Thank you to everyone who participated in the Twitter contest for a free drink coupon from Southwest Airlines. I am pleased to announce that the winner, selected at random from contest entries, is Sherri B.
Elegance, Charm, and History — on Priceline? Part 1: The Carolina Inn
This mini-series explores stellar properties available through Priceline’s opaque bidding process.
Part 1: The Carolina Inn – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Part 2: Little America – Salt Lake City, Utah
Part 3: Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center, Tarrytown, New York
Historic Hotels of America has some beautiful properties, and many are on the National Register of Historic Places. I bet that isn’t what comes to mind when you think of Priceline.
Image Courtesy of Brenda Behr
My experience with Priceline has most often been with chains, whether Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, or La Quinta. There is nothing to distinguish these hotels, no regional differences. Their appeal to travelers is that you can expect a certain consistency in quality from place to place.
Much to my surprise, I have discovered through Priceline bidding certain very special properties, that do highlight the regional flavor, or may even be of historic interest.
Courtesy of Brenda Behr, Painter
Quite often, these properties are available for about the same price as a chain hotel of the same star level.
I would much rather pay $50 to stay someplace interesting and unique, than to stay in a cookie cutter hotel.
One such pleasant surprise is the Carolina Inn, in Chapel Hill North Carolina. This hotel is run as a guest house for the University of North Carolina, and it sits right at the edge of the main campus in downtown Chapel Hill. The Carolina Inn reeks of charm, beauty, and gracious hospitality. It is the kind of place that serves afternoon tea. Brides to be and wedding planners swoon over the possibilities.
Using Delta Frequent Flier Miles to Book an Unaccompanied Minor
Here is a word of caution: If you are booking tickets for an unaccompanied minor or teenager on Delta, you must call the airline in advance.
What Does Ladies Hosiery Have to do with Priceline?
Booking a hotel on Priceline is just like the ladies’ hosiery department. You can choose the opaque, the semi opaque, or the sheer.
Photo by David Jolley/Staplegun
My strategy is to check all three options to inform my bidding.
Here’s an example of a trip I just booked to Lehi, Utah. Lehi is about 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City, in the Utah Valley.
Where Can You Find the Best Crab Cakes in Maryland?
Hint: It’s not the Eastern Shore.
IMHO, the best crab cakes in Maryland can be found at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).
Baltimore’s famous Obryckis, known for their tremendous crab cakes, has closed their downtown location and opened two venues at BWI. This Baltimore landmark, founded in 1944, is a favorite of seafood lovers.
The next time you fly out of BWI, check out Obryckis Restaurant and Bar located at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport between gates B-9 and B-11. The service is fast and the food is delicious — a far cry from the usual airport fare of soggy sandwiches. Obryckis also operates a bar on Concourse A.
Good News For Travel Bloggers!
Americans rely predominately on travel review websites in planning their trips, finds an online survey of 35,000 people conducted December 2012-January 2013. Online travel agencies were the second most popular resource, followed by travel operator sites and family and friends.
The findings underline the importance of “word-of-mouth” recommendations in the internet age. Hey, this is good news for travel bloggers!
If You’re Not Bidding on Priceline… You’re Missing the Boat
Alexandria, VA
Fishing4Deals is all about traveling well and saving money. It kills me when people are missing out on great deals because they are afraid to use Priceline, or they don’t know the ins and outs.
Last weekend, my sister-in-law came to Washington, DC to see friends and visit family. She made reservations to stay in the Crowne Plaza hotel in old town Alexandria, VA near her friend’s place. “I got a really good deal on the hotel website,” she said. Just $85 per night.
This kills me because I am guessing she could have gotten this same hotel, or an equivalent one on Priceline for half the price.
How do I know this?
Part 1: Reagan National Airport is an Art Deco Delight
The original Washington National Airport (DCA) Terminal building is an art deco masterpiece commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) in 1938 and completed in 1940.
If you have some time to spare on your next trip out of DCA in Washington, DC you should wander over to see the exhibit hall and the restoration of the historic terminal between Terminal A and Terminal B.
The wonderful art deco features have been lovingly restored by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. 
The space now serves as a quiet retreat from the rest of the bustling airport.
There is an public exhibit area above the waiting room with historic photographs and artifacts from the art deco era. You can see glass balustrades and other examples of streamlined Art Deco ornamentation.
“Barclaycard Arrival” Targeted Credit Card Offer — $450 in Free Travel, or Not?
Spoiler Alert: The best rewards credit card offers are not hyped in the blogosphere.
This is the story of how I learned to sit back and wait for the superior targeted credit card offers to roll in.
In a typical week, my husband and I receive a dozen offers in the mail for new credit cards. The banks even try to induce our kid to apply for credit cards on a regular basis. My usual habit is to toss out these envelopes without opening them.
That is, until I learned how lucrative sign up bonuses could be.
