Archive for May 2013

Alcatraz Island | San Francisco, CALIFORNIA USA

When we booked our trip to America, the other travel bunnie said to me that I could go anywhere and stay at whichever hotel that I wanted, on one condition; that he gets to do a night tour to Alcatraz Island.

I gladly accepted the proposal.

As we were on a tight schedule during our stay in San Francisco, we decided to do a night tour to Alcatraz Island, which turned out to be an extraordinarily memorable experience. As we lined up at Pier 33 to board onto the boat to the island, the sky darkened and it started to rain. An eerie feeling creeped up along my spine as soon as I stepped off the boat and climbed the hill into the main prison.

We had were allowed to stay for an extra hour on the island to catch the eight o'clock return boat service, but I felt so disturbed after having seen the old prison hospital, I yanked the other travel bunnie by his sleeve and begged to go back to the mainland.

The whole tour was professional, informative and engaging of your every sense. The tour is almost completely self guided and the audio guides that you are given at the start of the tour just take you that extra step into transporting you back to when Alcatraz was alive with activity. Also, the views back across the bay in every direction behind the light mist for rain was spectacular!

On the way back, I couldn't help but wonder, did anyone really escape this super facility?

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $74

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The Palace Hotel | San Francisco, CALIFORNIA USA

What can I say about a hotel called The Palace?

From the second that we arrived at the hotel, I was in awe of its grand interior. With the Muni Metro station located literally at its doorstep, I couldn't think of anywhere better to stay during our visit to the City by the Bay, San Francisco.

Check in was efficient and pleasant (which we came to understand was a trait of all of the wonderful people of this beautiful city). The hotel is full of nostalgia and we had the added bonus of staying there during the Christmas season which meant that it looked especially wintery. The hotel is not particularly large and despite booking a junior suite the entire experience felt cozy.

The suite has a comfortable bed, plenty of windows that overlooked busy Montgomery Street and a small but useable bathroom. The extra living space provided in the suite was useful given our two large suitcases but there were plenty of little extras provided in room that you would expect from a luxury collection Starwood hotel (boutique bathroom amenities, a coffee maker and an umbrella for those rainy San Francisco days just to name a few).

Our time was limited in this beautiful city but the front desk staff were accommodating in our request for an early check in and stowed our bags well after check out given our late flight out. Concierge were also helpful with printing out our flight boarding passes and providing recommendations for local food and transport options.

All in all, the hotel was a gem located in the heart of the city and only a short walk away for the central tram stop. It is the perfect place to stay if you are longing for a taste of the old San Francisco.

PS. did I mention that Ghirardelli Chocolate is located on the Ground level of the hotel?

Bunnies' travel notes:

Check in at 3pm, check out at 12pm

Number of Suites: 30

Swimming pool: yes

Standard price range: $217 - $509

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Zum Kaiser | 416 Vulture Street, WOOLLOONGABBA QLD 4169

The crisp winter chill at night calls for comfort food. Last Friday, I had a sudden urge for eating a big pork knuckle. We've been to a number of places in the city where you can get quality juicy pork knuckles with sauerkraut. So the other travel bunnie decided to take me somewhere different, and we ended up at Zum Kaiser at the Brisbane German Club in Woolloongabba.

I had never been to the Brisbane German Club before and didn't know what to expect. As we entered the club, I saw a sizable beer hall to my left and it instantly brought me back to my trip to Munich a few years back. We were led to a different part of the club by the waitress, into a room where tables with red tablecloths are neatly lined up one after another, next to the square windows decorated by white lace curtains.

After the other travel bunnie had placed our order at the counter, he brought back a salted pretzel ($4) for us to nibble on while waiting for our mains. I've never been a fan of beer, but that night, I tried a banana flavoured beer and it tasted so yummy!

Our meals arrived soon after. My slow roasted pork hock with fried potatoes, sauerkraut and smoked beer gravy ($25.90) was everything I had hoped for. The pork hock was massive! I didn't know where to start. It's definitely not a dish for the faint hearted. The other travel bunnie opted for a slightly healthier option, chicken schnitzel with chips and salad with extra mushroom sauce ($17.90). I didn't have any room left in my stomach to try any but apparently it was a good dish.

Zum Kaiser will undoubtedly be a regular for the bunnies this winter.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $61.80

In the air: LAS to SFO | USA Travel

Part of me didn't want to leave Vegas, there was probably not a lot more to see, but I would have liked to try a few more buffet restaurants. On the way to the airport, our taxi driver started telling us his life story and he was almost gobsmacked when he found out that we didn't get hitched at the Little White Wedding Chapel, so he proceeded to tell us stories about how many drive-by weddings he had attended where he was the witness to his passengers' vows.

As our Virgin flight took off for San Francisco and the buildings below slowing disappeared from my vision, I sat back into my seat and prepared for our next destination...