Colorado Springs

Stay at - The Broadmoor

Go shopping - The Promenade Shops at Briargate
The Citadel
various art and antiques galleries in the area

Eat at - The Penrose Room at The Broadmoor
Charles Court at The Broadmoor
Craftwood Inn, Manitou Springs

Take side trips to - Pikes Peak
Cripple Creek
Garden of the Gods
Royal Gorge Bridge
US Air Force Academy

Be sure to visit - the chapel at the US Air Force Academy.

Best time of year to go - June through October

Best things to buy - art, antiques, clothing, Western and Southwestern gifts, spa, wine

Best indulgence - dinner and dancing at The Penrose Room after a day of spa treatments

Fly into - Colorado Springs (COS) or Denver (DIA)

Transportation - Rent a car unless you are bringing your own. Community and charter bus service and taxis are available. Take the Cog Railway at Pike's Peak.

Amana Colonies, Iowa

A lovely quiet oasis of creativity spread among seven historic villages just off Interstate 80 in southern Iowa, home of Amana appliances, Amana Woolen Mills and Amana Furniture, where you can lose yourself for a few days surrounded with handmade quilts, preserves, broomsticks and out-of-this-world German home cooking.

Stay at - Clarion Inn Amana Colonies, Williamsburg (on I-80)
Zuber's Homestead Hotel, Homestead

Go shopping - in the villages of the Amana Colonies
Tanger Outlet Mall on I-80

Eat at - The Ronneburg
The Ox Yoke Inn

Take side trips to - Cedar Rapids
Iowa City
Kalona Historic Village
Nauvoo, Illinois

Be sure to visit - the many arts and crafts studios in the villages. The Clarion Amana Colonies has an indoor waterpark if you are bringing children.

Best time of year to go - June through September

Best things to buy - Amana woolens, furniture, clocks, crafts, quilts, antiques, wine, preserves

Best indulgence - dinner at The Ronneburg with a glass of German white wine after a day of sightseeing

Fly into - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID)

Transportation - A car is a necessity; rent one unless you are bringing your own.

Hana, Maui

Synonymous with serenity, Hana is a tiny jewel of the Pacific nestled on the north shore of Maui at the end of a scenic but forbidding highway, your own Bali Hai, where the pace slows to a near standstill alongside black sand beaches.

Stay at - Hotel Hana Maui/Sea Ranch Cottages

Go shopping - most available shopping is at the resort, little in town

Eat at - Ka'uiki at Hotel Hana Maui
Paniolo Lounge at Hotel Hana Maui
Hana Ranch Restaurant, Town Center, part of Hotel Hana Maui
Mama's Fish House, Paia, if you are flying in or out of Kahului (short drive from Kahului Airport)

Take side trips to - Road to Hana
Paia
Hana Bay
Black sand beaches
Ohe'o Gulch
Wai'anapanapa State Park
Lindbergh's Grave, Kipahilu

Be sure to visit - the black sand beaches in the area, and attend a resort luau if you can

Best time of year to go - February and March, during prime humpback whale season

Best things to buy - Hawaiiana, art, woodcarving, clothing, local food

Best indulgence - sitting out on the lanai in a private hot tub at a Sea Ranch Cottage overlooking the ocean, under moonlight, after a day at the spa

Fly into - Hana Airport (HNM) or Kahului (OGG). Kahului is the main airport on Maui, with regular service to the US Mainland, Honolulu, and the other islands, and is a 57 mile scenic, but challenging, drive from Hana. The Hana Airport is much smaller, and has flights from Kahului and Honolulu. I recommend flying directly into Hana unless you have someone taking you into Hana, or have driven the road previously and are familiar with it. It will take several hours to drive from Kahului to Hana, so don't be fooled by the distance.

Transportation - Hotel Hana Maui has courtesy transportation to and from Hana Airport, which can occasionally be arranged for other locations near the resort. Courtesy pickups at Hana Airport by the resort transportation must be prearranged. If you are renting a car, you must pick it up at Kahului Airport. Off-site resort activites generally include resort-provided transportation. Private air charters can be arranged to the neighbor islands. The town itself is very small and quite walkable.