I just got back from my annual ski trip to Lake Tahoe – this year we went to Squaw Valley, and we did it in style. You may know Squaw Valley as the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics – it still retains the glamor and grandiose style of the Olympics, yet has kind of a rustic feel of the good old days too, which makes it a relaxing place to get some great skiing and get away from all of the hustle and bustle of city life.

I flew into San Francisco then drove out to my friend’s ski lodge in Truckee which was approximately 20 minutes from the Squaw Valley ski resort. We had a really nice 4 bedroom house with heated bathroom tiles – it sure beats a hotel, but there are a lot of those too if you’re not lucky enough to find a vacation rental available. If you have a big group or are on one of your annual family holidays, a house rental is definitely my recommendation. However you do it, try to stay somewhere near the mountain so that you can get there nice and early and get first tracks on the groomed slopes!

Squaw Valley has 33 chairlifts and a ton of terrain to cover, no matter what your skill level is. I’ll let you figure out which runs you like the best, but be sure to try them all! Lift tickets run $88 which is a little steep, but that’s pretty much the going rate at any ski resort in Tahoe. For ski & snowboard rentals, Tahoe Dave’s is pretty decent and they are right at the entrance to the resort, so they’re super convenient. I paid another $33/day for my snowboard rental at the “performance” level (the level below demo), and it was pretty good although my bindings didn’t quite fit right…be sure to test the fitment of your equipment before you leave the store, as you won’t want to hassle with having to go back and having them change things for you once you’re already on the mountain. Next time I’ll probably spring the extra $10/day for the demo quality rentals…

Afterward you finish skiing for the day, be sure to hit up Le Chamois – it’s the red house that serves warm pizza and cold beer at the bottom of the gondola. Its a charming little place, and the food tastes amazing after a long day of skiing. As an added bonus, you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the nice weather along with your pizza. After lunch, there is a bakery inside the lodge that has amazing cookies – grab a bakers dozen as you’ll probably want more later.

Le Chamois in Squaw Valley

For a quick breakfast, I recommend checking out Wild Cherries in Truckee, CA – they have really great coffee, and the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had in a long time. I got the pesto bagel breakfast sandwich and it was so good I had to go back and get it again the next day. Lastly, my fine dining recommendation would be “The Lodge” which is also in Truckee – it’s an upscale pub/lodge with a great menu of upscale bar food & contemporary american favorites, with a little something for everyone. It’s the perfect apres-ski destination to relax and unwind in a little luxury.

There you have it – my recommendations for doing Squaw Valley in style!

A Palm Tree in Stuart, FL

Ever year my family and I spend Christmas in Florida – while it’s certainly no “White Christmas,” there is something to be sad for a relaxing, sun-drenched vacation over being really cold and dealing with snow! One of the main reasons I enjoy Florida Holidays is that our family can enjoy the great weather outdoors – we go boating, fishing, kayaking, play tennis, and do tons of other things we otherwise wouldn’t get to do if it were cold out. This past year we caught a tuna, five snappers, and two mahi-mahis – try doing that ice fishing!

Another awesome thing about Florida is the wildlife you’ll see year round – seeing alligators and pelicans are very common, but if you go on a boat ride you’ll likely also see manatee and dolphins too!

A sign indicating you are in a Manatee Zone

But perhaps even greater than the outdoor activities, wildlife, or shopping, is the awesome dining in Florida. If you’re a seafood lover, you’re going to be in paradise. Most of the fish & seafood you can find in restaurants is caught nearby, extremely fresh, and cooked to perfection. From all you can eat seafood buffets to high-end restaurants, you can pretty much eat seafood all day, every day, no matter what the occasion or what you’re in the mood for ambiance-wise. A lot of my favorite restaurants are along the water where you can watch boats pass by, often themselves carrying in a day’s catch of fresh fish.

If you’re considering a holiday in Florida, there are a lot of choices on where to stay, and how to get there. Personally, on the Atlantic Coast I am partial to West Palm Beach or Miami, due to their vast selection of dining, nightlife & entertainment, cultural activities and awesome views of the ocean. In central Florida it is tough to beat Orlando with endless golf, amusement parks such as Disneyland and Sea World, and a whole host of other fun activities for the family. And on the Gulf Coast, do not miss Naples, FL if you are a golfer or shopper, as this ritzy area is a duffers delight.

Our good friends got married the other weekend in Brewster, MA, in a lovely resort called the Oceans Edge Resort. I had never been to the Cape before, and I had an awesome time. Here are some of the highlights:

Sailing in Provincetown:

The sailboat ride was fun, just a leisurely 2 hour cruise through Cape Cod Bay. You could see the Pilgrim monument and if you tried really hard, you could almost see Boston. Provincetown itself was a cute, quaint little city – full of novelty stores, handmade jewelry, some of the best lobster rolls ever (if you’ve never had a lobster roll, its amazing – nothing fancy, just a bunch of lobster in a dinner roll, but OMG delish). There is also plenty of beaches and its fun just to watch the tide go in and out, especially from one of the many restaurants along the water where you can sip on a martini or whatever floats your boat (pun intended).

We stayed at a nice, and relatively low cost, motel called the Cove on the Waterfront in Orleans, MA. Calling it a “motel” seems unfair, as it was just as nice as most hotels and we had great service. We were a little worried about quiet hours starting at 10:00 PM since we were on West Coast time (so it was really like 7pm), but we didn’t have any issues or problems. The Cove had a really nice outdoor area too, so we’d stay there again in a heartbeat.

Another highlight of the trip (besides the wedding, of course) was a local bar in Orleans called Land Ho. My girlfriend was feeling sick one day so I went by myself and the locals were super nice – one guy even bought me a pint and everyone at the bar was super friendly and chatty. I also think they had great food, and could really go for more East Dennis Oysters right about now :)

And finally, the wedding itself was very elegant and well done. Ocean’s Edge is right on the edge of the ocean (imagine that!), so we had a breathtaking backdrop to enjoy for the wedding. The ceremony itself was in the green area in front of the Mansion which was very lush and beautiful, then the reception moved to the outdoor terrace overlooking Cape Cod Bay, followed by the indoor ballroom where we enjoyed dancing, cocktails, and great times with great friends. Here is a pic from the reception:

All in all, my first trip to Cape Cod was a great one. My only complaint is how difficult it is to get from Phoenix to Cape Cod – there were no direct flights, and even when you land in Boston its a 2 hour drive. Add insult to injury, our rental car was a Chrysler Sebring, one of the ugliest cars since the Pontiac Aztek, so it was a two hour drive in a ugly car, LOL.

Thanks for reading and feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to make a guest post or have any inside stories I can blog about – I’d appreciate it!

A second group of friends of mine from college happened to be visiting at the same time, and they stayed at Marriott’s Grand Chateau Villas in Las Vegas. They stayed in one of the two bedroom suites – they were awesome. Not cheap, but if you’re living large, it’s a good way to go.

Besides gambling and watching March Madness, no trip to Vegas is complete without a little golf and pool fun. We spent a day at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, starting with some golf at TPC Las Vegas, then heading back to the pool for some tropical drinks and splashing around. I’d like to stay there some time when I’m looking for a more low key vacation, or maybe with my girlfriend sometime.

This was actually my first time driving from Phoenix to Las Vegas, and the drive there wasn’t bad. We left at 7AM on Friday AM and were there a little after noon. On the way home, it was pure hell. We didn’t leave until 12:30 on Sunday (right after check-out) and the traffic build up at the Hoover dam was several hours long, so we took the long route home through Laughlin, NV. It ended up being a little over 7 hours long, and we had 5 guys in an Acura TSX, all a little tired and hungover. It was rough. Worth it saving money on the airfare, but still a long day either way you look at it.

A Picture I took at the Waste Management Phoenix Open This Year from Our Corporate Tent on the 17th Hole

As a Scottsdale/Tempe area local that is a travel enthusiast, I know the lay of the land here pretty well. I recently had some out of town guests visit for the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Typically, this is the first stop of the PGA tournament, and is widely attended due to it’s emphasis on great fun and great weather. For most attendees, it’s an excuse to have a few beers and enjoy being outdoors in the warm Scottsdale weather. In other parts of the country it’s cold and snowy, but even in February, Scottsdale is usually in the 70s or 80s and sunny.

Here are my tips for going to the WM Phoenix Open:

• Saturday is the busiest day, and concludes with a fun party at the Bird’s Nest (a giant tent located on-site). The band that played the last two years is Of A Revolution (O.A.R.) which puts on a great show. It’s worth going Saturday if you are going to be outdoors and drink beer.
• If you want to go to actually watch the golf, consider going on a weekday. It’s less crowded, easier to watch golf, and there are less partiers and hooligans that could potentially spoil your time. I went on both Thursday and Saturday and enjoyed both days tremendously, but for entirely different reasons.
• Wear sunscreen! Even if its cloudy. I was burnt to a crisp and I’m used to the sun! Also wear chapstick with some sunblock in it.
• Dress the part – wear your most ridiculous golf clothes. It adds to the fun!
• Parking is horrible. If you are coming from out of town, stay somewhere nearby and take a cab, or find a friend to give you a ride if you’re a local.
• Do NOT drink and drive. Scottsdale is probably the worst place in the US to do so – mandatory jail time and they patrol it very heavily!
• The 16th hole is known as the “party hole” so go there or avoid it depending on your preferences.
• The beer garden near the 18th hole has games, beer, and food, as well as chairs to sit down in, if you lose interest in watching golf.
• The golfers are typically done by 3:30 in the afternoon, so get there early if you want to catch the action. You can go to the beer garden afterwards.

Here are some places I recommend staying if you’re coming from out of town:

My Top Choice:

• The JW Marriott Desert Ridge Luxury Hotel & Resort in Phoenix: Located very close to TPC Scottsdale, this expansive resort has it all. The pools are a destination in-itself, the food is top notch, and the whole campus is beautiful. I’ve attended a few talks and conferences here and everytime I’m blown away at how impressive this place is. They also offer vacation rentals that have full kitchens and 1-3 bedrooms for families and groups.

Other Recommendations in the Scottsdale and Tempe area:

• Fairmont Scottsdale Princess – the host hotel to the WM Phoenix Open and TPC Scottsdale itself. This resort is beautiful – but can be very pricey. It is definitely highly recommended!
• The Buttes Resort in Tempe – Really close to the airport, super nice, and features one of my favorite restaurants in the area, Top of the Rock, that is beveled into the side of the mountain with breathtaking views of the Phoenix metro area.
• Camelback JW Marriott Scottsdale: Much like JW Marriott’s Desert Ridge property, this place is beautiful, expansive, and a great value. This resort is located in the South Scottsdale area, which is better if you’re looking for nightlife and dining in Old Town and Fashion Square.
• The Ritz-Carlton - it’s the Ritz, what more can I say?
• The Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix’s most famous resort. It’s nothing short of awesome. It’s pricey though, so be warned, budget travelers! You can often find good deals during off-peak times, but during the Open good luck with that!

As always, let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below!

The second video is from on top of the Twin Peaks, with a 360 degree view of San Francisco – very cool:

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