sophiec's profile and reviews

We actually stayed at the Outrigger on Waikiki beach for a day as we were catching a late night flight home. The rooms themselves were pretty basic and furnished in the cheap Hawaiian style. However the location of the hotel was excellent – right on Waikiki Beach. The pool area was great – a nice big pool with lots of deck chairs. There was a bar and a restaurant overlooking the pool area which was nice and the food was tasty and not too expensive. This seems a great place for a family, but it is too busy and crowded to have a romantic getaway.

The Wawona Lodge is about an hour’s drive out of the main Yosemite Valley area so make sure you know that. The hotel has a wonderful rustic charm and the setting in the trees is incredible. It is right near the sequoia grove too so you can see the biggest trees in the world and go hiking straight out the front door. Keep in mind that not all rooms have bathrooms, however it is a novelty to have to walk along to the toilet in your bathrobe in the middle of the night. We were there in May and it was blazing hot, so in the afternoons the room was so stifling hot it was hard to get dressed up for the wedding we were going to. It is a great place to stay though and if we stayed again I’d get the room with a bathroom.

My dad and I stayed at the Paramount hotel in Seattle for two nights. The staff were the most helpful that I have ever experienced. The concierge was very happy to tell us about his city and suggest things for us to do. The location of the hotel is the central district, right near the shops and convention center. Pike’s place market was a short walk away, as was the space needle and other tourist sights. The rooms themselves were clean but were furnished in an old style that is typical of hotel rooms. But I must say the pillows were the most comfortable pillows I have ever slept on!

We stayed in Solvang at the Royal Scandinavian Inn as it was the only place I could find that still had rooms left in town. We were very happy with the hotel. The check in was swift, the rooms were a good size, nicely furnished and had a little balcony as well. The lobby area was large with a nice atmosphere and a fireplace. The location of the hotel was very good as well and we could walk all around the town and go to restaurants straight out our front door. We did pay full price (rack rate) for the room so I would suggest trying to book a little in advance as we did overpay. We would stay here again if coming back to Solvang.