I am an avid traveler and Verizon Wireless recently loaned me some tech gadgets to demo a few weeks. All of these items are great. It is now time to return the items and I am reluctantly sending them back as they were way too handy. I especially loved the Bose headphones. Below is some top tech gadgets to make your travels run smoothly.
Smart Phone – It is pretty much a given these days that most everyone has a smart phone and is a must for travel. Not only does the phone work with all of these top gadgets, it is necessary to have that form of communication to get information on flights, transportation and keep in touch with those who matter most.
Milk and Honey Leather Pocket Case – This case fits snugly around your iPhone to protect it from the wear and tear from travel. The built in leather pocket makes a great holder for credit cards, id, a few bucks or any other items you may need handy until you reach your final destination.
Mophie Powerstation XL – With dual USB charge ports this quick charge external battery can juice up multiple devices at once. This powerstation gives 10+ hours to a large tablet, 14+ hours to smaller tablets and 48+ hours to your smartphone. This compact powerstation will make sure you never get stuck with a dead battery again!
Bose Quite Comfort 35 Headphones – These wireless, bluetooth, acoustic noise canceling headphones will make you feel as if you are the only one around. They are adjustable to fit just about one and the deep bass gives you a surround sound experience.
Nest Smoke and Carbon Dioxide Alarm – This unit thinks, speaks and alerts your phone if it detects smoke or carbon dioxide. Having the security of this device protecting your home and family while traveling is priceless and the perfect addition to other smart home products and alarm systems you may have paired with your smart phone.
All of these Items can be purchased at the Verizon Wireless website and make great gifts this time of year for the avid traveler in your life.
The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach Florida may just be the perfect spot to relax and unwind. Whether you are traveling, as a couple, with family or friends or even solo, The Breakers Resort will not disappoint.
History buffs will enjoy the hearing the story of The Breakers dating back to 1896 and seeing the architecture that was modeled after the magnificent Villa Medici in Rome. 75 artisans were brought in from Italy and together they completed the intricate paintings, detailed across the ceilings of the 200-foot-long main lobby and first-floor public rooms, which remain on display today.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The Breakers Resort, Palm Beach, Florida
The room accommodations are perfectly polished and well maintained for the age of the property.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The bathrooms are sleek and modern with the Breakers own amenities and nightly turn down service will leaves you with a sweet treat to end the evening.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
Families will enjoy the many activities available such as bike rentals for a family ride, game room, bungalow rental and convenience of the zero entry pool. There is also a kids club available with all day activities so parents can have a little beach time alone!
Foodies will appreciate the amazing dining and delicious dishes from over eight dining options including the historic Flagler Steakhouse to the modern Seafood Bar with its incredible views of the ocean along with the fish tank countertop bar you must see to believe.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The outside dining options include incredible views of the pristine beach along with dishes to match.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
If you love fitness, golf or tennis there is no better view than the one from The Breakers well equipped gym facility and personal training center. The golf course facilities are fit for pro’s with a magnificent 18 hole course as well as a training academy for the novice. There are 10 tennis courts available for play from 7 am to 9 pm and private lessons, clinics and junior programs for those wanting to learn the game.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
If you are looking to relax and unwind, the spa and many lounge chairs by the pool and beach will do the trick. The spa offers a variety of treatments including massages, skincare, hair and nail services and more.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
The beach and pool offer a variety of bungalow rentals and lounge chairs and an infinity style 21 and older adult pool.
The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida
I have traveled to quite a few resorts and The Breakers is by far one of my favorites and on my list to go back too. For more information You check out The Breakers website.
I will admit I am a Words with Friends junkie, so when I got contacted to try the new Word Addiction game app, I was very intrigued to see how it worked. After downloading the app and playing a few games, I decided to do a little research about the game. It turns out the game was recently developed by a lady in Washington, Missouri, a suburb just outside of the St. Louis metro.
This is a girl after my own heart as she is a WWF addict as well as avid scrabble player. Word addiction is an elevated rendition of the other popular word games but takes the challenge a step further by offering a variety of boards to choose from, the ability to start a word wherever you choose and bridges and blocks to detour opponents from scoring more points.
Games can be played with a friend, a random opponent or solitaire.
I currently have all three types of matches going on at the moment. My phone is quite full of game apps as I like to play to pass the time when we travel. I really like the solitaire option of this game as it can be played while the phone is in airplane mode or when I’m looking for something to pass the time while waiting on an opponent to take their turn.
If you like scrabble or other word games similar to that, i would suggest you give word addiction a try. Download the app and then come find me under sharminmeadows.
I stumbled upon The Peace Lodge when looking for a place to stay that was close to my daughter while she was studying abroad earlier this year just outside the capital city of San Jose. The Peace Lodge is a little over an hour away from the capital city and was a perfect getaway for us.
At check in, Peace Lodge guests are given a carved wood bracelet. This is your proof of residency which gets you free entry to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park (non guests who visit for the day pay a $35 entrance fee).
With being a guest on property of the park it is an easy walk down to check out all of the amazing exhibits.
The magnificent butterfly garden houses a variety of gorgeous tropical colored butterflies that fly freely around you as you walk through it.
The bird sanctuary is full of parrots and other birds native to Costa Rica including this friendly toucan who is happy to greet the guest as they enter.
On down the path you come across a hummingbird feeding area that will give you an up close encounter with these brightly colored creatures.
If you are a cat lover, you will appreciate watching the jungle cats. Being the owner of two domestic cats, I am always amazed at the similarity and mannerisms they have and to remind myself that they are truly dangerous even though they just look like a giant kitten.
One exhibit that will take you back in time is a replica of an old Costa Rican farm house complete with oxen, a hands on lesson for milking a cow and a sampling of tasty sugar cane tea. Other exhibits include, frogs, snakes and monkeys.
In addition to all of the animal exhibits the park offers walking trails through the lush rainforest, where you will encounter beautiful tropical flowers, plants with gigantic leaves as well as magnificent streams and waterfalls.
If you enjoy fishing, The Peace Lodge has a trout lake where you can catch your lunch or dinner. There is a fishing guide that will help you fish if needed and then take and clean your fish for you, then give it to the chef so he can cook it up for you. The trout we caught was from lake to plate in about 30 minutes! Now that is some fresh fish!
The room accommodations at The Peace Lodge are the most elaborate I have ever seen and are personalized with the guests name during their stay.
The bathroom is full of tropical plants and houses a waterfall. The rocks and foliage that surround the tub and shower make you feel as if you are bathing in the midst of the rainforest.
The bedroom is complete with a beautiful canopy bed with very plush bedding, stone fireplace, coffee and mini bar area as well as a deck overlooking the rainforest with a table, jacuzzi and hammock.
You can check out this video of our room.
If you wish to spoil yourself just a little bit more, you can book an in room spa treatment.
Being the foodie that I am, I have included a link to the restaurants and cocktail lounges that are found at The Peace Lodge here.
My 2 favorites were sipping a latte at La Terraza which overlooks the majestic rainforest and the fruity yogurt parfait for breakfast at Tortillias.
There is really no need to venture off the property unless you want to visit the Poas Volcano which is just a few minutes down the road.
I used Pacific Trade Winds Travel for all our transportation and lodging needs and everything was perfect. I would highly recommend their services if you are looking to vacation at The Peace Lodge or anywhere else in Costa Rica. The knowledgeable and friendly staff were quick to answer any questions and even available to book additional transportation we needed once we were there.
Due to my husbands job we travel to Las Vegas every couple of years for a construction convention that is held somewhere on the strip.
This year we decided to go out early and enjoy a relaxing weekend before the meetings.
Knowing we would be on the strip for the convention, we chose the Hilton Lake Las Vegas as our getaway which is about 30 minutes from the strip in Henderson, Nevada.
There were a few things I liked about the hotel and few things that could have been better.
My first impression was not great as the entrance from the parking garage takes you go through a dated walkway to the hotel entrance. The carpets looked as if they had just been shampooed which is good, but left a musty smell in the hallway. (Could have been better)
Once inside the lobby, the space is bright with large windows, decorative crown molding and fantastic lighting. (I liked it)
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
Check in was easy and thanks to hubby’s Hilton Diamond Member Status (due to his Hilton Honors account), we received a lovely king suite upgrade overlooking the courtyard. The room also included free wifi and breakfast. (I liked it)
The breakfast buffet had plenty of choices for my taste and cook to order omelets. (I liked it)
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
The room was quite spacious although I thought some of the fixtures and decor were slightly dated. (Could have been better) The view was absolutely lovely. (I liked it)
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
I say check in was easy as it felt like we were the only guests there. The space is known to host large corporate events and retreats during the week but seemed to be a bit of a ghost town the weekend we were there in early February 2015. This was a toss up for me as it was serine, quaint and quiet which we enjoyed but not seeing very many people made it feel a little deserted.
There is a little village attached to the property that includes a variety of shops and restaurants but not much was going on and most shops were empty. I could see when the property was first opened what a hot spot it was and have a feeling this area was a victim of the economic downturn we had a few years ago. It was very quiet and lovely to walk around. The Italian restaurant Luna Rossa we ate at was very good. (I liked it)
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
There is a large empty space on the property which once housed a casino and in my opinion, I am actually ok that it was closed. One of the reasons we chose to stay at Lake Las Vegas was to get away from the casinos. (I liked it)
The surrounding grounds are absolutely lovely and feel like a bit of mirage with the reflection of the hotel off of the lake and surrounding palm trees. The courtyard area has a nice fire pit where we sat in the evenings and enjoyed a glass of wine. (I liked it)
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
Hilton Lake Las Vegas
To sum things up I would stay there again. It is a lovely property that just needs a little updating and maybe some good marketing to get things rolling again.
Although, we do like to play a hand of blackjack now and then and will take in a show while in Vegas, it was nice to get away from the strip for a couple of days and enjoy the serine surroundings of Lake Las Vegas.
