Friday, June 14, 2013

Fredericksburg Brewing Co.





Serving up German style food and German style beer, in the heart of the historical downtown of Fredericksburg, TX is the Fredericksburg Brewing Co. While the restaurant serves some Americana foods, like sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads and more, we opted to go for the German dishes on the menu (when in Rome!).

We ordered the sausage sampler, which is served with knackwurst, bratwurst and pepperwurst. While all three sausages were good, our waitress was unsure which link was which, so we were eating blind (although, you could definitely tell which was the pepper sausage - wowza!)

We also ordered the Schinken Schnitzel, a thin and lightly breaded pork cutlet (like a wiener schnitzel) which is then topped with ham and swiss cheese. Definitely a winner!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Melville Marriott Long Island

We stayed here for 2 nights for a wedding and it was a pretty typical Marriott stay.  The staff was friendly in our limited interaction with them.  The rooms were clean, and the lobby was friendly and lively for most of the hours.

The bedding was quite comfortable and the showers had very strong water pressure.  However, there were 2 negatives during our stay.  The first being parking...it can be limited if there is an event (or multiple events) going on at the hotel, so you should be aware of that. However, there is parking in the back of the hotel and a second entrance in the rear of the building that requires a room key card to enter.

The second being, when we requested a roll of toilet paper, the front desk didn't have any and they said housekeeping would bring it.  Unfortunately, housekeeping never provided it after a few hours and I was forced to just grab one off of one housekeepers cart.  That is something that shouldn't happen at a Marriott.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Carimar Beach Club






Anguilla is a very secluded island, and the Carimar Beach Club is no different.  Located on Meads Bay, this hotel offers guests privacy.  As there are only 20-something units, you are guaranteed to not have a crowded area at the beach in front of you.  The beach is extremely clean, and the water is magnificent.  The hotel keeps umbrellas and lounge chairs available for your use out during the day.  They also provide several beach towels in each room.

The room itself is exquisite.  The bedroom is quite large, along with an ample bathroom.  In addition, you get a full kitchen and living room, plus a patio area.  The rooms are very clean, and the housekeeping does an excellent job each day.  Be aware though that Anguilla does have a significant amount of mosquitoes, so be sure to use the bug repellent provided to you by the hotel.

The staff at Carimar were all very friendly, and very helpful in letting us know about restaurants and live music going on around the island.  There is plenty of parking available for guests and they even give each guest a free bottle of rum upon check-in.

This is definitely a hotel we'd recommend to anyone visiting Anguilla!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles - Commerce




While not in a "main" area of Los Angeles, this DoubleTree is still conveniently located within a 20-25 minute drive to most attractions of the city.  The hotel is within the parking lot of the Citadel Outlet Mall, which can be convenient for some.

The hotel itself is very clean and the staff was very friendly during our stay.  Our housekeeper was excellent and even left us notes and a few bottles of water (probably in thanks for us always leaving a tip for her).  When we had a maintenance issue, the hotel had someone up to fix it in less than 60 seconds.  I must give this staff impressive scores for their efforts.

The bed provided was quite comfortable, and of course the free unlimited DoubleTree cookies are always a plus.  The hotel also has free parking, which is a major plus and their rates are very reasonable.  If you're planning on driving to get to everywhere in Los Angeles anyway, this is a very affordable place to stay that is clean with a great staff and gets our highest recommendation.