If you are like me and Darren, we inevitably end up getting to the airport well in advance of our flight and most of the time we are looking at each other wondering what we can do until its time to board. We usually eat somewhere but often that’s just not enough to keep us busy. Some airports are better for killing time than others. When traveling through London Heathrow’s Airport I never seem to have a problem. There are many duty free shops to browse in so the time can go quickly plus the airport is enormous and it could take 20 minutes just to get to your gate. Smaller airports though are a sharp contrast. Often there is nothing more than a news stand and a Starbucks.  However, with many airports undergoing renovations more and more stores, restaurants, bars and in some cases spas are popping up. This is great for travelers. In fact, Travel & Leisure just published a list of their favorite airport restaurants, bars and spas.

Travelers through Boston’s Logan Airport can have a delicious meal at Todd English’s Bonfire restaurant.  Vino Volo, a wine bar at JFK serves up wine from all over the world as well as wine from local vineyards.  Top lounges can be found in Geneva at the Swiss Airline lounge or at the OneWorld Lounge at LAX.  Heathrow has a great spa called Elemis which is top notch.  I stopped in at Elemis on a layover to Budapest and it was fantastic.  Check out T&L’s list for more great places to kill time when you are at the airport.

Yesterday, the DOT issued the six worst online travel agents.  The results are as follows:

5.  (tie) Priceline & Cheapair.com

4. Cheaptickets

3. Expedia

2. Travelocity

1. Orbitz

It’s no surprise to me as these sites all have hidden change fees, penalties and fine print that most consumers don’t read closely at the time of booking, thus, leading to complaints in the end.  I’ve used most of these sites at least once but overall, my preference is to avoid the headaches and go right to the airline for booking.  While airlines charge for change fees to modify travel plans, these sites charge an additional fee for processing.  That’s where the complaints come in.  In addition to hidden change fees, complaints also came from refunds ticketing and boarding issues.  My suggestion, be your own travel agent – you can save the headaches, the hidden fees and in some cases find better bargains yourself while going right to the airline or hotel.   

Ever wonder how much it would cost to take a take from Point A to Point B?  Hopstop recently added this feature to their website but there is also another site called World Taximeter that allows you to calculate the cost of a taxi ride based on the time of day plus an estimate for typical traffic and gratuity.  You can also input an exact address location or from one main destintions such as Times Square to Union Square.  The nice part about this website is that it is global.  Currently the site can calculate taxi estimates for 7 major cities including:  New York, San Francisco, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Prague and Rome.  This is definitely helpful, especially overseas where many times I feel taxi drivers take advantage of unsuspecting visitors who don’t have a sense of how much a typical ride would cost.  Information is power, so hopefully this site can help us to know what we should be charged for certain rides. 

Travel & Leisure just came out with their top 10 coziest spa’s in the US and I am so happy to see they have named the Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa in Carefree, Arizona to their list.   While on our honeymoon, I had several treatments at the Golden Door Spa and they were fabulous.  Everything from the treatment rooms, to the relaxation room, to the array of drinks, dried fruits and fresh fruit were top notch.  The service from the front desk to the attendants was impeccable.  I had two massages, a facial and a scrub and they were all fantastic.  I was completely and utterly relaxed after my day of pampering.  Aside from the treatments, one of the other great features about the Golden Door Spa is their private, adults only pool, tucked away behind the spa where you can slip into peace and tranquility whie taking a dip in between treatments if you like.  Or just bring a good book and curl up on a lounge chair and enjoy the solitude.  I have been to many spas and couldn’t agree more with Travel & Leisure’s assessment. 

We just returned from our winter getaway and want to wish our family, friends and readers a very happy new year and best wishes for a great 2008!

2007 was an amazing year for Darren and I as the year began with our January engagement, the purchase of our new home in April, our wedding in August and both of us taking on new career challenges in the fall. The last 365 days have truly been a dream come true and we are so excited for our future together.

We rounded out the year with a trip to Vermont. As many of you know, we rented a condo on Bromley Mountain for several weekends this winter. Darren is an avid skier and loves the winter so we decided the mountains would be a perfect escape for a few days. Our drive to Vermont was very scenic so we stopped several times along the way for some picture taking (Darren has really taken to the new Nikon D80 camera that he got for Hanukkah). The winter backdrop with snow covered trees, houses and flowing streams made for some beautiful shots.

We started our five day stay in Vermont with a walk around Manchester, browsing in the many shops and outlets including: Escada, BCBG, J Crew, Banana Republic, Coach, Gap, etc… Manchester is a great small town, with inns and bed & breakfasts along with many restaurants from casual to fine dining. Manchester was a 15 minute drive from our condo so we spent a lot of time there – especially for our meals. One night we dined at Laney’s where we indulged in chicken and ribs. Huge portions and delicious barbecue cooking. We finished our dinner off with a homemade warm brownie sundae – not to be missed! Another evening we tried some home cooking at Zoey’s Double Hex. The menu had traditional home style dishes like meatloaf and chicken potpie. It was okay, nothing special. One afternoon, we also ventured into town and had a fantastic lunch at Sherrie’s Café, so good in fact we returned the next day.

Darren took in two days of great skiing and got right back in action on the slopes. I spent one day in ski school and the next resting my sore muscles. I’ll be back in ski school again in a couple of weeks building on the skills I’ve already learned. Ryan and Caroline joined us for a couple of days at the end of our stay and lucky for all of us there was an overnight snow storm that brought fresh powder to the mountains and perfect conditions for snowmobiling. The four of us went out for a 90-minute tour through the National Forestry, winding through hills and admiring the winter wonderland we were a part of. We all had an amazing time, although there were a few moments when Caroline and I were holding on for dear life.

The four of us ended 2007 with a night out in Stratton. We had an early dinner seating at Mulligan’s and then headed over to the main lodge for the Fire & Ice fireworks and New Year’s Party at Grizzly’s before heading back to our condo to watch the ball drop. It was a fantastic night celebrating with great friends and we hope to do it again next year.

For a recap of our year in pictures…. enjoy the slideshow.

Hello everyone and happy holidays!  Darren and I are sitting a table in Starbucks on Broadway in Saratoga watching the snow fall.  The trees are covered in snow and ice and they look absolutely beautiful.  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods fill the store as we sit here admiring the winter wonderland unfolding outside.  In typical Sherri & Darren fashion, we have our laptops with us and we are busy checking email.

We arrived in Saratoga this afternoon after an overnight stop at Mohegan Sun with the Hermans.   Surprisingly, the casino was not nearly as busy was we expected  but it certainly was smoky!  Table limits during the day were a $15 minimum but changed over to $25 during the evening.  Darren, Dad and I tried our luck at blackjack and Mom was hoping for a big cash payout on the slot machines.  Our first attempt to ‘hit it big’ was in the Winter Casino but Darren and I were not fond of the dark atmosphere and smoke so we opted for a walk around the shops and made a stop at Starbucks for coffee.  We wandered into the Sky Casino and liked it much better.  The Sky Casino was brighter and more open allowing for better air circulation.  We found two seats at a blackjack table and two hours later we were both pretty much even.  Taking a break from the action we all met up at Big Bubba’s for some appetizers before heading to the Cabaret to see Aaron Lewis perform.  For those of you who do not know who Aaron Lewis is, he is a singer-songwriter, with the band Staind and was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards.  He is currently on tour playing acoustic solo performances.  He played to a crowd of fans for nearly two hours.  While I only knew a few songs, his show was great and the audience loved him.  After the show, we stopped in at Johnny Rockets for burgers before heading back to the tables for one last try at winning a fortune.  We didn’t quite end up with a major windfall but we managed to leave with a little more money than we came with so we were happy.

We got on the road fairly early today and were greeted with a mixed bag of precipitation for our drive.  The Jeep performed amazingly well under these varying conditions and we were very happy how well it conquer the snow, ice and sleet that we encountered.  Tonight we are off to meet Darren’s former Skidmore adviser and then tomorrow morning we are driving to Vermont for the rest of our winter getaway.

Hope everyone is enjoying the final days of 2007.   We certainly are!

Lately I have been on a huge kick about going on an African safari.  A friend of mine went to Tanzania on his honeymoon and hearing all about it inspired me to look into this kind of a vacation.  My research taught me that there are so many great trips out there.  Quick experiences range from 3-4 days and more extended trips can be up to one month long.  There are all different ways you can travel too.  Ultra high-end luxury safaris are about $15,000 per person, more modest but still acceptable accomodations are in the range of $7-10,000 per person and if you are really adventurous and want to have a true ‘rustic’ experience you can camp for far less money.  Regardless of which way you choose to travel, you have to remember that you are in a third-world country and the infrastructure is not what you are normally accustomed to.  Many sites warn of limited electricity and minimal hot water.   Still, I thought it all sounded very exciting and adventurous.  Too bad Darren didn’t think the same way – as once he heard about all the shots and pills we would need to take as a precautionary measure, he tuned out my marketing pitch.  

If you are considering a safari though, check out today’s travel section on CNN.  They have a great post on safaris with highlights of trips to Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as unique safari experiences in Australia, the Carribbean (for snorkling safaris) and Britsh Columbia for eagle safaris.  I am going to keep trying to convince Darren that this is a trip of a lifetime and we should do it.  Until then…..I’d love to hear from anyone that has been on a safari and their experiences.

We are about three weeks away from our first ski weekend in Vermont. To prepare for our trip, I needed to outfit myself with all the proper things to keep me warm on the slopes. Darren began outifitting me this summer at the big blow out sale at Pedigree Ski Shop in White Plains but recently we both needed to finish getting the essentials so we off we went to the Princeton Ski Shop in Elmsford and back to Pedigree. Both stores carry the basics but Pedigree seemed to have more selection – a full range of ski clothes from Spyder to The NorthFace to Columbia and many other manufacturers. We stocked up on everything from a new ski jacket to ski pants, gloves, a hat, goggles, and plenty of layers to keep me warm.

I won’t lie, since I’m just starting out after years of not skiing it all seems a bit daunting but at the same time I am unbelievably excited. Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a lot of suggestions of things I need to take with me as well as good tips for when I am out on slopes. I think these tips are very helpful therefore, I think they are worth sharing for those hitting the slopes for the first time (or in a very long time, like me!).

- Buy or pack as much waterproof clothing as you can – waterproof is essential! Skiing can be cold and wet, and the last thing you need is to be soaked. Waterproof gloves (or even mittens) are great along with wearing your water resistance jacket or parka over waterproof tops. Keeping warm and dry on the slopes will definitely help you to enjoy your skiing experience.

- Cotton is a bad idea. Wool based or synthetic materials are the way to go, as they tend to keep moisture away from your body, plus they help you stay warm and dry throughout the day.

- Pack some energy bars. It can be a long time between snacks, and skiing is quite hard work (I feel the sore muscles already!) so stuff some energy bars into your pockets, and you’ll be able to give yourself an energy fix when you need help to keep going.

- Bring your ID and a little bit of cash. Okay, nobody wants to think about the possibility of something going wrong, but it’s much better to be prepared. Have some identification on you, and a little bit of cash just in case.

- Fluid! When it’s freezing cold, you might think that you don’t need to worry about being hydrated. However, most people don’t realize the air on the slopes is generally quite dry, and you will be working hard and sweating although you may not feel it. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and stay hydrated!!!

I plan on following all these great tips to make my experience a positive one. 22 more days and counting til Bromley! Seventeen trails are open and two lifts….

Being the jet setters, that Darren and I are, naturally when a special promotion came our way from Virgin America, it caught both our eyes.  We are the first two to jump on any great savings and promotion if it means a getaway to one of our favorite destinations across the country.  Unfortunately, this great deal is not one we can take advantage of because of our schedules but if anyone is interested in flying Virgin America (or as Darren refers to it, the W Hotel in the air), check out their current special promotion of buy one, get one free for two people traveling on the same itinerary.  Book your travel by 12/7 and use the promotion code DIGGNATION to receive your  discount.  The promo does have a few restrictions around the holidays, but still its a great deal all around.   I’m jealous of all of you that can take advantage of this incredible offer! 

On the brightside though, there are 6 trails and 2 ski lifts open at Bromley and 2″ of new snow fell in the last 24 hours.   It’s going to be a great ski season and we can’t wait to get to Vermont!   Time to pick up my new skis… :)