Inspiring Travel and Wellness. Join me for adventures above and below the ocean, exploring nature, luxury travel experiences, spa and wellness activities.
A welcome retreat this year (and any year, really) for me is the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California. Right on the edge of the drive versus fly decision from Phoenix, San Diego, California is a quick trip. When it is just too darn hot, California is close by. The November trip is our third visit to Carlsbad this year, each was a long-weekend out of town.
Aviara Family pool
The Park Hyatt Aviara is a luxury resort with an amazing spa, great restaurants, good family pool, and a 21 and over adult tranquility pool where we spend most of our time.
When visiting any of the cool spots in New York state, like Lyndhurst Castle, there are many great dining options. Half Moon located in Dobbs Ferry is my favorite mid-range ($20-30 plate dinner) restaurant with spectacular views of the Hudson river. Half Moon is much better than nearby Sunset Cove (great view, lousy parking, and last time a couple people in our group did not feel well after eating the “special”).
There is plenty of parking right out front, and it is walking distance from the train station.
Half Moon Prime Rib
In the low tourist season of autumn, Half Moon is offering daily Blue Plate specials. Fortunately for me, Monday night’s special was Prime Rib with mashed potatoes, asparagus and choice of soup or salad all for $19.95! Delicious, and prepared a perfect medium rare.
They even served dinner on actual blue plates.
The wine list starts at $10 glass or $35 for a bottle. Overall, they have a decent selection of wines from all over the world at pretty reasonable prices. This visit we enjoyed a $52 bottle from Spain, and it perfectly complemented the Prime Rib!
On previous visits, I have enjoyed eating seared tuna, lobster mac & cheese, delicious soups, and various salads. Half Moon serves consistently good food. Service is certainly better during low season, and on crowded nights it can take quite awhile for service.
Inside Dining
Reservations are recommended, especially during high season in summer. The outside patio is stunning and fills up fast! The patio was too cold for me during my mid-October visit, but we were able to get a table for four with a spectacular view, and without reservations.
I like Wine. Normally, when wine tasting, if I really like a wine I will buy a bottle or six. This is fine, if you drive, but for those occasions that I fly to wine tasting the only option to get it home is to ship it. Many of the vineyards now offer Wine Club shipping. You sign up to purchase a set minimum bottles of wine throughout the year and they will ship them to you (at a pretty hefty shipping & handling fee).
Wine Delivery
Wine delivered directly to your door! What could possibly go wrong?
I live in a hot climate, so wine sitting at the door for too long will be damaged. My front door is shaded and expect in the hottest of summer days, wine would be fine for a couple hours.
Ahh, but the law requires a 21 & over signature to release the wine (a tiny bit of information the vineyard forgot to mention). So, if you are not home (or in the shower) in that 2 minute window the delivery driver is at your house, the wine cannot be delivered that day. This is a problem for people that cannot stay at home all day of the scheduled delivery. This also assumes that the delivery is actually made on the scheduled date. Planning is useless, it may not actually be delivered on the scheduled day, much less advance warning of morning or afternoon attempts.
After the extra shipping expense (wine has specific shipping requirements further driving up the shipping price) and the “at the mercy of the delivery driver” pain is considered, the Wine Club shipping is just not a good idea for me.
I could have driven to California and picked up the wine myself (it is only a 5 hour drive) for as long as I have waited for delivery, both today and the day last week that the vineyard told me it would be delivered.
Update July 15, 2015 – Finally getting the hang of this wine delivery. Better communication from the winery results in actually being home for the delivery. Voila! Wine delivered to my front door is pretty darn fancy.
The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Skytrain is open! The train currently runs between the East Economy lots to Terminal 4. The East Economy lot station is located between Garages A and B. There are passenger trams to take passengers and luggage directly to and from cars to the station. There are still buses running between the Terminals. For the employees and passengers at Terminal 4, this is a great service! The skytrain is faster than the old buses, running more frequently, and the drop off is on the ticketing/gate level in the middle of the Terminal.
PHX Skytrain
There is no additional charge to passengers. The train is funded by airport revenues and passenger fees, so I plan to enjoy this service that I have already paid for.
The train is quiet (it is electric), fast, efficient, and (so far) clean!
Celebrity Theatre is a great 1960’s design concert venue located in Phoenix, Arizona. This circular venue includes a rotating stage to ensure that everyone has a great view of the stage, no matter where your seats are located!
