Scoop Airport/Hotel/Travel Thread

[WarriorFan]

What booking service do you guys use for hotels/motels?

I use Expedia. Are there certain ones that you guys prefer?

Expedia owns most of the good booking sites.
https://welcome.expediagroup.com/en/about-us/about-expedia-group-travel-brands

As a hotel owner - I encourage people to always try to book through the hotel directly.  OTA's are a necessary evil because they increase occupancy but their fees are unbelievable.  I mark up all my prices on Expedia sites so I get the same net after their fees.  They call me monthly to get me to change to the prices on my site... I don't.

[MuggsyB]

I have to go to Orange County and am staying in Dana Point next week.  Where do I get a quality meal there without being robbed?  Ty. 

[Sandstone]

I have to go to Orange County and am staying in Dana Point next week.  Where do I get a quality meal there without being robbed?  Ty.

Shwack Beach Grill.

[MuggsyB]

Shwack Beach Grill.

Tyvm Sandstone. 

[warriorchick]

It's California. Everything is going to be expensive.

I have friends who live in Dana Point and I dropped $100 on Mexican takeout for 4.

[MuggsyB]

It's California. Everything is going to be expensive.

I have friends who live in Dana Point and I dropped $100 on Mexican takeout for 4.

I live in the Bay area but from my experience that particularly area is crazy costly. 

[pbiflyer]

It's California. Everything is going to be expensive.

I have friends who live in Dana Point and I dropped $100 on Mexican takeout for 4.

If that takeout was from Las Brisas in Laguna, you should have stayed and had a margarita on the patio and enjoyed the views of the Pacific. Then again the bill would have been far north of $100,…..from my experience at least. 


Serious answer, check out San Juan Capistrano up the hill. Could get better prices there. But it’s been years since I’ve been.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Trivia question: What MUMBB alum was from Dana Point?

[reinko]

Trivia question: What MUMBB alum was from Dana Point?

Mbao?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Mbao?

Good guess but no. Simi Valley

[pbiflyer]

Terry Reason?

[Lennys Tap]

Kaiten Reinhardt

[rocky_warrior]

Trivia question: What MUMBB alum was from Dana Point?

Don't care. needs to work on their SEO!?!

[Dr. Blackheart]

Kaiten Reinhardt

Yes, however with Katen, there was no D in Ana Point.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Don't care. needs to work on their SEO!?!

Xanax, Wojo and Dana Point seem to go together to me, aina?

[warriorchick]

If that takeout was from Las Brisas in Laguna, you should have stayed and had a margarita on the patio and enjoyed the views of the Pacific. Then again the bill would have been far north of $100,…..from my experience at least. 


Serious answer, check out San Juan Capistrano up the hill. Could get better prices there. But it’s been years since I’ve been.

This was literally a hole in the wall place... The same food from my favorite suburban Chicago place, La Taqueria in Hanover Park, would have been less than $40.

If you check it out, get the guacamole  And tell Francisco that I miss him.

[TheStrand]

This was literally a hole in the wall place... The same food from my favorite suburban Chicago place, La Taqueria in Hanover Park, would have been less than $40.

If you check it out, get the guacamole  And tell Francisco that I miss him.

A similar drive a few miles up the coast to Laguna and Newport Beach, would be Elgin for Hanover Park. Nothing at all against those fine exurbs 40-50 miles outside of Chicago, but the others are some of the more expensive parts of the Southern California Coast.

And if you spend some time there, you’ll find some good more affordable places too. Like anywhere else, you just need to know where to go.

[pbiflyer]

I am headed to Dublin for a conference. Have a couple free days. First time in Ireland. Know about the standard stuff, Guinness, temple bar, trinity library.
Other off the beaten path stuff? Considering a day trip to Belfast as well. Good, bad idea?
Sunday roast dinner suggestions? Fish and chips? Good craft beer bars?

[Galway Eagle]

I am headed to Dublin for a conference. Have a couple free days. First time in Ireland. Know about the standard stuff, Guinness, temple bar, trinity library.
Other off the beaten path stuff? Considering a day trip to Belfast as well. Good, bad idea?
Sunday roast dinner suggestions? Fish and chips? Good craft beer bars?

If you go to Galway or pretty much anywhere in Mayo I have a million suggestions. Belfast's cool, do a black cab tour or the troubles, titanic museum's kinda cool, there's a pub built from the stuff the titanic was made of.

As far as Dublin goes if you're not familiar with Irish sport see if there's a hurling or Gaelic football match on to watch or go do the croke park tour and GAA museum. Teeling has a great distillery tour. Still waiting to find food in Dublin that makes me go "that hits" so no suggestions there unfortunately.

[The Lens]

My wife and I have a trip coming up in late Aprll:

5 nights in London
2 nights in Positano
2 nights in Rome

Weve been to London + Rome so don't need much on the big stuff.  Would love hole in the wall lunch + dinner spots. Bars with great bartenders and some off the beaten path tours to do.  One thing we want to do in London is go to Wimbledon to see the grounds.

In Positano on day 1 we're hiking up to Montepertuso for dinner at Il Ritrovo (Thanks to Chris at Bob's Barber for the tip).

We love to walk a lot, stop and drink a lot and we hate being around tourists.

Thanks!

[Galway Eagle]

My wife and I have a trip coming up in late Aprll:

5 nights in London
2 nights in Positano
2 nights in Rome

Weve been to London + Rome so don't need much on the big stuff.  Would love hole in the wall lunch + dinner spots. Bars with great bartenders and some off the all tours to do.  One thing we want to do in London is go to Wimbledon to see the grounds.

In Positano on day 1 we're hiking up to Montepertuso for dinner at Il Ritrovo (Thanks to Chris at Bob's Barber for the tip).

We love to walk a lot, stop and drink a lot and we hate being around tourists.

Thanks!

Idk if it's your scene but the area around Hackney Wick is awesome. Dinner on a barge, beers at Crate brewery or howling hops, there's some appreciate the street art that's literally everywhere, other cute restaurants. I'd personally call it fairly off the beaten path.

[pbiflyer]

In Rome, well, across the river in Trastevere is a great beer bar, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa',(loosely translated - What am I doing here?,  aka the football pub. https://www.football-pub.com. Rumor has it that other members of this board have been there. They started out smuggling Belgium monk beers into Italy in their VW van. They have grown up sadly, but still fun and great beer selection.
While the internet has ruined every secret travel place, Trastevere is a bit off the beaten path and has a great collection of restaurants and bars and shops.

[warriorchick]

In Rome, well, across the river in Trastevere is a great beer bar, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa',(loosely translated - What am I doing here?,  aka the football pub. https://www.football-pub.com. Rumor has it that other members of this board have been there. They started out smuggling Belgium monk beers into Italy in their VW van. They have grown up sadly, but still fun and great beer selection.
While the internet has ruined every secret travel place, Trastevere is a bit off the beaten path and has a great collection of restaurants and bars and shops.

Very cool place.  They serve one of our favorite German beers, Schlenkerla there.

We stayed in Trastavere on our last trip to Rome, and I would never stay anywhere else.  A true neighborhood feel, great restaurants, but still walking distance to most of the stuff you go to Rome to see.

[dgies9156]

Going to Budapest, Munich, Prague and Vienna as part of a European trip/Danube River cruise (Viking).

Any suggestions? Been to Munich when it raised to high heaven. Want to see it for a day when I'm back. But, any thoughts Warrior Travelers?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Going to Budapest, Munich, Prague and Vienna as part of a European trip/Danube River cruise (Viking).

Any suggestions? Been to Munich when it raised to high heaven. Want to see it for a day when I'm back. But, any thoughts Warrior Travelers?

I was in Budapest in June 2022, two days for work and a weekend on my own and in Munich in November 2022.

Budapest riverfront was loaded with Danube cruise boats.  They were wheeling old people in wheel chairs from the airport to the boats.
Mass transportation was easy in Budapest.  I rode the trams and subway everywhere.
My hotel was near the Central Market Hall which I visited several times.
Check out the views from the Fisherman's Bastion, and Buda Castle (there is a Rail Incline up the cliff to it).  The Hungarian White House is next to Buda Castle.
The Parliament Building, of course.
The view from the top of Szent Istvan Basilica is great too. 
You have to visit Hero's Square and there a castle and park next to it worth walking through.  There is a George Washington statue in this park.
I like visiting Roman ruins.  Budapest was founded by the Roman Empire and was on the edge of it and there are great ruins to visit called Aquincum.
I ate 3 versions of goulash that I rotated every night.

Munich was a work trip and I was there only Wednesday through Saturday morning. 
I visited a different beer hall every night for dinner and the original Hofbrauhaus with a work colleague for lunch one day.
Since I'm a runner, my morning runs were my tourism stops.  Visit the Hofgarten and English Garten.  You have to watch the surfers in the English Garten.   
Anywhere in the Old Town is nice.

My wife was in Vienna and Bratislava (1 hr away) in the Summer 2023. 
Schonbrunn is the giant Hapsburg palace that she recommended.
There are several Viennese cakes and desserts that you have to try.  (I can't remember the name.)
My wife said Vienna was beautiful everywhere.
She caught glimpses of several buildings from a recent PBS show, Vienna Blood that we had been watching.

Prague is still on the visit list.  More good beer.