Top Things To Do In Phoenix, Arizona

Destinations, North America - Ross French - April 11, 2012

Guest Post

If you’re staying at one of the Phoenix vacation rentals, forget the Grand Canyon if you can… there is a lot more to see in Arizona than that. Although if you happen to be in the area, it is an amazing sight to see. The hottest place on Earth is best seen from the sky – so hire a hot air balloon to witness this spectacle – and take plenty of water!

When you vacation in Phoenix, you may have a good idea of what you want to see or do, however, if you are an adventurer, why not stray from the usual tourist track. The Desert Botanical Garden has fifty acres of nature to explore, with over 130 species of cacti to see. There are facilities but do take bottles of water with you – although the tour is interesting it is thirsty work. For the more adventurous, a climb up Piestewa Peak. This is a moderate climb and is suitable for beginners. The view from the top is stunning as it is possible to see the whole city. If in Phoenix, driving the Apache trail is a must! Not only will you take in views of the most stunning places in the USA but there is a real feel of being in Indian country. Females may believe they are Calamity Jane here and men will be reminded of the true Wild West. The scenery must be seen to be believed as it goes from mountainscape to desert in the blink of an eye. Definitely worth the time and the money…

Bet when you arrived in this desert city, you were thinking sand and heat and skiing was not on your mind at all… Wrong! This scenic city is so vast, it stretches to the mountains, so skiing and snowboarding are definitely on the menu. Once up in the mountains, nothing else matters at all. You are hit with a vista of glory – an almost prehistoric world and all you can hear is your own breath. You know you are not alone, but it surely feels like it. Heavenly…. When you ‘touch down’ and come back to reality, hit one of the local bars for a shot of warming whisky or hot soup. The local are so friendly, they will accommodate you everything.

If water is your thing, pay Lake Pleasant a visit. In Peoria, this lake accommodates sailing, swimming, water skiing and is just a fabulous place to be (maybe I’m biased as I am a water bird!) The water is a good break from the heat and beginners of any sport can get instructions (apart from swimming).

There are loads of things to see in Phoenix, this most historical of towns in the USA. Museums, mountains and beaches can be explored. There is so much choice here that a person may be stumped. Go with your instinct….do something you have never done before. Do not forget to try some of the fine eateries on the marina or if you are a true townie, the restaurants in the city.

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Las Vegas Bars

Destinations, Guest Posts, North America - Ross French - March 27, 2012

Guest Post

If you are booking flights to Las Vegas, one of the most vibrant of cities, you are going to want to know the best places to hang out.

There are literally hundreds of bars in Las Vegas. Deciding where to partake of your favourite beverage is simply a matter of preference. Walking down Las Vegas Boulevard, your senses will be in overdrive as you witness the lights and sounds of natives and tourists alike buzzing with the anticipation of what the night holds. Bars line this street and many of them are worth taking the time to in which to relax. The younger generation may want to sample the exhilarating atmosphere of Coyote Ugly – a brand so well known one is opening in Russia. ‘Hogs and Heifers’ is geared more towards ‘Rock’ lovers and offer several ways to let your hair down. The proprietor also raises a lot of money for different charities and it’s well worth a look if you are not easily offended.

If it is a burger bar you are looking for, Mandalay Bay offers the finest ‘fast food’ experience in Las Vegas – but don’t expect the same kind of sandwiches ordinarily served by the larger burger houses. The eating experience here will be of a higher, more tailored standard and the expense is worth every bite!

McCullan’s Irish pub has an extensive menu and caters for children. Their prices are good too and their calendar is full of different events from live music to sports evenings. If a family friendly bar is top of your list, do give McCullan’s a visit.

Las Vegas is perhaps the only place in the world where all of your desires can be met. Whatever your drinking or dining preferences, this is a city where anything goes. You can find ‘Rock’ bars, ‘strip’ bars, themed bars, cocktail bars and family run bars within a stone’s throw of each other, which will make your stay one of exciting choices. The only drawback is that finding a small, intimate place to share a bottle of wine is not easy but people who choose to fly to Las Vegas rarely want a sedate holiday. The ‘Downtown Cocktail Room’ is perhaps the closest you will get to enjoy an intimate drink. This bar has a few dark corners in which to sip improvised cocktails and chat about the days events. It is away from the main strip, so is a little quieter.

In a nutshell, when you land at McCarran International, you enter a different world and once you have checked in at your hotel, this city waits for you to explore its many diverse casinos, restaurants and bars. It would be a disappointment to come to Vegas without experiencing a drink or two at one of the casinos – the excitement of an impending win is infectious and who knows? You may get lucky.

Before the flight back home, it could be fun to see how many diverse bars you can visit. You will not want to spend much time in your hotel room when you visit Las Vegas – there is simply too much to experience!

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San Diego is Awesome

Destinations, North America - Ross French - March 23, 2012

Landing at San Diego International airport, you will be preparing for the holiday of a lifetime. Whether you want a beach, mountain, coastal or a desert holiday, San Diego will accommodate your needs. Being the 8th largest city in America, San Diego is vast and diverse in what it has to offer and if you visit without a car, public transport here is good and accessible. Flights to San Diego won’t bust your bank account either.
Places to stay in downtown San Diego range from boutique style accommodation such as the DoubleTree by Hilton. This is a good place for families as they have rooms with bunk beds especially for kids. A less expensive option would be the Mission Valley Resort, about 15 minutes from the airport.

There are several free activities available in San Diego if you know where to look. Go to the Seaport Village where you will be entertained for hours by live musicians and street artists. Don’t forget to take your credit cards, as the shops here are plentiful as are the restaurants. A whole day could be spent here as it is spread along roads lined with trees and is four miles long. You could picnic in Spreckels Park on a Sunday night whilst listening to live music or stroll into the Gaslamp Quarter to appreciate fine, Victorian architecture and dine at one of the dozens of restaurants. This part of San Diego also has over 75 clubs, pubs and restaurants so boredom will not be a problem. If you fancy a trip to the theatre then the San Diego Performing Arts League offers half price tickets if you turn up on performance day, otherwise book through their website and pay full price. Other activities will incur a charge but you can buy a ‘Go San Diego’ card which gives you access to over 50 attractions. Cards start from $74.00 for an adult and go up to $292.00 for a 7-day pass. It may seem quite a steep price to pay but if your aim is to pack your holiday with as many San Diego sight as possible, the card is well worth this amount.

If you are drawn to the ocean, several activities await you from surfing (lessons are available) to fishing and jet skiing. If you are feeling very adventurous, you could charter a boat to take you as far afield as Ensenada, Mexico. Over seventy miles of beach are within the San Diego area so there really is something for everyone. If you are in San Diego between December and March, a whale-watching trip is one way to enjoy the water or you could stay on dry land to witness the amazing sight of hundreds of whales migrating to the warmer waters of California from icy Alaska.

Whether you are a beach bum or a culture buff, this exciting city has something to offer from water sports to galleries and theatres. There will never be a dull moment on your holiday- even for those on a budget as many activities and entertainments are offered without a charge.

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New York City – See It, Touch It, Taste It

North America - Ross French - February 28, 2012

By: Margyle

There are cities, and then there are cities. New York City is the latter.

Serving as the destination for all those in search of dreams and opportunity, New York City has something to offer everyone. Whether you crash in a hostel, pamper yourself in a penthouse suite or simply enjoy a comfortable guest house in New York, you are up for an experience you are not soon to forget. Be sure to check out a variety of holiday apartments on wimdu to find just the one to suit your tastes and budget!

For those dreaming of the glitz and glamour of American culture, look no further than the spectacle that is Times Square and Broadway. Any one taking a short walk around these parts will feel a strange sense of déjà vu and why shouldn’t it? You’ve probably seen this backdrop as many times as your hometown, serving as the basis for countless pieces of entertainment (even if in many cases, it was filmed in Los Angeles or Canada). Take in a show, grab a bite to eat and make note of the reason no local drives in this fast paced city.

Sports fanatic? New York City is home to several professional sports teams, like baseball’s Yankees, and serves as the perfect spot to educate those unfamiliar with North American sports and convert them, even if it’s for opposing teams. The same can be said for the fashion conscious out there – you may be drawn here for Fifth Avenue and the countless designers that call this place home, but even those with little interest in couture may walk away enlightened. Such is the magic of NYC.

New York City is steeped in history, from its role as a first destination for immigrants to the New World to the home of the United Nations and more recent events such as the World Trade Centre bombings in 2001. You can’t help but walk down the streets and feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. See why Central Park is simply the park. Marvel at the wonder (and blunder) of Wall Street, the economic heart of the U.S. Take in sightings of New York’s Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Rockafellar Centre and Empire State Building – just some of the impressive structures that call this city home.

And don’t forget about the food. Oh the food.

Particularly if you are coming from across the Atlantic, New York City may be your first stop on a North American adventure. While there are many ways to head west across the vastness that is the U.S.A., few would be complete without a stop in the city that never sleeps.

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Hostile About Hostels

North America - Ross French - January 13, 2012

By: Zoe Sedlak

When I was on my summer break after my first year of university, I decided that taking a three day trip down to New York City was within my meagre budget, so I asked several of my friends if they wanted to come with me. At first, many of the conversations went something like this:

“You’re going to New York?”
“Yup. You wanna come?”
“Where are you staying?”
“Hostel.”
“… Oh. I’ll get back to you on that one.”

Up until then, I hadn’t done a whole lot of travelling without some sort of guardian around – whether it was with family or with school, so there had always been the option of staying in a hotel or hotel-like accommodation. Hostelling was new to me and many of my friends, and apparently to some of them, the word “hostel” seemed to be synonymous with “robbery”, “cockroaches” and “getting knifed in your sleep”. Now I can’t speak for all hostels here, but I can tell you that one hundred percent of the hostels that I’ve stayed at in North America have involved none of these things.

So the problem with taking a trip to New York wasn’t how to get there or even how much it would cost, but whether I could get my friends to warm to the idea of staying in a hostel.

The thing with hostels is, if you can’t afford to rent lavish Florence apartments or stay at the Hilton, they’re pretty much your best option for a few nights’ stay in a city. And if you’ve got a thang with hostels, it could turn your trip from something affordable to mission impossible. So what do you do when the people you want to take a trip with shudder every time you even mention “six-bed dorm”?

First off, you show them a site like Hostelling International. If you’ve stayed in a hostel before, you’re probably familiar with how brilliant this site is. It provides photos and reviews and a list of services offered, and again, I can’t speak for the hostels outside of North America, but none of the ones I’ve gone to have been misrepresented on this site. It served as a comfort to my furtive friends when they could read about other people’s experiences at the hostel, and see that most of the complaints were of the long walk to the bathroom, or the minimal breakfast options available in the adjoining café, and did not mention anywhere about any hooded men standing over their bed and breathing heavily as they slept, or getting robbed blind while they were in the shower. Just normal, non-life threatening problems like towels and breakfast.

Because it’s true, a hostel is not the Marriot. You’ll probably have to walk down a public hallway to the bathroom. You’ll have to sleep in the same room as strangers. But it’s been my experience that these strangers are, in fact, very much like you. They’re travelling, which means they have stories to tell, they’ve got shit they also don’t want stolen, and they’re usually on a budget, too. In the end, of the four friends who didn’t have class and would have been able to come with me to New York, I successfully turned two of them to the idea. Eh, you can’t change everyone. The best you can do is tell them that staying at a hostel is not a day at the spa or one of the fancy apartments in Florence but it’s not a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie, either.

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