Month: September 2016

Florida’s Hidden Gem: Exploring Amelia Island

On By RaShondaIn Domestic Travel, vacationLeave a comment

While Amelia Island is not quite part of Florida’s Emerald Coast, it reminds me of the beaches you’d see in Destin and Panama City but far less congested and more laid back.

Recently my girlfriend and I decided to take a long weekend to Amelia Island. I’d received a voucher for a two night stay at any Omni property in the US or Canada and figures I wanted to go somewhere warm and beachy that I’d never been to before. I figured Amelia Island would fit the bill.


Shortly after deciding on the Omni Amelia Island, JetBlue had one of their great sales and Jacksonville, FL was one of their destinations. How perfect! My friend was coming from New York, while I was coming from Washington, DC. The best part was neither of us paid more than $180 for our tickets. Continue reading “Florida’s Hidden Gem: Exploring Amelia Island” →

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All About Milan: Tips & Tricks

On By RaShondaIn Europe, italy, travel tips3 Comments

Since this is my second visit to Milan, I’m qualified to be an expert on the city right? Well not quite, but I’ve had the chance to experience a lot that the fashion capital of Italy has to offer.

Where do I stay?
First of all, in my opinion, you should stay somewhere close to the Milano Centrale station. Not only is it easily accessible from Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) but it’s a quick walk, metro, or tram ride across the city.

I’m a SPG girl so I’m all about staying in Starwood properties whenever possible, there are plenty in Milan to choose from. We’ve stayed in the Four Points by Sheraton three times now. The first two times last April and the first part of our trip this September we stayed in newly remodeled spacious rooms on an SPG designated floor. The last stay was booked under my Aunt, who does not have SPG status and we stayed on a lower floor that was straight out of the 60/70s. Continue reading “All About Milan: Tips & Tricks” →

End of Summer Holiday

On By RaShondaIn Europe1 Comment

Before you ask, yes, I’m traveling again. My Aunt and I booked a trip to Milan back in January as part of Emriates annual companion deal. We booked a Wednesday-Wednesday trip around Labor Day weekend.

Since I’d been to Milan before, I wanted to use the trip as a springboard to go someplace new. Initially, the plan was to go to Croatia. After searching for flights, there didn’t seem to be many affordable or nonstop options from Milan to any of the major cities there. 

A few weeks after booking the flight, my Aunt who had never been to Venice told me she wanted to also incorporate that and a trip to Cinque Terre. So the planning began and I needed to find some place close that we could go to in addition to those two places in Italy.

Sometime during this period, I came across a few blogs on Budapest. After checking for flights and finding several for as low as $40RT from Milan, I was sold.

So in addition to booking two days trips to Cinque Terre and Venice, in Italy, I was now on the hunt for things to do in Budapest. Based on flight schedules and pricing, it looked as though 3 days would be just enough time to explore this city filled with quite the unique history.

More on this specifics of our trip up next…