Posts Tagged ‘travel’

You have booked an airline flight and want to have a comfortable seat. If you visit SeatGuru.com they will let you know where the best seats are on all airlines. Wouldn’t you know it is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor.com, my favorite site to go to for information on hotels.

You can find the best seats, in-flight amenities and airline information. They will give you a detail map of where the seats are and color-code them to help identify good seats and seats you don’t want to sit in if at all possible.

If you are planning a flight for your romantic getaway in the future go to SeatGuru.com. You and your sweetheart will have a pleasant flight to remember because you will have the best seats in the airplane and will be ready to enjoy your vacation once you arrive. You and your spouse will not be cranky or sore because you had an uncomfortable seat.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Have you ever thought about surprising you sweetheart with a last minute trip? You want to stay at a top hotel but figured the rates would be outrages. So you don’t go anywhere. You stay home and do the same old thing you do every weekend.

There is a website that can help you with making those last minute reservations at a luxury hotel and it is at a bargain price! Go to Jetsetter.com and sign up for their emails and see if there is a deal you will not be able to resist. The special offers last anywhere from five to seven days and is on a first come first serve basis. It appears sometimes you can book the specials up to about two to three months in advance.

There is nothing more fun than to be able to walk in the door and tell your partner pack your bags we are going out of town! For those who have children make sure you have made the arrangements to have someone watch them before you make the reservations.

Larry has surprised me with hotel reservations already made through the years. When I walk in the door he is telling me to throw something in the suite case because he has reservations for us in Los Angeles. We try to remember to bring everything we need but occasionally one of us will forget something and when we get to our destination we are running to pickup what ever it is we forgot. It is part of the fun. Once I forgot my nightgown. He was very happy about that mishap.

Sign up for Jetsetter’s newsletter and see if there is a deal you can’t resist. Keep the surprise in your marriage and neither of you will be saying your marriage is boring!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Always bring your own sunshine to your marriage and keep saving your $5 a week for your romantic getaway!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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When you go out of town do you try to buy something to remind you of your trip? For us I have a specific look in our house and there isn’t anything I would want to add to the room. Typically I don’t like to buy the tee shirts or the little small memorabilia with the name of the place you have been too. It just isn’t my style. Now if I see a piece of artwork or a unique piece you can only get in that specific area and it would look nice in our home, I may buy the item if it is in our price range.

There is another way to bring something special home and it won’t cost you a dime. I have a business card of a restaurant in San Francisco my husband and I enjoy going to. It is called Scomas and it is on Fisherman’s Warf. Usually the first night we arrive in San Francisco we will make it a point to eat there. Their food is fabulous. One year I grabbed a business card from them and put it in my wallet in a little side pocket. Every time I find the card it makes me smile and think of the wonderful times we have had in San Francisco.

Our daughter and her husband went to Boston last year to celebrate their 20th anniversary and she thru a Charley Card (subway ticket) into her wallet. Like me it brings her back to the fond memories they had on their 20th anniversary.

You could save your room key and do the same thing. Put it in a spot in your pocket or wallet you don’t go to through a lot. Every so often you will have a nice surprise and you will have the feelings you had during your romantic weekend away.

You don’t need to have something expensive to remind you of a special time together. All it takes is something as simple as a business card, room key or subway card. Use your imagination, what would fit in a pocket or wallet. Something you can hide and forget about but every so often you see it and it brings you back to your special weekend you had together.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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On Thursday, March 18th we celebrated our anniversary but we waited to go out of town until Sunday, March 21st. Our granddaughter’s 18th birthday was on March 17th and instead of having a party she wanted to go skydiving. Of course we couldn’t miss this, so on Saturday we went to see her and her father skydive. They were both a little nervous but after the jump they both agreed they would do it again if given the opportunity. We had fun watching them jump out of the plane and landing on the ground. Then we all went out to dinner, ate burgers and celebrated.

Because we didn’t want to miss watching our granddaughter and son-in-law jumping out of a plane we waited until Sunday to celebrate our anniversary. We made reservations at our new favorite place to getaway, which is the Su Nido Inn in Ojai, CA. If you remember the owner had invited us to come down and experience the inn in January and after staying there we both agreed we would go back again.

We decided to save some money and get a one room suite this time. We stayed in the beautiful Sparrow Suite on the second floor. This room could be part of the Eagle Suite but we choose not to rent that room too. Here is the breakdown for our charming Sparrow Suite:

Room Rate:             $159.00
Tax:                                  15.90
Total:                         $174.90

We saved $260.00 and the room cost us $174.90 which left us with $85.10.

Lunch:                          $20.00
Dinner:                            60.00
Breakfast:                       10.00
Total:                            $90.00

We spent $4.90 over what we had saved, which we of course we could afford to pay for without using the credit cards.

We had a lovely romantic little getaway. The Su Nido Inn and it surroundings exudes romance with art stores and wonderful restaurants in the small quaint community. A few days before we went to Ojai the Su Nido Inn sent us a letter recommending we go on their website to find out what activities were going on in the area. In addition, they provided other local websites to help you know the area better before you arrived in Ojai. This is a very thoughtful touch that most hotels or inns never think of doing. I know we will be back again and again. It was the perfect little getaway to celebrate our 43 years of romance together!

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to gather on Tuesday for a romantic Easter evening with your sweetheart.

  • 2 Plastic Easter Eggs – that open in the middle
  • 2 Sheets of Pastel Colored Paper
  • Something sexy to wear
  • Candles

The big reveal on what to do with your Easter goodies will be on Friday, March 26th.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Allegiant Air has a special going on right now. They are offering a buy one air/hotel package to Las Vegas and the second person fillies free!

  • Minimum stay is 2 nights, 2 person hotel package purchase is required. You must be traveling on the same itinerary.
  • Offer is valid until March 24, 2010
  • Travel between April 1st and September 30, 2010
  • This offer isn’t valid on previously purchased tickets
  • Taxes, fees, and restrictions apply

Check out Allegaint Air’s website and see if they fly into an airport near you. Browse through their other specials too. Who knows you might be able to fly someplace for your anniversary!

Don’t forget to get the items I mentioned in my blog, “Have a Little Fun,” for St Patrick’s Day. They are listed below. Couples will be green with envy when they find out about your romantic evening.

  • St Patrick’s Day card or get some green paper and make your own card.
  • Play money (Monopoly Money) $100, $1,000 bills etc
  • Something sexy to wear in a green color if you have it

The big reveal on what to do with these items above will be on Friday, March 12th, 2010.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Have you started to plan your trip for your romantic getaway? Does your spouse know you are saving $5.00 a week so you both can get away for your anniversary? If your special someone is aware of what you are doing why not have a date night to plan where you will go and what you will do.

For an inexpensive date you could go to your local coffee house where they have wifi so you can bring your laptop. Get a cup of coffee, hot apple cider or hot chocolate and sit down together and identify where you would like to visit. Once you have identified the area then research where you want to stay at. Check out Trip Advisor for reviews on a hotel or inn you are considering. Read the reviews and then make your decision.

Once you have identified the area and the hotel or inn you will be staying at research on Trip Advisor the reviews on where to go and what to do. Try to find things you both enjoy doing together. Also, research what restaurants both of you would enjoy.  Go on restaurant.com to see if any of the restaurants you were interested in have coupons listed on there. Check out the restaurants menu to see approximately how much money you will need to plan on.

Planning ahead like this will give you an idea of how much money you will need. Sometimes I will make reservations for the restaurant before we get there particularly when it is a popular one. Also, I will buy my tickets ahead of time if there is an attraction we plan on going to. Making plans ahead like this will keep you committed and excited about your romantic getaway. Don’t forget to write your itinerary down and post it someplace in your bedroom where both of you can see it.   We post ours in the closet. You will feel closer and more committed to each other.

Plan your romance together. Who knows your spouse may start saving their $5 a week too and you will have more money to spend!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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Celebrate the small things in your marriage and keep saving your $5 a week!

*Don’t forget to get the items I mentioned you needed for Valentines Day in my blog on “Are You Ready.” You will be told what to do with the second set of items on February 12th.  If you liked my Christmas idea you will like this one!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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On November 10, 2009 I wrote about visiting my friend in Ojai and how we looked at four inns there, you can read the post here http://www.surprisekiss.com/?p=818 . One stood out above the rest. The inn is called Su Nido Inn. Their tag line reads “Your nest in Ojai” and it truly is. The inn keeper graciously invited us to stay at their inn and experience one of their rooms. We called the inn keeper, Michael, and made reservations for last Thursday, January 7th.  My husband made arrangements to take off work Thursday and Friday so we could really enjoy our time in Ojai.

When we arrived Michael showed us our lovely room and when we saw it romance was in our eyes.  We were given the Robin Suite which is absolutely beautiful! There was a small living room with fireplace, LCD TV and a private patio with village views. Also, there is a small kitchenette with microwave, coffee pot, complimentary snacks and under-cabinet refrigerator with complimentary drinks in it. The bedroom had a very comfortable King bed with a large screen TV. Michael told us people love their beds and some have commented that they had the best night sleep ever. The bathroom has a separate shower and soaking tub accented by mosaic art. There are Molton Brown, from London, amenities. My husband enjoyed the Molton Brown “Re-charge Black Pepper Body Wash.”  They also have a huge selection of DVDs to choose from in their lobby for you to enjoy in your room.

To say “Your nest in Ojai” is a wonderful description of the inn. We honestly didn’t want to leave and plan on staying here again. We walked downtown and enjoyed a glass of wine at one of the wine tasting bars; then walked to dinner and strolled back to our room arm in arm. In the morning we walked to a restaurant for breakfast which Michael suggested and then enjoyed the village of Ojai for a while. If you are looking for a small quaint village with art galleries, bookstores, shopping, fine dining and a place for romance and relaxation this is the perfect weekend or mid-week getaway for you and your spouse.

Here is the breakdown on what it could cost you. Please note my husband & I split breakfast, lunch and dinner so nothing was too expensive for us. We don’t like to over eat.

Su Nido Inn  $219.00 (Mid-week stay)

Room Tax           21.00
Total               $240.00

The Garden Market Lunch  $12.00 (In Carpinteria)
Casa Barranca Winery  Drinks   21.65 (2 glasses of wine with tip)
Osteria Monte Grappa Dinner   35.17 (We split salad, dinner and desert, tip included)
Ojai Café Emporium Breakfast   13.20 (with tip)
Total     $82.02

Total cost for a one night, 2 day visit is:  $240.00 +$82.02 = $322.02

If you saved $7 a week for a year you would end up with $364 for your weekend “Nest in Ojai!”

You can see the room we stayed in, Robin Suite, by logging on to www.sunidoinn.com

So continue to save your money and you could have a romantic and relaxing weekend or mid-week getaway for you and your spouse at the Su Nido Inn, “Your Nest in Ojai!”

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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There is a beautiful inn in Dana Point, CA that is having a special right now and I thought you would like to know about it. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary about three years ago there. We enjoyed our stay and would go back again.

The rooms are lovely. We stayed in one of the Pacific Edge Guestrooms. It has a king bed, gas fireplace, television and DVD player and a balcony that overlooks the bay. The bathrooms are spacious with an oversized jetted spa tub and shower. There is a refrigerator with complimentary sodas and in-room coffee, along with two luxuriously soft robes. The rate includes a full breakfast, afternoon wine and hors d’oeuvres.

In the evening after going out to dinner we took showers; put their soft robes on and sat outside on the balcony overlooking the Dana Point Yacht Harbor enjoying a glass of wine. It was very romantic and peaceful. In the morning, after their delicious breakfast, we strolled arm and arm down to the bay and walked around.  We watch a beautiful large schooner gracefully float out of the bay. It was magical and a nice way to spend the morning before we left the inn. We both wished we could have spent another day there.

Their special is called “A Toast to the New Year” and is valid now through February 11, 2010. There are blackout dates so check to make sure the room is available at this special rate. Rates range from $165 to 195 per night, Sunday through Thursday and on select Friday and Saturday nights the rates are from $185 to $215 per night. This special applies to new reservations only and is strictly based on availability.

Here is the run down if you stayed at the Blue Lantern Inn in the Pacific Edge Room during the week:

Room Charge:   $195.00
Tax                       19.50
Total:                $214.50

You saved:         $260.00
Cost of Room:      214.50
Money left over:  $ 45.50

This is a great place to stay if you want a place that overlooks the beautiful Pacific Bay in Dana Point.  Check out their website: www.bluelanterninn.com

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2009 – 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

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