Hotel, pnw, Review, travel

Hotel Leavenworth ~ Cascade Mountain Lodging

Hotel Leavenworth is the perfect place to soak in some relaxation vibes . We planned to stay here after hiking in the Cascade Mountain Range and it was such a blessing! It is on the Main Street in Leavenworth , has parking that is included, and is convenient to so many restaurants! One of our favs .. Gustav’s , is located directly across the street.


The hotel could be described modern ski lodge . We loved the common area in the hallway between rooms. There were places to read or grab a drink and just hang out.


The room was so spacious! We had a jet tub in the room ,but in a seperate area, a huge walk in space to unload our gear , and a beautiful sitting area with a fireplace. It was the perfect room after a long day of hiking.Check out our full video tour of our room below ⬇️


There is also a beautiful patio area that was one of our favorite places to hang out.


And if that’s not enough reasons to stay here , they also offer a romance package with wine, flowers and chocolate so perfect for a getaway ❤️

Hotel, pnw, Review

Salish Lodge & Spa ~ Review

Salish lodge is one of our new favs! Oohh this hotel made us feel like VIPs !We can’t wait to return.


The rooms are beautiful,spacious, clean and offered a beautiful view over the falls. We loved the decor and the coziness of the room. My favorite moments were having coffee snuggled up in the fur blanket on the couch in the mornings.


A few special perks that come with your stay :
Complimentary welcome seasonal drink at checkin before 6
six different types of pillows to chose from to improve your rest and relaxation.
Terrycloth robes
Daily newspaper
Morning coffee and afternoon tea in the lobby
Trail mix station to fuel up with snacks
Copper kettle and pour-over coffee service in room


We also added the Club 268 package which included several upgrades including the Spa.The spa services were exceptional ! We enjoyed the pools and the sauna. Fresh lemon water was available and the relaxation room was the perfect ending. The eucalyptus shower spray is one of our new favs from the spa so we had to pick up a bottle of it to bring home.
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The food at the Lodge is impressive. We loved how they knew it was our Anniversary and set up the table with rose petals. Such an amazing surprise! Everything was perfectly cooked and delicious.
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After dinner we hiked down to the falls and it was wonderful. The views are breathtaking! You can do the short hike to the overlook or go to the lower falls which is a little bit of a climb to get back up but it’s super short and worth it.
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There are so many more hikes in this area if you’re feeling adventurous. We did Poo Poo Point on the day of checkout and were able to see the paragliders which was a cool experience. Some other hikes in the area are :
Mailbox Peak
Mt.Si
Little Si
Twin Falls
Rattlesnake Ridge
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If you’re looking for a peaceful escape with incredible views ,lots of nearby trails to hike and amazing food, Salish Lodge & Spa is the perfect place for your next getaway.

disney, Disneyland, Hotel, Review, travel

Pixar Place Hotel

Entrance to the Pixar Place Hotel

Pixar Place Hotel is only a few months old but is absolutely beautiful! . It opened in January 2024 and was originally the Paradise Pier Hotel.
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The hotel is full of art and sketches of some of your favorite Pixar characters. There are hidden Mickeys in the ceiling lights and hidden Pixar characters added to the floors .. so look up and down as you venture through on your way to the parks . There is also an “Up” inspired elevator .. so cool!


The Pixar Place Hotel is also one of the more affordable Disneyland Hotels so what’s not to like? Beautiful, fun and affordable! Oh and it has its own secret entrance into California Adventure..yay!!


Let us know if you have stayed here and your thoughts! Did you love the remodel into Pixar theme or miss the Paradise one?

Hotel, pnw, Review, travel

Home2Suites by Hilton Review

We had a girls trip recently and stayed at the Home 2Suites Hotel by Hilton . We have never stayed at this line of Hiltons before so we wanted to check it out.

The hotel was very welcoming when we walked in .The front desk agent was very kind and texted us to see if we needed anything once we made it to our room .

The room was clean and huge! It really is made for a family of 4/6 easily. There were two queen beds and a pullout couch. A fully stocked kitchen and full size refrigerator.

Our Stay included breakfast ..love that! It was a typical breakfast buffet . Eggs, meat ,toast , oatmeal and grits!! I was so excited for these!

Our cost was for one night was $225, which we felt was a great price especially if we would have taken the whole family . We ended up using points from our Chase card so it was free !! Yay 🥳

Oh and they take dogs. We had quite the parade of dogs as we enjoyed breakfast in the am.

Hotel, Review, travel

Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina ⭐️ Family Review

We were excited to be visiting San Diego for the first time and knew we wanted to stay close to the water and close to Sea World. The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was an easy choice since it met both of our criteria.

We arrived later in the evening to check into our room. First impression …The hotel lobby was beautiful and welcoming. They had valets out when we pulled up as well as a luggage clerk on the ready .

The foyer was beautifully decorated, clean and welcoming.

At check in , they offered to upgrade us to a tower room with a marina view for a minimal cost. We considered it but asking more questions we realized it would not meet our needs so we declined. We then went over our details of the room we booked and at this point knew something was not right. It took quite awhile while the employee tried to work it out and then went to get a manager . When they returned , we were told the room we booked was not available that it was under renovation.

The manager offered us the tower room with a king bed and sleeper sofa or they could try to get the a room we booked together while we waited. We chose to wait to get the room ready so we would have the space we had planned on. We were exhausted from traveling and had already had a full day of adventures and were ready to just relax and swim.

After about 45min-1hour we went back to see the progress and the room was still not ready . At this point we were approaching 9 at night so we took the the first option the Manager Monica had offered us . It was a Tower room and she had a rollaway bed brought in as well.

She also offered us a room credit for breakfast for our whole family for the duration of our stay . She was amazing.She stayed calm and professional and tried to make the experience a good one despite all that had happened.

Upon entering the room we were quite surprised at the amount of space ! It fit us perfectly and had plenty of room even with a rollaway being brought in. I wish we would have asked to see it earlier vs waiting. It was more then enough space , clean and had stunning views.

Finally, we were ready to head to pool and relax a bit before bed .

Waking up the next day was breathtaking! The view of the Marina and the sun rise was spectacular and one of our favorite memories overall! It’s amazing at all the beautiful colors of the sky that God paints it.

We headed down to the breakfast buffet that was included with our stay ,courtesy of the manger. The event room was clean, well lit and nicely decorated. There was an assortment of fruit, muffins , cereal, bagels, as well as eggs, potatoes ,bacon and sausage . The waitstaff were all super friendly and attended all of our drink request. At one point in the meal, they came around with little shooters of fruity mock-tails to try which the kids loved!

This was our first experience with a Hyatt Hotel .The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was conveniently located to Sea World , a beautiful hotel and had stunning views. Overall, we would love to try this hotel again under normal circumstances. At the time we traveled,many airports were shut down and guest were over extending their stay which is why there were not as many options for the other available rooms. If you are looking to stay in San Diego then we would recommend this hotel . The Manager,Monica,went above and beyond to provide great customer service.

Update:We did contact the hotel as well as Costco travel to let them know what had happened and they graciously took care of us. I value companies that take responsibility and make it right. We are looking forward to staying at another Hyatt .

Hotel, Review, travel, Universal

Loews Royal Pacific Resort


Loews Royal Pacific Resort @universalorlandohotels was such a beautiful resort 🌴

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It made us feel like we were stepping into a tropical getaway. The grounds, hotel lobby and rooms were absolutely beautiful. 

We loved the layout of the room and all the special touches . We had a two queen room that said slept 5 but it really only slept 4 with a chair that no one could sleep in . So that was a bummer but thankfully they have rollaway you can add .

We also really loved the text to housekeeping. It was such a wonderful way to communicate what we needed , and it was delivered right to our room and  left outside door . We really appreciated this feature and totally think more hotels should do this. 

There were a few reason we choose to stay on property . The location of being able to walk to @unistudios and the free transportation was one of the main reasons we choose this specific hotel. We didn’t want to have to pay parking and we really didn’t want to have to drive . 

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We also knew we wanted to purchase the unlimited pass to walk onto rides. We were there for only two days and didn’t want to miss anything . The value of the passes completely makes it worth it! The passes are usually around $129 per person so it was over a $600 value for our family for free! 

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By staying on property, we also got a few other perks like early admission and several fun ways of transportation that were connected and easily accessible. We would definitely stay here again 🌴

Hotel, pnw, Review, travel

McMenamins Elk Lodge

Our stay at McMenamins in Tacoma was quite the adventure . Think Adult scavenger hunt mixed with college bar scene , throw on some steampunk decor and a history museum and that would give you some insight to what we experienced .

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First a bit of the history … 

The building itself is a 1916 Elks Temple that was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been restored . There are 7 floors packed with history including a hidden 5th floor . There are 5 bars ,The Tasting Room & brewery, The Spanish Bar and Ballroom,Doc’s ,The Old Hangout, McMenamins Pub and a secret Speakeasy  bar if you can find it called ,The Vault. 

The 45 guest rooms are named after a person or group of people that had some connection to the building or to the Tacoma area.

The diversity of the rooms is amazing. There is so much history in just the names. 

We stayed in the Lea McMillan room 204 . In the room, there is posted his history with the Elks Lodge. We learned he loved handball and would sneak into the Lodge with his friends to play . He then served in the military and when he returned in 1961 He applied to be a member so he could play handball but leaving out his Native heritage. At that time , People of color were not allowed to join. That was corrected in 1976 . He may  have been the first member of color to be a member of the Elks Lodge. So fascinating ! 

There is also a hidden hallway with graffiti that was originally in the building when it was bought and restored .

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There is so much visually to take in as you explore the hotel. You can’t possibly see every detail the first time. 

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It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Disney Good Neighbor Hotel, Disneyland, Hotel, Review, travel

Best Western Plus Park Place Inn~Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel


We recently stayed at the @bestwestern in Anaheim called the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn.It is one of Disneyland’s “Good Neighbor” Hotels.
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One of the first things we loved was the sticker on the door certifying it was clean and ready .
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Upon entering , we were pleasantly surprised. Since our last stay a few years ago the rooms had been remodeled and had a nice clean, crisp feel.
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The rooms come with a good size fridge and with a coffee maker and supplies .
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Some of the things we really loved were the door between our two rooms that we could open to go back and forth. The beds and couch were comfortable and we all woke up feeling refreshed .
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Oh and this hotel is directly across from @disneyland!!!That is an amazing perk of staying at this property.
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There is also a bagged breakfast to go that included a pastry, orange and bottled water you can pick up as you walk to the park.
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The price point was great as well! We paid less then a 100$ a night off season but with the parks opened now the prices can range. We would stay here again if the price was under $200.It’s a great value for the location and room and it easily fits a family of 5 or larger with the connecting door between the rooms✨