Disneyland Hotel: I Remember It Well. Sort Of.

Around the holidays I was invited to stay at the Disneyland Hotel while attending a blogger's event at Disneyland. In case you're not familiar with the hotel, it looks like this:

Actually, that's not how it looks today - that's the picture that's been stuck in my mind since the 60's. Rattling around in there with Monkees songs and episodes of Leave It To Beaver.

 [ MY BRAIN ]

Here's how the hotel looks today:

Memory is a funny thing. The one thing that I remember, unequivocally, is that the coolest thing about the hotel was the Monorail going directly through the lobby. In fact, I distinctly remember stepping off of the Monorail and practically right into the gift shop. Yes, that Monorail would blaze straight through the hotel, mere feet away from guests toting suitcases and children running in from the pool. It was the 60's, a time of free love and reckless transport.

Except it turns out that the Monorail actually never ran right through the hotel, it ran near the hotel, a fact I wasn't willing to accept until my husband showed me some vintage photos that happened to be on display in the lobby. Even then I thought he was just playing with my head, like the time he tried to tell me that the Cleavers weren't a real family and Beaver wasn't his real name. Yeah, right.

But the Monorail just running near the hotel is fine, in fact it's one of my favorite things about the place. After a short stroll through Downtown Disney, you can actually enter Disneyland by going through security and showing your passes at the Monorail station, avoiding the long lines that you usually find at the main entrance. (Although one of the times we did this, there was a delay with one of the cars and we ended up waiting far longer there than the time it would have taken us to walk to the main gate.)

As for the rooms, I found them to be clean and comfortable and able to fit my husband and I, our two teens and one of their friends. Also, there was this lamp and 'magic' mirror that were a big hit with my girls:

It turns out that we weren't in one of their newly remodeled rooms, that apparently feature beds with light-up headboards. Which is just as well – when I mentioned that to my husband he just groaned and said sarcastically, "I'm crushed we missed it," which is what I would expect – I mean he wasn't jumping up and down about that lamp and mirror, either. I'm wondering if there isn't some sort of special Disney Man Suite, one that features shrunken heads on the bedposts, sawdust on the floors, skeleton hands holding the lamps and a toilet seat permanently in the 'up' position. (Disney Hotel Design People - call me!)

Also, if you are staying at the hotel, or even just in the vicinity, I suggest taking a stroll through the lobby. While we were there they had some beautiful vintage celebrity photographs on display, and then there's this huge collage of Disney memorabilia. I only got a portion of it here, but you get the idea:

 (Do you see eyes behind that mask? Kinda creepy, or most clever security camera ever?)

We didn't have time to use the Neverland Pool, which looks like it would be fun for the kids – it was recently remodeled and features a pirate ship. Here's a photo from their site. I think it's time for that woman sunning herself in the first chair to turn over:

I do recommend the hotel, especially for it's close proximity to Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. The service was excellent, as I've found it is in any of the hotels on the property. The one restaurant we ate in, Steakhouse 55, was good but pricey for breakfast, but that's expected for any hotel dining. Overall the hotel is a sensible choice for families and anyone going to the park on multiple days who are looking for accomodations close to the park.

Now, if they could only get that Monorail to run through the lobby...

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Snowcreek Resort at Mammoth Lakes: The Best Anniversary Gift

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Snowcreek Resort to check out their properties and enjoy a weekend in Mammoth Lakes. The timing was perfect – it would be right around my anniversary, and what an awesome gift - the opportunity for my husband and I to celebrate our 17th year of marriage amongst the majestic Sierras and towering pines. Besides, the official gift for the 17th anniversary is furniture, which doesn't sound very romantic to me. It's like, "Happy anniversary! I love you, and here's a desk to show you how much."

I grew up going to Mammoth Mountain to ski – it's only a five hour drive from Los Angeles – but they offer lots of warm-weather activities as well like hiking, biking and fishing. Sure, you wouldn't describe me as an outdoorsy person, but I do love getting away to the mountains and especially taking my kids there. It's great to get out into nature and feel the fresh air and hear the birds sing. So what if that singing is often interrupted by the clicking of my 14-year-old text messaging or the faint strains of 'Beat It' coming out of my 12-year-old's iPod – we're getting out into the great outdoors and that's all that matters, and I've got the iPhone pictures, the Flip video and my Twitter posts to prove it.

Snowcreek is a development that's actually been around since the '70's, but they've been developing it in stages. We stayed in a home that is part of a newer area called The Lodges. I love the architecture and design – a beautiful, clever combination of rustic with modern touches, which defies the whole image of the mountain condo. You won't any find orange shag carpeting, oppressive wood paneling or musty old sofa beds filled with pork rind crumbs here.

Our house was a 3-bedroom (plus loft), 3.5 bathroom house with a huge living room with fireplace, dining room and two balconies that overlooked the 18-hole golf course. Also, a state-of-the-art kitchen that made me want to cry with its beauty. (It was the first time that I actually wanted to cook and do the dishes while on vacation. Well, sort of.)

My girls were especially thrilled with the flat-screen TVs in every room, and of course the free WiFi – because it was important to be able to watch Hulu and update their Facebook status while taking in this view:

(Another huge perk – anyone staying at Snowcreek gets free access to their impressvie Snowcreek Athletic Club with tennis and racquetball courts, two pools, fully-equipped weight rooms, classes like yoga and spinning and a day spa [for a fee] that includes massages, facials and manicures. Perk!)

While we really hated to leave the comforts of our luxurious home, we were also given tickets for a gondola ride, so we headed out to the Mammoth Adventure Center located acorss from the main lodge at the ski area. Here you can try a little zip lining or practice your climbing on their rock wall, or do what we did - take a breathtaking gondola ride up the mountain and take in the amazing views. Many mountain bikers and hikers use the gondola to access the numerous trails available, which you can check out here. There was snow at the top of the mountain when we got there, which thrilled my 12-year-old to no end – she even put down her iTouch long enough to make a snowman.

Another event we were invited to was the Children's Fishing Festival, which takes place at Snowcreek Ponds, right on the Snowcreek property. The pond is stocked for the event, they provide reels and supplies for the kids and experts are there to give instruction and guidance. Unfortunately, it was the day we had to check out and leave to get to our next vacation destination so we didn't get to fish, but we stopped by to check it out. As expected, my jaded tween and teen were more interested in scoping out the food truck and hitting us up for Diet Coke money, but it looks like a great event for kids.

We were treated to a couple of great meals while we were there – lunch at an inventive, locally-owned place called Publik Square, and an amazing upscale eatery called Petra's that was to die for. Our dinner at Petra's was the night before our anniversary, but we consider it our official dinner since it was so fabulous and Sonny Carter was there. You can find out who that is, and read my reviews of Publik Squre and Petra's HERE.

We're planning on coming back soon to Snowcreek – my family of 30 gets together every other year or so for a big vacation getaway and I'm going to talk them into making Mammoth our destination. Besides, next year's our 18th anniversary and the official gift is porcelain, and I'd rather splurge on a Snowcreek getaway than a new toilet.

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Montage Laguna, You Complete Me

Last Saturday I was invited by Kimberly Clayton Blaine (TheGoToMom) along with six other bloggers to be guests of the Montage Laguna Beach for a little pre-Mother's Day pampering. I can barely type that without crying because it was such an amazing day I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it's over. It's like the lover that you leave behind and then end up begging for them to take you back and then when they don't you have to stalk them and kidnap their cat.

Montage Laguna, we had a beautiful thing.

Don't worry -- I won't really be kidnapping anyone's pet. But I am absolutely smitten with the Montage Laguna and all of its beauty and serenity. Our day started in the main lobby, where we were served Mimosas and champagne off of a silver platter and drank them on the balcony while looking out onto an amazing ocean view. If that doesn't sound like a love connection I don't know what does.



After that we were taken on a tour of the resort and numerous amenities. One of the main things they're showcasing is Paintbox, their club and babysitting service for kids that provides activities and supervision while parents can enjoy some romantic alone time. That's Montage Laguna, bringing sexy back.



And I was happy to hear they're debuting a program for teens over Memorial Day weekend called M-Teens. With activities like Dinner & Movie night and kayak excursions, I know my daughters would much rather join in on that action than watch my husband and I sip martinis seaside. Although I have to admit we do look rather stunning.

After that it was on to the Spa Montage, and this is where the real love affair begins. One look at the jacuzzi, saunas, lounge and all the amenities and I was ready to move in, change my last name and have its baby. And can you blame me?



Before our scheduled treatment of choice (massage or facial), we were treated to lunch poolside. I had what is probably one of the best cheeseburgers ever made, and a delicious decadent drink that I can't remember the name of. I do remember that I had two of them. Or was it three?


After that it was on to my hour-long massage, and it was sublime. I do have to confess, though, that I kept falling asleep and I'd suddenly wake myself up because I realized I was breathing really weird. My apologies to my masseuse if she thought I was dying.

And wait -- the day didn't end there. After a little more time to relax in the spa, we met in The Loft restaurant for a wine and cheese tasting led by their knowledgeable sommelier, Casey. I'm not much of a wine snob (I've mentioned before that I often choose wine by their nicely designed labels -- oh look, a nice font!) but this was the first time I found a sommelier interesting and accessible. All the wines were by women winemakers, and Casey told us the history behind all of the wineries, including her personal stories of meeting some of the vintners. Next to the massage, this was probably my favorite part of the day -- surprising for someone who usually doesn't care if her wine comes out of a box.

(See the yellow stuff next to the strawberry? Honeycomb! And it was delicious.)



It truly was a fantastic day, and I'm already planning and scheming a way to get back to the resort for a day or a weekend stay. Lookout Montage Laguna -- in the words of Frankie Valli, I'm working my way back to you, babe. And don't try to play hard to get or your cat might just disappear.

Here are the other bloggers that were part of the Montage love fest:

The Go To Mom
SoCal Mom
Los Angelista
Techmama
Peace Love and Momminess
Momfluential
La Jolla Mom

Check out their sites for more coverage and photos!

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tags: montage laguna | spa montage | la bloggers | the loft

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Travel Savvy Mom: Can’t We All Just Get Along? Yes, If We Have Our Own Beds

This past summer I did a review for Travel Savvy Mom about a local hotel I was invited to review, the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn at Universal Studios Hollywood. I'm posting a link to it here because I frequently get requests from people looking for accommodations that are close to attractions such as Universal Studios and Hollywood, and this would be a perfect solution so that they don't have to stay with us that is both comfortable and reasonable.

For my husband and me, staying in a hotel with our two daughters has become a little tricky. At 11 and 13, they can barely breathe the same air without arguing, so getting them to share a bed in a traditional room with two double or queen beds is next to impossible. Suites are always ideal since they will often come with a sofa-bed that one of them can sleep on, but it’s hard to justify the extra cost when traveling on a budget, especially since on family vacations we spend so little time in the room and most of the time sightseeing. Well, that and arguing. Did I mention sisters like to argue?

We were recently invited to stay at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn at Universal Studios Hollywood and became fans of the KidSuites that are being offered at many Holiday Inns – a room with a partitioned area that’s furnished with bunk beds, a set of drawers, a flat screen TV and a game system. Our two girls loved having their own area and most of all their own beds. And while it doesn’t offer total privacy since there’s no door and the top of the partitioned area is open, we found that it provided just the right amount of separation to keep peace in a family of four. Not having to share a TV? Awesome. Not having to listen to your kids accuse each other of hogging the covers? Priceless...Read More...

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tags: beverly garland holiday inn | hotels near universal studios | hollywood highland hotels | hotel reviews hollywood

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