T + L: Best Sedona Resorts

Above, Sedona is famous for its red rock mountains. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A couple of years ago, while on my way to a group (around 150 people) campout near Prescott, Arizona, I drove through Sedona. It had been years since I last been there and was amazed at how it had grown.

Prior to this, it was a nice, quiet town with no traffic to really speak of (this was back in the early 1980s). Now, it is a big tourist draw.

Travel + Leisure has an article on the best Sedona resorts for travelers.

They start it with:

While much of Arizona is known for drawing adventure travelers, Sedona’s pull has long been to a crowd more focused on luxury and wellness.

Maybe that’s why it has some of the best resorts in the area — though there’s no doubt Sedona has plenty to offer in the way of natural beauty, too. If you’re in the mood for hikes, horseback riding, or even skiing, there are options nearby. But one of the best parts of Sedona is its laid-back vibe and the consistently stunning sunrises and sunsets on the red rocks surrounding the town.

Tucked between two state parks and a national forest, and just an hour’s drive southwest of Flagstaff, the town is close enough to major transport to be convenient and far enough to be a true escape. Book a room at one of these beautiful Sedona resorts when you really want to unwind and recharge.

 

Above, I took this shot of the main street of Sedona after pulling to the side (AZ Hwy. 89A). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.

Hawaii Magazine: 6 Tips For Traveling To Hawaii Right Now

Above, a view of Diamond Head from Waikiki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Planning a trip to Hawaii?

Well, although resorts and hotels are opening up, things are still a bit topsy-turvy. To navigate through the muck of regulations, Hawaii Magazine posted six tip for traveling to Hawaii right now.

They begin with:

 The recent surge in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.—spurred by the highly contagious delta variant—is concerning for travelers, even those flying to the Islands, where daily numbers are at all-time highs. On Tuesday the state reported 389 new confirmed and probable infections statewide. Hawaiʻi has reported triple-digit cases for two weeks, peaking at 622 on Friday.

This spike comes on the heels of a summer that saw near-pre-pandemic levels of visitors. According to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, more than 2.7 million people arrived in the Islands in the first half of 2021, up 27.6% compared to the first half of 2020. In June alone, 791,053 visitors flew to Hawaiʻi from the U.S.

And while that’s great news for the state’s tourism industry, which came to a standstill during the pandemic, the onslaught of visitors to a place still dealing with COVID-19 cases and struggling with striking the right balance between reopening and keeping the community safe has created a unique set of challenges.

There are new procedures for visiting popular attractions, rules about mask-wearing, new protocols at hotels, long waits at busy restaurants and a shortage of rental cars.

Here are some tips for anyone planning to visit the Islands this year. And fair warning: Things change all the time.

To see what the six tips are, go here. 

California's Tax & Ban Crowd's Latest Target: Hotel Shampoo Bottles

The Looney Left Report

Ban & tax. Ban & tax. Ban & tax. Yes the Commiefornia ban & tax crowd is at it again. This time, they are targeting those little shampoo and conditioner bottles hotels and some motels provide to their guests.

Above, a shampoo bottle from MGM Grand Resorts. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fox News reported:

Tiny shampoo bottles are causing major problems for California, lawmakers say. 

California State Assembly members are spearheading an effort to ban those tiny, often complimentary bottles of shampoo and conditioner offered at hotels and resorts across the state, arguing that they are terrible for the environment. 

“We know we have an enormous problem with our world, we’ve become addicted to [plastic] and it’s caused a major dilemma environmentally,” Assemblyman Ash Kalra, who introduced Bill AB-1162 in February, told ABC News.

I have never seen a discarded hotel shampoo or conditioner bottle at a beach or anywhere else. These people are nuts.

To read more, go here. 

Are RVs More Economical Than Hotels?

Above, The Beast at the USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hotels and resorts are getting more expensive these days, especially those who tack on amenities or resort fees.

Many people are taking to RV travel as they see it as more economical. But is it?

NerdWallet takes a look at this question.

They begin with:

More and more travel bloggers, and real-life couples and families are dipping their toes in the recreational vehicle craze. 

But is RV life really that much cheaper than driving your own car and staying in a hotel? Or is it just a cool thing to do? Here are some trip factors to consider as you make this travel decision.

To read more, go here. 

The Dreaded Las Vegas Resort Fee

Above, The Beast at Circus Circus RV Park in those pre-resort fee days. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I was planning my recent trip to Idaho to view the total solar eclipse, I decided that I would spend the first night in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Two years ago, my daughter and I stayed at the Circus Circus RV Park on the Las Vegas Strip. It seemed like a reasonable place to stay (although not much to look at as it is essentially a parking lot with hook-ups), so I went about to make a night's reservation at the RV park.

They had a special going on for the night I wanted to reserve. It was listed as $31/night. That was reasonable. But then I got a bit of a shock.

At the end of the booking process, they wanted to tack on a $27 amenities (or resort) fee onto the price, making it nearly $60 for one night. I don't recall such a fee two years ago. I thought, "No thanks!" and looked elsewhere. Then I found the Riviera RV Park about 2-3 miles east of the Strip. It was only $22/night. So I booked a space. As it turned out, it was a much nicer RV park than the Circus Circus RV Park.

But what's with these amenities or resort fees?

I did some checking. It turns out that Circus Circus isn't the only hotel that's charging them. Here's a list of the Las Vegas hotels who are charging them and how much.

According to The Points Guy:

If you’ve stayed at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip within the past few years, you’ve almost certainly been subjected to a resort fee. With tax, this daily charge ranges from $26.88 (Circus Circus) to just shy of $40 (Wynn and Encore), and includes some perks that you’d normally have to pay extra for (like water bottles and Wi-Fi), and others that you wouldn’t (such as pool towels and gym access). In almost all cases, amenities covered by a resort fee would otherwise be available free of charge to elite members, although even top customers are rarely able to get these fees waived (though there are some exceptions).

I was told that the Las Vegas resort hotels started this "resort fee" practice about two years ago.

Well, thankfully, I have a RV so I can avoid Las Vegas hotel resort fees by finding a RV park, such as the Riviera RV Park, who doesn't charge them.

To read more, go here.

Trump Corp.To Construct Resort At Grand Canyon National Park

Above, the Grand Canyon's Watchtower is currently the tallest structure at the park. The Grand
Canyon Trump Tower Resort will dwarf this structure when completed. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Liberal heads will explode over this, but a new law passed by congress that appropriates funds to the Defense Department, also included a rider that nobody was aware of that gives the go-ahead to the corporation owned by the family of President Trump to build a 45-story hotel and resort on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

According to Travel + Leisure:

The corporation of the family of President Donald Trump received special permission from Congress in a Defense Department appropriation bill to build a resort on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park that includes a 45-story hotel tower. The bill included a rider granting the Trump Corporation permission to construct and operate the resort.

According to Grand Canyon spokesman Arleigh R. McArthur, "This new resort will provide the increasing visitors to Grand Canyon National Park a place to relax and enjoy amenities such as swimming pools, saunas, tennis courts, racquet ball courts, restaurants and water slides. The hotel tower will give the tourists breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon like no other in three observation decks." 

The resort's construction will begin in July and is expected to open in August 2018.

To read more, go here.