On my favorite road trip down California’s Highway 1, the Southern California wine country around Solvang is a great stop over – and on our most recent trip, I picked the Holiday Inn Express in Solvang. I like this limited service chain, as they are very reliable, offer modern rooms and a good breakfast – […]
Choice Hotels has been upgrading their Choice Privileges reward program and has partnered with Barclaycards to offer an affiliated Visa Signature rewards card. As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels” research, I also looked at their credit card – read on what I found!
California’s Highway 1 along the dramatic coast line between San Francisco and Los Angeles is one of my favorite road trips in the world and I have done it at least 10 times. I usually stop at least one time to break up the drive, often in Monterey or Santa Barbara, but for this trip
I love to take road trips – a nice car, good weather, beautiful scenery all make for a special experience. And one of the best road trips is California’s Highway 1 along the rugged coastline from San Francisco to Los Angeles. During my almost 20 years in San Francisco, I’ve driven that road at least
As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels” tour of America, I booked a stay at the Super 8 Monterey hotel during a getaway along California’s Highway 1. It was better than some of my other budget hotel experiences – but at an upscale price of $221/night in expensive Northern California during a peak
One of my favorite getaways from San Francisco is Monterey – from the beautiful drive on Highway 1 to the fantastic Aquarium, there is a lot to take your mind off after your crazy work week. It’s also a great stop on my favorite road-trip along California’s Highway 1, so I have stayed here numerous
For my second stay in a Summer Getaway to Lake Tahoe, I had picked the Rodeway Inn South Lake Tahoe, a Choice Hotel, as part of my research into the Battle of the Budget Chains. After the bad experience at the nearby Howard Johnson South Lake Tahoe by Wyndham, I braced myself for another bad night
Wyndham has aggressively improved their rewards program this year and is offering tremendous value to earn and redeem points at their hotels. They have also introduced a Visa credit card to earn points. And while I don’t have it currently, it’s high on my list of cards to apply for – read my review to
As part of my tour to research US budget hotel chains, I picked the Howard Johnson South Lake Tahoe for a summer getaway from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe. It’s in a good location, just steps from Lake Tahoe’s beach, but that’s were the good news ends. The rest of the Howard Johnson reminds me
Lake Tahoe, the beautiful blue lake surrounded by mountains, is one of my favorite getaways in Northern California, ever since I fell in love with San Francisco. And while it is very popular in winter with plenty of ski resorts to enjoy the snow, it’s also a fun summer getaway. You can enjoy the beaches along
On a recent trip through California, I needed a hotel in Woodland, near the capital Sacramento. As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels” research, I picked the Quality Inn & Suites. At a much lower price than the local Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn, I had low expectations. Yet, it turned out
Allegiant Air, a low-cost carrier in the US, has a history of questionable safety policies and frequent safety incidents, yet the FAA has not taken any action and the carrier maintains an ok 5-out-of 7 safety rating. Yet the Tampa Bay Times published did in-depth research of air safety incidents in the US and came