Travel Blog

The Spa Resort Casino Palm Springs is located in downtown Palm Springs, two blocks from the main street which is Palm Canyon Road.  The Spa Resort Casino up until last year also had a hotel on the property that patrons could stay at. Apparently the owners felt that it was getting quite dated and needed to be torn down. It closed in late 2014 and is in the process of being gutted. The owners have yet to announce what will be built in its place. It is owned by the local Indian group. They are as usual quite secretive about their plans for properties in and around Palm Springs.

Spa Resort Casino Palm Springs

As a casino, the Spa Resort Casino Palm Springs is an excellent yet small casino. Patrons in the Palm Springs area can enjoy. Many people who live downtown or within several blocks of the casino can easily walk to the casino. They can enjoy an evening out for a few drinks, dinner and gambling. It is a modern building built-in desert tones. They have lots of the popular slot machines that most patrons like. They also have a number of table games that will appeal to the black jack, roulette and craps players.

There are lots of free surface parking and many people also take advantage of the valet parking available at the entrance. We have also seen movie shoots for advertisements as well as movies set up at the entrance and the parking lots. These are very interesting to watch. It is amazing given the attention to detail and the number of people who are involved. We have not had a chance to be in the background of one of these movies yet, but are looking forward to it. You never know which stars you will see in one of these.

Visit the Spa Resort Casino Palm Springs and also spend some time in downtown Palm Springs. There are many restaurants that you can enjoy and many also provide happy hours with reduced drink and food prices.

There are lots of lists of tips for losing weight. One list is shown in the picture. We will name a few more in this post that did not make the attached list in this post. But the fundamental tip is to make a decision to lose weight and be committed to losing weight. If you cannot do this, then the chances of success are much lower that you will lose weight and keep it off.

There are so many temptations in our world these days. Both in terms of quantity, selection and from fast food that is laced with lots and lots of calories. You really need to have a strong commitment to losing weight. You need this to face all of the temptations that her available to us. Use whatever tips that are on the list in the picture and from the tips that we list in the following paragraphs to help you maintain your weight and help you lose weight.

Tips for losing weight

Forget fad diets – The reek havoc with your body and they are not sustainable in the long term. Focus on a healthy diet instead.

Follow the 80/20 rule – if you’re dieting all of the time, you will have significant cravings for some of the fun foods like dessert. Make sure that 80% of the time you’re following your diet and save 20% for the fun stuff.

Focus on the positives – make your own decisions and focus on good food for you, rather than focusing on what you cannot have.

Get your sleep – the Ranger light so that you can get sufficient sleep to ensure a well balanced body.

Change up your workout – doing the same thing over and over game gets boring and also your muscles get training to those exercises. Add some variety to spice up your workout routine.

Careful at restaurants order wisely at restaurants to manage your total calorie intake.

Travel with snacks – to avoid becoming over hungry and eating too much.

Eat lean protein – for example turkey fish and chicken are lean protein examples that are good for you.

Drink lots of water – Stay hydrated throughout the day and also to fill you up to avoid eating food to deal with that hunger feeling.

Exercise when you can. – Take advantage of every opportunity to stand, walk or get in some additional exercise.

For more details about losing weight and exercise, click here.

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Many hotels are now charging travel resort fees to cover increased services and expenses. This goes directly to the bottom line and can greatly improve profit levels. These fees cover such services as the morning newspaper. Also free WiFi, access to the gym, and access to the business center. When you add this $10 to $35 cost to the cost of the room, plus a tourist tax, city tax and state tax, your $80 room suddenly costs $120 or more. That is for a relatively inexpensive room. The fees and taxes are much higher at major more expensive hotels in major cities. With many hotels adding these fees and the cost of the fees, it is to everyone’s benefit to figure out how to avoid these extra charges!

Avoiding Travel Resort Fees – Vote With Your Wallet

If you are a frequent traveler let the hotel chain know that you are upset and considering moving to another chain. Staying at hotels that do not charge these fees is another way to vote with your wallet. You can often obtain a hotel room without the travel resort fees, a free breakfast and free parking if you stay on the outskirts of a city instead of downtown. You may still need to pay a tourist tax, city tax and state tax, but at least you escape the dreaded resort fee tax.

Avoiding Travel Resort Fees – Frequent Travelers

These people who stay in hotels over 100 days a year can sometimes turn their patronage into discounts of various types in addition to receiving free rooms. By the way free rooms should not include any taxes, including travel resort fees.

Casino hotels routinely add resort fees to the cost of a room, unless you complain and negotiate the cost of a room and fees ahead of time. Always ask about the fees, what are included and if you do not need these services, ask for the services to be removed. You may not always be successful, but it does send a message especially if you do not plan to return.

Here are eight approaches to avoiding a surprise when you check out and / or eliminating the travel resort fee:

• Read the fine print before booking.
• Use hotel search engines that include all fees in their price comparisons.
• Be creative.
• Scrutinize your proposed hotel bill when checking in.
• Review your hotel bill before checking out.
• Be nice.
• Dispute any fee you weren’t told about in advance.
• Finally, complain to the corporation levying the fee.

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Losing weight the healthy way is pretty straightforward once you put your mind to it and have a little bit of knowledge. We were inspired to write this article based on a story that we read about a man whose name is Bryant. He was 40 years old, weighed 442 pounds, and was eating up to 8000 cal a day. He indicated that he needed 5500 cal to maintain his weight and that was amazing to him.

The average person needs less than 2000 cal to maintain their body weight assuming the regular active day.

Losing weight the healthy way

He did not know how his diet had gotten so out of control. But he viewed food as immediate gratification while going to the gym takes work. Walking takes work and moving takes work. This man through a lot of hard work and managing his diet was able to get down to 178 pounds!

He started by taking baby steps gradually reducing his diet from the 8000 cal per day until he was down to only 2100 cal per day. Simply reducing his calorie intake made a huge difference in helping him to lose weight. In addition he started exercising more which in turn burned more calories. he kept a log of how many steps he would take every day , how much exercise he would do every day and of course how many calories he ate every day.

Admittedly it takes a great deal of focus, and hard work to commit to exercising every day. It also takes commitment to reduce your diet but his results clearly show that it can be done. For more information about losing weight the right way, click here.

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When can I get the best casino comp’s? The answer is pretty straight forward and only requires a little flexibility in terms of when you travel and a little effort on your part. First and foremost you must be a casino slot card member. Inserting this card into the slot machine when you are playing will ensure that the casino knows you are playing, how long you are playing and how much money you actually gamble with. Based on these statistics, they will offer you a variety of casino comp’s which can include free meals, free rooms, free play and even transportation if you are a high roller. Once you have accumulated points etc, the trick is to know when to use them to maximize your return in terms of casino comp’s.

When Can I Get the Best Casino Comp’s

the absolute best time to maximize your casino comp’s is when they are not too busy. For example, one casino with a hotel attached to it is experiencing a slow period right now. A combination of the weather, the fact that there are no meetings or conferences going on all contribute to a low occupancy rate in the hotel and not many people in the casino. This is the best time to score a free room, maybe a couple of free meals etc, because they want to get people coming to the casino and gambling.

The worst time to go to a casino in terms of comp’s is when the hotel is full of convention attendees. One time we tried to book a room during a major conference and not only were we not comp’d for the room, they wanted to charge us $700 a night because they only had a few rooms left. This is for a room that normally sold for $100 a night and was normally comp’d during slower periods. It really pays to time your visit with the slower periods if you want to maximize your comp’s and save money for what you really like to do and that is gambling.

Below you will find some sample exercise programs. See a doctor before beginning any exercise program. Have a physical examination and have the Dr. recommend one of the exercise programs or another version for you. If your doctor does not make a recommendation, Make a self-assessment of your physical condition and choose a program yourself. Once you’ve begun the program, reassess your choice. If you feel like you are overexerting yourself, slow down. If you aren’t feeling the effect from your walk, try a faster pace.

Exercise Program – Dues and don’ts:

• Do see a doctor and talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program and get a full physical. Let the doctor choose an exercise program that is right for you.
• Do drink water, extremely important on hot and humid days, drink before, during and after your walk.
• Do you eat well, avoid Junkfood and all products with high-fat think cholesterol. Eat 3 moderately sized meals a day.
• Do you choose a smooth level surface which will result in less fatigue and fewer injuries.

• Don’t continue walking if you have chest pain, or overly tired, dizzy, feel pain or experience shortness of breath or can’t hold a conversation with someone. Stop walking and immediately see a doctor.
• Don’t walk right after or before meals. Walking two hours after meal and waiting 20 minutes after you walked to eat should be sufficient
• Don’t walk outdoors if it is extremely cold, hot or humid. Try an inside track or mall instead.
• Don’t walk on ice or walk during a lightning storm. Head for cover but not under a tree.

It’s now up to you!

Fitness in Winter Months is important. There are safe ways to accomplish or maintain your fitness regimen. This lady is enjoying herself, out on the road jogging. She is jogging on the gravel portion to maintain her grip and not slip on the ice. She has conditioned her body to deal with the colder air. As long as she keeps moving she will be warm with even the light clothing she is wearing.

The only criticism that we have is that she should be running on the left hand side of the road facing oncoming traffic. She should not be wearing earphones. She should be able to hear vehicles coming from behind her. We are not totally sure that she is wearing ear phones. But many joggers will wear them to help them focus and maintain their pace. This can be very dangerous for joggers in that they are not aware of their surroundings and are often hit by oncoming vehicles. Fitness in winter months or anytime really is also about being safe.

Fitness in Winter Months

If you are going to work out outside in the winter time, take the time to condition your body to deal with the cold weather. Not only do you have to build your muscles up to be able to jog for longer distances, you need to condition your lungs to deal with the deep breaths of cold air. In extremely cold weather protect your lungs by covering your face and especially your nose and mouth. In addition plan your route. For example you never want to be in a position where you have a chance to cool off and no where to go to get warm. The clothing you wear needs to be ready for cold weather. Your shoes are probably the most important since you need to have a really good grip to deal with ice and snow. In fact you may want to have several pairs to allow one pair to sufficiently dry out when using another.

Fitness in Winter Months – Workout Inside

In extremely cold climates, many people head off to the gym or walk in malls to avoid the cold weather, the snow and the ice. This can be far safer than working out outside. however there are other sports to consider such as cross country skiing, down hill skiing and snow shoeing.

For more exercise information, click here.

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All casinos have buffets and we have been to a lot of them. So when we say the buffet at the Beau Rivage casino is one of the best. We can speak with experience. The price for dinner on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday is $22.99. Thursday it increases to $25.99 and they are serving smoked prime rib. On Friday and Saturday they are serving a seafood extravaganza priced at $29.99.

All of the menu items are very nicely presented. Lots of high-quality food and many more menu items than you can possibly try. This is a great buffet and even better if you are comp’d. We were lucky to have a two for one deal.

Dinner Buffet Beau Rivage casino comp’s

This is one of the benefits of always using your slot card when you’re playing the casino slots or at the tables. The casino will award you free meals, free play and even free rooms depending on your play. They keep track of how much you spend each hour. How fast you are playing, what your winnings are. Also the size of your bets and how long you have gambled in each session. Based on a complicated formula that only they know, they will award you a variety of free things all in the attempt to keep you in the casino for a longer period.

Let’s face it if you leave their building you are possibly gambling somewhere else and they want to entertain you and attract you to staying at their location. They work hard at this and this is why you receive on-site comp’s such as free meals, show tickets and free play.

You are also served unlimited soft drinks, milk, and coffee as part of the buffet overall price. There is wine and beer available for additional purchase, although when you are playing the slots on the floor or one of the table games, you can have just about any free drink that you would like. Give the waitress a small tip, at least a dollar and you will be guaranteed to have great service with as many free drinks as you can handle.

Shoes make the Walker: shoes are the single most important piece of equipment for the walker. They can be the difference between having a fun, relaxing walk and an uncomfortable painful walk. It is important to get a good pair of walking shoes with the following characteristics.

• Provide support and comfort to all parts of the foot.
• Have enough toe room that you can wiggle your toes.
• Add firm support at the heel.
• Have flexible cushion so in order to aid in the walking gate and to absorb shock.
• Be made of breathable material, preferably leather, or fabric to allow perspiration to dissipate.
• Be lightweight

Walking Equipment

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An Athletic woman jogging in the winter.

It’s cold outside and you are really not up to running in the summertime let along in the middle of winter like this woman shown in the picture. She is trying to Stay Fit During Winter Months.  So How to stay fit during winter months like this woman shown in the picture? This is the question many people ask themselves, especially those that do not belong to a gym and those people who prefer to exercise outside. With winter snow conditions, even running is questionable due to the slippery conditions. Biking is possible provided that you have the right equipment, such as knobby tires and perhaps even studs in your tires. But what do other people do who want to Stay Fit During Winter Months?

Stay Fit During Winter Months

There are many exercises that individuals can use to help them stay fit during winter months. We will list as many as we can think of here, knowing that some may not appeal to everyone. Select those that work for you and they may include one or a combination of exercises that grouped together allow you to burn the calories you need to over the cold winter months. Here we go:

• Walking anytime, outside, the mall, to work, etc at least 10k steps
• Basement Gym, lifting weights, skipping, treadmill, etc
• Watching your diet and reducing the number of calories
• Completing a series of exercises – sit ups, push ups, chin ups etc
• Staying active all of the time and avoiding the couch
• Skiing – Downhill and cross country
• Snow shoeing
• Standing at work

From the above, you should get the idea that being active will burn calories and keep you from eating when you are bored. For many people, this can be extremely important. Staying inside away from the cold can be very boring, however, if you do not get moving and take advantage of your lifestyle to keep moving, then not only will your fitness decline, you will probably gain weight as well.

For more information about exercise, click here.

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Breakfast buffet Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi Mississippi are senior days. This is the day when seniors will receive both a breakfast buffet and a lunch buffet at half price. In addition they get two times points when they’re playing any slot machine other than poker keno machines. Points add up more quickly. They can be used for free meals, free rooms and other items that may be purchased with casino points.

Meals at half-price are a good deal for just about everybody. But any senior over 50 can take advantage of these prices. The buffet is excellent. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet and there were many items on the menu, and the quality was also excellent.

Breakfast Buffet Beau Rivage casino

We can specifically mention that the omelets cooked to order, along with ham prepared so that it is juicy and tender along with pancakes and maple syrup we’re really out of this world. Of course the meal also includes juice, coffee and tea or milk as requested.

The price of breakfast is $12.99 per person and on Wednesdays for seniors two can eat for the price of one. This is a really great deal and it is better than surrounding hotels such as the hard rock Hotel next-door. We had the buffet breakfast the previous morning at the Hard Rock Hotel and found that it did not measure up or even compare to the buffet at the Beau Rivage. There were few items available and it was over priced for what you received compared to other hotels like the Beau Rivage. We definitely would not recommend the Hard Rock for meals.

There is always a tendency to over eat when you go to a buffet. There are so many great choices and even if you only take a small amount of everything, your plate will be over flowing. Be selective and only take the items that you are really going to enjoy. Try to focus on relatively low calorie items such as fruit which is always plentiful and fresh.

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We recently posted an article about deuces wild video poker and we had won 10 four of a kind deuces wild for total win of $500. We also like to play Double bonus video poker.

A few days later, we are playing another video poker game, this time double bonus video poker and playing five games at a time. This time, a royal flush came up on the bottom line of cards which automatically carries to all the other hands. I was only playing five games at this time and not 10 as in the previous one. Not sure why just what I chose that day.

Amazingly, a royal flush pays $200 when you’re betting five Nichols per hand and there were five poker hands so for a $1.25 I was paid $1000. Pretty exciting! I’ve only been able to win like that once before where I got a royal flush and was paid $1000 , however I was betting quarters at that time.

Double bonus video poker

There are several different styles of video poker with multiple hands played. This particular one is probably the simplest one where you just play five or 10 hands at a time. Another type has a random multiplier that appears from time to time. If you have a winning hand your win is multiplied by the random number that pops up on the screen. The random multiplier ranges from 2 to 10. They can provide large payoffs if you catch the right hand and also a large multiplier at the same time.

Another type is also a multiplier, but is based on your previous hand. These multipliers can also range from 2 to sometimes as much as 12 times per hand. They only apply to the individual hand that won on the previous play. Again a large jackpot can be won in situations like this.

The hand above was played on a straight video poker machine with no multipliers. The cost was five credits per hand, which in my case was nickels. When you are playing multiplier games, they will charge you an additional amount. Which sometimes can be as much as three more credits per play.

It gets pretty exciting when you win these large hands at double bonus video poker

Running – no….cycle – No… Skating – No. None of these activities can make the claim that walking can! Walking for exercise is the number one participation sport worldwide. Why? Well here are a few good reasons.

Easy to do. There is no great challenge to walking. It does not require any special skills or advanced conditioning. Walking doesn’t require any special equipment or clothing. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes, comfortable clothing, a pedometer, and you’re all set.

Healthy when Hippocrates said that walking is man’s best medicine, he didn’t realize that thousands of years later, new benefits of walking would be discovered daily. Some health benefits of walking include:

• Burns almost as many calories as jogging
• Eases back pains
• Slims your waist
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduce the level of bad  cholesterol
• Reduces heart attack risk
• Enhances stamina and energy
• Lessons anxiety and tension
• Improves muscle tone
• Easy on your joints
• Reduces appetite
• Increases aerobic capacity
• Can be done in short bouts
• Slows down osteoporosis bone loss
• Can be done when you’re traveling

Walking for Exercise – Safety

Safe walking: walking is probably the safest exercise you could do. It doesn’t require prior training or conditioning and doesn’t involve a great deal of physical exertion in the beginning. Studies have shown that due to the design of our body, walking is more natural than sitting, standing or running, and walking is not as stressful to the body like other exercises. For example, running is much more stressful on the heart and joints and leads to many more injuries. The shock impact of a runner step is 3 to 4 times the person’s weight. For walking is only 1 1/2 times. Some sports like basketball and tennis can have as much as seven times a person’s weight.

While walking his easier on your body, it can be just as beneficial as running helping you lose weight. If you run for 30 minutes at 5 mph you will burn about 285 coats. If you walk for 30 minutes and 165 cal, 225 on a slight incline of 5%, and 360 cal on a 10% incline.

Walking: no advanced degree required there is no need to buy expensive videos, computer programs or manuals in order to learn how to walk. All you have to do is walk. Find a method that is comfortable to you and that’s all there is to it. Here are a few helpful hints on walking:

Posture is King:

In order to get the most out of walking, good posture is crucial. Keep your head up and your spine straight and look straight ahead. Keep your arms and shoulders loose, do not look down to avoid possible Road obstacles.

Take the regular breaths: never hold your breath.

Walk don’t run: to get the most out of your walk you should keep a brisk pace, but not fast. We should be able to individually determine the correct place shortly after starting our walk. If you think it is difficult to breathe easily, you’re obviously walking too fast.

Is your body trying to tell you something? The expression, ” if it feels good do it”, applies to walking in the opposite is also true. If you have a lot of pain or discomfort, check with your doctor.

Stride: try to take long, smooth strides. Your motion should be fairly effortless, with your arms at your sides for balance.

Watch for future posts about Walking for exercise. The next one will be “walking equipment”. For more posts about getting enough exercise and how to approach exercise, click here.

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When we are traveling, we look for cleanliness and hotels that meet the same standard no matter where we stay. The Holiday Inn Express – Surprise Arizona meets this requirement very nicely.  Very clean hotel and rooms, free parking, and great breakfast. Nice rooms with standard Holiday Inn furniture, fridge, coffee, etc. We do not want surprises when we arrive late at night and this one clearly met our requirements. We would stay at this Holiday Inn Express any time and would recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay. Another location that we can vouch for is the Holiday Inn in Fort Stockton.

Holiday Inn Express – Surprise Arizona

Very good breakfast again standard at the Holiday Inn Express – Surprise Arizona
Electrical plugs are available in the breakfast area to charge smartphones and computers. Many hotels that are not modern or have not been upgraded do not have these features. When your cell phone battery dies or your computer battery fails, you need a place to plug it in and recharge it so that you can continue working.

The front desk clerk was friendly and helpful, the kitchen staff was also friendly and helpful. They kept everything clean and immaculate despite a few kids and adults making a little bit of a mess. Tables were quickly cleaned and ready for the next guest to have their breakfast.

There are no restaurants nearby, and you really cannot walk to one either. Plan to take your car to any restaurant in the area. Traffic is not too bad in the area at night.

Lots of parking at the hotel, in a nice residential neighborhood. If you are looking for nightlife, then this is probably not the place to stay. There are more business people and travelers like ourselves passing through the area and staying at this particular hotel. We will stay at this hotel again in Holiday Inn Express – Surprise Arizona again the next time we go through the area.

For more posts about hotel services, click here.

We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Fort Stockton and were not very impressed. Normally we depend on the chains such as the Holiday Inn Express chain because they maintain good standards of cleanliness and breakfast menus. Not so with this particular hotel:

• No coffee in the morning for breakfast
• Phones did not work in our room and had to move
• Gravel in the parking lot from construction
• Gravel tracked into the hotel and onto the floors
• And onto the upper floors where there were new carpets
• Even elevator walls were dirty from someone rubbing a dirty muddy hand on the walls

Do not stay here at this hotel.  They wanted $137 per night for a room and did not even give us a discount because of the issues we identified. Even worse was the attitude of the front desk clerk in the morning. He actually smirked when I complained to him. Told me there was coffee in my room and there was nothing he could do about it. The manager was not in and there were no coffee filters to make coffee with. Nothing he could do about it.

With this attitude, even though they are spending a lot of money upgrading the hotel, it will deteriorate very quickly and all of the investment will be for nothing. We plan to never stay there again and will do what we can to warn other travelers that they should not stay at this location. You would think that with online reviews etc and customers reading them, these hotels would smarten up. No wonder many are struggling and they have no idea why their customers are going to other locations.

We were on a tight schedule otherwise we would have reported it to central reservations. While they might not do anything at least we would have had some satisfaction.

For more posts about hotel services, click here.

There are many different kinds of Video poker slot machines, however one I enjoy playing is deuces wild, multi hand poker. You are dealt one hand and then you decide which cards you want to keep for all of the other hands. Once you have selected the cards that you wish to keep, you press deal to draw new cards for those positions you did not hold.

Video poker slot machines

The picture above shows a real, if not unusual hand where I was dealt four deuces! Obviously I held the deuces which is shown on this picture and was paid 1000 credits per hand. This was a very jackpot even if I was only betting nickels! Note that for 10 hands the total bet is $2.50, which is not a shabby bet.

Video poker can be a lot of fun however like most games sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. This particular hand paid for our trip. It is one of the reasons I enjoy playing this game so much. When you do win a nice hand the payout is fairly large.

In this case you are playing 10 hands so you are betting ten times the normal amount, but when it pays it really pays well. The obvious trick is to get a really good paying hand dealt to you in the beginning which you then hold! Deuces wild ten handed video poker paid 10,000 credits !

A variation on this game is when there is a random multiplier that appears on the screen. In addition to winning whatever comes up on the screen the random multiplier will multiply the amount. This amount can vary from two times to as much as ten times your winnings. I have yet to win a large hand with a multiplier. One of these days there will be a large jackpot in my future!

We went to see the Houston space Center in Webster Texas which is just outside Houston. We stayed at a Holiday inn Express in Webster, Texas which is about six or eight minutes from the site. It was very easy to get from the Hotel to the space center. The Houston space Center is also known as the Johnson space Center.

The Houston space Center is an interesting place with lots of information and lots to see. Be prepared to spend the day and doing lots of walking as you move around the center. There is one main building with a variety of demonstrations. There’s also two trams that will take you to different buildings on the site. Try to sit on a rear tram away from the engine so that you can hear the narrative as you move between buildings.

Houston space Center – Tickets

You can also get into the Houston space Center by buying tickets on site. You can get them cheaper by purchasing them at the hotel we are staying. Customers can save about seven dollars per ticket.

There is also an audio tour that can be purchased. However, you really don’t need the audio tour on the first day. If you go back a second day it would be interesting and more informative. Their presentations at every location are given by resident astronauts and other specialists. Plan to be there for the day and also plan to do lots of walking.

For more posts about things to do while traveling and entertainment, click here.

We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Webster Texas and overall found it to be very clean, updated, and modern. This is a place we would definitely stay at again if in the area. The Holiday Inn Express Webster Texas met the standard we expect for the Holiday Inn Express chain.

Holiday Inn Express Webster Texas

Rooms were clean and met the standards we expect at a Holiday Inn Express. Breakfast was also very good and had everything we needed. They have a very nice pool and hot tub at the back of the hotel. We did not try it but saw some people enjoying the hot tub.

The only issues we had with the hotel are that it is hard to find. There are very few electrical plugs in the breakfast area to plug in computers or smartphones to charge them.

Fortunately, we had a GPS or I am not sure we would have found the place. There is a back road leading from the back of the mall to the hotel property which greatly simplifies things, but it is full of potholes so drive slowly.

The front desk clerk could not help at all with electrical plugs and there did not seem to be any except for one on the wall where a lamp is plugged in. I needed to charge both my smartphone and computer so I unplugged the lamp. This is definitely an area that should be improved on.

For more posts about hotel services, click here.

It is Wednesday at the Beau Rivage Casino and hotel in Biloxi Mississippi and seniors (+50) get to enjoy breakfast and lunch buffet meals at half price. The Breakfast Buffet Beau Rivage special is for the month of January and may continue in other months.

The number of items available was plentiful, the quality was excellent as was the service. At a price of $12.99 normally, it is even more of a good deal when you are eating for half of that price.

We enjoyed almond nut pancakes, fluffy biscuits, slices of ham, eggs cooked any way you want them, and of course orange juice and coffee. There were lots of other items available, but you can only eat so much and these items were our choices.

Breakfast Buffet Beau Rivage – Seniors Day

It was also busy, but not so crowded that it was uncomfortable. We only waited in line for about 5 minutes and sat in a booth that was both private yet easy to get to the buffet. If you are in Biloxi, this is a breakfast you should not miss.

Lunch might have been a bit busier, however, we did not see long lines of people waiting. They have a large restaurant and can accommodate a large number of people.

For more details about Biloxi, Mississippi, click here.

There are more and more seniors retiring every year. In fact, we are going to be in the majority over the next decade. Our health care organizations are already reeling over the increased requirements from seniors and changes to health care needs. The bottom line for senior health care solutions is that we can hope for help from government health care or we can increase the odds of having a healthy life by taking care of our selves to decrease the potential need for hospital care. After all who wants to wait in a clinic or hospital for hours at a time or have to deal with increasing levels of disability. We may not be able to eliminate these issues, but we can surely improve our lifestyles by taking care of ourselves. The following are a few ideas about what you can do regardless of your age or general health.

Senior Health Care Solutions – What You can Do

The following is a general list of potential solutions for people of all ages with a particular focus on seniors. Obviously each of these suggestions should be tailored to your age and ability. We will expand on these ideas a bit later.

• Tailored Exercise programs
• Stay active even in old age
• Manage your diet, add vitamins as needed
• Maintain proper weight for your body
• Active social life with friends and groups
• Keep up with friends
• Ask for help when needed from family and professional groups
• Stimulate the brain as well as the body

Tailored Exercise Program – age, ability, and general health will dictate what you can do and how aggressively you follow your exercise regime. The point is to get out there and run, walk, stroll, play sports, take up golf or whatever you enjoy, just get moving for at least 15 minutes every day. You need to get your heart rate up and increase your breathing rate to get any real benefit.

Use the above ideas on exercise as an example to apply to the other ideas we have included in this post. for more posts about baby boomer health care, click here.

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Biking in Palm Springs is one of the most enjoyable things to do. With blue skies, good roads and most drivers giving the right away to bicycles, it is a pretty safe place to ride. One of the most important things for people who are biking in the Palm Springs area is to make sure that they have lots of water with them when they head out. Especially if you’re planning to go biking out in the desert, you can become dehydrated very easily. There are not many places to stop at to get a drink of water and get out of the sun so always make sure you bring lots of water, apply lots of suntan lotion, and bring something to eat. You can have a very enjoyable day as long as you have those three things.

Biking in Palm Springs – Equipment

The other important things are the standard issues that most bikers who’ve done a lot of biking know that they should be prepared for. And that is flat tires. Always make sure that you have the repair equipment you feel that you need to repair a flat tire. For some this is probably just a patch and a pump to pump up your tire while others will bring extra tubes so they can replace the tube quickly and then apply a new patch to the old when they return from their day of biking.

The other piece of equipment that the writer likes to bring with him when he’s biking in Palm Springs is a camera. You never know when you’re going to see something interesting that you would like to remember or send to your friends. The camera is a useful device to have along with you whether it is your cell phone or a regular camera.

For more things to do in Palm Springs and the area, click here.

If you have any flexibility in planning your vacation, the best time to visit casino hotels is whenever they are not busy. This is usually between conventions, off season time frames, and during weather events. If you are looking for an inexpensive vacation and have the flexibility in terms of when you go to Vegas, Biloxi, Laughlin, Tunica, or Atlantic City, this is the best time to get a deal. Combine timing with your slot or table play and you can most likely be comp’d for rooms, meals, and even be provided free play to gamble with. Casinos without hotels attached to them are at a bit of a disadvantage in this regard since they can only provide meal comp’s, free play, and sometimes free tickets to shows if they have that kind of venue.

Best Time to Visit Casino Hotels – Play where you Want to Stay

My wife and I have this discussion a great deal. There are some casinos where she feels that she is luckier or likes the ambiance of the casino better. She would rather spend time at these casinos compared to some others. Sometimes they have hotels associated with them and sometimes it is just a casino and a couple of restaurants.

The basic message is that if you like to stay at a particular casino with a hotel and want to receive comp’s for free rooms at this hotel then you had better spend some time playing the slots or the tables at this casino. They will notice this amount of play through their tracking system and aim to get you coming back again and again. If you are wondering how casinos make these decisions, there are a number of factors that go into the analysis. Each casino will attach more or less importance to some areas than others to make their final ranking, however, the bottom line is to spend time in the casino you want to stay at.

Some of the factors that the casino marketing people look at when making these decisions are as follows:

• Time spent playing at slot machines and tables
• Amount of average bet per hour
• Speed of betting
• Win loss ratio
• How often do you come to the casino
• Do you live far away  from the casino
• How much do you play in terms of time and money each visit
• What games do you play
• Comp’s already received and used.

There may be other factors, but these are the main areas that are assessed.

The 50s style 24 / 7 restaurant at the Hard rock Casino Biloxi Mississippi was closed on Monday morning. We like to go to this restaurant for breakfast as part of our tradition when we go to Biloxi. The Hard Rock Cafe closed the 24 / 7 restaurant and refers customers to the satisfaction buffet. You can order the buffet or order from the menu.

However, the price for the buffet and the menu items are about the same price which causes most customers to just take the buffet since the price includes all of your drinks including juice and coffee for the same price. A bit of a scam if you ask me.

Hard Rock Casino Biloxi Mississippi – Buffet

In addition, the actual buffet is not really that great. There are not many menu items available and the food is just average. Many competitors have an extensive number of items to choose from including a chef who will cook your eggs to your personal satisfaction. We would not suggest that you eat at this location during the offseason.

Perhaps the Hard rock Casino Biloxi Mississippi opens the buffet during the high season when there are a lot more people around. We also noticed that the casino was not really that busy either. Even though they looked like they could use more customers, rates for the rooms were still very high and did not tempt us to stay at this location.

For more details about Biloxi, Mississippi, click here.

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We stayed at the Spring Hills Marriott Hotel Knoxville on Turkey Creek road on the west side of Knoxville. Excellent place to stay, perhaps a bit pricey for travelers, but clean and large well-appointed rooms.

Breakfast was very good with the standard hot breakfast fare that most hotels in this class offer free of charge to their customers.

Spring Hills Marriott Hotel Knoxville

The only complaint we would have is that there is a slight amount of road noise from the interstate which is located right behind the hotel. Customers might want to request a location that is on the other side of the hotel away from the interstate.

Also, there are limited electrical outlets for someone who needs to plug in their computer in the morning. If you are traveling with other devices that need an electrical plug, take an extension cord with you.

WiFi is wide open and free so anyone can use it including people who are not staying at the hotel. This is a potential security hazard for anyone using the WiFi. You can counter this threat by bringing a portable router that acts as a firewall to protect your security. The other approach of course is to limit the sites you access with your devices. Stay away from banking and any personal information sites.

For more information about hotel services and places we have stayed, click here.

We visited the Texas Roadhouse Knoxville at 11001 Turkey Dr, Knoxville, TN, and found it to be another excellent restaurant in the chain of steak houses made famous in Texas. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple of draft beers, salad, and a combo steak and ribs. Both were done to perfection and the service was excellent.

If there is anything to complain about at this restaurant is that the portion sizes are huge. We often split meals while traveling and since the portion sizes are so large. The food was excellent and so was the service.

Texas Roadhouse Knoxville – Happy Hour?

The only complaint that we would have is that there is no happy hour, but other than that, it is an excellent place to eat. The packed restaurant on a Sunday night is tantamount to the fact that they have great food.

Contrary to what we expected, not all Texas Roadhouses have happy hour every night. It seems it really depends on the location as well as on the day of the week. You only save a couple of dollars if there is a happy hour. It all counts and maybe you will just have one more beer if you are buying cheap drinks.

For many more posts about travel through the US and interesting places to visit, click here.

The Hampton Inn Martinsburg is easy to get to off route 81 in Martinsburg WV. It is a bit tired looking but still better than most. Rooms were fine, service is what you would expect and breakfast was standard.

While this may not sound so great from a review perspective, it is the fact that the Hampton Inn hotel chain can be depended on to provide good quality. There are usually clean rooms, a decent breakfast and free wi-fi with free parking. They are usually located close to the highway and at all major intersecting highways.

Rooms were quiet. There was not a lot of road noise which is important when you are traveling and need to sleep. Logans steakhouse is on the other side of the highway, so you need a car to get to it. There is also Ruby Tuesday’s and a buffet restaurant of some kind next door. It seemed to be busy, but we decided on Logans, a cold beer, peanuts in the shell and an excellent steak.

Breakfast was the standard fare and if you stay at Hampton Inn’s a lot, then it does get a bit tired, but it is dependable. There is cereal, fruit, eggs, sausage, yogurt and pancakes. Also toast and bagels along with muffins. You won’t starve and you will eat well. Don’t forget the coffee and orange juice. The Hampton Inn Martinsburg is on our list of future hotels to stay at.

For more posts about hotel services, click here.

Logans Steakhouse Martinsburg has an excellent atmosphere , great bar service and very good rapport with their customers. The bar tender pre-ordered beers before happy hour ended for us to make sure we would get the best price, $3 for an ice cold 22 ounce draft beer. The food was excellent – ribs, salad, sweet potato fries and buns. Salty peanuts are always available at the bar and $3 22 ounce beers for happy hour. This just makes for a great afternoon, especially when you are staying at one of the hotels close by and do not need to worry about driving.

Logans Steakhouse

We always try to plan our trips by staying at hotels that are close to a roadhouse. For example a Logan’s Road House or a Texas Roadhouse. This way we can just walk over to the restaurant and enjoy a great meal. No one needs to worry about drinking and driving because we are walking.

The staff is always friendly. We usually sit at the bar. No need to wait for a table, there seems to be always a spot or two at the bar and they are more than willing to serve you a meal at the bar. The main reason we sit at the bar is that we get to talk to the locals or in some cases other travelers. We find out where they are from, where they are headed and ideas about things to see in the area. It is always interesting when people hear how far we are driving and how long we will be away from home. They are usually quite envious. Many want to know more about our travels and where we are headed.

Whenever you can visit a Logans Steakhouse for great meals and ice cold beer. This is not an advertisement for the chain, we just happen to like this style of restaurant.

We can all use travel tips to help us plan a successful trip. If you plan to be driving to your next destination vacation, plan your route in advance. Make sure to travel with a fully charged cell phone for emergencies. Or make sure that you have a charger in your car.

Road trips provide families with a chance to spend quality time together,. You will also be in close quarters for the duration of your travels. It helps to keep arguments at bay and everyone content by packing a variety of games, etc that will appeal to everyone’s interest.

You may not need your passport if you’re staying inside the country. Ensuring that all of your passengers have adequate identification in the case of an emergency is important. For those who are planning a vacation outside the country, remember that everyone traveling with you must have a valid passport. This includes your travels to Canada, to the US and Mexico. Just in case make sure that everyone is passport is valid well beyond the expected date of your return to Canada or to the US depending in which country you live in.

Travel Tips can Ensure a Successful Trip

No one likes to think about it, But planning for the unexpected is an important aspect of traveling. Take copies of your passport identification. Itinerary and insurance policy with a friend or family member who you can contact while in your travels if need be.

Make sure to take care of any health needs before you leave. Include necessary vaccinations and obtain sufficient supply of your prescription medications.

Always remember that weather with an adult or traveling alone all children traveling outside the country must have a valid passport. Other documentation may be required to allow the child entry into another country, such as a birth certificate, legal forms pertaining to custody agreement and a parental letter of consent if a child is traveling with one parent, neither parents or alone.

Always obtain health insurance, and travel insurance prior to leaving on vacation. Once you travel outside your province, or state, or country your existing health insurance may not provide the coverage that you require. In emergency you don’t want to be worried about who’s going to pay the expensive cost of medical coverage. Always travel with Health and travel insurance.

What are the baby boomer health care solutions that are practical and sensible? There is lots of discussion and debate about Obama health care, how much it will cost and who should have it. But what can each person do to ensure that there retired years are as healthy as possible? They want to have a quality lifestyle during the years after completing their career? We do not know the answer for everyone, but there are some things that can be followed by each individual. It really means taking personal responsibility for your own health, to look after yourself and to follow through on health issues when there is something serious to deal with.  Sine diet is a major part of our health we are starting a series of posts about this subject and we hope that baby boomers and seniors find this helpful.

Baby Boomer Health Care Solutions – What You can Do

The following is a general list of solutions for people of all ages. Obviously they should be tailored to your age and ability. More on that a little bit later.

• Exercise
• Stay active
• Manage your diet
• Maintain proper weight for your body
• Active social life
• Keep up with friends
• Ask for help when needed
• Stimulate the brain as well as the body

Basically it is all about maintaining a healthy body and a health brain. Sometimes serious health issues get in the way, but there is lots you can do regardless of your health. Take exercise for example.

Exercise – maybe you cannot run around the block any longer. Can you walk around the block, can you walk in the mall if it is too cold in the winter? Can you use a walker to go up and down the hall a bunch of times. Whatever your capability is, keep on exercising to strengthen the heart and the lungs as well as your muscles. These are the most important muscles in your body next to your brain.

Apply the same general approach to the other items in our list to ensure that you can continue to live a high quality of life in your retirement. For more posts on health care solutions, click here.

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Resort fees are being added by more and more hotels and the Las Vegas Casino’s are adding casino resort fees at all of the major hotels. These casino resort fees typically include free WiFi access, free paper, and access to the gym. In some cases, they will also include access to the business center. Guests can print off boarding passes and other documents that they may need. It is pretty tough to avoid these fees. Although it is possible at casino hotels in Las Vegas as well as the other major resort cities such as Atlantic City, Tunica and Biloxi. This is a major revenue generator for the hotels. However, if you do not use these services, then it is just another addition to the city tourist tax. As well as the other taxes such as the state tax and other taxes that are charged.

Avoiding Casino Resort Fees – Ask Before You Book

The first step is to always ask what the fees are, how much will your total room cost including all fees and taxes. Note that tax is always charged on the resort fees as well, which makes it even worse.

If you or your company is paying for the room, there is not a lot that can be done. You can try complaining to the hotel management behind the check-in counter, however, most will not give you a break on the casino resort fees. If you do not use any of the services, there is a small chance that you can have them waived.

Conference organizers should negotiate these fees ahead of time. The hotels certainly want to be competitive and will sometimes waive the fees depending on the number of people attending and the final room rate negotiated.

Avoiding Casino Resort Fees – Always Negotiate

Visitors staying at the Vegas hotels on casino comps will not need to pay the fee at most hotels. You will need to confirm this at the time of booking. If they still want to charge the fee, try another hotel, or threaten to go to another hotel. If they are busy, chances are they will not waive the fee. However, if the hotel is on a slow week, there is a really good chance they will waive the fee.

If you are staying for a few days, the $0 to $35 casino resort fee can add up in a hurry. It is definitely worth attempting to negotiate a lower fee or have it removed altogether.