Beach In The City

I have some exciting news! If you're a follower of our blog, you will know that we have gone to the Caribbean for Christmas twice in the last 3 years.  This year we thought we would change it up.  "A" has never been to New York City and I thought the most appropriate way to introduce her to NYC is during Christmas!  You've seen it in the movies, how wonderful and magical the city can be during the Holidays and this is what I want her to experience.

The most important decision of this trip was the hotel.  Location is everything in NYC.  Though they have a great public transit system, I find it best just to walk everywhere and experience what the city is all about. There is a certain energy you feel when you walk the streets of NYC and I wanted "A" to have that.

I want to share with you all how we decided on our hotel.  We found that it was a great way to narrow down your hotel options for a city vacation especially when there are so many wonderful hotels to choose from.

• Create a personal google map - you can do this if you have a gmail account.  Simply go to maps, then create maps.
• Mark all the sights, restaurants and shops you want to visit - this can give you an overview of how you want to plan your trip. It will also show you what the most convenient spot is to have your hotel.
• Search hotels - on the map you will find the most convenient hotels that is within the vicinity of your plans.  Once you've done that, go on tripadvisor and do your research.

Our map for Christmas 2011

I know it seems simple enough but it really helped us on narrowing down our options.

Royalton Lobby

With all that said, I am excited to let all of you know that we will be staying at the Royalton New York! This hotel to me SCREAMS New York.  It's a wonderful boutique hotel located right in Midtown Manhattan, steps away from Times Square, Rockerfeller Center, Central Park and 5th Avenue.  To us this was the perfect hotel.  

When we go on city vacations (which is rare) we love staying at boutique hotels mainly because it feels more intimate. I also find the interior decor of these hotels are just par to none.  Royalton is part of the Morgans Hotel Group which also offers the Hudson, Mondrian and Morgans in NYC as well as a few other wonderful looking properties in LA, San Francisco, South Beach and London.

We booked a Standard Room with a soaking tub. What is a Royalton soaking tub you ask?  See below

Royalton Soaking Tub

Isn't that just awesome?  I figured this was a great feature to have.  I mean who would not want to soak in this wonderful tub after a long day of trekking around the city in Winter?  

Another perk that sold us on this hotel other than the location was Forty-Four. Honestly we cannot wait to eat here and of course, have a cocktail or two.

So please stay tuned for our review of the Royalton, Forty-Four and all the other restaurants and sites that we will visit during our Christmas vacation NYC.  

If you can't wait for our review?  Check out this great review of the Royalton by Oyster

Best Beaches of 2011?

Playa Megano - Santa Clara, Cuba

Most recently Tripadvisor released its survey results from the best beaches around the world. I was STUNNED to see that only 1 of Cuba's beaches were on the list. Santa Clara made it to 21.  I realized that a lot of US travelers cannot go visit the country, but let me tell you, Cuba has some of the best beaches in the world. To be fair though, I have never been to 5 out of the top 10 they listed in the Caribbean but it's also fair assessment to say that some beaches in Cuba are far more superior that the 5 I have been to.

Take a look at the list here Do you agree?

Surf Art

We see art everywhere when we go on vacation.  The cheezy "touristy" kind that you think is an original piece till you walk into the next store that has them.  Seems like a good idea at the time, but when you bring it home, it seems like such a hasstle to get them framed and put up in your house.

Sound familiar?  Then you are exactly like us! =)  It's easy to get caught up in the beauty of the country you are visiting.  Each and everyone of us want to bring back the essence of the culture and scenery and put a little touch in our home to remind us of it.  In my personal opinion,a paintings or renderings that want to capture the feeling of the beach should be soft, fluid and vibrant.  When looking at it, it should bring back that feeling of happiness and relaxation you felt when you were there experiencing it.

To me there are plenty of beach or surf artists out there that do an amazing job.  My favorite out of all of them, is Jay Alders.

I don't know exactly how I found him, but when I did, I was absolutely blown away.  I have to admit I still have to buy a Jay Alders piece, but the reason I haven't bought one is because I can't pick ONE print.  I am close to finding it though and when I do, I will stare at it every morning when the Canadian winter hits to remind me that somewhere out there, the sun is still shining.