#192: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Page 692, 2nd Ed pg 852)

 For my birthday this year, I looked in my 1000 Places book and found the closest thing to me that I hadn't yet done.... the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, a 6 hour drive away.

And I took with me my birthday buddy, my son Tanner.

 Michael Jackson's famous glove in the Legends of Rock and Roll exhibit on Level 0.

Cost:  $23.50/adult, $13.75/child

Verdict: The museum is very well done and if music is your passion and rock and roll is your love, then you could easily spend all day here and love every minute.  But I guess my passion for all things rock and roll isn't all that deeply rooted, so while we enjoyed our couple of hours here, specifically seeing all the memorabilia and the U2 concert in 3D on Level 4 in the Foster Theatre, No, I do not think this is a must do before you die. 

#191: Renaissance Island

Every once in a while (I think this is only my third time), I run across something that is NOT in the 1000 Places Book, but is SO awesome, I'm shocked it didn't make the cut.  Especially when it's significantly more awesome than many of the things that are in the book.  So, that's when I take it upon myself to add it to this list anyway!

Renaissance Island is one of those places!

When we first booked our trip to Aruba, I immediately busted out my book to see what the book recommended so we could add it on to our itinerary.  But lo and behold, not a single thing in Aruba made the cut.

But then we visited this island and I thought to myself, this is an absolute must-do for all water-loving, beach-loving, caribbean-loving, sun-loving, flamingo-loving people out there!

And we have one of those flamingo-loving people in our family.  It was like a dream come true for her!

I mean, look at this place!!

When you get to Renaissance Island (they take you by speed boat from the Renaissance -owned by Marriott- hotel), you can go right or left.  If you go right, you will find yourself at the adults-only beach with cabanas, chairs, umbrellas, hammocks and flamingoes. 

If you turn left, you will find yourself here, at the "family beach" (otherwise knows as Iguana Beach).

There's a great platform the kids can swim out to and jump off.

Paradise

But luckily for our flamingo-lover, kids are allowed over to the flamingo/adult side for an hour or two in the morning to feed them and swim with them and take pictures with them.

There is also an "Activity hut" where you can rent mats, snorkel gear, scuba gear, kayaks, etc.

Tip:  This is a private island.  If you are staying at the Renaissance hotel, this island is considered part of the hotel and you can come here as often as you like for free.  However, if you are not staying here, you can still go.  The hotel charges $100/person.  For our family of six, we found it made financial sense to spend one night at the hotel (we had enough Marriott points to cover our one-night stay) so that we could go to the island for free and then we made our way over to our time share for the rest of the week.

Verdict: Yes!!!  Such a unique, fun, memorable experience!

#190: St. George's Harbour and Grand Anse Beach (Pg 871, 2nd Ed pg 1084)

Feb 24, 2017

I decided to do my first scuba dive in Grenada out of a Dive Shop located right on Grand Anse Beach!

Grand Anse Beach

The nicest beach on the island!

Very well maintained, lots of beach, chairs, boats, shops, plenty of amenities.

After diving, snorkeling and beach time, we went to check out the Harbour!

Verdict:  This is a split Yes/No.  We all loved Grand Anse Beach and would absolutely go back there if we ever find ourselves in Grenada again.  But, while the harbor was beautiful, it was "just another harbour." There really wasn't anything all that special about it, so that part is definitely not something you need to do before you die. 

#189: Sandy Lane (Page 858; Listed as Platinum Coast in 2nd Ed, pg 1066)

Feb. 23, 2017

The golf course of Sandy Lane.  This is where Tiger Woods got married.

And I can see why - check out that view!

But if you want to eat there, bring your wallet!

Granted, these prices are in Barbados prices (so for $$, divide prices in half), but still; not a cheap meal!

The rooms are expensive too, but you get what you pay for!  You have a beautiful sitting area, complete with a filled curio cabinet.

As well as a nice-sized sitting area that connects to the balcony.

The bedroom

The bedroom connects to the balcony as well

And the balcony runs the whole stretch of the bedroom and sitting room.

And the bathroom is....

Huge!

And attached to this pretty incredible his and hers walk-in closet.

The main pool

And the spa area.

Verdict: It's probably worth it IF you have the money.  But prices are ~$1650-$2650/night.  The good news is, there is no minimum stay.  So, if you just want to indulge for a night, you can do that.  Dayna gave us a tour of the resort and said that, while there are no minimum stays, most of their clientele is European (who stay for 1-2 weeks) or American (who stay 4-7 days).  I mean, it's nice.  It's REALLY nice.  And if you have money coming out of your ears, why wouldn't you stay here?  It's absolutely the nicest place on the island, hands down.  But if you're not bleeding money, you can still die a fulfilled person without visiting Sandy Lane ;)

#188: Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Page 869, 2nd Ed pg 1080)

Feb 22, 2017

Dominica is known as the "Nature Island" and it's not hard to figure out why!

The book describes Morne Trois Pitons as a "25-square-mile slice of nature that looks and feels more like Hawaii than the Caribbean" and I couldn't agree more!  Every caribbean island I've ever been to has been relatively similar to the one before and the one after.... except this one.  The whole time I was there, I kept saying "I feel like I'm in Hawaii!"  Specifically Kauai.

Our first stop:  Trafalgar Falls

You can either pay $5/person for each hike/sight within the park or get a $12.50/pp pass which covers everything within the park and is good for a week.  We chose the latter.

Trafalgar is a quick, easy 15-min, beautiful hike!

Next, we hiked to Middleham Falls.  It's a much longer, more strenuous hike.  45 minutes is a conservative estimate and lots of uphill and downhill.

In our case, it took us well over 2 hours of arduous hiking because we went out on our own and the path is NOT well-marked.  You come to a gazebo-type place and have 3 choices, none of which are labeled as Middleham falls.  One was labeled as something else, so we knew it wasn't that, but we chose to go right (and should have gone left!).  We hiked a good 45 min-an hour in that direction before realizing our mistake.  Whoops!

But even so, once we eventually got there, it was worth every step!

It was one of the most beautiful waterfalls we had ever seen!

And you can even get in!  It's COLD!  I thought I was going to die of hypothermia when I first jumped in, but by the time I made it to the other side, I was ok.

And braving the cold, was DEFINITELY worth jumping into the falls.  SO cool!!!

From this angle, it looks like nothing, but when I was up there looking down, it looked REALLY high up!

The trail we accidentally took.  Whoops!

But hey, if you have the time, I recommend it!

45 minutes (without any accidental detours!)

Next stop:  Titou Gorge

Verdict:  Yes, Yes, YES!  Loved Dominica!  Everyone should visit Morne Trois Pitons National Park, the highlight of Dominica if they can.  It is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.  Tons of hikes, waterfalls and gorgeous scenery.  An absolute hidden gem of the caribbean!