The Polite Traveler

Palm Springs Activities Hello, my Polite Travelers, As an older couple, we often just want to relax and enjoy our favorite places at a leisurely pace. This was the case during our recent revisit to Palm Springs. For the most part, we explored downtown, stopping for coffee and chatting with the locals. Additionally, we embarked on a few other excellent adventures. Agua Caliente Cultural Museum As a Smithsonian Affiliate, I found this museum to be outstanding.  This museum is a mixture of immersive video, sound, and visuals (including lifelike exhibits) to tell the story of America’s rich—and many times heart-wrenching—indigenous story.  The permanent gallery begins with the 360-degree immersive video of the Agua Caliente “Creation & Migration” story.  The quality of their digital animation and sound is impressive—there’s even a screen on the floor.  I found their creation story to be fascinating. Don’t Miss! For the Love of Art! Don’t Miss The Palm Springs Art M...

Hyatt Place Delano, CA, and Room #303 Hello, my Polite Travelers. Well, we’ve had a fantastic, fun-filled week in Palm Springs, and are now traveling home to Davis, CA.  To break up the long drive, we’re staying one night in the Hyatt Place in Delano, CA.  So far, so excellent. The Spacious Accessible Room #303 This room appears brand new, as if no one has stayed here yet.  Everything is clean, neat, and warm.  We’ve been assigned a lovely corner room away from the nearby freeway.  Across the street is a huge shopping center with restaurants and shopping opportunities.  Since this is an accessible room, there’s plenty of room between furniture and grab bars a’plenty in the bathroom—near the toilet and in the shower.  The sink is outside the toilet/shower room--love it.  The walk-in shower features an adjustable shower wand and pull-down seat.  Perfect!  There is no microwave, but one can be requested.  Alternatively, th...

Hilton Palm Springs Hotel & Room #191 Review Hello, my Polite Travelers. Well, we finally made it to Palm Springs, CA.  It’s great weather, even in early December.  Palm Springs is a unique place: quirky with a side of cinema history.  And even though it’s a tourist favorite, it feels homey and welcoming .  There are numerous lodging options, but we chose the Hilton Palm Springs Resort.  We stayed here four years ago and found it to be a mixed bag: a great layout, but in need of some remodeling.  Now, it’s a tad better…with caveats.  Accessible Room #191 For the most part, this room is accessible : a walk-in shower, plenty of grab bars, a fold-down shower seat, and a low-mounted shampoo bar.  Still, the toilet is at regular height.  Those with mobility issues require taller toilets.  The bathroom sink is excellent, with counter space and no cabinets underneath.  Although I didn’t measure the sink height, it appears to be a...

Hyatt Place Bakersfield and Room #312 Hello, my Polite Travelers. Well, we’re on the road traveling from Davis, CA to Palm Desert.  Midway, we’re staying at the Hyatt Place Bakersfield.  It’s not far from CA 99 and very near highway #58, which is exactly the road we need to jump onto tomorrow morning.  It’s also directly across the street from a shopping center with restaurants and…drumroll… Trader Joe’s .  The room is spacious and accessible.  The bathroom features numerous grab bars, and the space between furniture is ample.   This room has a bathtub, so those requiring a walk-in shower should request a different room.  The tub also didn’t have a shower wand or pull-down seat.  Many with mobility issues require these.  The shampoo and conditioner were ‘fairly’ low enough, but could have been lower. Don’t Miss! Choose This Comfort Suites When in Astoria, OR Why We’ll Skip Embassy Suites Napa in the Winter Look Closer at the ...

Hampton Inn & Suites Palm Desert, CA—Hotel & Room #330 Review Hello, my Polite Travelers. We are now in sunny Palm Desert, and it is a grand place.  Everything looks clean and new.  Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Hampton Inn.  It pains me to say it, but this hotel needs some love…and perhaps a good handyman.  Our room is an accessible room for hubby.  On first glance, it’s adequate, with space between furniture and grab bars in the bathroom.  That’s only the first glance.   Blink once more, and there are a few issues for both the mobile and mobility-challenged .  First, although the bathroom features plenty of grab bars, the toilet is too low, and accessible toilets require taller seats.   The shampoo bar is too high, and there’s no pull-down seat in the tub.  Those in wheelchairs would require a different room, and most mobility-challenged people can’t reach up to access the shampoo bar.   ...

One Night in Sonoma Valley Inn, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton My dear Polite Travelers, The beauty of hotel loyalty credit cards is the ability to earn free nights.   Since we live relatively near Sonoma, CA, and I’ve always wanted to spend more time perusing the unique downtown core, we chose the Sonoma Valley Inn, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton , for that free night.  After all, it’s right on Second Street, just steps from the core.    So, I couldn’t wait to check out this once-humble Best Western, now reborn under Hilton’s wing as a Tapestry butterfly. Now, I’ve stayed at Tapestry hotels before and know some of what to expect. But here is what I found that each of these hotels should offer.            Unique design reflecting the locale            Culinary offering inspired by the locale            Personalized service that offers a “boutique-like experie...

Beautiful But Needs Adjustments to its Accessible Rooms My Dear Polite Travelers I recently read about a new Hyatt House and since I needed a short brain-tidy-vaca near my home base in Davis, CA, I ventured twenty miles west to the sprawling city of Vacaville, the shopping mecca of our general area.  The Lobby/Bar/Restaurant Walking into the lobby, I noted calming tones, striking art, décor, and welcoming faces.  The registration staff was delightful and efficient.  The attractive bar and eating area are tastefully decorated and have ample seating areas. In fact, the entire area was so lovely that I brought many of those decorating ideas home with me.  The restaurant’s menu was limited and similar to what is typically found at bars: hamburgers, pizzas… etc.  I ordered a hamburger which was delivered overcooked.  Grr… Accessible Room 133 First off, this is a gorgeous room filled with outstanding artwork.  It includes a kitchenette, small ...

Dear Polite Travelers, We had limited time during our last outing, so we chose to stay close to home and focused on the Santa Rosa area.  Lucky for us, Sebastopol is a close neighbor, and we were thrilled to visit, if only for a few hours.  Tucked away in an interesting set of what had been apple warehouses, is the Barlow, right off Highway 12.  We stopped in at the co-op style market, which sells only the freshest organic foods and natural products.  Besides the market, there are various other shops, breweries, and restaurants sprinkled around the property.  One exceptional example is Sarmentine , and just as its name implies, it’s all about French pastries and bread.  Yum.  Our choices were so scrumptious , that I scarfed up most of it before realizing I needed a picture.  They also serve excellent espresso beverages.  This is our new must-stop when traveling south.  I hope you do too! Happy Travels, my Polite Travelers...

My Dear Polite Travelers, Our first stay in a Hyatt was less than stellar.  In fact, it’s more of a mixed bag of frustration and comfort.  The hotel was beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  It was just … incomplete.  Really? Room #281 is considered accessible ? We booked an accessible room due to my hubby’s back issue—a typical old-person problem.  Typically, an accessible room would naturally have a shower with ease of entry.  In room #281?  Nope.  Getting into a tub requires some dexterity that a mobility-challenged person may not have.  This is a major problem that should be addressed.  I hope Hyatt is listening.  Other than that oversight, there were no towel bars in the bathroom — strange.  Plus, it would have been logical if there was at least one hook for clothing/robe in the bathroom as well.  And, speaking of robes, robes are an accessory in these rooms.  There were none.  In fact, I had to call down f...

  Snapshot of my latest one-day visit to Napa, including our overnight stay in the Embassy Suites, Napa.

  Icy Cold Embassy Suites My dear polite travelers, I’m a huge fan of Hilton properties and have stayed in comfortable, and sometimes special, Embassy Suites.  In comparison, Hilton’s Napa property is a mixed bag, especially when visiting during the cold winter months.  Guest rooms are accessed from an outdoor corridor, except those in what’s called “The Atrium.”  And that room is huge, comprised of a large—albeit beautiful—dining area, restaurant/bar, and meeting room.  So, even Atrium rooms, are accessed by an open walkway looking out over this enormous unheated area.  Baby, it’s cold inside! Guest rooms are not heated unless the old-fashioned boiler is turned on.  Really.  Not kidding.  When my hubby and I arrived midday, it was 42 degrees outside and 60 degrees inside with no heat.  Yep.  That’s right.  None.  We adjusted the thermostat to 80 degrees with hopes to heat the room quickly, to no avail.  ...

Time for a Road Trip We began our trip from the bicycle capital of the U.S., Davis, CA.   Our goal was to explore the Washington  Olympic National Forest  & everything in between.  It was a tiring, but fantastic trip.  Over eight days of driving, we stayed in seven different hotels: ~ Comfort Inn & Suites Ashland, OR       ~Comfort Suites Springfield, OR ~ Hilton Garden Inn, Olympia, WA          ~ Quality Inn Uptown Port Angeles, WA ~ Comfort Suites Astoria, OR                  ~ Comfort Suites Newport, OR ~ HiltonGarden Inn, Medford, OR         Read about our road trip restaurants.   ~ Road-Trip Restaurants YouTube:  ThePoliteTraveler  Instagram: ThePoliteTraveler Facebook: ThePoliteTraveler Twitter: @PoliteTravels Please Subscribe!

Dear Polite Travelers, Conflicting visits have stained our view of the Basque Boulangerie and it’s a shame because our previous experiences were memorable.  Pity.  On our most recent visit, we shared only one pastry and it was anything but memorable.  In my opinion, scones are not filled with jam...or anything gooey, even if it tastes slightly like fruit.  Our “apricot scone” was dry on the outside with a gooey gelatinous apricot filling.  Actually, I didn’t see any pieces of apricot.   My tea was fine, but not memorable and my hubby’s coffee was bland.  Will We Return? Nope.  We’ll drive up the highway to revisit Les Pascals in Glen Ellen instead.  This is not to say you shouldn’t try it.  Our experience may not be yours.  I noted several in the shop who appeared to like their meals . More by The Polite Traveler There’s more than excellent coffee at Black Oak Coffee Roasters Why The Olive Garden in Rohnert Park, C...

  Dear Polite Travelers, During our last trip to Rohnert Park, CA, we decided to take a short drive to nearby Healdsburg.  It’s a lovely small town with a quaint downtown filled with unique small shops.  Luckily, we discovered one of our new favorite coffee shops right here. Black Oak Coffee Roasters is a small shop with adequate, comfortable indoor seating.  Service is quick and personable.  And even though the name implies only coffee, they provide a variety of sweet and savory food options besides beverage options as well.  Our choices that day were a chocolate croissant , for me, and a blueberry scone for my hubby.  We both thoroughly enjoyed each bite.  Please don’t let the dark coat of the croissant fool you.  It didn’t taste overbaked.  In fact, it was simply perfect: flaky on the outside with gooey chocolatey goodness inside. If you are in the area, check it out.  I highly recommend it. More by The Polite Trave...

  Dear Polite Travelers, An expensive, albeit worth it, trip to France isn’t necessary if all you want to do is experience authentic French bakery items.  At Les Pascals —founded and managed by a French husband and wife team—that’s exactly what you get.  Last year, my hubby surprised me with a trip to Glen Ellen and a stay in the unique Gaige House —a member of the Four Sisters Inns .  It was a great visit by the way.  While there we enjoyed several pastry items at Les Pascals and have revisited that moment often.  So, it was only natural, while driving home from our most recent trip to the nearby Rohnert Park, to make a short detour for a revisit.  And we were not disappointed.  In fact, my croissant and hubby’s apple raisin cinnamon roll were so delish, we decided to add this to our ‘must revisit often’ list.  Please check out the pictures and decide for yourself.  It’s worth the drive and many agree.  The line for thi...