Denver Hotel Hopping

It was difficult finding somewhere affordable to stay in Denver. We had all of our activities planned and wanted to stay in as central a location as we could. I searched AirBnB, but we knew we needed a car to get around, and many rented places did not offer free parking, thus making the stay not so affordable. The few places that did offer free parking were already booked. In the end we decided to go with our trusty standby, Priceline.

Marriott Gateway Denver Airport

Have you ever made what seemed to be a pretty good decision that turned out to be a great decision?

 We decided to take a late night flight out of Philadelphia so 1) We could have a full Saturday in Denver and 2) So we didn't have to miss a day of work.  Since we were arriving in Denver late, we booked a hotel near the airport that offered a free airport shuttle. There was no sense getting a rental car just to go to the hotel and sleep, so we figured we'd crash in bed, then take the shuttle back to the airport in the morning to pick up our car. Good plan, right?

Leaving Philadelphia, we finally experienced our first flight delay. There was some sort of computer issue. At first they tried to fix it by literally turning it off and on again.When that didn't work, we were instructed to get off of the plane. A new plane was found, but of course the flight crew timed out, so then we had to wait for a new flight crew. Our flight was supposed to leave Philadelphia at 9:30 pm, but didn't leave until 12:30 am. No worries for us though, we didn't have a connecting flight to catch, and we didn't have anywhere we had to be. 

We got to the Denver airport around 2:30 am Denver time, but for our internal clocks, it was 4:30 am. We weren't prepared for sleeping on a plane, we didn't have pillows or anything else, so we were exhausted by the time we landed in Denver. 

We were so thankful that we didn't have to deal with a rental car, or figuring out how to drive somewhere in an unfamiliar city. We just hopped in the hotel shuttle and fell into the extremely comfortable bed. 

The Marriott Gateway Airport Hotel was very nice. 

The rooms were clean, comfortable, and decorated perfectly. 

The staff were efficient and kind. 

I was a bit sad that we weren't staying at the Marriott for our entire trip, but it was just a bit too far from some of our activities. It was the ideal place to spend a night, or in our case, an early morning, after a flight delay. 

Quality Inn Denver Central

We nicknamed this hotel the "wake and bake." It is considered a 4:20 hotel in Denver meaning that they don't forbid the smoking of marijuana on property. We are not partarkers. We stayed here because this was the hotel that Priceline picked. We still can't decide if this was our first Priceline fail. 

Pros
- They offer free shuttle service to parts of downtown Denver, including Coors Field. A lot of the roads get shutdown for the ball games, so I think we would have been frustrated driving to the ballpark, plus we saved money on parking. The shuttle was easy, convenient, and on time. 

- The location was convenient for getting on the major roads to get to where we needed to go

- The front desk staff were pleasant and always helpful 

- It's probably one of the most inexpensive hotels in the area 

Cons
- It's a bit of a party hotel (this might be a pro for some). People were always lugging cases of beer into the elevator. We must have had a look, because we were placed on a very quiet,empty floor.  

- The elevator always smelled like pot. The hallways and our room smelled like a combination of mildew and birthday cake. 

- It's located in an industrial park area, so if you are expecting a place with mountain views, trees, any kind of nature... you're out of luck. 

The rooms were basic and nothing fancy. It worked as a place to just crash after a busy day. The bed wasn't uncomfortable. 

The issue was more that they seemed to be fairly newly renovated rooms, but appeared to be forgotten about and not well maintained. 

We really enjoy accommodations that include free breakfast. It doesn't have to be fancy. We're not picky.  

This was the first time that we actually passed up free breakfast after experiencing it once. I think they probably should have focused on quality over quantity. 

There was a lot of variety, but everything was the absolute cheapest quality. 

We opted for cereal, which tasted like stale cardboard. We were 99% sure the milk was powdered. The coffee was undrinkable. Again, we are generally not super picky, but we just couldn't do the breakfast for a second day, even if it was free. 

If you just want someplace affordable to crash in Denver, then stay at the Quality Inn, but if we went back to Denver, I would not stay there again. 

Baymont Inn and Suites Denver Airport

We left Denver with a similar plan to what we had arriving. Stay close to the airport for convenience. Unfortunately, Priceline did not grace us with another stay at the Marriott. Instead it selected the Baymont Inn and Suites, near the Denver airport. It was clearly a popular place for people to spend their last night. 

Baymont was fine for a one night stay. It was clean, and the bed was okay. It suffered a bit from the same, new- but- not- well- maintained disease that Quality Inn had, though not as severe.

 Still, it was perfectly fine as a place to stay the night before a flight. 

Baymont also offered a free breakfast, but there was nothing that really enticed us, so we decided to head to the airport and see what they had. 

We liked the Marriott, but I can't say we were all that impressed with our other two stays Priceline booked in Denver. I would suggest doing a good amount of research before making your choice. 

Staying at Oasi on Caye Caulker

When it comes to accommodations, we can go either way. For short trips and trips where we are crazy busy running around, a clean, safe place to fall into bed is all that is really needed. For a more relaxed trip where we know we will be spending a decent amount of time at our accommodation, we tend to be more selective.

Though I  take Tripadvisor reviews with a grain of salt, I have never seen so many glowing reviews as I did when I was reading up on Oasi. Review after review raved about the wonderfulness of Oais and its owner Luciana. Since it ticked off most of the boxes for a place we would want to stay, I decided I had to see the wonderfulness for myself.

The Owner

As you can probably tell by her name, Luciana is originally from Italy. Artist, entrepreneur, scuba dive instructor, she is an amazing, renaissance woman. She had the perfect balance of letting us do our own thing, while ensuring that we had everything we needed, and making sure we were enjoying ourselves. She was friendly, energetic, and offered great suggestions. She mentioned that we should eat at Aladdin’s, and it ended up being our favorite meal of trip. I believe that Oasi minus Luciana would not be the same.

Other Cast of Characters 

Also encountered at Oasi was Micheal, Luciana’s other half, and Mama, Luciana’s Italian speaking mother. I wish I knew Italian because Mama was a friendly,lively lady. There were dogs and cats on ground. We grew particularly fond of Fifi, as she usually let us pet her and give her attention.

Some guests included two friends from Texas, a couple from New York, and by far our favorite guests, Brian and Evelyn from Ontario, Canada. We got to talk with them for a bit while enjoying some afternoon drinks. Brian and Evelyn were staying at Oasi for two months. Brian is a writer. He wrote a noir novel, Belizean Sextet:Six Tales of Adventure. I plan on acquiring it once my to-read pile reduces. Brian is also a travel blogger. You can check out his blog, Brian's Belize, here. Before we left for home, Evelyn was kind enough to give me a copy of a Canadian Geographic Travel Magazine. The magazine featured  Canada’s national parks. It definitely provided more places for us to add to the list.

The Apartment 

Oasi is comprised of four apartments. We stayed in apartment 3. 

There was air-conditioning, but we never used it. It was cool enough in the evenings to sleep with just the fan and the windows open, delivering fresh island air throughout the night. During the afternoons we hung out outside on our lovely little patio, because... hammock. 

There is no better nap, than the one taken in a hammock. 

If our stay was longer, we probably would have taken more advantage of the kitchen. It was nice having a refrigerator to store our juice. Our room also had a water cooler, so we could refill our water bottles.

Our room was always clean, and there were nice touches, like the fresh flowers that adorned  our table.

The Grounds

We found out during the week that Michael is a landscaper, which I’m sure attributed to the loveliness of the grounds. I always have to take the obligatory picture of a hibiscus.

The Location

Perhaps the only slight downside of Oasi, is that it isn’t on the water, but we did have use of a dock, and that was just fine. The dock almost looked too beautiful to be real.

Oasi is right near the island’s airport. It was fun relaxing in the lounge chairs while watching the planes and boats go by. 

We happened to visit during a few days of constant breeze. Really great for keeping things cooled down, and keeping the bugs away, but it made the water surrounding the dock too choppy for swimming (the water at The Split was still calm). 

No worries though, as Oasi had a pool. 

The pool was great for cooling off during the warm afternoons. The pool's water temperature was perfect. We said it over and over again,

“The water is perfect. How can it be so perfect?”  The pool had a nice deck with chairs that were great for reading.

The distance from the main town area is a plus or a minus, depending on how you look at it. Oasi is located away from the main town near the opposite end of the island. We enjoyed being able to walk to town, and then escaping back to the relaxed quietness of Oasi. It’s an easy walk to town, and given that our day jobs are rather sedentary, we enjoyed indulging in the physical activity, especially after a filling dinner and ice cream. If you prefer to peddle instead of pad, there were bikes assigned to each apartment that were free for guests to use.

 Il Baretto 

On the grounds of Oasi there is a wine bar, Il Barreto. Wine is pretty scarce on the island, where beer and rum abound. The bar opens only in the evening, and serves drinks and bruschetta. One of the evenings there was live music, so we decided to relax for a spell before dinner. 

Tommy, the musician, did a great job. I enjoyed all of the songs that he played. Note that Mama had a special, on stage seat. 

I liked that we were able to choose from a variety of bruschetta. 

The one with grilled peppers was my favorite, followed by the eggplant, which was like an eggplant spread. It was nice to have a little snack, a glass of wine, and some good music. Even if you don’t end up staying at Oasi, I’d recommend music night at Il Barreto.

A Special Event 

If you knew me well, you would know that the sign caused laughter, because of course we just happened to be staying at Oasi when it was hosting a Book Fair and Art Exhibition. 

I’m obsessed with books.

The event was very nice and well attended. 

I think our favorite part though was watching all of the local artists and authors setting up. Maybe I just like organization and logistics a little too much, and what artist, no matter their craft, hasn’t fantasized about painting, writing, sculpting, etc…while living on an island. Here folks are living that dream.

I am in desperate need of a new camera and deeply regret that the picture I took of Luciana with her artwork did not turn out, but believe me when I say that she is a very talented lady.

Just like the reviews on Tripadvisor, I couldn’t think of a single complaint about Oasi. The apartment was ideal, the grounds and pool are lovely. The company and Luciana were amazing, and it offered a quiet, relaxed atmosphere, while still being in walking distance to town.  I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else while on Caye Caulker. It was wonderful.

Getting to Caye Caulker-Part 1

Friendly Hotel Desk Clerk: Okay, I have you booked here for two rooms.

Us: What? No we should only have one room.

Friendly Hotel Desk Clerk: Hmmm, let me see {click-clack-clickity-clack} No, it says here two rooms. You are definitely booked for two rooms.

Us: Sigh.....

 We decided to spend the night near the Newark airport as our flight departed at 5:45am. It was surprisingly difficult to find a hotel near the Newark airport whose Tripadvisor reviews did not include photos of guests riddled with bed bug bites.  Springhill Suites seemed to be our best option if we didn’t want to carry unwanted insect passengers in our luggage. 

Our bug free bed 

The best available price was the one actually stated through Tripadvisor’s website, so I ended up booking directly through them. Of course what I found out at the desk of Springhill Suites is that Tripadvisor then books you through a third party. Through some glitch in their system they had accidentally, simultaneously booked us through two different third parties, Expedia and Get a Room. I had absolutely no Expedia information. No paperwork, no confirmation number, but I did have the paperwork for the Get a Room confirmation, so the clerk booked us in using the Expedia reservation and advised us to call Get a Room and have them cancel their reservation. If we didn’t get one of the reservations cancelled, we’d be charged for both rooms. 

Me: I explain the situation to the person answering the phone

Joe: I'm going to have to transfer you

Terrible hold music

Me: I explain the situation

Pete: I'm going to transfer you...

More terrible hold music

Me: I explain the situation

Donna: Actually, you have to call a completely different phone number, here I'll give it to you....

The issue seemed like something that should have been easy to resolve seeing as it was a glitch on Tripadvisor’s end, but it took forever. We spent almost two hours, precious hours we should have been sleeping before our 2:30am wake up call, on the

phone. Fortunately we did end up getting the second reservation cancelled, but I will be hesitant to book a room through Tripadvisor again. It wasn’t the best way to start off a trip.

 2:30am, we got ready in record speed, then caught the hotel’s 24 hour airport shuttle to the Newark airport. 

This part of traveling always gives me anxiety. Not the flying part, I enjoy flying, just the making sure that everything falls into place part. I’m usually not fully relaxed until my bag has been successfully set down on the floor of my accommodation. 

Craig from the Indie Travel Podcast suffers the same anxiety and described it as feeling like taking a final exam. That really is the perfect description.

We passed through security smoothly, though while I was waiting for Shannon, I witnessed two of the security screeners arguing and almost getting into a fist fight. Ah, New Jersey.  

I'm always mesmerized by the people who can chow down on greasy egg sandwiches and massive fruit and yogurt parfaits at 4:30 in the morning. All I can manage to do is sit down in my seat and stare. While I was staring, there was a girl yelling at her boyfriend for eating a muffin because it wasn't vegan. 

Once we were in the air, I pulled out my iPod. It was a little too early for reading or movies.  I wanted to go Meta for the first flight, so I saved up some of my favorite travel podcasts to listen to while in the air. Particularly, Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase, because then I was listening to a podcast about flying, while flying.  Whoa.  

We had one of those fancy screens at our seats where you can choose to watch a plethora of different movies or shows, but I preferred watching the flight progress.

We both have our airplane drinks. I don't drink Coke a lot, but I always choose it as my airplane drink. Shannon always gets Ginger Ale.

We landed in Miami in a bit of a panic. We had a very short layover and were aware that our next flight was probably already boarding as we waited to exit the plane. It seemed to take FOREVER for people to mosey their way off of the plane.  We bounced impatiently on our heals as Slowy McSlowster took his sweet old time retrieving his bag from the overhead bin, completely unaware of the backup of eager to disembark passengers behind him. The dread of a possibly missed flight started to envelop me.

In the most wonderful stroke of luck, our boarding gate was directly across from the gate we departed from. We even had time for the quickest bathroom break in the history of airport bathroom breaks. 

Next stop, Belize City, Belize.