Aloha Friday

This is my first time to join Aloha Friday.

My question for today is 'What is your most memorable vacation trip?'

For me, I have to say that our Disney Cruise trip is one of the memorable trip for me. For one, it's the first time that I cruised. I have heard so much about you can either Love it or Hate it. I'm glad that I loved it. Also we are a huge fan of Disney. We have always vacationed at Disney World way before we have kids. And now that we have kids it's even more of the reason to go there. It's just something in the water there that makes me feel like a kid again whenever I visit there. Going on a Disney Cruise did bring back the same thing. We enjoyed our time chasing after the Characters for the signature or just roaming on the ship. I especially loved the private island there.

So now we are planning another cruise to the Carribean. The reason that we didn't go with Disney again mainly is budget. But I would love to go back again.

Five Finds for Friday - Budget Travel

I want to start a new ritual on my blog. Five Find for Friday will be about five things I find useful for Friday. It will be something that will help in planning a great weekend trips or an upcoming vacation.

The first one for this Friday is about five websites for planning your vacation on a budget.

1) VRBO.com - The Vacation Rentals By Owner is a good and economical way to save on your accomodation. You will definitely get more for your money when comparing to book a hotel versus a villa at your destination. The site is in a simple design at best. Don't expect any fancy graphic or feature but it gets the job done.

2) Wi-Fi Free Spot - With the new technology you can't deny the fact that internet is part of everyday life. Even if you want to get rid of it but sometimes it becomes handy during your vacation. This site allows you to find out where the Wi-Fi free spot is on your destination. Save yourself from internet cafe charge for your souvenir.

3) Airfare Watchdog - Sign up for the weekly newsletter of home city for any deals during that week. There are deals that are unadvertised and you will be the first one to know. The site will take you to the booking site that has that promotion.

4) Budget Travel - Provide deals and round up of deal of the month. This site is easy to navigate. However, the destination information is not as extensive as other well-known destination guide site.

5) Frommers - This well-established destination guide website is based from best selling travel books publisher. You can literally find the information for any destination with well written information. I always go there first to check out the information about my destination.

So there's my find for this week. There are plenty more that I'm sure are equally good. But hey! you can't please everyone, right?

Let me know what is your find for this Friday! Check out more finds here at Frugal Friday.

Persian Teahouse & Mediterranean Cafe

This week I have been on the world tour for lunch time. Normally, I pack lunch for work (not by choice but more by necessicity). However, with the cold snap this week along with the laziness that build up in me we have been ignoring our lunch we packed in the past few days. And when we eat out, I love to eat in the ethnic food restaurant rather than typical chain restaurant. It just makes me feel a bit more like I'm on my little vacation.

I'm a very easy eater. If it doesn't taste so bad, I will probably eat it all. So I'm not a really good food critic.

First stop for this week is Papoulis Mediterranean Cafe. It's a good size, quick bite Greek cafe. The food is fabulous especially Gyro Beef & Lamb. The cucumber salad that comes with it is fresh and tasty. The deco is nicely done with a huge map of that part of the world on the wall. There is little corner with cook book, snack, cheese and other ingredients that you might find in a Mediterranean market there. Plus the price is very reasonable ranging from $3-9 depends on what you order and how big your appetite is that day. It's a quick escape to a little Greek in the middle of the South.

Our second stop of the week is Darvish Persian Teahouse. What a great place to try the authentic Persian food and take in the real atmosphere of the Persian Teahouse. The decoration puts you right in the Persian teahouse. Ok.. I have never been to one but a co-worker who came from there said it's pretty close. I just felt like I have stepped into another world away. Now, it doesn't mean that the deco will be the only thing that will impress you. The food is ... fabuuuuuuloussssss. I ate and ate till I felt the pain.

We went during lunch on the weekday and they had the buffer all-you-can-eat for $7.99. Great price considering what we had. I started off with Rice and Gourmet Sabzi (a blend of green herbs), Gheimeh (tomato stew), Kashk-o-Bodenjan (a delicious blend of eggplant in a golden sweet onion) and grilled veggie. Then I moved on to the real heavy stuff. The Kabob-e-Kubideh (ground beef), Kabob-e-Barg (tenderloin) and Joojeh Kabob.. Yum yum.. I finished up my meal with Hot Persian tea. It had an amazing aroma. That wrapped out our perfect meal.

If you go during weekend evening, you will get to enjoy the entertainment as well. I haven't tried that yet but you bet that it is on my to-do list already.

What can be better than trying a little bit of different cultures without breaking the bank! I know that it can't compare to the real experience but at least it gives me the taste of what is the real experience can be magnified once we get there one day. :)

13 Things to do in or around Atlanta

This week Thursday Thirteen I got the idea from the blog posted by the Atlanta Traveler. Since I live here, I think it's more appropriate to talk about things we can do in or around Atlanta area that are kid-friendly .

1) Georgia Aquarium - You can't come to Atlanta and not visit the GA Aquarium - The World's Largest and Most Engaing Aquarium. With its unique design you can explore the aquarium at your leisure.

2) World of Coca-Cola - This brand new museum dedicated entirely to Coke is one thing that we have yet to visit. It sits next to the GA Aquarium in the downtown area. If you are a coke memorabilia collector then I guess you can't go wrong here. Plus who can resist tasting nearly 70 different products from around the world.

3) Centennial Olympic Park - Spring is right around the corner so it's time to check out what is on the calendar at the park. With the new All Children's Playground and variety of events like Music @ Noon or Wednesday WindDown, it's no surprise that this is one of the best thing to do when you are in Atlanta. Plus it won't hurt that all these events are Free.

4) Atlantic Station - This modern mixed-use district with the concept of Live, Work and Play in Midtown is a good stop for any visitors or local. The area surrounds by various restaurants, shops, movie theatre. There are also various events throughout the year.

5) Imagine It! Children's Museum - A great place for children of all ages. Perfect to take a break during a hot day in Hotanta if you come to visit during Summer or cold day in winter. With calendar fulls of events, no wonder parents keep coming back here.

6) Zoo Atlanta - A good size zoo perfect for family with small children. It's not too big to overwhelm little kids but enough to keep them interested. Don't forget to visit the Panda exhibit! And if you feel too tired, you can always hop on the Train express for a short break.

7) Atlanta Botanical Garden - A great place to visit especially during Spring and Summer. They have variety of flowers and plants and special exhibits throughout the year. Also with little kids in mind they will get to explore in the Children garden perfect for the pint-size visitors.

8) Stone Mountain - This Atlanta Theme Park is one of the top destination for visitors. However, Stone Mountain is not just about the theme park, you can also have a good fun weekend with your friends and family in their picnic area. You don't need to pay for the park ticket but you will have to pay for the parking per vehicle. There are also lodging inside the park and golf course. This is what we call all-in-one.

9) Chattahoochee River National Park - A great park along the Chattahoochee river on the Northern part of Atlanta. This park stretch over 48 miles along the river. Visit the headquarter to check out any special activities or go on a picnic in the park. For more active families, you won't be disappointed in many outdoor activities like hiking, walking, rafting or river tubing.

10) Piedmont Park - The favorite in-town park next to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This park has everything for everyone in the family even your fur friends. The dog park, playground, picnic area and swimming pool just to name a few.

11) Fernbank Museum of Natural History - The Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a great place to visit especially with your children. They will get to explore, learn and connect with the cultures and the history around the world. Plus, it won't hurt to have the Dinosaurs in the middle of the lobby for them to check out in awe.

12) Underground Atlanta - A unique market in the heart of downtown Atlanta. It's a fun place to shop and eat. We love the chicken wings at the food court. By far, it's the best we have had and who would have thought that it's in the food court.

13) CNN Inside Studio Tour - Another tourist attraction in downtown area. It's fun to check out what is really going on behind the scene. One of the longest escalator ride I have ever tried. If you are afraid of height, brace yourself!


Here it is folks, my Thursday Thirteen. What are on your list to do around town?

Are you ready for Spring Break?

As the Winter is coming to an end and we are approaching Spring, I have been busy checking and planning our little getaway. So here are some deals I found from Expedia. Don't wait till the last minute as good deals and great price will get snatched away. It pays to start early!

How about Spring Break on the beaches:

Pacific Mexico: Flight + 4 nights from $431 - Expires 3/17/08
Hawaii: Flight + 4 nights from $486 - Expires 3/31/08
Cruises from only $199, Plus up to $100 shipboard credit - Ongoing
Caribbean: Book early and save! Packages from $441 - Ongoing

Or how about explore the Cities:

Vegas hotels from $40, Flight + 2 nights from $262 - Expires 3/14/08
Paris: Hotels from $170; Air + 3 nts from $869 - Expires 3/18/08
Orlando on sale: Save 30% on 3+ nights! - Expires 3/28/08

Remember you snooze, you loose!

7 days with Dora?

Royal Carribean is launching a new Theme Cruise - Nickelodeon Family Cruise.

Can you take 7 days with Dora and SpongeBob?