The Last Frontier

When I was young, my family moved to Alaska for two years, and I thought I was going to hate it, but I couldn't have been more wrong. To this day, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. My memories are getting foggier as I get older, so I'm dying to get back for a visit to refresh! But certain things I'll never forget -- like the way the air felt, the breathtaking Mount McKinley and the incredible wildlife -- we literally had moose roam through our front yard! Another thing that sticks in my mind is staying at the gorgeous Hotel Captain Cook in downtown Anchorage on our first night in the city. The rooms have amazing views and the restaurant is truly top-notch!

Spring Break '06

It is hard to beleive that the wonderful week of spring break has come to an end, now that I have graduated from college.  I have done everything from a relaxing family vacation in California to a week long party in Mexico.  My last trip was to South Beach, Miami, and was definitely one of the best.  I went with five girlfriends, and we stayed at this great place called Cordoza Hotel. It is owned by Gloria Estefan and is located right on Ocean Boulevard.  The location was perfect.  We had the famous beach and the most popular shopping right across the street from the hotel for us to enjoy during the day, then at night we were able to walk everywhere for a fun night out at some of the hottest bars and clubs.  South Beach really is a world of its own and this hotel's amazing style and service gave us a true experience!

What's in a Name?

Most of my friends are surprised to learn that I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (which is a totally random place to be if you're 2nd generation anyway) because my parents' American sponsors lived there. So the story continues that when they first made it there, a week after landing, I had had it with the cramped accommodations for the past nine months and wanted out ASAP. Well, my parents didn't know any English but wanted an American name because they didn't want me to get teased in school. So they asked a random nurse in the delivery room to name me! My dad says I should one day visit Albuquerque to see where I was born - but I'd rather go there and try to find the lady who picked the second most boring name next to Jane! But in all seriousness, maybe one day if I decide to head out west, I should stay at the MCM Elegante Hotel and check out what the city has to offer.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Back in college, I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad for a summer. It was an awesome six country European tour where we were able to go to corporate headquarters such as Mercedes, Rolex, and Nestle. It was so surreal to see a Maybach in production on the assembly line and changing into a lab coat and gloves just to be in a room full of watches worth more than my house.  I fell in love with all the people and countries we visited (yes, even the French! haha) but I was disappointed we didn't have the opportunity to go to Portugal. Besides Greece and Spain, Portugal is on my to see list. The Avenida Palace looks to be like the perfect place to stay in Lisbon in the heart of downtown.

Crieff Hydro

Anyone who has not visited to the UK region needs to mark this area as their next vacation spot.  Scotland, in particular, is my next pick.  I traveled to Ireland with my family this past summer and found it to be one of my favorite destinations in Europe.  Scotland is next on our list because of its similarity to Ireland and everyone's raving reviews.  I found a great hotel, Crieff Hydro Hotel, located in Crieff, a small market town at the foot of Scotland's Highlands.  This large estate is just over an hour drive from Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, with some of the most amazing views of rolling hills and mountains.  This hotel provides an assortment of impressive activities which is perfect for my active family, but not so much that it seems like an americanized resort.  It is absolutely beautiful and I encourage everyone to check it out.

Aussie Fever

Is it just me, or has Australia been in the news lately more than ever? There seems to be an Aussie Fever in the air. Between Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's gorgeous summer wedding and last year's Oscar buzz about Heath Ledger, Australians are constantly on the front-burner. Of course, most recently we've seen an influx of Australian coverage because of the tragedy of Steve Irwin's untimely death as well. With all this attention, my curiosity about the country is peaked. It is definitely a place I'd like to visit at some point, but the only city I know anything about is Sydney -- any suggestions for a vacation spot more off the beaten path? I'm thinking maybe a spa getaway for the holidays...Anyone know of a good one?

Oktoberfest

Welcome to the hotelbook.com Podcast.  In the next few weeks the world famous Oktoberfest will kick off in the otherwise sleepy town of Theresienwiese in Germany.


MP3 File

Official Oktoberfest Site

Back to the Motherland

My mom's leaving to go back to Vietnam this Sunday for a whole entire month. It's a well deserved and long overdue break for her so I'm glad she finally has the opportunity to go. To her, it's more than a vacation, but a chance to reunite with her family that she hasn't seen in over 8 years. I often take for granted the fact that I'm blessed to be able to see my family everyday, but for most first generation Vietnamese like my parents, they only have the luxury of returning home every once in a great while. While she's in Saigon she should stay at the New World Hotel Saigon. I wish I could go with her even though I experienced major culture shock the last time I was there. It was definitely a learning experience to say the least, but I do miss the 24 hr. roadside food stands, the constant buzz and noise of people in the city, and most of all, the sense of gratitude I felt for the chance to see where my parents grew up and ultimately, to understand where I came from.

Brangelina in the Big Easy

Now that it's been a year since Hurricane Katrina, I've been wanting to visit New Orleans to help boost the economy and see what the city really looks like these days. Has anyone been recently? I'm curious to here a first-hand account of what's changed and what is pretty much back to normal. I recently saw Brad Pitt on the Today Show talking about what he is doing to help the city. He said he and Angie will be spending quite a bit of time there, so if anyone is planning a trip to the Big Easy keep your eyes peeled for Brangelina! I know I will. I was looking on hotelbook.com for possible New Orleans accomodations and came across the Andrew Jackson Hotel. It's in the heart of the Quarter on Royal Street. It looks really cute and full of history. If anyone has stayed there, I would love to hear what you thought of it.

Harajuku Lovers

Tokyo is now officially near the top of the "Must See Before I Die" list. A friend of mine, who recently decided to take a year off of work to teach English in Japan, just sent me a link to her photo album chock full of pictures. I love everything Japanese (I could live off of sushi if necessary) as the culture is so intriguing -- especially Harajuku girls, people who dress up in bizarre costumes to resemble anime characters and punk musicians. Gwen Stefani made them famous in her newest album, but Harajuku is actually an area in Tokyo near Shibuya. The Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu would be an ideal hotel to stay at to catch a glimpse of a Harajuku girl.