Jennifer W. Miner's Blog

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

The Lion King is taking up permanent residency in Las Vegas! Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is the lucky location for this sure-to-be sellout show. This is Walt Disney Company's first time setting up a long-term interest in Las Vegas, and it's hard to imagine a better fit; the visual artistry of The Lion King on Broadway is well-known (it made me cry, and I'm a cynical old gal). Naturally, most tourists plan vacations in Las Vegas to try their hand at the poker tables - or the slot machines, a worse gamble. It's nice to know that the art and culture in Las Vegas provides a welcome break from losing your shirt there.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

Oh man, do I love Hawaii. Living in Southern California has made the islands more accessible than before, and even when I'm not on Maui or the Big Island, I find myself fantasizing about making future travel plans there.

The Hawaii Superferry, which operates daily roundtrip morning/afternoon trips between Oahu and Maui, recently feted its 125,000th passenger with a year's worth of free rides (for four, plus a car on board too). Pretty great, considering that the Hawaii Superferry is a relative newcomer to Hawaii island-hopping, and especially since it was initially met with some opposition. Things are smooth sailing for the Superferry now, though, and indicate his support for local farmers and "green" travel between the islands, Hawaii Superferry President Tom Fargo also just announced a partnership with local farm organizations. This includes a travel discount for qualified farmers, ranchers and merchants.

What's next on tap for the Hawaii Superferry? A planned addition to their route. Adding the Big Island and Kauai to the ferry's destinations will help travelers, local and tourist alike, get to different islands while leaving a lighter carbon footprint. And it serves to give me yet another reason to daydream about my next vacation in Hawaii.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

There's a recession coming, if it's not already here. Everyone's feeling the pinch. From the price of gas to the price of a gallon of milk (up to 4 dollars in my grocery store!), Americans have to figure out a way to economize. But that doesn't mean giving up travel completely. After all, vacations make for much better memories than just sitting around watching television.

There are some really good ways to take even a weekend getaway and not blow your travel budget. The USA has some fun and free activities in popular vacation destinations, for example, and even the luxury vacation town of Santa Barbara has cheap hotels and free activities. Down south of Los Angeles, Redondo Beach is a reasonably good facsimile of more upscale Southern California beach towns - but it's much more affordable, with cheap hotels and a down-to-earth sunny culture. And for an affordable luxury hotel in Redondo Beach, you can't beat the Portofino. So don't forgo all your travel plans; save money by using your vacation budget wisely, and make those memories!

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

There's no real bad time to visit Hawaii, but some people might not consider a summer South Pacific vacation (since it's warm elsewhere too). Frequent readers know that Hawaii is my favorite island chain - and I'm hardly alone in this - but for the uninitiated, the Big Island is as good a place to start as any.

There are some travel deals, activities and events this summer to help plan out a Big Island vacation. My pick? The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has Vavoom Volcano Tours; through the end of the year, there's a "buy one, get one free" special for crater hiking tours and hikes to the sea near Kalapana.

Luxury travel fans will want to stay somewhere along the Kohala Coast. My favorite of the luxury resorts here is the Fairmont Orchid, but then, I've always been partial to that family of hotels. The Mauna Lani Resort, another 5-star hotel, is offering a 5th night free until December 23rd; an excellent deal for a luxury vacation in Hawaii. While on the Kohala Coast, try to explore the petroglyphs, and make time to check out the Gathering of Kings.

There are eco-camp and budget alternatives on the Big Island, some that start at only 20 dollars a night. Call A Beautiful Day Spa (808)982-7252, for more info on the eco- and volunteering range of lodging.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

We've seen what the ghastly air fare prices have been these days - seriously, $800 round trip from LAX to Chicago? Granted, that would've been a last-minute trip, but still - the high price of fuel is really putting a strain on our travel plans. That's one reason why I was so happy to see that the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau joined with several big online travel companies to ease the pain on our tourist budgets. A lot of these Hawaii air fare and hotel package deals include a free car rental, which is nice...but the Hawaiian islands also seem to be leading the way in terms of United States gas prices. Maui was the first place I saw $4.49/gallon listed at gas stations, and a few days later, the Big Island was the second. Yikes!

Car rental companies are also looking at the bottom line, and the higher-ups there are realizing that if people can't afford the gas, they won't rent the cars. Hertz has a very nice summer vacation offer right now. Rent from Hertz, and the company will give you a free full tank of gas. That's around $60 dollars (and counting...) savings. This is only good through July 14, though, so you'll have to move fast. Just go to the Hertz website, click on "Special Offers," and then from the drop-down list, click on "Free Gas Will Keep You Moving." Sorry, Canada, your free tank of gas offer expires a couple weeks before ours down in the States does.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

Father's Day is next month, and for some dads that means a new tie to hang in the nether regions of their closets. For some other dads - lucky, lucky dads - Father's Day instead can mean a Father's Day gift package in Jamaica. This travel package is at the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, and includes two rounds of golf as well as a spa treatment. Also part of the package are round trip airport transfers, 5-star dining, and, of course, a room or suite at Half Moon. Oh, and a welcoming beer upon arrival - just to set the mood.

If you've missed Father's Day or can't take a luxury vacation in mid-June, no worries: The Guys on the Green travel package is good all the way through December 15, 2008. Let's see; another tie, or luxury travel package in Jamaica. Tough choice, huh?

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

Here's some news for any aspiring writers out there: My favorite travel blog (wink, wink) is putting together an anthology. It's easy to submit your travel tale to the TravelingMamas anthology, and more than one story can be submitted. Now, this is a relatively new blog, but it's got a bunch of things cookin', and the professional travel writers who run it are having a lot of fun.

The anthology is requesting one-time rights only, but reprints are acceptable if you own the rights. From funny stories to tearjerkers, all styles are fair game here. Don't let the name of the blog spook you- you don't have to be a mom to tell the tale. I think it'd be fun (and kind of exciting) for someone with a great travel tale o see it published with other stories, and I can't wait to see how this anthology turns out.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

I've written about the amazing, award-winning golf courses on Kauai before; in particular, the Kauai Golf Challenge and Kauai Ultimate Golf Challenge cooperative allow golfers to play on several of the island's top greens. Those award winners are Princeville's Prince and Makai courses, Poipu Bay's golf course, Kauai Lagoon's Kiele and Mokihana courses, and the Puakea golf course.

A new destination golf course has just been added to the Ultimate Island Green cooperative. The Kiahuna Golf Club, designed by golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., is is a perfect fit with the othes. In fact, Robert Trent Jones Jr designed both Princeville and Poipu Bay's courses, creatively matching the need for challenging games with the desire for scenic vistas. Kiahuna is no exception: The par 70 championship course takes golfers around still-standing relics of ancient Hawaii, adding a sense of history and spirituality to the fairway. Sounds like the Kauai golf cooperative just got even better!

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

I love Vancouver. And apparently, I'm not the only one - not by a long shot. The Economic Intelligence Unit rated Vancouver, British Columbia as the most livable city in the world. Because some of the factors that figure into livability are quality and availability of good and services, low crime, and access to arts and culture, Vancouver is also a top vacation city. Sure, it's cloudier and rainier than some may like, but hey - nowhere's perfect, right?

Now, many people visit Vancouver en route to Whistler Blackcomb for skiing. No harm there! If it's just an easy overnight you seek, I recommend staying at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel. It's the best airport hotel I've ever been in (for both incredible convenience and the luxury standards of the Fairmont brand), and an experience you won't soon forget. But, if you're planning an upscale vacation in Vancouver, or a day and nights as a pit stop of an Alaskan cruise, please check out Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium. Stay at one of the best luxury hotels in Vancouver, or narrow your choices to those within the Fairmont chain. Fairmont hotels are more than reasonably priced 4- and 5-star luxury hotels, they are also leading the way regarding conservation and sustainable tourism. Lucky Vancouver has three, soon to be four Fairmont hotels, so there are plenty to choose from! It's nice to feel good about where your vacation dollars are spent.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the more thoughtful of my readers are probably already considering where to go and what to buy for the love in their lives. Right? ...No? It figures. Well, in these times of tightened belts and emptier wallets, it may be wise to forgo that private jet to Paris for Valentine's Day, but romantic weekend getaways are still easy to find, and to afford.

If any romantic long weekend destinations are near you, consider making this Valentine's Day special. It's a blacked-out travel time for a reason; I have no statistics on this, but I'd wager it's one of the most popular weekend dates for marriage proposals. If that's all in the past (in my case, waaaay in the past), a getaway weekend trip is still commendable - and try packing some surprises to keep that romantic spark alive. Or send some of those goodies to me - my spouse will likely forget as usual, and I'm not as picky as I used to be. Kidding! I kid. Have a sweet Valentine's Day.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

San Mateo County is usually a pretty quiet place. Sure, you've got the annual Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay, where folks can get a little stirred up about winning the pumpkin weigh-in contest, and you've got the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America. Generally, however, people walk slow and things don't much happen in this sleepy county just south of San Francisco.

Once a year though - BAM! It's the Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest, and surfers come from all over the planet to compete for the $75,000 purse. This year, the winner of the Mavericks Surf Contest is himself from California: Greg Long, from San Clemente, competed (and won) against around 24 other top-notch surfers. With waves that get up to four stories tall, the Mavericks Surf Contest is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for the surfing subculture - they wait for ideal surfing conditions in Northern California, and are prepared to get to the surf contest in 24 hours. All these surfers from around the world, converging on Half Moon Bay for a day or two, crashing in local hotels or sleeping in their cars - it's enough to almost (almost) put the Pumpkin Festival to shame.

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner

Some people have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose a ski vacation over a tropical one - and by "some people," I mean, "me." Preference for poolside mixed drinks aside, the cold weather, extreme physical exertion, cold weather, lack of snorkeling opportunities, and cold weather all seem like remarkable vacation turn-offs. Or so I thought, until my recent family ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Yes, a ski trip. Yes, in the winter. Yes, me, alright already!

The kids and their cousins had such a blast, and didn't complain once about the physical exertion or cold weather. Well, one kid complained a little, but she'll remain unidentified for the sake of future therapy bills. The joy of the five children learning to ski and really enjoying each others company was heartwarming enough to make up - almost - for the 20 degree weather. Now, Lake Tahoe is considered an excellent ski resort area, one of the best in North America; it certainly is child-friendly. Our hotel seemed to be 80% family ski travelers. And now that we know we don't completely hate ski vacations, maybe we'll actually make it up to Whistler next year. Maybe. I hear that 20 degrees is considered relatively balmy up there.