Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

More Las Vegas: In Praise of Cabana Boys & Laker Girls

Even on vacation, I tend to wake up on the early side. That was actually a good thing on this trip, as my husband was eight time zones away and I wanted to talk to him before we got going - and he went to bed.

The rest of our group was still fast asleep, so I slipped out to find a quiet spot where I could make a phone call - and while I was at it, I did some hotel reconnaissance.

The casino is relatively quiet at 7:00 a.m. - but not quiet enough for good conversation. I made my way past the fine dining restaurants, away from the shopping center to one of the two hotel Starbucks... and found the hallway that leads to the complex's convention center.

Bingo.

Las Vegas: There's Gold in Them Thar Windows!

Our destination was on the other end of the strip, so we decided to take a cab.

"Isn't that our hotel?" my daughter asked.

"No, Megan. That's the Mirage." Her friend Maggie sounded exasperated in the back seat.

I can't blame Megan for mistaking the Mirage for Mandalay Bay - both are huge buildings covered in gold-tinted windows. I'm pretty sure Las Vegas has more gold-tinted windows than any other city in North America.

It was Megan's first visit to the adult playground that is Vegas, and it may as well have been mine. I made a point of gathering up all the quarters sitting in our "Coinstar Box" -- only to discover that today's slots only take bills and credit cards. I'll never repeat the experience of dropping 75 cents into a slot to kill some time -- and ending up with a $150 jackpot. When you use spare change, it doesn't feel like gambling. But sliding a $20 or a credit card into a machine is a commitment; one I am not equipped to make.

So it's a good thing our traveling companions are not the high rolling types, either. This whole shebang was Mary Ellen's idea: She saw a window of opportunity between the time our girls got out of school and next week, when their 30-hour-a-week summer gymnastics program kicks in.

"We can get a cheap room by going Monday through Wednesday," she said. "And it's even cheaper if we share."

As I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself that my husband was visiting his family in Wales without me (a decision we made mutually because of the devalued dollar), this seemed like a great idea. I was in.

Cabazon: Desert Shopping and Swimming

My plan for today's post was to write about the Palm Springs area and what a bargain it is for travelers in the summer months (when demand for desert uh, warmth is on the low side).

Megan and I were going to leave the house early, check in to our Rancho Mirage hotel and then check out the local sights, like the Aerial Tramway and...

...well, that was the only activity I was aware of here. I figured we woud spend the rest of the day shopping at the River complex, and hanging out at the pool.

That was before Megan turned on her newly charged cell phone and found a text message from a friend, who happened to be staying at the Morongo Casino and Resort, out in Cabazon... which we would be passing by on our way to Palm Springs. The Desert Hills Premium Outlet mall is located right next to the resort... I had always wanted to check it out (for some reason, my husband never seems to want to stop and shop when we're traveling) and Leesa and her family were planning on having lunch there. So why not?

While there, Leesa's family invited us to come and hang out with them at the resort's fabulous pool. So instead of an awesome aerial view, we ended up spending the afternoon at an Indian casino... and it was good.

Sunny San Diego (and Coronado, too)

When I was a kid growing up here in the San Fernando Valley, my family's favorite vacation destination was San Diego. It's relatively close (just a two hour drive if traffic is light), it's on the coast, and the weather is almost always perfect (even when it's raining in Los Angeles, as it was this weekend).

So when I received an invitation to attend a blogger event this weekend at Sea World (to try out the park's new Sesame Street themed Bay of Play area), I jumped on it. For the last couple of years, we've been heading down to San Diego purely for gymnastics meets. How nice would it be to go there for fun?

As it turns out, it was very nice indeed.

Invasion of the Riff-Raff: An Anniversary to Remember at the Montage Laguna Beach

It was weird to be spending our anniversary this year at a renowned five-star Montage Hotel; pampered in the proverbial lap of luxury while our conversations centered on layoffs, recession and hard times ahead.

It’s strange that riff-raff like us had even HEARD of the Montage resort in Laguna Beach, let alone be returning to the place – especially with our tenuous connection to the bizarre police shooting that occurred there last year.

The first time we visited, we were guests of some extravagant and generous friends who invited us there to help them celebrate a milestone birthday. We hadn't seriously considered coming back until that charity silent auction we attended in October.

One of the prizes was a one-night stay at Montage with bidding begun at a bargain rate of $200. So we placed a bid.

By the end of the evening, it was too late; especially once my husband’s boss entered the fray. Gareth was determined to win, and he did. But our final cost was $50 more than it would have been if we had just made the reservation directly with the hotel. (At least, the money goes to charity, and we can write that $50 off.)

Riff-Raff that I am, I was determined to use all of the resort’s facilities to the max this time – and milk as much as I could out of our one-night stay.

“Did you tell them it was our anniversary?” I asked my husband last week. I’d expected them to ask us when we’d made our reservation. Husband shot off a quick email asking if they had any suggestions for us. For a hotel of this caliber, that’s code for “We expect you to make a fuss.”

I was not disappointed.

We made it to Laguna around 11:00, hoping to obtain an early check-in. A room was available, so we had the desk clerk send our luggage over while we moseyed over to the property’s “casual” dining room, The Loft. After being seated, my husband handed me a letter from the general manager, welcoming us to the property and wishing us a happy anniversary there.

Boo-ya!