REVIEWS Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

The OC Bucket List Challenge: Visit Buena Park!

May 25, 2016 By Tam Warner 3 Comments

I think everyone knows how much I love the OC! (Orange County, California, of course). When I received word about the OC Bucket List Challenge for Buena Park, I had to copy it down and share it with you right away!!!! These Challenge activities have something for everyone, so pack along the kids and grandparents if you’d like, or just run off by yourself, or with someone for a romantic getaway. Any which way, this trip is a winner!

Buena Park, CA – Immerse yourself in the ultimate Orange County vacation by exploring hot spots that the locals don’t want you to know about. Our bucket list has something for everyone from cruising scenic harbors, hiking to breath-taking vistas and getting sworn in as a pirate to discovering hidden restaurants and splashing around one of the longest water park lazy rivers. Go to VisitBuenaPark.com/Challenge to take the challenge this summer and see how many you can check off your list!

Buena Park, Orange County, CA — Scenic Harbor Cruise

1.) Get Launched 83 Miles-Per-Hour in 2.3 Seconds on Xcelerator

Enjoy over 30 exhilarating rides including the famous Timber Mountain Log Ride, visit the loveable Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang at Camp Snoopy and pan for gold at the only authentic 1880’s Ghost Town at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. Save $33 on adult and $7 on kid’s admission at VisitBuenaPark.com/deals.

2.) Be a VIP at the West Coast’s Largest Shopping Center

South Coast Plaza is Southern California’s premier shopping destination and home to over 250 boutiques, personal shopping services and upscale amenities. Stop by the California Welcome Center in Buena Park to pick up a free carousel ride and VIP Passport, full of exclusive offers.

3.) Hike Past Ancient Oak Groves

Irvine Open Space Preserve invites visitors to hike past ancient oak and sycamore groves and rough rock outcrops in Bommer Canyon; conquer the three-mile Orchard Hills loop for a breath-taking vista from Loma Ridge that consumes the coastal ridge; and explore Irvine’s southern wilderness via the Quail Hill Trail, the only trail that allows dogs.

4.) Cheer on Your Favorite Knight

At Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament in Buena Park, visitors are transported back in time to an era of jousting, sword fighting, brave knights and a meal fit for a king. You might recognize the dinner show from several television shows and feature films including the 1996 movie, Cable Guy with Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. Get a free Royal Upgrade: VIP seating, cheering banner and more at VisitBuenaPark.com/deals.

5.) Check Out the World’s Largest Surfboard

Huntington Beach offers 10 miles of uninterrupted coastline and an International Surfing Museum. The free museum is home to a 42-foot surfboard that holds the Guinness World Record as the ‘World’s Largest Surfboard’ and an artifact exhibit honoring Hawaiian surfer, Eddie Aikau.

6.) Explore a Presidential Helicopter

At the Richard Nixon Library and Museum, history buffs can step aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter that traveled the world with Nixon as well as Kennedy, Johnson and Ford. Visitors to the museum will also find an exact replica of the White House East Room, Nixon’s childhood home and the memorial sites of the President and First Lady.

7.) Graduate from Skipper School

Secret tip: After riding the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland®, ask the skipper for a map as you disembark. The maps are given to sailors who complete skipper school by making animal noises from some of the creatures that are seen along the ride.

8.) Salute the Martini Flag and Enjoy the Sunset

Every evening since the 1930’s the bugle is sounded and the “martini flag” is raised at 5pm to signal the end of a work day and time to relax at The Beachcomber Café. Located on Crystal Cove Beach, the restaurant offers outdoor patio seating for watching spectacular sunsets and dolphins playing in the waves.

9.) Brave 63-foot Waterslides on Old Man Falls

Knott’s Soak City, a 13-acre California beach themed waterpark in Buena Park, features one of the world’s longest lazy rivers, a rolling wave pool, dozens of waterslides and kid’s splash area. Save $12 at VisitBuenaPark.com/deals.

10.) Get Sworn in as a Pirate

At Pirate’s Dinner Adventure in Buena Park, Captain Sebastian the Black is seeking new recruits for his crew. Young landlubbers to the “World’s Most Interactive Dinner Show” may be called aboard to take the pirate’s oath and join the crew on their adventure. Save some treasure with a buy one-get one free offer at visitbuenapark.com/deals.

11.) Dine Aboard A Floating Restaurant

Well-known for their delicious brunch and dinner cruises, Hornblower also offers a two-hour Sunset Cocktail Cruise during the summer. The scenic boat ride in Newport Beach includes complimentary appetizers, music and cash bar. Save a boatload with a buy one get-one free deal at Visitbuenapark.com/deals.

12.) Uncover the Hidden Door to a 1920’s Speakeasy

The Anaheim Packing House is a foodie’s paradise, with a collection of unique restaurants, outdoor activities and live music. Hungry patrons will find fresh seafood, made-to-order popsicles, gourmet grilled cheeses and authentic southern food. Want a refreshing cocktail? Well, you’ll have to find it first. Behind a non-discreet wall of sake barrels with a small black rabbit on it lies a speakeasy appropriately named, the Blind Rabbit.

13.) Bonus Challenge – Pig Out on Award-Winning Ice Cream

Take a step back in time to a wildly fun, turn of the century ice cream parlour and restaurant awarded “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” by the Food Network. For over fifty years, Farrell’s has been serving up splendidly oversized ice cream treats like the Pig’s Trough, Hot Fudge Volcano and the mother of all desserts – The Zoo! See if you can devour the oversized sundae, which includes 30 scoops of ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, strawberries, marshmallow, whipped cream, cherries and bananas.

VISIT BUENA PARK
Located just 5 miles from Disneyland®, 10 miles from beaches and 20 miles from Los Angeles is the charming town of Buena Park. A vacation hot spot, the city is home to world-famous entertainment, interactive dinner shows and one-of-kind shopping. For more information contact Visit Buena Park at 800-541-3953 or www.visitbuenapark.com.

Don’t miss out on the Challenge, hurry and book today! They have special offers and deals on just about everything at http://www.visitbuenapark.com/visitors/special-offers/!!!

Easy Ways to Go Meatless Monday!

May 1, 2016 By Tam Warner 18 Comments

It isn’t that difficult to go without meat, at least a day or two a week. I’ve gone from being vegetarian to eating meat/fish/chicken only 2 or 3 times a week. When I do eat meat, I try to eat grass fed, cageless, no antibiotics, no steroids, sustainable. We cannot always be perfect, but we can try!

There are plenty of places online to get vegetarian recipes, but I do want to share with you a few ways to painlessly not eat meat!

meatless, vegetarian — Yum yum yum! I love it!

One of my favorite meals is spaghetti with meat sauce. I make it with a meat substitute, and my favorite is Beyond Meat. This brand is somewhat new to me, but what I have tried, I have loved! Meat from plants is a great way to get your protein, and I agree with their Mission Statement: “We believe there is a better way to feed the planet. Our mission is to create mass-market solutions that perfectly replace animal protein with plant protein. We are dedicated to improving human health, positively impacting climate change, conserving natural resources and respecting animal welfare. At Beyond Meat, we want to make the world a better place and we’re starting one delicious meal at a time.” Find a store that stocks it near you!

I also am a fan of Morningstar Farms. They make all kind of meat substitutes, and the Good Guide, which rates products 1-10 on Health, Environment and Society (how the company treats employees), gives MorningStar a good score. They have all kinds of substitutes, including burgers. You can buy MorningStar in almost any grocery store.

Have you made the pledge to go vegetarian one day a week? How are you doing it? What are your favorite meat substitutes?

By going meatless one day a week you are contributing so much to the planet! Encourage everyone to go meatless one day a week! MAKE THE PLEDGE.

Globetrotting: 5 Secrets for Getting Cheaper Flights

April 8, 2016 By Tam Warner 7 Comments

Article by: April Greene, Guest Post.

The idea of traveling the world has always had this glamorous glow around it. Unfortunately, the glow usually has an expensive golden lining. Chuck that thought right out of your mind, though — with these tips and tricks you can give in to your wanderlust without breaking the bank.

Book your flights early

A bit of an obvious tip, but do you know exactly how early you should book your flights? Skyscanner crunched the numbers and came up with the following: 7 weeks in advance for short flights and 18 weeks for long haul destinations. Check out Skyscanner!

Buy tickets on a Tuesday

Research from FareCompare has found that Tuesdays are more often than not the cheapest days to buy tickets. Tuesdays at 3PM Eastern, more specifically. Major airlines typically announce the most sales around this time, and as their competition scrambles to match the low sale prices you can pick and choose from a larger amount of deals.

Pack light

Yeah, a cheap flight on a budget airline might save you a bit of money, but you better beware if you’re carrying a lot of luggage. Parking4Less, a parking aggregator that focuses on UK airports in one of its blog posts, lists baggage fees among the top 3 hidden costs when traveling with budget airline flights, so ditch the checked-in bags and stick with carry-ons as much as possible instead.

Fly on slow days and times

When you buy a ticket isn’t the only important timing consideration; you also have to think about when you’ll be flying. Stay away from Friday and Sunday flights and try to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Flying at dawn, around dinnertime, or on a red-eye flight will also help keep your ticket price down.

Split flights up between carriers

Not only do you get more competitive prices when you stick to one-way flights from different carriers, you also stand to get in on better — i.e. cheaper — flight times. Be warned, though: one-way tickets can be more expensive when you’re traveling to or from smaller airports, so you may want to drive to a larger city with more competition between the airlines.

You Will Find that the OC is Spectacular!

March 27, 2016 By Tam Warner 21 Comments

laguna, theoc, california — Laguna Beach from Heisler Park

I spent last week in theoc. What is theoc? Orange County California! Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Crystal Cove, Balboa Island, Irvine, Orange, Anaheim…so much to see and do! Shopping, beaching, whale watching, eating, kayaking, paddleboarding, and a million other activities await you in Orange County. There is something for everyone.

Staying at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach was a good decision, not only did I love everything about the iconic hotel, but the location was perfect. On my first day I headed over to Balboa Island (it is walking distance from the Hyatt) and decided to either paddle board or kayak. I chose a sit on top kayak at Island Paddleboard for a specific reason. Next January I am headed to Antarctica, and there will be a lot of kayaking and walking. My spine, which is fused from L-2 through the sacrum complete with titanium rods and eight pedicle screws, does not like kayaks very much, so I have to get comfortable with kayaking prior to my trip. The sweet folks at Island Paddleboard set me up and set me loose. I wish I had seen a sea lion, but alas, they just weren’t around that day. I spent two hours paddling around the island, and enjoyed every moment of it. I did have to lie back once in a while, and switch leg positions, but all in all it went very well. I paddled against the wind for ninety minutes, so I certainly had a great workout.

paddle, theoc, Balboa Island — Trying to paddle and take photos or movies did not work out too well!

kayaking, balboa island, theoc — My selfie with my gopro stick. Check out my muscles, thanks to Pilates!

The next morning I was up bright and early to go Whale Watching with Captain Dave’s Dana Point Whale Watching. When you are in California, you have to go whale watching. I went on the early morning cruise, hoping to see the animals active. I was not disappointed. Gray Whales were in season, and these animals very rarely breach. We saw two breaches from a momma Gray Whale! There were many bottlenose and common dolphins along with sea lions and plenty of birds. The most exciting animal was a Fin Whale! Fin Whales are baleen whales, and are second in size only to the Blue Whale. They can grow up to 90 ft in length…a huge animal. It came close to the boat, but did not breach (I’m not sure it could it is so huge!). The Fin was an amazing sight.

whale watching, sea lion, california — Sea Lions were out and active

gray whale, breach, whale watching — The Gray Whale breaching!

gray whale, whale watching, captain dave's Dana Point Whale Watching — They make a large splash!

16 lb heli — Helicopters were overhead, an exercise! Camp Pendleton isn’t far away.

These two days, spent in Orange County, were incredibly fun. As everyone knows by now, I love water, so two days spent on the ocean was marvelous, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I highly recommend the tour companies mentioned, and of course, the wonderful Hyatt Regency Newport Beach!

Have you ever been to Orange County, California? What activities did you enjoy?

Fab Photos Friday: Hyatt Newport Beach in the Fabulous OC

March 17, 2016 By Tam Warner 2 Comments

theoc, travelswithtam, hyatt newport beach — 1 of 3 pools at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. Sooo relaxing!

Where in the world is Tam? I am currently in “the OC”. THEOC is Orange County, California. The county has Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Orange, Disneyland, and Anaheim within its borders. These are all attractions of one sort or another, so the county is full of incredible vacation spots. I am here for Wanderful’s Women in Travel Summit, which starts officially Friday evening. Arriving last Sunday, I thought I would spend some time enjoying the sights and activities of the OC.

I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, a wonderful, iconic Southern California luxury resort. It is at once elegant and casual, luxurious yet authentic. The resort was large, and had several wonderful features. The restaurant, SHOR, is quintessential California cuisine. Delicious! I love eating California style…outside in the cool evening, kept warm by heaters and braziers. Fantastic.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20489%20652%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mh179BZR_20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — The property was charming at night,.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20731%20548%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mh179BZR_20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — My desk overlooking a tumbling fountain. The sound lulled me to sleep at night.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20756%20567%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mh179BZR_20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — The drive up has tremendous appeal at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20816%20612%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mh179BZR_20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — When it cooled in the evenings, the fires were lit.

Do I recommend the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach? Absolutely. I loved everything about it. The rooms were bright and clean, the balcony was nice in the evenings, the staff was extraordinarily obliging, and the entire atmosphere said, “RELAX. ENJOY.” So I did, and I’m sure you would too!

What you MUST know about Cabo’s water taxis!

February 23, 2016 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

Cabo, Mexico, solo travel — I don’t usually care for the booze cruises, but in this case, I wish I’d been on La Gringa!

Cabo is beautiful, and a favorite place to go and enjoy is the marina. There are a dozen companies who will take you out on tours or to Lovers Beach. Buyer beware!

Make sure the company you choose has a ladder! Why? Because when you get out of the boat at Lovers Beach, you basically have to get out of a low boat with lots of waves and surge. I, of course, fell getting out of the damned boat. What’s worse is getting back on the boat without a ladder. I was so pissed, I thought, Tam, if you break something getting into this stupid boat that has no ladder and cannot go on your dive trip, I’ll break something else for you. Fortunately, all I lost was some skin on my hand and my dignity.

Be careful! The boat company I went with had green tarps on top for shade. I won’t name it (hint: it is named after the Big Apple) but it was not fun. I would never choose it again. The boat was overloaded, for one thing, and terribly uncomfortable. There was also a couple who needed to get a damned room! They were practically making out on the boat. I know it is Valentine’s Day, but please, spare us. There are many hotel rooms in Cabo, I’m sure they could find one!

All of that aside, Lovers Beach is beautiful, and I enjoyed an hour of meditation and photographing the incredible surf. Tomorrow, I leave for my dive trip!

Stay tuned!

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