Redondo Beach: Where To Stay

May 29th, 2009 by Hilarye

Redondo Beach is a beautiful little city located about 15 minutes south of the LAX airport. So it’s a quick jaunt, within 40 minutes of landing you can be laying by the beach, enjoying funnel cake or taking a relaxing bike ride around the pier. It’s a perfect place to take your family to enjoy a family vacation or take that special someone for a romantic getaway.

Accommodations are an important part of any vacation. While sometimes they can be a headache, I promise you that if you choose to stay right in Redondo Beach the headache is non-existent. There are many places to choose from and something for everyone’s budget or needs.

crowneplazaCrowne Plaza Redondo Beach Hotel: This is a great choice if you are planning a vacation for your family or if you are planning a meeting. The hotel has a great location very close to the pier and beach. Guests can pamper themselves with a weekend stay in one of the hotel’s stunning guestrooms and a treatment at the European Day Spa. Energize with a workout at Gold’s Gym, free 24 hours a day. Book a sailboat or a whale-watching cruise. Discover South Bay surf and sand. Stroll or bike along miles of beachside trails; walk to over 15 ocean view dining spots; take a free shuttle to area shopping malls.

Enjoy great steaks, seafood, pizza, salads, and more in the casual, affordable Splash Bistro and Lounge featuring daily Sunset Dinner, the South Bay’s best Chef’s Table, weekend live piano, private parties and corporate events.

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Best Places To Honeymoon On A Budget: Nassau, Bahamas

February 24th, 2009 by Hilarye

sheratonNassauresortHoneymoons are one of the most romantic vacations you will ever take in your life (at least it should be). A honeymoon is meant to be a time where you and your new spouse can get away from family and the stresses of planning your wedding and enjoy being together. It is the start of your new life.
 
Honeymoons can be an added stress if you are not careful, as many times they can be quite costly. This post will be my first of ten to help give ideas of luxurious and adventurous vacations for new couples that would be great honeymoons and still keep some green in your pocket.
 
Why the Bahamas? Gorgeous beaches, exquisite shopping and dining, and not to far off the mainland- it’s only an hour flight from Miami. You’ll love it here. On average the temperature is around 70-80 degrees all year round. For just $1.25 you can take a bus into town and go shopping, tour the pirate museum, walk around the city, or go on a variety of different tours and excursions.
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Stay Classy San Diego!

July 24th, 2008 by Hilarye

If you have ever visited San Diego then you know that there is something different about this mildly tempered California metropolis. San Diego, which is located 125 miles south of Los Angeles, is a haven for city-dwellers who want to get away and relax, has miles of sandy beaches, and where the average weather ranges from mid sixties to high seventies all year long. No wonder this is a hot spot for tourists.

Visiting San Diego was something I had been wanting to do for a long time. I had been there once as a kid but didn’t really remember what it was like or didn’t even have clear memories of the visit. So the excitement I felt was a bit of an understatement. We had some issues with our flight- we weren’t able to land in San Diego due to the wind and so we were re-routed to LAX for a couple of hours. Then when we finally managed to get into San Diego, but it was so late that the rental car company was closed. Arghhhh. While it was a rough start, the rest of our trip definitely made up for it.

One of the great things about San Diego is there is so much to do and so much to see. Of course you have SeaWorld which is always an awesome time and the San Diego Zoo however these places can be a little costly but for sure worthwhile. We first ventured to Coronado because we had heard great things about the city. It was cool and fun to see- the hotel is beautiful and looks like it would be a great place to stay and vacation. The beaches are beautiful as well.

Other things I would definitely recommend to do during your visit to San Diego would be to journey to Point Loma, which is a hilly peninsula in the pacific ocean. Point Loma in and of itself has a few things to explore, Old Point Loma Lighthouse is kind of fun and you can actually go in it and see how the keeper lived, a museum, some bunkers from World War two days and some really fun tidal pools that kids (and adults) would love. The view you get of San Diego is breathtaking- but as a warning there is walking uphill associated, although it’s pretty accessible by car. Plus its pretty cheap admittance- about $5 that covers parking and is good for a week.

Gas Lamp Quarter is gorgeous. I would recommend plan to eat at least one dinner in the Gas Lamp Quarter. The small restaurants are a little pricey but it’s romantic and the food is worth the money. We drove a little north and went to mission beach. We rented bikes and rode along the board walk (it was about $30 to rent two bikes for a couple of hours). It’s more of a surf beach that is a lot of fun. It also was gorgeous.

Old Town San Diego is also worth checking out- as is Balboa Park (where San Diego Zoo is located). Also the waterfront is a fun place to explore old ships, and learn about San Diego’s history. Ours was a short weekend trip where we crammed in as much as we could. I would recommend a week long vacation so as you could relax and maybe enjoy a Padres game, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo and all the great things San Diego has to offer.

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