Tag: Travel

Tastes, Travel

A Stay Above The Rest

by Totally TashLeave a Comment on A Stay Above The Rest

A Kimpton Hotel Palomar Experience In Washington, DC

Washington, DC… What a great city with a lot of fun things to see and do. And if you’re looking for the perfect place to stay, you should check out the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle.

What do you look for in a hotel? I always look for great customer service, cleanliness, great food and great amenities. That’s why when my hubby and I headed to DC for our White House Staff reunion (my husband and I met working together at the White House), our first thought for a place to stay was a Kimpton hotel. They always have the best customer service, spacious rooms and delicious food. And the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle, which has been named the Best Hotel in DC by U.S. News & World Report several years in a row, seemed like the perfect fit. But why?

Location, Location, Location

When it comes to any hotel, the location can make or break a trip. That’s what makes the Kimpton Palomar in DC so great. Nestled in the heart of Dupont (just a couple blocks from my old apartment), this hotel is mere steps away from the hustle bustle of Dupont Circle as well as a short walk from the trendy shops and eateries in Logan Circle or Georgetown. It’s also minutes away from the National Mall, Kennedy Center and the White House. Now that’s what I call convenient!

The Room

The Kimpton Hotel Palomar in DC was recently remodeled, and the whole hotel now has a trendy, chic, minimalistic design that was inspired by the surrounding art galleries. How cool is that? And combine the new design with the spacious rooms (I mean, look at that room!), comfortable beds, yoga mats in every room, large bottles of Atelier Bloem Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash in the showers and Signature Kimpton bathrobes, you have the perfect place to sit back and relax.

The Food

Hotel Palomar houses Urbana Dining & Drinks. With Chef Ethan McKee at the helm, their menu features a variety of house-made Italian foods. During our stay, we tried their Chicken Meatballs (my fav!), the Arancini and the Bucatini Carbonara. They were all delicious, and worth dining at the restaurant even if you don’t stay at the hotel.

The Amenities

Oh the amenities. That is probably what makes Kimpton Hotels the best (along with their excellent customer service, of course). Everyday, they host a free Wine Hour for all guests in the lobby. Cheers to that!

The Hotel Palomar in Dupont also has yoga mats in every room, bikes for guests to use as they tour the city, a heated seasonal pool with food service from Urbana, a gym referred to as the “Sculpting Room,” in-room spa services, complimentary Wi-Fi and so much more.

Also, since I am a Gold Member, I have access to a $10 Raid The Bar credit – meaning I can use $10 towards that mini-bar or at the actual bar.

In Conclusion

To sum it up, the next time you head to DC, you should stay at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar and discover what made my stay excellent as well as why it has won the Traveler’s Choice Awards + Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor. Happy Traveling!

*Note – I received a discounted room rate in exchange for an honest review.

Travel

Somewhere In Time

by Totally TashLeave a Comment on Somewhere In Time

An Experience At America’s Oldest Resort – The Omni Homestead

Now I don’t know about you, but I think it would be cool to travel through time, but alas, that’s not possible (at least that I know of 🤔), so here’s the next best thing. A trip “through time” to the oldest resort in the United States. The Homestead. This property is ten years older than the United States itself. It was founded in 1766. And while it has changed ownership and structures several times over through the centuries, it is still a historic resort from all those years ago. And it was an interesting time to say the least.

Truth be told, I had never heard of The Omni Homestead until I received a Save The Date for a friend’s wedding. Nestled in a remote area in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains, the property itself is stunning. The hotel is very grandiose, but my favorite part was the overall scenery. It was so lush and green. Plus, there are a large array of activities for the whole family to do. Options include everything from Horseback Riding, Falconry and Archery to Water Slides, Golf, Hiking and so much more.

The Cascades Gorge Hike

Since I was on a solo trip (the wedding was an adult-only affair and someone had to watch the kids, so my hubby stayed home with them), I opted to go on the resort’s Cascades Gorge Hike. Let me tell you, it was amazing and a highlight of the trip.

The Cascades Gorge Hike is lead by the Resort’s Naturalist Brian, who is very entertaining by the way. We trekked through waterfalls in this Tropical Forest of Virginia. You read that right… Virginia has a Tropical Forest. The Hot Springs in the area create a tropical microclimate. How interesting is that? And can I just say, I learned so much on this hike! Some examples. Did you know plants are actually classified as intelligent life? They communicate with each other. Or how about if you are infected by a poisonous plant, the remedy is typically within eyeshot? That is merely “the tip of the iceberg” so to speak of the facts our group learned on the hike.

In addition to the entertaining and educational nature of the hike, the surroundings were so beautiful and peaceful. There were several waterfalls along the way as we weaved from the base of the trail up to the golf course, and I can honestly say I left feeling re-energized.

If you ever make it this way, I highly recommend the hike. It did cost $31 a person (crazy for a hike, right?!) but I can actually say it was worth it.

The Pool

The Homestead has several types of pools throughout the property, including a Lazy River, a Splash Pad, Water Slides and an Adult Only one. I spent most of my time in either the Lazy River or on the Water Slides. They also have poolside cocktail service (I definitely enjoyed a couple Strawberry Daiquiris). The only downside is there were several bees throughout the pool area, and I was even stung by one… Ouch!

The Hotel Room & Cleanliness

By now, most of you know that I am all about a clean hotel room. It is the main way I judge a hotel to be honest. And this is one of the areas where the resort fell short. The room itself was nice and spacious, but there were cashew nuts, straw wrappers and crumbs left on the floor (leading me to be concerned about the overall cleanliness of the actual room!). Can I just say… GROSS! Plus, what if someone staying in the room had a nut allergy? I did report the issue to management, and they were going to talk with their staff about the incident. But truth be told, it wasn’t just the rooms that needed some cleaning… Cobwebs could be frequently found in the hallways, on stairs and in corners.

The Power

Ok… I get it. This is the oldest resort in the country. But it is also 2019… Power shouldn’t be an issue. But oh was it. The power went out a couple times during my stay (a whole 36 hours on property) with the longest stretch being for around an hour because their generators are so old it takes that long to kick in. Pair that with the hallways that aren’t air conditioned and the heatwave that was sweeping through the region, it made for not the best accommodations.

The Food

As a whole, the food was pretty good. I enjoyed my Pizza, Strawberry Mojito (so refreshing!) and Calamari from Woody’s and the Poolside Chicken Fingers with my Strawberry Daiquiri were tasty.

The only disappointing meal I had was their breakfast buffet in the Dining Room. It was way overpriced for mediocre food. Seriously, my waffle and omelet were the most expensive things I ate the whole trip, and I can find better at an IHOP.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I did have an enjoyable trip to The Omni Homestead. Will I be rushing back? No. But I am glad I went and saw. Plus, the resort will be updated soon as The Omni has budgeted millions of dollars to renovate this property. I’m interested to see what they do with the place.

Travel

A Howl Of A Time

by Totally TashLeave a Comment on A Howl Of A Time

Great Wolf Lodge Experience

Groupon!

Great Wolf Lodge. The kids have been asking us to go there for what feels like forever. Truth be told, my hubby and I thought it may be too gimmicky and too expensive when we’d rather put the money towards a trip to Disney World. But… A Groupon deal came up for a $94 per night rate. You read that right… only $94 a night, and that included water park entry. Sure it was over Mother’s Day, but let’s be honest, I can celebrate Mother’s Day with my family at anytime. That deal was only good for a couple days, so I took full advantage. And I’m glad I did!

The Room!

When we arrived at the resort, we ended up upgrading to a Kid’s Cabin Suite (it was an additional $35 a night so still only $129 a night), and the kids were thrilled. The room was so fun, spacious and cute! It included a fireplace, balcony and “Cabin” area (I mean… it is called the Kid’s Cabin Suite…) for the kids, where they had bunkbeds, a little table and their own television. And, the most important part… The room was very clean.

The Waterpark!

The Indoor Waterpark… This is probably what Great Wolf Lodge is best known for. The Traverse City location features 3 tube slides, 2 regular water slides, 3 kiddie slides and kiddie pool, a lazy river, 2 hot tubs (one kid-friendly, one adult only), a water basketball area, an activity pool that includes balancing lily pads and their famous water tower.

The kids loved splashing around the waterpark. While my youngest went down the kiddie slides on loop (seriously… I’m sure she went down the slides a few hundred times… Thank goodness for poolside strawberry daiquiris! LOL), my oldest jumped from the tube slides to the lazy river to the Totem Tower slides to the basketball area and back around again. And they both had a blast! And not going to lie… I always love a good tube slide too. 🙂

Another thing I found interesting about the pool area, is the staff could frequently be seen cleaning everything down or running life guard drills by planting a “dummy” in the pool areas to see how long it took the lifeguards to see and “rescue” him.

But the best part about our time in the waterpark? Since we were there during a slower time of year, there were no lines! It should also be noted that they also have an outdoor pool area that’s open in the summers.

More Fun!

One thing that surprised me about Great Wolf Lodge is how many more activities they had for the kids! Probably the favorite amongst my family was the MagiQuest – A scavenger hunt that involves magical wands, riddles and exploring the entire hotel to complete various quests that ends in a duel with a Dragon or a challenge with a Pixie. It was a great way to get moving, explore the property and use our brains to solve the riddles.

In addition to the MagiQuest, the resort also has a Bedtime Story Time, Clock Tower show, Miniature Golf, Morning Yoga for the kids, Bowling, a Creation Station (basically a Build A Bear for the Lodge) and an arcade.

The Food!

Resort food. It can be hit or miss depending on the resort, so I was skeptical of how good the food options would be at Great Wolf Lodge. And I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy the food was! They also had plenty of food options for a variety of dietary concerns (including Gluten Free!) at a variety of restaurants.

If you want a sit down meal at a regular restaurant, head to the Camp Critter Bar & Grill. They have everything from burgers, salads and chicken to pastas and grilled cheese. Plus, they had some tasty rolls (we seriously went through 3 baskets!) and a delicious Pineapple Mango Margarita.

If you’re craving pizza and pasta, head to Hungry As A Wolf (the pizza was delish… and my youngest ate 2 whole pieces!). Hanging by the pool, Buckets Incredible Craveables has you covered with tasty chicken fingers, burgers, fries, flatbread, pretzels and more. If you want something sweet, head to the Ice Cream shop or the Candy Store. And don’t forget… Dunkin Donuts will deliver breakfast to your room in the morning!

Overall!

We had an amazing experience! If the opportunity arises, you should totally head to Great Wolf Lodge for a quick getaway filled with family fun! And don’t forget to check Groupon for a great deal!