• Laiee

Ever wondered which one of the Big Three – USPS, Fedex, or UPS – offered the lowest shipping rates?

Wonder no more!  Just type in the zip codes.  ShipGooder will tell you which company offers the lowest shipping rates instantly.  Well, almost instantly.  I tried it today and I was thrilled.

  @  shipgooder

We stayed at the Hotel Moevenpick while we visited Amsterdam last week.  The hotel is on the opposite side of the city center, so it is a bit detached from all of the excitement.  On a good sunny day, it’s about a nice 20-minute walk from the Amsterdam Central station.  The hotel also provides free shuttle buses between the hotel and the train station every 30 minutes.  Actually, there is only one shuttle bus running and it can only carry 8 people, so remember to make a reservation whenever you need a ride to the station or vice versa.  One morning, we forgot to make a reservation.  We had to wait for an hour to catch the ride to the city.

The hotel was very modern and very very clean.  Our suites were spotless.  The rooms were spacious compared to most of the rooms in Europe.  There were nice shower gel, shampoo, and body lotion in the bathroom.  The espresso maker was the star of the room.  However, they were kind of strict on the towels they provided – only two large bath towels, two hand towels and no wash cloth.  There was a built-in luggage rack in the room, which was nice.  But we had two pieces of luggage.  When we called and asked for another luggage rack, we were told that each room was equipped with one rack and that was that.  How rude!  Anyway, I just put mine on a chair and it worked.

With our reservation, it also came with free breakfast and free mini bar.  Both were superb.  The only odd thing was the chef on duty.  He was also tasked with other duties so it was very difficult to get him to make you some fried eggs.  One morning, I was waiting for him for 10 minutes and finally, I told a waiter if he could get the chef for me.  I noticed this odd and unhappy look on the chef’s face like it was such inconvenience when the waiter told him about my request.   He did come over, make the eggs, throw them in my plate, and walk away unhappily.  Well, at least, I had my eggs!!!

One person in particular, I believe, should be the star of the hotel.  That is Daniel.  He is the driver of the shuttle bus.  I think he works the late afternoon shift into the evenings.  He picked us up at the train station as we arrived in Amsterdam.  He also delivered our luggage to our rooms.  He was professional and very friendly.   During our stay for the next few days, it was always a joy if he was driving the shuttle bus.  Very pleasant small talks, and always a nice smile on his face.

  @ moevenpick

I am planning our trip to France, England and the Netherlands in May.  After visiting so many search engines, I became frustrated because their hotel prices were pretty much the same.  Not until I found 1800Hotels.com, I was ecstatic.  Their prices are stunning, and I mean stunning.  They are significantly lower than others and most of them offer free breakfast.  That’s important to me because I hate to worry about where to eat breakfast in the morning; especially, before I have my coffee.

However, here is the catch.  Everything is prepaid, and subsequent changes will cost you expensive fees.  It looks like you can only get up to 80% of the money back if you decide to cancel before the time they allow.  Be sure to read the terms and conditions on the booking page where you enter the names and payment info.  So if you are definite about your trip, this is the site to go.

Also, they rate the hotels in 1800Hotel Silver Award or Gold Award.  If you are looking for nicer and more luxurious hotels, look for the ones that have these awards.  Normally, they are in the 4 or 5 stars categories.  With the rates significantly lower than others, it is worth the time taking a look at these hotels.

  @ 1800Hotels

This one smells sweet for me.  It reminds me of the Black Walnut eau de Toilette from Banana Republic.  In contrast to the Abercrombie Fierce Cologne, which is more fun for a good night out, Colden is more mature and sophisticated.

Which one lasts the longest?  Fierce is the winner.  Colden comes in second.  41 the third.

Fierce is just perfect for evenings.  Colden can be great for work during the day because it is sophisticated.  It is perfect for a romantic date as well because it is sweet.

At abercrombie for $50

You€™ll never have that moment of , €œAre they speaking English?  Or am I just too old?€

And this customer thought these flashcards were just stupendous.

 At Knock Knock for $14.99