Best Place to Stay in Vancouver: Barclay House

Stayed at the Barclay B&B for three nights and loved it! The location is great but it does require walking a few blocks before you can get to the Stanley Park. From the city center stations, it was about a 30-35 min walk with luggage – I highly recommend NOT walking if you’re lugging around luggage. It’s up and down in some areas and honestly, bus or cab it. You’ll be happy you did.

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Barclay B&B

The house is super cute; it’s clean and the service is wonderful. Each day our rooms were neatly made and two fresh cookies were placed on our beds. We stayed in the garden suite which was separate from the main house (basement). It had a living area with a pullout couch — no tables to really eat though which was difficult if you were bringing food back to the room, but not a big deal.

The Garden Room

The Garden Room

The WiFi was kinda shoddy if you weren’t in the bedroom. The room had a fridge and a safe. It also has a lovely fireplace which is essentially what heat the room when we were cold. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was adorable and had all the amenities we needed – no need to drag your own hair dryer around, this place offers one.

Bathtub in Garden Room

Bathtub in Garden Room

The breakfast every morning was fresh and delicious. We had put in our special request when we booked and our breakfast was perfect each morning. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

Main House Living Room

Main House Living Room

If you’re renting a car, let them know, they have 5 parking spots where you can park. Street parking will get you a ticket within minutes, so don’t even risk it.

All in all, if I’m ever in Vancouver again, I will def stay here. Enjoy!

Happy Travels!

Barclay House | 1351 Barclay Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. V6E 1H6 | 1.800.971.1351


Zleep Hotel: Good ONLY for Long Budget Stays

zleepWe spent one night in Zleep, Ballerup (and I’m not sure 6 hours even count for 1 night), and it was absolutely not worth the trouble to get there from the airport for a mere one night budget stay. It took us an hour on train (two trains, one switch – though very straight forward) and a ten minute (it feels longer with luggage) walk to the hotel. Continue reading


Liftline Lodge at Stratton Mountain Resort: HORRID!

I booked this place via expedia, but didn’t know I was booking “Liftline Lodge”, that’s because it showed up as “Stratton Mountain Resort” — there’s your first clue. If the hotel says Stratton Mtn Resort and is $75/night, you’re likely going to be staying at the Liftline Lodge and you will be sorry that you did. Basically the resort has a bunch of different lodging options and they scale anywhere from gorgeous (I assume) to an abandonment crap (that’s what we got). Continue reading


Great Affordable Stay in Montreal: Residence Inn by Marriott

photo courtesy: marriott.com

photo courtesy: marriott.com

I booked the Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown Montreal through priceline for $75/night and I am SOO glad I did! It is literally two short blocks from St Catherine’s – right in the heart of downtown Montreal! Its a suite, with a fully equipped kitchen (pans, dishes, utensils, jug for water, coffee maker, etc). It had its own dining space, seats 4, a living room area with a couch, coffee table and TV, and then we happen to have two queen beds. Our room was on the 8th floor, overlooking the main street. It was LOVELY! The free wifi helped as well. Oh yea, breakfast included, which is always a nice plus. Good selection of your regular choices: cereal, fruits, egg, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, waffle maker, coffee, juice (variety), tea, hot cocoa, bagels, muffins, toasts, milk, jam, butter, etc. And the breakfast room is very nice too,  overlooking the main street with big windows; really cute. Be aware, you DO have to pay for parking, and its a whopping $28 CAD (with tax), but I guess that’s to be expected, eh? Oh and the staff is friendly and helpful! While I have no intentions of heading to Montreal again, if I did, I would stay here again!

Happy Travels!

 Residence Inn by Marriott | 2045 Peel Street · Montreal, Quebec H3A 1T6 Canada | 514.982.6064


Days Inn Orlando International Drive South of Universal: Cheap & Disgusting

 

photo courtesy: daysinn.com

photo courtesy: daysinn.com

GROSS GROSS GROSS. This is all I could think when I spotted the first of few cockroaches in the bathroom sink on my first stop to the restroom. I was so disgusted by the overall appearance of the room (and I’m not picky, trust me), I could barely stand to be in the room. I stayed here with my brother for two nights during our post cruise trip to visit Universal Orlando. It was really cheap through hotwire ($30/night), plus the $4.99/night resort fee that’s collected from you at the hotel. Honestly, what the hell is the resort fee for??? It certainly doesn’t go to keeping the place clean.

The second night I spotted a few more roaches on the bedside tables. Again, barf! If I could do it again, I would pay twice the amount per night and stay in a hotel I KNOW is clean. You just can’t put a price on cleanliness. This hotel is a BIG NO GO for me.

Happy Travels (just not to this place)!

Days Inn Orlando International Drive South of Universal | 5858 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819 | 407.351.4410


Best Place to Stay in Keystone, Colorado

seasons

Seasons Townhome

In an effort to be economical, we went to Keystone, Colorado (as opposed to Aspen) for a long weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday and we stayed at the Seasons Town homes in Lakeside Village. We rented a 2 bedroom town home for the 5 of us. It cost us $184/pp for 3 nights and we had a fabulous stay! It was the cutest house ever! The master suite had a king bed, plenty of closet/dresser space & master bathroom with a separate toilet room. The second bedroom had a queen bed and an attached bathroom. The living room included a pullout sofa. Perfect for 5 of us. In addition to the 2 attached bathrooms, there was a half bathroom in the hallway. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything we could need (minus the food of course). Each unit included an outdoor grill on the balcony which led out to a large backyard space. Though we did not bother with the grill in the middle of winter, we did put the living room fireplace to good use. Each unit also came with its own parking and there was an outdoor hot tub for every 4 units to share! Seriously, this place was amazing. Continue reading


Fundraising to Volunteer in Costa Rica

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, volunteering has always been an important part of my life. While I engage regularly in volunteering activities locally, I make it a point to go on one volunteer trip every couple of years to make a difference in someone’s life who I would otherwise never have a chance to meet. This year, I have an amazing opportunity to teach English to those in financial hardships and cannot afford to learn English in Costa Rica with Global Volunteer Network, a non-profit organization committed to “connecting people with communities in need”. I am extremely thrilled and grateful for such an opportunity.

Continue reading


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