ATL

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

January 30, 2019Travel Photos, Trip ReportATL, Beach, Delta, Grace Bay, Personal, PLS, Providenciales, The Palms, Travel, Trip, Turks and Caicostraveling4numbers Leave a comment

We traveled to Providenciales in July, 2016 for a quick 4-night vacation. We flew Delta from Atlanta in both directions and stayed at The Palms. Overall, I would highly recommend making the trip to Turks and Caicos as the beaches are some of the best in the world. Any trip there will be expensive given that almost everything must be imported but it can be worth it as a nice splurge. Quick summary of the trip:

Flights: Delta economy from ATL-PLS-ATL

Hotel: The Palms (~$550 per night for Junior Suite) – Room / facilities were clean and well-cared for. I thought the room was slightly on the small side for the price paid. Breakfast buffet was substantial and fresh. Would stay here again but open to exploring other options on the island as well.

Other: I would definitely recommend getting a rental car while on the island as there are plenty of places away from the resorts that are worth visiting. Sapodilla Beach was a favorite of ours. Do keep in mind they drive on the wrong side of the road so if you aren’t comfortable with that taxi’s might be a better option. We rented through Avis.

Meals:

Mango Reef Restaurant – Definitely a more local place, food was OK but the setting on a rather industrial marina left something to be desired
Magnolia Wine Bar – Amazing setting up on a hill overlooking Grace Bay. Food was good but atmosphere is what sold this restaurant (see sunset pic below)
Somewhere Cafe – Beachfront tiki bar that served basic bar food, beautiful setting
Las Brisas – Located on Chalk Sound (see pic below), setting and food were great for a long lunch. Very close to Sapodilla Beach (see pic below)
Infinity Bar – Beachfront restaurant at Grace Bay Club. Great location and atmosphere, food was OK. Expensive for what you get
Coco Bistro – Best meal we had on the island. Off the beach location and reservations are difficult. Highly recommend
Fresh Catch – This place came highly recommended but we came away disappointed. Located in a shopping center the location left a lot to be desired and the food was just OK

Trip summary in pictures below. Enjoy!

Landing into PLS

Courtyard at The Palms

The Palms, Junior Suite View

Magnolia Wine Bar Sunset

Awesome pink rental car

Somewhere Beach Bar

The Palms beach view

Chalk Sound – Next to Las Brisas

Sapodilla Beach

Turk’s Head Beer

Crab on Beach

Leaving PLS

Quick Washington D.C. Trip

January 30, 2018Travel Photos, Trip ReportATL, DCA, Marriott, Park Hyatt, Personal, Photos, Southwest, Travel, Washington D.C.traveling4numbers Leave a comment

A couple of years ago (prior to baby #1), my wife and I took a weekend trip to Washington D.C. Spent 2 nights in the city (1 at a generic Marriott and 1 night at the Park Hyatt). We managed to secure an upgrade to a suite for $45 same-day at the Park Hyatt, more than worth it!

We flew Southwest non-stop from ATL both directions as we managed to secure a really cheap flight. Nothing special to report from the flights.

Some pictures from our trip:

GW Campus

Scene from behind the White House

Street scene from Georgetown

My wife and I in front of the U.S. Capital

Bedroom of our suite at the Park Hyatt D.C.

Living room of our suite at the Park Hyatt D.C.

Bathroom of our suite at the Park Hyatt D.C. Deep tub to the left and stone surround shower on the right.

View of Atlanta on descent into ATL

Really fun weekend with some great food and 1 really nice hotel (Park Hyatt D.C.) + 1 mediocre hotel (Marriott Washington – Georgetown). Some of the restaurants we enjoyed:

-Mintwood Place (Dinner – Really solid)

-Le Diplomate (Brunch – Highly recommend)

This was our last trip before baby #1 was born, little did we know how our life would change (for the better!).

Trip Report: South Korea and Thailand – Day 1

August 12, 2015Trip ReportATL, Hyatt, Incheon, Korean Air, seoul, south korea, thailandtraveling4numbers Leave a comment

Our trip began with a direct flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Seoul, South Korea (ICN) on Korean Air. A few months prior to our trip we found an incredible roundtrip airfare from ATL-ICN-BKK on Korean Air and got another couple to book the trip with us. Overall, our flight was really pleasant with good (comparatively) food in economy. It was operated by a 777-300.

Our flight was slightly delayed getting into Seoul (approximately 6 PM local time). We had an overnight layover in Seoul and had arranged to meet with an old coworker. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt – Incheon which was perfectly suitable for a 1-night airport hotel. If I were going back to Seoul, I would certainly stay in the city.

From the hotel, we took a taxi to meet my former coworker in downtown Seoul. Total cost was around 90 USD and the trip took approximately 45 minutes. See below for a few scenes from our time in Seoul:

Myself on the left, my former coworker in the middle and one of our friends traveling with us.

My wife and I having drinks in Seoul.

A scene in downtown Seoul.

Our room at the Grand Hyatt.

Our flight left around 9 AM local time the following morning for Bangkok so we didn’t stay out too late but it was great to catch up with an old friend in Seoul. We will have to go back to Seoul in future, certainly much more to see!