Maria - Passports Overloaded

Amstel Hotel – Amsterdam, Netherlands

April 8 – 12, 2013

Amstel Hotel – This hotel was really nice and it was centrally located. You were close to everything. I would highly recommend staying there.

South Africa – Safari Lodge

April 2009

My friend’s dad owns a private safari at Sabi Sands called Jacobin in Kruger National Park.

Main Living Area – Kitchen, Dining Room, Swimming Pool

Christian Louboutin Event – Chicago 2019

March 22, 2019

My husband John surprised me with a meet and greet with my favorite shoemaker. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Trump Hotel in Chicago

Terrace Restaurant in Trump Hotel

Indoor Pool

Chicago Theater

Elton John Concert in NYC

March 6, 2019

Elton John – Farewell Yellow Brick Road Concert at Madison Square Garden

At 72 Elton John is still rocking a packed arena. He truly is the best performed John and I have ever seen. What a privilege it was to be so close to a living legend!!!

Hotels We’ve Stayed In :-)

These are some of the fabulous Hotels we were lucky enough spend time in.

**If you would like to skip to any particular area please click on the links below.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Amstel Hotel – April 8-12, 2013

Andasibe, Madagascar – Vakona Forest Lodge – June 15th – 16th, 2016

Anguilla, Caribbean – Belmond Cap Juluca – April 23, 2017

Asheville, North Carolina – Omni Grove Park Inn – October 23, 2020

Athens, Greece– Hotel Grand Bretagne – August 10th – 13th, 2005,
November 3, 2011,
July 12, 2018

Atlanta, GA – Waldorf Astoria – November 2, 2019 – November 5, 2019

Austin, Texas – Four Seasons – May 17, 2021 – May 18, 2021

Baltimore, Maryland – Four Seasons – October 14, 2020 – October 15, 2020

Bangkok, Thailand – Mandarin Oriental – March 30th & 31st, 2014

Bora Bora, French Polynesia – Four Seasons – January 21, 2015

Boston, MA – XV Beacon – October 11, 2019

Big Island, Hawaii – Hilton Hotel – February 28 – March 2, 2017

Charleston, South Carolina – Belmond Charleston Place – October 26, 2020

Charlottesville, Virginia – Albermarle Estate at Trump Winery – October 15, 2020

Chicago, IL – Peninsula Hotel – August 30, 2017 – September 1, 2017
Trump Hotel – March 21, 2019 – March 23, 2019

Cape Neddick, Maine – Cliff House – August 2, 2020 – August 5, 2020

Cincinnati, Ohio – Netherland Plaza Hotel – April 28, 2019

Dallas, Texas – The Joule – May 15, 2021 – May 17, 2021

D.C. – District of Columbia – Trump International Hotel– June 8, 2021

Des Moines, Iowa – Embassy Suites – August 23rd – 24th, 2017

Dubai, UAE – Raffles – November 22, 2011
Medinat Jumeirah – September 2, 2019 – September 4, 2019
Burj Khalifa-Armani-September 4, 2019-September 6, 2019
Burj Al Arab – September 7, 2019

Eze, France– La Chevre D’Or – May 27, 2019 – May 29, 2019

Florence, Italy– Four Seasons – February 2011

Grand Anse Mahe, Seychelles – Hilton Northolme – June 18th – 22nd, 2016

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Amway Grand Rapids Hotel – April 26, 2019

Honolulu, Hawaii – Ritz Carlton Residences – June 14, 2022 – June 18, 2022

Hot Springs, Virginia – Omni Homestead – October 17, 2020 – Oct 19, 2020

Huntington, NY – Oheka Castle – September 2018

Jerusalem, Israel – Waldorf Astoria – July 15, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa – Intercontinental – September 20, 2019

Kahuku, Hawaii – Turtle Bay Resort – June 18, 2022 – June 20, 2022

Ko ‘Olina – Hawaii – Disney Aulani – September 13, 2018 – Sept. 20, 2018
September 14th – 21st, 2013
September 7th – 14th, 2014 September 23rd – October 1st, 2016 February 23rd – February 28th, 2017

Kruger National Park/South Africa – April 2009

Livingstone, Zambia – Royal Chundu – June 7th – 13th, 2016

Maui, Hawaii – Westin Hotel – March 3rd – 7th, 2017

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Hilton Hotel – August 28, 2017

Montauk, New York – Gurney’s Star Island – October 9, 2020 – Oct 10, 2020

Monte Carlo, Monaco – Hotel De Paris – May 23, 2019 – May 27, 2019

Nairobi, Kenya – Giraffe Manor – September 8, 2019
Angama Mara – September 9, 2019 – September 13, 2019
Salas Camp – September 13, 2019 – September 16, 2019

Nashville, Tennessee – Hermitage Hotel – May 24, 2017 – May 25, 2017

New Orleans, LA – Ritz Carlton – October 28, 2019 – October 31, 2019

Newport, RI – Castle Hill – October 9, 2019
The Chanler @ Cliff Walk – October 10, 2019

Orlando, Florida – Ritz Carlton – August 25, 2022 – August 27, 2022

Oceania Cruises Suites

Palm Beach, Florida – The Breakers – September 22, 2013, October 25, 2015
Mar-A-Lago – Members since 2021

Papeete, French Polynesia – January 24, 2015

Park City, Utah – St. Regis – September 27, 2016 – September 28, 2016

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Ritz Carlton – August 8, 2019 – Aug. 10, 2019

Rome, Italy – Westin Excelsior Hotel – February 7th – 20th, 2011
Ritz Carlton -August 18th – 21st, 2012
Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri – August 23, 2018
Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri – June 2, 2019 – June 4, 2019

San Diego, Califonia – The US Grant – September 20, 2022 – September 23, 2022

Sedona, AZ – Enchantment Hotel – September 27- 29, 2010

St. George, Utah – The Inn at Entrada – August 27, 2013 – August 29, 2013

Venice, Italy – Luna Baglioni – February 3rd – 5th, 2011

Waikiki, Hawaii – Trump International Hotel – June 20, 2022

Walland, Tennessee – Blackberry Mountain – Oct. 21, 2020 – Oct. 23, 2020

White Sulphur Springs, Virginia – The Greenbrier – Oct. 18, 2020

Zakynthos, Greece –Le Sante Blu – July 7, 2018 – July 11, 2018

Zambia, Africa – Royal Chundu – September 17, 2019 – September 20, 2019

Aspen, Colorado

January 27, 2019 – February 1, 2019

Today we flew to Aspen, Colorado for our annual ski trip. Our friend Nano Lopez was meeting us there which was cool. I absolutely love Aspen. This was the first time we were there and it will be added to our yearly ski trip.

We normally go to Utah but we figured to branch out and add Colorado to our itinerary as well.

If you would like to see what and where we ate while in Aspen.

Cruises We’ve Done

November 5, 2011 – 18-day cruise from Athens to Dubai
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Nautica
Captain: Leo Stratzinic
Cruise Director: David Peterson
Ports: Limassol Cyprus, Jerusalem Israel, Luxor Egypt, Petra & Wadi Rum Jordan, Muscat Oman & Dubai

March 10, 2014 – 21-day cruise from Beijing to Bangkok
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Nautica
Captain: Igor Bencina, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnato,
F&B Director: Adam Martindale, Cruise Director: Leslie Jon
Ports: Beijing China, Dalian China, Seoul South Korea Shanghai China, Nagasaki Japan, Taipei Taiwan, Hong Kong China, Hanoi Vietnam, Hue/Da Nang Vietnam, Saigon Vietnam, Bangkok Thailand

January 24, 2015 – 18-day cruise from Papeete to Sydney
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Marina
Captain: Captain Vitaliy Silvachynsky, General Manager: Thierry Tholon Cruise Director: Ray Carr, F&B Director: Bert Goebel
Ports: Papeete, Bora Bora, Apia Samoa, Lautoka Fiji, Suva Fiji, Noumea New Caledonia, Brisbane Australia, Sydney Australia, then we went to Hamilton Island Australia and then to New Zealand.

July 24, 2015 – 10-day cruise from Seattle to Seattle
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Regatta
Captain: Maynard Hansen, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnato
F&B Director: Adam Martindale, Cruise Director: David Peterson
Ports: Seattle, Ketchikan Alaska, Wrangell Alaska, Juneau Alaska, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway Alaska, Sitka Alaska, Victoria Canada, Seattle

December 07, 2016 – 46-day cruise from Rio De Janeiro to Miami
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Marina
Captain: Igor Bencina & Captain: Leo Stratzinic, General Manager: Damien Lacroix, F&B Director: Evan Smith Wilmhelmse, Cruise Director: Peter Roberts
Ports: Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Buzios Brazil, Ilha Grande Brazil, Parati Brazil, Sao Paolo Brazil, Porto Belo Brazil, Rio Grande Brazil, Skipped Punta Del Este Uruguay, Montevideo Uruguay, Buenos Aires Argentina, Montevideo Uruguay, Punta Del Este Uruguay, Puerto Madryn Argentina, Port Stanley Falkland Islands, Ushuaia Argentina, Punta Arenas Chile, Puerto Chacabuco Chile, Puerto Montt Chile, Valparaiso Chile, Coquimbo Chile, Arica Chile, Machu Picchu/Lima Peru, Cusco Peru, Quito Ecuador, Manta Ecuador, Fuerte Amador Panama, Panama Canal Transit, Puerto Limon Costa Rica, Roatan Honduras, Costa Maya Mexico, Miami Florida

May 11, 2018 – 9-day cruise from Miami to Miami
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Sirena
Captain: Giulio Ressa, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnoti,
F&B Director: Andras Rafajlovics
Ports: Miami Florida, Havana Cuba, Cienfuegos Cuba, Santiago De Cuba Cuba, Great Stirrup Cay Bahamas, Freeport Bahamas, Miami Florida

July 12, 2018 – 42-day cruise from Athens to Rome
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Riviera
Captain: Gunnar Romtveit & Luca Morvillo, General Manager: Thierry Tholon, F&B Director: Evan Smith Wilmhelmse, Cruise Director: Corey Powell
Ports: Athens Greece, Heraklion (Crete) Greece, Jerusalem (Ashdod) Israel, Jerusalem (Haifa) Israel, Limassol Cyprus, Rhodes Greece, Patmos Greece, Santorini Greece, Athens Greece, Mykonos Greece, Rhodes Greece, Santorini Greece, Valletta Malta, Messina (Sicily) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Ajaccio (Corsica) France, Saint-Tropez France, Barcelona Spain, Toulon France, Cannes France, Monte Carlo Monaco, Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno) Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Taormina (Sicily) Italy, Corfu Greece, Kotor Montenegro, Dubrovnik Croatia, Venice Italy, Koper Slovenia, Rijeka Croatia, Split Croatia, Dubrovnik Croatia, Kotor Montenegro, Argostoli (Cephalonia) Greece, Catania (Sicily) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy

November 5, 2018 – 25-day cruise from Miami to Miami
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Sirena
Captain: Giulio Ressa, General Manager: Claudio Melli, Cruise Director: Leslie Jon, F&B Director: Gabriel Ovesea
Ports: Miami Florida, Gustavia St. Barts, Castries St. Lucia, St. George’s Grenada, Port Of Spain Trinidad, Santarem (Amazon River) Brazil, Boca Da Valeria (Amazon River) Brazil, Manaus (Amazon River) Brazil, Parintins (Amazon River) Brazil, Alter Do Chao (Amazon River) Brazil, Devil’s Island French Guiana, Bridgetown Barbados, St. John’s Antigua, San Juan Puerto Rico, Miami Florida.

June 4, 2019 – 37 day cruise from Rome to Miami
Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Insignia
Captain: Maroje Brajcic, General Manager: Damien Lacroix, Cruise Director: Ray Carr, Chief Purser: Emmanouil Fifis, F&B Director: Andras Rafajlovics, Restaurant Manager: Ryan Pretorius
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy, Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno) Italy
Monte Carlo Monaco, Barcelona Spain, Valencia Spain, Seville (Cadiz) Spain, Lisbon Portugal , Oporto Portugal, La Coruna Spain, Bilbao Spain, Bordeaux France, London (Southampton) United Kingdom, Liverpool United Kingdom, Belfast Northern Ireland, Dublin Ireland, Cork (Cobh) Ireland, St. John’s Newfoundland, Sydney Nova Scotia, Saint John (Bay Of Fundy) New Brunswick, New York New York, St. George Bermuda, Miami Florida.

Worst Airports

Queenstown – New Zealand

We had the absolute worst experience when we landed at the airport. They should advise you on the plane that they will hassle you! They made us take our shoes off and they scrubbed the bottoms and then they took this handmade purse that was given to me while we were in Bora Bora. I wouldn’t rush to visit New Zealand again because of this!!! Traveling is stressful enough they shouldn’t add more drama to it.

Antananarivo – Madagascar

This was an interesting airport for a few reasons. When we first arrived and walked outside with our luggage we got swarmed by men who were grabbing our luggage to carry it to our taxi. At first, we had no idea just how poor Antananarivo was. We were completely shocked that 7 men carried two bags for us and then they all stood there with their hand out waiting for a tip. Technically we didn’t even need help with our luggage but we gave them all a tip anyway.

When we were leaving our passports and our carry on bags got checked at least 5 or 6 times. The corruption is real! If you can’t trust the airport workers it’s really sad.