Marriott TownePlace Suites

TownePlace Suites Manhattan Beach Hotel in Hawthorne
14400 Aviation Boulevard · Hawthorne, California 90250 USA

This is by far the best hotel that we have stayed in this year. Location wise for Los Angeles it was perfect, about 15 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes from all downtown LA attractions, and only 35 minutes from Disneyland. It was just enough out of the way, that you weren't plagued with the city noise while you slept. The rooms were very reasonable at $79 a night, each room also had a full kitchen with stove top, oven, microwave, fridge/freezer, and dishwasher. The hotel staff was very friendly and they offered a continental breakfast each morning. There were plenty of restaurants near by and around the corner is a Starbucks and Whole Foods. I would stay in this hotel again, if you in the LA area this hotel is great in price, service, quality, and they also allows pets.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Venice Beach

California is famous for its beaches and boardwalks. A must see beach while in the Los Angeles area is Veince Beach, the shopping and the street performers are not to be missed. Take the time to walk out on the pier to get a look at the surfers and the boardwalk.

Try and find parking in the surround neighborhoods, or use the meter parking ( bring change!). Parking in the beaches lots will set you back $12 per car.

Fox Rent A Car- Los Angeles

Fox Rent A Car in Los Angeles is the cheapest place to rent a car for those who are under the age of 25 at the LAX airport. Their standard price for a small car was $19 per day, and we had to tack on a extra $15 a day for being underage. I highly recommend not renting a car until you are over 25, the price will kill your wallet, for 3 days we into the car over $200 after they added all the state fee's and insurance. The employee at the check-in counter tried to upsale us on everything, and after a while it got really old. Some nice things about Fox is that they do pick-up/drop-off  to and from the airport, and that they let you pick the exact car you want right off the lot. 

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

Little Tokyo-Los Angeles

On the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles there is a Japanese Historic District, complete with shopping centers, sushi bars, and Buddhist temples. Its one of three Japanese towns in American, all three are located in California. We visited the Japanese Village Plaza Mall, and it really felt like you stepped out of LA and into Tokyo. The markets were adorable selling authentic Japanese souvenirs, we purchased a "Sake" set from a small store for only $12, there was also a small market place that sold your everyday needs all in Japanese packaging. There were plenty of sushi bars in every price range, authentic noodle bars, and Japanese bakery's. Parking as always is issue in Los Angles, your best option when visiting Little Tokyo is to use the parking terrace right night to the Village Plaza. I highly reccommend making a stop in Little Tokyo when your in the LA area, it's quant atomosphere is something you don't want to miss.

Rating ♦♦♦♦

TripIt- Online Travel Itinerary

I'm about to make all your lives so much easier when it comes to planning your vacations. (You can send me flowers and thank you notes later.) While booking my last cruise I came across the TripIt website, and I can honestly say I do not know how I traveled without it.

How TripIt works, it is website where you can store all your travel information in the same place, from your flights, to your rental cars, and even the activities that you have planned. They also make it so easy to use, by letting your forward all your e-mail confirmations right to the website. It then plugs everything in for you so you don't have to transfer any of your information.
They also organize everything for you by date and time, and even give you maps of the area and directions. After your information has been inputted, you can print out the information. This is extremely great when your going on a cruise and have flights with layovers. TripIt had all my flight information, our confirmation numbers for each passenger, time of departure and arrival, as well as how long each flight lasted.

When we went on our honeymoon last year I was a total wreck at the airport, I had a stack of papers with all our information and I swear anytime I needed the correct paper it was on the bottom of the stack, I felt so unorganized and it just added to the stress that you are already feeling when you travel. This time around I learned my lesson, and everything I needed was all in one place.

So if this already sounds amazing, hold on to your knickers because it gets even better. TripIt also offers a free application on the android marketplace. So for those who want to green and paperless they have a solution for you.

I will never travel without TripIt again, it's free, easy, and convenient.

Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Boulevard Hotel Miami Beach

For our cruise we flew into Florida a day early, to protect against any flight delays or luggage problems. We spent the night at The Boulevard Hotel on Miami Beach. This hotel is the reason that I wanted to start writing reviews. I had done my research and I knew that we wanted to stay on Miami Beach, the area is beautiful and is melting pot of people and cultures. Since we were only spending one night there I wasn't up for spending $$$$ on a five star resort, we just need a place to crash for the night after traveling all day.

First off, the hotel is right on Ocean Blvd., which is the street that runs right along the coast and the Miami boardwalk. This area is extremely packed and right in the middle of everything! I'm talking bumper to bumper traffic, and people all over the place, when we commented on the traffic, our taxi driver laughed and said this is nothing and to wait until tonight. He was right, as soon as the sun starts to set everyone comes out to play. Location wise we were in the place to be, we were surrounded by the beach, restaurants, and shopping. My first clue to what the shape of the hotel was in should have been the $65.95 per night price tag. When they say you get what you pay for... they aren't joking!

The lobby and front desk was really cute, it had that old time vintage surfer vibe to it. Everything was fine until we got to the bedroom, then I couldn't wait to check-out. There wasn't a thermostat in the room and the temperature was set to Sub Zero. The blankets had cigarette burns, even though we were in a listed non-smoking room. Oh and the view! We had a window that was barred up and looked right into a alley way that you wouldn't catch me dead walking through even in bright daylight. However I knew we were only going to stay for a night, I mean come on, how bad could it be really?

After dinner we were exhausted from flying and decided to call it an night. Everyone else in the hotel had a different idea. Paper thin walls let you hear everything above and around you, I was able to hear when anyone flushed the toilet and unfortunately could tell when they forgot to wash their hands. There were numerous parities going on out in the hallway all night along with a couple of fights. Welcome to Miami I kept telling myself. This most defiantly wasn't a place to bring a family, but if you were with a group of college kids on spring break and just needed a place to crash for really cheap, then Boulevard Hotel is perfect.

Rating: ♦

Carnival Destiny

Carnival Destiny

Sail Date May 2-7, 2011

Ports of Call:

Grand Turk
Half Moon Cay

Nassau, Bahamas

The Destiny is one of Carnival's larger ships, and it is the only one in its class so far. It holds over 2,500 passengers, and the size of the ship guarantees that you rarely feel crowded.

Dinning on the Destiny

For nightly fine dinning there were two large dinning rooms available, the Galaxy and Universe Dinning Rooms. Both dining rooms were stock full of tables that sat groups of six or more. Dinning times are chosen at the time you book your cruise, your options were early dinning, late dinning, or your time, which allowed you to go and eat at whatever time you wished. The dinning rooms also offered 3 course lunch's, as well as breakfast every morning.  A dress code was in effect when in the dinning rooms, swimsuits, flip flops, and cut off jeans were not allowed. For those who wanted a more casual dinning experience the Sun and Sea Buffet was open for 3 meals a day, and any dress is allowed. Other options on the ship varied from a 24 hour Pizzeria, the Sushi Bar in the Casino, and Asian Food Bistro and New York Deli on the Pool Deck. Room service is also offered at all times of the day. With so many dinning options there wasn't a time on the cruise that I ever felt hungry.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Quality of Food

The food in the dining rooms were by far the best. The Sushi Bar had a very limited menu, only offering three different rolls each night. The pizza at the Pizzeria was always fresh and tasted great at all hours of the day.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦



Entertainment
The Destiny is a family ship, and a lot of the activities and entertainment center around that theme. For adults  comedians were offered two nights with three shows a night, an early show for families, followed by two late "Rated R" shows for adults only. For those who like to drink and dance the night away, Point After Dance Club is the place to be. Passengers must be 18+ to get in and the club offered a full bar next to the dance floor. Dance parties were held nightly, either at the Point After or up on the pool deck.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

Cabins
Space in the cabin wasn't an issue on the Destiny. There was plenty of room for my husband and I to move comfortable with my suitcase and a half of clothing and accessories. The bathrooms were what you would typically see on cruise. The bed and linens were especially comfortable, after a long day of running and playing in the sun, the cool cabin and soft bed were a godsend. I was tempted to shove some pillows in my suitcase to replace mine at home. Normally on a Cruise you don't want to spend time in your cabin, but on the Destiny you find it being your little home away from home.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Service
The staff on the Destiny were very helpful. Two days into our cruise I lost my camera and I was positive it was in our room because I hadn't used it to take any pictures. We went to the customer service desk and filed a theft report, they then had security come to our room and research the room for us. What do you know.. The camera was in the safe right were I left it. They were very kind and professional about the who ordeal and reassured us that it happens often. Bar service as well as the restaurant service was great, and exactly what you would expect when on a cruise.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Ports of Call

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

This was my first time visiting this island, and I would love to visit it again. The cruise lines have set up a cruise center at the port that has everything you need when visiting a Caribbean island. There was a private beach lined with sun chairs and a netted swimming area in the ocean. Shopping stores were plentiful and had every type of souvenir you could ask for, and were all duty free. For those who'd like to kick back, sip on a margarita and enjoy a cheese burger in paradise, there is a Jimmy Buffets Marregtivile right in the middle of the cruise port. The restaurant came complete with great food, two full bars, and a giant swimming pool lined with sun chairs and umbrellas. Throughout the day the DJ played games and contests that gave the winners free drinks. Also available at the port was the surf simulator Flo Rider where you can feel like a big wave surfer without the fear of sharks, or the open oceans. Overall the experience at Grand Turk was great, the people on the island were very helpful, the best part is you don't have to pay for an excursion to have a good time.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦



Half Moon Cay

Is a beautiful private island that is owned by the Carnival Cruise Line. Passengers are required to tender to this port by means of two small tender boats, getting off the ship and back on does take up some time, so plan in advance to get off early to avoid the crowds. The island has a long stretch of white sand beaches that look out onto the clear blue water, it also gives you a great view of your ship from a distance. An island style buffet is offered on the island for all passengers, as well as several bars. There are dozens of excursions you can pick from to do while on the island in all types of prices ranges. We chose the Stingray Adventure Tour, that was $25 per person. This was the first and only thing I was disappointed in the entire cruise. I have done stingray adventures in the past, and had loved every minute of them. Carnivals however was lacking in many departments. In the past we were given food to feed the animals, this would ensure that the rays came right up to you so that you could get a good look at them and be able to touch them. During this tour you were given only one piece of food, and the guide was the only one who was allowed to feed the animal, you got to hold the back of his hand while he fed them. I wouldn't do this tour through Carnival again, other tour companies teach you more about the rays as well as give you more hands on contact.



Half Moon Cay Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Stingray Adventure Tour Rating: ♦

Nassau, Bahamas

I've been to this port once before and loved it, I was very excited to be able to go back. I left just as happy this time as I did in the past. Getting around on the island is very simple, a short walk from where the boat was docked led into a taxi area where the cab drivers were waiting to take you anywhere. We chose to head over to the famous Atlantis Resort Water Park on Paradise Island. We did not chose to book this excursion through the cruise because the $195 per person ticket cost was out of our price range. After doing some research online, I found that you can can take a taxi to the resort for $7 per person, then buy your water park tickets  at the resort for $110 per person. Atlantis is a must see when visiting Nassau, not only does it have the biggest water park in the Caribbean but it is home to some of the most amazing sea creatures in housed in large aquariums all over the resort. They have everything from sea horses to dolphins. My favorite were the two giant manta rays, the the hammer head sharks, both of which I haven't seen in any other aquarium. The water park was the most fun I had all vacation. They had several sets of slides that will make an adrenaline junkie think twice. The most famous slide at the resort is called "Leap of Faith" this slide sends you 60 feet straight down, then shoots you through a shark tank, and out into a pool. After some coaxing from my husband I made the trip, and I have to say it was very worth it. When visiting Nassau be sure to head over to Atlantis, it's and an experience that both adults and children will never forget.

Nassau Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Atlantis Resort Water Park: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦