Travel Reviews

Get Stuffed at Giordano’s Pizza in Chicago

May 16, 2013 By Kristin 4 Comments

My flight to Chicago and meal expenses were all covered by Golden Heritage Foods, for a focus group meeting, which I was selected to participate in. As always opinions are 100% my own. I wasn't that hungry Thursday evening when we walked into Giordano's Pizza in Rosemont. I wasn't ...until I smelled the intoxicating aroma of cheese, pepperoni, dough, and tomato sauce. I don't know if it was because we were seated only 10-15 feet away from the kitchen, or if it permeated the restaurant, but … [Read more...]

Share Your Travel Experience with Tripographer by Marriott

May 15, 2013 By Jeana 44 Comments

Whistler, my mom and I recently took an amazing family trip to Puerto Vallarta. Unfortunately papa and daddy couldn't come along but I wanted to be able to share every moment of this awesome trip with them. So when I was asked by Marriott to try out their new Tripographer photo sharing program, I thought what better way to share than by creating a virtual tour and slide show of our adventure? With Tripographer I was able to create a slide show of everything we did, complete with actual … [Read more...]

Vegas or Bust!

May 15, 2013 By Jeana S. 50 Comments

This post brought to you by Southwest Airlines Vacations. All opinions are 100% mine. While my husband and I don't necessarily do the whole "new years resolution" we do talk about what we would like to see happen over the next year. Traveling more was just one of the things we talked about accomplishing this year. We take an annual vacation to Florida but we really would like to expand our horizons. One of the top destinations on our list is Vegas Baby! While we agree on the … [Read more...]

Its Personal At Touch Companies Day Spa in Chicago

May 15, 2013 By Kristin 2 Comments

My flight to Chicago, pedicure and massage at Touch Companies, and meal expenses were all covered by Golden Heritage Foods, for a focus group meeting, which I was selected to participate in. As always opinions are 100% my own. When the Westin O'Hare shuttle dropped us off at Touch Companies Spa, a little after 8 AM, myself and 9 other moms looked at each other as if someone made a mistake. First, our driver started out by making the wrong turn, and then he dropped us off in front of a … [Read more...]

Mexico Destination Wedding: Now Amber (Puerto Vallarta)

May 14, 2013 By Jeana 77 Comments

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Now Amber with my mother and my 3 year old son. Not only is this a fabulous luxury family friendly all-inclusive resort, but it's an ideal place for a Mexico destination wedding. I spoke with the wedding coordinator, Edith, in depth about the ins and outs of having a wedding here and have a ton of info to share with you. I was also able to witness a wedding take place on the beach and have the photos of this towards the end of this post. I hope … [Read more...]

Customer Service Rules At The InterContinental Chicago O’Hare

May 13, 2013 By Kristin 3 Comments

There are plenty of hotels close to Chicago's O'Hare airport to choose from. They come in different shapes, sizes and price points, and most of them are no more than 5-15 minutes away from the terminals at O'Hare. In such a competitive market, the hotels have to find a way to set themselves apart from each other, and the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare does it with modern flair and impressive customer service. When I checked in Friday around 11 AM, my room was ready, and Ryan at the front … [Read more...]

Where Would You Like to Find Your Escape?

May 13, 2013 By Jeana 141 Comments

I am a BOB Mom and have been given a Spa Finder gift certificate to keep and one to give away for sharing this sweepstakes with you. All opinions remain my own. Everyone knows my favorite places to vacation almost exclusively is on the beach. (remember the blog name? Surf and Sunshine...) Since we live in sunny so cal about 6 blocks from the beach, people sometimes think I'm a little greedy or wonder why I always want to go to places that are similar. Well, reason #1 is this. Yeah. The … [Read more...]

Delicious Eats at a Different Pointe of View

May 12, 2013 By Jeana 37 Comments

Thank you to the Phoenix CVB and Different Pointe of View Restaurant for making it possible for me to share this experience with you. All opinions are my own. On our first night staying on the Phoenix mountainside at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, we were spoiled during dinner at the Different Pointe of View restaurant. For more than 25 years, Different Pointe of View has been one of the hottest dining destinations in the Phoenix area. The amazing views from the terrace area … [Read more...]

Discover Legoland’s Sea Life Aquarium

May 11, 2013 By Jeana 29 Comments

I was invited to experience LEGOLAND California and Sea Life Aquarium with my family at no charge to me in order to share my experience with you. All opinions remain my own. Inside California's LEGOLAND is a hidden gem. A great place to get out of the sun, away from the heat and down to the deepest depths of the ocean. My family and I had an amazing time at the LEGOLAND SEA LIFE Aquarium. Keeping with the LEGOLAND theme, the aquarium incorporated over 70 LEGO Models of fish, divers, corals … [Read more...]

Family Fun Day at Legoland California

May 10, 2013 By Jeana 24 Comments

I was invited to experience LEGOLAND California with my family at no charge to me in order to share my experience with you. All opinions remain my own. One of my favorite ways to spend the day is a Family Fun Day. On our last adventure, we packed up the car and headed to LEGOLAND California. Home to more than 60 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is every LEGO lovers dream. But what we loved most about LEGOLAND is that there are so many things to do for the 36" and under crowd! In … [Read more...]