My Travels

Headed out on United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines to Maui and Oahu. The trip was originally only Oahu but some friends were in Maui for a wedding. Overlapping the end of their trip with the beginning of mine meant an overnight stay in Maui. Since the flight from the mainland to Hawaii was after work, there are not many options for a direct flight into Maui. I opted to book two separate itineraries, one to Oahu and one interisland. Due to the late arrival into Honolulu, I stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel. With the late arrival, I was able to grab a quick bite at the Splash Bar before retiring for the night. The hotel has always been a bit dated in my mind but I haven't been to this Sheraton in a long time. I did find the room slightly upgraded from my previous experience. The bathrooms could stand for a full refurbishment but the room was serviceable. I was also given a pretty good view of the ocean on this trip. The next morning, ate some breakfast at the Pike T

A local trip for a wedding event in Long Beach. The venue was at the Hotel Maya . A hidden part of Los Angeles, the hotel is on the port side of Long Beach. There is also a Marriott Residence Inn next door. I would not have guessed that one hotel let alone two would be in this part of Long Beach. I'm much more used to downtown Long Beach or Belmont Shores area. Luckily, this is a Doubletree branded hotel and I decided to use the block rate to stay for the wedding and avoid having to leave the wedding early and/or drag tired people home. The hotel was pleasant and recently renovated according to its website. The rooms were nice and it did seem new. Being an outdoor layout, the rains can make a number on this location as evidenced by the slight warping of the wood in the public areas as well as the entryway to the room. Hotel Maya The hotel restaurant, Fuego, is hit and miss. The first time I ate was dinner and the food was fantastic. The restaurant is an outdoors restau