WDW Half Marathon Weekend with LOTS of Disney Tips- part 1 !!!

It's been FOREVER since I've updated, but I hope y'all have 'liked' the Pink Pineapple Blog on FB. I try to update it frequently with deals and steals and quick recipes. It's just a lot easier for me to simply post to FB these days vs. blogging. Between FINALLY moving back into our house (if you're a new follower, our ENTIRE house flooded 4 days before our wedding and took some 5 months to get fully repaired) my crazy health issues, working full time, getting ready to become an official travel agent (stay tuned for this fun news) and just learning to be married, we've been super busy! But, hubs and I did manage to complete the Walt Disney World Half Marathon last weekend which brings me to this post....our experience annnnnnd tips for how to do Disney on a budget!
                    


Now, when I saw we completed the half, we did just that-completed it. Did we run the entire 13.1 miles? No. Did we train like we should have? No. BUT, we did it, and while we finished in a little over 3 hours and in 19,420th place-Ha! . We finished it..... and we still beat out some 6,000 other participants. I tell you this to show you that anyone can complete a race if you put your mind to it. 5 years ago if you told me I would LOVE doing half marathons, I would've laughed in your face-but I really do love them.
Am I fast? No. Do I feel like I'm going to die as I cross the finish line? Absolutely. But, do I feel  amazing afterwards? Yes! Yes! and Yes! Races really are an absolute blast- especially at fun places like Disney- AND you walk away feeling like superwoman. Seriously friends, sign up and do one- you'll be hooked!
                                

Back in July, we decided to sign up for the race. Our minister at our church and his wife were planning on going down to do the half and full respectively and we decided it would be fun to complete it with them! Had we known the absolute nightmare that was going to plague us for months on end with getting our house complete and that I was going to end up in the ER 4 times over the next 4 months, we probably wouldn't have signed up to go, but alas, we were signed up and since the race is non-refundable,  we decided that we simply had to go- sans training in all.
                     

We flew down to Orlando on Thursday evening via my favorite cheap way to get to FL airline, Allegiant. I joke and call it Ghetto Air, but I really do love this budget airline. It has gotten me to and from FL 5 times in the past couple of years for less than $200 per flight. Every plane is large, the flights are direct and their prices are definitely unbeatable!  Our flight left on time and 1:35 minutes later we touched down at Sanford's Airport (the smaller Orlando airport about 45 min drive to Disney). As we walked to baggage claim, we were greeted with a gorgeous sunset, warm weather, and palm trees. Bliss.

We headed over to the Alamo building to pick up our car that was booked for $13/ a day via Hotwire. Again, my absolute go to for renting a car- in fact, I NEVER rent a car any other way except through Hotwire. We booked a compact car, but were excited to learn that they were low on those, so we got a free upgrade to a mid-sized car, a Dodge Dart (excellent car-love it- would definitely consider buying one). Had we booked directly through Alamo, we would've paid at least $50 a day for the same car. We hooked up our GPS (we bring our own to save the extra $10 a day they charge to use theirs) and headed to our hotel.

We LOVED our little "white stallion"

Now, I would tell anyone going to Disney to stay on property if your sole plan for being in Orlando is to visit Disney. Their resorts are top notch-truly amazing, they offer free airport shuttles, you get your own entrance to the parks, extra park hours etc. It really is the way to go if you can afford it (and their budget level resorts are VERY affordable). However, if you are on a tight budget, or like us, had plans other than simply being at Disney, staying elsewhere works as well! Since we had to live at the Residence Inn all summer while our house was being completed, we racked up some serious frequent guest points (to read the benefits of signing up for frequent guests cards read HERE.) We had enough to cover our entire stay, plus some, so we decided to use those and stay for free!
              


We booked the Courtyard Mariott in Lake Bunea Vista Village and we were very happy with our location, room, and hotel pool. Our hotel was literally a 5 min drive from Downtown Disney and a 2 min drive to the outlets. We fell in love with the entire Mariott corporation this summer since they took such great care of us and this time, it was no different. In our "village" there were 3 Mariott hotels- a Courtyard, Fairfield and SpringHill suites. As a guest at one you had access to each hotel with your key card which allowed for visiting different pools, restaurants, etc. In typical "I'm getting ready to be a real official travel agent" fashion, we scoped out all the other hotels and they were all nice. The Courtyard had the best pool- very tropical resort feel, but the Springhill is all suites so it definitely had larger rooms and would be great for families.

LOVE the new panoramic picture feature on the iPhone :)

We dropped off our luggage, took a quick shower and headed out to Downtown Disney to meet our newly engaged friend, Tiffany, for dinner and wedding talk!  I LOVED throwing on a strapless top and open toed shoes in January! We carb-loaded with pasta at Planet Hollywood (good food, but overpriced) and then enjoyed walking around Downtown Disney. We stayed for an hour or two and then went back to the hotel to prepare for our big day ahead- Animal Kingdom and the Race Expo!

So excited for the bride to be!!!

                        

We woke up around 8 on Friday morning, headed to Chick-Fil-A for some chicken minis and a fruit cup (did you know that it's only 300 calories for a 3 count and a fruit cup?) and headed to Animal Kingdom. It was our first time at this park and thanks to the extra income from my second job as a Thirty-One Consultant, we were able to visit the park. Tickets to Disney parks are $89.00 a day for an adult, and while you can get discount tickets by going to time-share presentations and such, we decided to just pay at the gate. If you're going to be there for several days, you can get discount multi-day passes via AAA, but I highly discourage going through "ticket brokers" as they just cant be trusted. IF you buy tickets from a 3rd party, make sure they are licenced through Disney. The last thing you want to do is be stuck at the gate with a ticket that turns out to be void.

We parked at the park ($14), walked right up to the ticket window, purchased our tickets, and went through security. You can save money by parking for free at Downtown Disney, but you will have to ride the shuttle to a Disney Hotel, and then take that transportation to the parks. While this saves you from paying to park, it takes about an hour to bus and tram hop to the parks' entrances. However, it's a fun way to see the resorts if you're not in a rush and want to save the parking money.



Animal Kindgdom was not packed at all which means we didn't have to use the Fast Pass system or our trusty Disney Wait Times App (free found in the app store). Both of these are an absolute MUST if going to the parks when they are busy! Our favorite ride was Expedition Everest and we also enjoyed the Safari. I've been on an actual Safari in South Africa and Disney has done an excellent job of making this ride very true to Africa! A Bugs Life was fun (but could definitely be scary for kiddos) and the Finding Nemo puppet show was so unique!
  



We ate lunch in the park and for two of us, our bill was $20. While this wasn't bad, I can see how eating in the parks with a family of 4 or more over several days could really add up! BUT, Disney lets you bring in your own food and we saw lots of families eating picnic lunches. Plus, Disney will also give you free cups of ice water and/or hot water so you can mix up your own lemonade, coffee, etc. Disney also offers free dining plans on occasion (if you are staying at a Disney resort) which is an AWESOME deal!! Oh, Mickey, you're so kind!!!

At around 3 or 4 we needed to head to the race expo and since we had already hit up all the rides, we headed to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for the expo......
                     


Race Expo and Race Day coming in Part 2!!

FINALLY......a Post!!! And A Vegas re-cap....

My life has been crazy since we returned from Vegas. Just plum crazy. I've been super sick (visited the ER 3 times, 2 by ambulance. what fun) and we've been working on our sweet little abode (if you're a new follower our entire house flooded 4 days before our wedding. yeah, holy insaneness). Top all of that off with trying to sell M's house and two teachers starting a new school year. So when I say crazy, there's no exaggeration in my words. Ha!

The good news: The house is almost complete. Yay! (If you're a follower of The Pink Pineapple Blog on Facebook, I've been sharing photos of the progress. Be sure to 'like' the page) And, we are finally getting some "normalcy" back into our life. We are no longer living in a hotel and we also had to give up our globe trotting summer and return to work like responsible human beings. I still haven't cooked my husband an actual meal (kitchen still not complete), but we FINALLY got to go through our wedding gifts. Yay! In fact, I just ate off of our "K" Pottery Barn plates for the first time. I felt so regal eating off of a plate with my last initial on it. Yay for being married and yay for being back in OUR home!

Anyway, I know I promised a FULL Vegas re-cap including how we did our trip on a budget so here goes:

Hotel: Bills Gamblin' Hall. It's one of the last of the old hotels still on the main strip and its location is PRIMO- right across from the Bellagio and Caesars, next to the Flamingo. I would never have thought to stay there except my friend and her hubs stayed there once and said it's a great place to stay if you're looking for a cheap hotel. It was super cheap, our bill for 4 nights including the weekend was less than $400. Now, would I go stay here for a big, romantic, type weekend? Negative. But, would I stay here again for a quick Vegas getaway. Definitely. The rooms where large, super clean, had large flat screen TV's and had clean bathrooms with great water pressure. The hotel itself doesn't have a pool, but all guests were able to use the Flamingo's pool by showing their room key. You truly felt like you stepped back in time when in the hotel, but that's what's so neat about Vegas. SO much variety!

   

View from our room

Transportation: We flew to Vegas on Southwest. We had to drive to Louisville since they don't fly out of Lex, but it saved us a couple hundred dollars per ticket by doing so.
While in Vegas we took a shuttle to the hotel and a taxi back to the airport upon us leaving. Reason being; It ended up being the same cost and the shuttle took FOREVER getting us to our hotel because it had to drop of so many people. Unless you're staying way down the strip, the taxi is the for sure way to go. It was only $15 for our ride to the airport from the hotel.

To get around the strip and to get to "Old Vegas" we used the public transportation. Old Vegas being the Fremont Street area (giant neon cowboy, covered street, etc) They have a monorail, which is great when wanting to sight see the strip and a bus system, called "The Deuce". We used the Deuce the most, but monorailed a few times as well. The bus is good in that it's cheap and takes you EVERYWHERE, but it's bad in that it can take awhile to get to where you're going i.e. from our hotel to Old Vegas took around 30 minutes. The buses make TONS of stops, but they are clean, air-conditioned (a lifesaver when it was 110 degrees) and are much cheaper than taxis. A taxi ride from our hotel to Old Vegas would've been $40 round trip where as the bus was $13 for a 24 hour unlimited pass.



Riding the "Deuce" to Fremont street. Can you see the sweat dripping off our faces?! It was SO hot!

Food: Vegas food can be super pricey, especially on the main strip. However, Old Vegas has some crazy awesome deals ($1 margaritas, $10 prime rib dinner, etc). M and I went down there twice, but never ate there. We did, however, zip line across Fremont Street. SO fun and only $15 a person-so worth it!!

M and I zipping down Fremont Street

Here's my food suggestions:

Breakfast:
Hash House A Go Go. It's in the Imperial Palace and the food is SO good! I ordered a pancake and it was as big as my face and M got biscuits and gravy. It's like Cracker Barrel on crack. Ha! So delish and super affordable prices- most plates were under $10.

Bill's Gamblin Hall main restaurant. I can't think of it's name, but it's right by the front desk and the food there was amazeballs as well. And again, affordable.

Egg white omlet with hash. Yum!

Lunch:
We never did anything big for lunch. Most days, we ate breakfast during the time we'd eat lunch at home (thank you 3 hour time change) so if we were hungry, we'd just grab something by the pool or at McDonalds.

Dinner:
Our first night we ate at In-N-Out Burger because neither of us had ever eaten it before and we were starving by the time we got off our flight. We had to hike over the interstate to get to it (it's located right behind the main strip but on the other side of the interstate). Ha-that was fun ;) But it was yumm-o for sure!

Hubs loving his burger!

Spago: Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Paris. It was very, very good and they even had bread that tasted like a Thanksgiving meal. Sounds weird, but it was SO good! I had the butternut squash ravioli and it was delish. Prices here were okay, around $20 a plate. Service was good and we were happy with our dinner choice.

Spaigo had perfectly sized portions :)

Bellagio Buffet: This was suggested to us by several people and we certainly enjoyed it! The wait can be CRAZY long (we tried one night and it was over 2 hours), but we went back Sunday and only waited for about 30-45 min, and that was around 4pm mind you. I'm not a huge eater, but I was with two men and a 30 weeks pregnant woman, and they LOVED it! I liked it as well, but didn't feel that I ate nearly the amount of food that I paid the price for. I believe the buffet was about $50 a person and trust me, M definitely got his $50 worth. I would probably pass on this if I were going again, or sans my hubs, but that's just me. If you like to eat and you like buffets, this is one of the best!


Alright, I'm exhausted. I'll post more about our Cirque show, trip to the Hoover Dam, pool day with Vanilla Ice, riding the Big Shot at the Stratosphere and share some other fun pics in another post.

Stay Tuned.......and be sure to like the Pink Pineapple Blog on Facebook. I've been posting links to great deals and such I run across, since it's much easier and faster than posting them in a blog :)

Happy Vegas-ing
Ash

Travel Tip Tuesday....AMAZING APP :)

The Pink Pineapple is now on Facebook! Be sure to "like" The Pink Pineapple Blog, today :)
There's nothing worse than being stuck in traffic on the interstate. If you're anything like me, you try to race your GPS to get to your destination. Ha! I know, I know, it changes based on your speed, but I still always seem to see it as a race and I get excited when my lovely GPS, Rose (yes, I named my GPS. don't judge) has to change her final destination time. Even if you're not a crazy who races her GPS like me, you still don't enjoy being stuck in traffic, not matter where or when.

This is what the icon looks like in the App Store :)

My friend, Melinda introduced me to this amazing little gem of an App last summer and I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of headache it has saved me when driving. It's the MapQuest App and it's FREE!!!
It works like a GPS, but what is so amazing about it is that is has a live traffic feed. You simply "ping" yourself and then you can zoom out and see what the traffic is like around you. If it's green it's moving well, yellow is a slight slow down and red means it's basically stopped. It constantly updates and you can even zoom in to see exactly which side of the road the traffic is located so you know if it's going to for sure affect you or not. It is SO useful when traveling

Example: When heading to SC for my bachelorette bash, we checked the app before we headed down into Jellico (if you've ever traveled through there you know what a nightmare it can be) and it was showing up "red".....for miles. So, we switched up the GPS in the car from quickest time, to shortest distance, and it took us on another route to Asheville. The route was about 30 minutes longer than the norm, but the delay was a 4 hours long. My roomie at work was heading to FL that same night,  got stuck in it, and it took him 6.5 hours to get to Knoxville from Lex. Holy stinkin cow.

When M and I headed out to SC last Thrus for my cousin's wedding, we checked the app before entering into the Jellico Monster and saw that there were no delays and decided to for-go our planned detour (we know they've been doing construction and assumed traffic would be insane).

A screen shot of the app from our drive to Asheville

It's seriously awesome and definitely a MUST on my list!

Happy Mapquesting,
Ash

Travel Tip Tuesday....New York City

We returned from NYC around midnight on Friday night. It was both M and mine's very first trip to The Big Apple and it was amazing! I have been to Chicago several times and thought NYC would be similar, but it just doesnt compare. It is SO big and there is SO, SO much to see and do that you really need a month to see it all! We crammed as much into 5 days as humanly possible and we are both just now feeling recovered from our whirlwind adventure. We walked an average of 12-13 miles each day (hello half marathons on a daily basis), saw some famous sites, and ate some delish food! In true Ashlee form, we stuck to a budget and found some great ways to save money while enjoying everything the City has to offer!

Here are some of my suggestions for how we saved money:
1) Booked the hotel through my travel bff, Hotwire. We scored a $350+ night room (rates normally a little less than this, but raised for peak holiday time)....at The W.... for $123

2) Stay in Hoboken NJ vs NYC. I was skeptical about this at first. I was picturing a hotel full of Snookis and Pauly D's, trashy streets, and a long commute into the city. It was neither; our views were stunning, Hoboken was super cute, and it saved us about $150 each night vs staying at a decent hotel in Times Square! That x 5 nights = mucho $$ in our pockets!

3) Remember here when I said to always become a member of hotel and airlines reward programs. Well, it paid off, yet again, getting us a FREE upgrade from a Hoboken view room to a Manhattan View room. About a $75 a night upgrade. I just asked upon check in if it was possible to have an upgrade and was granted one for simply being a Starwoods Rewards Member (free to join).

View from our hotel room! Amazing!

4) Use public transportation vs taxis. Taxis are costly and the subway moves a whole lot faster-especially if you know which trains to use and during peak vistor times when traffic is CRAZY!!!We used the Embark NYC app and it was a lifesaver. It was free (I rarely ever pay for an app) and would tell us exactly what subway to use, where the nearest station was located, the quickest route possible, etc.

5) Use the Explorer Pass to see the sites. I researched several options before leaving and found this to be the best option. You pay $69 to see 3 attractions from a list of 55. We chose the NBC Experience, Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour, as well as the TV and Movie Sites tour. Total, these would've cost us around $120 if booked individually, so it saved us about $50 each. We also did the Statue of Liberty and Top of the Rock, but paid for those out of pocket and used the Explorer Pass to cover our more expensive options. It didnt matter how much items costs on the Explorer Pass-it was just any 3 attractions from their list (which covered basically everything touristy in the City). So, we opted to use it to cover our more expensive options and paid the other's (Statue of Liberty was only $13 each) out of pocket. We couldve used the Explorer Pass to cover those, but why use it for a $13 site when you can use it for a $45 site?! Make sense?!

6) Buy a Metro and Smarlink Card (if using the PATH from NJ) vs paying out of pocket each time you ride. The Metro card is also good on NYC buses.

7) Everything in Times Square costs about 25% more vs. a few block out of TS- especially souvenirs! Avoid buying anything right in the heart of TS!

8) There are LOTS of free things to see and do, so take advantage! Central Park, some museums, The Today Show, etc.

Get there around 7AM for a primo spot! She did the entire weather segment in front of us!

9) Greenwich Village has a lot of cute boutiques full of things at awesome prices! I got the flower to pin in my hair for our wedding for $3 there and it is c-u-t-e and exactly what I was looking for- plus it came from right around the block from the actual apartment that was used as Carrie Bradshaw's "apartment." I can only imagine that if she were real, she would shop there, too! ha!

10) And finally, get your Rolex's and Louis Vuitton purses from either Canal Street or in the South Street Seaport area. The people on Canal Street were super rude, so we opted to buy our items from Seaport. I would recommend this as well if you dont like rude people being in your face while trying to decide on what purse you want!  You cant come home from NYC without something "designer" and at only $45, I feel like my Louis was a steal ;)

**We didn't see a Broadway show while we were there, mostly because the one show we both wanted to see (Book of Mormon) was sold out months before we left. However, TKTS sells last minute tickets for shows not sold out at 50% off so if you're willing to wait in a line for an hour or so, it will save you big bucks!! There's a TKTS in Times Square and in South Seaport! We just didnt have time to wait in line since we were trying to see and do so much!

Happy New York City-ing

Ash

Travel Tip Tuesday :)

If you open up my wallet you will find lots of reward cards related to travel i.e. Hilton Honors, Sky Miles, AAdvantage, Choice Hotels, Air Tran A + Rewards, and so on. I have a lot of them and when people see them, they tell I'm pretty ridiculous, BUT there's a purpose behind these cards. I promise. They get you upgrades and better service, almost 100% of the time..... and the best part is.....they are all FREE to have :)

1. Case in point: When flying Southwest a few years ago, our plane got stuck in a severe storm; it took a beating and we were forced to make an emergency landing. Yes, emergency, but that's another story all in itself! We had to spend the night in Birmingham and take flights home to Louisville the next morning. While at the ticket counter re-booking our flight, the ticket counter lady said that anyone who was a member of the Southwest Rapid Rewards program got first pick of the flights for the next day. I didn't have a card at the time and didn't get first pick. Drats. After realizing it was a free program, I learned my lesson: Sign up!

2. After returning home from Mexico and having yet another crazy flying adventure (pray you're never on a flight with me, I'm cursed with flying drama), I emailed corporate, informed them that I was an AAdvantage Member ( I had only flown them once prior and just applied for my card in October) that I was dissatisfied, and instantly received enough points to fly to the Caribbean....Yes, Caribbean.For Free. Yes. Yes. and Yes.

3. When checking in at the Double Tree Nashville (which was booked at half price via Hotwire) and showing my Hilton Honors card, we were immediately given a large corner room with extra space, just because I was a cardholder and despite the fact that I only paid $80 for a $165 room!! Thank you Honors Card!!!

and the list could go on.......Point being, hotels and airlines like people who are frequent visitors. They LOVE their customers and want to keep them happy so they do small things to insure happiness remains. What business wouldn't want to keep their frequent customers happy?!   They figure people who have their frequent customer/rewards cards are repeat customers because why else would someone go through the process of getting a card if they weren't a frequent customer?! Most people wont, but I do, and it has totally paid off!!! I promise you it works or I wouldn't bother applying for them every time I stay at a new hotel chain or fly a new airline. So go on, grab those cards and don't be afraid to flash them to the employees and enjoy those upgrades and free amenities!!

Happy Traveling,
Ash

The 4 S's

There are 4 things that I am simply loving right now: Sniqueaway, Slimware, Spring, and Southern Living



1. Sniqueaway.com is kind of like a Groupon for travel. Every few days there are great hotel deals offered for wonderful hotels across the globe!! Most rates are at least 50% off and new hotel offers appear each day straight to your inbox! It's a free service, but you can only receive these offers if you are a member. Lucky for me, my friend Lyndsey referred me so lucky for YOU, I can refer you :) Here's the link to join!! http://www.sniqueaway.com/invite/AshleeCoo



2. Slimware is a cool product that helps with knowing just how much of each portion you need on your plate. If you're like me, you never know just how much meat to have or how many starches is too much, etc. These super cute plates have designs on them where as the veggies go in the biggest design, starches in the next, meats in the smallest and healthy fats in the extender area. If I wasn't so blog-impaired I would post a picture, but every time I try to add a picture, it posts it really large at the start of the post. Weird! Anyway here's a link to my favorite ones: http://www.slimware.com/Articles.asp?ID=141
It's such a simple idea, I wish I would have thought of it, don't you?!


3. Spring. I mean after the winter we've had, how can one NOT be pumped for spring?! These past few weeks have had some warm days and holy mercy has it been great!! It's been so wonderful getting to talk walks outside vs the treadmill, drive with the top down, grill out (we've only done this once, but it was so nice) and of course, wear a few of my beloved spring/summery type clothes and shoes!! Speaking of fashion, have you checked out Target's spring collection? They have some super cute dresses and such and of course, at amazing prices!! Spring is such a happy time. Flowers blooming, fun pastel colors everywhere, an approaching week off from teaching, horse racing, patio's re-opening, baseball, march madness basketball....oh I could just go on and on and on.......

And the last one.....

4. Southern Living . Growing up, Southern Living magazine was always in mom's magazine rack. I used to read it from time to time and never thought I'd reach the point where I to, would LOVE this magazine because I always remember thinking it was an old lady magazine...ha ha :) Well, I've had a subscription for the past few months and, call me and old lady, but I LOVE it! There are always several great recipes, and of course, tons of home decorating ideas!! I get excited when my issue shows up in my mailbox each month and I cant wait to apply some of what I've found into my own home!! Here's their link: http://www.southernliving.com/


XOXO,
Ash

Vacay Websites

It's summer vacation planning time and several of you have asked me to provide you with some great websites to use to find those uh-mazing travel steals and deals! I'm sure there are lots out there, but here are some that I subscribe to and/or have used personally and have found to be overall great sites:


1. http://www.travelzoo.com/ : This site provides you with weekly emails with links to other sites offering great travel steals as well as great discount tickets for events near you. You get the email each Wednesday and its always worth taking a look at the weekly bargins. Some of the deals offered will really blow your mind. Ex: Up-scale hotels in Miami and Chicago for $80 a night, airlines having huge flight sales, etc.


2. http://www.applevacations.com/ : Helps you book your entire vacay! Most resorts are all-inclusive and you can find some super steals in the 'specials' section. This section provides deals for up to 2/3 months out. Put in your departure city and it shows you whats available. Example: 7-nights all-inclusive to Punta Cana from Cincinnati for $899 a person. One of my favorite old co-workers scored one of these deals in September. He and his wife went to Punta Cana and he said the resort was top notch! $899 for EVERYTHING for one week is such an insane deal; especially a week in the Caribbean :)


3. http://www.vrbo.com/ : We used this site this summer when booking our family vacay to NC. It's a site where everyday people, who own property, place their homes/condos to be rented out. It's great because it provies you with direct contact with the homeowner as well as reviews from others who have stayed at the property. Many times, you can even negoiate a better price for a vacation rental; especially when waiting last minute :) These people want their properties booked and will often work with you on price to make that happen! Furthermore, you arent just limited to looking at places in the US! Check out the deals for St. Lucia and other hot spots in the Caribbean. AMAZING deals for goregous properties!!!

4. http://www.allinclusiveoutlet.com/ : I used this site a few years ago when going to Jamaica for my best friend's wedding. It, like Apple, plans your entire vacay from flight to resort. They are just a great company, that happens to be based right here in Lex! They set me up at a top-notch resort for an excellent price :)


5. http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/ : I have never booked anything through this site, but I receive their weekly emails. They are always offering some pretty awesome deals to all of those warm, fantastic, destinations many of us wish we were currently enjoying.

Of course, I always recommend my go-to sites http://www.hotwire.com/ and http://www.priceline.com/ for great hotel and car rental deals! I know some of you (who shall remain nameless ;) are still "nervous" about what you will get, but I promise, I've never been let down!! We scored a great little room right outside of Disney's gates for $57 a night (including tax) over New Year. Crazy, right?! I tried to add a picture, but miss un-tech savvy here cant figure it out. Just check out my fb album to see the room :)

XOXO

Ash

Hottie Hotels

3 months later and I FINALLY update the blog. Once again, I'm sorry. I really thought I'd be a super, wonderful, I update everyday type blogger, but I've proven myself otherwise. Case in point, the date of the previous blog and the fact that my blog is still oh so basic with its design... I really am going to try to do better...promise.

Hotwire.com is my bff for hotels. If you've never experienced Hotwire, I advise you to. now.
I have booked 4 different hotels over the past few months and the money I have saved by doing so is fantastic. If you are unfamiliar with the site, it is where you can book several different forms of travel (hotels, cars, cruises, flights, etc) at discount prices. The only catch is that with hotels, you do not know the name or the exact address of the hotel until AFTER you book.

However, you ARE able to pick the location (ex. Disney World area, downtown Louisville, Ashley River area in Charleston, etc). Secondly, you are told the star rating for the hotel and provided a guide for what hotel chains typically fall under each star rating. I typically stay at a 3 star or above hotel just because I am kind of picky about being in nice hotels, but I did do a 2-star once and ended up at a very nice LaQuinta Inn. The BEST thing about this site is the crazy, fantastic, prices you get. In August, we stayed in a $160 dollar a night, 4.5 star hotel room for less than $100. Over New Year's, we will be staying in a 3-star hotel at Disney World for only $57 a night! Fabulous, I know.

I personally feel that you cannot go wrong by using Hotwire. I seriously cannot tell you the last time I paid over $100 for a hotel room and the thought of that is pure bliss to my mind. Using this site makes quick weekend trips oh so affordable as well as week-long vacays... 3-star hotels for less than $60 a night?! Yes, please. Every weekend :)

XOXO
Ash

P.S. Hotwire is also great for car rentals, but I will hit on that in another post :)