The Best Kept Secret on Tybee Island: Coco’s Sunset Grille

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Jan Ross

Coco's Sunset Grille on Urbanspoon

 

There’s a lot of restaurants on this small, 3-mile barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Most of them offer seafood. Some even offer local seafood and I have partaken of many a meal on my trips to this lovely locale situated a few miles from Savannah.

But it wasn’t until this trip to check out the Tybee Island Pirate Fest that I discovered the best restaurant on the island.

Seriously.

The best.

Coco’s Sunset Grille is tucked away on one side of the island, overlooking the scenic marsh which surrounds the island. As far as I can tell, there are no signs that point the way, just turn at the Welcome to Tybee sign, follow the road until it ends and there you are.

In seafood heaven.

 

Come on in!

Read more »

Pin It
Categories: Foodie Tour, Georgia, Restaurant Reviews | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

Girlfriends Getaway to Barnsley Gardens Resort in Georgia

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jan Ross

At some point, as you travel through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on your way to the incomparable Barnsley Gardens Resort, you are going to think you have made a wrong turn.

A lovely, luxury resort tucked away in this quiet, country setting? Surely not. And, just as you are about to give up and decide this absolutely cannot be the correct route, you see perfectly landscaped grounds and a meticulously groomed driveway.

Beautiful and just out of reach, because it was all behind a closed gate with a pleasant but firm guard manning it who politely asks for your name to ensure you’ve already registered before he ever opens the gate. We had somehow missed that one important step.

My sister and I, on a girlfriends getaway, followed his directions and traversed the road back to the registration area, marveling at the truly incredibly and lush landscaping on display throughout the 1300 acres of this gorgeous place.

Read the rest of this article on Girlsgetaway.com HERE.

Pin It
Categories: Georgia, Resorts | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Jan Ross

Miniature of Grove Park Inn.

Seeing photos of the Grove Park Inn is absolutely nothing like seeing it in real life as it is truly one of the most fascinating and gorgeous hotels we have ever visited.

We saw it for the first time on a trolley tour of Asheville before we ever checked in and to say our jaws dropped is a vast understatement.

Pulling into the driveway of the Grove Park Inn.

 

A view of part of the Inn.

Read more »

Pin It
Categories: Hotels, North Carolina, Resorts, Spa | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tired of the Heat? Try These Five Cool Island Destinations

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Jan Ross

Seashells on Tybee Island, Georgia

There is just something about an island. Drive over that bridge or causeway, through marshes or over a scenic bay, and arrive at a beautiful destination that is isolated from the rest of the mainland – even from the rest of the world. If this extremely humid summer heat is getting to you just as much as it’s getting to me, head to one of these fabulous island destinations.

1. Amelia Island, Florida. I had honestly never heard of Amelia Island before I just spent a few days there recently. That’s a shame because it’s a beautiful, unspoiled, historical place that is perfect for a getaway.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites Historic Harbor Front and it was the perfect location. Choose a suite and you have a completely separate bedroom, a living room, and a full kitchen – great for saving money by preparing your own meals.

When you decide to go out to eat, you can stroll a couple of blocks over to Café Karibo where you can eat on their lovely patio. Try the Pig and Apple Sandwich – delicious ham and sliced apple on sourdough bread.

Check out the rest of this article on Travel for Boomers HERE.

Pin It
Categories: Beach | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

All Biltmore, All the Time: The Biltmore Estate and the Hilton at Biltmore Park

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Jan Ross

I had vaguely heard of the Biltmore Estate. I knew it was some huge estate located…somewhere…and it was…well…huge.

OK, I said it was pretty vague.

It wasn’t until we began planning to cover the East Coast via the Tall Ships Challenge last spring that it came into focus that the Biltmore Estate was actually located in Asheville, North Carolina about halfway between our home city of Lexington, Kentucky and Savannah, Georgia which was our ultimate goal. So we decided to stop.

Spend some time Asheville.

And visit the Biltmore Estate.

The Biltmore Estate

Things fell into place, as they do, especially when you spend approximately 8,932 hours arranging them, and we pulled into the parking garage of the Hilton at Biltmore Park right on schedule. Biltmore Park is a new area located right near the Biltmore Estate and full of little shops, restaurants and a movie theater right by the hotel itself.

Read more »

Pin It
Categories: North Carolina | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Girlfriends Getaway to Sedona, Arizona

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Jan Ross

Junipine Resort in Sedona, Arizona

The problem with driving to Sedona is the scenery is so incredible, so mind-boggling, so truly unique and mesmerizing you better plan to just pull over and experience it at some point or you are going to run right off the road.

We had just spent a few days in Lake Havasu, Arizona and, although we had a vague idea the scenery in Sedona would be somewhat different from what we had just experienced, we truly had no idea that the red rock canyons and soaring mountains of Sedona would be one of the most unforgettable sights in all our travels in Arizona.

We managed to make it through the mountains and the town of Sedona and up to the wonderful Junipine Resort, where we had booked a two bedroom creekhouse. There are some wonderful hotels in Sedona but my advice is just to forget about them all and book a stay at Junipine. It’s absolutely the perfect place for a girlfriends getaway.

Read the rest of this article on Girlsgetaway.com HERE.

Pin It
Categories: Arizona, Girlfriends Getaway | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate Summer with Six Scrumptious Southern Seafood Dinners

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Jan Ross

Grilled Shrimp Quesadilla from Spanky's in Savannah, Georgia

I was preparing some corn for dinner the other night and I started wishing I had some of the incredibly delicious sweet corn you can order at The Crab Shack on Georgia’s Tybee Island.  I don’t know where they get that corn, why it is so sweet, or how they prepare it that makes it so good, but it is the best corn on the cob I have ever eaten.

Ever.

And this got me to thinking about some of the great food I’ve enjoyed this summer.  Soon I’d come up with a list that I want to share with my fellow Baby Boomers.  The food was wonderful and the locations where it was devoured added immeasurably to the experiences.

If you are ever traveling or vacationing anywhere near these locations, stop by and have a meal. You will be so happy that you did. And that’s a promise.

Read the rest of this article on Travel for Boomers HERE.

Pin It
Categories: Restaurant Reviews | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Hop On, Hop Off – the Best Way To See a New Destination

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Jan Ross

 

Windmill in Amsterdam, seen from a canal tour boat.

The first time we hopped on and off was in New York, but it would not be the last.

We were spending a couple of days in New York before we embarked on a cruise to Bermuda and we wanted to see as much of the city as possible in the little time we had. A tour was what we needed, but a tour of the most important tourist destinations in the short time we had?

How would that be possible?

Then we discovered the joy of the hop on, hop off tour. We booked a three-day pass with Gray Line and packed the next three days with all the many attractions to which we could drag our weary bodies. We hopped on the ubiquitous double-decker buses and hopped off whenever we saw something interesting. There were always more buses coming by and it was an easy, fun, and fairly cheap way to see the city.

We loved every minute of it.

Read the rest of this article on Travel for Boomers HERE.

Pin It
Categories: Amsterdam, New York, Tours, Travel for Boomers, Vancouver | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Circa 1886: Culinary Heaven on Earth in Charleston, South Carolina

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Jan Ross

Circa 1886 on Urbanspoon

Entrance to Circa 1886. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Before we even tasted a bite of the sumptuous repast that awaited us at Circa 1888, we were fans of this lovely, historic restaurant based on our first sight of it.

Charmingly located in the original carriage house of the Wentworth Mansion, the building retains much of the historic character of the carriage house in the architectural details. Hardwood floors, an original fireplace, doors from the stable and romantic, arched booths along one wall which mimic the original carriage openings all contribute to an elegant dining experience.

In front of the restaurant is a beautiful terrace with plenty of tables and chairs and huge trees for shade – a perfect place to eat on a summer evening! The ambience is accentuated by the wonderful service you will receive – the restaurant has certainly earned the Forbes Four Star and AAA Diamond ratings they received.

The offerings focus on local products, high quality ingredients, and traditional Lowcountry flavors and dishes and you truly can’t go wrong with any choice on the menu.We were seated and greeted by our friendly waiters who were generous with their suggestions about what we should order.

Read more »

Pin It
Categories: Restaurant Reviews, South Carolina | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

King Charles Inn; Charleston, South Carolina

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Jan Ross

King Charles Inn. Photo courtesy of the hotel.

“You need to back up,” he said kindly.

“Back up?” I replied, looking back at the traffic coming towards the King Charles Inn.

“Yep.” He smiled. “It’s OK, there is a right turn lane and all the cars will be turning before they get here.”

So we backed up and pulled into the complimentary off-street parking which, incidentally? Is fabulous after paying for parking at many different hotels.

This was the first but would not be the last time someone at the King Charles Inn was kind and friendly to us.

In fact, every single person at the King Charles Inn was kind and friendly to us. This was one of the many, many things we loved about this historical, boutique Inn located on Meeting Street right in the middle of the historic district in Charleston.

We left the car and walked around front to the lobby to check in and were immediately charmed. Not only were the people at the front desk kind and friendly what did I say but the lobby was truly lovely with dark wood trim, beautiful lighting and a curving staircase that led…somewhere.

Lovely stairs from the lobby. Photo courtesy of the hotel.

Read more »

Pin It
Categories: Hotels, South Carolina | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment