Hey, Pony. Where you been?

Remember when running away from home was a tactic to scorn your parents? To punish them for their insolence and general defiance against your precious desires. It was a wagging finger at their audacity for daring to ask you to perform a menial chore, or passive aggressive chastising for having the nerve to place ridiculous punishment on you. No! You would show them that you were the victor, the one in charge, you would run away from their wretched shackles... until you got to the end of the block and realized the defiant tyrants at your gilded prison are the folk who feed and clothed you, so with your head held high and pride intact (as you were returning on your own terms) you graced the unfitting with your precious presence once again. 

What if it was now an adult standing at the corner, suitcase in hand and deciding where you would flee to? What place in this world would be the ideal place to escape the everyday life that vexes you? Well, I'd start with somewhere I didn't have to think about anything. All inclusive resorts are good for that. All your food, drinks, house keeping, and play time are effortlessly (it would seem) provided for you. The worry about things like cost and time frame slips from mind and you are swaddled in relaxation.

Ok beaches aren't your thing, if you're running away seeking adventure, there's always some nerve racking, thrill based getaway you could attack head on. Like a safari, and I know you're thinking "Oh African safari's are so last year." and I'd tell you that number one, you're full. Khaki's and lion watching are always in season. But secondly you should have waited for me to explain further. As I was going to say Alaskan safari, who feels foolish for jumping the gun now, you do. It's ok, I forgive you. Seriously my wee underpants gnomes, it's really amazing the wildlife one can find when they take a cruise in Alaska, yes there's whales, but there's more than that, it's the most untouched region of North America, our disgusting carbon footprint has barley made a mark there, and the wonders you can see are breath taking.

Trafalgar Square

Finally, if I truly could find a place where I really dream of running away to. I'd go back to London. I love England in general, but London stole my heart and soul when I went there. The culture is amazing, the people were kind, and the history mesmerized me. It's the one place I went and instantly felt like I had found where I belonged. There was no need to adjust to anything, it all felt like I had been lost and finally made my way home. If I truly had the chance to pack up everything I owned and everyone I loved that's where I would go. I'd runaway to London.

Let's try a new spin...

I have been deep within the search for all the most fascinating cruises one can enjoy. I wanted to get away from normal, you know the whole four day cruises around the Caribbean with three stops one always being in Mexico. Yes they are all amazing cruises and you see some of the most breath taking scenery in the world. But it's been done, a lot. It's time to branch out, go for something that is outside of your comfort zone (Ha! Someone has said this to you before, must have been a genius). There's so much to discover and to pigeon hole one's self because you know it a good time from the fifteen times you've all ready done it, well you're robbing yourself.

River cruise, I know they sound a little 'eh' because when you're from this country, rivers are meant for white water rafting, fishing, or providing a ridiculously long word to learn for your third grade spelling bee. But river cruising in Europe and Asian is something to behold. It's one of the ways to see Europe untouched by modern day. You travel down these canal and rivers and see the world as it was ages ago. And the history you learned about as a child is right there. At your finger tips. Not to mention, it really fine cruising, and by fine I mean high end. The restaurants are five star dining, and the cabins are some of the finest accommodations I have ever seen anywhere, and the ships are not filled with thousands of patrons, they're small, and you have this intimacy you cannot get on an ocean liner.

Now let's say, you want an ocean experience, but you're willing to step outside of the box. There's a vast amount of options for you out there. One of them is cruising north to places like Alaska. One of my favorite cruise companies explains cruising around this area is like seeing the world before it was touched by the human footprint. You can see glaciers, go whale watching, even see the aurora borealis. Again, it's top of the line. There's no cramped cabins, packing in a family for four into a closet. No these places are meant for lavish luxury, and the ship fits the bill. It's the perfect marriage of experiencing top end, luxury travel and witnessing nature in it's truest, untouched setting.

So that's two options of two very different types of cruising. And the options are really limitless as to where you can go, what you can see, and what sort of cruising you want to do. It's a matter of know who to contact so they can help you find it. Like I don't know, maybe your favorite wide eyed traveler.

I'm on a boat!

Boats. Yep they're awesome. And strangely a HUGE part of travel. Ok, well it's not strange when you think about it. It's actually a brilliant way to travel. When I had to pick my specialty I was smack with a hard reality, that there is a roughly a billion specialties to chose from. From business travel, to eco tourism. It's a massive spectrum, and being thrown into the mix and being told I better pick or I'll drown in all the options, well it's scary.

How does one decide what is the one focus they want in this career, it's broad and amazing what all you can do. But it's not practical, and it's not smart business to be all over the board. You can't know all the tasty details over every kind of travel out there, you have to set your focus and become the uber guru to your chosen specialty.

I started thinking about what I love to do, and I kept going back to three things. First, was that I love the creepies! I do, I cannot get enough of that stuff, but again when being practical, it's a very limited field. And then there's Island travel, white sandy beaches, sending my clients on a vacation that seems to take place in paradise. The problem I find with that is, it's not diverse, not really. Yes there are several resorts and beautiful locations to be seen, but the diversity really breaks down to what you can afford.

The third calling I felt drawn to was cruising. At first I hesitated to even consider it, because I thought it more than likely lacked a lot of diversity. But when I started going through brochures we had here in the office, I found that the cruising we saw Kathy Lee promoting, wasn't all that was out there for people to do. There's whale watching cruises, theme cruises, and what got my attention, European river cruises. The field of cruising is endless, and it's got something for anyone who is looking for a great vacation, that is affordable.

So there it is my gnomes. My chosen field is cruises, of all shapes and styles! I found my yellow brick road, and I'm really off on this adventure.

Lesson #1, they're called ships, not boats.

From the swells of distraction.

I'm back my dearest underpant gnomes! I apologize greatly for my wretched neglect and pray to your chosen higher power that I can please dissolve this shroud or rancid let down that I pulled over myself shunning those I hold near and dear to my aching heart. Please I beg of you, please find it in your tender, warm souls to forgive my misgivings and enjoy this new entry I bring to you with love and new found direction.

Taking this journey has been at times a calm and steady stream, but at other times, it's fast moving and sometimes difficult with maintaining the smooth and steady focus I hold so precious. It's when the current of my office life is off the rapids that I can find it easy to sit down and write something profound and inviting, gaining smiles and hat tips for a sound quip, or remarkable tongue in cheek comment that really gets you thinking.

My thoughts have been centered elsewhere, creative writing class, writing a bio that seems to have no end in sight, or picking a specialty. All of these paths that would have amazing pit stops here on my dear sweet blog but no, I have shunned away what inspires me, and that is wrong. So I am back, focused on all the avenues of my new career. Heading down this path with a new found focus thanks to some direction from my fearless and brilliant mentor (that's a freebie!). I'm going to get back to walking my path and sharing it with my readers. No more shutting you all out. Nope, back to being your quick witted wide eye'd traveler.

I can't wait to roll you with giggles on the metaphorical floor as I explain to you the search for what wide eye'd traveler has chosen to specialize in.

The list is life.

Ok I know it's wrong to use Schindler's List as a title to a blog, but it's gonna be a good, blog! You'll see.

I wanted to start my bucket list off with a bang. Something that when people read this, their jaws would drop and nod silently, awestruck by the flooring discovery I had brought to them, something they too must visit before their end of days. It's a tall order if you think about it, I mean just writing about random thoughts is hard enough but this, this is some heavy hoo-ha. So the only place I can picture living up to such a grand challenge would have to be an oasis of awesome.

I found Emirates Palace Hotel when looking though some of my favorite sites for fascinating locations. It is so astounding that I am contemplating breaking off my love affair with the Augustine to devote all my love and attention to this magnificent desert rose. It's this completely self sustaining morsel of perfection. Allow me to explain.

It took three billion dollars to build this and that's not with a "mmm" it's with a "bah", billions! When you go to most resorts in the world, it's wonderful because you're at the beach, all your needs are met, you can just kick back and relax. Take that philosophy and multiply it by a bajillion and you have the Palace. Unlike most resorts with let's say ten (I'm being generous) places to chose from for your dinner, this place has one hundred and twenty-eight! Where most places when you lay out the staff is happy to get you a refreshing beverage from the bar, this place has a staff who will bring you a cool towel for your face and rotate your umbrella for you to protect you from the sun's devious rays. And it's gorgeous, really, I am happy just to stare at the pictures all day, heck I'm writing this blog so I have another reason to stare at it some more. I'm having a virtual vicarious relationship with this place, yes my very own VVR!

This place is like being taken to another world, a whole new world if you would. I understand that most don't consider Abu Dhabi when they first think of luxury resorts, but I assure you, it's leading in the way of luxury. But it's not just luxury, it's becoming a real hub for every sort of tourism you can think of. From some of the most fascinating ancient archaeological site dating back thousands of years to the world's largest indoor theme park Ferrari World. There isn't a narrow minded view when it comes to travel, if you can imagine it, they probably have it.

Bucket List O'travel!

Hello my gnomes! I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year celebration and welcomed 2012 with happy open arms. This is my first blog of the year! Everyone throw some confetti and dance the jig. Alright now that's enough. I have been stewing over what to write in my blog  all week. Should I write about my goals as the newest most amazing travel blogger of all time? No. Should I speak my mind about the hardships mankind faces? No. Should I write about the Mayan's calendar stating that this is the end of time and we are all doomed?! No.

No!

Let's look to a happier subject.... These are the places I want to travel to before I die. I understand that the subject of death isn't sunshine and flowers but we're all going to come to a demise, so let's try and see as much of the world and explore our dream locations before we meet our makers. Let's face it, there are certain things and places you can visit at a certain age. Like I want to go snorkeling in Fiji, not something to do when I'm eighty. I'm not saying no one CAN go snorkeling at eighty in Fiji, but I think it's an act of kindness after seeing how.... fluffy my grandmothers were at that age to just go ahead and do it now. Remember folks, spandex is a privilege, not a right.

The list one makes about where they want to go can be a looking glass into their soul. I always dreamed of being a princess living in a beautiful castle when I was a child. So it would seem logical that on my list is... Well every castle ever in the world, and Red Square. I also dreamed of being a mermaid, hence my desire to go to all the most luxurious beaches in the world.

It's more important to have a desire to travel than it is to have a set list of places you want to trek to. We have this life, just the one, to see what out there in the world makes your heart soar, and brings sense of accomplishment to your life. I often find myself wondering what would have happened if my parents had put me in ballet, it's odd but I really reflect on that often. It's a vanished dream because I can't go back to being five and try it, the chance to be a ballerina has long passed me (I still think I can wear a tutu).

I don't want to be old and look back in... some years and wonder why didn't I take the chance to go see Red Square when I had the chance. I'm not going to let my ballerina let down also be my travel let down. Yeah I realize I was suppose to make a list but I got a little side tracked. Next time my gnomes you will have a list you can dream over.

Floating on Air.

Ok we all know that New Year's Eve is the night to go out and party, and it is believe me I know (I'm still planning my attack for all the parties I want to attend that night). But what about New Year's Day? I think we all dismiss it as a day to recover from the wild night prior to it, but why can't New Year's Day, be the day you use to set the tone for the rest of the year? I, of course, am going to issue a challenge! Make New Year's Day something special for you so that you start the year off with a bang. I am challenging myself to plan the most romantic date possible for my main squeeze before he has to go back to the desert and get back to his larnin'. 

I sat down with the genius who guides me, Harold (cha-ching!), and we brain stormed over what would make for a wonderful date in good ole big D. Initially we tossed around restaurants, he highly recommended Adelmo's Ristorante off Mckinney, they apparently have a very cozy spot for lovers to dine and smooch on the second floor, the food is out of this world too. But it seemed that if you're planning the perfect date, a bed and breakfast feel is what you want. It has to be something where you feel whisked away from your life and plunked down into a fairy-tale written just for you (and no that doesn't mean go to Medieval Times, put on a crown and run around screaming I'm a princess). 

We narrowed down the list of perfect settings for the perfect date to three locations, the criteria was that the hotel had to be lavish and luxurious, it had to have a restaurant with one of Dallas' finest dining, and it had to be an amazing location. The three who made the list were the Stoneleigh Hotel, the St. Germain, and of course the Adolphus.

Let's start with the Stoneleigh, it's a classic hotel that silver screen actors from the 40's used to flock to as it was the hotspot to visit when one came to Dallas. It's one of the staples of lavish Dallas history as it has been around since the 20's and with it's new reservations it's got the feel of a brand new starlette fresh from a 1920's movie screen. Along with the phenomenal accommodation that will make you stay tucked away in your room, there's the Bolla Restaurant located in the hotel. This uptown dining delight is under the watchful eye of  creative Chef Cesar Gallego's. For those of you who are budgeting after the holidays and worry that such a fine establishment is well outside of your price range, they offer these amazing four for forty menu's, it's a prefixed menu with a four course meal of some of the Chef's most innovative creations for your delight at such an affordable rate that it's ridiculous!

Next is the Adolphus. I shouldn't even have to tell my readers why the Adolphus is amazing because I have loved it so much that I think you have all come to love it too. However, I will never pass up the chance to gush about my beloved. The reason one should stay at the Adolphus is because it's one of the most romantic places in Dallas to be. The rooms are glorious and so comfortable with their french antique inspired themed. There's no need to leave your room because the staff is willing to bend over backwards to do whatever they can to make your room the absolution of a romantic getaway, but you should leave your room. You should get dressed to the nines grab hold of your significant other and go down to the French Room. There's nothing more romantic than sitting in a cozy table in the corner of one of the most beautiful rooms in Texas while serenaded by light piano music and devour eyerolling extraordinary five star dining.

Last on the list is definitely not the least but it is the smallest, which makes for it's very intimate feel and appeal (see what I did there). This hotel comes with the Harold stamp of approval, it's the Hotel St. Germain located on Maple. It's the only one of the three that is an actual bed and breakfast. It's decorated with a french theme throughout the entire estate and is truly marketed to lovers. The dining is a European themed candle lit restaurant that over looks the ivy covered french quarter styled garden courtyard. It's really the perfect place to go if you want the feel of being isolated in a romantic french cottage but still want the option of hitting the town seeing as Dallas has a lot to offer especially in that area. But again, it's the intimacy you're getting here, where the other two are luxurious and classic, this place is very cozy and small, there's only seven rooms in the entire venue!

I hope you all have a great and safe New Year's Eve*, and I truly hope your year starts off bright and inspiring. There's nothing more wonderful than the promise of a clean slate to start fresh. Happy New Year everyone!

*There's no excuse to drink and drive this New Year's Eve. AAA is offering Tipsy Tow: Even for those whithout a AAA membership, from 6pm-6am New Year's Eve/Day they will tow your drunk self and your car home for FREE. Save the number (800) 222-4357

The Nerd is the Word!

Hello my darling little gnomes, I trust you all had a  weekend, filled with wretched packed malls  as you scrambled to find the perfect last minute gift. Christmas time is known for a few staples. One of them is making sure you bought the perfect gift for all your loved ones, and another is Holiday Parties! I went to one holiday party this weekend in Austin, and it wasn't your traditional one. It was hosted by one of the world's largest gaming companies, it was phenomenal. Usually holiday parties are adorn with Christmas trees, garlands decorating every surface the eye can see and delightful Christmas jingles playing for everyone to sing along to. Not this party, this was decorated with classic arcade games, the coolest throw back toys and candy from the 80's, and a wild mix of techno pumping up the dance floor. As I sat back watching absorbing the awesome spirit of the party, I realized nerds do it better.

In the spirit of honoring my nerdy brethren, I thought I'd discuss something that would be a great Christmas gift for your favorite nerd/geek! I present you with (drumroll please) Geeky Travel, brought to you by the Wide Eyed Traveler.

• Switzerland, yes I understand that little geekcicles trembling up in the mountains sounds a little cruel, but there's something that calls out to those of us up there in that snowy paradise, the Cern Sepercollider. Your favorite nerd will love you beyond comprehension for taking them to see the research facility where they search for the elusive God Particle. This atom smashing research extravaganza would be a notch on your geek's belt that none will be able to compete with. While you're there, you and your geek can hit the slopes, if they're anything like me, they'll wipe out over and over again... on the bunny slopes.
• Game Central! If you're like me and the cost of traveling to Switzerland immediately isn't really in your budget, then consider this as a holiday gift for your darling pocket-protector-wearing love. Taking them to visit their favorite gaming company. It's a small gesture that goes a long long way (trust me I know). Find out who their favorite developer is and make a weekend of it. Find the coolest hotel, most obscure restaurant, and get the information you need on the company's tour information. You'd be amazed at how wonderful it is to see the inner workings of something you love to do, and the appreciation one gets when they lay eyes on all the hard work they put into making your favorite gamer's past time run smoothly.
• Starstruck, instead of getting your sci-fi enthusiast another DVD to add to his/her monsterous collection, try taking them somewhere they can actually look at the stars. Find out when the next meteor shower is predicted to take place and take them to a cabin, or even better a trip to Kokopelli's cave up in the cliffs of New Mexio. You can sit on the terrance secluded from the noise of the world and watch the cosmo's own lazer light show.

Nerd vacation's are the new frontier, you need to hop on the segway and follow suit, or you'll get left behind wondering who is going to show you where the HDMI cable is suppose to go. Make your Geek happy this Christmas with an imaginative trip they'll respect and love you for and a stocking full of bacon theme'd products! Merry Christmas my gnomes!

Yep, I'm Special!

Today I am faced with a hard, hard challenge. An even harder challenge than planning the perfect family vacation.... The task that faces me, and stares me down is a complicated one in more ways than I can fathom. I have to write a bio about myself for our travel site. 

You would think, yamming about how amazing you are and letting the world know that you are the best for whatever their needs would be cake walk. But you're wrong. There is a huge obstacle facing you in a challenge like this because as you begin to type you start realizing that all your short comings are not short or meek they're these skyscraper size hurdles that you can never conquer and all those people who said you'd never amount to anything are right! Oh the humanity! Ok, so maybe not so intense but it is a big unforgiving mirror being shown to you. 

Your focus goes from everything you accomplished in your life to every opportunity that seems to have passed you by like a bullet train. Not to mention somewhere in the back of your mind is the fact that eventually after you finally get the emotional strength to pull yourself together and write what you think is the most jaw dropping bio written on a person ever, your boss is going to attack your personal Pulitzer prize winner with a weed whacker. 

But to hell with feeling like a nobody, and to hell with worrying if you're not good enough. I'm going to put on my big girl panties, suck down my body weight in caffeine, munch on some chocolate, blast my favorite tunes, and write a bio that's worthy of having my name attached to it. I am the self proclaimed Queen of Halloween and Paranormal vacations. I got to write a review (that is now highly respected) about a hotel I once dreamed of. Those are just a couple things that I have already accomplished and I have only been in the travel business for six months, image what goals I'll reach after a year or even a decade. The Augustine might be my dream now, but the whispers I hear calling out to me will be answered, and I'll be taking so many people on beer excursions through Prague that it won't be a fantasy, it will feel as at home to me, as Italy feels to Harold. Perhaps you should take a look in the unforgiving mirror, push past everything, and write your own stellar biography, make yourself your own inspiration. 

Puzzle Pieces

Recently I got in touch with a cousin who has a story that really inspires me. It's been about a decade... or more since I've heard or seen anything from my cousins in Miami. It's not that any of us were avoiding each other, it was just distance and life got the best of us and we all lost touch. But now, thanks to social media it's easy to catch up on those loved ones we lost touch with so long ago (or an ex you wanted to see if they were indeed lost without you).

After getting in touch with my cousin Eddie I found that he had not only grown into a wonderful person, but that he was brave in a way that so few of us are. He went to school and got a degree. Like so much of us he went out into the big world and found a well paying job, and even purchased a home. He did what was expected of everyone, he lived the American dream. What happened after that, I imagine was a lot like a scene from the movie Office Space, Eddie realized he was bored and that this life was not what his soul thrived for, so (in what I consider the bravest thing anyone I have ever known to do) he quit his job, sold his home, and bought a one way ticket to New Zealand. Now Eddie lives a life that he's loves with all his heart and soul. He lives in this gorgeous land living his life to it's fullest. I'm sure the road he chose was not easy but I don't know anyone who seems as happy and free as he is. It makes me jealous and joyful that he found  the strength to go against the grain and create a life that inspires me so much it brings me to tears.

I know little gnomes that I need to bring this around to travel so hold your horses I'm getting there! Since learning about my cousin's dynamic life changing decision and being overwhelmed by his bravery I have started having these dreams about taking/planning a travel package where I send people to go to New Zealand, where they too can be inspired by Eddie's encouraging story. In my dreams he shows them this eye opening world that inspires them and changes who they are too. It's more than a vacation it becomes a pilgrimage for them to discover who they really are. Every time I have these dreams I wake up energized and desperate to find some way, some place for people to find the courage to go out and live the life they actually dream of.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to convince my cousin to become a ground operator and share his story with people, showing them around the new homeland he has found for himself. I will still have his story inspiring me to help people find the path that will change their lives and realize their truest dreams.

Is being environmentally conscious only trendy on vacation?

I have been doing some research on Costa Rica and the option for Ecotourism keeps coming up. I have actually been noticing this a lot but it's really becoming noticeable as I search this vacation spot. I finally reach a soap box point because I'm a little aggravated with this.

I suppose a definition might help:

Ecotourism focuses on volunteering or "voluntourism" (don't get me started on that term), personal growth and environmental sustainability. Ecotourism typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. One of the goals of ecotourism is to offer tourists insight into the impact of human beings on the environment, and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats.

Doing things that revolved around planetary awareness was reserved for the "dirty hippies", you know who I'm referring to. The woodstock, play in the mud, save the whales people. The people who used to go dumpster diving, not because they were looking for food, but because they knew the general public is lazy and doesn't recycle. When the term "ecotourism" hit the travel community I figured it was geared to people like that, that genuinely cared and loved for our planet all the time and finally earned a genre of tourism dedicated to their hard work.

After looking into and seeing what it cost I realized, it was not geared towards them. It was a method for the hip and trendy to make an even bolder statement that they are so with it, that they even take trips that help them save the planet. But does it? Yes it is great to go on a vacation that shows you how to minimize your carbon footprint but how useful is it to take a vacation if you come home and do nothing with it? I'm even one of these people, I came back from Montana all inspired by farm to table and farmer's markets, have I kept up with it, no... I am even guilty of throwing a plastic bottle in the trash..

Perhaps if someone is going to go on a tour designated for ecotourism, it should come with a contract that the traveler has to agree to take what they have learned on their adventure and apply it to their day to day life for at least six months. If we can't start doing something to better the planet with the information we learn on these gorgeous excursions then perhaps we should focus on going to the five star resort and leave the travel that could save the planet to those who aren't lazy and will actually make a difference.

What dreams may come.

I know I know, I'm a bad blogger, I promised a next day blog about the advantages of vacation rentals by owners. But when I came in today Harold my brilliant enlightened boss (that's five bucks!) sent me some information on a really interesting hotel in New York. This sparked a new blog idea for me as I looked over the  new awesome Yotel New York. I have an obsession with hotel's in general. I think they are these fascinating venues where you can leave the world behind you and relax. It's (for me) a means of really being able to escape what stresses you out in day to day life and completely allow yourself to unwind.

Now, even though there's an incredible amount of really awesome NOT super unique hotels out there in the world, today I'm going to focus on those with an insane 'WOW" factor, especially those found in the United States. First of course is the Yotel New York. It's this crisp clean brand spanking new hotel in NYC that is modeled to accommodate luxury, fun, excitement. But let's get down to what makes it so cool. The lobby to start off with has a robot to store your luggage. I don't think I need to go on from that, because we live in an age obsessed with simulating the images people from the fifties thought was how the future would look like now. So luggage toting robot army thingy, check! Now there's all the awesome decor to go with it, it really feels like a hotel that the Jetson's would have booked for themselves, minus the air travel tubey things. The hotel of the future is here today my friends. Finally the rooms aren't rooms, they're cabins. They are brilliant constructed floor plans to make a usually confine space seem roomy, like taking a room that looks like it's meant for two and suddenly the couch converts into a set of bunk beds. Yep I'm impressed.

As for the person who saw "The Hills Have Eyes" and thought to themselves "Hey, I want to live in the face of a desert cliff and be little spooky", I have a place for you too. Kokopelli's Cave, this place is freakishly awesome. Let me give you a brief description of the abode, located in New Mexico it's a 1,650 square foot one bedroom house, carved into 65 million year old sandstone 280 feet above a river. Don't tell me this doesn't sound amazing. It's so cool! It's unique and a little frightening. It is probably the only place in the US where you have to descend into your room, and sign a waver that you won't sue them should you die at the location. But no one who has ever stayed there said it was anything less than phenomenal or amazing. It's the first hotel I have ever researched that has zero negative ratings about it at all. The place is huge considering you're literally staying in a hole in the wall. There's a waterfall shower, a hot tub, and pretty much any luxury accommodation someone could ask for... except food, there's no room service here so bring your grub with you.

Since I gave you a place from the future and another nestled in prehistoric rock, I thought the last place should be... Well I can't say in the middle because 35 million years ago is still ancient. So something a little older, but still modern enough. Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon is listed as one of the world's most unusual and unique hotels. It earned that title by being said to be the most beautiful light house in the world and is adjoined by a luxury cottage that is also the hotel. The hotel is actually a Light Keeper's Cottage, the inn only has a capacity for 14 at a time, and because of how small and cozy it is, it's known for being one of the most romantic bed and breakfast. There isn't a room that you can't see something breath taking out of your windows and the prices are actually pretty affordable considering the high quality of the hotel.

There's so much out there to discover, and maybe my love for finding these crazy accommodations is silly, but I don't want to be someone who doesn't take the opportunity to go explore and see the world from a new perspective, be it a robotic run hotel, or a romantic cottage that looks like it was made for a Nicolas Sparks book. Don't settle for normal when you travel, don't be that person who only seeks out the usual hotel because the waffles are free and you know they have HBO. Find somewhere that makes your heart skip a beat, and if you can't find it on your own, call me at Epicopia Culinary Journeys and I'll find you something.