If you're looking for a place to go to enjoy the Christmas season. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is my favorite place to go to get in the Christmas spirit. Smokey Mountain Winterfest kicks off in November and ends in February. The streets are covered in lights. I've read five million and I've also read eight million, so I'm not sure exactly how many there are. But, they are amazing!!! One of my favorite places to go is The Incredible Christmas Place. This is the largest Christmas store I've ever visited. It is Christmas all year there. You can get so many decorating ideas. You can purchase ornaments, flower arrangements, stockings, snowglobes, lights, Santas, etc. This place is absolutely beautiful. Across the street is The Inn at Christmas Place. I stayed there last Christmas and it is an amazing hotel. There is an enormous clock in the lobby with Christmas characters that come out like a cuckoo clock. Everyone gathers in the lobby on the hour to watch the characters come out. Some of the rooms have fireplaces and whirlpools, and some are decorated for Christmas year round. There is also an indoor pool with a hot tub. Or you could stay in one of the other hundreds of hotels in the area. But, one of my favorite things to do is to stay in a cabin. They are really cozy with most having fireplaces and hot tubs. If you stay in a cabin, you can bring the whole family or several friends. Our kids like to go and take friends. We usually bring some games and play at night by the fireplace or watch movies. My son lives in Knoxville which is only about 25 minutes away. He and his wife sometimes meet us at a cabin and it is just like being at home. (But better!) The Tanger Outlets are my favorite outlets to shop. I love the Coach outlet. You can always get a great deal on Coach purses and accessories. They run 40%-50% off sales all the time. The Banana Republic and Ralph Lauren stores are also favorite places of mine. I also like the Tommy Hilfiger and Nine West. Walden's Landing is good, too. There is an art gallery there that sells Thomas Kinkade paintings. He is my favorite artist, so I picked out a beautiful painting for my Christmas present. There is a store here that sells spa stuff and makeup. The Smokey Mountain Brewery is at this location and the food here is wonderful. There are many great places to eat. You would love The Dixie Stampede dinner show. At Christmas time it is so much fun! The food is excellent and the horse show is just beautiful with the riders decked out in red and green, and the horses also sporting Christmas attire. But, the live Nativity at the end is something you won't want to miss. I also love to eat at The Apple Barn. If you're in the mood for a home-cooked meal, this is the place to go. They bring you a basket of apple fritters to eat while you wait for your meal. They are so good. You could probably eat just them and get satisfied. There are also shows galore in Pigeon Forge this time of year. It is also home for Dollywood which is also fun to visit and has too much to mention!!! Gatlinburg is a few minutes away with all the craft stores and unique shops. It also has skiing if you like to ski. I could write forever about the millions of things to do in the Pigeon Forge area. If you would like to see it for yourself go to www.mypigeonforge.com.
Travel
December 08, 2008
October 17, 2008
Spa Getaway
Now is the time to start pampering our skin and preparing for the long winter months ahead. A lot of skin damage occurs in the summer whether, or not, we lie out in the sun to tan, or go to the pool/beach. Most of us get some sun by working out in the yard or attending soccer games, baseball games, or just cooking out and enjoying our families and friends. It’s almost impossible to avoid sun altogether. Just remember to always use a sunscreen. If you are in the mood for a fall vacation or a girls’ getaway, you might want to consider going to a beauty salon or spa. NEWBEAUTY magazine recognized some of the country’s best beauty venues to go to for the ultimate in pampering treatments. Here are a few that were designated as “Five-Star Beauty Destinations” in the eastern part of the United States.
Aveda Georgetown Salon & Spa---Washington, DC
Celadon Spa---Washington, DC
Georgette Klinger Skin Care Spa---Washington, DC
The Spa at The Mandarin Oriental---Washington, DC
Hugo Salon & Hugo Day Spa---Kensington, MD
Sewickley Spa---McHenry, MD
Aveda Bethesda Salon & Spa---Bethesda,MD
Lynn’s Day Spa---Clarksville, MD
Spa Lexi---Clarksville, MD
DeFoor’s Eden Salon & Spa--- Ellicott City, MD
Spa at Turf Valley---Ellicott City,MD
Golden Orchid Spa and Shop---Frederick, MD
Sagittarius Salon & Sanctuary---Hagestown,MD
About Faces Day Spa & Salon---Salisbury, Timonium, andTowson, MD
Circe Salon Spa---Alexandria,VA
Sugar House Day Spa & Salon---Alexandria, VA
Ana Visage European Day Spa---Great Falls, VA
Serenity Day Spa at TheWorld GateCenter---Heron, VA
Dolce Vita Salon & Spa---McClean,VA
The Ritz-Carlton Day Spa---McClean,VA
Christie Adams Salon & Spa---Reston, VA
Anabella Spa---Vienna,VA
Atasia Spa---Berkley Springs, WV
Go to the Hotwire ad on my site and see if you can find a good travel rate and treat yourself. You’re worth it!!!
October 15, 2008
French Polynesian Islands
One of the most beautiful places I've been is the French Polynesian Islands. The three islands we went to were Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Moorea. We sailed around the islands aboard the Windsong for one week. The Windsong was a Windstar Cruise ship. It is no longer with the fleet. But I think there still are still three ships in the fleet. The Windsong was basically just a cruise ship with sails. Go to www.windstarcruises.com. The ships are gorgeous. The Windsong held about 148 passengers. So, it wasn't a crowded cruise. But, it had all the luxuries of a large cruise ship. After the one week cruise, we departed the ship and stayed on the island of Bora Bora for one week. I have been to many islands such as, Hawaii, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, etc. This by far, it the most beautiful place I've been. There are no large resorts or hotels on this island. There are thatched-roof huts (some over the water) on the island. There are no air conditioners,tv's or even phones in the rooms (well there weren't in 1997, I guess there still aren't any). But you really don't miss them. The rooms are cool, and really it is nice to get away from the hassle of tv and phones. If you want large luxury hotels and crowds of people, this place is not for you. The beaches are pretty secluded also. In fact, topless sunbathing is common there. That was really hard to get used. I couldn't do it, but a lot of women did. We swam in turquoise waters with sting rays and even went on a shark feeding excursion. This was the most relaxing vacation of my life. I wasn't crazy about the flight time. And because of that, I'll probably never go back. It was about 7 1/2 hours from Los Angeles. But, it was definitely worth the trip. It was a once in a lifetime trip and I wouldn't trade the memories for anything in the world!! Check out some of my photos in my photo album and then go to www.tahiti-explorer.com for some travel information.
September 06, 2008
Atlantis--Paradise Island in the Bahamas
We just returned from a vacation in the Bahamas. We have a time share at Atlantis on Paradise Island in Nasssau. This is the most amazing place I've ever been. The only bad thing about this place is that once you go there, it's hard to find any other resort to compare. It is a tropical resort that features a large marine habitat, water slides and water attractions, a casino, workout facilities, a spa, great shopping, great dining, and beach access. There are several accommodations to choose from. The Royal Towers is probably the most famous. It is the big pink hotel with the bridged room. All of the hotels are located in close proximity to the others (actually they're connected). No matter which hotel you stay in, you have access to all of Atlantis's amenities. Our timeshare is at Harborside. These pastel -colored condominiums are on the harbor at Atlantis. You have a gorgeous view of the Royal Towers and all of the unbelievable yachts docked at the harbor. There are 23 dining choices ranging from poolside locations to hotel and marina village locations. The food here is excellent. But, if you want to eat for less money, restaurants such as the Outback are within walking distance. If you stay in a room with a kitchen, you can go into town to get snacks, drinks, and breakfast & lunch foods. There is one large swimming pool at Harborside and several others at the Atlantis resort. If you're looking for a place to go on vacation, this place is awesome!!! The shopping atthe resort is very upscale. There is a Versace store, Gucci, Dooney & Bourke, John Bull.....you name it. If you're looking for less expensive items and souvenirs, you can walk down and take the ferry into town. It is only about a five minute walk. As soon as you get off the ferry, you are at the Straw Market. It has a lot of t-shirts, cheap jewelry, wooden statues, straw hats and purses, knock-off purses, etc. Some of the people are actually making the products there. It is very crowded. The locals are the vendors and there are so many of them just sitting around selling their goods. They're very pushy!! However, you can bargain with them and get a better deal. NEVER pay the price they're asking. They will come down on prices because there are so many of them selling the same items. On Bay Street there are a lot of great shops. They also have some very high end stores such as Gucci, Fendi, Coach, and many great jewelry stores. You can buy Rolex,Tiffany, and just about any type of jewelry you could imagine. I got a really cool D & G watch. There are also places to eat such at Subway, Hard Rock Cafe, pizza parlors, and many more. Senor Frogs is beside the straw market. Don't miss eating there. Most of the shops close at 5:00 so make sure you go early enough to have time to shop. We usually try to go on a cloudy day because it is so hot!!! This would be a great place to go in the fall and winter because it is still nice, and not nearly as hot as summer. Check out a few more of my pictures in my photo album. Also go to www.atlantis.com to get more info. on this vacation spot.
