My Travels

With all the cheap flights to Hawaii, it isn't hard to keep coming back. On this trip, it was a quick weekend stay made a little shorter by some food poisoning.  Hopped onto a Southwest flight to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport . Lodging for this trip is the  Hilton Hawaiian Village Kalia Tower . With the travel surge hitting Oahu, I was able to see first hand the tourist traffic. With international arrivals halted (Japan has strict quarantine rules), the make up of the traditional Hawaiian tourist has changed. I was seeing plenty of mainlanders and typical frat like behaviors around the streets of Waikiki. I suspect that there were also a lot of first time visitors as well. Since it was a short trip, mostly stayed on resort and in Waikiki proper. I've been to this Hilton many many times but this is the first time I've stayed in the Kalia tower. This particular tower is at the edge of the resort property similar to Grand Islander. The rooms are larger, the one bedroo...

On a lark, did an overnight trip to San Diego. I had read that the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Hotel having a lounge with a birds eye view into Petco Park . Given the current state of world affairs, I didn't think attending a live sporting event will be possible in 2021. So I thought it would be fun to use a free night certificate and splurge on going to San Diego and watch the game al fresco style. San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Hotel/Altitude Lounge - I have not stayed at this particular hotel in San Diego. It is right next to Petco Park and the area is a madhouse when on game days. My upgrade was confirmed to a suite. The hotel room was a little dated but very comfortable.  San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Suite Living Room San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Suite Bedroom I had contacted Altitude Lounge a few months before the stay and they could not confirm access. I didn't realize at the time that if they couldn't confirm access that it was unlikely I would see t...

Experimented with  Southwest Airlines to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport . The only drawback was the flight required a layover at Oakland International Airport . I haven't been inside Oakland Airport in about 18 months right before the pandemic struck. It was still under construction last time so I assume the eateries I saw this time around are all relatively new. Hard to tell because the airport is partially closed due to the decline in air travel. With no food available on flight, it was really important that I had snacks especially for the over water segment. I opted to get a sandwich from Peet's Coffee . I don't know if it is normal for Peet's to have pasta but the Oakland location has pasta in addition to sandwiches.  After landing at Kona Airport, COVID screening was required. Luckily, it was a quick swab and a texted results a few hours later. I suppose if it was positive, they'd send someone to make sure quarantine is enforced. I was also happy t...

My "annual" trip to SLO was canceled due to the pandemic. Instead the Santa Maria tourism board decided to copy SLO’s promotion and created their own visit Santa Maria campaign. Of course, I think there were concerns for the city if anyone would use the $100 visa gift card within city limits. It was a fair issue as I wandered around the area but not necessarily stayed in city limits. But ultimately, I would think that at least the hotels would benefit and that was good as well.  I checked into the Fairfield Inn & Suites Santa Maria and was glad to see I was upgraded to a studio. I had noticed earlier in the day that the rates dropped by $6 per night but I wasn’t willing to try to get the cheaper rate at the front desk. The agent did tell me that the city promotion was finished within 48 hours of announcement and that they had a very good month of January because of it. Made me feel good to have submitted my request as quickly as I did.  Fairfield Inn & Suites Santa M...

I had booked this trip a year earlier hoping that the pandemic would have resided. Unfortunately, a lot of the country is still in lockdown and my brother was not able to join me on this trip. Timing wise, I was able to luck into the biggest snow dumps of the season.  Salt Lake International Airport is undergoing renovations and the first phase has opened. Fun fact, the airport turned 100 in December 2020. Upon arrival, I thought the airport looked different but given my lack of travel recently and the lateness of my arrival, I chalked it up to tired eyes. One of the newest upgrades I noticed was the oversized baggage claim. In the past, it would be chucked out through a garage style opening. Now, there are upright luggage totes that can accommodate oversized luggage. It is more efficient as it allows you to see what was dispensed AND at a higher volume. Since I was snowboarding solo, I opted to fly in late at night and stay at the  Fairfield Inn & Suites Salt Lake City A...

So my first trip of the new year and it's a partial WFH and vacation at the same time. I had hoped that the pandemic would have subsided by the time this trip occurred but it has not been the case. In preparing for this trip, I opted to take the airport test in addition to Walgreens because Clarity Labs would turn the results out within 24 hours. The Walgreens and CVS options were too unpredictable with the three to seven day turnaround. In hindsight, it was a good move as the Walgreens results came two days later with the incorrect date listed on the test taken invalidating the entire test for travel. My companion's results are still pending almost a week later. It seems with the surge in cases, the turnaround time for the pharmacy locations is backlogged. The airport option was reasonably priced and reliable. Like my recent trip to Big Island, my return is revisiting favorites rather than discovering new places or doing new activities. The United Airlines flight was relativel...

 I opted for a quick road trip to Lake Arrowhead with my four legged companion. Along the way to Lake Arrowhead, I checked into the Four Points Rancho Cucamonga  due to the pet friendly policies (no weight limit and allows two animals). The hotel is undergoing renovations and I was put in the top floor. The crew was working on the lower half of the building. The public areas will be next after the room renovations have been completed. It has been about a year since I last visited this hotel but I didn't take pictures and can't remember if I can see the difference. I think the room had carpets previously and now the room is tiled.  On the bright side, the hotel didn't charge me a pet fee so I was pretty stoked. I didn't have much time to spend in the area but did share a lunch with a friend from Mr. Dumpling . We shared spicy beef noodle soup, garlic noodles, and three types of pork dumplings. I also made a pit stop at Sonic Drive-In . It was a quick stop of cheeseburger...

With the new travel rules in place for Hawaii, I finally returned to Big Island after three unsuccessful plans earlier in the year. I made several changes to my United itinerary but it worked out since there were no change fees. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to change my timeshare reservation as easily (losing my reservation fee) but happy to stay at Kings Land instead of the Bay Club. The main difference for HGVC timeshare owners is that there are no access to the Hilton pools without a fee. Originally, I was going to stay for 8 nights but cut it in half. So the Bay Club became less attractive AND Kings Land reopened to tourism. After passing the second screening at Ellison Onizuka Kona Airport , we grabbed our Avis rental. Avis has consolidated its operations and operates out of the Budget office. The agent didn't try to upsell us and we headed out with a Chrysler 300. Mental note, black cars are super hot especially with the panoramic sunroof. After checking in, we were info...

 I'm on a roll and headed out to my first international WFH trip. Surprisingly, United decided to fly direct from the west coast to San Jose del Cabo International Airport . The airport seems to be undergoing renovations. On the outbound trip, the food options were less as the fast food options were removed. I couldn't tell if there was new construction behind the wall or if it was permanent. I was able to buy some candy souvenirs from the little market. Otherwise, it was slim pickings for food options as everyone was in line for the sit down restaurants. With the State Department tacitly greenlighting Cabo, I was happy to continue holding my Fiesta Americana Los Cabo reservation. The hotel website isn't the greatest when it comes to outlining the amenities on site. For the HGVC timeshare owners, the all inclusive food and beverage fee is now required for the entire stay. Before you could opt in and on specific days.  Since I was WFH during this stay, I didn't do much ...