ACCOMMODATIONS | Sweet Leisure

Category Archives: ACCOMMODATIONS

CAL-A-VIE HEALTH SPA, AMERICA’S MOST PERFECT DESTINATION SPA

The second I win the lottery, I’m calling Cal-a-Vie and booking an extended stay. Why do I love the spa? Here are just a few of the many reasons: LOCATION Nestled in a valley surrounded by lavender scented hills, Cal-a-Vie sits 40 miles north of San Diego and seven miles inland from the Pacific coast […]

TEN REASONS KIDS LOVE ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND

Cross my heart, Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas is the tip-top, absolute best resort in the Caribbean for kids of all ages. Why? Many reasons. Here are ten: 1. Atlantis sports what is probably the greatest waterpark on earth. Covering 141 acres, the wet and wonderful playground includes 18 different thrilling, chilling water slides, two splashy […]

¶ Posted 18 January 2018 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BAHAMAS § BEACH § BREADS § BREAKFAST § CARIBBEAN § CASINOS § ENTREES § ISLANDS § NASSAU § PARADISE ISLAND § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § SPAS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, beach, Caribbean, Chicken Souse, Nassau, recipe, resort, waterpark

OURAY COLORADO, HOT SPRINGS & BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Whoever first said, “The best things come in small packages,” had to be thinking of Ouray. This teeny tiny Colorado town covers only about 0.84 square miles, yet it overflows with appeal. Located in southwest Colorado, near the Four Corners where Colorado meets up with Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, Ouray sits in a box […]

¶ Posted 16 November 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BRUSSELS SPROUTS § CHOCOLATE § COFFEE § COLORADO § OURAY § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS § SIDE DISHES § SPAS § THANKSGIVING § TRAVEL § VEGETABLES ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Brickhouse 737, Colorado, Hot Springs, Mouse's Chocolates & Coffee, San Juan Mountains, The Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa & Lodgings

FABULOUS FRENCH HOTEL BARGE CRUISE AND RECIPES

Shhh!…keep this between us as it’s not too cool for a travel writer to claim a favorite cruise. But when it comes to barging, I’ve taken two trips that I adored above all the others and just can’t stop praising them. Both were on the same Horizon II, one of the luxurious hotel barges in […]

¶ Posted 22 August 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARGING § CANALS § CRUISING § FRANCE § RECIPES § SALADS § SIDE DISHES § TRAVEL § WINE ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Barging, CRUISING, Cyril Bedu, Europe, France, French Country Waterways, Gien French Faience, Harvé Roussel Chocolates, Horizon II, hotel barges, potato salad, red cabbage, Upper Loire

SUNSET AT THE PALMS, NEGRIL, JAMAICA AND CHICKEN RUNDOWN

I know where Santa Claus vacations. And I know why he chooses Sunset at the Palms in Negril, Jamaica. The resort is the polar opposite of the North Pole. Here wooden treehouse-style guest rooms sit on stilts surrounded by tropical splendor. A profusion of palms and ferns and bamboos fill the property, covering the […]

¶ Posted 12 May 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARS § BEACH § CARIBBEAN § ISLANDS § JAMAICA § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Caribbean, chicken, Club Mobay, Cosmo's Seafood Restaurant and Bar, Jamaica, Jamwest Motorsports & Adventure Park, Negril, Rick's Cafe, rundown, Santa Claus, Scuba Caribe, Sunset at the Palms

CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS GUEST RANCH & NAVARIN PRINTANIER

Wish you were here to experience the glories that can’t be put into words: the quiet so peaceful as to hear the cattle chewing in the pasture, the wings of a bird flap overhead and the swishing sway of the wild apricot trees that line the creek; the air so fresh as to send scents […]

¶ Posted 20 April 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BOOKS § CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS NATIONAL MONUMENT § COLORADO § CORTEZ § ENTREES § HOVENWEEP NATIONAL MONUMENT § MESA VERDE § NATIONAL PARKS § RECIPES § RESORTS § TRAVEL § WINE ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Canyon of the Ancients, Colorado, Cortez, Garry Adams, grass-fed beef, lamb, Mese Verde Country, Ming Adams, Native American, Navarin Printanier, Spirits of the Stone, stew, Sutcliffe Vineyards

LAKE CHARLES, SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SHRIMP CHOWDER

Laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll) is more than a Cajun French catchphrase; the motto captures the spirit of Lake Charles in Southwest Louisiana especially at Mardi Gras, when the city costumes in fluff and finery and parades and parties like no other. (And by like no other, we mean no […]

¶ Posted 24 February 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARS § BEACH § CASINOS § LAKE CHARLES § LOUISIANA § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § SIDE DISHES § SOUPS ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: boudin, chowder, corn, crab, crackling, Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, Golden Nugget, king cake, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mardi Gras, shrimp, Steamboat Bill's

KANE RUM BAR AT JW MARRIOTT ISLAND BEACH RESORT MARCO ISLAND

Yep. It’s true. I love rum. So imagine my delight discovering a rum bar at the newly refurbished and rebranded JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort. The bar is named Kane—I thought because rum is deliciously divinely made from sugar cane and drinking too much can muddle spelling, but not so. Marriott officials say that […]

¶ Posted 21 January 2017 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARS § BEACH § BEVERAGES § COCKTAILS § DRINKS § FLORIDA § ISLANDS § MARCO ISLAND § RECIPES § RESORTS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Florida, Gulf Coast, JW Marriott, Kane Tiki Bar and Grill, Marco Island, rum, rum cocktail, Turtle Season Lights Out

SABI SABI-SAFARIS AND LODGES

Combine a choice of fine accommodations with safaris showcasing a lavish amount of wildlife and Sabi Sabi, South Africa, ranks as an unbeatable destination for travelers wanting both beauty and the beasts.

¶ Posted 20 September 2016 † Susan Manlin Katzman § AFRICA § ENTREES § PASTA § RECIPES § RESORTS § SABI SABI § SOUTH AFRICA § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Amber Presidential Suite, Big Five, Bush Lodge, Earth Lodge, gnocchi, Sabi Sabi, safari, South Africa

YELLOWSTONE, ROOSEVELT LODGE, ROOSEVELT BEANS

The park is packed. Yellowstone National Park hosts about four million visitors a year with numbers swelling in July and August. Most people book lodging about a year in advance and make their dinner reservations well before arriving. Although not impossible, last minute reservations are rare, however most park restaurants have a first come, first […]