Photo of the Week - Eiffel Tower Paris, France

On a recent trip to Paris, we spent a lovely afternoon in the Parc du Champs de Mars, just below the Eiffel Tower. We were not sure of our plans, so didn't book a time online to go up the Eiffel Tower, because of that we missed it as we weren't willing to wait the 3 hours in line to venture to the top.

Not sure what we missed out on, but we did climb to the top of the Arc De Triomphe, so we still got an amazing view of the city, at sunset too. We really enjoyed our couple of hours napping in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower on a Beautiful Sunny Day in Paris

 The book we found most helpful on our 3 day whirlwind through Paris was Frommer's Paris Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket). It helped us figure out exactly what we wanted to see, and if we came across anything that we weren't sure about it gave us enough of a description to answer our questions.
We highly recommend it for Paris!

What do you like about Paris? Comment below, we would love to hear about it.

More travel Facts about the Eiffel Tower.

Photo of the Week - Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California

I love to watch the sun set. Warren says that I wore him out of sunsets when we were in Hawaii. That could be true!

This is the sunset over Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin Inn (which we highly recommend for a romantic getaway) and had a patio oceanview room.

We could snuggle in the patio "loveseat" under a blanket and watch the sunset each night.

This is my favorite sunset photo from that trip:

Sunset at Moonstone Beach,
Cambria, California

If you have a favorite sunset photo, please send it to me or link it in the comments section below.

Amelia Island Florida - Looks like a Great Family Vacation Idea

On Twitter this morning this Tweet came through from @travelingmoms:

All I could think of was "Wow Really?". We place a premium on family time around here. But one thing that we tend to have issues with (and we are all guilty of it) is releasing the technology...even when traveling and supposed to be on "holiday". There are only two requirements when I am choosing somewhere to stay:

1. It must have a King Sized bed; and
2. IT MUST HAVE WIFI or some kind of Internet other than dial up.

I must admit that sometimes it would be nice if we could just unplug together. Kim Orlando managed for the most part to get her kids to turn off the electronics and spend time together (OK she didn't' totally win but I think the compromise still worked).

What really worked for them was the fun planned activities, they made sure they included something for every member of the family. I enjoyed watching their activities and even said to Warren that the next time we are in Florida (we go often as my parents spend their winters there) that we should check out Amelia Island!

The original post was here: Amelia Island: Mom vs. Electronics

For more Florida vacation ideas check out our Florida Vacation Guide.

Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say  about Amelia Island at TripAdvisor

What are your suggestions for getting your family to unplug and get some family time together? Comment below, we would love to hear!

Photo of the Week - Mauna Kea Sunset in Hawaii

Wow, 3 weeks in a row, I must be on a roll with these Photos of the week!

This week I chose the sunset in Hawaii. The summer is ending here in Toronto. The kids have gone back to school, and there is a slight chill in the air. I was starting to think about the Christmas and New Year's holidays. That means it will be quite cold here soon. So what sprung to mind but Hawaii!

Hawaii is one of our absolute favorite destinations. This photo of the sunset was taken from a house we rented in Mauna Kea on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island.

My favorite time of day!

Do you love Hawaii? Please share your favorite images of Hawaii with us and we may display them here as a photo of the week on future Fridays.

Contact us here:
http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/contact-us.html

We always welcome comments, or suggestions for our photos!

Taking a Seine River Cruise in Paris

On our recent trip to Paris, one of the items on my To Do list was to take a river cruise on the Seine. For a change I didn't plan every detail and activity of our trip and didn't know what type of River cruise to do.

So Warren went to the Concierge at our hotel and he recommended doing a dinner river cruise along the Seine but gave us a few options as well. We could enjoy a 4 course gourmet French meal while taking a two hour dinner cruise on a boat like La Marina de Paris, Have lunch at the Eiffel tower and then the Seine River Cruise, or do a bike tour with a Seine River Cruise.

The only thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted to do the river cruise at sunset as I wanted to see Paris on the Seine by day and by night. After some discussion, we realized that we just wanted to do a Seine river cruise, with no other options attached. The Concierge said, that was the easiest and the cheapest option of all then. Sunset is around 9 pm just go to the Bateaux Mouches down by the Eiffel Tower. In High season boat tours go every 20 minutes from 7 pm to 11 pm. We jumped on the 8:30 tour. It cost 10 Euros (children are only 5 Euros or free if they are younger than 4) each and was totally worth the money.

On the Boat Getting Ready for the Sunset Cruise on the Seine

The commentary is a playback and it plays back in French, English, and German (and possibly Japanese). Sometimes it was hard to hear, but that was ok, we just wanted to experience the city from the Seine.

The boat was massive and could hold 100's of people. We were shocked when we saw how many people it could hold.

This Seine River Cruise travels past all of the big landmarks on the Seine. In fact it was the only time we saw Notre Dame as we never made it over there in the short 3 days we were there. We also went under the kissing bridge as I wrote about in our Romantic things to do in Paris page.

It was a great time and a lot of fun. We ended back at the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed it all lit up. 

We then had a romantic walk along the Seine back to our hotel and watched the light show put on by the Eiffel Tower each night.

Another option that I wish I had seen before going to Paris was the Paris Pass. It includes entry to over 60 attractions in Paris, free use of public transport, hop on hop off bus tour, Skip the line access at the Lourve the Museum d'Orsay and many others, a free map of Paris and a free Bateau Parisiens Seine River Cruise.

Seine River Cruise and Paris Illuminations by Minivan - $ 93.30 For a night to remember, cruise along the river Seine, pass under the many bridges and admire the architecture of the historical buildings. Soak up the wonderful Parisian atmosphere and admire the monuments all around you. Paris looks simply stunning at night time, come and see for yourself!

Photo of the Week - Amsterdam Canal

OK, another Friday has come along, and so does another Photo of the week. This week I chose one of my favorites from Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities in Europe. We went back there for a visit in July 2010.
I love this photo as it was the view from the front of our hotel, the Grand Amrath. I love how is shows the homes of the people in Amsterdam, from walk ups across the canal, to houseboats on the canals.

It is free to dock your boat on any of the canals, so many people hook up and don't leave...makes sense to me if that is the life you want.

Do you have a favorite travel photo you would like to share? Contact us here:
http://www.excellent-vacation-ideas.com/contact-us.html

When in Amsterdam, don't forget to take one of the many Amsterdam canal cruises to get a different view of the city.

What do you like about Amsterdam? Comment below: