Charlyn's Hotels / Resorts / Inns Blog

Tim raves about a recent stay at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas:

Not being a gambler, I have avoided Vegas as a vacation stop in the past. I just returned from a conference hosted by the Golden Nugget, and I have to admit my past opinions of the city were turned on their proverbial heads.

Whoever revamped Fremont street really knew what they were doing. Cars are no longer allowed, and the street between the Nugget, Binions, Four Queens, Pioneer, and the Plaza has been turned into a showpiece that pays homage to every Vegas movie you have ever seen. They even AIR CONDITIONED THE ENTIRE STREET FOR FIVE BLOCKS! In the domed Fremont Experience area, it was a cool 75 -- outside!

Needless to say, I've added this place to my list of spots for me and my wife. I didn't feel the negative energy here that I've felt pouring off of desperate and addicted gamblers at casinos on the Strip. It seemed much more traditional and relaxing, a definite must-see... Read Tim's full review of the Golden Nugget

More Recent Guest Reviews:

• Pda reviews the Nickelodeon Suites Hotel: "Avoid this money trap..."
• CI reviews the Shades of Green: "Worn and cheap..."
• Joanne reviews the Yacht Club: "Not 'Disneyesque'..."

More guest hotel reviews | Write your own guest hotel review

^{Image copyright Getty Images CR: Las Vegas Stock / Greg Cava}

Holly Reich checked in recently to the luxurious Four Seasons in Las Vegas. "If you want a luxury Las Vegas experience but want to stay an arm's length from the casinos and nightlife," says Holly, "the Four Seasons is an excellent choice." She especially enjoyed the 8,000 square foot pool area, where "Evian mists, cold towels and ice water service give that Four Seasons touch, as do cucumber slices for the eyes and freshly sliced fruit for the palette."

Profile of Four Seasons
Pictures of Four Seasons
Las Vegas Hotel Reviews

^{Image copyright Four Seasons Las Vegas}

Last week, About.com Travel Guides put their heads together to think of the most amazing places they've ever interacted with wildlife. Among the suggestions: cave diving with great white sharks, seeing the slightly misguided penguins in Hawaii, eyeing creepy crawly insects in New Orleans, capturing (on film) the big five in Africa, and my most recent favorite, swimming with stingrays in the Caymans. See all the exotic choices in Animal Attractions.

^{Image copyright Michael Poliza / Wilderness Safaris}

About an hour's drive from New Orleans is a most interesting place to stay. The Myrtles Plantation has a long and storied history (it's on the National Historic Register), but it's not only history buffs who are checking in to this plantation home. The inn is said to be haunted by several spirits, most of them linked to a long-disputed story about Cloe, a slave who went from lover to alleged child murderer.

More: Profile of the Myrtles Plantation | Ghost Stories from the Myrtles Plantation

Guest Stories From the Myrtles Plantation:
"The people were nice and I was scared every second, (but I loved to be scared)..."
"I had a hair raising good time there!!..."
"For my birthday I wanted to stay in a haunted inn..."
"My mom's friend took a picture when no one was outside the hotel..."
"If you like the paranormal this is the place for you..."

Despite my fears, I was brave enough to spend a couple of weeks in California, staying in haunted hotels and touring haunted spots. It was mostly fun, occasionally nerve wracking, and I didn't get much sleep. See what happened when I spent the night in three different haunted hotels.

A Night in a Haunted Hotel:
Napa River Inn
Queen Mary Hotel
Hotel del Coronado

Tips for Staying Overnight:
Before You Spend the Night in a Haunted Hotel
How to Take Pictures of Ghosts

More: Haunted Hotel Pictures from Guests | Haunted Hotels

^{Image of a spraypainted warning at the Queen Mary Hotel © Charlyn Keating Chisholm}

Halloween's coming - are you in the mood for a fright? I can brave most horror movies, but spending the night in a haunted hotel can seriously creep me out. If you're considering it, be smarter than I was and bring a friend. A brave friend. And let me know how it goes.

How to Find Haunted Hotels
Haunted Hotel Rooms
Haunted Hotel Pictures
Top 10 Haunted Hotels in the United States
Haunted Hotels A-Z

More: Haunted Hotels | Haunted Hotels in the UK

^{Image from the spooky propeller room at the Queen Mary Hotel © Charlyn Keating Chisholm}

Once, in a rush to leave my hotel room for the day (and in a hotel that didn't provide stationary or envelopes in the desk, a trend I've noticed lately), I left a tip for the maid, in cash, on the bathroom counter. I left it hanging half off the counter, in what I hoped was an obvious way. Since it wasn't in an envelope or marked for the maid, she couldn't take it. She left me a note thanking me for the tip, but explaining she couldn't take it because she couldn't be sure it was for her.

I felt bad, not only because I know better, but because with shift changes, I couldn't be sure she'd be cleaning my room again the next night. Hotel maids, although they often provide "invisible" services during your stay, can and should be tipped to show your appreciation when they provide good service. Here's how to tip a hotel maid.

• Tipping Etiquette
• Tipping Guide (Who to Tip and How Much)

POLL: Do you leave a tip for hotel maids?

1) Yes, every night of my stay
2) Yes, at the end of my stay
3) No, I rarely remember to leave a tip
4) No, I don't think it's necessary

See Current Results

How are AAA Diamond ratings assigned? Is there really a difference between Two Diamond and Three Diamond hotels? Is a Five Diamond hotel worth the money? Decoding the AAA Diamond rating system can help you figure out how to get the most from your money.

  • Decoding the AAA Diamond Ratings System
  • What to Expect From Hotels in Each Diamond Category
  • 2008 AAA Five Diamond Hotels and Resorts

^{Image of The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, a AAA Five Diamond hotel, courtesy Ritz-Carlton}

Kim writes in about a recent stay at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas:

They tell us that we have received an "upgrade" as the room we should stay at is booked. We have a great deal of trouble finding this room, and finally find elevators that lead to our section of MGM, in infamous "The West Wing." Think of Beauty and the Beast where Belle shouldn't go into the Beast's secret dark quarters.

The elevator dings, and we enter the hallway to the second floor with grey walls, carpet, and ceiling entrapping the entire hallway. There are no decorations or elaborate designs as you would expect most hallways to have in Vegas. It put one in an office feeling as you're going to work. A place, I believe, no one wants to be when they travel to Las Vegas.

Finally, my boyfriend opens the door to our room and we enter though a bathroom with no doors!!! Walking past the bathroom we enter the bedroom with a shoebox space, and wonderful view of the parking lot! There was no place for a woman to do her daily routine in privacy!!! Every little noise can be heard from the bed as one is in the "bathroom..." Read Kim's full review of the MGM Grand

More Recent Guest Reviews:

• Kortni reviews the Excalibur Hotel Casino
• Dan reviews the Luxor
• Tennischick reviews the Trump Las Vegas

^{Image copyright MGM Grand}

With an upcoming trip to Paris planned, I knew it was time to dust off my high school French, but how? I found Earworms just in time. A new way to learn enough of a foreign language to get around for a few days, it was also something I could listen to in the car before I left, even load onto my iPod for the plane ride over the Atlantic.

Feeling ambitious, I mastered the French phrases and moved on to Earworms German and even Chinese. Before I left, to test my new skills, I headed over to the one place I know where I could encounter native speakers of Chinese, German and French in one afternoon - and order drinks from them. Did I pass the test? Find out in my review of Earworms Rapid French.

^{Image copyright Getty Images CR: Hisham Ibrahim}