Ogunquit, Maine - A Favorite Vacation Destination

The town of Ogunquit calls itself “a beautiful place by the sea,” and indeed it is. Nestled on the southern coast of Maine, this town has it all—rock beaches, sand beaches, an old fashioned trolley, shops, art galleries, and of course plenty of fresh seafood. Ogunquit is a favorite seasonal vacation spot for families and couples that keep returning year after year.

Image (cc) Jay Woodworth/Flickr

By the sea

The sandy, white Ogunquit beach is a peninsula stretching 3 1/2 miles between the Atlantic Ocean and Ogunquit River. It's a perfect spot for walking, collecting shells, swimming and building sand castles. The beach is pristine—picture perfect—and a wonderful place to layout in the sun and rejuvenate.

The Marginal Way is a paved one-mile walking path that highlights rock beaches and stunning views. The path starts in the center of Ogunquit and leads along rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Along its curves, walkers take in picturesque views of Ogunquit while breathing salty air and spotting lobster boats. The path ends in Perkins Cove where visitors can take a boat ride, shop, and eat, then return to Ogunquit on the trolley.

Ogunquit Museum of American Art

 Around Town

Ogunquit is a well known art colony and the town is full of quirky and lovely art galleries to suit any interest. It is also home to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, which is the only museum in Maine to exclusively exhibit American art. Their pieces date back to the late 1800s with several collections from early Ogunquit art colony artists.

The Ogunquit Playhouse is known as “America’s Foremost Summer Theater” for their high quality Broadway at the Beach musicals. They produce five different musicals each season and have showcased stars from Broadway and television.

No Maine coastal vacation is complete without fresh seafood, and lots of it. Ogunquit is bursting with seafood restaurants ranging from the classic Maine lobster shack to 5-star affairs. And of course, most of these establishments offer seating with spectacular ocean views.

Close By

Ogunquit is only about half an hour up the coast from Kittery, New Hampshire, which is well known for outlet shopping. It is also only a short jaunt away from Freeport where visitors can shop the outlets and visit L.L. Bean. Visitors can take these day trips along the scenic Route 1 following the coastline and stopping at small shops and lobster shacks all along the way.

Ogunquit is a picturesque town full of natural beauty, artistic expression, and vacation fun for everyone. It caters to vacationers looking to rent a simple cottage as well as those who prefer a luxury hotel. If you're looking for online resources, Ogunquit stay packages are a great way to discover Ogunquit and plan your next vacation. Remember, book ahead because this "beautiful place by the sea" is hugely popular and everything books up fast!

Vacation Overload In Italy

If you want to witness one of the world’s most impressive country-wide art galleries, it should be Italy that you should visit. If you happen to browse the internet to look for Italy holiday packages, you would find several choices of museums or historical churches with superb sculptures.

In Florence for example, even non-art enthusiasts can’t resist to visit Michael Angelo’s magnificent sculpture of the Biblical hero David. It is now located at the Accademia Gallery and a replica was placed on its original location in Piazza Della Signoria. The latter can also be described as an arcade of historical sculptures like statues of Cosmos I di Merdici, Fountain of Neptune and a lot more.

For those who would want to experience Italy’s marine life, the islands of Sicily are the best places to go. Laghetto delle Ondine, Rabbit Beach and the beautiful Lo Specchio di Venere are just few of the best spots of Sicily to visit. Might as well include the stunning view of the Stromboli Volcano to complete the package. 

Who could ever forget to include Venice? Riding their ever famous gondolas while exploring the Grand Canal is a ‘must-do’ thing while viewing the Renaissance-old palaces surrounding it.

Italy is one of the must-visit places of the world. If you want something grand and prestigious, then Italy is the place to be.

Where were we?

Three years ago we spent the holiday out of town.

Three years and one week later we went back to one of my favorite place in the world.

Hello Taal! I missed you so much!

It was a spur of the moment decision but I'm glad we woke up early on New Year and finally pushed through traveling with our car. This is only the third time we used Godo for an out of town trip and thankful that we didn't encounter any problems.

How was your first day of the year?

Dreaming of Paris...

... is something I seldom do. You see, if I ever dreamed of going to Europe, Italy will always be the place I would go. I dreamed of riding the gondola, visit their museums and run in their vineyards. So it won't be a shock to you if I say that one of my favorite movies is Under the Tuscan Sun.

Image credit:stock.xchng

Another movie that made me want to wander to other places in Europe is Before the Sunset. I just love that movie and won't get tired of their conversations. It made me want to hop on a plane and go sightseeing Paris. Well I've seen the Louvre in the movie version of my favorite book The DaVinci Code but it's still not enough. I want to be there during one of the film festivals and stay in apartment Cannes, visit those small little bookstores and have coffee in the park. Of course, renting in France, particularly Paris is quite expensive so I think I'll settle for a short visit and have my bed and breakfast Paris style. Oh, if only I could easily go there and travel with all of my heart's content.

Sadly, these are all just dreams, wishful thinking maybe but that doesn't stop my imagination to go off and travel abroad. I wonder where my next stop is.

How about you? Any dream destinations that you like to daydream?

Me, a Navigator?

Una is turning one tomorrow! But on occasions like this, we always make invitations that include maps. Living in a far away East Metro, a map in the invitation is a must to every event happening in our residence. It would have been really helpful if MapQuest can handle the directions in our country, unfortunately it only covers most of US, Canada and some countries. And directional instruction is not available in Google Maps either so I have to do it manually. By manually, I mean I have to screen shot a couple of maps and put them all together to make one big map and put directional arrows and detailed instructions on where to turn and such. Then that's the reason why the navigator name came upon.

I grew up in downtown Manila. With the number of streets and alleys I have to go through everyday, it's easy to learn and master one's sense of direction. But that didn't stop me from buying a street map of Metro Manila when we bought our car last year. I may know most of the directions by foot, but I am no expert when it comes to knowing if it's a one way street or a dead end for vehicles. I have to master that one yet but for now I would act as a navigator to my husband who doesn't have any sense of direction despite having a license for five years.

After Una’s celebration, we will be celebrating our anniversary as a couple next month. I wanted to go backpacking like Erick-senpai so I’m reading some hostel reviews to figure out what could work for our budget.

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.
       
Vacation Package Inclusions:
        - 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel

        - Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines

        - Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport

        - Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

        - Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat

        - PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

Family Time at Enchanted Kingdom

Having siblings living in other countries makes it really difficult to enjoy family get together. My Ate G and her family now lives in Canada and it will take time for them to have a vacation here. While my Kuya J's family lives in Singapore, they spent their Christmas vacation last year in Malaysia so we didn't get to see them. This year, Kuya J's family came home to Manila and we grabbed the chance to meet them the next day they landed. The kids are awesome! It's amazing how they still remember us despite two years of not seeing each other. We decided to go out of town and visit Enchanted Kingdom.

Enchanted Kingdom is indeed a magical place. I think the kids were exhausted after all the rides that we tried. Most of it were based on what they want so we weren't able to try the extreme ones. But as long as the kids enjoyed themselves, we parents wouldn't mind. We went there on a weekday but the area were still crowded, mostly students on a field trip.

If you are planning on going there, I have some suggestions on how to make your fun day more enjoyable:

• Schedule. Check their calendar if they are welcome to the public and their park hours.
• Rates. Double check their ticket rates. We were lucky that our rate for a Regular Day Pass last week was cheaper compared to the rate starting this week. But then again, Space Shuttle was still under maintenance (according to their website, they launched Space Shuttle Max on December 19) and park hours were shorter.
• Weather. Try and determine if it's a sunny or rainy day. The park is still operational even if it's raining, based on the number of umbrellas and rain coats in their souvenir shop. The first time I went there, it was also raining and we took advantage of  it. Of course, you can bring your own stuff.
• Extra clothing. If you plan to get on the rides involving water, it would be wise to bring extra clothing and wash cloth.
• Plan your rides. Enchanted Kingdom is a huge park. Thankfully though, they provide maps upon entrance. Get a copy and decide which rides you want to try and where to start. You can even consider it as a souvenir. And remember the restroom areas for a quick visit in between rides.
  
• Drink up. With the all the screaming and adrenaline rush, I'm sure you'll be parched after each ride. There are a lot of kiosk scattered around the area so you'll never miss those. 
• Memories. Create a lot of unforgettable memories, take lots of photos and have fun! You'll never know when you'll get to enjoy such a day again.

DIRECTIONS:

By car: Take Sta. Rosa Exit via SLEX, turn left after the toll gate, then turn right on Waltermart. The park is on your right side.

Commute: Enchanted Kingdom is offering a round trip shuttle service from Makati to Enchanted Kingdom.

DISCOUNTS:

Enchanted Kingdom offers discounts to certain guests. Since my brother's family are balikbayans, we received 15% off the regular rate and Papa is a senior citizen so he got a discount for his Day Pass. Visit their Promos page for their ongoing discount promos and if you are eligible.

* I am not affiliated with Enchanted Kingdom. This is not a sponsored post.