2 December 2010
Posted by Jay
Since we didn't have plans for Thanksgiving and since Ella had 2 vacation days for school we decided to plan a trip for the week. It was suggested to us that Guam is a very popular beach vacation that is close by and that other places that we thought were close, really aren't! When we looked into it more we found that it is only a little more than a 3 hour flight. On top of this, we got a great deal on tickets and hotel.
We left for Guam on Tuesday, which was also a Japanese holiday, meaning the flight was packed! There was only one other non-Japanese family on the flight, also Americans. The nice thing about flying into a U.S. territory is that you go through U.S. immigration. So while all of the other passengers went through non-U.S. immigration, a huge line, we walked right up to the U.S. citizen counter and went right down to our bags. We had arranged for hotel transportation and after a little searching we found him and started our very short journey to the hotel.
We stayed at the Westin in Guam and found it to be a really nice hotel. We paid a little extra cash to have a Royal Beach Club (RBC) room and it was worth every penny. The driver of our van gave us cold bottles of water (more on bottles of water later in the post) when we got in the van and we got to check-in at the RBC lounge on the 21st floor. Our room was huge compared to our recent experiences in Japan and Europe, with 2 amazing queen beds and a crib for Abby. The bathroom was also huge with a tub and a separate shower. Needless to say, with 90F sunny weather and multiple pools and the beach it did not take us long to don swimsuits and head down to the pool and beach.
After some much needed pool and sun time we headed back for showers and to get ready for dinner. Part of being in the RBC we had access to the lounge that always had soda and coffee and sometimes cookies or muffins. Everyday from 5-7 they had an open bar and appetizers. We did not spend a lot of time at the happy hour as the kids were ready for dinner, but I did eat raw chicken for the first time and some other interesting appetizers.
Our first dinner was right across the street at the Outback Steak House. It was really nice to see prices in U.S. dollars and in U.S. prices. Our very tired family enjoyed a nice meal before heading back to the hotel to catch some zzzz as Wednesday would be a full day at the beach/pool!
After a good breakfast in the RBC lounge on Wednesday (included in the stay), we went down to the beach and to our cabana (complimentary for RBC guests!). The girls played in the sand and the water for a while and then Abby started to get very sleepy! We got her to rest in the cabana for a few hours, which worked out well for the rest of us - no one had to go sit in the hotel room with her and Ella got to roll around in the sand a while longer. Not sure why, but that's what she wanted to do!
After Abby woke up, we rented a peddleboat from the hotel and took the girls out for a spin. And that's all it was, a spin. We couldn't figure out how to steer the thing and fun turned to frustrating in just a few minutes! We hauled the boat back in and traded it in for an ocean kayak. Abby and Jess headed upstairs to clean up for lunch while Ella and I headed out on the water.
Wednesday lunch was at TGIFriday's and we all filled up on american fare, like grilled cheese sandwiches and broccoli cheese soup. We headed back to the hotel and straight to the pool. We found things for the girls to float on in the hotel lobby shop for cheap and they were the best purchases of the trip! It made our time in the pool so much more enjoyable and safer for everyone. And Abby was able to begin her training for adulthood of enjoying drinks in the pool.
Dinner Wednesday night was at the Hard Rock Cafe and after playing all day, we were all wiped! So back to the hotel to get some rest.
Thursday was Thanksgiving day. Jess was able to get in a massage at the spa in the morning while the girls and I played at the beach. The Turkey Day buffet was fully booked, so we had sandwiches at the lobby cafe. Then we got in a little Thanksgiving Shopping madness and got a ride to the local Kmart. But not just any Kmart - the LARGEST KMART IN THE WORLD! They had all kinds of 'black friday' deals going on and we discovered on the ride over that our dvd player was not working so we went to buy one. The place was crazy busy. We picked up a few extras like diapers, wipes, snacks for the girls and found our ride back to the hotel. Best part about the trip to Kmart - the sign that said "additional parking on the roof". Yes, you could park on the roof of Kmart. Guam is not a big island - I think its an ingenious way to save space. Until a car crashes through the ceiling I suppose.
It rained while we were in Kmart, but was sunny again by the time we got back. We changed back into swim gear and headed to the pool for the afternoon and later did some beach exploration. Dinner that night was at Planet Hollywood and afterwards Abby crashed hard back at the hotel. Ella watched a movie, Jess got some work done and I headed down to the gym for a workout. Not a typical Thanksgiving day for us, but we enjoyed it!
At breakfast on Friday the late NFL game was on TV in the lounge. We ate up and snuck in a few more hours at the pool that morning. Ella watched the Macy's parade on replay while we packed and ate lunch. So we did get a few touches of Thanksgiving! A quick lunch and then it was check-out and back to the airport. The flight home was so easy. We were able to spread out and Abby slept almost the entire trip. Ella is becoming an expert traveler and was no problem on the way home. By the time we got back to Tokyo and then to the house, it was time to call it a night. We were all exhausted from our travel day, but had a great time! It was the perfect length to just 'do nothing' and get some rest before the craziness of the holidays starts up.
Kanpai!
Jay
Posted by Jay
Since we didn't have plans for Thanksgiving and since Ella had 2 vacation days for school we decided to plan a trip for the week. It was suggested to us that Guam is a very popular beach vacation that is close by and that other places that we thought were close, really aren't! When we looked into it more we found that it is only a little more than a 3 hour flight. On top of this, we got a great deal on tickets and hotel.
We left for Guam on Tuesday, which was also a Japanese holiday, meaning the flight was packed! There was only one other non-Japanese family on the flight, also Americans. The nice thing about flying into a U.S. territory is that you go through U.S. immigration. So while all of the other passengers went through non-U.S. immigration, a huge line, we walked right up to the U.S. citizen counter and went right down to our bags. We had arranged for hotel transportation and after a little searching we found him and started our very short journey to the hotel.
We stayed at the Westin in Guam and found it to be a really nice hotel. We paid a little extra cash to have a Royal Beach Club (RBC) room and it was worth every penny. The driver of our van gave us cold bottles of water (more on bottles of water later in the post) when we got in the van and we got to check-in at the RBC lounge on the 21st floor. Our room was huge compared to our recent experiences in Japan and Europe, with 2 amazing queen beds and a crib for Abby. The bathroom was also huge with a tub and a separate shower. Needless to say, with 90F sunny weather and multiple pools and the beach it did not take us long to don swimsuits and head down to the pool and beach.
View from the beach:
After some much needed pool and sun time we headed back for showers and to get ready for dinner. Part of being in the RBC we had access to the lounge that always had soda and coffee and sometimes cookies or muffins. Everyday from 5-7 they had an open bar and appetizers. We did not spend a lot of time at the happy hour as the kids were ready for dinner, but I did eat raw chicken for the first time and some other interesting appetizers.
Our first dinner was right across the street at the Outback Steak House. It was really nice to see prices in U.S. dollars and in U.S. prices. Our very tired family enjoyed a nice meal before heading back to the hotel to catch some zzzz as Wednesday would be a full day at the beach/pool!
After a good breakfast in the RBC lounge on Wednesday (included in the stay), we went down to the beach and to our cabana (complimentary for RBC guests!). The girls played in the sand and the water for a while and then Abby started to get very sleepy! We got her to rest in the cabana for a few hours, which worked out well for the rest of us - no one had to go sit in the hotel room with her and Ella got to roll around in the sand a while longer. Not sure why, but that's what she wanted to do!
After Abby woke up, we rented a peddleboat from the hotel and took the girls out for a spin. And that's all it was, a spin. We couldn't figure out how to steer the thing and fun turned to frustrating in just a few minutes! We hauled the boat back in and traded it in for an ocean kayak. Abby and Jess headed upstairs to clean up for lunch while Ella and I headed out on the water.
Wednesday lunch was at TGIFriday's and we all filled up on american fare, like grilled cheese sandwiches and broccoli cheese soup. We headed back to the hotel and straight to the pool. We found things for the girls to float on in the hotel lobby shop for cheap and they were the best purchases of the trip! It made our time in the pool so much more enjoyable and safer for everyone. And Abby was able to begin her training for adulthood of enjoying drinks in the pool.
Dinner Wednesday night was at the Hard Rock Cafe and after playing all day, we were all wiped! So back to the hotel to get some rest.
Thursday was Thanksgiving day. Jess was able to get in a massage at the spa in the morning while the girls and I played at the beach. The Turkey Day buffet was fully booked, so we had sandwiches at the lobby cafe. Then we got in a little Thanksgiving Shopping madness and got a ride to the local Kmart. But not just any Kmart - the LARGEST KMART IN THE WORLD! They had all kinds of 'black friday' deals going on and we discovered on the ride over that our dvd player was not working so we went to buy one. The place was crazy busy. We picked up a few extras like diapers, wipes, snacks for the girls and found our ride back to the hotel. Best part about the trip to Kmart - the sign that said "additional parking on the roof". Yes, you could park on the roof of Kmart. Guam is not a big island - I think its an ingenious way to save space. Until a car crashes through the ceiling I suppose.
It rained while we were in Kmart, but was sunny again by the time we got back. We changed back into swim gear and headed to the pool for the afternoon and later did some beach exploration. Dinner that night was at Planet Hollywood and afterwards Abby crashed hard back at the hotel. Ella watched a movie, Jess got some work done and I headed down to the gym for a workout. Not a typical Thanksgiving day for us, but we enjoyed it!
At breakfast on Friday the late NFL game was on TV in the lounge. We ate up and snuck in a few more hours at the pool that morning. Ella watched the Macy's parade on replay while we packed and ate lunch. So we did get a few touches of Thanksgiving! A quick lunch and then it was check-out and back to the airport. The flight home was so easy. We were able to spread out and Abby slept almost the entire trip. Ella is becoming an expert traveler and was no problem on the way home. By the time we got back to Tokyo and then to the house, it was time to call it a night. We were all exhausted from our travel day, but had a great time! It was the perfect length to just 'do nothing' and get some rest before the craziness of the holidays starts up.
Kanpai!
Jay
6:49 AM |
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1 comments
Comments (1)
Looks like you guys had a really nice time! The beaches and sun look gorgeous!! Can't believe how big the girls are getting, we can't wait to see you all at Christmas!!