Good decisions are rarely made when tired.  Especially if you are traveling as a couple.  You can always buy more clothes when you get there.  In fact, this is a really good idea.

So that’s it!  Our 10 ideas that will make your life a little easier making your first trip abroad.  Now go and book those tickets.  After you come back, please share with us the lessons you learned!  We would love to hear your ideas and suggestions.  Just leave us a comment below.  Bon Voyage!

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New York +Rockettes+Christmas=FUN!

By on September 5, 2011 in General
Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Image via Wikipedia

For everyone who thought that Christmas only comes once a year, think again!

The world-famous Radio City Rockette’s officially kicked off Christmas in August, unveiling the NEW 2011 Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Rockette’s Magical Journey!

This year’s Christmas Spectacular includes 3 D!  (The rockets in 3 D….we have Mike’s attention!)  Not only that, the performance will include amaing special effects and more!  Get you plane tickets now!  The annual event will be showing November 11- Jan 2nd at the amazing Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

7 Questions with Here, There, and Elsewhere

By on August 29, 2011 in General

Do you ever get a kind of insight when you meet someone for the very first time? You say to yourself, this person is going places?  Is it charisma?  Well we feel this way about our 7 Questions featured couple this week.  They are really destined for some great adventures!   So… meet:  Bryan and Laura.

Blog:  Here, There and Elsewhere

Twitter: The DeLuca’s (follow them as they have hit the “2000 barrier”)

 

1) How many countries visited between the two of you?

Team DeLuca has been to 22 countries collectively…Bryan having visited 12 and Laura ten. Not too shabby for a pair of (strong to quite strongly attractive) amateurs.

2) If you had to travel with someone else besides your travel partner, who would it be? (this person can be living, historical or mythical?.)

He Said: Morgan Freeman, so he could narrate my entire journey.

She Said: I would travel with one of my best friends, Katie. She and I met six years ago at an alumnae gathering where I proceeded to unknowingly make fun of one of her high school acquaintances, and we’ve been friends ever since. She and I have similar interests – could sight-see one day, then watch a Real Housewives marathon the next while ordering room service in our PJs – and get into quite a bit of trouble when we are together.

3)What has been your favorite destination in your wanderings?

He said: Switzerland because it’s so tranquil and picturesque. And the sheep are cute, too.

She said: I feel like such a typical girl when I say this, but definitely Paris. The sights, the smells, the random men in their underwear splashing around in fountains. It’s just delightful.

4) If you had to eat one last meal, what/ where would you eat?

He said: This is a tough one, but I’d have to pick steak and lobster at a really nice steakhouse. You know, man food.

She said: Hands down, I would have a Tex-Mex feast. A little queso here, some sour cream chicken enchiladas there, and a nice margarita to wash it all down.

5)How do you pick the places you visit? Spontaneous vs. planned?

He said: A little bit of both. I like knowing what I’m doing but I like getting lost, too.

She said: I spontaneously let Bryan plan most things.

6) If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?

He said: Cancer, that bastard.

She said: Human trafficking, those bastards.

7)You knew it was coming….What has been your greatest travel fight/disagreement?

She said: Well, I was working until the 11th hour prior to a weekend jaunt to New Orleans. Apparently I was the cause of us not only almost missing our flight, but also our bags having to travel on a later one. Then I got food poisoning and my husband went to a vampire party without me. I’d say that was quite the travel adventure and fight. Oops!

He said: Fighting about the fight Laura just mentioned.

 

1000Fights: Wow!  This couple has spunk! Ok, lets get the obvious out of the way.  We know that they are likely the odds on fav for our Hot Blogger Contest.  Luci says that they are going to make beautiful babies…I am not really sure what that means.  Anyway.  H T & E are headed on a whirlwhind trip and we wish them the very best in their travels and adventure together.  As a parting shot, we want to share one of their recent tweets:

HTandE The DeLuca’s
30 minutes ’til our guests arrive, and my hubs and I just slow danced in our kitchen. #lovebirds
5:27 PM Aug 27th

Bryan and Laura-Come back and tell us when the fighting starts!

 

 

 

 

Shhhh….Our Secrets to Discount VIP Travel

By on August 12, 2011 in General, Slideshowable
John and Yoko suite ams hilton

Image by 1000fights via Flickr

We thought we would let you in on a few of our VIP travel secrets…

Ask for the Moon

Have you ever asked for the Honeymoon Suite? It never hurts to ask.  Most hotel managers will tell you the premium suites are vacant most of the time. During shoulder seasons especially– just asking often opens the door to some really nice rooms. High inventory cities are also prone to willingness to upgrade you if it is an “off” weekend, or better yet a weekday.  “Large inventory” areas like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Miami, Paris, ect are an easy target.

Getting an upgrade at a discounted rate can be cheaper than a standard room due to the amenities that come with. Upgraded rooms often have access to free: wifi, bottled water, hospitality rooms, ect.  Don’t ever expect to get upgraded…Grandma’s rules apply: a little bit a honey goes a long way.

Another place to ask for the upgrade is at the rental car desk. We have friends that always book economy and play the upgrade game at the desk. This approach can be risky if the desk is swamped, they are out of cars, or if you find “Mr. NO!” behind the counter. Always ask about your options.  Negotiate a price.  Most rental car companies put a ton of miles on the economy and mid-size cars. They need to put some miles on those Cadillacs and Audis.  For those that are a little fearful to ask: just say…”what else do you have?”

Trust me, those counter agents get asked all the time.

Book Early or Late

If you are catching the train to the airport then you might be able to afford to go first class if you book yourself a ticket early enough. Train and air lines often have early bird deals on their website, it might take a little bit more planning as they often require you to book your ticket some time in advance but it can be worth it if you get a first class ticket for negligible extra cost.

An old Chinese Proverb goes: Empty seats make no money.  Again, during certain times of the year the best seats on trains and planes go empty.  There is a load of websites out there that offer great bargains on last minute travel.  This is certainly not for the faint at heart.  For crazy planners like Luci and I, this option would never work.  The fact remains there are deals to be had on last minute travel.  Give it a try.

Airline Perks

The three words that strike fear and loathing to avid travelers: LONG LAY OVER.   They are the bane of our exsisitence.  How can you travel VIP if you have to sit in an airport lounge for hours on end?  Enter the airline club rooms.  Worth every penny for long layovers.  Food?  Yep.  Newspaper and popular mags?  Yep.  Comfy chairs?  Yep.  A little privacy?  Yep.

Back to rule one, why not just ask the desk, tell them that you have a long layover and do they ever offer discounted entry?  If you happen to be female, entry barriers seem to be lessened if you find a bored gate attendant.  They are often eager to help (wink).

Valet Airport Parking

We have found the way you start and end your trip make all the difference.  If you are driving to the airport then you have a think about  Airport Parking the options that are open to you.  If you don’t want the bog standard park and ride service then you might be able to find a good deal on valet parking or even treat yourself to the most VIP option which is a chauffeur service.  Valet parking can really add a touch of class to your journey as your own driver will meet you at the airport when you arrive, all you need to do is hand over your vehicle and your keys and they will take your car to a secure place for the duration of your stay.

On your return they will meet you when your flight arrives and have your car waiting for you right outside departures.  It truly is how the other half travels.  Prices are surprisingly affordable.

We hope these tips and tricks are helpful.  Do you have any secrets to getting the VIP experience?  Leave a comment below.

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Our 7 Links

By on June 24, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Tripbase recently started a new project meant to connect travel bloggers around the world & share their awesome content.  We were nominated by our friend Christina of Middle Seat View.  Thanks Christina!  We have been running our blog for the past year and a half.  We have learned a lot.  More important we have made some great friends all around the world.  People that we would have never met.  We are so grateful for their friendship.

So as a part of this project, we share 7 links.  These are out babies, so it was hard to pick ones for each question…Anyway, here they are.  We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we had writing.

At the end of this post, we nominate a few travel bloggers to continue on the project.

1)    Our Most Beautiful Post:

https://1000fights.com/general/fighting-couple-safari-2/

Our trip to South Africa was a tour of sights, sounds and images we will never forget.

2)    Our Most Popular Post:

https://1000fights.com/general/turkish-baths-arent-for-whimps/

Hands down, Mike’s  first Turkish bath has been far and away our most popular.  Not sure why?

3)    Our My Most Controversial Post:

https://1000fights.com/general/observations-race-south-africa/

Race is always a touchy subject.  It can elicit strong emotions.  This was a great guest post that took on the subject.

4)    Our Most Helpful Post:

https://1000fights.com/general/turkish-take-aways-churches/

This took us the most work to research.  We worked hard before we visited the sites to know what we were going to see.  Writing the we did equally the amount of research.  We have had a number of kind comments about it’s helpfulness.

5)    A Post Whose Success Surprised Us:

https://1000fights.com/general/blogging-bombshells/

We decided to host a little “blog beauty contest”.  We wanted to highlight the great travel blogs out there.  We didn’t expect much,and candidly didn’t put a whole lot of work into it. Turns out it went crazy!  Folks voting and encouraging others to vote.  It was a blast.

6)    A Post We Feel didn’t get the Attention it Deserved:

https://1000fights.com/greatest-fights/

Part of our blog’s mission is to collect great travel fights.  Read our best one.  Have a great travel fight, we would love to hear about it.

7)    The Post that We are Most Proud of:

https://1000fights.com/slideshowable/swaziland-a-window-into-hope-and-desperation/

Swaziland is not exactly on everyone’s destination list to visit on vacation.  We did.  We were better people for it.  So many lessons learned.  I just wish we could have spent more time there.

Now comes the fun part. I’m nominating the following bloggers to share their wisdom by publishing their 7 links on their blogs:

The Roamantics

Jack and Jill Travel

The 10 Year Itch

The Thinking Nomads

Dream a little Dream

Stay in a Castle! In the States?

By on March 1, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

When you say hey….I stayed the night in a castle, visions of a Cinderella type mountain top postcard shot come to mind.  Well you don’t need to go to Austria or Switzerland to cross this one off you bucket list.  Just head to the beautiful pacific northwest.  Manresa Castle is one of the most enchanting bed and breakfast we have found.

We rolled up to the Castle late on a misty evening.  We were stunned the next morning to throw open the drapes and we were overpowered by the dramatic view.  Perched on an overlook of the San Juan Islands-the view is simply not to be missed.

The Castle is steeped in history, and finely restored.  From the Castle’s Website:

“The Castle was completed in 1892 as the home of Charles and Kate Eisenbeis. Mr. Eisenbeis was a prominent member of the early Port Townsend business community. His business interests were diverse including a bakery, brick works, lumber mill, brewery, bank and a hotel.

In keeping with his status in the community, Eisenbeis built what was the largest private residence ever built in Port Townsend, consisting of 30 rooms. Locals referred to the building as the “Eisenbeis Castle;” its design was reminiscent of some of the castles in Eisenbeis’ native Prussia.”

The rooms are spacious with “bizzillion” foot tall ceilings.  Room furnishing are a bit understated.  But the common rooms, especially the library and the bar are impressive.

What would you expect? The food is fit for a king!  Chef Chad Woodland is a master!  Loved the fresh pacnorthwest seafood!  Here is a link to the menu.

We kept saying to each other…wouldn’t this be such a cool place to get married.  You bride to be’s looking for a great place for a location wedding..look no further.  Imagine the bragging rites:  Yeah…I got married in a Castle.

Port Townsend is a quaint Victorian seaport, located across the sound from Seattle, WA.  The area is chock full of fun.  Port Townsend has it all: wineries, golf, whale watching, and even a rain forest!

Getting there is half the adventure:

Seaplane

Ferry

By car: From points south, you follow Highway 104 across the Hood Canal bridge and take the SR 19 exit to Port Townsend. If you are coming from the west, follow scenic Highway 101 to the SR 20 turnoff to Port Townsend. From points north, you can take the coastal roads on Whidbey Island and board the ferry at Keystone.

The 3 most romantic spots in the world

By on February 8, 2011 in General

Ok..Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and we get asked a lot…  “What is the most romantic spot that you guys have ever been?”  What exactly makes a location romantic?  What is that “je ne sais quoi” that makes one place better than another?  Obviously, the key ingredient is the one you’re with. The sights, sounds and environs can also be spices that make the recipe work.   So many come to mind, but we narrowed it down to three.  Undoubtedly there are zillion other places on this green/blue globe that are amazing…we just haven’t been there yet.

So what was important to us in selecting these locations?  Our first criterion is that we have experienced them first hand.  Love tested; Love approved.  Anyone that knows us…knows that we have a tendency to fight.  So our locations must be unanimous picks.  (Not as easy as it sounds).  Lastly, we took Paris out the running.  Why?  Every other blogger is writing sappy and lovey-dovey posts as we speak about the “City of Love.” Paris is remarkable, read the other blogs…after reading ours :)  Our last criterion is there must be some sort of magical/mystic quality about the location.  The three places we picked all have magic.

Villa il Poggiale, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy-

How could we use the word romantic without pulling Italy in somehow?  The Villa is a quaint and somewhat difficult to find, a short drive from Florence Italy.   Is this the nicest most expensive B & B in Tuscany?  No, not by a long shot.  And maybe that’s what makes this place so special?  You are not going to break the bank to say a weekend or even a week here.  It is located smack dab in the rolling green hills of Tuscany.  Take a walk down the gravel road behind the Villa, basking in the hills and scenery of Tuscany.  You’ll feel miles away from anywhere. What makes the magic of this place?  It is the little road behind it.  Ok…Luci is a huge fan of the movie, “A Room with a View.”   At one point in this chick Flick, the main characters take an afternoon ride in the Tuscan countryside.  We are convinced that they came to Villa il Poggiale.  It takes you back to old Italy.  The B & B is quaint.  Yes, it does have a humble pool overlooking a vineyard.  It has the cypress trees lining the drive as you come into the property. And, yes the owners are just about the coolest people in all of old Italy.    This place is magical for the dramatic setting…humble accommodations…and five star sunsets.

Now that’s Amore!

Marin Headlands-

Located just across the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the remnants of the fighting days WWII.  (Maybe that’s why we like it so much?)  It harbors a network of abandoned war bunkers facing the Bay.  Drive up along the tops of the hills overlooking the city, the Bay and the Pacific Ocean.  What makes this place so special are the views, and the fog.  For some meteorological reason, this place has the strangest weather.  Often, you are above the fog, and just the tippy tops of the Golden Gate poke through and then the city lights illuminate the fog and it appears to been a golden blanket of cotton balls.  At other times the fog rolls down the hills like water.  There are a number of secluded beaches, a lighthouse, and many fragrant eucalyptus groves along the headlands.  Pack a lunch and take a hike through the trails that go between each of the war bunkers…take a horse ride down to a beach or through a forest.  So many options!

Bring a blanket to snuggle with!

Sirheni Bushveld Camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa—

Kruger Park is one of the largest public game reserves in all of Africa.  South Africa has preserved this corner of its county to celebrate wildlife including lions, hippos, elephants, and cheetahs. Now, there are different levels of camps and lodges within Kruger Park.  Similar to the location above, Sirheni is not the lap of luxury by any stretch of the imagination.  You even have to do your own cooking!  We found the accommodations at Sirheni the best in our Kruger experience. The camp is a collection of modern one bedroom condo-ish looking structures, which have huge back porches overlooking the Sirheni Dam, on the Mghongolo River.  Your back porch is a water hole and views and access are unmatched. As we sat on the back porch we heard a rumble of cracking brush and trees and elephants walked past our porch just 20 feet away.  At one point we literally stood a couple of feet away from several elephants.  The layout of the 20 or so bungalows is well done to create an isolated feel.  As the sun sets, you can watch animals take a drink or cool off from the hot African sun and you enjoy your own beverage of choice or cook a slab of beef on the bbq provided.  In the distance you will hear elephants splashing and hippos whistling.

We share these three locations as our recommended romantic locales…so where would you recommend?  Did we miss the best place?

The Hottest Travel blogger of 2010?

By on January 5, 2011 in General

Congrats to our friend Keith!  http://www.traveling-savage.com

“A hunter, oft-stubbled and bleary-eyed, driven by an insatiable hunger for exploration and experience – and perhaps a chance to thin the herd of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. From distant locales around the world to local spots in the neighborhood, I recount the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of life on the road and in the new.”-http://www.traveling-savage.com

Keith writes an impressive blog.  He delivers very tight writing and catchy and timely topics.  He is as widely traveled as any adventure blogger out there.  I think what makes his site the most interesting is his personal story.  His compelling story of how he came to the road makes for a good read.  We highly, highly recommend following his blog and twitter feed.

Twitter:  @travelingsavage

Congrats Keith!