La Jolla’s Coastal Jewel, Hilton Torrey Pines

Written by Janice Wilson


La Jolla’s Coastal Jewel, Hilton Torrey Pines

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/hotels/hilton/lajolla/lajolla.html

La Jolla Torrey Pines Hilton Hotel in Southern California isrepparttar ultimate place to experience perfection. It is San Diego's premier destination for hospitality, dining, recreation, meetings and banquet facilities. I know, because my weekend stay at this magnificent property was absolutely, positively perfect.

The hotel is perched atop Southern California's spectacular coastline, overlookingrepparttar 138416 legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. As we turned offrepparttar 138417 freeway and enteredrepparttar 138418 only pine-covered hillock for miles alongrepparttar 138419 coast, my husband and I were filled with an anticipatory excitement. We would be vacationing atrepparttar 138420 same playground that will hostrepparttar 138421 U.S. Open in 2008 and recently hostedrepparttar 138422 Buick Open last February 14, 2004.

The valet quickly helped us with our bags and golf clubs. I gazed atrepparttar 138423 large portico entrance that was decorated by a multitude of flowering Impatience plants. The hanging baskets cascaded abundantly withrepparttar 138424 bright colors of fucia and red. It was an auspicious beginning. The afternoon sun warmedrepparttar 138425 tiny flowers, and a welcoming fragrance greeted our arrival. I had a feeling we were about to experiencerepparttar 138426 perfection in hospitality that is savored byrepparttar 138427 crème de la crème.

As we walked intorepparttar 138428 large and elegant lobby we stopped and gazed through a massive picture window that revealed below us a beautiful hotel pool withrepparttar 138429 Pacific Ocean as its backdrop. It was perfectly placed. The sun was just beginning to set and a golden misted light poured invitingly throughrepparttar 138430 lobby window. My husband grabbed my hand and squeezed it with excitement. We paused and took inrepparttar 138431 pleasure of this magnificent sight before us. Charged with excitement and anticipation, we quickly registered for our room. We couldn't wait to explorerepparttar 138432 landscape andrepparttar 138433 legacy of this Four Diamond Hilton Resort. What other pleasurable displays of perfection awaited us?

It didn't take us long to find our next discovery of perfection. It was our elegant suite overlookingrepparttar 138434 18th hole of Torrey Pines Golf Course. A beautiful basket of wine, fruit and cheeses awaited us. We poured ourselves a glass of red wine and relaxed on one ofrepparttar 138435 two suite patios. We raised our glasses and toastedrepparttar 138436 golden moments ofrepparttar 138437 spectacular sunset that glistened before us. It was picture perfect!

This moment perfectedrepparttar 138438 true meaning of ultimate hospitality. Our room was beautifully appointed with shuttered doors that separatedrepparttar 138439 bedroom fromrepparttar 138440 living area. We had two 27-inch TVs with on-demand movies, video games, and complimentary CNN, ESPN and HBO. We had access to high speed Internet, two dual-line speaker phones with voice mail, data ports and conference capabilities. There was a large work desk that I was very grateful I didn't need to use. But I was thankful that I could luxuriate inrepparttar 138441 plush bathrobes that made me feel perfectly cozy and relaxed.

The amenities in our room were more than perfect. But it wasrepparttar 138442 bed that wonrepparttar 138443 awards for making our sleep a perfect heaven, with state-of-the-art Suite Dream Mattress and box springs withrepparttar 138444 super-topper mattress pad, central weigh down comforter, touch-of-down pillows, and a comfortable bolster pillow. We had two perfect nights of sleep because of Hilton's new concept in travel, assisting all their guests withrepparttar 138445 assurance and desire for a healthy lifestyle. A perfect night's sleep is perfectly priceless, especially whenrepparttar 138446 next few days of our vacation were spent golfing, hiking Torrey Pines State Reserve, or exploringrepparttar 138447 resort community of La Jolla.

Rockland Maine’s Old Granite Inn

Written by Kriss Hammond


Rockland Maine’s Old Granite Inn

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/usa02/maine/rockland/rockland.html

Every year in an Outside Magazine readers' poll, Rockland, Maine ranks amongrepparttar top 100 best small towns to live in. This isrepparttar 138415 town whererepparttar 138416 then controversial 1957 Lana Turner soap opera flick, Peyton Place, was filmed — back whenrepparttar 138417 most dangerous thing in a small town was . . . gossip! The producers wanted to give small, hometown America a risqué shock that today is a comical celluloid version of homespun Americana, a mild comparison to what is onrepparttar 138418 Internet today.

Maine joins only one other state inrepparttar 138419 lower 48,repparttar 138420 only state to do so. It isrepparttar 138421 only state with a single syllable. Life in Maine is a simple life, not many complexities. Rockland has not changed much sincerepparttar 138422 '50s. I guess that is whyrepparttar 138423 PP producers chose it for their mighty cult genre.

I was sitting in a local café one fine summer day, gazing uponrepparttar 138424 black and white photos onrepparttar 138425 wall of a bygone era ofrepparttar 138426 historic Main Street. There used to be an electric trolley line downrepparttar 138427 main drag, andrepparttar 138428 gossip is they are bringing it back. I can see Peyton Place inrepparttar 138429 frozen-in-time snapshots. Rockland is still a great place to live. Main Street is now onrepparttar 138430 National Register of Historic Places, with most ofrepparttar 138431 old brick buildings housing ice cream shops, bookstores, cafés and bars, museums and art galleries. Rockland is a wonderful place to visit inrepparttar 138432 summer — just for all those farm fresh flavors of ice cream!

But beneathrepparttar 138433 surface,repparttar 138434 community has a lot going for it. MBNA moved into town and isrepparttar 138435 main employer,repparttar 138436 largest privately owned credit card issuer isrepparttar 138437 U.S., with their corporate restored stark white Greek Revivalist-style headquarters nearrepparttar 138438 water, giving it a campus-like feel. It is fun to walk around Rockland, to viewrepparttar 138439 old mansions and buildings; duck into a canoe and dory building shop to see dense, white Maine cedar turned into a recreational work of art.

One place not to be missed isrepparttar 138440 Farnsworth Art Museum, rather museums. Farnsworth is a respected name in Rockland, and you will find a three-story art gallery museum inrepparttar 138441 old bank building on Main Street, and then a few blocks torepparttar 138442 back isrepparttar 138443 magnificent Pirate Museum (entrance $7).

The Pirate Museum is a vast collection of dramatic seafaring oil paintings, mostly create byrepparttar 138444 notable Wyeths (The museum is known asrepparttar 138445 Wyeth Center.), a three generational collection of their canvases that portraysrepparttar 138446 days of yore and lore onrepparttar 138447 high seas. Rockland still maintains its links to windjammers and packet boats. Many summertime windjammers load up a cargo of tourists for cruises throughrepparttar 138448 Penobscot Bay islands. Later inrepparttar 138449 day I watched ferry boats load trucks and cars forrepparttar 138450 largest island, Vinalhaven, where inrepparttar 138451 past much ofrepparttar 138452 famous Maine granite was quarried.

The regional airport is located just outside Rockland atrepparttar 138453 Knox County Airport;repparttar 138454 terminal is a throw back to simpler times. I think they still shoo cows offrepparttar 138455 runway, butrepparttar 138456 security problems ofrepparttar 138457 world have hit home — four TSA agents checked my bags onrepparttar 138458 flight out — I wasrepparttar 138459 only passenger onrepparttar 138460 plane, so they had plenty of time to unzip everything. On my flight to Maine I met returning residents bound for some ofrepparttar 138461 coastal islands. The main Maine airline intorepparttar 138462 terminal is Colgan, a rubber-band express service of USAir, with connecting flights primarily to Boston. The local bus terminal is located atrepparttar 138463 Ferry terminal, which is probably reallyrepparttar 138464 main hub ofrepparttar 138465 town because a marina is located close by.

The Rockland ferry terminal is across Main Street fromrepparttar 138466 best place to stay in town —repparttar 138467 historic Old Granite Inn, a Colonial Federalist architectural sculpture hewn from tons of St. George, Maine artisan-dressed granite.

John,repparttar 138468 innkeeper, originally from California, greeted me and showed me aroundrepparttar 138469 modest inn, and then took me to my room, an airy corner alcove onrepparttar 138470 second floor (room #6) with windows all around for great views ofrepparttar 138471 bay.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use