Blog Travel

We had no idea what the hotels in Georgia (the country) would be like.  A friend who’d been to Georgia told us about this fabulous hotel, Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, which pretty much left her speechless.  So of course, we had to stay there.  We were even more excited to learn that Rooms Hotel has a second property, Rooms Hotel Tbilisi.  We stayed at a total of five hotels in the country of Georgia and the two Rooms Hotels get our best reviews.   The Rooms Hotel brand is a Georgian brand.  The first was the Rooms Hotel Kazbegi.  Rooms Hotel Tbilisi opened more recently. We first stayed at Rooms Hotel Tbilisi.  Our first introduction to Rooms Hotel Tbilisi was after we had been traveling for over 24 hours and arrived in Tbilisi at 4:00 in the morning.  Even though we were exhausted, we were still aware enough to be thrilled with the room when we walked in. The walls are papered in dark wallpaper and the floors are dark wood...

Bishop’s logo is “small town with a big backyard.”  The town itself is only 1.1 square miles.  But outside of that small town are endless possibilities for outdoor recreation.  Enjoying Bishop’s backyard doesn’t just have to mean getting an adrenaline rush.  Bishop has all sorts of ways to experience the outdoors, whether it be rock climbing, bouldering, hiking, bird watching, scouting for wildlife, or simply pulling over to the side of the road to drink in the beautiful vistas. Hike or Climb Pine Creek Crags Close to Round Valley is a hidden gem of Bishop, Pine Creek Crags.  Pine Creek Crags is a slot canyon off of Pine Creek Road that is popular with rock climbers.  But you don’t have to be a rock climber to enjoy the short and scenic hike up and into Pine Creek Canyon.  The trailhead to Pine Creek Crags is almost eight miles from Highway 395 on the right side of the road.  You’ll see the slot canyon from the road and tw...

When we booked our Viking Mekong trip with Viking River Cruises, the dilemma we had was whether or not to book an extension.  Two extensions are offered with the Viking Mekong itinerary through Vietnam and Cambodia.  One is for  a couple days in Bangkok , but we’d already been, and the other is a side-trip from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay.  The Ha Long Bay extension effectively adds two days on to the trip, 24 hours of which is spent on a trip to Ha Long Bay and the rest of which provides additional time in Hanoi.   I read mixed reviews about Ha Long Bay.  On one hand, Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.  On the other hand, I’ve heard some complain that it is overrated and touristy and not as spectacular as advertised if it is overcast.  However, we are never ones to discard a place because it’s touristy, especially since places are usually touristy for a reason and we are suckers f...