Make a Plan and Get to the Must-Sees Long a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to traveling, I am a bit overwhelmed trying to put together an itinerary for a week-long stay in Ireland. So many castles, bluffs, beer tours. Sifting through a stack of guidebooks, it quickly becomes clear that I cannot accomplish everything I…
Category: Hotels
Galway Getaway
Using Galway as a Base for Daytrips Our time in Galway is limited—we will use the place as a base, a place to sleep and keep our gear while we explore nearby Cong. Staying at Flannery’s Hotel, we take a quick drive through Galway, checking off the Spanish Arch, built in the 1500s, peruse a…
Seeing Salem in a Single Day
How to Make the Most of Limited Time in Witch City An extemporaneous trip to Salem, MA gives us an adventure to look forward to—quickly—but it also means that we are too late to book a hotel in Salem itself. No matter, we will make the most of the time that we do have. This…
Where to Stay in Danbury: Hotel Zero Degrees
Sustainable, Affordable, Super Cool: What’s Not to Like? Travelers with reason to visit Danbury, Conn. (right on the border of both Westchester and Putnam counties in New York) might look into a stay at Hotel Zero Degrees, which opened in the fall of 2016. This adventurer happens upon it thanks to a wedding invitation, and…
Flannery’s Hotel Offers Affordable Convenience
Staying in Galway on a Budget Our stay in Galway will be a short one, so basically we want to check into a hotel that is inexpensive, safe, and clean. We get lucky and book a visit at Flannery’s Hotel, which is all of these and with free parking, an accommodating staff, and a pub…
Cruising Killarney
A Walkable Way to Understand Ireland It takes a while for us to figure out that the way to enjoy Ireland is to wander it. Set out with a destination in mind, sure, but allow time to meander when you stumble across a castle or a church that looks intriguing. By the time we arrive…
Overnight at the Hotel Azura
Convenience in a Boutique Hotel in Santa Rosa Long having implemented a one-night-luxe, one-night-budget approach to travel, the Brawny Sherpa and I find ourselves briefly in Santa Rosa, Calif. for an overnight that is going to be on the cheap. But will it be pleasant? We book a stay at the Hotel Azura. People…
Romance at the Dromhall Hotel
A Bit of Old-Fashioned Bliss in Killarney Every now and then, a place actually looks like it might, like the vision you might have in your head: This is Ireland. This is Killarney. This most definitely is the Dromhall Hotel. It is pretty enough to get married in, with its fireplace and sweeping staircase. It…
On a Clear Day, You Can See Chicago
Chicago is the sort of place you visit for a limited purpose, to see an exhibit at the Art Institute, to tag along on a companion’s business trip, to attend the Blues Festival, to shop the Magnificent Mile. In short, it’s a town that tends to be taken in smaller bites. You might mix your…
Madison Square Convenience
The Bashful Adventurer checks out a hotel desirably close to Madison Square Garden. But will it be any good?