AirBnBs…my thoughts!

January 22, 2019January 20, 2019 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Being a travel agent, I often get asked to book AirBnBs. I can’t do this for you, and some travel agents might steer you away from AirBnBs because they can’t make any money off of it, but I won’t do that. It seems hypocritical. There are definitely times when AirBnBs just don’t work for me – when we went to Quebec, a hotel was better – it was cheaper and more convenient! When we go to Disney, we stay ON Disney property. We’re going to Vegas in April and we are saying on the strip! But if the opportunity arises that an AirBnb works best, I will jump on it!

For our trip to Paris, an AirBnB was perfect! It was affordable, it allowed us to stay closer to the action (we are staying in the Latin Quarter just a few blocks away from Notre Dame and across the Seine from the Louvre), it allows us to make some meals at home and one of the best features…we pick AirBnBs that have a washing machine – so we can pack lighter! An important feature when you are traveling during the winter months!

Our host, Marjolaine, was super responsive to questions, very helpful with tips, and set us up perfectly with directions and anything we needed! Her father, Carlos and his wife, Jacy, met us at the apartment and explained everything we needed to know. Carlos made me a coffee while he explained the ins and outs of the apartment, gave us personal recommendations for places to eat and see and generally made us feel welcome, safe and cared for. I have their phone number and can reach out with any needs if one arises and we feel very at home here!

Here are some pictures of our AirBnB. In case you love it and want to stay here, this is the link to check it out! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4147207?guests=1&adults=1

This compact AirBnB is perfect for 2 or 3 people! Check out that drawing loft above the kitchen!

The view from the front door. Living room straight ahead, bedroom on the left and bathroom on the right.

The beautiful windows looking out over a courtyard and the city rooftops!

The ADORABLE bedroom!

Rooftops GALORE! We are on the 7th floor – there is an elevator that gets us to the 5th floor and we walk the rest of the way!

Char, two windows down!

From our windows, you can see the top of the Eiffel Tower!!!! A lovely surprise!

We have had great luck so far in our AirBnB experiences – we have stayed in half a dozen at least in France, Italy and the UK and have enjoyed each experience! If you have any questions about a stay at an AirBnB, let me know.

Paris Diaries….The Arrival

January 21, 2019January 20, 2019 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Friday night, my daughter and I embarked on a fantastic journey! Since September, we have been planning a little mother-daughter adventure to Paris! My family visited Paris six years ago and for about the past two years, my daughter has been asking to go back. I found some fabulous airfares on Norwegian Air, booked us an AirBnB and here we go! Paris or Bust!!

We will only have four nights in Paris, so we are jamming it full of activities, sightseeing and food!!! Our plans included the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, climbing the towers of Notre Dame, a bike tour of Paris, visiting Jardin des Plantes, Disneyland Paris, walking around the Latin Quarter and making our way to Montmartre. All tickets have been purchased ahead of time to avoid any queues and even though it’s winter – it’s winter in Maine where I live, so the 40 degree days of Paris in January will be like a heat wave!!! Oh and I have been brushing up on my French!

Here is a picture diary of our first day – well, half a day since we arrived in Paris at the airport around 10am and made it to the city via train around noonish…..

The arrival!!!!

Char with the famous Louvre glass pyramid!

This is the art hanging in the pyramid right now – it is a “throne” that was created by artificial intelligence. The message is that we need to be wary of AI – foretelling of a time when AI will take over the world hence, the throne.

Mona Lisa! Look at that smile!

A mosaic floor – part of the Islamic Art display at the Louvre! Talk about impressive – this example was HUGE!

A shot of the towers of Notre Dame from Ponte du Carrousel.

A rose shaped gelato for my princess!

This is the wonderful street action just around the corner from our AirBnB!

We pop out of the metro and the phone comes out!!!

Quebec – Day 3

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

This was our final day in Quebec and on our big adventure north. We decided to stay in the city this day (Friday) and really enjoyed the festive feel of freshly fallen snow and had a wonderful time out and about all day!

We all slept in and got our start after a nice breakfast at our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Royal William – this is outside the old city and maybe a 15 minute walk (uphill) to the walled city, but for the fabulous cost for two rooms for three nights, we couldn’t pass it up! The rooms were spacious, well kept and the included breakfast was adequate (cereal, pastries, yogurt parfaits, fresh fruit and cheese, coffee, tea and juice). I would absolutely stay there again with pleasure and we enjoyed the walking each day. Anyway – at the end of the day, it’s all downhill!

So, the snow – I mean, could it have been more gorgeous? Maybe if it would have been a tad warmer, but if you’re embracing winter, you WANT a winter wonderland and we got one!!

On our way to the old city – our hotel, the Hotel Royal William, was two blocks behind us and to the left!

One of the old city gates. Did you know that Quebec City is the only walled city north of Mexico City? Pretty cool place for this history buff to visit! It was seriously like visiting France in my back yard!!!

That’s the Chateau Frontenac far in the background!

We strolled to the city and stopped at all the shops – my daughter loved poking around shops and her money always burns a hole in her pocket! We got some trinkets and moseyed up to Chateau Frontenac to toboggan again, then found our way to Chez Ashton – a chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in poutine. Thanks Marie-Andree, for the recommendation! We enjoyed the Quebec must-eat then scooted on our way again!

Traditional poutine at Chez Ashton.

Lined up for the toboggan ride!

The afternoon saw more walking around and touring, including Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Quebec. We hit the lower city again, rode the Funicular UP (we got smarter as our visit went on) and HAD to toboggan one more time – and by this time, it was freezing rain so the operators had to spread salt and sand at the bottom of the run because people were sledding OVER the barrier!

The Lower City was bustling! We had a great time exploring this unique, European feeling Petit-Champlain section of Quebec

I took this on the way UP the funicular – it reminds me of a Thomas Kincade painting.

A good icing on top of the cake!

Before we left the Lower City, we HAD to try this classic Quebec maple masterpiece. It was SO good! Check this out!

My friend, Marie-Andree – who happens to be from Quebec, asked her dad about some fondue recommendations and we got a great one! We had some amazing Fondue at La Tyrolienne and were so full we could hardly drive back to our hotel! Fondue = FUNdue!!!!

Our appetizer..bread dipped in cheese!

Everyone got a platter of thinly sliced beef, then there was shrimp and chicken to fondue as well!

Dessert – chocolate and maple fondue with fruit!

My favorite – banana dipped in chocolate.

Our three night escape was the best ever!!! It went by so fast and we all had a great time! The drive home was long but we reminisced about the great experiences we had – our favorites were the Siberia Station Spa, tubing, the ice hotel, the toboggan ride and fondue! Thanks for taking this journey with us and we HIGHLY recommend Quebec City for families, couples and friends! In a few weeks I’ll share our next “experience” trip – hold on to your hats because we are going to Paris!!!

Check out a short video of our second toboggan run!

Quebec City – Day 2 – Part II

December 28, 2018December 28, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

The second half of our day today was spent at Valcartier Resort. This place is super cool – COLD, in fact…still about 12 degrees – but hey, we said we were embracing winter with this trip and did we ever!!!

This resort is HUGE! They have a very cool themed hotel lobby/bustling hub with tickets for activities, restaurants, shops and more! The resort boasts an indoor water park (we did not do this, much to the two 12 year old’s dismay…since we ARE embracing winter, an indoor water park just didn’t seem right!), two dozen tubing runs, an ice skating path THROUGH their ghost town of summer delights (outdoor water park) that you begin right from the central hub building, and Valcartier is the home of Quebec’s own ICE HOTEL, or Hotel de Glace!

OK – so here is the focus of this short story…the ICE HOTEL. It was open for tours, and drinks, but not yet for guests – that starts on January 4th. And as fabulous as it might have been to stay there, the hotel is kept at a balmy 13 degrees, so aside from being pretty pricey, I just don’t think it’s my thing! But, I have never seen anything quite as amazing! There is a chapel, the main hotel building boasting a gorgeous lobby, grand hall, ice bar WITH ice seating, a discotech and four rooms were on display – more under construction down the hall!

Check this out…..

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Here is the link to Valcartier if you want to check it out! https://www.valcartier.com/en/ On tap for tomorrow….well, it will be snowing in Quebec City, so get ready for some amazing pictures of the old town and lower city!

Quebec – Day 2 – Part 1…The Siberia Station Spa

December 28, 2018December 28, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

OK. Raise your hand if you remember that Warrant song, “Heaven Isn’t Too Far Away”? Well, today I think I found it. This morning, we visited the Siberia Station Spa for their morning “family hours” (special hours from 9am-noon during holiday break to include families) and I am pretty sure I found winter heaven on earth!

I am not going to waste a lot of words here because in this case, a picture speaks a thousand words and I have a lot of pictures! Let me just briefly explain the Siberia Spa concept and then include a few of my observations, then let the pictures tell the story!

The Siberia Station Spa is modeled after Scandinavian spas – the magic takes place in three acts; hot, cold, relax. It’s THAT simple – go somewhere hot, partake in something cold, then find a place to relax….then REPEAT!

The hot option……there were plentiful options for everyone – hot tubs, infrared saunas, traditional saunas and a eucalyptus infused steam room (OH MY GOODNESS!!!)

Cold….well, since today was about 11 degrees, the COLD portion of this adventure could simply be walking from a hot spot to a relaxation spot, but I am proud to say all my people took full advantage of the ice cold plunge pools more than once and benefited greatly from them. They were AWESOME!!! There were a number of ice cold pools in the vicinity of each hot offering and from time to time, you can even dip in the gorgeous babbling brook that abuts the spa (this was closed today).

Relaxation – the options were fabulous. There were a number of yurts – all with swinging chairs and warmth – one had windows facing towards the river and my favorite was toasty warm with a huge wood burning fireplace in the middle! Other relaxation offerings were a beautiful windowed-in pergola and a dream zone – a huge barrel dug into the hillside (Hobbit-like) with cushioned bench seats and relaxing music.

Some important details…..the Spa is about 15 minutes from the old town of Quebec City. We paid $27 Canadian dollars each for this special family time. Typically, children are not allowed and with good reason – the whole point of this place is to relax! I have kids – and they are not relaxing! Bathing suits are MANDATORY as are footwear – think flip flops. You may bring your own robes and in this weather, I highly recommend it! You may also rent them for $7 Canadian.

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I cannot rave enough about how amazing this place was!!! I cannot wait to come back here with just my hubby, a book and more time! We are scheming ways we can make one of these places at our house!! hahahahaha

Here is the website if you want to check it out on your own – http://siberiastationspa.com/home/

Quebec City – The arrival!

December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

This year for Christmas, we tried to make a point to tone down the “things” and focus more on experiences and memory making opportunities. Our first family experience is a road trip to Quebec City, Canada. We left today, the day after Christmas, and I would love to share a bit of our day to day with you as we go! Here is a snapshot of our our travel day and first experience walking around when we arrived!

We left our house in southern Maine around 8:15am. My husband, daughter, son, my son’s girl friend and my daughter’s BFF were in for a 7 hour ride! It was a great ride – we stopped once outside of Skowhegan for lunch, gas and a potty break, then stopped once more for a coffee break once we got into Canada. The border crossing was easy (5 passports and 1 birth certificate and government issued ID) and we thought we made great time!

We arrived at our hotel – the Hotel Royal William – and checked into our two rooms (girls and boys)! Note: when traveling to Quebec Province, make sure you know a little French! We all know a bit and do our best to ingratiate our hosts by trying to speak French, but everyone here also speaks English, so a happy Bonjour goes a long way!!

We got settled then hit the road to explore! We are staying about a mile outside of the Old City and it was 13 degrees when we left the hotel this afternoon around 4pm, so we bundled up and started our hike up hill! And I mean UP HILL! Walking around Quebec City isn’t for the faint of heart – but we enjoyed the brisk air and exercise after being hold up in the car for 7 hours! The walk was lovely since we were hitting it at sunset and we reached the Old City in no time!

The city is so beautiful all decked out with lights for the holidays. This is our first time in Quebec and so far, we love it! We found an adorable little restaurant for dinner and had bison burgers, meat pie, lobster bisque and a plethora of maple desserts! After dinner, we headed towards the Chateau Frontenac, where we spied the boardwalk, funicular and toboggan run! Check out these fun pictures!

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After the toboggan run (with a lot of screaming, praying and our lives flashing before our eyes), we headed down the funicular to the Lower City to wind through some gorgeous old world streets! We checked out a few shops, tasted some macarons and took some more gorgeous pictures – then we started our walk back UP to the Chateau area, then back to our hotel. Check out these gorgeous night time pictures of this magnificent riverside city!

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Tomorrow, we are headed first to the Siberian Spa (woot woot), then perhaps tubing? Skating? Cross country skiing? More city walking?? Who knows! Until then – good night; bon nuit!

PS – Can I just say that I love the word, “funicular”! I mean, the word starts with FUN!!!!!

To adorn and be adored…

December 24, 2018December 27, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Last week, my whole family went to go see Mary Poppins Returns. It made me smile the WHOLE time!!! It was such a Disney-esque movie – the music, the animation, the signing, the sets…..I loved how they took the original, ran it into a sequel, but made a wholly unique movie all at the same time.

Something that was woven throughout the movie was the idea of memories. I love the memories I make when I travel – whether with family, friends or for work. I gather together pieces of knowledge, memories of destinations, winding roads and unexpected journeys. I started thinking about some of the “things” I treasure most from my travels, and right now, those things include the ornaments I try to collect from each destination. Sometimes I forget, but I usually remember to get some small trinket/ornament every new place we go – except for Disney- we try to get one each time we go and we are starting a rather nice collect:)

Along with the picture books I have made of our travels, these ornaments serve as a tangible memory of a place seen and experienced. Year after year, they restart a conversation of times past, adventures taken, dreams accomplished, destinations enjoyed and precious memories with people I love. I feel joy each year when I hold them in my hands to put them on our tree to adorn and be adored. And after every New Year, I tenderly put them away to await their reveal for the next Christmas Season.

Recently, I have been on a kick of purging personal items – I feel we have too many “things” that we don’t need and these “things” own us. I read somewhere that when thinking about keeping or getting rid of something, I should ask myself if it has a constant purpose or if it gives me joy. These ornaments are some of the few “things” I have that truly give me joy and they won’t be headed out with the purging boxes:)

Here are some pictures of a few of my favorite travel ornaments, where they came from, and a memory I have of these places experienced! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Some of our Disney favorites – I love the one in the foreground that is the Mickey ears representing the Haunted Mansion! Right near Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom, there is an adorable ornament shop I love visiting each time we go to Disney! Next month, my daughter and I are going to Disneyland Paris and we will get a lovely ornament there, too!

I picked up the gem of San Gimignano, Italy when I was there in June of 2018 with my step-mom and sisters. It was their first trip to Italy and I got to be the tour guide. San Gimignano is a beautiful Tuscan hill town with so much charm and flare and happens to have TWO amazing gelaterias in the same common square!

San Marino – the third smallest country in Europe, was a delight to visit! We were road-tripping in Italy and stayed overnight in Remini on the Adriatic. We were driving across country to Sorrento but HAD to make a stop in San Marino and I am so glad we did! It was gorgeous but BOY was it windy!!! I have a picture my husband took of me standing at the top of one of the guard towers and it is so windy my hair was swirling on top of my head like a tornado!

I love this beautiful ornament from Kensington Palace. When we visited the palace in May of 2015, all of Britain was on royal baby watch for Princess Kate and Prince William’s second born. This baby would be a girl – born the morning we visited Kensington – and she would be named Charlotte. I have my very own princess Charlotte and she was thrilled to learn the baby’s name while we visited!

Oh, Positano – breathtaking!!! On our first visit there in 2016, we had rented scooters and scooted our way up and down the Amalfi Coast! What an AMAZING day! Our first stop was Positano and we parked our scooters and walked down to the shore. There, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of an early April morning with some coffee and a view that was indescribable!

Florence, or Firenze to the Italians. This city is steeped in history, gorgeous architecture and a surprise around every corner! I have visited twice, each for one day, and both experiences have been wonderful. On my first trip it was a rainy April day. We climbed the dome of the cathedral and although it was raining when we got to the top, I cannot imagine what the view would have been like had it been a clear day – because even with the rain it was wonderful!

This little beauty is from Cancun, Mexico – something I picked up while on a girls trip on a 5 night cruise out of Tampa. My usual girl’s trips involve a beach, so this one was a bit different, and while I hit the hay every night around 10pm, my BFFs partied until the wee hours! No worries – we all go on vacation for different reasons – they went to dance; I went to sleep!

Eleuthera or Bust!

February 25, 2018 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Eleuthera..the Isle of Freedom. I call it paradise. Eleuthera is one of the Family Islands of the Bahamas. It is a 20 minute plane ride from Nassau and just this side of heaven. Right now I am on a plane coming home from Eleuthera, and the departure is bittersweet. My family and I just enjoyed eight nights on Eleuthera and we were joined by another family as well (their first visit). We rented a home on the beach in Tarpum Bay – a home we used to own. We hadn’t been to the island as a family in almost four years (I was on a girls’ trip – that post to come later) and my kids were eager to remember the place they had spent long winter weeks of their early childhood. It was great to renew our love for this island and her people. In time, I will share a whole lot more about Eleuthera, but I wanted to introduce you to Eleuthera and how we ended up in this amazing place!

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Fast forward to this past week (February 2018) and as family and friends, we reacquainted ourselves with this little slice of heaven.

The Family Islands, or Out Islands of the Bahamas, offer the adventurous traveler an opportunity to witness unspoiled beauty; the opportunity to live like locals and kindly insert themselves into a society that is friendly, welcoming, open and kind. A place where you can still walk to the local dock at noon and buy fresh fish from the fisherman there. A place where you can visit a new beach everyday of the year and probably not visit them all – oh and not just ANY beach – I am talking the beach of your dreams beach – with silky white or pink sand, crystal clear blue/green waters and not another soul in sight! No seriously – if peace and solidarity are what you are looking for, I encourage you to visit the Family Islands of the Bahamas – particularly Eleuthera!

The home we used to own, Parlay at Sunset, is located in the pristine fishing village of Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera. “Our” beach has more shells that I thought were in the sea, and every day is an adventure in shell hunting! The water is calm most days and the sandy sea bottom allows waders to enjoy shallow snorkeling or floating for 100 yards or more from shore. It is perfect for kids (and girls’ trips), honeymooners and families looking for something different to explore. The beach at Parlay presents travelers with no shortage of wonders, including sea stars, tropical fish, rays, sea urchins, sea biscuits, sand dollars, sea cucumbers and the occasional black tipped reef shark! We have loved every encounter! And while you could easily entertain yourself at your home away from home with swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding or just lying around in a hammock, Eleuthera has so much more to offer!!!

I could actually write about Eleuthera for what would amount to a doctoral dissertation, but I want to milk this beautiful topic for all it’s worth – so I will leave you hanging with some pictures from my most recent trip and remember, all the pictures on my blog are MY own photos (unless specifically referenced) taken with either my phone or our underwater camera! Knowing this should really highlight the majesty of this amazing heaven on earth!

Stay tuned for what may end up being an Eleuthera series in posts to come – I will tell you all about what Eleuthera has hidden up her sleeves! If you have any questions about traveling to Eleuthera or the Family Islands of the Bahamas, please let me know! I will do my best to help! And if you have wonderful stories of your own adventures, please share them as well!

Mrs. Smith Travels

One Woman, One World, One Adventure at a Time!

Family Travel

AirBnBs…my thoughts!

Paris Diaries….The Arrival

Quebec – Day 3

Quebec City – Day 2 – Part II

Quebec – Day 2 – Part 1…The Siberia Station Spa

Quebec City – The arrival!

To adorn and be adored…

Eleuthera or Bust!