Vail, Colorado is a mountain town 2 hrs away from Aspen. The town has its own unique vibe. It reminds me of Old Quebec in Quebec, Canada. This quaint little town is what you see in hallmark movies- a place that could lift your spirits up because of it feels like home.
We stayed at Sitzmark Lodge right in the town’s center.
We had dinner at one of their Mexican restaurants- El Segundo.
9 dollar tacos
The next day, we were scheduled for a 4 hour- 4×4 ride to Resolution Mountain just a few miles away from Vail. We got picked up at 9 am. This was my first time to be on a 4×4 jeep.
The kids loved being at the back of the jeep.
We stopped by this small town of Red Cliff where there are only about 200 residents and no school nor police precint.
We were greeted with gorgeous views on our way to the peak.
After an hour, we reached the peak of Resolution Mountain at 11,923 feet and it was breathtaking!
Literally at the top of the world 🙂
This was surely a once in a lifetime experience for us.
Going back, we headed for lunch at the Red Lion and spent the rest of the day strolling around the town.
Everything ablut the town was just surreal.
The kids ended the night with a swim at the hotel’s heated pool. As for us adults, we just talked about how we don’t want to go back to NY just yet. We still got places to see in this beautiful state.
Last month (October), we decided to visit our friends in Colorado and do some sightseeing in the mountain towns of Aspen and Vail. The group planned to stay a night in Aspen and 2 nights in Vail. We were expecting to see the fall foliage that peaks around this time.
From La Guardia Airport in New York, we booked the United Airlines flight to Denver, Colorado. From Denver, we rode for 3 hrs to Aspen. Aspen has an airport too but the fares are much higher than Denver’s. Flight to Denver from New York City is approximately 4 hrs. Just FYI, time difference of New York and Colorado is 2 hrs with NY getting the sunrise first.
Denver Airport
We met our friends in Denver and rented a 15 seater van to accommodate everyone. Denver’s airport is huge and confusing actually, it took us some time to find our meet up point.lol
We stopped by to grab brunch in In-N-Out, a bit excited since it’s our first time to savor their world renowned burger. We were wondering why there’s no branch at all in New York? lol
And it didn’t disappoint 🙂
Loving our In-N-Out 🙂
The drive to Aspen is 3 hrs but the view on our way is a breath of fresh air! Colorado has an average altitude of 6,800 feet compared to New York’s average of 1000 feet. The view of the surrounding mountains is just refreshing to look at. Something we dont see in the city. Also, we were advised by our friends to hydrate since we might have altitude sickness- a term they refer to when one is exposed to low amounts of oxygen on a high altitude area like Colorado. Lucky for us, we did not experience any. But we did hydrate.
The view was just something I havent seen beforePit stop somewhere in Colorado. We just need to have a photo with this beautiful Aspen tree behind us.
The breathtaking mountain town of Aspen got its name due to the abundance of Aspen trees in the area. The town is very popular all year round to locals and tourists. Its a very well known ski town for enthusiasts and celebrities alike.
We checked in to The Inn at Aspen located at the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain.
We explored the area around the hotel with a little hike.
We went for dinner at one of the restaurants in downtown Aspen.
The next day, we are scheduled to hike the famous Maroon Bells.
Maroon Bells are two peaks on Colorado’s Elk Mountains. The view of the Maroon Bells to the southwest from the Maroon Creek valley is very heavily photographed.
To go to Maroon Bells, an online booking reservation must be done days prior. The earlier the better as the slots get full most of the time. An entrance fee of 16 usd for adults and 10 for children and seniors must be paid with the booking. One must choose the time as there will be a shuttle bus assigned to take the hikers to the Maroon Bells. We booked an early time.
From the hotel, we drove to Aspen Highlands for the shuttle bus that will take us to Maroon Bells. No private car is allowed to park near the Maroon Bells since it created environmental problems before, thus the shuttle buses that goes every 15 mins are our only way to go up the peak.
Waiting area for hikers to the Maroon BellsShuttle Bus
Going up, the driver from the shuttle bus gave us a background about the Maroon Bells and he mentioned some famous personalities that has properties in Aspen. Mind you, the houses here are just as pricey as the Hamptons.
The ride going up was approximately 15 minutes and we felt our ears popping already.
Upon reaching the starting point, we hiked for a little and saw the famously photgraphed view of the Maroon Bells. It was absolutely stunning! It’s even covered with snow this time!
We chose to do the scenic trail- one that’s easy since we have children with us. It was easy but it took us some time to finish since we were taking photos after every nice view we see which is all the time!
We just have to do this 😅And this. With the Aspen trees in the background turning yellow.
It was past lunchtime when we finished hiking or should I say taking photos. Lol
Going back, the shuttle buses also come in every 15 minutes to take the tourists back. And for those who wants to know, there is a bathroom right at the entrance to the trail.
We had lunch at Hickory House Ribs in Aspen.
We spent the rest of the day strolling around Aspen. Still in disbelief how beautiful and quaint the town is especially during this time where the leaves are changing colors. All of us wondering how it feels to live here.
Lunch at Hickory HouseGetting hot chocolate in Aspen
Aspen was a dream come true for me. I’ve heard of this place many times before and I thought it’s just for ski enthusiasts but I was wrong, one can enjoy Aspen all year round.
In my previous blog, I wrote how we booked our Disney cruise tickets and some insights for first. time cruisers like us. Believe me, I wish I read more blogs and watched vlogs so we could prepare for what’s coming. lol
DAY 1
This was the day of our arrival. Upon coming inside, you will be greeted by the staff and they will ask for your last name and they will be announcing your presence. We actually weren’t ready for that!lol
We then looked for our room which was located in Deck 2. Upon arriving, you will be asked to log in to the wifi of the ship since during the trip, you won’t be having any signal on your phone. It is also important that you have the Disney Cruise Line app installed in your phone- all the Disney activities, restaurants, your port adventures are all in there. You can also chat with a member of your group using the app.
Our room had the big porthole window which gives us a scenic view of the ocean.
The toilet is separate from the bathroom
Our luggage didn’t arrive yet but we already met our head housekeeper. He is tasked for cleaning our room and preparing it for bedtime during our entire stay.
We were starving so we headed for our first meal on the cruise in Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods at Deck 11- it’s a buffet food court with stalls named after the Fab 5- Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy. They are open for lunch, snacks and dinner- good for grab and go hunger pangs.
This is also where the big TV screen and the pools are located.
Before setting sail, all guests were asked to report to their respective assembly stations for safety drill.
Then it’s time to set sail! The Fab Five gave us a sail away party.
The fun was just starting!
We came back to our room and found that our luggages have arrived and our room has been set ready for bedtime 🙂
Our first dinner on the ship was at Arendelle- as the name says, the feel of the restaurant is the movie Frozen, the feel was upbeat as Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and the Oaken sings to Nordic renditions of the songs from Frozen. They would go table to table and greet everyone, there was a song where the kids were invited to dance with them around the tables.
Here we first met our head server, server and assistant server. They will be with us during our dinners aboard the ship. We also shared our table with a lovely family.
After dinner, we went to watch the movie Elemental in one of the ship’s theaters.
DAY 2 NASSAU, BAHAMAS
We woke up early to get breakfast at the Marceline Market and get ready for our day at Nassau.
Marceline Market reminds me of Chelsea Market in New York- it features food from all over the world.
After breakfast, we tried the Aquamouse- a thrilling yet fun water ride. No high drops at all which made us love it and go back for more!
We booked the Nassau sightseeing tour. Here, we rode a van and toured almost half of Nassau, the tour guide told us a short history of the island and pointed to to us famous resorts, houses of previous pirates, and lastly we went on a beach just near where our boat was docked. We were very enamored with their beach. It reminded us of our white powdery warm beaches at home.
We were assigned to dine at 1923- this is the year the Walt Disney Company was founded. It’s very nostalgic to know how far along Disney has touched and influenced the lives of people. That’s why you wouldn’t be surprised that aboard the ship, you can see lots of old couples enjoying their time in the ship. Disney is a timeless classic!
After dinner, we watched the show The Little Mermaid and it felt like I was watching a broadway show.
We had so much energy that after watching the show, we went up to Deck 11 and watched the fireworks. Yes Disney has fireworks- this makes it distinct from the other cruise lines.
DAY 3 DISNEY CASTAWAY CAY, NASSAU BAHAMAS
Our trip to Disney’s own private island was one of the highlights of the trip- we really enjoyed our time here, just the perfect vacation for us. We spent the day just basking under the sun. First, we had breakfast at 1923- yes they also do offer sit down breakfast and then got off the ship.
We booked the kayak port adventure in Castaway Cay.
It was fun paddling at first but then when we reached a part farther from the shore, I got scared since the water current was against us. lol
We had barbecue for lunch at the island. Even in the island, I applaud how organized Disney is. We didn’t wait for a long time to line up for lunch, drinks are always available And the seats including the beach chairs is always enough for everyone. Their customer service is just superb.
Showers are also available to wash off sea water.
As the day almost ended, we heavily dragged our feet to the ship as we still didn’t want to go.
We had our dinner at 1923. It was Pirate’s Night (which I am not aware of until we boarderd) and mostly everyone was in their pirate’s costume. There was only a few of us who didn’t come prepared. lol.
Even our stateroom blanket dressed up as a pirate!
We dropped our daughter to Disney’s Oceaneer Club while we went for some couple’s time inside the ship.
Later during the night, deck 11 was full of pirate people ready for the party and fireworks. We actually skipped it as we got tired from the beach.
DAY 4 AT THE SHIP
We spent the whole day exploring the ship, watching movies that we haven’t watched yet, doing the Aquamouse again, swimming and lounging at Deck 11 while watching at the large TV.
For our dinner, we were assigned to dine at Worlds of Marvel. The dinner was interactive with screen appearances of the latest marvel characters and lucky for us, Spiderman made a personal appearance!
After dinner, we went to watch the show Aladdin.
The next day was melancholic since it was time for us to disembark. We had breakfast at the Worlds of Marvel. The night before, we already prepared the luggages. The guests have the option either to carry the luggages to disembarkation or have the staff bring it down for you. Should you choose the latter, you have to place the luggages outside your stateroom with the tags given by Disney.
The disembarkation process went very smooth and organized. Going back to Orlando, we arranged for a transportation thru one of their Disney buses.
The cruise was our first but definitely not our last! Wonder where to book next? West Caribbean perhaps? xoxo
Last August, we took on our first cruise and yes it was wonderful!
March of this year, we decided to surprise our daughter with a Disney Cruise for her birthday. It was very hard to keep it from her as she is this kind of nosy and smart 8 year old who wants to know everything that’s happening in the family. She’s a planner too. Mind you, the day after she celebrates her birthday, she would again plan for her next birthday that’s coming in a year. So to hide it from her means lots of white lies from us. lol
Booking the cruise, as well as the activities that you will be doing at the ports of call was very smooth and easy. Everything is online which is very convenient. And at the time of booking, you don’t have to pay the full amount of the cruise. For a 4300 dollar- cruise, we paid 600 dollars upfront. The remainder can be paid in staggard and must be made in full 2 months before your cruise date. Which means that we since booked March, we had to pay it off by June or we can’t check in and book our port adventures.
Once you are fully paid, Disney will send you the physical cruise packet and luggage tags. You will bring all of these to the cruise. The luggage tags will be placed on the bags you wish to check- in before embarking on the ship.
Disney will send you an email, for us it was around July, that it’s time to check in online. During this process, you need to have your passports and documents (green cards/ visas) ready for upload. They will also ask for a recent photo of your party and have it uploaded too. I guess during this time you will also be able to book your port adventures- like sightseeing tours, etc. This is not included in the cruise price and will be charged after the cruise. Also, Disney will give you the option if you will be paying in cash for extras (like alcoholic drinks, merchandise, etc) or you want it charged to your credit card. If you pick the latter, you will be asked to put in you credit card details upon online check in. If you pay in cash, you’d have to settle your account to guest services before disembarking in the ship.
Our cruise was a 5 day, 4 night cruise to Bahamas from Florida thru Disney’s newest ship, the Disney Wish. To avoid mishaps, we booked our flight to Florida 2 days before the cruise. We decided to stay in Orlando and spend a day in Universal Studios to check out the Harry Potter World in Islands of Adventure. Our daughter is also a huge Potter fan like me 🙂 Will post a separate blog for this. Promise :). Our port of call is at Fort Canaveral, an hour away from Orlando.
We revealed the surprise on the day of the cruise and she couldn’t be more excited! She has been wanting to go on a Disney cruise ever since she knew there was one.
Booking an Uber to Port Canaveral is such a challenge. The first driver declined to take us there as it is too far. The second one was hesitant too but thankfully he obliged. This led me to realize that it’s better if we book the transportation provided by Disney to its cruisers. It’s 40 dollars per way per person and its point of pick up is the airport and any of the Disney World Resorts in Orlando. That’s what we actually did coming back to Orlando after the cruise. In addition, the price we paid for the Uber is more or less the same as the Disney shuttle.
By the time you check- in online, you will be given the option as to the time you want to embark on the ship. This makes the actual check -in smooth and very organized. We opted for 2 PM which I kinda regret, we could have chosen an earlier time as early as 11 am to maximize our time in the ship.
After the Uber dropped us off, we placed the luggage tags on our bags. There isn’t really a check in area, the staff will just collect your luggages as soon as you ask them you are ready to check them in. Just like traveling by plane, your hand carry item should have all your essentials- passports, wallets, visas, cameras, phones, etc and some change of clothes should you wish to swim while waiting for your luggages to be sent up.
Once they call your time, you will be lining up for customs and security where they will be checking passports and visas (should you need one). Hands down to Disney as the whole check in process was very organized and timely.
This is a miniature replica of Disney’s first cruise ship- Disney Magic.Once done with customs and security, the Yellow Mickey on the far left serves as your guide to the entrance of the ship.
For the next 5 days, we shall be spending a day in Nassau, Bahamas, a day in Disney’s own private island- Disney’s Castaway Cay and one full day exploring the Disney Wish. I shall be telling you about it on my next blog :)))
To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to explore the world-renowned Miami in Florida. At first, I had doubts with the place being child friendly since Miami is often synonymous to partying, and millennials getting wasted. Lol. But then as I was reading travel websites, Miami can also be fun for families with kids in tow! We wanted to see how Miami Beach compare to our beaches in the Philippines.
We got a beach front hotel as we want to have a full day and walking access to the beach. We chose the Mid Beach- from reading reviews, it’s not too crowded and it’s great if you just want to relax with kids in tow. South Beach is where the party and night life happens so we skipped it. Miami Beach is divided into three namely- North Beach, Mid Beach and the South Beach, all three share the same shore but walking from Mid to South Beach is about an hour away. As you can imagine, Miami Beach is a very long stretch of white sandy shore and it is an island separate from downtown Miami. What connects it the mainland Miami are well built bridges.
So from New York, we took the plane from La Guardia Airport to Miami International Airport. The flight was 3 hours and was comfortable.
We saw this from the plane which looked like they were building new roads out of the ocean.
Then we booked an Uber to our hotel in Miami Beach.
We booked the Holiday Inn- Oceanfront thru booking.com. It was the cheapest among the other beachfront hotels in Mid Beach. A bit above our budget but the beach access was worth it. It was a 20 minute drive from the airport to Miami.
Holiday Inn Oceanfront.
The hotel’s swimming pool
Beach Access. We really loved how the beach is accessible to the hotel. The hotels placed beach chairs and umbrellas for use for their guests. There is a concierge by the beach for each hotel. One can also order drinks from the hotel’s bar and have it sent it you on the beach. Such fun under the sun!
Collins Avenue- This vibrant beach walk connects the beach to the hotels. You can see a lot of people walking, biking and it is lined with palm trees. The scenery gives you that tropic vibe we don’t see often in North America.
The second day, we decided to have breakfast in South Beach, do some strolling, head to Little Havana and availed the sightseeing cruise on the nearby islands in Miami.
We got an uber to take us to Front Porch Cafe in South Beach- it was a 10 minute ride.
Breakfast in Front Porch Cafe in South Beach.
We strolled along Art Deco in South Beach and had a little peak of the beach.
South Beach is what’s synonymous to Miami. Mostly photos of Miami is from the South Beach. I could only imagine how it is during the night time. If Mid Beach has Collins Ave, South Beach has Ocean Drive.
Right after our quick stroll in South Beach, we took Uber to downtown Miami in Little Havana.
Coming here was like coming home, we see the houses were built just like our houses in the Philippines. one, two- storey houses with low gates and palm trees.
Little Havana has very rich history. It is home to many Cubans in Miami that emerged during the 1960’s. Little Havana specifically in Calle Ocho is lined with walk up Cuban restaurants and stores selling Cuban tobacco and garments. The vibe is very lively with salsa music played live by a Cuban band.
They have a walk of fame which features famous Latin artists like Thalia.
The Domino Park is where Cubans meet and discuss politics while playing dominoes. If you have seen the movie, Father of the Bride, this is where Robert De Niro sits down with her daughter and played domino.
Real police in Little Havana. On a horse!
Sightseeing Cruise
We spent 2 hours in Little Havana and headed to the Bayside Marketplace where we shall be starting our sight seeing cruise along Biscayne Bay. Bayside Marketplace is an open, festive shopping mall located along the harbor of Biscayne Bay. It has various restaurants and shops. It’s very lively and festive. And the fact that it’s near the harbor makes it very refreshing.
While waiting for the boat.
We booked the 90 minute sightseeing cruise thru Trip Advisor for 25 usd per person. We sailed past the Miami skyline , islands near miami and the mansions of the rich and famous. There is a tour guide who would ask you to guess whose mansion is she referring to with some clues. We got to see J Lo’s, Jacky Chan’s, Lebron James’, I cannot recall all the names and mansions the guide mentioned.
Miami Skyline
The port of Miami is known as one of the busiest and the largest in the world.
We passed by the cruise ships docked in the port.
The next day, we decided to just relax and bask in the sun. We spent it swimming in the beach and the pool
We wished we had more time here, I would have wanted to explore more of Miami. I wanted to visit the Everglades, Key West, check out the night scene in South Beach. Also, Miami is a bit more expensive that we thought it would be. Restaurants impose service charge ranging from 18- 22%. Let me picture out for you how costly it is. A coconut fruit with its juice costs 18 usd in Bayside Marketplace and cocktails range 18- 30 dollars. But as long as we had fun right?
doreen the explorer 