Our first stop for Spring Break 2017 was Atlantic City, if you missed the blog post click here. 

​Next stop? Pittsburgh!

We arrived in Pittsburgh just in time for dinner. There is a restaurant that used to be in Cleveland but now the closet location is in Steeler city. They serve some of the best crab legs in the area and Bessemer Court has a location with a scenic view.

After dinner comes dessert! Although Joe's Crab Shack makes a mean seafood steam pot, they didn't have a tempting sweet treat on the menu for me, so we headed to another venue. When we arrived there was no question about which goodie would be devoured.

I just love the shopping in Chicago! North Michigan Avenue AKA The Magnificent Mile is the place to be to catch deals on every luxury, high end designer you can think of. I had such a great time and grabbed such good content I've decided to share this vacation in three parts, starting here with travel. Take a peek at part one here and leave your comments below.

TRANSPORTATION: We took a road trip to take advantage of the low fuel cost we experienced as a nation during the holidaze and were able to travel for far less money than airfare for three to The Windy City. From Cleveland it was a 3 tank trip there and pack.

ACCOMODATIONS: We stayed in a suite off North Michigan Avenue that was complete with everything you need to have a real vacation even if you never left the room. We enjoyed a full kitchen, complimentary breakfast, alcohol, dinner and more each night plus we had grocery shopping, laundry and housekeeping staff on call as needed. We were less than 1/4 mile from Michigan Avenue and had lunch delivered Christmas Eve. Perfect accommodations for this area and very family friendly, four legged family too!!! 

ATTRACTIONS: The city is filled with so many historical sites yet has changed since I was last there. There is no more Harpo Studios, Orpah moved on as she should have. LaPerla moved lol! We did see lots of other cool sites and took tons of pictures at every turn, Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, The Chicago Tribune, Trump International, luxe shops and more. 

Summer 2015 was awesome for relaxing and reaping the hard earn benefits of working tirelessly year long!!! This year I was able to spend time in Riviera Maya, MEX and I loved each and every moment.

We stayed at an all inclusive resort under the Iberostar brand and no amenity was overlooked. We had a personal butler, personal concierge, and pillow service which included over 10 headrest options. We were welcomed from the airport and shuttled directly to our resort in a private car which contained complimentary water and beer.

Once we arrived we were introduced to our staff, offered a cocktail of our choice and escorted to our suite. The room which included a view of one of the outdoor pools was stocked with cookies, Pringles, peanuts, liquor, juice, water and a bottle of champagne. Once we settle in we were urged to make our dinner reservation for the week at one of the many restaurants that featured international cuisine. Mexican, French, Italian, American and more were listed as options.

There were also spa services available as well, we took advantage of a couples massage after an hour long dip in the indoor tranquility pool. Beach activities were also available...we tried our hand at rifle shooting, archery, hover boarding and more. 

This specific venue was for adults only but there were 5 other resorts on our property where families were accommodated and we even check out a performance show at one of them our last night there to see what we were missing. Our stay was heaven sent and I've included a few images below. The price for airfare and luxury accommodations was well worth it...we came home with a suitcase of complimentary liquor and champagne including Moet!

I'm so excited to be making my first Diamond Destination blog entry. As a foreword, I'll be sharing with you all the details you need to plan your trip for each location we feature and a few tips I've learned along the way.

First stop RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA!

Now to be honest, I have been here twice in a little less than a year so I should have posted this a while ago but I enjoyed myself so much it was worth going twice.

TRAVEL:

We flew Frontier both times because the cost for a direct flight was $30 each way. This is an a la carte airline so you pay for each amenity or service offered but with such a low base price who cares right?

HOTEL:

We did  suite with a full kitchen including microwave, stove, oven, dishwasher, full refrigerator, toaster and  more. We had access to a pool, weight room, hot tub, tennis courts and a basketball court during our stay. We also have FREE dinner and complimentary beer and wine Saturday and Sunday night. I used my frequent traveler card to earn point and spent about $100 a night.

Once we landed last year we headed to an African American Festival for food and soul music. My favorite picture from that afternoon is post on the right in this blog page. We did everything FREE and really enjoyed the city. The museums downtown are great for a day, the hotel was perfect for down time and the cities has lots to explore.