BonvoyTraveler

      After leaving Petaluma we stopped to look at Sonoma and to find some food at something that was open- a bakery- thank goodness as food was getting harder and harder to find.  As we were sitting on a bench in Sonoma I received the call that the TownePlace Suites in Medford we had stayed at on the way down to California and were booked at for that night was closing immediately due to COVID.  They said they could accommodate us across the parking lot at the SpringHill Suites and they would make exceptions for pets.        We drove on to Medford in particularly heavy traffic, lots of Canadian campers and license plates as Canadians had been told to return home before the border was to be closed and a two week quarantine to be imposed for returning citizens.  Arriving at the hotel, we found it full, mostly Canadians all part of the mass exodus.  The hotel was similar to the TownePlace Suites just with a smaller ...

      As we made our way home as COVID-19 spread we stayed one night at the Hyatt Centric in Santa Barbara arriving just as the Governor forced restaurants to close and we grabbed a last take out fish and chip meal before everything was shuttered.  The next day we had a beautiful drive along Big Sur, to Carmel by the Sea and Monterey, and were on our way to the Westin Versa Napa when we received the call that they were closing due to COVID.  We were able to make a last minute switch to the Sheraton Petaluma as fewer and fewer options were available and San Francisco was suddenly a do not visit area with a strict lock down.        We arrived to find the hotel deserted and the Club Lounge and restaurants all closed.  The friendly check in attendant allowed us to take items from the pantry and the next morning made us coffee from there as well as no other food options were available.  The hotel was a bit if a walk t...

    Oliver and I poolside at Triada Palm Springs            After leaving Ventura I made the drive to Palm Springs in heavy traffic though it was the middle of the day.  I had two weeks booked at the Triada before switching to the Riviera for my best-friend Sean's wedding where I would be best-man.  Unfortunately, arriving in early March 2019, it did not take long for things to deteriorate rapidly as a result of COVID-19.      Firstly, this was my first stay at the Triada.  The Parker has always been my favorite hotel in Palm Springs and I like many was not thrilled when they left the program after the Marriott takeover of Starwood.  The Riviera, where the wedding was to take place, followed suit after the wedding had been booked and just before my arrival, joining a different hotel group.  I have tried the Avalon which is great and central and the Westin which is also good but a little far ou...