Sedona, Arizona

Sedona is one of the most beautiful places I've been. Pictures cannot capture the vastness of this place. Huge, open skies with bold, red rocks edging the horizon and lush green trees running through the valleys took my breath away.

We stayed at Alma de Sedona Inn, a modern bed and breakfast that was right up my alley. Comfortable and luxurious bedding, a gas fireplace that lit up with a switch, a huge jacuzzi tub big enough for me and my 6'4" man, a shower that I never wanted to leave and delicious breakfast and coffee every day.

Short and sweet, this trip consisted of three nights of relaxation and three days of heavy hiking, For the strong and courageous, I recommend hiking Cathedral. For a more relaxed hike I recommend Doe Mountain, Soldier's Pass or Thunder Mountain. My favorite views were on the Faye Canyon trail, and of course my phone and camera were in the car for that one.

Sedona was a lovely place to recharge and take advantage of the nature that God so clearly designed for us to enjoy.

December in Maui

Although not a B&B or a cruise, I have to post about our latest adventure. We had a great time, even though we slept in a couple of airports, and we learned a lesson along the way.

We stayed at the Marriott on Wailea Beach. And wow, was it beautiful. I finally get the hype about Maui. From a cost perspective, I was having a hard time coming to grips with paying for this trip. But I would do anything for my little cousin, Christine. She was getting married in Linai to the man of her dreams. So off to Hawaii - Maui, specifcially we went.

We did several excursions while we were there: Road to Hana, Snorkeling at Molokini Crater and Turtle Town and Paddleboarding. We ate at many wonderful restaurants: Joe's, Cafe de Amis, Monkeypod, Flatbread Pizza Co and Mamma's Fish House.

We saw surfers and kiteboarders at Ho'Okipa Point (one of the highlights of my trip). We ate a picnic of wine, chocolates, bread, fruit and authentic ginger chews while watching the sunset from the grassy lawn of our hotel. We saw whales while we were on our snorkel excursion. We were scared out of the water several times by shark sightings. If Maui could fix their shark problem, it would almost be the most perfect place on earth.

More to come.

Welcome!

After a lovely weekend with the hubby at a B&B in Bentonville, Arkansas we had our usual post-stay breakdown of the visit.  We rank the B&B with the other ones we've stayed in, we compare the price of what it actually was to what we think is fair, we talk about the furnishings, the food, the location, proximity to things to do, great restaurants, quietness of the B&B, etc. 

He asked me what my top three favorite B&Bs are.  Well, I'm only 32, and I had a hard time narrowing it down and even remembering where all we've stayed. 

I have similar problems when we're doing our post-cruise analysis. 

I also have tons of pictures from many of these experiences that I say I will one day put in a photo album, but it has yet to happen. 

Based on all of the above, I have decided to start this blog as a place to document our travels, keep track of my favorite places, cruises, hikes, restaurants, etc.  And as a bonus, maybe my travel blog will help other people plan their future vacations.

Cheers to a new blogging adventure!