Last night I had the pleasure of attending the 2013 Charleston Food & Wine Festival Launch Party with Charleston City Paper’s own food writer, Eric Doksa. It was held at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina.

The event is a great place to get an insider’s view of what’s to come at the Food and Wine Festival. More than 20 of Charleston’s top chefs prepared amazing food and beverages.

Because of the week started off with terrible weather – including flooding- and the forecast for the day called for rain, the event was hosted both inside and under the hotels covered patios. It got a bit crowded at times, but no one seemed to mind. Of course, a highlight of the evening was meeting celebrity Chef and culinary master, George Mendes of ALDEA in New York. Mendes is quite well known in the food world and became publicly recognizable after appearing in Top Chef Masters Season 3.

Several of Charleston’s favorite chefs ran out of food early, leaving many longing for a taste of what they had to offer. Notably, Chef Marc Collins of Circa 1886 and Jacques Larson from Wild Olive were among those who ran out of food.

So what was a hit with the crowd? I asked Doksa what his favorite dishes were and he thought that the best dishes were the Caw Caw Creek suckling pig sausage with faro and butterbean salad by Chefs Chris Stewart and Sarah O’Kelley from the Glass Onion. I have to agree, and in particular, the faro and butterbean salad was one of the single best bites of food all night. I could have taken home a pound of that! Doksa also loved the Pineapple Upside Down Cheese Cake by Tristan’s Amanee Neirouz. Again, I concur, that was one amazing taste of a deconstructed cheesecake. I can still taste that pineapple! Another favorite was the gin drink served by Gin Joint’s Joe Raya. Doksa said “anything Raya touches turns to liquid gold.”

Gin Joint

Glass Onion

Tristan

My personal favorites were the lamb gyro from Cru Café’s John Zucker. I loved the spice the pickled jalapeño added to it. My favorites of the night? The Virginia Heritage Pork belly pastrami with sweet pickled veggies, rye mayo and Geechie Boy Mills Johnny Cake from Husk’s Chef Travis Grimes. I saw it described in the paper today as a fancy little pizza. I personally would not describe it as a pizza, but no matter how you described it, it was simply amazing. I didn’t realize the dish was from Husk when I tried it, I’ve found Husk to be hit or miss when I’ve dined there and I’m not a huge pork fan, so it came as a huge surprise that this was my favorite. It made me want to head back to Husk and give it another try. The other dish of the night was the previously mentioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Cru Café

Husk

So, what got mixed reviews? Everyone agreed that the bratwurst tartine by Chef Todd Garrigan from the soon to open Craftsman Kitchen and Tap House lacked a little flavor. Another disappointing bite was pastry Chef Andrea Upchurch’s southern inspired macaroons. They were very chewy and sticky. I was very mixed about the salmon with apple radish salad on a grit cake. The grit cake was very oily and soaked up so much liquid from the dish that it became dense and heavy. The salmon and radish salad were good and would have been better without the grit cake.

The best single bite of the night goes to Cru Café’s miniature chicken and waffles. The presentation was great and it was really tasty. Chicken in a waffle cone, brilliant!

The festival will run from February 28^th through March 3^rd 2013. Unless you have an unlimited budget, deciding what events to attend can be a challenge. Here are a few events I would personally buy tickets for:

The Grocery Breakfast on March 1^st. Based on last night’s launch event, this breakfast is sure to be popular. Unfortunately, since I’m allergic to tomato, I was unable to taste the breakfast hash prepared by Chef Kevin Johnson. However, I had a great time watching him prepare it!

The Low Country Jazz Brunch at Husk on March 3^rd. I’m sure this will sell out fast; the Jazz brunch is a favorite every year.

The World of Fried Chicken at Hominy Grill on March 2^nd. Hominy is a local favorite and has great fried chicken so I’m sure this will be a fun event.

Tickets will sell fast, so make sure you get them quickly if you have an event you don’t want to miss.

Visiting Charleston for the event?

If you’re coming from out-of-town, you’ll need to find a place to stay. Expect hotels in downtown to be astronomically expensive. I looked at the Renaissance hotel, The Charleston Place, the Doubletree and the Francis Marion and couldn’t find a room under $400/night. The Food & Wine Festival is offering hotel and event ticket packages. There is no way I’d book any of the hotel & ticket packages – unless, of course, money is no object – they’re outrageously priced. For example, the Best Western is offering rooms for $499/night with a minimum of 3 nights and it includes tickets 2 tickets to one of the Perfectly Paired Dinners on March 1, 2 tickets to the Low Country Jazz Brunch on March 3 and 2 tickets to the culinary village and tasting tent on March 2^nd. The value of the events equals $827 dollars. Three nights at the hotel will cost $1497 which means you’re paying $670 or $223+ dollars a night for the best western. I would never pay $223/night to stay at the downtown Charleston Best Western. From there, all of the prices just go up.

So where is one to stay? I would suggest renting a car and staying in one of the neighboring areas. You can stay on the beach in Isle of Palms or James Island or you can stay in Mt Pleasant for ½ the price of what downtown hotels are charging and it will only take you about 15 minutes (maybe more with event traffic) to get downtown. There’s plenty of inexpensive parking downtown and it’s very easy to get around. I’d also look at renting a vacation home – lots of people put their homes and condos on the market for the weekend! There are tons of booking sites easily found on the web.

Last week I wrote about how I was inspired by fellow blogger, Just Another Points Traveler, and her father’s travel woes and ran a “What’s the biggest oh s*%t travel moment you’ve ever had” contest.

I thought I’d start by sharing my biggest “oh s*%t moment”.  I was on the road and staying at the some hotel as my client. I soon discovered that my client’s Chief Technology Officer was in a room on the same floor as me.  After pulling a few all-nighters, I needed a pick-me-up and headed to the vending machines around 12:30 a.m one night. I was in flannel PJs (mistake #1).   The machines were in a small room near the elevator and as I walked in, the large metal door slammed behind me.  I got a soda and tried to leave the room.  The door was jammed shut.  All I had with me was my room key – no cell phone (mistake #2).  I had no way to get out. I started knocking on the door in hopes someone would hear me. I tried everything I could think of to get the door open.  The only thing I could think about was what if the CTO was the one to walk by while I stood locked in vending machine room in my PJs.   After about 15 minutes (which felt like 15 hours) a man – that I didn’t know – walked by and I was able to get his attention.  He called security and security pried the door open.  The most shocking part of story is that the security guy said “gosh, that’s the third time this week this has happened.”   I was furious and let the hotel management know it.  The lesson? Don’t wear your PJs to the vending machine room, don’t leave your room without a cell phone, and don’t let metal doors slam behind you.

There were some great entries, but only one person could win the $50 iTunes gift card prize.  The winner was selected at random from all the entries and per the rules of the contest has 10 business days to claim their prize by emailing verygoodpoints@gmail.com

And the winner is Andrew (comment #22) who said “After double checking everything before leaving to study abroad for the semester, we were about halfway to the airport when I realized I was missing my passport! I had placed it in my car “so I wouldn’t forget it” but we ended up taking a different car!. Thankfully we left early enough that I didn’t miss my flight.”

There were some really great Oh S*%t Moments submitted and although they’re not winners, we had to share some

LufthansaFlyer says: “A few years ago (well like 20+) when living in NYC, I had booked an LH flight to Slovakia and on the way to Newark (EWR) I realized that I was departing JFK. I had forgotten that I was departing JFK and ARRIVING EWR. Fortunately it only cost me bridge toll and 20 minutes, but that all over “OH S*&T” numbing feeling was with me for a long time!” 

Karen says: “I opened the hotel room door to retrieve my newspaper and the door shut behind me. I had just come out of the shower and was clothed only in a bath towel with no room key. I had to go to the lobby to get a new key”  Yikes! That is a nightmare!

Hulagrrl210 says “Booked a ticket for Jul instead of Jun. Showed up the airport. Was embarrassed. Had to pay the $200 change fee.”

To see all the great comments, check out the original post here.

Thanks and keep your eyes posted for the next contest!

A few weeks ago I wrote about my search for a new suitcase. Tumi was having a sale and so I decided to go back to the brand I started traveling with 10+ years ago.  A suitcase that was originally sold for $645 was on sale at Tumi.com for $328.  That’s just over 50% off the original price. I bought the Tumi Vapor Extended Trip Packing Case in the crosscut pattern. I went with a large, non carry-on suitcase due to the amount of extended international travel I do.

The suitcase arrived is a large cloth cover. The material, according to the Tumi website, is a triple-layer ABS and polycarbonate shell. The material is very lightweight and feels a little flimsy in its movement. The suitcase has plastic bumpers – that I hope will withstand the harsh handling that luggage is subjected to. It has a shorter than expected extendable telescoping handle and we’ll have to see how it handles in the real-world. It also has 360-degree swiveling wheels – which I think are a must when lugging suitcases around the world. There is a TSA approved lock (which I’ll talk more about later) and an Omega 2010 zipper system. Why is the Omega 2012 zipper so special? Well, according to Tumi it’s their patented closure system and reduces the risk of damage to the zipper. If the zipper is caught on something (like a conveyer belt) the puller breaks away from the suitcase rather than the entire zipper tearing apart. Tumi claims that the zipper is more easily replaced due to this technology. This is one thing I hope never to have to test.

When I unpacked my new Vapor, it was locked. I tried setting the TSA approved lock to 0-0-0, but no luck. I tried 9-9-9, 1-1-1 and a few other random combinations. Nothing, my suitcase remained safely locked. Hmmm…how does one get their suitcase open? I called Tumi and the person I spoke with wasn’t to helpful. After trying literally about 20 different combinations, they finally told me how to reset the combination lock. Finally open, I was able to explore the features inside the suitcase. Locked safely inside were the TSA approved lock instructions (perhaps there’s a better place to put those) along with the limited warranty and some other information. The inside is divided into two compartments The main section is quite large and has tie-down straps. The smaller compartment has a small zipped pocket which contained a removable garment sleeve. I was a little perplexed with the garment sleeve. There was no hanger or attachment with which to secure the garment bag into the suitcase. I guess you’re meant to just lay it inside the suitcase?

The suitcase has the Tumi Tracer functionality with is exclusive to Tumi. Tumi Tracer is a free program that allows consumers to track their lost or stolen suitcase (or other Tumi product with the Tumi Tracer tag included). There is a small plate sewn into the suitcase that contains a tracking number. Once that tag is registered, Tumi can track items that are reported as lost or stolen and hopefully reunite them with their owner.

This will be my second Tumi suitcase purchase and I also have several other Tumi products. I love all of the Tumi products I currently own and hope that this one lasts me as long as the others.

As many of my readers know, I call Charleston, South Carolina home and in fact, live on a small island. This week brought torrential rains to Charleston and created massive flooding in low-lying areas – which is all of Charleston. So what’s a city to do when the streets flood and cars float?

Many in Charleston turned to alternative modes of transportation. Some got out their kayaks and paddled through the streets of downtown.

Some people even turned to the horse and carriages typically used for giving tours of the city

Some people just rolled up their pants and went about their shopping

Others got out their inner-tubes and went for a float along the street

Some people just didn’t heed the warnings and got stuck

With so much rain, I wonder what modes of transportation people will turn to next. Anyone have an Ark?

Photos courtesy of several colleagues.

Have you ever wondered how and why a NFL team picks a hotel when they’re on the road? Even though I worked in the NHL for many years, I never really knew what went into picking the hotel. The following is an interview with a NFL team operations executive. In additional to the NFL, this executive has worked many other major league sports and global sporting events.

Q – When do you start planning what hotels the team will stay in?

A – All site visits are done in March-April. Once we get our schedule in April, we contact the hotels we liked to see if they have our dates available and go from there! Each site visit takes about 45 min to an hour and some cities find us seeing anywhere from 5 to 20 properties. It’s a lot and once you get a feel for it, you can usually determine very quickly if the hotel is a good fit for a possible stay.

Q – What are you looking for when you visit a hotel?

A – We would look at everything at the hotel from how the team would arrive through to when it would depart. That means first going outside to understand what the block was like for bus staging – will buses unload to the curb or will they unload street-side? Would the travel party have to cross a road or valet area? What would a hotel’s plans be if so. We’d want the street to close for our arrival if so and would sort that with the city police department. We’d want to know many buses could fit curbside and with bus #1 carrying the Head Coach being directly or as close to the main entrance, how would the remaining buses use the sidewalk. Hotel would be advised to have executive staff to escort key personnel to their rooms or meeting spaces at the time of arrival. We would look at entrance doors – are they revolving, automatic, can they be propped open?

Q- Okay, so once you’re inside, what are you looking at?

A- Inside, we’re looking for the path to the elevators and any service elevators in the area. How big are the elevators? Do they require key card access to specific floors? If so, we’d need to arrange access for key people on select or all floors we are using. We ask all hotels to staff the elevators and lock them off to just our floors for the arrival so we can get in and out of the way faster, cause less of an inconvenience to guests and maintains as secure an environment as possible. We look at where arrival tables with room key packets will be staged between the buses and the elevators.

Q- When the team arrives at the hotel, how long does it take to get everyone from the busses to their rooms?

A – We time our arrivals and target 7 minutes total. If it is longer than 10 min due to minimal elevators or other issues, that isn’t good. We let the hotel know who is allowed to make room changes and when bedchecks will be.

Q- Once you know how you’ll arrive, what else do you look for at the hotel?

A – From there, we look at sleeping rooms and see a king, double and all possible suite types. We note the floor layout of the hotel floors and if it is the same on each level. Are there suites on each floor or select floors? How many total? How many styles? Rooms that connect to suites? We note where exit/emergency doors are and where the best site lines are so we can place security stations overnight.

We take over full floors – usually two consecutive floors for the players so we note how many kings vs doubles are on the floors. We note if there is key access or key card access. We note size of beds (king, queen or full) and if beds have pillow-topper or other mattress nuances. We lay on a bed to test firmness and we note where the plugs are relative to all beds. We make note of any unusual amenities, if rooms are uncomfortably small and pay very careful attention to bathrooms. We also look to see if there a safe in the room, a docking station of any kind, how is the water pressure, what are the room service hours?

Q – What’s so important about the bathroom?

A- W are looking closely at the size overall, size of shower, is there a shower tub combination or just shower? How high is the shower head? How close is the toilet to a door/wall? These are big guys we take care of so you have to ensure they are as comfortable as you can make them.

Bathroom at the St Regis Hotel

Q- Outside of the rooms, what else do you need in the hotel?

A- We have zero interest in hotel restaurants and just because they are athletes doesn’t mean we care about the gym. We don’t.

Q – You mentioned you need meeting space, what is that for? What are you looking for?

A – We look at meeting space to see specifically how the hotel would lay out our meeting room needs. Is it on an exclusive floor? If it is larger hotel or convention property, how do they handle clients sharing space and maintaining privacy so no one is walking through the team’s space? Privacy is very key! Each meeting room has different, specific needs so we discuss those. Generally, we look at ceiling height, if lighting panels are individually controlled in each room, discuss the temperature, pre-function space (a lot of hotels have very little furniture in pre-function space so we ensure residential furniture can be brought from elsewhere so players and coaches have comfortable chairs outside the meeting rooms.) We look at meeting room signage holders, determine if separate elevators or escalators access the meeting room floors or if the regular elevators to sleeping rooms are used. We discuss security checkpoints, set-up times, policies and review the meal room set-up, menu and service schedule at length.

The team meets in this space, the team eats in this space and it’s used for logistics. We look at how the team would leave to go to the buses for departure on game day since most players come from Pre-Game Meal to the buses not their sleeping rooms. We review how long buses can park in staging areas, where overflow bus staging is and where our Equipment Truck would park overnight. We discuss cab and town car usage and preferred vendors, bellman needs if any, daily newspaper drops, wake-up calls, calls to rooms late night and autograph seekers. 

Q- how do you decide on location?

A – We determine distance to the airport and to the stadium and prefer downtown hotels closer to the stadium but each city is different.

Q- Anything else that’s helpful when picking a hotel?

A- We want to know if they have hosted teams before and if so, from what league and who. Is the hotel busier on the weekends or more during the week for business travel? What would we need to do to arrange late check-out if we are playing a night game? Is there an extra ballroom available for a light practice/walk-through? Is there a college nearby with a field in the event it is a west coast trip and we’d arrive Friday night and need to do a walk-through Saturday morning? Is there a pool for the same west coast trip in case a Strength Coach wants to work someone out that way. How big is the pool?

Q- Do you get special request from the players about the hotels?

A – We’ve heard every request on the road from wanting specific bedding to room service needs. I’ve changed beds, made beds, stripped beds, set up ballrooms and stuffed key envelopes. It’s a team effort between us and the hotel and having a great rapport makes a world of difference. We partner with them to take care of our family/our clients the team.

Q- Any superstitions about hotels?

A -Regarding superstitions, we have sometimes changed hotels from season to season if we have had consecutive losses in previous stays at the same hotel. 

Q- What types of hotels are you staying in? Do you have any personal Favorites?

A -The team stayed at a majority of Ritz’s, a few Four Seasons, a St. Regis and maybe an InterContinental or Westin. The hotel’s staff can make a big difference! Some hotel staff makes it very fun, a little less high-stress which it really is so that’s a difference maker.

Q – And your personal favorites?

A-The St. Regis in San Francisco is a definite favorite (so love their rooms and bathrooms) as is the Ritz Downtown ATL (amazing staff).

Q – The St Regis San Francisco – I knew I liked you for a reason J Great hotel, I agree. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me about how you pick a hotel for the team. It’s very interesting.

Followup:

Q – Do the players earn points/miles for their travel
A – No, the team flys on a Charter flight, so no one earns miles. As for hotels, no, the players and “advance team” who do the planning do not earn points. It’s part of the contract.

Last week I decided to write about what other blogs I regularly read and what I’m not interested in reading. In the post, I didn’t actually list the blogs that I’m not reading anymore because – while I like to stir up controversy every once in a while – that wasn’t what I was trying to do with this post. While I listed the blogs that I enjoy reading regularly, there are tons more that I read on occasion or when I see an interesting topic posted. After all, I have a full-time job – outside the travel world – and don’t have time to read every single blog, every single day. I assume that I, like my readers, have to choose what to read based on interests and time.

So I was very surprised when I was crucified in the comments on that blog post for admitting that I don’t read One Mile At A Time on a regular basis. It all started when one reader asked if I meant to leave Lucky’s blog off the list.

I thought I left a pretty reasonable response to DeltaATLFlyer. I admitted that I don’t follow Lucky’s blog. Though that doesn’t mean I never read it. And commented that I was glad the reader enjoyed his blog and found this trip reports useful.

Who knew this could create such controversy! At first, I decided not to publish all of the ridiculous comments I was getting about admitting that I don’t read Lucky’s blog regularly. It just didn’t seem necessary. But then, after some twitter comments on the topic I decided – what the heck, I’ll publish all the insane comments I got. Yes, that’s right, I’m calling some of the comments insane (I’m sure this will stir up more controversy!) You can read all the comments here, but I’ve pulled out a few of the, well, what should we call them – most extreme?

I love that reader Ryan thinks that being a “real” blogger is tied to reading one blog

Kelly thinks that I could learn a thing or two from Lucky and that he’s the best blogger. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion as to “best blogger”

Then you had these two posts – Kevin thinks I’m insane and should get a life. Mark thinks I should be “shot” for calling Lucky arrogant – which for the record, I did not.

Honestly, people have lot of time on their hands! There were a lot of blogs that I left off that list that I do read. I read Rapid Travel Chi and none of his readers lashed out. I have actually started reading Million Mile Secrets more frequently and none of his readers commented because he wasn’t listed as a blog I read regularly. Interesting that Lucky’s followers take things so personally!

So let’s set the record straight.

I read One Mile At A Time on occasion – in fact, I actually read two of his blog posts this weekend about Starwood. I don’t know Lucky, but I’m sure he’s a lovely young man. I mean – anyone who puts a seatbelt on Elmo must be nice- right? I also quite enjoy Lucky’s banter with the AA social media team.

Why don’t I read his blog regularly? Today’s post about his problems with the showers in the W and Grand Hyatt is a good example of why I don’t read his blog more often. I feel extremely blessed to be able to stay in the W, St Regis, Waldorf and other 5 star hotels and understand that not everyone has the same opportunity. The fact that shower doesn’t work the way you like is a first world problem and one that I don’t really care about. I often disagree with his opinions and that’s okay! We are allowed to disagree. I’m sure 15 years ago my tastes might have been more similar to his or perhaps I would have shared more of his interests. But I find that I like different things. It’s just personal preference – I read other blogs more regularly.

There are something like 38 blogs on Boarding Area alone and everyone offers their own perspective and insights. I don’t read all 38 blogs and there’s nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I read what I’m interested in and what I have time for. I’m thrilled that Lucky has such a great following and such a popular blog. More power to him. While my blog post did say that I’m tired of reading arrogant bloggers in no way did I associate that comment with Lucky or any other specific blogger. And even if I had called out someone for being arrogant does that really call for someone to comment that I should be shot?

What do you think? Did people take it too far or did create the controversy by purposefully leaving Lucky off my most read list?

Conde Nast’s Traveler’s is running two contests on their Facebook page. Entry Deadline appears to be 10/1 for both.

The first is a Silver Anniversary Sweepstake and the prize is a four (4) night stay for two (2) in a one (1) bedroom suite (double occupancy) at Angsana Lang Co in Vietnam, a three (3) nights stay in a Beach Pool Villa (double occupancy) at Banyan Tree Lang Co, daily breakfast for two (2), roundtrip airport transfer, and a 90 minute spa treatment for two (2) at each resort. The approximate retail value of the prize is $5,400, depending on exact itinerary.

The second is called “Go” and you can win one of four trips –

Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa prize includes two (2) roundtrip coach airfare tickets from the major commercial airport nearest winner’s primary residence in the US to Sedona, AZ and one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for six (6) nights at the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa. The approximate retail value of the prize is $2,700, depending on exact itinerary.

Hilton Prague Old Town prize includes two (2) roundtrip coach airfare tickets from the major commercial airport nearest winner’s primary residence in the US to Prague, Czech Republic and one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for six (6) nights at the Hilton Prague Old Town. The approximate retail value of the prize is $2,700, depending on exact itinerary.

Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort prize includes two (2) roundtrip coach airfare tickets from the major commercial airport nearest winner’s primary residence in the US to Los Cabos, Mexico and one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for six (6) nights at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort. The approximate retail value of the prize is $2,700, depending on exact itinerary.

Hilton New York Fashion District prize includes two (2) roundtrip coach airfare tickets from the major commercial airport nearest winner’s primary residence in the US to New York, NY and one (1) standard hotel room (double occupancy) for six (6) nights at the Hilton New York Fashion District. The approximate retail value of the prize is $2,700, depending on exact itinerary.

Check out this post to see the other promotions expiring 8/31 from Hilton and Marriott.

Time is running out to enter two very exciting give-a-ways (at least I think they’re exciting)

Marriott is running a “What’s Your Travel Type” Give-a-way on Facebook. To enter, answer several – easy – questions about how you like to travel and Marriott will tell you your “travel type”.

You could win one of these fabulous prizes valued between $5,000 and $13,450! You can enter one time per day and deadline to enter is August 31.

The Luxury Lover (JW Marriott®) Prize: A 6–day/5–night trip for the winner and a guest to the JW Marriott of winner’s choice anywhere in the world. Trip includes 6 days/5 nights of hotel accommodations (one standard room, based on double occupancy), round–trip economy air transportation [from the a major airport closest to the winner's residence to a major airport near the chosen destination (both as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion)] [air transportation awarded in the form of 500,000 Marriott Rewards® ("MR") points redeemable for the round–trip flight], daily spa treatments (USD$100 per day per guest), private consultation with resident nutritionist/fitness expert, awarded to the winner and his/her guest and USD$2,500 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check.

Value: USD $12,100

The Discoverer (Renaissance® Hotels) Prize: An 8–day/7–night trip for the winner and a guest to a Marriott® hotel at ONE of the following locations of the winner’s choice: Europe (Barcelona & Paris), Caribbean (Puerto Rico & Miami), or U.S. (New Orleans & Chicago). Winner and guest will travel to both specified locations in each region. Trip includes 8 days/7 nights of hotel accommodations (one standard room, based on double occupancy), round–trip economy air transportation [from the a major airport closest to the winner's residence to a major airport near the chosen destination (both as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion)] (air transportation awarded in the form of 500,000 MR points redeemable for the round–trip flight), Personalized Discovery Experience curated by local Renaissance Navigators and USD$3,000 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check.

Value: USD $12,375

The Individualist (Autograph Collection®) Prize: A 6–day/5–night trip for the winner and a guest to El Monte Sagrado, Taos, New Mexico, USA. Trip includes 6 days/5 nights of hotel accommodations (one standard room, based on double occupancy), round–trip economy air transportation [from the a major airport closest to the winner's residence to a major airport near Taos (both as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion)] (air transportation awarded in the form of 500,000 MR points redeemable for the round–trip flight), customized Art/Spa/Food experience and USD$2,500 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check.

Value: USD $10,525

Weekend Wanderer (Courtyard® by Marriott) Prize: Five (5) 2–night weekend stays for the winner and a guest at any Courtyard in the U.S. or Canada, including 3–days/2–nights of hotel accommodations for each stay (one standard room, based on double occupancy), breakfast for the winner and a guest each morning in The Bistro [if winner is a U.K. resident, the winner can choose to receive a check for £1,288.80 (the value of the hotel stays) in place of the hotel stays], a USD$500 Sponsor–specified gift card to be used toward gas and USD$2,500 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check [if winner is a U.K. resident and selects to receive £1,288.80 in place of the hotel stays, the winner can opt to receive one (1) check for £3,227.10 for the entire value of the Weekend Wanderer Prize and no additional compensation will be provided].

Value: USD $5,000

The Family Traveler (Residence Inn® by Marriott) Prize: If winner is a U.S. or Canadian resident, the winner will receive the following: Ten (10) 3–night stays at any Residence Inn in the U.S., including 4 days/3 nights of hotel accommodations for each stay (one standard room, based on double occupancy) [if winner is a U.K. resident, the winner can choose to receive a check for £5,799.60 (the value of the hotel stays) in place of the hotel stays], ten (10) Snapfish® photo books, a USD$500 Sponsor–specified gift card to be used toward gas, USD$300 Sponsor–specified gift card to stock the hotel refrigerator, and USD$3,000 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check [if winner is a U.K. resident and selects to receive £5,799.60 in place of the hotel stays, the winner can opt to receive one (1) check for £8,254.78 plus the ten (10) Snapfish® photo books and no additional compensation will be provided].

Value: USD $13,450

Urban Explorer (AC Hotels) Prize: A 7–day/6–night trip for two to Madrid and Toledo, Spain. Trip includes 7 days/6–nights of hotel accommodations (one standard room, based on double occupancy), round–trip economy air transportation [from the a major airport closest to the winner's residence to a major airport near Madrid (both as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion)] (air transportation awarded in the form of 500,000 MR points redeemable for the round–trip flight), 5 days/4 nights in Madrid, 2–nights in Toledo, Spain, 2 round–trip train passes from Madrid to Toledo, dinner for 2 at Madrid’s historic Santo Mauro hotel (up to USD$150), 2 tickets to the Thyssen Museum and USD$2,500 spending money or to use to help defray taxes, awarded in the form of a check.

Value: USD $10,550

Hilton is running a Seven Tickets to Your Paradise contest that is similar to the one Marriott is running. You can enter daily through August 31^st by choosing one of seven different get-a-ways . The value of Hilton’s prizes range from $14,000 – $29,650.

TICKET TO RELAX PRIZE: Trip for winner and a guest to Indonesia. Trip package includes round trip, coach-class air transportation for two (2) from a major airport near winner’s home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Denpasar, Indonesia; six (6) nights’ accommodations at the Conrad Bali Resort and Spa (single room, double occupancy); $1,500 credit at the Conrad Bali that may be applied to spa treatments and other activities; $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card, $10,000 spending money and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $25,000 USD.

TICKET TO GOLF PRIZE: Trip for winner and three (3) guests to Palm Springs, CA. Trip package includes round trip, coach-class air transportation for four (4) from a major airport near winner’s home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Palm Springs, CA; four (4) nights’ accommodations at the La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort (two (2) standard rooms. each double occupancy); five (5) rounds of golf for four (4) at LaQuinta; $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card; $10,000 spending money and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $27,560 USD.

TICKET TO DINE PRIZE: Trip for winner and a guest to the Napa Valley. Trip package includes round trip, coach-class air transportation for two (2) from a major airport near winner’s home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to San Francisco, CA; five (5) nights’ accommodations at the Embassy Suites Napa Valley (single room, double occupancy); $1,000 gift card that may be used for dinner at an exclusive restaurant of winner’s choosing; $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card; wine tasting tour; $5,000 spending money; and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $15,600 USD.

TICKET TO THE OPEN ROAD PRIZE: Trip package includes: ten (10) nights’ accommodations at a Hilton Garden Inn®, a Hampton Inn® Hotel, a Homewood Suites by Hilton®, or a Home2Suites by Hilton® using Be My Guest Certificates (single room, double occupancy); $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card, Portable DVD player and an assortment of Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVDs (quantity and details determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion);$1,000 gas card; $5,000 spending money; and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $14,153 USD.

TICKET TO ADVENTURE PRIZE: Trip for winner and three (3) guests to Costa Rica. Trip package includes round trip, coach-class air transportation for four (4) from a major airport near winner’s home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to San Jose, Costa Rica; five (5) nights’ accommodations at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Hotel Central Pacific in Puntarenas, Costa Rica (two (2) standard rooms, each double occupancy); $10,000 spending money; $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card, hiking trip, white water rafting trip, zip line canopy tour and surfing lessons for the group (all details of these trips to be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $26,495 USD.

TICKET TO SHOP PRIZE: Trip for winner and a guest to the Paris, France during 2013 Fashion week in Paris, France. Trip package includes round trip, coachclass air transportation for two (2) from a major airport near winner’s home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Paris, France; five (5) nights’ accommodations at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris Hotel (single room, double occupancy); dinner for two (2) (menu determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); a HARPER’S BAZAAR Welcome package (exact contents determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); two (2) tickets to a show at Paris Fashion week (all details determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); a half-day shopping experience with a personal shopper (all details of experience determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); $15,000 spending money; and 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $29,650 USD. Winner must travel on dates surrounding the 2013 Fashion week in Paris, France or prize will be forfeited.

TICKET TO CHOOSE PRIZE: Prize package includes $15,000 that may be used by winner to design a trip of his or her choosing; $1,500 that winner can use toward air transportation for his/her trip; a $1,000 Hilton HHonors Gift Card; 500,000 HHonors points deposited into winner’s account.

Value: $22,500 USD.

Every year, SPG members vote on their favorite resorts. The voting is category based and the categories as things like best exotic escape, best beach resort, best family experience, best island paradise, and so forth. This year I was one of the members (who I assume are randomly selected) to vote on their favorite resorts. Only 2 of my favorites actually made it to the list.

In the exotic escapes category, there are some very appealing resorts and I’d love to visit all of them. However, I don’t think it’s realistic that I will get to all 12 of these resorts, so I’m going to set a new goal, visit 10 of 12 in the best exotic escapes.

So let’s look at the first 6. From top left

• The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji – I visited the Westin Denarau in December of 2011 and had a lovely time there. The hotel was in need of some renovations, but that project had begun and was well under way. I’d love to go back to see what they did with the renovations of the rooms and for the amazing Wagyu beef burger that they served in their ocean side restaurant called Moo Moo. It was one of the best burgers I’ve everhad
• The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa, Mauritius- This resort, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean is one place I haven’t been and would love to visit. It looks amazing!
• Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove – I’ve been trying to get to the Seychelles for some time now. The biggest detractor in my mind is the terrible exchange rate for the US Dollar. The resort gets great reviews and the area looks absolutely amazing – after all, the Prince William and Kate vacation in Seychelles.
• W Retreat & Spa – Maldives – a private island located south west of India, this W has been on my hit list for quite some time.
• The Naka Island, Phuket – I’ve had the opportunity to visit Naka Island several times now and each time found some reason not to go. Now I’m quite torn about visiting Naka. I stayed at the Le Meridien Koh Samui earlier this year and discovered that I really don’t love outdoor bathrooms. The Dir of Marketing for the LM Koh Samui told me that the Naka Island is even more outdoors than the his hotel! I have requested info from the hotel, and what they sent made me unsure about visiting. Perhaps one night? I’m in Thailand a lot so it’s a good possibility
• The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort – I really want to visit the St Regis Bora Bora! First, I love St Regis Hotels and second, who wouldn’t want to go to Bora Bora! I’m sure I’ll cross this one off the list soon.

Now for the second 6. From top left

• The St. Regis Bali Resort – Bali is on my list of places to visit soon. I’ve been dying to get there and if I go, I’ll certainly stay at least 1 night at the St Regis.
• Le Méridien Angkor – I have reservations for Dec 2012 at the Le Meridien Angkor and can’t wait to visit. I’ll have a full trip report to follow!
• The St. Regis Lhasa Resort – this one is going to be a little bit tougher given the visa requirements. I’m hopeful that the US will start handing out APEC Business Travelers Card so I can start visiting China for both business and vacation!
• Le Méridien N’Fis – This hotel, located in Marrakech, looks like a great desert get-a-way. I’m not too keen on the desert – I prefer the beach, so I’m not sure I’ll make it here.
• Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort – I may have an opportunity to visit Dubai next year, and if I do, I will make time to check out this resort. It looks amazing
• The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal – having been to the Westin, I can confirm that it does deserve to be on this list. It’s a beautiful resort worth the visit.

So I’ve been to 2 of 12 so far and will cross one more (LM Angkor) off my list this December. Looks like I’m going to have to start planning some more trips!

Where would you like to go?

Note: photography courtesy of SPG Website

We’ve all had those “oh s*%t” moments! This week I was following fellow travel blogger, Just Another Points Traveler and her dad’s travel woes unfold. Like all of us, he made an honest mistake – his flight was at 1:30am and when he showed up at the airport that night for check-in he realized that this flight departed that morning, at 1:30am. I’ve come close to doing that a few times!

On one of my first major international trips, I flew from Bangkok to Switzerland. My flight left Bangkok on December 9^th just shortly after midnight. I didn’t really pay enough attention to the ticketing information and booked a hotel in Zurich for Dec 10 arrival. Little did I realize, I would land in Zurich on December 9^th the same day I departed Bangkok. Luckily for me, the Marriott I where I was staying in Zurich had rooms available and gave me the same rate that I booked for the remaining days.

I’ve had those moments created for me when others have booked my travel. I had someone in a corporate travel department, who had very little international experience, book a connection through the UK. The only problem was that one flight landed at LHR and the other departed from LGW and there was only a 2 hour connection window. Luckily for me I caught that one before the final ticket was booked! That would have been a nightmare.

What was your biggest travel “oh s*%t” moment? Enter to win a $50 iTunes gift card.

To enter leave a comment on this blog post with your biggest travel “oh s*%t” moment. You may leave one comment per day.

Contest Rules:

• You may leave a maximum of one comment per day
• Deadline to enter – 11:59pm EST Tuesday August 28th.
• You must be 18 years of age to enter
• You must be a US citizen (I am unable to administer contests in foreign countries)
• The winner will be posted on this site – www.verygoodpoints.com – after the contest closes. The winner must claim their prize within 10 business days or the prize is forfeited.

• VeryGoodPoints has no affiliation with iTunes

   

I grew up just outside of Tampa and after college moved back to work for The Tampa Bay Lightning.  After working for several NHL teams, I moved back to Tampa and spent a few more years there before landing in Charleston, where I call home now.

The Tampa Bay Times Forum, where the convention will be held, was once called the Ice Palace and down below the stands and suites, there was an office with my name on it.  (The picture at left is how I remember it looking!)  I look back very fondly on those years and have a lot of great restaurant recommendations that you should check out if you’re headed down to the convention – that is, if the hurricane doesn’t make a mess of things.

In South Tampa/Downtown

Ciccio’s California Cuisine, located in Tampa’s SoHo neighborhood (SoHo stands for South of Howard. Howard is one of the main streets in South Tampa) is a great place for lunch or dinner. Ciccio’s has the most amazing grilled wraps that come with dipping sauces.  My favorite wrap has been on the menu since they opened (which if memory serves me right, was around 1997) it’s the Southwest wrap with chopped chicken or steak, sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, yellow rice and jalapeno jack cheese.  It goes incredibly well with the creamy horseradish sauce.   In addition to the wraps, they offer California bowls (think wrap without the carbs), salads, stir-fry and at dinner time, a full menu of options.

Water - connected to Ciccio’s is a sushi restaurant called water.  It’s great because you can order off the menu for either and do take-out!  You’ll find Water has a great atmosphere.

Bern’s Steak House –  Bern’s Steakhouse opened in 1956 and has been a Tampa staple ever since.  Bern’s has its own farm where it grows many of the items it serves.  Bern’s has a 6,500 label wine collection and has won many awards from Wine Spectator.  They also have more than 1,000 after-dinner spirits, wines and cordials.  While Bern’s is one of Tampa’s most well known steak houses…what you really need to check out is Bern’s dessert room. It’s amazing.  You will love the food at the Steak house, but you should make sure to save room for dessert.

Jackson’s Bistro - Located on Harbour Island, just across from the site of the convention, Jackson’s is a great place to sit outside, enjoy the view of the water, and have a great drink, or two.

Fresh – Fresh is a hot new spot in Downtown Tampa to get fast, fresh food.  Fresh bills themselves as a cereal bar, salad emporium, soup kettle and frozen wonderland.  Fresh was recommended by my best friend and she knows what’s good!

Bella’s Italian Cafe – Bella’s, in South Tampa, is a great spot for Italian food.  The restaurant has great outdoor seating – assuming it’s not pouring rain.  Bella’s has been in the same spot on Howard since 1987 when it opened its doors.  They have great wood-fired pizzas and traditional fare.  I was a huge fan of their chicken picatta and caesar salad.

717 South – another SoHo favorite, 717 serves an eclectic menu  of authentic Italian dishes  to exotic seafood from the Pacific Rim.  I’ve only been to 717 South one time, but it was very good. However, it was another recommendation from my best friend and I’m telling you, she knows her stuff!  My mom says they have the best crab cakes in town too!

In Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs is a Greek Community located around 30 minutes outside of Tampa and across Tampa Bay.  Tarpon Springs sits on the Gulf of Mexico and offers a very unique experience for visitors.  Tarpon has one of the few – if only- working sponge docks in the country.  You can have dinner and buy a loofah sponge! How great is that.

I went to high school at Tarpon Springs High School and our mascot was the Sponger – yep, the Sponger big old diving mask and all. Most of the restaurants that were on the docks 20 years ago when I was in high school are still on there today.

Hella’s Restaurant – Hella’s is my favorite Greek restaurant and I always visit when I’m in town.  It’s cheesy and traditional and the perfect place to enjoy traditional food that’s been prepared the same way since they opened in 1970.  The Gyro (pronounced ‘year-oh’ not ji-roh or hero, or any other way) is always what I order.  It’s what a Gyro should be and will be the standard to which I judge against forever.   Stop by the bakery on your way out and take home some great goodies.

In St Petersburg

ABC Seafood - There’s no website for ABC Seafood, so I’ve put a link to a map and contact info. ABC Seafood is the only place my family goes for Chinese & Asian food in Pinellas County.  You won’t go wrong at ABC!  We recommend the spicy eggplant and honey walnut shrimp.

Cafe Ponte –  is a trendy spot for contemporary American cuisine with French, Asian, and Italian influences.  The mushroom bisque is amazing!  In addition to how great the food is, the owner Chef Christopher Ponte is incredibly philanthropic and it makes me happy to support his restaurant.

In Multiple Locations

The Columbia – The Columbia is a historic Tampa restaurant and now a landmark.  The Columbia is supposedly Florida’s oldest restaurant and was opened in Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrants.  Today they’re located all across Florida and have locations in St Petersburg, Tampa’s Riverwalk and the original location in Ybor City.  For some traditional Cuban sandwiches and a bit of history, make sure you check out The Columbia.

In Rocky Point

Oystercatchers – which calls the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Home  is the perfect place to have a drink and watch the sunset over Tampa Bay.  Rocky Point is a short 5 minute ride from the Airport and about 10 minutes from downtown, so it’s very easy to get to.  Oystercatchers is known for its fresh, wild and line-caught fish. The swordfish, when on the menu, is hard to beat and you’d be remiss if you didn’t try the Sticky Toffee Date Pudding – it’s really worth all the calories.

On Clearwater Beach

Frenchy’s – Frenchy’s is a classic spot on the beach, open since 1981, to grab some lunch and relax.  Frenchy’s is famous for its Grouper Sandwiches but also serves some great gumbos, seafood platters and Florida Stone Crab claws.  This is a very fun spot to catch some sun, sand and good food.

Do you have a Tampa area favorite? Let me know!

Photography Courtesy of Killeen Mullen