Summer Beach Travel Essentials

It's really summer! The temperature is soaring and kids are starting to enjoy their summer break from school.
All those preparation for the summer getaway has been laid out. Some may already be in their summer destinations but if you're still at home, figuring out what to bring for your summer getaway, here are some nice items to consider if you're all headed to the beach.

Flavor Infuser Water Bottle

A nice way to stay hydrated even while your on vacation is to drink a lot of water and even infused water.

Flavor Infuser Water Bottle - $15.00, 4.95 shipping - Available at UncommonGoods

Samsonite Travel Accessories Windguard Golf Umbrella

The heat can be very bad for your skin. While lounging near the pool or sun bathing in the beach seems to be the "in" thing to do in your summer beach getaway, you may want to take an umbrella with you for added protection against the harmful rays.

Samsonite Travel Accessories Windguard Golf Umbrella - $31.99, 6.48 shipping - Available at Amazon.com

Frozen Olaf Beach Swim Towel

A cute towel like this can add pizzazz on your much deserved break.

Frozen Olaf Beach Swim Towel - $56.90, 11.90 shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace

Super-Brella Outdoor Beach Umbrella

Did the resort run out of cabanas? Fret not! If you have this Super-Brella Outdoor Beach Umbrella, you don't even have to worry about those cabanas. Bring your own!

Super-Brella Outdoor Beach Umbrella - $44.99, Free shipping - Available at Amazon.com

Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid Extreme, SPF 60, 1.7 fl oz

Of course, soaking up the sun need not be harmful so splatter some sunscreen with high UV protection and you're good to go!

Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid Extreme, SPF 60, 1.7 fl oz - $29.99, 5.05 shipping - Available at Target.com

Mesh Beach Tote Handbag - Yellow

Bring this mesh bag with you to put your gadget, subscreen, hat, towel, fave book and eyeglasses. This bag is easy to clean!

Mesh Beach Tote Handbag - Yellow - $9.99, 5.00 shipping - Available at Target.com

Marc by M.Jacobs Women's Sunglasses Marc Jacobs MMJ 119/S - Brown / Brown Gradient (0AFY/Y

Keep those peepers safe too with these sunglasses.

Marc by M.Jacobs Women's Sunglasses Marc Jacobs MMJ 119/S - Brown / Brown Gradient (0AFY/Y - $60.89, See Site shipping - Available at Fullfillment By Amazon
(35 reviews)

Black Comfort Flip-Flops - Women 11

It's easier to walk on the sandy beach with these flip flops. Take them with you! It's easy to clean, lightweight and doesn't take much space in your bag.

Black Comfort Flip-Flops - Women 11 - $31.99, 5.48 shipping - Available at Fullfillment By Amazon
(1 reviews)

10603 Waterproof Camera Dive Housing for Sony RX100

Capture those precious moments with a waterproof camera. You don't want those sand and water getting in your camera and destroying all those precious memories.

10603 Waterproof Camera Dive Housing for Sony RX100 - $162.77, See Site shipping - Available at Monoprice, Inc.

So, make your summer getaway stress free and enjoy it while it last. Have fun!

Trivago Hotel Search

Love traveling? How about hotel-hopping? If you do, then this is a good search tool to use to find good hotel rates. Check it out!





Founded 8 years ago, trivago is the largest hotel search and information website worldwide Every month 45 million users trust trivago as their starting point for travel research.

Trivago helps users find their ideal hotel and book it for the lowest possible rate by comparing prices from 196 booking sites We want to give you the best travel experience you can get for your money. Try this!

Review - Le Meridien Dubai and Conference Hotel

This is the first time we booked and stayed in Le Meridien. I used to sell it to my clients when I was still a travel agent. I would only have a glimpse of the Le Meridien splendour from the travel magazines I hand to my clients and they were fabulous photos of the property. So, my hubby and I jumped on the opportunity when our daughter was going to have her Graduation Ceremonies outside their school campus. We booked a deluxe room right away from Booking.com.

I am really impressed with the conservative look of this property. It gives you that opulent look without giving the vibes of being outlandish. The location is also a plus factor because it's just few minutes away from Dubai International Airport Terminals. Aside from the good location, it is confined within the Le Meridien Village where numerous bars and restaurants line the cobble-stone pathway in this entertainment village. So, without further ado, below is my review of the five-star hotel.

What I like:

General and Service

• Location - it is just few metres away from the Dubai International Airport, the GGICO Metro Station, restaurants and other entertainment establishments.
• The efficient and friendly staff from the valet, bellhop, concierge, front desk agents and duty manager. They were all friendly, courteous, approachable and deeply rooted to their dedication to give service with a smile. It's so hard to find that kind of service nowadays. I have to give my thumbs up and accolades to the men who were running the valet. We checked in around 12 noon and it was very hot that time and yet, not a single staff showed us a frown. We were greeted with warm, happy smiles despite of the heat. Now that is really worthy of mention and is going to be a great factor for me to book again in the future.
• We were allowed to check-in early at 12 noon. I just had a brief mention of the reason why we booked the room because it was for my daughter's graduation ceremony. The hotel was kind enough to release a room for us so we wouldn't have to rush and be hassled with all the preparation.
• The price was affordable considering it is a 5-star property. We got a very good deal from Booking.com for a deluxe double bedroom but upon check-in, we were upgraded to the Le Meridien Club Room.
• The staff who delivered our lunch gave us extra 4 bottled water for free.
• Check-out did not take a lot of time. I was even enrolled by the duty manager that time to their Starwood Preferred Guest Loyalty Programme. 
• Public transportation is readily available. Just ask the concierge.

Room

• What can I say? Upgraded room! And the Le Meridien Executive Room is quite spacious with ultra modern amenities such as modern phones with hands free function and other features that I haven't even tried nor seen before and the espresso/coffee maker is an added feature.  
• Aside from the spacious room, the down pillows are soft and the bed is comfortable.
• The bathroom is big enough that I didn't bump into anything nearby. There were 2 hairdryers as well so my daughter and I didn't have to wait for the other's turn.
• The long vanity area near the TV also served as our table for our food.
• The built-in lights can be dimmed with a control.
• The study area is fancy and I like the curved design. It looked very classy and fitting for business travelers.
• The big closet has mini-safe box to stash important and valuable items.
• There were free slippers and shoe-cleaning kit.
• 2 bathrobes were available for use and there were plenty of towels for everyone.
• The shower area served as a huge bathtub as well.
• It's very quiet inspite of the fact that it is surrounded by restaurants and bars with live bands playing.
• Well-stocked mini-bar

Food

• Excellent in-dining experience for our supper! We also ordered during lunch and the selection is great!

Other amenities

• It has gym, spa and pool for guests to use.
• Valet parking
• Business centre

What I don't like:
I have to be fair in my review so I have to inform my readers that the coordination and lack of proper communication from one restaurant to the hotel's concierge was a hassle. I also had to ask the hotel for improvement in that aspect. The service between the Le Meridien Village's restaurant (Jules Bar where we ordered our lunch) must have coordination with the main hotel's concierge. Our lunch arrived more than an hour after we have repeatedly called Jules Bar for follow-up only to be advised that they could not directly deliver to our room but the food would be given to the concierge to handle the delivery from there. We were guests and we wouldn't know that, right? So far, that was the only hassle we had encountered.

Price: AED 450 per room per night (deluxe double bedroom) without taxes (good deal from Booking.com)

Nearby attractions:
Deira City Centre
Le Meridien Village
Dubai Creek Park
Dubai Golf and Yacht Club
Burjuman Centre
Gold Souk
Naif Square
Dubai Mall
Dubai World Trade Centre
Zabeel Park
Dubai Festival City


My recommendation: 5 out of 5

This 5-star property deserves a 5-star rating from me too! I give this a high five because of the excellent service they have provided, the wonderful amenities available for the guests and the luxurious and relaxing stay we had there. Will I book again? Definitely!


Le Meridien Dubai and Conference Hotel is located at Airport Road, PO Box 10001, Dubai, UAE.


Search for hotels and book here:


Booking.com

Disclaimer:
I was not compensated to do this review.  This booking was a personally paid for by my family as our preference.  My opinion is 100% mine and may vary from yours.

Disneyland Resort in Shanghai

Well, what do you know? I was just casually browsing through DisneyPark.com's site and was going through the different Disney parks we have visited in the past and the ones we have yet to visit. I'm so surprised to see Shanghai in the other park's location in the list.

I have heard of  the  rumors sometime back but  really  never  paid  much attention until  I saw the  branch of Disneyland Resort Shanghai was  added in  the website. If you  want to read more about it,  just follow this URL to be directed to the Disneyland Resort Shanghai page in English: http://en.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/about/

The image is from disneypark.com.

I was just telling my daughter that there's another site added in the Disneyland parks we have to visit. I thought we were down to California and Orlando, Florida to complete the "bucket list" of visiting all the Disney resorts around the world.

This can only mean one thing - time to save some major moolah!