Timeless Escape: Grove Park Inn, Asheville

When I added Grove Park Inn to my 2013 bucket list, I had no idea the extent of relaxation and resort luxury I was going to experience or how much I truly needed it. Just a two hour drive from our home in Charlotte brought us to another world; a world filled with spacious accommodations, superb dining, unbelievable views, and endless amenities.  We marveled at the spectacular view during our breakfast experience, escaped to a world-class spa, and stepped into a world of glamour inspired by the great American author F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Gatsby theme room. Grove Park Inn was the relaxing weekend away from it all that we desperately needed. Rather than posting, texting, Tweeting, and sharing on Facebook, I turned off my phone, put away the computer, and forgot the camera… most of the time. It was a weekend for us as a family – the perfect relaxing, mountain getaway. Sometimes even extreme adventure seekers need a rest.

About these ads

Friendly Service At Its Finest: Hyatt Place Atlanta Downtown

“Welcome back, Ms. Carter,” was the greeting I heard as I walked through the door at the hotel. Welcoming smiles, personal attentiveness, and attention to detail make Hyatt Place Atlanta our return accommodations when we are downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Every Day Is a New Adventure in Atlanta, Georgia

Our recent adventure trip to Atlanta, Georgia was coupled with downtown accommodations and relaxed, southern dining. Hyatt Place Atlanta Downtown, located in central Atlanta, is within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium and countless restaurants to match everyone’s taste buds. After a day of hot air ballooning, biplane flying, and whale shark swimming, there is nothing better than a tasty meal and a full night’s rest.

Attention to Detail – Wentworth Mansion, Charleston, SC

The meticulously-restored Wentworth Mansion exemplifies grandeur with its twelve-foot
ceilings, 21 spacious rooms and suites, original hand-carved marble fireplaces, Italian crystal chandeliers, and Tiffany glass, but it is its gracious hospitality, luxurious amenities, and attention to detail that makes it Bucket List Publications’s Hotel of the Year!

Southern Charm – Travel Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina. The name alone exudes history and southern charm.  It finds its way on the top ten and top twenty five city lists both nationally and internationally. Condé Nast Traveler magazine designated Charleston a “Top 10” travel destination in the United States. TRAVEL + LEISURE included Charleston in America’s Favorite Cities of 2011, and a number of the top 100 hotels in the U.S. are located in the Charleston area, including Wentworth Mansion. Take a stroll through the city market or along one of the beautify beaches, explore the aquarium, dine aboard a dinner cruise, and relax at Wentworth Mansion and you’ll swear you were part of a movie set. The southern lifestyle and pace is awaiting around every corner.

North Carolina Bucket List

California was a bucket list seekers dream. While there, I experienced piloting a helicopter,  piloting an airplane, piloting an open-cockpit biplane, Flying a jetpack, piloting a glider, bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, watching musicals, dinner theaters, and ballets, swimming with beluga whales, driving through the most beautiful scenery, kayaking, boating with dolphins, meeting exotic animals at the zoo… and the list goes on.

Now that I live in North Carolina, I’m seeking new adventures, locations, and experiences. So far, I’ve come up with 13 things I definitely want to experience in North Carolina:

“Home for a Rest” – Iona, Nova Scotia, Canada

Iona, Nova Scotia is my family’s home. I’ll be relaxing Cape Breton style for the next two weeks at Highland Heights Inn so you may not hear much from me. My beautiful sister, Gabriella, and my precious daughter, Athena, will do their best to keep me busy, but I’m sure I’ll find time to sit and enjoy the scenery.

A Million Dollar View – The Omni Charlotte Hotel

Most four and five diamond hotels offer more luxuries than you could possibly use during one stay. Who uses a phone in the bathroom anyway? And I don’t even know the difference between Egyptian cotton, satin, or silk sheets. There are some luxuries, though, that make me say, “wow” when I walk into a hotel and a hotel room. The Omni Charlotte Hotel envelopes you in comfort with a touch of genuine North Carolina hospitality and a million dollar view. Centrally located in the heart of Charlotte’s financial district, The Omni Charlotte Hotel offers over 300 degree views from the corner suites. I was able to unwind in the Signature Lounge and delight in a dish prepared at Trade Restaurant & Bar. Offering an ideal location, inviting atmosphere, and attentive service, The Omni stood out as a quality hotel with luxuries worth sharing with others.

Top 5 Extreme Adventures – #4 Sky Jumping from the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino!

In the last few years, I’ve participated in the most extreme adventures that I could imagine. Even my wedding day included a little bit of rock climbing and a trip up the trapeze ladder to swing my way into married life. You may have a different opinion of what constitutes an extreme adventure, but I’ve narrowed it down to my top 5 extreme adventures based on sheer fear, nervousness, excitement, and potential to crap my own pants.

Falling in the number four spot is the Sky Jumping from the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino!

Have you ever stood in the window of a massively tall building and looked down only to worry about the horrific fall if something were to go wrong? The Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino brings those nightmarish thoughts to reality and puts the Sky Jump in the top four spot of extreme adventures.

Atop the 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere is a controlled free fall Sky Jump similar to base-jumping. Connected by a cable while wearing my snazzy jumpsuit and harnessed to the edge of the observation tower, I lept, or if you were actually there watching me, I closed my eye tightly and fell, off of the platform and prayed that the guide wire would keep me from slamming into the tower’s cement columns 855 feet below. With a view like no other, I fell from the top of Vegas!

While the Rest of the World Moves at a Frantic Pace, Sunset Cove Villas Cultivates an Air of Unhurried Leisure and Tranquility

Laguna Beach, and the surrounding Orange County areas, is the reason my husband and I moved across the continent. There are quaint shops, delicious restaurants, art galleries, beachfront beauty, year-round sunshine, and friendly people that remind me of eastern Canada. Sunset Cove Villas, located directly on the beach and minutes from the heart of downtown, are ideally situated to take full advantage of these benefits. Rising directly above Laguna Beach’s dramatic coastline, one of the most desirable beaches on the California coast,  Sunset Cove Villas face the majestic beauty of the Pacific Ocean, creating a picturesque setting and romantic atmosphere. The crashing waves, white sand, spectacular sunsets, and gentle breezes make a stay at Sunset Cove Villas priceless. What nature has not graciously provided, the owners of Sunset Cove Villas have; luxury, ample amenities, and attention to every detail are all part of the Villa experience at Sunset Cove. I’ve stayed in hotels in 33 countries and countless cities, but none have compared to the 180 degree view of the ocean I experienced while waking up at Sunset Cove Villas. With a balcony on the water and access to the ocean just footsteps away, our Seychelles Villa was the kind of oceanside experience I’d associated with Southern California living, but had yet to attain. I finally soaked up the chance to spend some time living my California dream.