There are so many things to do in Maui that it can be hard trying to figure what all to pack into your trip! This quick guide includes some of my most highly recommended activities, including driving the Road to Hana, taking a helicopter flight around the island, going on a whale watching tour, and watching the sunrise on Haleakala. Below you’ll find what to do in Maui, where to stay in Maui, and where to eat in Maui!
I’ve been lucky enough to visit the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai three times in the last few years, and I have to say, it’s quite possibly my favorite resort to visit on the planet. There’s no doubt it’s one of the best resorts in Hawaii, and it’s easy to see why. This 5 star property features everything from 7 pools and 5 restaurants to an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus designed golf course set on a volcanic landscape. For our trip, we left at the end of January, which is high season for the Big Island as people try to escape the cold. It’s also the perfect season for whale watching, and if you’re lucky, you can see them right from the beach at the resort. Leaving Austin for this January/February trip was the perfect way to escape the cold fronts that had rolled into Texas, and the weather in Hawaii was perfect. “Winter” on the Big Island tends to be in the 70s/80s with lows in the 60s, so while you’ll want to pack a sweater, it’s much more mild than most other destinations.
The brand new Radisson RED Portland Downtown only opened in November, so I’ve been one of the first bloggers to get to check it out. To book a stay, currently using it is only 37,500 Radisson Rewards points a night, which is a really good deal! So the total for a 3-night stay like my trip would only be 112,500 points! If you’re low on points, Radisson Rewards also often offers a Points + Cash option. Because of my Gold status with Radisson Rewards, I also received a free upgrade upon check-in to a beautiful and spacious corner room for the duration of my stay.
Last month, Radisson Rewards gave me 1 million points and told me to book a dream vacation. I was told I could go anywhere in the USA, but I had to visit at least two different places during my trip. One of the National Parks that has been on my bucket list for quite awhile is Glacier National Park, so when they told me a brand new Country Inn & Suites had just opened up in Kalispell, Montana back in June, I knew that was where I wanted to base my trip around.
I recently went on the trip of a lifetime with Radisson Hotels to Glacier National Park in Montana and to Minneapolis, all booked using 1 million Radisson Rewards. While planning this epic trip, I opted for Minneapolis for several reasons: 1) the State Fair would be in town, and Minnesota has the 2nd largest State Fair in the country after Texas!; 2) I’ve been to Minneapolis before, but had never explored properly; 3) I have always wanted to visit the Mall of America; 4) Radisson has some of their best property redemptions in Minneapolis, including the Radisson Blu Downtown, the Radisson Blu at the Mall of America, and the Radisson RED Downtown; and 5) Minneapolis is one of the few non-stop flight options from Kalispell, Montana. Initially, I had planned to spend more time in Minneapolis exploring all three luxury Radisson properties, but my travel schedule unfortunately did not allow it. So, after some research, I picked the Radisson RED for my time in Minneapolis for a unique and modern hotel stay experience.
New York City has so many amazing choices for rooftop bars with a view, but there are some that stand above the rest. Whether it’s a view over Times Square, right in front of the Empire State Building, or overlooking Central Park, these are some of the best rooftop bars in NYC.
I recently had the opportunity to spend a lovely weekend exploring the Finger Lakes, a region of upstate New York, and to follow their wine trail. If you’re based on the East Coast, the Finger Lakes are a perfect weekend getaway within short flying distance. And even for me based in Texas, it was not a difficult trek to fly up for there just the weekend. Once we arrived in Rochester, NY, we made our way to Belhurst Castle in Geneva, NY, the first stop on our itinerary.
A little while back, I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Archer Hotel Austin at Domain Northside. The boutique hotel has eight floors with 171 rooms described as “rustic luxe” style, including several unique suites like the Archer Den that I stayed in. Some rooms of note have standout features such as private balconies and free-standing tubs. For dining, there is one restaurant on property, Second Bar + Kitchen, run by award-winning Chef David Bull.
Hotwire has an exciting new deal launching today that will get you to Las Vegas on the cheap! Through their HotRates program, Hotwire is offering $50 5-star hotel nights in Vegas, good for dates between December 8-28, 2017 for up to two consecutive nights per booking.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Santa Fe with Tourism Santa Fe. It was a lovely weekend trip where we learned all the best food spots, shopping, places to stay, and other fun activities to do in the city. From their famous Margarita Trail to Meow Wolf, we got to explore everything the city of Santa Fe had to offer. Here’s my full itinerary from the weekend.
Welcome to Ready Set Jet Set. Haley is the blogger behind Ready Set Jet Set, a travel blog based out of Austin, Texas featuring all the best in solo female travel, adventure travel, weekend getaways, and so much more. She’ll go wherever the winds take her!