The last two weekends (in crappy iPhone pics)

We actually had a really busy last couple weekends. Last weekend we were in Halifax for a course (on root canals, yes!). The weekend before we had a rare date night in which we went to a seven-course meal at the ski resort in our town. 

(I wanted to take more pics of the plates but this was the only one I got) 

(snowshoeing/sliding before we lost all our snow) 

(he loves washing his toys in the sink) 

(playing the piano at YYT) 

(on the moving sidewalk at YHZ) 

(hotel life) 

(Cohen and his teddy) 

(shuttle to the airport) 

(catching a ride to the car)

The eat the hill event was really cool. We were seated with a group of strangers (two nice couples), and sat down for seven courses, all from different local restaurants (when I say local, I mean two hours away in St. John's, since we do not have any fine dining here :). We had things like beaver pie, moose soup, and ice cream with bacon on top. Although I ate it all, I found some courses really odd. I think that's the whole point. My fav was the bacon-topped ice cream. I am all about sweet and salty. 

Last weekend was our trip to Halifax. There was such a terrible storm happening that the pilot came on and told us we might now be able to land, and he was just gonna keep circling the airport for a while to see if the snowplows could clear the snow away fast enough for him to land. Oh my. Anyway, we did land, and my parents were there to pick us up. Jon and I kept pretty busy all weekend, leaving Cohen with the grandparents. So awesome. We had one minor situation when Teddy bear went missing for two hours. Jon and I were pretty much ready to book the next flight out of here. We have never ever attempted a night without Teddy. We eventually found him in the lobby, and I really don't know who was more relieved. For the first time, we had a really hard time getting through security at the airports because Cohen can barely stand his teddy to go through the x-ray machine. Toddler freak-outs seem pretty standard at security so Jon and I don't even bat an eye. 

I learned a small lesson on this last trip. If you are only going somewhere for two days and staying in a hotel and have work stuff you have to do, don't even try to optimistically plan social stuff on top of work stuff. It's probably not going to happen because toddlers and traveling. 

Also, our hotel in Halifax was seriously awesome. We had a suite with a kitchen and separate bedroom for us and a regular room across the hall for my parents, and it was perfect. They were so incredibly good about Cohen's allergies in the dining room. Also, there was a hot tub that Jon and I snuck up to one night after the little guy was (finally) asleep while my parents hung out in our room. 

Hotel review: Hillview Terrace Suites, St. John's, NL

We stayed two nights at the Hillview Terrace Suites in St. John's this past weekend, and we liked it. 

(king bed with the old-school bedding) 

(living room and kitchen area. decent) 

(small and newly renovated bathroom)

Price: $150 including tax per night. Basically the best deal in St. John's. 

Bathroom: small and builder basic and clean. 

Pool: Nope

Breakfast: Nope. But Tim Horton's is right across the street. And there was a full kitchen

Wifi: Yes, good. 

TV: Good. We watched cartoons. Dude loved it. 

Location: The location is not bad at all if you are driving. In a car, everything is really close, including downtown and the mall. But if you want to be downtown, this hotel is not for you. 

Parking: Good, free. 

Notes:

- This place was clearly recently renovated with the most builder basic finishes possible. It actually reminded me of our house, which is exactly like every house on my street. Totally fine

- Jon and I have stayed at so many hotels in St. John's, and with a toddler, this hotel is definitely winning. We will be back here for sure. 

Hotel review: JAG hotel, St. John's, NL

We stayed at JAG hotel for a night this weekend when we were in town to pick up my mother-in-law for Thanksgiving. I have been wanting to stay here ever since it opened, and I really loved it. 

(Sunday morning cartoons and newspaper. Love these two so much)

(comfy but smallish bed) 

(nice modern bathroom) 

(the room)

Price: Around $150 plus tax per night. Not bad for downtown St. John's.
Bathroom: Really nice. The shower had a rain head and the soap was really nice and looked locally made. All good.
Pool: Nope. Why!??
Breakfast: Not included, but we did go down for breakfast. It was around $45 for the three of us, and super cute and fancy. Everything came on either pieces of slate or in copper pots. Jon and I both agreed it was the best breakfast we have had in years. The presentation alone was killer.
Wifi: Good.
TV: Very good. This is important to me. We watched House Hunters:Off the grid. And debated moving to Hawaii. The television was the type that pulls out from the wall so you can really get comfortable watching it in bed.
Location: Pretty good. It is right next to the Delta. Perfect if you want to go to an event at the Mile One Centre. Not as perfect as some other downtown hotels for shopping and eating, but good.
Parking: They have either valet parking or you have to just park on the street. In downtown St. John's, that is not ideal. We took the valet parking for $20, and it was kinda worth it.

Notes:
- At around 6 pm, they came around with chocolates from Newfoundland Chocolate Company to our room. Those kind of little details really sell me. Also, there was fancy water in the lobby. I like that.
- Overall, I would totally stay there again. I would more than recommend it to people with no kids. It's really close to George Street, and there is a nice lounge off the lobby that felt like a cool place to go for a drink.

Hotel Review: Ramada Hotel, St. John's, NL

We stayed at the Ramada hotel in St. John's last weekend when Jon was competing in a triathlon.  I chose this hotel because the location makes it super close to the town of Paradise, where the triathlon was happening. 

Price: $205 (taxes included) for a room with two double beds and a little kitchenette. Pretty normal for the area.
Bathroom: Small and old-looking. Nothing special.
Breakfast: No. Since we were out the door by 7 am for the triathlon, that was cool for us.
Wifi: Yes, good. We watched Netflix on our iPad (so addicted to Friday Night Lights right now).
TV: Good. We watched cartoons at 6 in the morning.
Pool: Nope. Totally should have a pool.
Location: Really close to the mall and Starbucks and stuff. Not awesome if you want to be downtown, but good if you are prepared to drive everywhere.
Parking: Free, but we actually had a really hard time finding a spot because there was a wedding happening.

Notes:
- We had supper in the restaurant off the lobby. OMG. The worst meal ever. I could not eat my scallop salad, and Jon's stir fry looked like soup. Cohen's burger was hard as a rock, and the restaurant was super hot. Definitely no AC where we were sitting. Maybe the breakfast would be good?
- The first thing we do when we walk into a hotel room is try to find a place we can put the travel crib that will keep Cohen separate from us so we can hang out after he goes to sleep. Usually there is a closet-ish area or sometimes a separate bed area. At Ramada, they actually showed us all their room styles, and no rooms were conducive to baby/toddler sleep. So we put Cohen in the bathroom with a sheet over the door since the door wouldn't actually close with his crib in there because it was was tiny. Awkward but worth it.
- We used the hotel's travel crib and it was covered in ketchup on one side. So gross when I went to move the crib and found my hand in a sticky mess. But it happens.

Hotel review: Fisher's Loft, Port Rexton, NL

We stayed one night at Fisher's Loft in Port Rexton, which is about an hour from our home in Clarenville. When I first called them, the first thing they asked is if there were any down allergies. I have never been asked that, but I was so happy that they pay attention to little details since Cohen is severely allergic to feathers. They were super accommodating on the phone, trying to find a room that would be spacious enough for a crib. 

(comfy bed) 

(the travel crib was already set up for us. i love that) 

(this living area is shared by all the rooms in this building. cute) 

(cool bathroom)

Price: This is the shoulder season, so we got our room for $135. 

Bathroom: Really nice. The toiletries were really good and the bath was huge and clean. 

Breakfast: We didn't make it to breakfast, but it is there, at a cost

Wifi: Yes, free

TV: There was a tiny wall-mounted tv that didn't get very many channels. I don't think people come here to watch TV

Pool: No

Location: Really close to the water and this cute coffee shop. There was an iceberg right in the harbor when we were there, which was cool. Fifteen minute drive from Trinity. 

Parking: Lots, free. 

Notes:

- For whatever reason, Cohen would not sleep in this room. We tried everything, including watching cartoons while he cuddled between Jon and I, and nothing worked. After hours of Cohen getting more and more tired and less consolable, we bailed. We were only an hour from home, and Jon and I were loving the idea of getting some real sleep in our own bed. We got home around 11 pm, and Cohen smiled when he saw his own crib, and went right to sleep. Slept great all night. Toddlers are strange like that. So we technically didn't actually spend a whole night here. Maybe someday. We would definitely stay here again. 

Hotel review: Bannerman Park Suites, St. John's, NL

We ended up spending a night in St. John's this past Easter weekend. We booked into Bannerman Park Suites at the last minute. This place most be pretty new. Everything looked fresh and clean. We liked it. 

(lovely tub with a little dude in it) 

(oddly comfy sofa) 

(comfy bed)

Price: $165 per night including tax and parking. Really good for the area.
Bathroom: So nice! There is a huge shower with awesome pressure and this nice big tub. Everything looked newly updated. The soaps and shampoos were sad, but other than that, the bathroom was sweet.
Breakfast: Nope. But there is a fridge and stove so you could make breakfast.
Wifi: I think? We never used it.
TV: Two huge televisions with lots of channels. We watched disney cartoons cuz we are parents.
Location: Ummm, not as awesome as so many other hotels. Not very walkable to downtown, except maybe in the summer (that is like 3 weeks long around here). I didn't love the location. Though just FYI, it is right directly beside the swanky Ryan Mansion hotel.
Parking: There were two free parking spaces, and we got one. I don't know what happens if they are taken.

Notes:
- so this place is technically an apart-hotel. Our suite had a separate bedroom and a kitchenette. We like that because we travel with a mini snack bar for the kid. The downsides to these kinds of places include no front desk, no restaurant on site, no room service. For us, a family with a toddler, these places are the best. But when we had a newborn who slept all the time, I was all about room service. So it's all what you prefer.
- We found Executive Suites Hotel to be very similar, only a bit nicer with a better location. And only a little more money. So while we would stay here again, I'll always try to book Executive Suites first.

Hotel Review: Executive Suites Hotel, St. John's, NL

We spend this past weekend at the Executive Suites in St. John's. I actually didn't even know we were staying in this apartment hotel. I had booked what looked like a regular downtown apartment on Airbnb, and when we arrived it was actually this place. Oh, it was nice!

Cohen ended up coming down with a really bad cold the day we got there, so we ended up watching a lot of tv and not getting much sleep. I was feeling really thankful to have a big tub that we could put Cohen in since the warm bath seemed to help with his congestion. 

 (living room with big tv and fireplace)

(nice modern kitchen with dishwasher, etc) 

(big comfy bed + big tv = good sunday morning) 

(the bathroom had a tv and a big shower) 

(and a huge tub that Cohen "swam" in three times) 

Price: Around $185 per night. Really average for downtown St. John's
Bathroom: So nice. Huge tub, sweet shower, tv. We ended up hanging out in the bathroom a lot while Cohen swam around in the tub.
Breakfast: No, but full stocked kitchen to make your own
Wifi: Yes, really good
TV: The best. There were three televisions, and they were easy to use and in good locations (important to me!)
Pool: No.
Location: Sooo great. We walked to supper downtown, and it took maybe 5 minutes. Really close to the Sheraton hotel and right beside Hometel.
Parking: Free and really convenient.

Notes:

The biggest negative about this place is the lack of a restaurant on site, and a pool. Similar to the Murray Premises hotel a few blocks away. But. In the little welcome package, they include the number for a little deli/grocery around the corner that will deliver groceries or prepared food for $4. Pretty convenient. I would have taken advantage, but instead Jon walked over and picked us up some necessities. And there are a lot of coffee shops and restaurants nearby, so I don't think it's a deal-breaker. And as for pools, we are finding that the public pools in St. John's (here and here and here) are just so great for little kids that we can't even be bothered with a hotel pool.

So far, this hotel wins for our little family. We will definitely be staying here again and again. We loved that there is a separate bedroom so you can close the door when the little guy goes to sleep, and we loved the huge bathtub. The location is also amazing.

Hotel review: Super 8, St. John's, NL

Even though I only have the world's worst, blurriest iPhone pics, I still feel compelled to blog about our stay at the Super 8 in St. John's last weekend. We were there for two nights while Jon attended a course. 

(dude trolling the lobby) 

(good sheets) 

(tiny, slightly grubby living room) 

(reduced privacy bathroom area)

Price: Around $160 per night including tax for a "business suite," which had a separate bedroom, but was super duper small. 

Bathroom: Pretty old-looking. It was the kind with a little room for the toilet and bathtub, and then the vanity was in the living area. 

Pool: Yes. Great for babies and kids. The water is warm, and there is a baby section with really shallow water. 

Breakfast: There is a continental breakfast with eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, yogurt. It was decent for a pre-brunch breakfast. I was loving the pre-made waffles that you put in the toaster. 

Wifi: Yes, good.

TV: Good. We watched House Hunters International, my fav. 

Location: Not downtown, which is where we usually want to be. But pretty close to shopping. Cohen and I were transportation-less for one day, so we took advantage of the Tim Hortons and Dairy Queen across the street. 

Parking: Free. 

Notes: So we have stayed at most hotels in St. John's, and this one is really good for the money when traveling with a baby. Pros: Room with separate bedroom so you can put the babe to sleep, and hang out in the other room. Pool for baby. Breakfast in the morning so you can give the little guy some oatmeal before you head out. Fridge in the room so you can bring some snacks. Really cheap compared to other hotels in St. John's. Cons: A bit dirty-looking. The carpeting in the room is covered in stains. The furniture looks like it's seen better days. For us (parents traveling with a toddler), the pros outweigh the cons. We will be back for sure. 

Hotel review: Luxury Vacation Rental, Colonial Street, St. John's, NL

We stayed in a huge vacation rental in St. John's for three nights over the thanksgiving weekend. We used Airbnb to book it. We were looking for something with four full bedrooms with double beds and more than two bathrooms. We also wanted to be right downtown. This place was it. 

(this was the third-largest bedroom) 

 (The master bedroom)

(a view of the living room on the main floor)

Price: $350 plus tax per night. This was the off-season rate.

Bathroom: Three full bathrooms and one half bath off the kitchen. All good. 

Pool: No, but the master bathroom did have a huge whirlpool we didn't use. 

Breakfast: No, but there is a huge kitchen. 

Wifi: Apparently there is wifi, but it was so spotty, and you pretty much had to be sitting on top of the modem to use it. Not cool. 

TV: The host claimed they had cable, but we couldn't get it to work. We called a few times to try to get them to fix it, but they said they couldn't help. 

Location: So great. It was a two minute walk to all the cute shops and coffee shops downtown. The location was the best part of the whole thing. 

Parking: There was a permit for one vehicle to park on the street. We never had a problem finding parking. We had a second vehicle that Jon had to park a few blocks away, which was no big deal for us. 

Notes: I'll start with the negatives: The host doesn't live in the province, so there is no one to welcome you or to come help you get the tv to work. In all my communication with him (all over email), I found him pretty...rude. There were a million rules. The weirdest one is you have to strip the beds and do all the laundry before you leave. For real, I have never, ever heard of doing that. We spent the whole morning before we left cleaning, which was a bummer. Also, there were mice. It's a really old house, so maybe mice are inevitable. I didn't bother me as much as maybe it should have. Also, the furniture. There is no place really to hang out and lounge. There are a couple old loveseats in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room that a few of us could sit on (behind Jon in the picture above), but there was nowhere we could all sit together really. Also, the gas stove. Maybe some people love them, but I found that thing unwieldy. I would try to turn it on a bit, and I would get a huge flame a foot high. OK, the positives: The shower in the master bedroom is amazing. It sprays steam, so you can hardly see in front of you. Amazing. Also, the place was huge. We all felt like we had plenty of room, and no one ever felt crowded. Also, they have a ton of puzzles and board games, which we liked. 

Bottom line: For the price, I found it decent. Way better than booking four hotel rooms. I probably would never stay there again, but only because I found the host not fun to deal with. But if you are four couples with or without kids, this place is awesome. 

Hotel review: Quality Hotel Harbourview

On the weekend we stayed at the Quality Hotel in St. John's while we were in town for J's triathlon. We took Cohen to the Aquarena, which is this aquatic centre that has a huge kiddy pool with warm water. Cohen completely loved it. We have started sitting him on the side of the pool and letting him fall in so his head it completely underwater. I was scared at first, but he loves it. His face is submersed for maybe 2 seconds, and when he comes up, he has such a big smile on his face. So cute. Anyway, this hotel:

Price: For our smallish room, it came to around $260 including tax for the night. Average for downtown St. John's.
Bathroom: Old. The tub was really scratched up and beige, and everything just seemed a little dirty.
Pool: Nope.
Breakfast: Nope. Apparently there is a buffet breakfast in the restaurant attached to the hotel, but we didn't check it out, and it wasn't included.
Wifi: So good. We even watched some Netflix with no problem.
TV: Good. I ended up watching this Suze Orman show about finances. I dunno.
Location: Awesome. Right downtown. We love being able to put Cohen in the stroller in the room, and just walk right out to downtown for a coffee and shopping.
Parking: They have a parking garage, and it is included with your room. Not bad.

Notes: So as soon as we got there, I walked in to the bathroom, and got a tiny piece of glass stuck in my foot. We thought it was weird, but whatever. Then it happened to Jon. So I looked, and the bathroom had a ton of tiny shards of glass everywhere. I talked to the front desk and requested a new room, mostly because Cohen is a crawler. There were no other rooms, so they instead went in with a vacuum and gave us the room for free. I still had to get down on my hands and knees and pick up tiny bits of glass later, but I thought they dealt with the problem pretty well. It turned out that the last guest had dropped a glass on the ceramic tile. We would definitely stay at this hotel again, because we were so happy with the quick and apologetic way they dealt with our issue.

Hotel review: Courtyard Marriott, St. John's

We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in St. John's on Saturday. We like to go into town every few weeks or so, just to go to coffee shops and walk around downtown and buy books, etc.

(very uncomfortable furniture)

Price: $315 (taxes included) per night for the "junior suite", but I think you can get a normal room for around $200 per night. 

Bathroom: Nothing special. The products are Paul Mitchell, which is decent. The bathroom was old and beige, but clean. 

Breakfast: No, but there were sometimes cookies when we passed through the lobby, which is a Marriott thing for sure. 

Wifi: Free for the super basic package, but $4.99 if you wanted to watch videos or anything. We didn't end up needing anything more than the free basic wifi. 

TV: Good TV. There was one in the bedroom and the little living area in our room, which was nice. 

Pool: Nope. 

Location: Excellent. The best thing about this hotel, for sure. We could push the stroller right from our room, to all the good downtown shopping. The Sheraton, our usual favorite, is close to this hotel, but still not quite as good for location. 

Parking: Free, and right across the street. Easy. 

Notes:

- OK, I am all about room service now that we have the little dude. I used to think of room service as super fancy, but I don't even find it that much more expensive that going out for supper. Anyway, this hotel was under extreme renovations on the weekend, and room service was not available! There was no mention of this on the website or on the reminder emails they sent me. Not cool. That is actually a make or break thing for J and I these days. 

- And, due to renovations, no gym. Also, not cool. J always looks forward to checking out the hotel gym after the dude goes to sleep, and I sometimes do too. I'm sure it will all be awesome after renovations are done. 

- And the room was teeny tiny. For the money, so not worth it. And the suites are all on the main floor right off the lobby, so it really feels pretty shabby and weird, and not like you are staying in a hotel at all. I would say that the stay was probably worth more like $185. Though they did give me $50 off when I complained about the lack of room service and gym. 

- Bottom line: I don't think we will be back. The location is the best, but the location of Murray Premises is exactly as good, and that hotel is way, way cooler. 

Review: Eagles Cliff Lodge

We stayed at Eagles Cliff Lodge in Bonavista Bay over the weekend. They got our business mainly because their website is really good compared to most accommodation websites in Newfoundland. 

I pretty much don't take pictures without the dude in them anymore. Also, now that I finally have an iPhone, I almost never bring along my normal camera. The phone is just so easy!

Cohen had a nice bath in the tub. The water in the area (like lots of areas of Newfoundland) is brown. Like, really brown. It's not a huge deal, but I was happy to get home to clear water coming from the tap.

Price: Expensive! $250 per night plus tax.
Bathroom: Small with a tub. There was also a small laundry in the washroom, which could be convenient for longer stays.
Breakfast: No. Though there is a full kitchen with all the dishes, pots, pans, coffee makers you could need to make breakfast.
Wifi: There was wifi, but it was super slow.
TV: There is a really small TV in an awkward spot in the living room. I did wish there had been a tv in the bedroom.
Location: Pretty bad. They advertise as being close to Trinity and Bonavista, the really cute little towns in the area, but this place is a good 30 minute drive from there. The closest restaurant is maybe 10 minutes away. Be prepared to do a lot of driving if you stay here. But. There were lots of icebergs around.

Notes:
I really wasn't too impressed with this place. For the price and the isolated location, I would have liked to see a hot tub or a really fancy nice shower, or homemade buns in the morning (this is surprisingly common in NL). Two mountain bikes are supplied, but there is really nowhere to go with the bikes. The roads are really hilly and narrow and windy. Not safe for biking, especially with kids.

On the plus side, the bed was really comfortable. And it was really quiet at night. And there was a small hiking backpack in the closet that came in handy. This would be a good place to stay if you love hiking and kayaking, and it is July or August. Otherwise, I would recommend staying closer to the towns of Bonavista or Trinity.

Hotel Review: Irving West Hotel, Gander, NL

We stayed two nights at the Irving West in Gander on the weekend. They recently converted the hotel rooms into long-term stay suites with full kitchens. 

(baby on the stylish sofa)

(new kitchen)

(this photo could have been taken 10 years ago)

price: around $150 per night

bathroom: pretty '80's. pink dirty-looking tiles, tiny, dark.

pool: nope.

breakfast: no, but a full kitchen means you could technically make your own

wifi: yes, pretty strong and free

tv: good cable. we watched lots of 'til debt do us part'. addictive

location: pretty good. there is a Mary Brown's around the back, and the only bar in the town is attached to this hotel, which would be convenient if you were not parents to a 10 month old

parking: free

notes:

- the kitchen is pretty sweet, with a full fridge, and all the cutlery and stuff that you would need to make a meal. i am thinking we were the first ones to ever stay in this particular room since it was renovated, because a cupboard door came off in jon's hand when he went to open it :)

- stuff that is still old and dirty-looking: carpet, sofa, bathroom, bedding. 

- we loved having a separate bedroom and living room. it meant we could put cohen to bed, and still hang out and chat after.

- we would definitely stay here again next time we are in Gander. so much better than a single hotel room for us.