No, it’s not Venice. It’s the Gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Okay, it’s a little touristy, and it’s definitely NOT Venice, but it’s still a bit of romantic fun away from the flashing lights and noise of the casinos. You need to take a break from the fast paced action some time, and this isn’t a bad choice. The gondolas have been fashioned after authentic Venetian ones, each seating four, and operate rides both indoors and out. If your party doesn’t fill the gondola, you’ll likely be paired up with others. The indoor gondolas float their way through the Grand Canal Shoppes, beneath bridges, shops, and cafes that have been created to give the feel of Venice. The ride lasts about 15 minutes. The outdoor gondolas offer a more “authentic” feel (since you really are […]
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Back to Basics: Check Your Hotel Bill
The morning of checking out of your hotel can be a hectic time, getting dressed and ready to leave and making sure all of your things are packed. If you’re traveling with kids the list of things that you are responsible for is even longer! Some of the stuff cannot be done till the last minute, but one thing that can take a weight off if to review your hotel bill the night before your departure. Many hotels have a video check out option, allowing you to review your charges on the television. In the privacy of your room you can go line by line through the charges to make sure that there are no surprises. If your hotel doesn’t offer a video option, stop by the front desk the evening before and request a print out. They’ll be happy […]
Read MoreBack to Basics: Mastering the Reservation Phone Line
I’ve written about this previously, but it’s basic information that can’t be repeated too many times. I know that most people do their research and booking online, but there are times when you are going to have to call a reservation center. It can be annoying to be put on hold, and repeatedly hear how many callers are ahead of your or how long your expected wait time is, and even further annoying to finally get a person who you can’t understand. I hope these tips will help reduce your frustration factor, and get you the information and service that you really need. Call at non-peak times. This means avoiding calls during standard business hours, if at all possible. Late nights (generally considered after 8 pm) are usually good are usually light in terms of wait time. News stories can […]
Read MoreBack to Basics: Remember Your Hotel Room Number
The days of having a metal key with your hotel room number engraved into it are long gone. Keys these days aren’t even keys. They are flimsy pieces of plastic, about the size of a credit card), and instead of having a room number on it, it has a pretty photo of your hotel along with operating instructions about how to insert it into an electronic reader on your room door. The plastic key usually comes tucked into a small envelope, or a larger folder, with the room number written on it. But the larger envelope or folder is often too large to tuck into a pocket or purse, and so we leave the room with only the plastic key. And when it’s time to return to our room, we have to trust our sometimes faulty memory about what the […]
Read MoreHawaiian Eye's Shell Bar
“Hawaiian Eye” was a television series that ran from 1959 – 1963, and starred Robert Conrad and Anthony Eisley as crime fighting detectives in Honolulu, Hawaii. The detectives hung out at the Shell Bar, where at least once an episode that ran into “Cricket,” a singer and photographer at the bar played by Connie Stevens. The bar was located at the Hawaiian Village Hotel, where the guys were house detectives and also had an office. Some viewers would swear that the guys spent more time with the sassy Cricket than they did with any crooks. While most of the television show was shot on the Warner Brothers lot in Los Angeles, the Shell Bar was a real place — then, and now. The Hilton Hawaiian Village, on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, is home to the real Shell Bar, and provided […]
Read More10 Money Saving Travel Tips for Fall. . . or Any Time at All!
If you haven’t already done so, you need to book your holiday travel. Many flights and hotels are already full for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. There aren’t a whole lot of bargains to be found at this time, and if they are out there, you’ll need to be doing a lot of research and digging deep to find them. If, however, you’ve got a hankering to travel, fall many be a bargain filled time to do so. It’s known as a soft travel time — after the summer is over, and the schools and universities are back in session, and before the rush of the holidays. It’s a time when those of us who are in the travel business predict that we’ll FINALLY be able to get on a flight and enjoy our own travel plans. Here are a few […]
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