Hotel Patrol

Welcome to the original Jersey Shore! The Caribbean Motel first opened in 1957 in the Wildwoods area of New Jersey which was home to Doo Wop motels and plastic palm trees. If you couldn't get to Florida, this is where it was happening. Plastic palm trees were better than none!

Here's lookin' at all you boomers! We grew up being the kids whose parents shared their favorite love story movie, Casablanca, and it remains a classic today. If you come to New York, the Casablanca Hotel will become your favorite classic place to stay in the Big Apple.

Want to feel like you are exploring the earth for the first time? Visit Reykjavik, Iceland – it's wonderful for so many reasons. If you have an adventurous spirit or are just nostalgic for pure, fresh air, this is the place for you!

It's always a treat to find an unexpected property in an area that most people visit and stay in high rise hotels. Although many of those properties sit right on the beach and offer a lot of amenities, sometimes it's just plain nice to stay in a cozy, comfortable spot that feels more like home. The Channel Road Inn is just one of those places.

Recently we had the unfortunate need to travel to Beaumont, Texas for a family funeral.  Since this amounted to a journey of 950 miles each way, it was imperative for us to stop for the night along our route.  We were looking for somewhere to divide up the trip into a two day drive, and Grenada, Mississippi was a little more than half-way.

Well, I promised you a variety of accommodations and I certainly don't want to disappoint anyone, so here goes a good one! I know you travel to most destinations by airplane, but how many of you have actually stayed overnight in the fuselage of a 727? Hmmm – I didn't see too many hands go up. So, here's your chance to explore something new. Located on the edge of the National Park in the Costa Verde II area is a refurbished vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe. It sits high on a 50 foot pedestal so you have the illusion of flying, but with all the comforts of a hotel room. There are 2 bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, a flat screen TV, kitchenette, dining area and high speed internet. A beautiful river rock spiral staircase leads up to your suite with teak wood interiors. There are gardens all around and you have a 360 degree view of them. There is also a private terrace with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. So, do you have any neighbors? The answer is yes – they are frogs, toucans and monkeys that will provide you with songs and shows.

Situated about 2 hours by car from Los Angeles is the fun-filled desert town of Palm Springs, the former playground of the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley and currently, the majority of stars in Hollywood. Talk about a great place to spend a week, or if you are visiting L.A., a long weekend away from the City.

This town has it all – great restaurants, a lively night life, fantastic shopping, fabulous tours and some of the hippest hotels in the world. 

One of Susie’s doggie buddies out west told her about a giant Beagle wandering around in Idaho. You can’t help but wonder if Paul Bunyan and Babe are also nearby. We decided to check it out and discovered the Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho where you can stay and relax comfortably in the doghouse – a bed and breakfast built as a giant wood Beagle. Susie’s daddy calls it the “Trojan Beagle.”

Nostradamus slept here! Bet you don't hear that very often when checking into a hotel. Well, in this case, not only Nostradamus, but Noblemen and Royalty have rested their heads at the Domaine Des Escaunes in the Provence region of France. Located in the small French village of Sernhac, you will find yourself surrounded by Vineyards and Olive trees. In fact, the 23 rooms here are each named for a different variety of grape. In addition, you are only 45 minutes from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the most famous of the Cotes du Rhone wines.