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This is a story about these two.
How they loved every single, solitary moment of their honeymoon in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
From the amazingly lovely beaches.
To the fabulous mac and cheese at the Cayman Grill.
Seriously. Amazing mac and cheese.
To lounging in one of the pools in the Morgantown neighborhood where their beach house was located.
Hotels of all shapes, sizes, and price ranges exist all over the world. You can have privacy, room service, an amazing array of amenities, and the convenience of never having to clean your room. Restaurants, shops, tours, transportation are all available right outside the lobby door, so why in the world would you choose to stay in a Bed and Breakfast?
Because a Bed and Breakfast location can also offer those same bonuses along with a truly amazing and historical place to stay – not to mention a fabulous breakfast included in your rate. We have stayed in Bed and Breakfast locations all over the United States and find that we often enjoy them much more than a hotel stay. Here is an array of vastly different locations we have visited that you might want to add to your travel bucket list.
A lovely, historic greystone mansion located in the prestigious Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park which has been remodeled and furnished like an elegant Italian villa, this Bed and Breakfast is truly one of the most luxurious places we have ever stayed. With a beautiful, outside grotto and large hot tub, they have plenty of room for relaxing and even host cookouts in the summer. The back door leads into a nicely furnished and very comfortable lounge area with a fireplace which adjoins the dining area and the large, state of the art kitchen. The beautifully decorated living room is furnished with comfortable furniture for guests to gather and get to know one another. The Grand Tuscan Suite, where we stayed, is over 1,000 square feet and offers a flat screen television, fireplace, French doors out to a tiny but perfect terrace, and lovely hardwood floors. In addition, there is a huge bathroom with twin sinks, a marble soaking tub and a full steam shower. There is also another small bedroom with two twin beds which would be perfect for kids or another couple. Of course a full, hot, and delicious breakfast is served every morning and fresh fruit and freshly baked cookies are available every day, but the kitchen is also kept stocked for guests and you are free to help yourself. The fridge is full of cold tea and lemonade, as well as the makings for paninis, pizzas, and waffles. A Panini maker, pizza oven, and waffle maker are just part of the incredible service here. You are also free to use the kitchen to prepare meals or to store takeout in the fridge. It’s the perfect place to stay when visiting Chicago.
Read the rest of this article on Travel Generation HERE.
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We don’t play golf.
Never have, never will.
However.
We are huge fans of the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa which is one of the resorts on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Comprised of several fabulous resorts with world-class golf courses, staying at each of these resorts is a dream trip for any golfer. But, as we learned during a recent visit, you don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy these resorts.
The Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa is a four diamond resort built in 2005 and the area has an interesting history. In the mid-1800s, James Taylor Ross allowed the Confederate Army to build a bridge on his land which allowed the Confederacy to transport munitions from the Oxmoor furnaces through Brock’s Gap to the railroad on the other side of Shades Mountain. The bridge stands today a short walking distance from the resort, which I did not realize until I researched this article. Only thing to do is return so we can see the bridge! The land owned by the Ross family is now a luxury golf resort which I’m sure the Ross family could have never conceived in their wildest dreams.
Pull up to this luxury resort located right outside Birmingham, Alabama and you might think you have arrived at a castle in Scotland, complete with turret rooms and green, rolling hills. So Scottish that they actually have a guy who wanders around in the evening playing bagpipes.
Front of the Resort.
The grounds are beautifully landscaped with fountains and flower gardens everywhere.
Beautiful fountains and flowers.
We could not be more excited about visiting New England with Blount Small Ship Adventures on their Islands of New England cruise for the very first time.
Well.
There was that time we had one day we docked in Portland, Maine on a big cruise ship and took a lovely foodie tour. But that was just one day, it was rainy and rather unpleasant, and we made our way back to the cruise ship as quickly as possibly for a nap. So. Not that great an experience.
This one will be much, much better.
We love Blount Small Ship Adventures. A family business founded back in the 1940’s, Blount is still run by family and they go “where the big ships cannot.” We enjoyed our cruise last summer on Lake Michigan even though there were some complications and we were not able to get to quite as many destinations as planned. In fact, that cruise and they way they handled the problems really impressed us with their professionalism and the way they strive to keep their customers happy.
So we are thrilled to be cruising on their Islands of New England cruise in July. We chose this particular cruise because we were really interested in seeing this part of the country and we could drive to it pretty easily from our home in Kentucky. We also really liked our cozy cabin on the Grande Mariner and this cruise is on the Grande Caribe, her sister ship, so we are going to feel comfortable and know our way around as soon as we step aboard.
The Grande Caribe. Photo courtesy of Blount Small Ship Adventures
Sand so blindingly white you have to see it to believe it. Water so many astonishingly beautiful shades of green and blue, you feel like you have arrived on a Caribbean island. Luxurious resorts, fabulous shopping, great dining – the Emerald Coast of Florida truly has it all. The unofficial name of this gorgeous stretch of beach communities on the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola to Panama City Beach, the Emerald Coast is also truly an apt moniker for this lovely location. Located in the middle of this heavenly destination is Destin, the jewel in the crown because of everything it has to offer.
Where to Stay
Tucked away at the very end of Scenic Highway 98, which runs right beside the beach, is the idyllic Henderson Park Inn. They truly boast the best beach location in all of Destin because they are situated right beside Henderson Beach State Park. This means that guests have access to some of the most unspoiled views on the Gulf and miles of beach where you can plunk down your chairs and be the only residents except for the seagulls. Henderson Park Inn is actually designed for romantic getaway for couples since each room accommodates two but it works just as well for a girlfriends getaway if you book a couple of rooms. I had visited the Henderson Park Inn previously and was anxious to share this wonderful location and its great amenities with my two girlfriends. I had a great room with a queen bed and a nice balcony with an ocean view and my two girlfriends shared a perfect suite with a king bed. The Henderson Park inn has a wide variety of room sizes and types which include the Presidential Suite with a separate living room where we stayed on our last visit.
Read the rest of this article on girlsgetaway.com HERE.
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What really bothered me about the Grand Paradise beach house in Gulf Shores was that it was so fabulously, magnificently huge.
Wait.
Let me rephrase that.
What really bothered me about the Grand Paradise beach house in Gulf Shores was that it was so fabulously, magnificently huge and we did not have our entire family with us.
Seven bedrooms, enough for our entire family + my brother’s family. Check.
A completely wonderful bunk bed room with a loft equipped with its very own television and bean bag chairs that the cousins would adore? Check.
Right on the beach. Literally. Like you step out the door onto sand. Check.
This did indeed bother me but it did not keep us from enjoying every single minute of our stay.
Not at all.
We knew in advance that the place was going to be completely fabulous. We just didn’t realize quite how fabulous it would be. We arrived in the evening so it wasn’t actually until the next morning, when I stepped out onto the deck overlooking the beach that I realized that fact.
The beach view.
Travel is completely fabulous in every way. Except when it isn’t. When you are uncomfortable, can’t relax, feel homesick or are just plain stressed out, you can’t enjoy even the most wonderful destination. Even the loveliest beach resort in Hawaii can make you long to be home in your bed if you are stressed to the max. So how to truly enjoy that next trip and experience stress-free travel? Here’s a few tips to remember.
1. Travel with someone you like. Travel is not the time to test that brand new friendship or relationship unless you are pretty darn sure you are simpatico in most ways. You just found the most darling Coach purse EVER at the outlet mall and he scolds you for spending too much money? (which my husband would NEVER do, by the way) Stressful. You want to hike the rainforest while your new friend prefers to spend the entire vacation sprawled on the beach? Stressful. Choose your travel partners carefully as they can make or break that trip of a lifetime. Bad travel partner = stress.
Read the rest of this article on Travel Generation HERE.
Pin ItAs far as I am concerned, after years of visiting the Gulf of Mexico coast as a kid, vacation = beach. So I was overjoyed to spend a week at the beach recently at Fort Morgan in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We had an amazing beach house, Grand Paradise, and I’ll tell you all about it in another post. But here is the view we enjoyed every morning. Fabulous!
We didn’t expect to love Charleston as much as we did. We had already fallen deeply in love with Savannah, Georgia and casually thought that Charleston would be very similar in many ways. It is a little similar in that it’s another quiet, friendly, lovely Southern city with a water view and gorgeous, historic homes but Charleston has its own distinctive character.
For example, Charleston has piazzas. We noticed these ubiquitous, long shaded porches along the side of many of the historic homes in Charleston but it was not until we went on a tour that we found out that they were called piazzas – and that the front doors of many homes in Charleston open on to the piazza, not into the house! Piazzas are the perfect place to relax in a rocking chair with a sweet iced tea and the ceiling fan lazily spinning above you – add a good book and I could spend a day there! Charleston also had literally hundreds of churches – hence the nickname of the “Holy City.”
Charleston also has earthquake bolts. After suffering through several earthquakes, many of the historic homes had sturdy steel rods inserted through the house to stabilize them in case of another earthquake. The earthquake bolts can be in many different shapes, including a cross, and you can see them on many of the homes.
Read the rest of this article on Travelhoppers HERE.
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First, I should tell you that spring in Chicago is actually a misnomer because it’s still astonishingly cold, especially if you are attempting a stroll by the lake.
There is no strolling in March in Chicago by the lake; rather you will find yourself scampering along, attempting to shield your face from the cheek-numbing wind as your mind fills with thoughts of a roaring fire, hot chocolate, and fur throws piled high on your body.
So yeah.
No spring clothes quite yet.
However, Chicago is equally charming in all seasons (as long as you have your long underwear packed) and spring is no exception. We were in town for the Women in Travel Summit where I was scheduled to speak and the summit just happened to take place over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration in Chicago. In case you have never been to Chicago during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, you should plan a trip immediately because the city turns into one huge, very green, very happy, very inebriated party.
You all.
They even dye their river green.
Yep. The Chicago River turns bright green.
Order my ebook about Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia!
