money
Make That Money, Watch It Burn
Welcome back Ladies and Gents!
As I am over the whole school ordeal for the week, I will be giving my review of the Hilton Hotel and Suites Niagara Falls/ Fallsview Casino! Two weekends ago, my friends and I went to this hotel for a night for their birthday. Let me tell you, the hotel and surrounding area are not cheap. We decided to get a suite in the Hilton North Tower and cramp a few of us in the room to make it cheaper. The suite was beautiful. It had two king beds and was separated by a washroom in the middle. In the washroom, there was a Jacuzzi and private toilet/shower area. The other amenities offered were a fireplace, little kitchenette area, pull out couch, and two flat screen TVs. It felt high end, especially since I have stayed in a bunch of hostels the last couple months. The view from the window gave a beautiful sight of Niagara Falls!
As for the other space offered within the complex, it was nice but confusing. The waiting areas and restaurants were great. Immediately walking in, you knew you were going to get great service. Mostly all the buildings in the nearby areas are connected. You can visit various upscale restaurants, clubs, go shopping, and waste money. This made it possible to get from place to place without going outside at all. That’s a big bonus especially in the winter! The only downside to so being connected was it became confusing on trying to navigate the buildings. My friend, who we were with, had been there before. But if we didn’t have someone who had, we would be completely lost.
One of the biggest attractions in this complex was the Fallsview Casino. The casino is 19+ because there is alcohol present in the area. If you are under 25, I recommend you bring two pieces of IDs. The casino is essential a playground for adults. When you walk in, all you see are slot machines and poker tables. The machines are all flashing, and most people are gawking at their screens. Personally it is not my scene, but it was a cool experience. After a couple losses, we decided to leave and walk around. Most of the restaurants in the complex will cost you quite a bit. Very few are part of franchises, and it would be best to go there for saving money. We found the East Side Mario’s and ate there.
As for the rest of the night, we made our way to Dragonfly Nightclub. It is not the cheapest priced, but it will give you a good time. The music was excellent! It was a mix of EDM, house, and Euro; which are my personal favourite for a night out! As for the drinks, they are pretty good. They are a tad expensive, but worth the money. As for the cover, it was $20. Once again, expensive but worth it! All in all, it was a great weekend and I would do it again!
Make sure to check out the blog next week on my travel playlist! It is a bunch of songs compiled together which I love to listen to while travelling! Hope you enjoyed this post!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Travel Tips for those with the Travel Bug
Hi Everyone!
Lately I have been MIA with my blogging! Reason being is that midterm season was upon me. I had assignments to do, midterms to study for, and still had to work. Also, some of my friends were back for their reading week so I needed to make time to see them as well. This blog post is going to be a shorter one. The main idea of this post is tips you can use while travelling and backpacking (as it says in the title)! So let’s begin!
- Bring tape! You would be surprised on how much you will actually needing it. From resealing food to fixing rips in luggage, it is very useful when backpacking!
- Have a photocopy of your documents and cards! Photocopy any important IDs and money cards you are bringing with you. This includes passports, credit and debit cards, and driver’s license. Leave one at home with a reliable source and one in your bag. This allows that if anything goes wrong, you are not completely screwed!
- Use a money belt. In those high tourist areas or questionable cities, use a money belt if you want to feel safer with your important documents and money. This allows you have them right on your body. If you want to feel extra safe, get a cloth pin and attach the fabric to your pants.
- Carry a day bag. As you will be travelling and sightseeing, it becomes unlikely that you will be making stops in your hostels. Carry a day bag with items you may need. This includes water, sunscreen, hats, and whatever you will need.
- Eat from grocery stores. If you are travelling on a budget, then take a trip down to the local grocery store in the town. It is less expensive and allows you to spend more on other activities. The only downside to this is that you don’t get to try as much of the cuisine in the area.
- Bring shower shoes. This one is a must especially when in hostels. Some of the showers in hostels are disgusting and you definitely don’t want to check an infection. It will put a real damper on the trip.
- Lastly, this tip is for book lovers. If you are an avid reader and concerned about your reading flow, this tip should help you a bit. First off, you are travelling with other avid readers then limit your books. Each bring 1 or 2 books, once each person is finished, swap them. If you are a solo traveller, some hostels have book exchanges. You can grab a book to read, as long as you drop a book before you leave. Another possibility is get an E-reader. I personally have a Kobo (I cannot part from my books) and read my books on there when I am travelling. It lightens my load and I can read as many books as I please.
Next week, I am going to try to have two blogs posts up to make up for my inconsistencies. Let’s hope it happens! I just went to the Hilton Fallsview in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada so I will be giving my review on that soon. Watch out for the post!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
I Got The Magic In Me
Back in October 2014, I took a vacation to the sunny Orlando, Florida, USA with my parents, my good friend and family friends. This vacation was definitely needed after the working my butt off the last couple months. My friend, Rachel, proposed the idea that we go to Disney World while in Orlando. As she is a big Disney fan, I agreed. I mostly agreed to go for the experience and career purposes. I believe if I am going to sell these destinations as a future travel agent, I have to travel to these attractions at least once.
We did not stay in the Disney resorts while in Florida. We stayed in a villa community in Kissimmee called Emerald Island Resorts. It is about a 15 minute cab ride from Disney World and cost us about $25 to get there. The villas are very nice and allows you to relax without being in the tourist atmosphere. For our days at Disney, we got a two-day Park Hopper. This enabled us to go to two different parks within the two days. For our parks, we picked Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The great thing about the Park Hoppers is they come with Fast Passes. These allow you to bypass 3 lines for the day at any of the Disney Parks. You just have to find the stations and you can choose whichever 3 are available at designated times.
On the first day, we went to Magic Kingdom. I was actually very surprised at the amount of detail that is put into the amusement park. The details and efforts done are amazing. All employees were so in character and very helpful! It was very impressive to see all of these departments working together as a unit and pull off such a fantastic place. As being two 20 year olds with no children, you get a lot of weird looks. I think if I was a young child, the experience would be completely different. I was satisfied and genuinely impressed, but the thrill does wear off after a while. Obviously this is a lot more suited for children and would be a dream come true for them.
As for the pricing, anything Disney is going to be expensive. From the food to the souvenirs, you are easily paying 10 to 15 American Dollars for one item. This is expected though when you have a major franchise like Disney raking in the business. I figured that I would probably only going to once, so I might as well not be afraid to splurge a bit. The only thing that was a bit offsetting to me is the lack of healthier choices. As my stomach does get irritated quite easily, it was very hard to find wholesome food. Both parks did not seem to have alternative menus when it came to dietary restrictions.
Overall, Magic Kingdom is a remarkable amusement park that is any child’s dream to see. I highly recommend it for families with younger children, and Disney fanatics! For my blog next week, it will be about my Liebster Award nomination. Following that, I will do a continuation of my reviews on Disney (more specially about Hollywood Studios). Keep an eye open for my next posts and I hope you enjoyed this one!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Rome: An Attraction on Every Corner
Hello Everyone! Congratulations on surviving 2014 and hope you are enjoying 2015! Now onwards with my travels to the beautiful city of Rome, Italy! There is so much to say about Rome that I am going to have to break it up into two blog posts! The main focus of this post will be on the attractions in Rome while the second one will have a big focus on Vatican City.
One of the main things you need to know about Rome is that it is not cheap. Since it is a major tourist hub, it is going to cost quite a bit of money. That is an understatement. It is expensive. Like all other major hubs, you can tackle this situation. Shop at grocery stores, bring student cards for discounts, and don’t shop in the heart of the city. If you are backpacking and want to do souvenir shopping, I recommend not doing it all here. You will spend way more than what you want and you will find it cheaper in another city.
As Rome has so many major landmarks, we couldn’t see all that we wanted too. We decided to narrow down the ones that were most important and try to hit up those. The first one we decided to see was the Colosseum. As this is one of the most famous landmarks in the whole world, it was a must. It was ten times better than what I expected and probably one of the best attractions on the trip. The architecture and the history put me in awe .When visiting the Colosseum, you will only be allowed to walk where the audience use to sit. The arena floor is off limits, but can be viewed from above. A couple tips for the Colosseum:
- Get there early. The line later in the day becomes long and boring. Don’t wait until the middle of the afternoon because you will be waiting for quite a while.
- Check the opening and closing times beforehand. The times change throughout the year. You do not want to be waiting there until dinner and closing hours be upon you.
- As with any sunny destination, bring sunscreen and hats. The shadow of the Colosseum can only do so much protecting.
To the east of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. The entrance of the Roman Forum is included in the cost of the ticket for the Colosseum. The Roman Forum was in the center of Ancient Rome and contained several government buildings. As of the structures have been demolished but it is interesting where the heart of Ancient Rome was.
Another must-see in Rome is the Pantheon. If you are looking for the Parthenon, you will not find that in Rome. Check Athens. Back in Ancient Rome, the Pantheon was used as a temple. Nowadays, it is still used as a church but it is very packed. It is very well preserved and magnificent to look at. It is about a twenty minute walk from the Colosseum and you can see the beauty of Rome while walking through. Like the Colosseum, there is going to be a high amount of tourists. My one warning for this attraction is ALWAYS be aware of your belonging. As everyone is pushing and shoving to get inside, it becomes very easy for pickpocketers.
The last attraction I am going to touch on is the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is a 10 minute walk east of the Pantheon. Very simple and close walk. Currently, the Trevi Fountain is being restored. There is a fence around the fountain and it is emptied. I believe it will be like this until late 2015. Regardless of the construction, the architecture and details on the fountain are beautiful – well for the part we could see. You are not supposed to throw coins in the fountain right now, but we did it anyways. I figured I don’t know when I am coming back so I might as well throw them. The whole premise to throwing the coins came from the movie Three Coins in the Fountain. You are supposed to throw the three coins using your right hand over your left shoulder. The first is suppose the guarantee your return to Rome, the second leads to a new romance, while the third will lead to marriage. I don’t know how true this is, but it was fun anyways!
As said before, the next post will contain more attractions in Rome and the Vatican City. There are so many to see, so little time. Anyways, I will try to do my best to give reviews on them! I hoped you enjoyed this post and stay tuned!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Slovenia: The Low-Down
Slovenia, Slovenia, Slovenia. There is so much to say about Slovenia that I highly doubt will fit this into one blog. In this blog post, I will give the low-downs on my observations, transportations, misconceptions, and all the nitty-gritty details about Slovenia. Next blog post, I am to highlight the must-go-to attractions and restaurants in Ljubljana and Piran.
For Slovenia, there seems to be a misconception. The sad part is I even believed this misconception before I went. Tourists think Slovenia is this war-torn country. They believe that it is very dangerous to travel to and should be avoided. That is not the case. Yes, Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and separated from it. But, it is not unsafe to travel to. Slovenia had some of the friendliest citizens and was pretty safe. I am not saying to go walking by yourself at night without the use of precautionary measures, but it is opposite of what its reputation is. A lot of the country is friendly, nice, and very welcoming.
One thing I did notice was the train and bus systems aren’t the best. Actually, they are horrible- trains are usually delayed, sometimes an hour or more. Instructions are unclear (especially with the Eurail). There are many incidents where the Eurail timetable gave us wrong stops and times. Being on the actual train is fine, but waiting for the trains and the instructions are bad. Although, I do not recommend the train system in Eastern Europe, but it is the only land transportation that can get you to various places without using a car.
One of the greatest things about Slovenia is that it is inexpensive. It was probably the cheapest destination we went to. Slovenia uses the Euro like a lot of other European countries. I feel since Slovenia isn’t a major tourist hub, that they can keep stuff inexpensive and make a great profit. The bonus to everything being cheap was occasional free food, and alcohol was included at dinner. For instance, while in Piran I ordered a large chicken salad for 6€. Soup came prior to the meal, then a complimentary shot of Grapa came afterwards. Not only was the shot free, but the soup was too. All in all, with drinks included, the meal was 9€. Great meal, great deal!
As for food, like most countries you have a variety of options. There are markets located in the downtown core of Ljubljana. There you can find fruits, vegetables, and meat for great prices. There are grocery stores around that allow you to buy food for great prices, also. Not only are the restaurants cheaper, but you get a great meal worth its value. Of course, there are pros and cons for both. The pros of going to a restaurant is you get their delicious, huge-sized meal. The cons being that you don’t get to take food back home with you. As for the pros of markets/grocery stores, you get all this fresh food at a discounted price. The con is that you have to make the meal yourself.
For the following week, my post may be a tad late like this one. Currently, I am doing my exam period for school so my time is taken up with studying and drinking a lot wine to get through it. Please stayed tuned for the next one and I hope you enjoyed this one!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Trekking & Travels 