After checking out from our positioning hotel - Hotel Citrine -, we started the one-hour half-plus drive to our next hotel, the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Overlooking Big Sur. After reading several of Matthew Klint's reviews over the years, I was excited to finally check this place out. … [Read more...] about Review: Hyatt Carmel Highlands
Trip Reports
Review: Hotel Citrine, Tribute Collection
Given our late arrival into San Jose, there was no way I was going to drive out to Carmel that night. So, for our first night in California, I chose Hotel Citrine, a Marriott Tribute Collection property in Palo Alto. This was my second Tribute Collection stay and my first dual-brand property. … [Read more...] about Review: Hotel Citrine, Tribute Collection
Review: Enterprise SJC Audi A4
I knew we'd be doing a lot of driving in our Living It Up in California trip, so I wanted a good car. After much research, I settled on renting with Enterprise SJC, choosing their Standard Elite class via Costco Travel. I just hoped I wouldn't get the same car I did a couple of months earlier in Seattle. … [Read more...] about Review: Enterprise SJC Audi A4
Alaska Air Flight 830 HNL to SJC
To get to California during our Living It Up in California trip, I chose Alaska Air Flight 830. Sure, my decision to fly Alaska was driven by my need to use expiring credits, but the airport I chose was based more on our last trip to NorCal back in 2018. Was that the right decision? I'm not sure. … [Read more...] about Alaska Air Flight 830 HNL to SJC
Review: An Di Dzo Hawaii
I love a good Pho spot, so I've had An Di Dzo Hawaii on my list for a while now. After all, it's an upscale Pho restaurant in the luxurious Ward Village neighborhood by the old local standby Cuu Long II in Chinatown. … [Read more...] about Review: An Di Dzo Hawaii
Living It Up in California – Introduction
As you may recall from my 2023 Outlook post, I don't really plan on traveling this year and may not travel much at all in the mid-term. But before I made this decision, I had booked a stay in Napa and ended up turning that trip into a last hurrah, living it up in California. … [Read more...] about Living It Up in California – Introduction
Alaska Air 103 Seattle to Honolulu
Our flight home from our Labor Day Weekend PNW Adventure was Alaska Air 103 Seattle to Honolulu. This was probably the most convoluted flight we've ever had with Alaska, though it was nowhere near as bad as what others had been experiencing last year. … [Read more...] about Alaska Air 103 Seattle to Honolulu
Review: Taku Seattle by Chef Shota Nakajima
On our last night in Seattle, I made it a point to check out Taku Seattle by Top Chef finalist, Chef Shota Nakajima. Shota was one of my favorite Top Chef season 18 - Portland. So I couldn't miss a chance to try his signature restaurant. It's too bad that it didn't live up to the hype. … [Read more...] about Review: Taku Seattle by Chef Shota Nakajima
An Incredible Izakaya Experience at Agaru
One of Honolulu's newest restaurants is also one of the most hotly anticipated amongst those in the know - Agaru by Chef Chris Kajioka. Agaru is Kajioka's first izakaya concept, and, as you'd expect, it's both familiar and different all at once. … [Read more...] about An Incredible Izakaya Experience at Agaru
Japanese-Inspired Cuisine at TOMO Seattle
During our Labor Day PNW Adventure, we were fortunate enough to score a table at one of the hottest restaurants in Seattle - TOMO Seattle. Here, Chef-Owner Brady Ishiwata Williams and his team fuse Japanese cuisine with local ingredients and Hispanic influences. … [Read more...] about Japanese-Inspired Cuisine at TOMO Seattle