Krakow - A Tale of Two Novotels

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, I stayed at two Novotel hotels in Krakow, Poland. I'm pre-disposed to dislike Novotels. I think it's the neon-colored accessories so reminiscent of hideous scrunchies that I wore in the early 1990s combined with the ultra-modern George Jetson-esque bathrooms.

Two years ago I stayed at the Novotel Centrum in Krakow and was so horrified by the dingy rug and quilt that I inspected the whole bed for critters (there weren't any). I vowed to never stay there again and the following year spent the night at the very nice Sheraton down the street. But given the economic times, my company suggested I give the Novotel Centrum another go on this trip.

After many flight delays I finally showed up at the hotel around 2am. I had a confirmation number and my room was "guaranteed" for late arrival. What happened next was frighteningly similar to my all-time favorite scene from "Seinfeld". Bottom line: the hotel deleted my reservation and gave it to a tour group's late arriving guest, and the hotel was fully booked. The night clerk, who I consent wasn't really in a position to do much for me, offered to book me in a room at the Novotel Bronowice, about a fifteen-minute's drive away, and pay for a taxi (which I didn't need, since my kind co-worker had picked me up at the airport). At my request, he made an appointment with the manager with me for the next day so I could air my complaints.

The Novotel Bronowice is cheaper than the Centrum, mostly because it's in an industrial area as opposed the Centrum's location right near Wawel Hill. My room was, fortunately, recently renovated in Novotel's new ultra-modern style. This picture isn't of this particular Novotel, but you get the idea. Note the neon throw-pillows on the bed. I was impressed that there was a terry cloth robe hanging in the bathroom and chocolates on the pillow. The bed was reasonably comfortable, but the sheets' thread count was probably something around 150 (scratchy!). The breakfast room was in sore need of updating, but more importantly no one ever offered me a much-needed cup of coffee and the glasses by the self-serve juice took about 15 minutes to appear.

I then headed back to the Novotel Centrum to check in and have it out with the manager. There was no way I was going to pay for my night at the hotel. The manager on duty was pleasant and of course didn't offer the free night up front - first, it was a room on the executive floor with a river view, and free breakfast. Given that I'd be in meetings all day and would check out before breakfast was even served, I suggested a free night instead. After conferring with her manager, she agreed.

My room ended up being on the executive floor after all, and was renovated since the last time I stayed there. No neon pillows, better linens, bathrobe and slippers, but no chocolates. The bathroom wasn't the nice updated version as in the other Novotel. If Novotel combined the best features of both hotels, the result would be a decent economical room.

Rating: Both were "Forgettable". Spend a few extra dollars and stay at the Sheraton down the street for a more comfortable room, better food, and better service.

Confessions of a Solo Traveler

It's nearly 7pm in Prague and I'm sitting in my room at the Hilton, and I have a confession to make: My name is TravelSpark, and I hate traveling by myself.

Okay, perhaps "hate" is a rather strong term, but solo travel is not something I would do if it wasn't a job requirement. After arriving in Prague around lunchtime, I settled in for a nap. When the alarm went off, I seriously considered not leaving my hotel room. Fortunately I came to my senses and went for a stroll in the late afternoon sunshine, because frankly there is no excuse for camping out in your hotel room on a beautiful European summer day.

I'm a social being who much prefers to be with people than not, and I don't have a lot of faith in my internal GPS. It's so much better to have a friend or colleague to watch your bags while you pee, chat with while you wait for flight, and people-watch to see who's wearing the most ridiculous traveling clothes. At Heathrow today I saw a woman wearing wedge heels that seemed to be two sizes too small, and I had no one to share it with! And after a stop at H&M and MNG I quite missed my boss, who used to be my shopping buddy until she cut the apron strings and sent me off to Europe on my own.

More importantly, I need someone to push me to get out and do things. This reason is one of many that I love my husband for - he'll do anything and go anywhere and isn't afraid to get lost, and I'm the opposite. My sense of adventure takes some coaxing to come out.

I suspect I'm not the only one out there who feels this way, so if solo travel isn't your thing (yet) here are some tips to make it more comfortable (which I have either tried, or should):

1. If you don't like to navigate airports and feel stressed trying to make your way from terminal to terminal, look up the airport's map in advance. I just found this cool feature on MapQuest.

2. Read up on other women who've learned to love traveling by themselves:
Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo by Beth Whitman
Fly Solo: The 50 Best Places On Earth For a Girl to Travel Alone by Teresa Rodriguez Williamson
Go Your Own Way: Women Travel the World Solo by Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, and Christina Henry de Tessan

Just search Amazon for "solo travel" to find more.

3. Bring a small guidebook. I like the Frommer's Portable Guides and the Top 10 guidebook series because they fit nicely in a small purse and provide just enough information to get you around without being overwhelming.

4. Ask the concierge for help. Prague's streets are more confusing than Boston's, so even with my guidebook's map I needed advice on the best route to take. The concierge printed out a map and highlighted the best route.

5. Bring a book or magazine to dinner, or if there's a bar at the restaurant playing a local game on tv, park yourself there. This is my husband's trick for eating out by himself - the tv is a good excuse to occupy your eyes and ears, and most people sitting there are also by themselves. Note: in some countries, a single female sitting at a bar may bring on some unwanted attention.

6. Seek out a fellow solo traveler (but be smart about it). While waiting in line for the concierge today, there was a woman about my age in front of me doing the same thing and I could hear her American accent. I bumped into her outside at a crosswalk and worked up the courage to start a conversation. Turns out we were headed in the same direction. After not saying anything more than "I'll have the chicken" and "That's a non-smoking room, right?" today it was a relief to talk to someone else. She invited me to have a beer with her and her colleagues, but I passed in favor of strolling.

My European colleagues are typically very nice about taking me out to dinner after my meetings, so tonight is likely the only night I'll have to eat dinner by myself. I'll bring "Eat, Pray, Love" and get inspired by the author's year of traveling solo.

Splurge-worthy souvenirs

Like many women, I love to shop. And like many women, I love deals! There are times however, when you get the urge to splurge. And what better occasion than to bring home a splurge-worthy souvenir from a fabulous trip. When I studied abroad for 6 months, a friend convinced me that the perfect splurge was a pair of sunglasses. After a bit of hemming and hawing (being a poor college student) I bought myself a gorgeous pair of Roberto Cavalli sunglasses in Milan, Italy. Not too ostentatious but they sure made me feel like a rock star!

About a year later, while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, my fiancé convinced me to go kayaking in the ocean. Although it was very sunny and I needed my one only pair of sunglasses that I had on me (yep the Cavallis), we should not have been cleared to go because the waters were rough. One huge wave and we went flying. “Hold on to your sunglasses!” was the last thing Mr. Voyageuse yelled. Yeah, sure – while I hang on to the silly paddle, try not to get killed by the kayak that almost hit me, and hope my contacts don't fall out or I may blindly head out to sea instead of back to the shore. We searched and searched but needless to say, my sunglasses are now swimming with the fishies.

It’s hard to justify expensive purchases, especially in times like these, but I once read an article where the author examined several women and their wardrobes. She took several pieces and divided each by the number of times worn. What she found was that the woman who purchased a lot of items at very low prices was more prone to “mindless” purchases because she couldn’t resist a deal, even if she didn’t end up wearing the item. Another woman had a few pricey pieces (such as a Chanel jacket!) but these were investments because they were classic and timeless and she had worn them for years. Obviously, these profiles don’t fit all women, and I sure love my TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores, but this could be something to think about if you’re debating a large purchase.

Splurging on an accessory is a great way to compliment an outfit. Mrs. TravelSpark bought a Furla bag in Italy – brown in color, not like the eggplant one in the picture below. Classic, stylish, and she’ll have it for years.















I love jewelry and usually buy it on sale because I like to have a lot of pieces. But whenever I visit Poland, I always purchase a piece of amber jewelry, because it’s my favorite stone. On a future trip, I’d love to buy a jade bracelet in Asia.


















If you’re not much of a shopper, splurge on your accommodations for a night or two during your trip. When I travel, I'm happy as a clam as long as the place is clean and in a convenient location. But a quick search of five star accommodations in Paris made my mouth drop to the floor. I didn’t even check the prices so that I can pretend it’s in my travel budget. Check these out:

Hotel Pont Royal: What a view!

















Pavillon de la Reine: Way to make an entrance.



















La Tremoille



And now, having whetted an appetite for expensive tastes, I’m off to write a post on deals and steals while traveling.

World's Most Unique Hotel

Granted this is just my humble opinion but I think that Woodlyn Park near the Waitomo Caves on the North Island of New Zealand has to qualify for the World's Most Unique Hotel. Woodlyn Park has recently added a BOAT to the choices of accommodation locations you can choose from when staying at their lovely facility.



When Mr. Albatross and I were planning our trip to New Zealand we definitely wanted to go explore the Waitomo Caves on the North Island. They are famous for their Black Water Rafting tours and glowworm caves. I was just popping around the internet looking for a place to stay when we found Woodlyn Park and right then I decided that I had to stay there.



We were able to book the front part of the Bristol Freighter plane that they offer as an option. And it was super cool. We slept in the cockpit of the plane and all the gadgets and gizmos were still there to admire and play with.



Other sleeping options on the property include a train, a Hobbit motel, and now a boat. The whole place was very clean if more than a little unusual. We woke up in the morning to explore some and got to see all the animals they have on the property. We went on an off time of the year so only the tail unit on the plane was occupied and we got a peek at the hobbit motel and train unit, very cool.



This is not for someone looking for a luxury hotel but if you want a nice clean bed in an unusual place then this is the place for you!

Hotel Review: Katikies in Santorini - Fabulous!

The Katikies Hotel in Oia, Santorini has the appearance of marshmallow fluff dripping down the side of the volcano's cliff, painted all in white and reflecting the sun's rays almost blindingly. When we arrived, I got out of the car and looked around for the hotel. Instead, I found a tall, tan, attractive guy dressed in white linen who deftly swung my huge suitcase over his shoulder, grabbed my husband's bag in his free hand, and disappeared down a white staircase seemingly into the caldera's depths.

The Katikies, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is carved into the cliffside below street level. We came to figure out that the reason all the staff was young and tan was not that they had some age or looks discrimination policy, but that you simply must be extremely fit to hike the stairs all day in the bright sun.

We were served champagne upon arrival, greeted by the general manager, and given a guided tour of the property before being dropped off at our junior suite, with an amazing view of the caldera from our terrace. The spacious room decorated in cool blues and antiques was split into an eating and sitting area and bedroom, with an arched wall separating a small table and antique bench from the bed and bathroom. Although the bathroom was significantly smaller than the one we experienced at the Elounda Mare, it was equipped with a jacuzzi tub (this time with a shower curtain and shower hose at normal height) and luxurious Bvlgari bath products. The closet was a good size, but only had a small set of drawers in it that wouldn't be enough for a longer stay. The tv was super-tiny, but there was a CD player equipped with a disc of relaxing music. Breakfast was room-service, served daily on our private terrace.

Some of the Katikies' celebrity-style perks that aren't mentioned on the web site:

- Greek new-age music not your bag? There are more CD's for the in-room player, at your request.

- Forgot your iPOD? Not a problem, they'll loan you one.

- Finished your book already? Leave it in their library and swap it for another one to read during your stay.

- Can't stay away from your e-mail but don't have your laptop? There's one in the library with free wireless internet (and there's free wireless throughout the hotel if you're silly enough to bring your computer on vacation).

The property boasts three pools, and we spent our time at the main infinity pool which clings to the cliffside. Below it is a jacuzzi with a large canopy bed for lounging (ahem). Another smaller infinity pool and a freezing cold one cut into a cave were only seen on our tour. We were also told about a semi-private indoor jacuzzi with a DND sign you could hang on the door. Something about that just wasn't very appealing to us...

While I appreciate a door being held open for me, I can pull my chair up to the table and open up my own napkin, thanks. So I was a bit thrown off by the extremely attentive service at the Katikies. I felt they had our eyes on us and the second our lunch was finished, it was wisked away. At the pool, we simply headed towards a chair and a towel was fluffed and umbrella put up. No sooner did my husband have a quizzical look on his face as he tried to lower the lounge chair than a pool staff member was on hand to do it for him. If you're not used to this amount of attention, it takes getting used to.

As we expected, dinner at the hotel was extremely expensive, but we splurged one night and ate at the formal, outdoor Katikies Restaurant. The food was delicious but we had to eat fast because it was so cold outside. Walk up and out of the hotel and you'll find many less expensive meal options.

Overall, our four nights at the Katikies were fabulous! It was definitely a celeb-style experience very appropriate for a honeymoon or super-special vacation.

Vacationing in the great outdoors

With gas prices rising and the airline crisis underway, it’s no wonder more Americans are choosing to vacation closer to home. New England has many great options for day or weekend trips and I personally love to go camping. My parents never thought I’d survive a week on a farm in Poland when I was 15 and were surprised when I became a fan of sleeping outdoors. The way I see it, I don’t mind bugs and other critters in their natural habitat but I’m not so keen when they visit my habitat.

For the past few years, my guy and I make an annual trip to Wellfleet to Paine’s Campground on Cape Cod, MA. We usually stay for 3 days and love it here. It’s only $40 bucks per night, and the campground offers family sites as well as a quiet couples section. Restrooms/showers are very clean and each time we’ve stayed here, our site is less than a minute’s walk from these facilities.
















Before you hit one of the beaches in Wellfleet (Newcomb Hollow, Cahoon Hollow, White Crest, Maguire’s Landing and Marconi), stop by the fruit stand in the library parking lot in Wellfleet Center for some really good fruit and other produce and treats.

My guy used to work at The Beachcomber on Cahoon Hollow Beach, a very popular place that I’ve also become a huge fan of. You pay $10 to park and go to the beach but you're reimbursed by the restaurant if you eat there, which I highly recommend. During the summer, The Beachcomber has many live shows in the evenings and some great acts have performed there, like Ween! If you plan to visit during the day, it’s best to get here early because the parking spots fill up fast.

Where else but the Cape to grab some seafood if you get bored of your hot dogs and burgers? We enjoy the Bookstore and Restaurant, with indoor and outdoor dining options. Located by the water, it has a bookstore next door to the restaurant, and there is a bar underneath the restaurant, called The Bombshelter, where many locals hang out.















Wellfleet is also well known for its art galleries so if you’re up for checking these out, but your guy is not, send him to Chequessett Yacht & Country Club, a semi-private golf course for a round of golf. Apparently, there’s a gorgeous view of the Cape from the 6th hole.

Don’t forget the s’mores!

Martha's Travel Theme Party Ideas

I've been a blogging slacker and promise that my review of our hotel on Santorini is on it's way. I'm sure you've been waiting with baited breath! ;-)

To tide you over, here are some ideas from Martha Stewart for planning a travel-theme wedding, shower, or other party that served as inspiration when planning my own wedding. I found it very difficult to find travel-theme ideas that were not related to tropical destination weddings, so I was thrilled when I stumbled upon these few ideas.

The first, a UK-inspired party, is classy and modern with striking white paper popped with Union Jack blue & red. Invitations are passports, (templates are provided on the site) and a map of London serves as a table runner. I love the idea of using maps as table decorations, and spotted some large squares of wrapping paper printed with an antique map of Paris at Papyrus, but unfortunately they don't sell it online. Scrapbook paper would also work.





I love these place cards, and they inspired a much simpler design for my own wedding:




I adore this luggage-tag program:



Ah, I already miss wedding planning!

TravelSpark is now a Facebook Group!

I decided to set up a Facebook group for blog readers to ask fellow group members for travel advice and post trip photos, useful or fun travel links, opinions on hotels, restaurants, and destinations.

Search groups for "travel" or click here. For now, if I haven't already invited you to join I will have to approve your membership request. We'll see how it goes. I hope you find it a fun, useful way to network with your fellow stylish travelers!

Hotel Review: Elounda Mare, Crete - Fabulous!

After a brief two-night pitstop in Athens, my new hubby and I headed to Crete to really begin our honeymoon at the lovely Elounda Mare in Elounda, Crete. Set on a calm bay in the Cretan sea, Elounda is in north-eastern Crete near the small city of Agios Nikolaos. The Mare is part of the Relais & Chateaux hotel network, and is connected to its sister properties, the Elounda Beach and Porto Elounda.

We lost four hours of our time on Crete thanks to a transportation strike in Athens that delayed our flight, so the glasses of champagne we received at reception were quite welcomed. I was thoroughly annoyed to learn that our travel agent neglected to inform the hotel that we were on our honeymoon, but the very observant desk clerk noticed how clean and shiny my ring was and in twenty minutes a staff member gave us a tour of the immaculately landscaped property and explained the restaurants as we walked to our room. We were booked in the main hotel, but thanks to the very kind and clever desk clerk we were upgraded to a bungalow with private pool and sea view, where a rose-petal covered bed, candles, wine, and fruit awaited us. Score!

The room featured a couch, coffee table, and small tv (which seemed to be a theme in Greece, even at luxury properties), good-sized armoire, slippers (they even noticed that I'm a foot shorter than my husband and provided a pair of small-size slippers!), and robes. The bathroom was huge, with side-by-side sinks, separate toilet room with a sink, and very large jacuzzi bathtub. Deluxe toiletries were replenished daily.

All of this was wonderful, but the main drawback was that the room appeared to be designed for Hobbits. My 6' husband was always dangerously close to hitting his head on the ceiling and door frames. Also, there wasn't a separate shower stall and the shower hose was too short to properly stand up in the tob - attempting to do so would spray water all over the bathroom. Rather awkward.

Compared to the large beach of its neighbor, the Elounda Beach, the Mare has quite a small beach in a private little cove with crystal clear waters and hot sand dotted with white umbrellas and yellow chairs. There is a beach bar where overpriced cocktails can be ordered but won't arrive for another twenty minutes (I'm convinced the bartender was actually out in the field picking the strawberries for my daquiri). Jet skis, snorkeling and scuba equipment and paddle boats can be rented at the beach. We rented a paddle boat for an hour, and it was a great way to explore the area and take in the amazing view of Crete's mountains surouding us on every side - the water is incredibly calm and there was no boat traffic.

The Mare has very helpful staff who seem to get to knoew their customers. At breakfast on our third morning, I wasn't even asked for our room number since the same matre d' seated us every day.

During our four-night stay we discovered two downsides. First, we seemed to be the youngest people there by a long shot. There were bridge games happening every night, and only once at breakfast did I notice another couple that appeared to be around our age (late twenties, early thirties). The rest of the clientele were clearly eligible for AARP or the French/German/British equivalent (there were very few Americans).

Second, eating at the Mare was extremely expensive and often required "elegant" dress at the resort's three restaurants. Walk a mile down the road into the village of Elounda to find many restaurants at significantly cheaper prices. Case in point: my seafood risotto for dinner at the Mare was around 26EUR. At Zorba's Place in the village, we ate spanikopita, pizza, soda, beer, and chocolate-banana crepes (amazing!) for 22EUR. Although the quality wasn't nearly as good as the Mare's, if your jet-setting doesn't include a celebrity-sized meal budget the village offers plenty of options.

While at the Mare we visited its sister property, the Porto Elounda, for golf and a massage. Mr. TravelSpark wasn't impressed with the 9-hole course (he rated it only "fair"). Our massage at the new, award-winning Six-Senses Spa, was great and the spa itself is quite impressive. If you pay for a service, you can stay and use the other spa facilities such as the hammam, sauna, and indoor/outdoor pool. Note that on the Mare's website it seems that the spa is at the Mare, but it's not. The spa is indeed at the Porto Elounda and is a ten-minute walk away.

In May, Greece - particularly the islands - are still in the off-season, so the village as well as the resort were incredibly peaceful and quiet. Many restaurants were empty or nearly so each night and waiters were begging us to come and eat. The weather was sunny and warm (but not hot), but the ocean was still cool.

Overall rating: Fabulous!

All photos were taken by TravelSpark. Please credit accordingly.

Reviews: The Ratings

As I am about to write my hotel reviews from my honeymoon, I'd like to let you know about the rating system. Going forward, this rating system will be applied to hotels, restaurants, activities, and potentially product reviews.

Fabulous: Excellent service, great products, outstanding views, great location, etc. Whatever makes this place, thing or activity stand out from the crowd. Must do/see/stay/eat/buy.

Fine: Comfortable, good service and quality. Would stay there, eat there, shop there, or buy it - but wouldn't be a must.

Forgettable: Merely acceptable - whatever it is won't kill you or make you miserable, but it won't make any great memories, either.

Foul: Beware! Terrible service, poor quality, unsafe, disgusting - you get the idea.

Articles with reviews will be labeled as fabulous, fine, forgettable or foul so that you can quickly find what you're looking for in each category.