Chick Trip Planning 3 – Top 5 London Hotels
02 Apr 2011 1 Comment
in England, London, Malayna Dawn, UK Tags: Chick Trip, Trip Planning
In London, it almost doesn’t matter if you’re not smack dab in the city center, as long as there’s a tube stop (London Underground – their subway system) nearby. So I checked the ones I liked on a map to make sure I wasn’t booking us too far from easy mobility. And then I checked the reviews at TripAdvisor.com.
I looked at about 40 hotels, according to my notes, but I suspect I looked at more and just decided not to keep notes on many more than that.
Premiere Inn London Eye
BUT I found I wanted someplace a little bit special. This was going to be my friend’s first trip outside of the U.S. and I wanted her to feel like she was in London. We’re also the kind of girls who like to nap or perhaps sleep in and get a slow, languid start, so we’d probably spend more time in our hotel than most.
Sense of Style
Therefore, I did a search for “unique, boutique hotels in London” and found Secret Places.com. It wasn’t as easy to use as some sites, but had lovely suggestions. Unfortunately, most of these were either outside of our price range ($200 or under) OR too far away from public transport options. Still, I fell in love with the Lime Tree Hotel and hold out hope that it works out for a future visit.
Lime Tree Hotel
Once I had fallen in love with a hotel that had a sense of design that felt good, it was impossible to go back. I wanted to be excited about where we stayed. The Hotel Guru had some nice choices as did Epoque Hotels, but they either didn’t have rooms with 2 beds available (called Twins) for our travel dates, or were too far away from tube stops. If they had, we might be staying at one of these:
Tophams Hotel
• The warm and cute Tophams Hotel
• The lovely New Linden
New Linden
• The very hip Hoxton Hotel which periodically offers a £1 sale.
Finally, it was down to sharing a bed at the clean, modern, Euston Square Hotel or not sharing a bed at the Hesperia London Victoria, which had everything we needed and a great location too.
Overall, I found that Agoda.com and Expedia had good rates and were easy sites to use in the search, which was at times, completely overwhelming.
So, after much research, here are my top 5 London Hotel recommendations:
1. The Hesperia London Victoria – wins for great price, great amenities and great location.
2. Tophams Hotel - Very cute, good price and location.
3. The New Linden - Nice, with good rates and location.
4. The Hoxton - very cool, but a bit far away.
5. Lime Tree Hotel - far away but so lovely!
I’ll report back when I’ve actually been to London and experienced the room for myself!
2 Chicks Planning a Trip – Part 2
08 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in London, Malayna Dawn, Paris, Rome
San Sebastian postcard from VictoriaShaylee on Zazzle.com
In Part 1, we tackled the first few steps of travel planning: imagining the ideal, researching the costs, and finding a way (financially). Now that we’ve found our way, it’s time to get into specifics and fill in the blanks.
First, before solidifying dates, be sure to check if there are any public or bank holidays that will fall during your trip. This can put a damper on your time if everything is closed.
Getting from A to B
Doing this helps solidify decisions regarding timing and budget, because as with life, travel is a constant balancing act between time and money to get maximum joy. After you get the general sketch, you can start coloring in the lines!
With airfare covered to our first stop in London, it was time to see how much else we could squeeze in. I knew it was cheaper to take a car across the channel to France on the ferry, but how long would it take to get from Paris to Rome? Ahh….time to examine logistics – the thing that usually gets in the way of my grand plans.
A friend mentioned that the Eurostar gets you from the center of London to the center of Paris in about 2-1/2 hours. It would save us the trouble of getting to and from the Dover to Calais ferry and when I researched it, it costs the same as just the ferry ride without a car. Sold!
Image from GE Tours.com
Then, it turns out the driving distance between Paris and Rome is about 950 miles, or around 1530 kilometers. That’s a lot of driving. And then I found one travel website that said:
“The blunt reality is that even for experienced Europe travelers, driving in and around some of the major cities, especially Paris and Rome, can be very, very challenging for driving, parking, etc. Are you ready and experienced for this type of driving adventure?”
I flashed back to my last trip to Paris when I drove just from Paris to Monet’s House in Giverny, on to Versailles and back. It was all fine until we tried to get back to our hotel in Paris and couldn’t find our way off of the highway called the Peripherique! There was a tantrum involved. I’d like to avoid tantrums. So I’m NOT up to this driving adventure.
The Eurail from Paris to Rome takes 11 hours. We can save on one night of hotel expense if we take the night train, but we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the sight of Provence’s fields of flowers at night. And we aren’t so into flowers that we’d want to waste a day that way.
Luckily another friend told me that flying costs the same as the train – and she was right! And it gets us there in about 4 hours, even with a short layover in Switzerland. The airfare wasn’t that much more to fly us back to London to catch our flights home either, even with stops in Germany. Time and budget balanced. Sold!
The moral of the story: Talk to your friends!
(The wonderful vocalist for this video/TV ad is Nadia Ackerman. Check out her stuff on Facebook!)
Getting around A, B & C
A great way to get an overview of a city is from the hop-on, hop-off tourist buses. They give you the highlights and a bit of history, allow you to explore what interests you and offer a day or two of easy transport options for one price. They range from $13 – $36 and some offer discounts on museums and such too!
In London: The Original Tour
In Paris: The Red Bus OR L’Open Tour
In Rome: Trambus – 110 open tour
I then suggested top my friend that if at all possible, we should try to stay 3 nights in each city. That might enable us to get out of the city to see something else, like Stonehenge, Versailles or The Vatican. She made it happen!
Where to Stay
We have the option of staying with friends in London and saving a few nights of hotel costs, but it would also limit our freedom a bit. We’d worry about imposing upon their time and might cut our evening revelry short to accommodate their schedules, so we decided against it for this trip. But it’s always a good option if you’re traveling alone and have to keep the budget down.
After the travel expenses, we can afford about $150-$200 per night for 9 nights, but we want aren’t necessarily comfortable with the idea of a super-budget hotel. Instead, I began looking at any and all available discounts at my disposal. Frequent flier miles and their partners, credit card points, discounts available from professional organizations, etc…. I’m still working on that.
In the meantime, Trip Advisor.com is a great resource for the hotel search. I’ve found Yahoo Travel to be useful as well. Both let you select by price, amenities and location and offer reviews. It’s a bit of a science distilling all the information into something useful, but it’s a money-saving endeavor that can assure a quality stay!
Next time, we’ll hone in on things we definitely want to do and see in each city. Until then, here is some homework for you: watch these movies to put you in the mood and help you decide! (Mouse over the links to see who was in it and what year it was made.)
French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline '95
London: Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Bridget Jones’ Diary
(and these from IMDb)
Paris: Amelie, French Kiss, An Education, Da Vinci Code (and these from IMDb)
for Versailles, Marie Antoinette, and The Affair of the Necklace
(and these from IMDb)
Rome: Only You, Eat Pray Love, Angels and Demons, and Jumper
(and these from IMDb)
Eat Pray Love 2010
The Road to Vegas Begins With Peggy Sue’s Diner
04 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in California, General, Las Vegas, USA
Frank Sinatra impersonator at THEhotel.
I have a love-hate relationship with Vegas. As far as weekend escapes go, Sin City provides all you can stand for great food and entertainment. But beyond those things, I especially like it when east coast family and friends come to visit . . . it’s kind of fun then to watch the looks on people’s faces when they first experience:
- The scratchy neon blanket of lights smothering the Strip,
- The sheer numbers of people walking around zombie-like in the face-melting heat, and
- Those annoying card flickers, handing out pictures of women who promise to be at your door within 20 minutes, no matter who you are, or where you came from.
I’m sure I had the same blank stare of disbelief the first time I visited Las Vegas. But like most Southern Californians my disbelief quickly turned to disdain and finally, a strange kind of acceptance.
Sin City definitely has some fun aspects to make up for the downsides if you don’t go in the height of summer to get pummeled by the 120-degree temperatures, though. It’s all a matter of finding your balance and choosing the best times for your visit.
So last December I planned a trip back to Las Vegas with a certain amount of trepidation and misgiving. But it seemed like an ideal way to entertain a visitor, and besides, we had a mission in mind: to ride the thrill rides topping the Stratosphere.
But before we get to that crazy, misguided portion of our jaunt, let’s take a little detour via the Mojave Desert along the historic Route 66. Believe it or not, there’s a lot to see:
This monument to heat measurement is right next to a Bob's Big Boy--not nearly as much fun as Peggy Sue's!
- The World’s Largest Thermometer in Baker, California
- Calico, an old silver-mining ghost town
- Peggy Sue’s Diner
My friend and I stopped at two out of three (we’re saving Calico for another day). And let me just say that Peggy Sue’s just might be one of the highlights of the four hour drive between the City of Angels and the City of Sin.
Why?
Deep-fried pickles for a start. They’re crispy, tart, and loaded with fat and salt. Who can ask for more?
Aside from the old-fashioned comfort food menu though, there’s also a lot of Hollywood memorabilia decorating the place, and a little “Dinersaur” park in the back, giving Vegas-bound drivers an opportunity to stretch their legs.
You just can’t get that kind of opportunity at any old gas station in Death Valley.
Sure, it’s all pretty cheesy and not for everyone. But it’s a FUN kind of cheesy, and definitely a must see. Diners stuck in the 50s aren’t all that easy to find, after all.
Peggy Sue’s Diner is located in Yermo, CA. You’ll need to take the Ghost Town Road exit from Interstate 15: http://www.peggysuesdiner.com/.
In my next blog I’ll fill you in on how we discovered the world’s largest underpants!
2 Chicks Planning a Trip – Part 1
22 Feb 2011 7 Comments
in England, Europe, France, Italy, Malayna Dawn, Paris, Rome Tags: Air Travel, England, Europe, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, Trip Planning, UK
For my 40th birthday, I chose to celebrate with travel, and went to Cambodia to explore the Angkor Wat temples. So now that my good friend is about to turn 40, I thought she should do the same. But unlike me she hasn’t traveled beyond North America, so I started thinking of places she really ought to see. Then I thought I’d share the process with all of you! So here are the first few steps: imagining the ideal, researching the costs, and finding a way (financially).
STEP 1 – IMAGINING THE IDEAL
For her, I chose these, from the most ideal to the extremely acceptable:
• Europe – There was a time when all well-bred and educated young people took a trip to “the Continent” –especially France and Italy. It was known as “the grand tour”. While I did the tour just after graduating from college when I was 23 (part of my 2nd trip around the world, thanks to travel-loving parents), I think it might be time she completes her education.
• England – Both of us being Jane Austen fans with a general appreciation for literary history, we could do a tour of locations from Jane Austen novels and films and also visit King Arthur’s Tintagel. She also shares my love for the modern day romantic comedies of Richard Curtis—Love Actually, Bridget Jones Diary, Notting Hill, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. We could do a tour of those locations.
• New York – We’re both fans of musical theater, and quite a bit of America’s literary, film and social history has taken place there. It’s one of the world’s greatest cities and everyone should visit at least once. Plus we both have When Harry Met Sally memorized, (she orders food like Sally does too!) so we might need to pretend we’re in it.
• New Orleans – This city is a beautiful, living piece of Spanish and French colonial history, as well as some of the more colorful parts of America’s backstory—Pirates, Riverboats, Plantations, Swamps, and Ghosts! (I fell in love with it because I’m an Anne Rice fan.)
STEP 2 – RESEARCHING THE COSTS
Airfare- it’s the biggest piece of the cost of travel, followed closely by accommodation. But you gotta get there before you need a place to stay.
• Online Searching - I used to be able to get significantly cheaper airfare from Lowestravel.com, but now they have pretty much the same airfare options as Expedia, Travelocity, Cheap Flights, or Orbitz. Searching through TripAdvisor.com lets you compare, and is a good way to keep track of your searches for hotel as well.
• Choosing Dates - Keep in mind that travel costs will vary depending on the season and the day you want to travel. Her birthday is actually in the first week of June, but I found if I used a date at the middle to end of May, the airfare dropped by about $300. Also, fares tend to be cheaper when they’re on a weekday. It is supply and demand in action – more people want to fly on weekends, so they can charge more for the privilege.
Other Transportation – 
• If we were going to travel around England, I would rent a car, or maybe get a BritRail Pass.
• If we’re going to Europe, we’d need to get across the channel from the UK, and around Paris and Rome.
So I did some basic research on all the options.
• Car rental/Britrail Pass – A search for “car rental in London” brought up familiar U.S. chains Hertz and Enterprise. It looks like $200-$250 for a week. A Britrail pass costs $249 for a week. So the cost is about the same, we’d have to weigh the pros and cons of carrying our luggage and walking from train stations. We’d probably rent a car. We’re American after all – and born & bred Los Angelenos at that. We love our cars!
• Ferry/Eurail - To cross the channel via ferry from Dover to Calais is actually less expensive if you have a car for some reason. We could rent a car in England and drive to Paris. It’s £39 with a car and £59 without. I usually just double that to estimate the cost in dollars. But to be specific, I go to xe.com’s universal currency converter– £39 = $63, £59 is $95.
I’ll have to check how long it would take to drive to Paris from London. I’ve driven in both England and France before, and I’m used to driving on the other side of the car and other side of the road (from the US perspective) from living in Sri Lanka.
A Eurail pass for 2 countries within 4 to 10 days is advertised as “from $169” – but upon closer inspection, for adults 26 or older, a 2nd class saver ticket for France and Italy is $275 per person.
STEP 3 – FINDING THE WAY (FINANCIALLY)
It has been my experience that once I know how much money I need to create the trip I want, the rest sort of falls into place somehow. So I never wait until I have enough money saved up. I start planning the trip first, and then find ways to make it happen. This is how The Law of Attraction works! (Check out my articles on The Power of Thoughts & Goal Setting.)
So many people put off doing the things they want to do in life until they have enough money, but the money always gets spent somehow until they’re too old to enjoy it when they’ve got it.
Within days, she and I had found the money. Hers came from a bunch of people who love her. They all chipped in to give her a great 40th birthday present when I suggested my plan. Mine will come from a creative use of available discounts, frequent flier miles, and accumulated credit card points. Neither of us will need to go into debt to pay for this trip!
So it’s been decided, she can take a week off of work without negatively impacting her budget. We’ll meet in London (she’s flying from LAX, I’m flying from Sri Lanka), and do 2 days in London, 2 days in Paris and 2 days in Rome.
Next time we’ll get into the serious planning!
All images from http://www.zazzle.com/vintage+postcards – buy them as prints, t-shirts, mugs, etc!
The Royal Welcome from Tintagel: A Unique Private Hotel in Sri Lanka
21 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Asia, Malayna Dawn, Sri Lanka Tags: Luxury Hotel, Paradise, Sri Lanka
Tintagel, like the castle in Cornwall for which it is named, instantly offers a royal welcome. And like King Arthur, you will feel that you deserve to be there, surrounded by such opulence.
Though it has an illustrious past, this home-turned-private-hotel has never before invited the public to enjoy its glow. Most recently it was home to the family of the world’s first female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. During one of her three non-successive terms in the office, her daughter was the President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, again the country’s first female in the office and an impressive mother-daughter team.
Prior to the family which produced so many of the country’s leaders, it was occupied by British soldiers during World War II. They had seized it from its first owner, a doctor who built it in the 1930’s and lived an aristocratic lifestyle, complete with peacocks wandering the garden!
Upon entering, you’ll get the sensation that you are being warmly embraced by your kindest, most beautiful aunt, who wants to cater to your every whim. You will certainly feel drawn to wander inward to investigate the colors and flavors of each nook and cranny, and you will not be disappointed, but rather thoroughly enchanted.
The proprietor and designer of Tintagel, Shanth Fernando, has struck the perfect balance between comfort and beauty, classic and chic, without seeming overdone. From just inside the entrance, his eclectic style juxtaposes towering vases ornamented by spheres of greenery with a Flemish chandelier, and an ornate mirror from a chateau in Marseilles with muted ash-toned elegance.
Even before you see you see your room, you will long to visit the terrace and sit among the flowering Thunbergia vines to sample the chef’s delectable dishes, or to take a moment to explore the 500 handpicked custom leather-bound volumes in the cozy library.
You’ll find yourself secretly planning the perfect time to visit the pool and make yourself a part of this work of art, and then tiptoe up the stairs to the spa for more in-depth pampering.
It is only having seen all of these things that will draw you out of your room once you’ve arrived. The beds are plush with feather and down comforters and quilts and Egyptian cotton sheets that bring to mind childhood dreams of sleeping on clouds. The colors are like sampler platters of the dining experience that waits below with avocado, cream and chocolate on the menu. The furniture includes Chinese cabinets and Burmese reliquaries while the carpets were hand-woven in Nepal. Modern conveniences add comfort with flat screen TVs, and Bose music systems to enhance the multi-sensory experience.
The private balconies will make you want to linger, while the luxurious bathrooms will entice you to take your time with your personal beauty rituals. And each of the 10 rooms is individually designed, making you want to come back again and again to experience each of them.
Tintagel mixes the classic and the modern to create an atmosphere that soothes and enlivens and leaves nothing wanting. It even houses a private dining room for events, should you want to try being a host of the aristocratic lifestyle for yourself, and a gym to work off the fusion fare that melts in your mouth from either or both of their two restaurants: al fresco in The Courtyard or in The Dining Room surrounded by grey silk wall panels and dusky burgundy glassware, again custom-made for Tintagel.
Tintagel is obviously a labor of love, and it is warmly felt from the moment you arrive to the moment you depart. Conveniently located in the midst of the bustling city of Colombo, it is the perfect place to pamper yourself after seeing all that the rest that the island has to offer, and to use as a base while you enjoy the city’s kaleidoscope of delights.
A visit to this special place on the paradise island of Sri Lanka is sure to leave you with fond memories and an inner sparkle that will never be extinguished.
Malayna Dawn is an American freelance writer and author who lives in Sri Lanka.
For more from her, visit her website at malaynadawn.com, her blog, Symbolic Themes. For more about Tintagel go to tintagelcolombo.com.
All photos provided by Tintagel, and used with permission.
Cutest Airline Safety Video Evah!
07 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Asia, Malayna Dawn, Sri Lanka Tags: Air Travel
I fly a lot, especially on this airline, and had the previous safety video memorized. This new one is the CUTEST!
I love the traditional Sri Lankan family and the international passengers. And I think it’s so cool that the Kandyan drummer is always drumming–on his legs, his tray, etc. Gotta love the thumbs up from the pilot too. It’s just the best!
Cornwall & Tintagel Castle – Living Legends
06 Nov 2010 3 Comments
in England, General, Tintagel, UK Tags: Cornwall, England, UK
Lanyon Quoit Henge in Cornwall, and an old tin mine in the background.
Before I get into how much I loved Cornwall and all there is to see there, let me first explain why I was absolutely driven to go: Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy, which begins with The Crystal Cave. I re-read this every couple of years –just because it’s a damn good piece of fiction.
For those of you not familiar with this series, it’s the story of Myrrdn Emrys (Merlin) growing from socially awkward boy to powerful man-magician. And a key part of the saga occurs when Merlin orchestrates the conception of King Arthur, at Tintagel Castle.
I should probably note, this series is actually a quintet, but the magic of the story dwindles and ends in the third book…many people refer to the series as a trilogy.
But back to Cornwall, as it exists today…
Magic Rediscovered in Modern Cornwall
Lamorna Cove in Cornwall
Driving southwest from Somerset and Devon, you’ll feel like you’re entering a different world. The Cornish roads are so narrow there’s only room for one vehicle at a time. If you encounter any oncoming traffic, one of the drivers will have to back up until s/he reaches a turn out to let the other car pass. (Usually, it’s the smaller vehicle that does this…)
Not only are the roads narrow though, they’re also lined with very high hedges. You’ll feel like you’re traveling through a maze sometimes.
But once you get into the more settled areas along the coast, the hedgerows disappear and the terrain becomes a lot more open. You’ll see old tin mines dotting the landscaping, and run across a henge or two.
The coastline itself is dramatic (thus the poetic “Land’s End”), with it’s bluer than blue water. Apparently there’s a high copper content in the sediment, which gives the coastal waters the blue-green hue.
Expect to go for a bit of a hike to get to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall. This is the view of the mainland from Tintagel's ruins.
And finally, there’s Tintagel Castle, where Merlin supposedly orchestrated the conception of King Arthur.
Tintagel Revisited
Now according to legend, Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall, hid his wife Ygraine in Tintagel castle, to keep her safe from King Uther. Tintagel Castle is right on the coast, by the way. Merlin disguised Uther and led him up a narrow, treacherous path along the cliff face to gain entrance to the fortress. According to Mary Stewart, it was a dark and stormy night. Of course.
In real life, Tintagel Castle ruins lie on a small island-like land mass jutting out from the mainland and you’ll have to walk a narrow path and cross a bridge of stairs to get to them. Thankfully, the bridge is in good order and it’s a much safer trek than the one Uther supposedly made in the fifth or sixth century.
It's a rough climb up to Tintagel. But the handrails are sturdy!
Still, this is not a hike for the faint of heart. It’s a long walk, and the stairs from the bridge up to the top of the peninsular mountain where the ruins lie, are fairly steep.
Of course, the stairs aren’t comfortable to climb either, because the originals weren’t cut in ergonomic times. The newer ones are fine, but some of the older ones really challenge your sense of balance. They’re roughly hewn and dangerous.
Why does this bridge remind me of a Monty Python movie?
Most people in average condition won’t have a problem, but if long walks and steep stairs really aren’t your thing, you might want to wait in the car. Go explore Tintagel Parish instead – it’s very picturesque.
Once you arrive though, the views of the Cornish coastline are well worth it. And what’s left of the castle is worth the walk too, with interesting stone structures and a few walls still standing.
The castle courtyard is probably the most interesting with its arched entryways and tiny peephole windows. You’ll also get to see a tunnel leading to a food storage area, a well, medieval graffiti, and gun fort for the latter days, among other things.
- Few walls still stand at Tintagel Castle. This archway is the main entrance into the courtyard.
Archaeologists date the site to 3rd or 4th century AD, and they believe the land belonged to a Celtic monastery or prince of the region. However, they’re still digging up buildings, and learning that the site was used as an ancient Mediterranean trading post as well.
TIP #1: Restrooms and snacks are available on the mainland. Be sure to take care of your bodily needs before you cross the bridge to the ruins.
TIP #2: Please DO be careful on those treacherous stairs!
View of Cornwall coast line from the ruins at Tintagel.
ChrisPodbielski
MalaynaDawn
