Surprise Kiss

Archive for the ‘Romantic Travel’ Category

Is your wedding anniversary during the fall season or are you planning on taking a quick weekend trip away with your sweetheart? Have you considered making a point to enjoy the fall foliage in your area? Well the Today Show has some great suggestions on where to go to enjoy nature’s spectacular show.

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Don’t live near these areas? Then research the area nearest you to take a moment with your sweetie pie to enjoy the colorful show nature has to offer.

Don’t have a weekend to spare? Make it a day trip, go pick apples to enjoy and make apple pie or buy apple cider to make hot apple cider. See my famous recipe below I gave you on Oct 27, 2010.

I’ve got the Hots for You Apple Cider

1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 cinnamon sticks
Pinch nutmeg
Cheese cloth or paper coffee filter
4 cups apple cider (1 quart)

Combine the cloves, allspice, cinnamon stick and nutmeg in a cheese cloth or paper coffee filter and tie with a string at the top. Put in a pan with the 4 cups of apple cider. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. If you want a sweeter drink you could add ¼ cup of brown sugar when brewing your drink.

*If you really want to spice things up you could add 1 oz of rum or brandy at the end to each mug and fill with your hot cider.

Enjoy the fall foliage and your time together whether it is for a weekend away or just a few hours or perhaps making hot apple cider together.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

I bet you thought I forgot about you? Larry & I just got back on a whirlwind trip to DC and New York compliments of our daughter, Denise and her husband, Tom. We were able to stay for 10 days and Tom flew in on the 2 weekends we were there. We saved our money for all other incidentals, food, tours, etc. while we were there. We had an absolute blast!

Denise is currently living and working in Arlington, VA while Tom is still living in Nipomo, CA. They make it a point to either meet in DC or Nipomo every other weekend and Denise travels for work quite a bit too. They are racking up points in airline miles which allowed us to fly for free and stay at Denise’s beautiful two bedroom apartment for free.

DC is a beautiful clean place with lots to do, free museums, historic places to see and great restaurants. They have a fabulous Metro system to get around and it is easy to use. We walked every day until our feet were ready to fall off and saw as much as we could but we just couldn’t see it all.

Here are some of the highlights we did while in DC:

• Spy Museum
• Museum of Engraving & Printing (Money)
• East Market on Sunday (Flea Market/Farmers Market)
• Air & Space Museum
• Double Decker Bus (Red Line & Blue Line gave us an overview of everything in DC & Arlington, VA)
• American History Museum
• Smithsonian Castle
• Lunch @ the American Indian Museum (Great place for lunch)
• Metro Station
• White House
• Capital
• Strolled around Georgetown

I could go on and on about how much there is to do and see. You cannot see it all in 10 days.

On our second weekend Denise surprised us with a train trip to New York to visit our granddaughter, Dani, who is going to the Fashion Institute to study to be a Fashion Merchandiser. She is 20 years old and just moved there a month ago and is loving school and the city. We are so proud of her and the goals she is setting for herself and her future.

Me, Larry and Denise arrived Saturday, in New York, at 12:30 PM and Dani was waiting outside of Penn Station for us. Tom surprised us by being here too. We stayed at the beautiful Marriott Marquis. Larry and I felt like we got the best room of all. We were on the 36th floor which overlooked the Hudson River. That evening when we went to bed we left the drapes opened because we had a spectacular view of the city and river with no obstructions in the way.

Here are the highlights of our stay in NY:

• Lunch at Madison Park
• Century 21 Building (Shopping at a discount!!!)
• In the evening we walked the Highline (Train tracks no longer being used turned into a wild flower and plant oasis)
• Dinner in the Meat Packing District
• Sunday Brunch

We left New York on Sunday at 2:00 PM on the train to DC while Tom flew back home to California. We arrived in DC and dropped our luggage at the apartment at around 6:00 PM and went out to dinner in Arlington. We then headed back to the apartment to pack and prepared to leave the next morning at 7:00 AM for our 9:00 AM flight back to Santa Maria and reality.

We were back at work on Tuesday a little tired but with lots of wonderful memories.

While our travel and sleeping quarters were taken care of via Denise and Tom we did plan and saved money for our trip, this enabled us to enjoy our trip without using our credit cards.

I am ready and excited to bring you more ideas and reasons to keep the romance in your marriage.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

SurpriseKiss.com is always looking for ways for you to save money when traveling and still stay and eat at nice places. There is one place I haven’t mentioned yet and it is a great place to start with before and while you are traveling. This is a place where there will be discounts at hotels, restaurants and local attractions.

So the next time you are traveling stop at the Visitors Center and find out what type of deals they have for you in the area you are visiting. One year Larry and I decided to visit Northern California in our car. We had never been above San Francisco and wanted to explore beyond our normal destinations and see areas we had never seen.

Our stays were pretty much planned but there was one community we hadn’t made reservations yet and that was the Napa Valley. As we drove through picturesque Napa valley we stopped in a cute little community called Yountville and checked out a beautiful Resort Hotel and Spa and went inside to get prices. The quotes they gave us were above our price range so we reluctantly left the Hotel and started to look for another place.

We drove on to Napa and check out a couple of Bed & Breakfasts but they didn’t stand out as a place we wanted to stay at.  Since the afternoon was getting late we stopped at the Visitors Center and talked to one of the customer service representative there about a place to stay for the night.

They were able to get us a wonderful Resort Hotel which included a spa tub, a bottle of wine in our room, fireplace, and a private patio along with hors d’oeuvres and wine in the evening and a continental breakfast in the morning at a rate that was half the price it normally goes for.
 
The hotel it turns out was in Yountville and it was the same one we had stopped at earlier!

The next time you are planning a trip to an area you have never visited and are not sure where you want to stay stop by the Visitors Center in the area you are visiting. You may get lucky and get a fantastic deal like we did.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

So you are planning your romantic weekend away with your sweetie and want to get the best deal you can when making reservations at a hotel.

The Today Show recently had another great segment on how to save on hotels.  As you know I am always on the lookout for ways to make your $5 a week you have been saving for a year go further.

Watch the video and you will be able to find great deals that will stretch those hard earned dollars:

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Here are the some of the websites that were brought up on the show:

Tingo:    www.tingo.com

Sniqueaway:   www.sniqueaway.com

Jetsetter:   www.jetsetter.com

Groupon:   www.groupon.com

Livingsocial:   www.livingsocial.com

Airbnb:    www.airbnb.com

Hotwire:   www.hotwire.com

Travelocity:   www.travelocity.com

So start planning and find a great deal for your next romantic weekend away with your sweetie.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Always looking for new places to stay with your sweetheart? Well Lisa Gill from Conde Nest Traveler was on the Today Show and talked about the magazine’s 16 annual “Hot List” in 2012 with editors own reviews of their favorite new places. Some of the hotels, spas and resorts are older ones that have been completely redone and some are brand new.

All of these hotels sounded really nice and might be a great place to go to with your sweetheart.

Here is the 2012 “Hot List”:

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So which one interested you? Check them out:

The Saguaro, Scottsdale, AZ   www.thesaguaro.com

Public Chicago, Chicago, ILL    www.publichotels.com

The Saint Hotel, New Orleans, LA   www.thesainthotelneworleans.com

Ruschmeyer’s. Montauk, NY   www.kingandgrove.com/Montauk-Hotels/Ruschmeyers

Riad Joya, Marrakech, Morocco   www.riadjoya.com

Abu Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana   www.luxurysafaricamps.com

Some of these hotels are within your price range if you stay one night and if you saved your $260 there will be money left over for something fun to do, To have a special weekend you need to first dream, then plan and finally make it happen by saving your money. When you do this you will have a wonderful romantic weekend with your sweetheart at a beautiful place.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you want to get away with your sweetheart for a romantic weekend but don’t know where to go and where to stay? You are not alone; most people really don’t know where to begin. It is too overwhelming.

Where do we want to go?

Where do we want to stay?

Does this sound like you?

Last week I had dinner with my friend, Maria, and she was asking me if I had any recommendations on where to go for her anniversary.

Here are the questions I asked her to help determine what inns or hotels I would recommend to her.

Do you want to stay one night or two nights?

• One night keep it under 1 to 1 ½ hours away
• Two nights keep it under 3 hours away
• What cities/towns are you interested in

Once we determined she wanted to getaway 1 to 1 ½ hours from home helping her find an inn or hotel was a little easier. I gave Maria a couple of inns off the top of my head that I thought would be nice for her and her husband but I also did some research and sent her a list of places for her to look into.

Here are the steps you need to take to determine the perfect inn or hotel that fits your budget and desires:

• Think about the places you have already stayed at and is it a place you would like to go to again?
• Ask friends what is their favorite place to stay in the particular area you have chosen to go to.
• Call the local Chamber of Commerce in the city you plan on visiting and ask them the names of inns or hotels they have gotten the best reviews from.
• Research on the internet. Type in the top 10 inns or hotels for the area.
• Search on Trip Advisor and read the reviews.

One you have broken everything down it is a lot easier to find the perfect place for a romantic weekend away that you will both enjoy.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

The Today Show had Sarah Spagnolo from Travel & Leisure Magazine on before Valentine’s Day to discuss last minute getaway deals for Valentines. Now I know we have already passed Valentine’s Day but this shouldn’t stop you from looking into one of these places to bring your sweetheart for your anniversary. Remember these beautiful romantic places are not just for Valentines.

Watch the video and see if there is a place not too far from where you live and find out what the prices are on your anniversary date. Then do the math and figure out much money you need to put aside each week to make it happen for your  anniversary.

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Salish Lodge & Spa   Washington     
http://www.salishlodge.com/

Postcard Inn    Florida  
http://www.postcardinn.com/

Inn & Spa at Loretto   New Mexico 
http://www.innatloretto.com/

Public Chicago    Illinois  
http://www.publichotels.com/chicago/home/

The Andiron Seaside Inn & Cabins  California  
http://www.theandiron.com/

Travel magazines are a great way to discover romantic places to go to and where to stay but don’t forget to look at Wedding and Bridal magazines too. There are always articles on wonderful places to stay on a honeymoon just remember you don’t have to be newlyweds to go there.

Decide where you want to go for your anniversary, choose the hotel or inn, plan how much to put away, set a date and your dreams of a romantic weekend will happen.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you ever wish you could go to one of the top places in the world and stay at any hotel or resort you wanted to if money wasn’t an issue? Reality is most of us do not have the funds necessary to stay at these beautiful places but it is always fun to dream about. One way you can do that is to go to your local library or purchase the October issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine & watch the video below from the Today Show.

Last week the Today Show had the Senior Editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, Lisa Gill talk about the 2011 Reader’s Choice Award. Readers chose the top cities, hotels, resorts & airlines in the world.

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You may not think these places are attainable for you and your sweetheart but enjoy hearing what is considered the top of the top when it comes to travel. You might be surprise though to find out you it can be attainable if you plan ahead and keep your travel spot in the US at a hotel or resort nearby.

While looking through the magazine see if there is a hotel or resort in a city near where you live. One of the resorts Lisa talked about is approximately 3 ½ hours away from where we live. It is the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach.

I went on the Pelican Hill Resort website and did a little research and found out if I stayed on Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 and left on Monday, Nov 14, 2011 the price was only $385.35 and that was with tax. If I had chosen to arrive on Friday, Nov 11, and left on Saturday, Nov 12 the price would have been 434.90.

Since I have champagne taste but a beer pocketbook I decided Sunday and Monday would work for me & Larry. Plus the resort wouldn’t be as busy as the weekend.

Here is the breakdown on how much I would need to save to have a very romantic little getaway with my husband:

Pelican Hill Resort
Newport Beach, CA

Garden King Room: $350.00
Taxes:                           35.00
Total:                  $385.35

If you saved $10.00 a week for a year, 52 weeks, you would have:

$10 a week x 52 weeks = $520

$520 – $385.35 = $134.64

If you saved $520 you would have $135.64 left over for a wonderful dinner!

Too many couples just assume they can’t afford to go someplace expensive and special but if you plan ahead of time and save, you can make dreams come true.

Find a hotel or resort near you which are 4 or 5 star rated, do the math and then put the money aside to make you dreams come true for a very romantic and special getaway with your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Sorry this is a bit late (planned on posting this on Wednesday) but my mother-in-law has been in the hospital since Monday. I will try to write a post for date night by tomorrow.

Don’t know what websites and apps are the best to use to help you with your romantic weekend away? I have the same problem since there are so many available to us on the web.

Thanks to the Today Show and Nilou Motamed from Travel & Leisure Magazine has taken the guess work out for us. You will want to take the time to watch this short video and even pick up the magazine. FYI, Wal-Mart magazines are 30% off the regular price. (Helping to keep the cost down for you.)

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Do you use any of these websites/apps and how do you like them? Do you have your own favorites maybe Nilou didn’t mention?

Happy travels to you and your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Planning a big vacation in the future and want to have a credit card that will help you get free rooms, flights, extra leg room on the plane or the VIP Lounge in the airport? Then you will need to watch this video from the Today Show with Elise Loehnen from Conde Nast Traveler.

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Elise gives you great credit card tips when traveling. I like the one about the Hyatt’s Visa Credit Card, were you can get 2 free nights at their hotels when applying for a card. I’m thinking 2 free nights at one of their hotels! I have $260 to use however my sweetheart and I want when we are on our romantic weekend away. How cool is that!

Have you ever used your credit card points for travel? What did you did you use it for?

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.