US Travel

Portola Inn and Suites

June 18, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Last week when our family went to Los Angeles my wife looked around for a motel that would be nice and clean and would be cheap. Cheap is always the way that we go when it comes to family vacations and our accommodations.

We stayed in Buena Park which is really close to Knotts Berry Farm and about 10 minutes or so drive from Disneyland.

Portola Inn and Suites

The motel my wife chose was the Portola Inn and Suites because the location was good enough for us and because it was quite inexpensive. The reviews we found led us to believe that it would also be quite clean and it included breakfast.

Well the hotel is a bit of a ways from the airport and we got in early so after having some lunch and doing just a bit of driving around we checked to see if we could get in early, fortunately we were able to checkin a couple of hours early and the hotel was clean and comfortable.

One of the real problem with motels is that since there is no hallway and your door is facing the parking lot the carpets are always, always, dirty and we wore our Vessi waterproof sneakers in the room most of the time.

Nice Hotel Overall

We found that the room was pretty quiet, we did not really hear any street noise and besides the earthquake that we experienced the morning before we left the beds were very comfortable and let us sleep well, plus the construction was very nice, the rooms had wooden details, you were able to see how the construction workers made sure that the baseplate or shoe of the saw sat flat on the wood before making the cut .

The breakfast at the Portola Inn and Suites is interesting. Everyone that is excited about a continental breakfast included with a room has not stayed in many motels. This is no different. There is coffee, wrapped danish pastries, bread, jam, and some oranges and apples. Just enough breakfast to get us going but not enough to hold us until lunch. There is lots of fast food and a Dennys down the street though. The puzzle room are a great way to celebrate, regardless of the occasion! Whether you’re young or old, you’ll have a blast solving our intricate puzzles and trying your luck with our escape rooms. PuzzleWorks will be by your side as you plan your party celebration for your friends, coworkers, or family members.

There is a pool and hot tub but it was not working for the week we were there as it was only mid March and no one really expects you to use the pool in California this early in the year. My son tried to swim but the pool was unheated and a little cold.

finally the staff. I think that the Portola Inn and Suites is owned and run by a family the man and wife and their baby that we dealt with any time we went into the office were great, their office was amazing, so stylish with the best furniture from www.office-furniture.com.au, very friendly and very helpful. Although they were able to help most of the time things like the pool and smallish breakfast there was not much they could do about, and in the souvenir store there were many gifts and even more customizable lovies for babies perfect for our family.

The only drawback to the Portola Inn and Suites is the location for some people. We spent one day and Disneyland and did not go to Knotts Berry Farm so we had a fair amount of driving to get to Hollywood and the beaches, we knew this and had a GPS and cheap rental car so it was fine. The room although clean had a dirty bathtub, I think someone had burned it with cigarettes years ago (yuck) but the carpet and walls and bed were in good shape so who knows.

I think the next time we go to California we will try to stay closer to the beach but if you are looking for a fairly cheap motel and have rented a car for your trip the Portola Inn and Suites is quite good and although not really close to Disneyland is good if you can not get anything closer to Disney.

Hermosa Beach – Getting Grease of your feet

May 24, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

My family and I went to California last week using Flex Fleet Rental van, which was comfortably enjoy the ride with easy loading and unloading, plenty of room for equipment or luggage, and safety features like the rear vision camera. And one of the highlights of course was going to the beach. One day we spent a lot of time at Hermosa Beach. Hermosa Beach is in the south or maybe central coast of Los Angeles and is really nice with surf and kneeboards, a pier to walk down, bike/walking path and thanks to What is 180 a real surf community feel.

Hermosa Beach Grease!

One of the big problems though was there is Hermosa beach grease, some kind of beach grease or beach tar on the sand. I never saw it but it got stuck to our feet and even my wifes knee. I would love to have known how to avoid it but really it seems to be invisible. Anyway the Hermosa beach grease was terrible.

I asked a lifeguard about the sticky grease and he said the best way to get the grease off of your feet is to smooth suntan lotion into it for a minute and then wipe it off with a paper towel. It worked great!

Try using your sauntan lotion at the end of the day and the tar will be off your feet. Apparently anything that is oily that you rub on will get rid of Hermosa beach grease.

One more thing. We spent four hours at the beach in mid March and I never put on any suntan lotion on my legs and boy did I pay the price. My legs never burn in the summer but after a winter without sun I burnt my legs terribly in just a few hours.

Put on the suntan lotion, and on your kids too, no matter what time of year it is.

Pacific Beach San Diego

May 21, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Alive with the sea and plenty of activities for all that visit, Pacific Beach is a great place. With plenty of activities to offer visitors, Pacific Beach in San Diego has seen well over 26 million visitors! With numbers like these, you know you really can’t go wrong by visiting.

Aside from the wonders of the beach, the boutique shopping distric of Pacific Beach features hundreds and hundreds of choices to find treasure in the sand. With local names such as the L.A. Rack and Starbucks, this is truly a shoppers paradise. There are also new and retail clothing stores, salons, and many other stores to be found here in this shopping paradise.

Food and Nightlife at Pacific Beach

When it comes to the nightlife and exquisite Oceanfront dining, Pacific Beach has it all covered. The restaurant experience here is as diverse as the undersea life. You can find everything here from fusion Thai to gourmet pasta, seafood to hamburgers and virtually everything in between.

When the sun starts to set and the tide changes, the Pacific Beach seems to come to life. There are dozens of nighttime high spots with dancing, live music, and some of the best beach bars in California. With most being found within walking distance of the hotels, Pacific Beach does it’s part to simplify your experience.

Pacific Beach Boardwalk

Arguably the best feature to Pacific Beach is the golden sands that California is so very well known for. The beach and the Ocean Front Boardwalk are both modest in their approach to offer bike and board rental stores, beachfront dining with great views, and plenty of green parks for you to experience.

Being out on the sand, you can experience the thrill of horseshoes, the hot girls, dolphins playing in the water, and endless surf competitions in the summer. The summer is definately a little bit hotter when you are sitting in the ocean at Pacific Beach with your toes in the sand.

With Mission Bay Park and the Historic Crystal Pier nearby, you’ll always find something to do here. Mission Bay is a public park, offering the world famous Sea World, with plenty of amusement park rides, undersea wildlife to see, and plenty of fine dining.

On the other hand, the Historic Crystal Pier offers a taste of Southern California reinvented. A walk along the pier can bring back a taste of days gone by, coupled with the lifestyle that only California can bring.

With a taste of the ocean and everthing in between, Pacific Beach makes for a great and unforgettable summer. Offering plenty of shops, fine dining, and California sand, this is one area of San Diego that should be visited – time and time again

La Jolla San Diego

May 17, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

A sparkling jewel of San Diego, the La Jolla area is a picture perfect post card with several beaches along more than seven miles of coast against an array of rolling hills known as Mount Soledad.

Being a part of San Diego, La Jolla is only 15 minutes from the downtown district. Along with beautiful scenery, the area also offers many fine restaurants, art galleries, hotels and resorts, and many other attractions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Birch Museum La Jolla

The Birch Aquarium is also a part of La Jolla, giving you the chance to enter the exciting world of sharks, living coral reefs, and many other undersea exhibits. This aquarium showcases the mysteries of the ocean and what actually lives there.

The shoreline of La Jolla consists of rocky headlands seperated by pristine coves and sandy beaches. All along the beach, you can find many different hotels and resorts, designed to make your stay a little bit better.

La Jolla Beaches

The North Pacific Beach extends to La Jolla, traveling from the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. If you travel north of this area, you’ll find yourself on the beaches of La Jolla.

By going to the south end of the La Jolla shoreline, you’ll find Windandsea Beach. Windandsea Beach has long had a reputation for surfers paradise, although the steep beaches and rocky cliffs can be very dangerous if you aren’t aware of them.

Traveling along the La Jolla shoreline, you’ll find the tide pools. These pools are great to look at, although you shouldn’t touch them. You should visit during low tide and be sure to wear rubber soled shoes, as they can get quite slippery.

The cove in La Jolla is very beautiful, although one of the smaller beaches in San Diego. On either side of the cove, there are sandstone cliffs. This helps to add an isolated feel to the cove.

Throughout La Jolla, the Shores Beach is the widest and longest beach. If you look off to the distance on the beach, you can see the Scripps Pier. Also on the beach, there are novice scuba classes held throughout the summer months.
Close to downtown La Jolla, there is an area called Casa, which used to be a children’s pool. Now days, the area has been taken over by seals and sea lions. Although children can’t swim here anymore, it’s a great pastime to lay on the beach and watch them play.

With plenty to offer you and your family, the beaches of La Jolla are among the best in San Diego. There’s plenty to do and see here, with dining and swimming. For a great visit to the beach, La Jolla seems to simplify the best of life in California.

Seaport Village San Diego

May 15, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The Seaport Village of San Diego combines the very best of waterfront shopping, dining, and overall family entertainment. As the Marina Park is here now too, nearby may be the small but popular San Diego public park.

What is Seaport Village

Seaport Village San Diego — *Seaport Village* San Diego

In Seaport Village you will find 14 acres of enjoyment using more than 75 shops and art galleries, restaurants, and eateries around the pavement. Despite the fact that the region is mainly specific towards site visitors, local people obtain the the best using the restaurants as well as their on vacation company.

The San Diego Pier Coffee shop can also be here, which is among the most widely known restaurants in the region. Situated around the bay, the coffee shop provides sea food with breathtaking sights.

The Seaport village provides an excellent place to see Coronado and also the Coronado Bridge, because it overlooks the harbor. Only a short stroll in the village, you will find the San Diego Convention Center, Petco Park, and also the Gaslamp Quarter.

Supplying plenty to complete and lots of items to see nearby, Seaport Village has everything happening. A trip here’s unlike every other, because the town of San Diego will invariably have something unique to provide as well as your entire family.