Near Whistling Straits, in Wisconsin

On the date of this August 9 posting, practice will begin for the 2010 PGA Tournament, to be held August 12-15 at Whistling Straits, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.
(Photo of Whistling Straits by Jack Fabick.)

If you are at all familiar with this area of Wisconsin, you may assume that The American Club ($400/night), in Kohler, is the only place to stay. But not so. There are some very decent options in Sheboygan (even closer to Whistling Straits than Kohler is) and in Plymouth (an extra 8-10 minutes’ drive along a pleasant country highway).

I’ll say more about The American Club later, but would like first to mention Sheboygan’s offerings.

The largest is a beautiful resort on the water, the Blue Harbor (about $200/night), done in a style that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Del Coronado near San Diego. It sports an indoor water park, which may or may not be considered a plus, depending on your perspective and the age of your fellow travelers. Nevertheless, this place is definitely easy on the eyes.

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Many times I’ve thought of these chairs, overlooking Lake Michigan, and wished I could be back there, sitting in one of them.

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

The hotel’s interior includes whimsical, water-related touches, such as this ceiling in one of the cafes…


…and this window to a bar.

Blue Harbor Resort, Sheboygan, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Considerably smaller (and no doubt, quieter) are two rather mansionous B&B’s: the Brownstone Inn ($175-250) and Lake View Mansion Bed & Breakfast ($129-249), both either overlooking or very near Lake Michigan. The décor is a bit too “authentically Victorian” for my taste, but I’m sure the architectural details are a treat. Here are photos taken of Lake View Mansion’s exterior when last we were in town.

Lake View Mansion Bed and Breakfast, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (ScheckTrek Photography)

Lake View Mansion Bed and Breakfast, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (ScheckTrek Photography)

Though it is not my pick for virtual travel – which ignores all suggestions of budgetary restraint – for my money, I would drive an extra 8-10 minutes to stay at the Inn on Windhill ($99-159) in Plymouth. My family and I can personally attest to the charm of this delightful bed & breakfast, though I must warn you, some redecorating has taken place since our visit in 2006; so double-check online if you’re considering it.

Inn on Hillwind, Plymouth, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Inn on Hillwind, Plymouth, WI (ScheckTrek Photography)

Normally, flowered patterns get an automatic veto from me; but I made an exception for this place, and we didn’t regret it.  This was the suite we chose.

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

Our chest of drawers.  There was a twiggy theme in the room: in the coat rack, mirror frame, a twiggy desk, and even in twiggy brass arms of the crystal chandeliers.

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

The suite had a fireplace and a loveseat sofabed for our daughter, who was traveling with us.

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite (ScheckTrek Photography) 

The redo since our visit. Not to say it couldn’t have done with a little less pattern than before, but I fear something was lost in the translation.

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite  (photo from BedandBreakfast.com)

Our private balcony's bucolic view

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

Our wood-burning stove across from the soaking tub.

Inn on Hillwind: John K. Curtis Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

Inn on Hillwind: Martha's Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

Inn on Hillwind: Martha's Suite (ScheckTrek Photography)

Inn on Hillwind: Martha's Suite (photo from BedandBreakfast.com)

Inn on Hillwind: J. Edward Curtis Room (ScheckTrek Photography)

Inn on Hillwind: J. Edward Curtis Room (ScheckTrek Photography)

Having said all of that, for virtual travel – or anytime when budget is not high on the deciding-factor list – my pick for the area would have to be The American Club ($400/night, probably more during tournaments). Especially during the PGA, when one might reasonably expect in its public areas to run into golf greats on their off hours – it would be hard to top this resort in the region. The American Club is the area’s brightest jewel, boasting the only AAA 5-diamond resort rating in the whole Midwest.

(Photo from TripAdvisor.com)

(Photo from HotelRates.com)

(Photo from TripAdvisor.com)

(Photo from TripAdvisor.com)

Yes, the American Club is the top pick. Just don’t try to get a room there for this week!

San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Bridge by Stephen W. Oachs (Flickr.com & StephenOachs.com)

To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars!

The morning fog may chill the air...

(J Hancock, Memphis, TN (Tripadvisor.com)

…but who cares?

It takes but one hour in San Francisco to know why songs were written about it. And if it calls to you, there is no dearth of hotels from which to enjoy its views or explore its treasures: the city has big and small, old and new, expensive and cheap.


Just kidding about the cheap part! Actually, there are some low-cost options, but pay close attention to the reviews. As one reviewer said of his budget hotel, “There was poop in a bucket in the shared shower room.” So, a word to the wise.


If dollar amount is not the deciding factor for your dreams, my San Francisco hotel pick is the Mandarin Oriental. It boasts fabulous views from its 151 rooms and 7 suites, and it’s within walking distance of the Bay, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown.

I think it was the hallways that sold me.

(Photo from Calhotels.com)

But the views from the rooms are no less impressive.

Bayview King (Photo from Travel.aol.com)

Double Double (Photo from Travel.aol.com)

Taipan Suite (Photo from Travel.aol.com)

Oriental Suite Terrace (Photo from Assets2.goldenhotelguide.com)

There's Brooklyn Bridge, London Bridge,

And the Bridge of San Louis Rey

But the only bridge, that's a real gone bridge,

Is the bridge across the bay.

("San Francisco," recorded by Judy Garland)

(Photo by Rolling Hills Studio on Flickr.com)

Sydney

This post is a bit of a departure from the norm. On such busy weeks as this was, it’s good to be able to draw on actual travel, where the research has already been done and digital photos lie a-waiting. (All photos on this post are ScheckTrek unless otherwise noted.)

Our dilemma was where to spend the extra couple of days we had in Australia: either Sydney or Melbourne. I voted for the latter, which everyone said had a more European flavor. Besides, I’d already fallen in love with the perfect place to stay there (will have to share that one with you!). But everyone, including assorted Aussie friends, voted for Sydney. The clincher was, “Sydney has one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. If you see that and whatever else you can fit in, even in only two days, you’ll feel you’ve seen Sydney. But you cannot spend the same amount of time in Melbourne and feel that you’ve seen it.” I was outnumbered.

Al and I struck a deal, if we go to Sydney for him, we get a room with a view of the Opera House for me. So the search began which led me to the Shangri-La. It was said to have the best views of any hotel in Sydney, including the Four Seasons next door. It did not disappoint!

This is the room we booked.

(Photo from the Shangri-La website)

It is not, however, the room we stayed in. But more on that later.

In order to bring the Shangri-La down to a price I could get "Left Brain" to agree to, I found that the best deal at the time was to book their Horizon Club level, which included breakfast and, in the evenings, substantial appetizers and premium wines/liquors in the Horizon Club. Of course the price was higher than just a room alone, but it was less than the cost of eating those meals elsewhere.

Considering that this is the Horizon Club lounge, and that when one is actually in it (rather than looking down on it from overhead), the view is of the Harbor – including the bridge and Opera House – I would be quite happy to have breakfast and dinner there for two days. Thrilled, even.


However, another option for Horizon Club guests was to receive two free passes for a full breakfast in the hotel’s café (usually AUS $38 each at the time / US $68 for two).

The café breakfast included cappuccinos.

We arrived at the hotel, and it was lovely.

 There were a number of exotic flower arrangements.

It was the first time we’d ever booked the Club Level in a 5-star hotel, but I could so get used to the treatment! “Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Scheck. We have private check in for you. Would you please come with me?” She took us up the elevator to the 30th floor and introduced us to the receptionist in the Horizon Club. We were early for check-in, but the young woman told us, “Your room is ready, but I could offer you a very good price on an upgrade to one of our Premium Grand Harbor View rooms [one of their renowned #13 rooms]. Would you like to see it?” Yes! It would be one of the best views in Sydney.

First we went to the Opera View room. It was lovely, and just what I expected.

Then we went to the Premier Grand Harbor View room on the 33rd floor, #3313. It was a 645-square foot junior suite with a 270-degree view of Sydney, including the bridge, the Opera House, Luna Park, and the inlets and outlets of Sydney Harbor all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Al hadn’t seen this online, so it made quite an impact. The price they were offering was another US $60 per night (it would add a whopping $120 to the total cost of a trip to Australia). He turned to me and said, “What do you think?” He’d agreed to what I’d asked for -- the Opera House view room -- so I didn’t want to push the envelope: “It’s up to you,” I told him. He turned to the lady and said, “We’ll TAKE it!”

Here are photos of that amazing room:

(Photo from Wotif.com)

The bathroom was spacious, with a separate tub and shower.

Within a few minutes, there was a knock at the door for a complimentary tea service.

The most special thing about the room wasn’t inside the hotel. It was definitely the view.

And we really appreciated the “Welcome to Sydney” bonus rainbow. It was a really big rainbow, and once the drops started falling a little harder, it doubled.

We could see the pot of gold down below in The Rocks, but couldn’t get to it fast enough.

The view was mesmerizing, day and night. I spent a lot of time staring out those windows and thinking, “This is what people come to Sydney to see, and we’ve got one of the best views in the whole city.”

A frequent position for me.

It was magical at night.

I liked window-gazing so much that my husband had the bright idea that I could just keep doing that instead of going on the shopping trip I’d planned, but that brainchild was left undeveloped!  I went on the shopping trip, though truth be told, it was more for photos than purchases.

For some positive reinforcement while shopping, I chose to have tea for one at The Tea Room in the Queen Victoria Building.  (Al spent the day in the Blue Mountains with a friend.)

One of my favorite shots. I took the picture so I wouldn’t have to buy the dress.

The shopping trip involved extraneous city-streets sightseeing.

This was another of my favorite shots. Everyone says I should lop off the left part, but it is the juxtaposition of the very busy and the very calm that I think is part of the reason I like it.

And of course there was Darling Harbor to see, this shot looking from there to the 1000-foot-plus Sydney Tower.

Seen from The Rocks, the Shangri-La is the tall building on the right. The Four Seasons is the angled building on the far left.

(Photo from Shangri-La hotel website)

It wouldn’t be right to leave Australia without seeing some kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and such. We did witness kangaroos in the wild in Bright, Victoria, but the animals below were at Sydney Wildlife World. In several cases I was very thankful for the glass barrier.

The loveable favorites

A kangaroo

Wallaby on the right (it looks like a smaller version of a kangaroo). Wombat on the left.

The venomous Gila monster. An Arizona Dr. Ward has been quoted as saying in 1899, “I think a man who is fool enough to get bitten by a Gila monster ought to die. The creature is so sluggish and slow of movement that the victim of its bite is compelled to help largely in order to get bitten.”

This guy is clearly plotting his escape!

It was our final morning, and everyone had told us we had to take the ferry to Manly Beach, which was very enjoyable and provided additional views of the city while leaving the harbor.

Our next ship was an airborne one. We flew the A380 on its maiden voyage from Sydney to Los Angeles, October 24, 2008.

And, so ended an exciting excursion to Oz!