Back in the Keystone State

It's 11:45 and I'm plugging away in my hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn west of Allentown, PA. I'm mostly caught up with my e-mails but I'm sure I'll have a fresh batch in the morning - such is the reality of business travel... always trying to catch up with e-mails.

I flew up to Philadelphia earlier today. I knew the trip would be off to a good start when the gate agent called my name and upgraded me to seat 1B - a much more comfortable spot in first class. Thank you, Lord. I was feeling especially confident for this trip - not my own confidence but confidence that comes from a different source than myself. The upgrade just helped solidify that feeling. Anyway, the flight was smooth and trouble-free.

Car rental advice - we get great deals on Thrifty car rentals - our corporate rate works out to $41/day for full-size cars. This is often 1/2 the price of other companies. These great rates come with a catch - I sometimes watch 2-3 buses for all the other rental companies go by before a Thrifty bus comes along. It can be very annoying... and, despite being a Blue Chip member, once you get to the counter, the process can be pretty drawn out. It's annoying but I guess that's the price you pay for drastically lower rates.

Once I made it to my hotel, I decided to check out a local Barnes & Noble. Well, if you've been up here, you know that there are spots when I-78 and SR22 can get a bit confusing... and I ended up getting lost and driving in one big time-wasting circle. I made it Barnes & Noble in Whitehall where the town, for some insane reason, doesn't allow any left turns on McArthur. Want to go left? Make a right, take a big ole loop and then turn south onto McArthur. It made no sense.

I had dinner at The Maxx Regal (once known as the 1760 House) in Trexlertown where I once again found out that it's hard to eat healthy up here. The "seasonal veggies" were covered with cheese, the potatoes were slathered with butter and the steak had plenty of fat that needed to be trimmed. Oh, and if you order your salad with balsamic vinaigrette, expect a bottle of balsamic vinegar - you'll have to ask for the olive oil.

Old View of Main Street in Trexlertown

On one note, Trexlertown is really a cute little town - I love driving down the old two-lane road that cuts through "downtown". It has a certain charm and a historic character of its own. It's a tiny 17th century village now more known for being the site of a well-known velodrome and the headquarters for Air Products and Chemicals. But it looks like there's quite a bit to do in the Lehigh Valley. Next time you're up here, these are some options to explore...

• Check out the Crayola Factory
• Get your thrill on at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom
• Enjoy 1500 different Pez Dispensers
• Sample some wine at Clover Hill Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyards or Vynecrest Winery.

There's actually quite a bit to do but that will give you the general idea.

My Favorite Colorado Mountain

Most people who plan to go skiing in Colorado set their sights on resorts like Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride or Steamboat Springs. Each resort has plenty to offer the avid skier - some like Vail offer great skiing and a great atmosphere while others like Copper Mountain are more about the mountain and less about the village. When it comes to pure skiing, my favorite (and the favorite of many Colorado locals) is Arapahoe Basin.

A Beautiful Day of Skiing in May of 2003

Located just a short drive up the road from Keystone, A-Basin has the highest base of any mountain in North America, over 10,000 feet. That means A-Basin has a long season, lots of snow and plenty of great above tree-line skiing. So, what's so great about A-Basin? Below are my top 5 reasons.

Taking a Break on the East Wall

Great Skiing - A-Basin is not too big and not too small... that means you get plenty of great skiing on a varied mountain with above tree-line skiing, plenty of steeps, moguls - just a lot of variety. I messed up a pair of demo skis on Pallavicini (site of a big avalanche during the 2004-2005 season) It's not for beginners which means...

Smaller Crowds - Since the mountain isn't covered with greens and blues (yes, there are some so an intermediate skier will find plenty to do), there aren't a ton of families. You'll see lots of good skiers and snowboarders but not long lines. I don't think I've ever waited in a line longer than a couple of minutes at A-Basin.

A Long Ski Season - October 13, 2006 marked the earliest opening for A-Basin in its 60 year history. The resort is know for fantastic late season skiing with hefty bases. Of the times I've skied A-Basin, one time was early May (over a 90" base with a snowstorm) and another time was over Memorial Day weekend in 2003 (the pictures you see in this post). This past year, A-Basin closed on June 3rd and it has been known to stay open as late as July 4th weekend.

Reasonable Lift Ticket Prices - Nowadays, lift ticket prices are absurd. Fortunately, A-Basin has kept costs relatively low. Daily lift rates are still within reach and season passes are as low as $259.00 for adults, $169.00 for youth and $99 for a child.

No-Frills Skiing - If you've been to A-Basin, you know it's all about the skiing. There isn't much there save for a base lodge, a big parking lot known as the beach (where people hang out and even camp out to save money), a big mountain and not much else. If you want to go shopping for souvenirs, head towards the other Summit County resorts. If all you care about is hitting the snow, you'll do fine at A-Basin.

Locals Hanging Out and Camping on "The Beach"

At the end of the day, it all depends on what you want in a resort. You can stay in Keystone for a more family-friendly experience or Breckenridge for the ski town experience and know that A-Basin is a short drive away and is always worth adding to your itinerary.

Conquitos

Things are getting a little calmer so here's something I wanted to share with you. I don't know about you but I love to visit grocery stores in other countries. You come across all kinds of random products, funny names and then those items that you had to see to believe. Well, here's one of those items, found in Spain.

Behold Conguitos...

So, what we're looking at here is the white chocolate version of the product (picture taken on my backpack while sitting in the airport in Madrid). These are white chocolate covered peanuts. You can just imagine what the character for the milk chocolate covered peanuts looks like. Am I the only one who finds the packaging for Conguitos unbelievable? Check out their web page to see more.

And now, to erase possible doubt, Conguitos will have their own signature: each and every Conguito will have a Conguito face so you will know that you have not made a mistake!

Well, they are indeed unmistakable.

Pregnant Travel Tips

Having a tough time getting caught up this morning - if it wasn't for meetings... too many meetings... I'd be free and clear.

Here is something that came in our e-inbox this past weekend... Eight Steps for Safe Travel During Pregnancy from BabyCenter.com

Pretty straightforward stuff. We just went through this to Spain and will go through it again so it's worth keeping these tips in mind.

Spanish Rundown - Our May Trip to Spain

The Always Buzzing Plaza Mayor

It's Saturday night... we're still jetlagged and tired from our trip so rather than doing something this evening, we're chilling out, watching shows on our DVR and pining for some evening Starbucks. Now is as good a time as any to catch you up on our trip to Spain.

We arrived in Spain on the 23rd... save for a few bumps in our travel from Houston to Madrid, everything went smoothly. While in Madrid, we hooked up with family and also just spent some time enjoying the city. Since our Madrid stop was spread out over two different stays, we stayed in the Room Mate Mario hotel for two nights and the Hotel De Las Letras for one night. Even though the De Las Letras is a higher end hotel with great reviews on TripAdvisor (both are listed in the top 10 on TripAdvisor), I enjoyed the Mario better. The service was much better and we just dug the lower-key atmosphere. I liked the neighborhood near the Opera better than being on the Gran Via.

A Rainy Stop in Plaza Del Oriente

From a tourist standpoint, we didn't have a ton of time in Madrid. The first two days were surprisingly rainy so we were somewhat limited in what we could do. We did enjoy some time at the Plaza Mayor (a must-do in Madrid), tapas with family, plenty of shopping and a great tour of the Palacio Real. While my cousin's Spanish husband tried to discourage us from visiting the Palacio Real, it was well worth it. Not only is the palace itself an astounding building, the armory had to be the most impressive I have yet to visit.

On Friday, we took a flight on Spanair from Madrid to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Our fare was only 107 EUR per person - much cheaper than competing flights on Iberia. The 2 1/2 hour flight seemed to drag but we were rewarded with a great vacation once we got to Grand Canary. Now, if you're not familiar with the Canary Islands, that's not surprising. While the islands are packed with Brits, Scandinavians and Germans (lots of Germans), we only heard one other American during our stay. In fact, a waitress at a restaurant in Puerto de Mogan told us that we were the second Americans she had met in two years (!). The Canaries are big with Europeans but virtually unknown to Americans.

From Friday until the following Wednesday, we came to find that the Canaries have amazing weather. For an island like Grand Canary (and this applies to Tenerife, Fuerteventura, etc.), the southern end is typically dry and sunny while the northern end tends to be cooler but damper and lusher. Grand Canary's southern end, particularly our location at the Sheraton Salobre, was very reminiscent of the landscape in Palm Springs. Still, each and every day, there might be a few clouds here in there but we were typically blessed with plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the 70s and a comfortable ocean breeze. Evenings were relatively cool and dry - overall, really really nice.

Stylish Sun Loungers at the
Sheraton Salobre Offered Stunning Views

At the Sheraton Salobre, we found a very tranquil environment in a hotel that, frankly, we really enjoyed. I'll provide a more extensive write-up on the Sheraton later but suffice it to say that it really had so much to offer - great design, tons of amenities, several food options, excellent service... the list goes on. The views from the hotel were stunning - each room had a balcony and the pools (especially the sunset pool on the 11th floor) all faced gorgeous scenery. The hotel offered a daily shuttle down to their own beach house on Maspalomas. The bus ran from 10:00 - 7:00 each day - very convenient.

Loungers Along Maspalomas Beach

Maspalomas offers a nice long golden sand beach with plenty of room, be it on rented chairs (2 chairs and an umbrella are 7.50 EUR for the day) or with your own towel and umbrellas. The beach stretches from the lighthouse, runs in front of the massive Maspalomas dunes and eventually connects with Playa Del Ingles. Starting at the lighthouse is Meloneras beach, a rocky coastline that is more conducive for surfing in the summer months. The beach closest to the lighthouse is more family-oriented beach but you will come across topless women. Don't get too excited, guys... you're more likely to see a topless Bea Arthur than a topless Heidi Klum. You'll also hear a lot of German and a humorous roaming fruit salesman (wassermelon...)

When it comes to eating, you can take a taxi from pretty much anywhere to the "faro de Maspalomas" (faro is Spanish for lighthouse). From the plaza in front of the lighthouse, you can go one of two ways... Heading to the left of the lighthouse will take you to a cheesier grouping of restaurants and tacky tourist shops. You're more likely to find cheesy T-shirts, knock-off VW hats, Grand Canary towels and the like.

The Promenade to the Left of the Faro by Meloneras Beach

Heading to the right of the lighthouse will lead to higher end restaurants, bars and shops. The shops tend to lean towards more expensive items and, in many ways, are more reminiscent of airport duty-free shops (think plenty of high end clothing lines combined with shoes, accessories, etc.) There are also individual boutiques like Izod and Hugo Boss. The restaurants are of a better quality with nicer outdoor seatings. Two of the more popular ones are Grand'Italia (recommended to us by a taxi driver) and Faro (great paella!). Grand'Italia is extremely popular so you might feel somewhat rushed. Faro (next door) was not like that at all. Both had very friendly staff. One staff member at Faro is obsessed with Area 51 and Roswell so if he finds out you're American, you'll hear him talk about it all night. It was quite funny.

Just past the restaurants to the right of the lighthouse is the Centro Comercial (mall) Varadero with a mixed bag of stores. Heading through the centro comercial, you'll pop out at the other end to where there are other stores, restaurants, etc. Ultimately, if you're hitting the beach, you'll spend more time to the left of the lighthouse. If you're going out in the evening, you'll spend more time to the right.

The Quaint Streets of Vegueta in Las Palmas

Now, from Maspalomas, you can catch buses to several spots on the island. One worthwhile trip is to Las Palmas, the capital of the island and the 7th largest city in Spain. I'll talk about that in another post. Your best bet is to take the number 50 or the number 30 bus. The number 50 runs less often (5 past the hour) but makes fewer stops. The number 30 runs more often but also makes more stops. Buses are a great value, especially since taxis in the Canaries are not cheap. A one-way ride from the faro to Las Palmas was a little over 5 EUR per person. With a taxi, you would probably be looking at 70 EUR. We took the bus to Las Palmas and it made for a great day trip.

Sunny Times at Puerto De Mogan

Another excellent day trip is Puerto de Mogan - a picturesque little fishing village that has grown with tourism. You can dedicate half a day to visiting Puerto de Mogan or make it an evening visit. You can take a taxi there or catch a boat that runs there from Puerto Rico and Arguinequin.

If you rent a car, you open your options up and can get to scores of smaller towns or deep into the mountains to go hiking. Really, there is so much to do in Grand Canary. This applies to the other islands, too. While we enjoyed Grand Canary, I think our next visit to the Canaries would be to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or one of the smaller islands like La Palma. All have plenty to offer and, if you like to surf, you'll find great breaks on all the islands.

On Wednesday, we headed back to Madrid for our stay at the Hotel De Las Letras. That night, we met up with my cousins for tapas in Plaza Santa Ana. It was a great way to cap off our visit and get ready to head back to the States. As you know, our experience flying home left much to be desired but, overall, we had a great trip.

More details to follow. Next up, Canada...

Hotels to Check out in Spain

Inside the Room Mate Mario

I'm slowly digging myself out of this post-vacation hole. Being a planner by nature, I left myself in a situation where I wouldn't be too overwhelmed upon our return. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's only noon on the day after we returned. I did have 360 e-mails waiting for me but I was able to nuke most of them - you get to realize how much crap you get via e-mail each and every day.

Anyway, our itinerary was as follows:

May 22 - Leave Houston to Madrid (via Newark)
May 23 - Arrive in Madrid (mid-morning arrival so 1/2 day in Madrid)
May 24 - Madrid
May 25 - Madrid to Gran Canaria (morning flight so 1/2 day in GC)
May 26-29 - Gran Canaria
May 30 - Gran Canaria to Madrid
May 31 - Madrid back to Houston (via Newark)

We stayed in three hotels during our trip. I would recommend all three as good options. I'll provide more detail later but here is a quick blurb on each one:

Room Mate Mario Hotel - As the taxi driver put it, we were in the "centro, centro, centro" of Madrid. Pleasant service, a cozy but comfortable room, hip modern design, an outstanding location and a good rate. Located a minute away from the Opera metro stop and just a few paces away from Calle Arenal. A short walk to the Palacio Real and the now pedestrianized Plaza Del Oriente.

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort and Spa - A 10 minute taxi drive from the faro in Maspalomas but feels like a world away. The hotel offers a much more luxurious and tranquil alternative to the tourist-jammed resorts of Maspalomas and Playa Del Ingles. The hotel's design is stunning with great attention to detail in materials, amenities and pools... 7 pools. We really loved staying there. The rooms were well-designed and the bathrooms were cavernous by European standards. Service was excellent, an outstanding breakfast buffet and the hotel's beach house was terribly convenient. Highly recommended.

Hotel Del Las Letras - A prestigious address on Madrid's Gran Via. The hotel is focused on sleek, modern but comfortable design with an emphasis on the literary world. Service was not as warm as our other hotels but we really enjoyed our "plus" room with a private terrace. The hotel has 7 rooms with terraces - they're worth the extra expense. The breakfast buffet was reasonable but not included in the rate. The hotel is right by plenty of shopping, metro stops and a 10-15 minute walk to Puerta Del Sol or the Plaza Mayor.

If we were to pick our favorite, it would easily be the Sheraton Salobre - hands down.

Shopping Tip

Most first-time or repeat visitors to Madrid or other large Spanish cities typically stop by El Corte Ingles, Spain's largest and most well-known department store. With 70 locations in Spain and Portugal, it is the third largest-company in Spain. Visitors who stay in the center of Madrid are likely to stop by the complex of 3 El Corte Ingles buildings on Calle Preciados, adjacent to the Puerto Del Sol. The two locations closest to the plaza specialize in books and music/movies. The third and largest building is the actual department store.

Floors are divided by department - piso 0 has cosmetics, jewelry, accessories and the like, piso 1 has children's clothing and so on... There's plenty to see on each floor so take your time exploring - you're likely to come across many international brands as well as scores of local and European brands not found in the U.S. Whatever you do, make it a point to ride the elevator or the escalator all the way up to the 7th floor to the Oportunidades department. This is the sale department where reduced and clearance items from the different floors eventually end up. While we did our fair share of shopping in the store, we also found some good deals on the 7th floor. Some examples:

• A large canvas tote bag for 19 EUR
  
• Two infant onesies at 12 EUR each - discounted 33%
• An ITALIA t-shirt for 6 EUR

The department had rack after rack of reduced clothes, luggage, housewares, etc. While on the 7th floor, stop by the store's cafeteria for a cortado or a slice of tortilla.

Tired but Back in One Piece

We made it back from Europe in one piece - our flight from Newark to Houston, though was delayed by four hours by apparently disgruntled traffic controllers. 3 1/2 of those hours were spent sitting on the plane in the tarmac as traffic control moved around from one "parking spot" to another. Fortunately, everyone was very civil and the pilot kept the situation from getting tense by informing us often and in a light-hearted manner. Kudos to Continental.

So, I'll have some good stuff on our trip to Madrid and Grand Canary. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, here is a good article from the New York Times on tips for dealing with long delays.