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Paradise Point San Diego

Paradise Point Resort San Diego

ROAM, USA By January 21, 2015 Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments

After many jogs while training for a Run Disney event, I finally figured it out – Paradise Point Resort in San Diego, California was named after the bird of paradise flower! Because they are everywhere. And I must be blind as a bat. This expansive resort on an island across from the Sea World is perfect for families.

Smore Kits Paradise PointParadise Point Resort is a private 44-acre island tucked away on gentle Mission Bay in San Diego. Resident turtles and ducks stroll right to your patio door and the beach around the perimeter of the property offers firepits that are ideal for the ‘S’more’ kit available at the resort store.

Poolside Paradise PointDirect access from the property to Sea World allows for an easy commute, but if you would rather stay on property there are plenty of marine life in the lagoons to satisfy.

Paradise Point RoomThe housekeeping staff has an epic sense of humour and one day when we returned to our room they had set up all of the Star Wars Lego in fighting stance on the bed. There were

Caveman Pizza Company delivers on-site via bicycle, and yet the kitchenettes in each room offer a fridge and microwave in order to appease snack-happy kids. The pools were full of life and ideal for little ones.

 

Disclosure: UrbanMommies was not compensated for this review.

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The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe

ROAM, USA By August 21, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

They had me at the s’mores gift bags.  Sticks, Marshmallows, Chocolate and wafers.  And fire pits by the pool and hottub on which to create the s’mores.  The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe was built around a main fireplace/chimney, from which the rest of the building emanates.  The main floor is more a great room than a lobby, with families eating, trendsetters having drinks and skiers doing après.  It’s like the community centre of the rich and famous.  Or at least that’s how it makes you feel.

The rooms boast soft sheets, stunning views, fireplaces and insanely amazing toiletries.  Combined with turndown service and fluffy robes? Epic.  My room overlooked the slopes of Northstar and I was torn as to whether to ski or stay in the gorgeous room.  (The skiing was too good to pass up though).

I was to be on TV the day after I left Northstar and the Ritz-Carlton, and my nails were a mess.  A devotee of Shellac, I needed acetone and foil to remove the 3 week-old colour from my fingers (it still looked great but not up to TV standards).  The spa attendants let me in after they had closed to figure it out (how amazing is that?!).  Not only did I see the alpenglow at the end of the day, but the healing, serene environment made me giddy.  And I chose a very au courant blue lacquer for the TV appearance.  You must check out the copper bathtub in the spa when you go.  Stunning.

Similar to other Ritz-Carlton properties, the chain gives tribute to local culture and the art throughout the hotel was sourced locally. My favourite pieces were the 160 beer-can butterflies in the lobby bar, of which only one has been stolen since opening.  You would never know they had been up-cycled.  Hopefully I can find them on Etsy.

I wish I’d had my family there.  As I watched a little boy have his boots nudged on by a valet, I remembered all of the weekends at Whistler mountain with my boys, screaming about their boots being tight.  The Ritz-Carlton staff had magic that I do not.  How I wish my boys could ride the uber-cool snowmobile sleigh and get their gear laced up by a pro!  (The valets at the Ritz even place your skis and poles for you so your only job is to hop into them like an Olympian.)  And watching the families après in the huge lobby are, surrounded by fireplaces, warmth and sun made me decide to return with my boys in tow.

The dining at the Ritz was like none I had ever experienced.  (Knowing Shaun Whyte was ‘in the house’ didn’t hurt either – we toured his world-class halfpipe the next day).  I began with a BNB.  That would be – bacon and bourbon.  The bacon being the stirstick.  Yeah.  I’m hard-core, BTW.  Try to catch up to me on the slopes. Ha ha.

The food was amazing,  (Trying not to be cliché but I can still taste it and I just can’t find the words). There were 6 of us around a table, getting to know each other over dinner.  How rude was I when I asked for a taste of everyone else’s meals!

I’ve stayed with several Ritz-Carltons – New Orleans and I am off to Key Biscayne in Miami right now.  What impresses me the most is how each hotel embraces their environment, meshes with the locals, incorporates the history of their surroundings into everything from the architecture to the menu.   True vibrant hotels allow a parent to teach as well as relax, and taking your kids to this property you can’t help but feel the history, the gold rush, and the national forest emanating from the environment.

My drive back to the airport at Lake Tahoe was unforgettable.  I was fidgeting with my Blackberry, fielding calls from work, and the driver was silent.  He was the same driver I’d had on the way in.  Feeling rude, I struck up a conversation which may have changed me forever.  He told me of his ancestors.  The railway tracks to the right that helped Lincoln win the Civil War.  He told me of his great grandfather who was a guide in the gold rush as his eyes gleamed and his pride showed clearly.  As a river guide in the summer he knows these parts.  He stopped in the perfect location so that I could take one parting photo if the Ritz-Carlton.  Remember in The Thomas Crown Affair – the smile of a Father? – That’s what it was like.  The smile of a man who not only loves the land, but loves the businesses who prolong the history – his history.

www.ritzcarlton.com

 

 

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Orange County Adventures

ROAM, USA By May 24, 2011 Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

It’s a beautiful sunny day, big marshmallowy clouds are floating by, waves are crashing and my kids are playing happily by the ocean. Sounds like malarky – I know, especially to a Calgarian (what, no snow?, its April!!) but this is how our spring vacation to Orange County California rolled out.  We started our Californian adventure with a tour through the small town of Laguna Beach. Staying at the Pacific Edge Hotel, we had an ocean view room that even our kids found more interesting than the tv. With just a few quick steps past the restaurant and outdoor pool, we landed on the famous Laguna Beach – and, no word of a lie – dolphins swam past as if to greet us. My kids went bananas – so did my husband and I.

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