Roam+Board :: Rockhouse

[trip style = sun + budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: In the fall, Trip Styler ran a Romantic Caribbean series breezing over this budget-conscious, seaside gem. I haven't stayed here personally, but I've sailed along its shoreline, and in that instant, decided I'd one day be a guest.}

What With thatched-roof bungalows connected by cliff-side bridges and boardwalks, the Rockhouse boutique hotel and spa is an eco escape that actually looks the part. Forget about shoes and ditch most items you thought you needed in your suitcase in favour of a bathing suit and casual cover-up.

Start your day in a downward dog and savasana pose beside the resort's sea-swept outcroppings, snorkel into the afternoon, and get to know your beach-read as the sun sets. Finish with a jerk chicken roll-up or banana leaf-steamed snapper and a Red Stripe {the local beer} at one of the hotel's restaurants {whose chef won Jamaica's chef of the year in 2010 and 2011}.

Blurring the line between raw and refined, and value and style this Design Hotels member has won enough prestigious international awards to fill its eight lush acres.

Where Negril, Jamaica, an hour and a half transfer from Montego Bay Airport {MBJ} and a six-hour flight from the West Coast.

When Jamaica is blessed with tropical temperatures throughout the year, and is most crowded and expensive in high season: mid-December to mid-April. May, October and November account for Jamaica's rainy season---the latter corresponding with the tail-end of hurricane season {June - November}. The worst storms tend to hit from late July to late September.

Who/Why Sand gets in your bathing suit and crowds get on your nerves. You prefer a less fussy escape characterized by sunsets and seclusion atop your Caribbean cliff.

Cost From $160/night in winter, and $125/night in summer. Includes wifi in the lobby and restaurant.

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More Roam+Board Hotel Bellevue - Near Seattle Rolling Huts – Methow Valley {WA} Golden Rock Inn – Nevis The Ace NYC – New York The Viceroy – Palm Springs Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos via Rockhouse & other online sources]

Tech Tuesday :: Trading Miles

[trip style = any]

Top-up your main airline mileage reward program with orphan miles. Let me explain:

We're all for consolidating airline mileage reward points with one alliance, but occasionally it's not possible. Case in point, as I look for flights to Thailand not one of the carriers I want to fly---due to flight schedule and price---is part of my preferred alliances: Star Alliance or One World.

{Trip Styler Tip: Most airlines are part of global airline alliances. For example, Air Canada is part of Star Alliance, so if I fly Air New Zealand, US Airways, United, Turkish, or Lufthansa to name only a few, I can apply the points to my Air Canada mileage account and accrue a free trip faster.}

Last year I lost 16,000 KLM points because 'dealing with them' seemed 'too complicated' before they expired. To put this in perspective, the airmiles I lost are equivalent to a one-way domestic trip on points, or to put it another way, the approximate amount of miles I flew from Vancouver to Australia {pictured above}. #Fail

This year I wasn't going to let that happen again. A few weeks ago my mileBlaster iPhone app notified me I had 15,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles expiring, so I  posted the trade details via Point.com: 15,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles for 13,000 American Airlines miles. Turns out, another points.com user was interested. After a transaction fee of $150, the transfer was complete. The fee isn't ideal, in fact it's downright annoying, but this top-up provides me the total amount of American Airlines points I need to fly from Vancouver to the Caribbean in the late fall. #Win

The Take-Away

• Sort through all the miles you have with each airline to determine if you can fly somewhere for free.
• If you've got miles you know you won't use, try and trade them into a mileage program you can use.
• Using the Points.com trading system takes about 10 minutes once you add your airline account info.
• For every 1000 miles you trade via points.com, you are charged $10, hence my fee of $150 for trading 15,000 miles. Note, you are not charged the trading fee if nobody wants to make the trade.

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More Tech Tuesday The Six-Week Rule {When to buy airline tix} Liftopia White Noise Dashboard To Wall Hotel Tonight

[photo by via points.com and @tripstyler]

Cowboys & Canadians

[trip style = sportcation + weekend getaway]

Have you ever traveled for the sole purpose of attending a sporting event? We'll affectionately call it "the sportcation".

With Super Bowl XLVI {46} approaching this weekend, let's talk football. In December I had the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do: get a first-hand look at US football culture. To do this, I didn't start small with a Friday high school game or even a Saturday college game. Go big or go home, right? I went right to the big leagues, throwing myself into the epicentre of football in Dallas---technically Arlington---TX, at the largest domed stadium in the world.

{Trip Styler Tip :: Do/stay/eat in Dallas}

It was a big game; a late-season, home-field, divisional match at the state of the art, night-club-meets-airline-lounge Cowboys Stadium. Armed with the expertise of our friends who try and make a yearly pilgrimage to see the Cowboys at "Jerry's House" {fans refer to the stadium as the owner Jerry Jones' house}, we explored the 800+ concessions---from margarita-only outlets to the "healthy options" vendor.

Weaving up and down and back and forth along the stadium's floors and concourses---the equivalent of a 3km run---we settled into our 40th yard line, row 20 seats, again, go big or go home. Sadly, the team did not win, and their victorious opponents are battling for the trophy this weekend! Needless to say, I'll be cheering for the New England Patriots.

Was it worth it? You bet your super-sized nachos and beers it was! Thank goodness for my seat's cup holder.

{The exterior of Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which opened in 2009.}

{There were landscaped gardens, water features and planted trees fronting the stadium's glass and exposed-rock exterior.}

{@Nate_fri, my husband, getting a mandatory pre-game frisking. All stadium guests receive this gentle, yet mandatory treatment. Note, that evening there were 95,952 fans in attendance and we didn't wait more than two minutes to get into the stadium.}

{First peek at the field.}

{The massive high-definition screen hanging between the 20 yard lines is one of the world's largest.}

{It's a night club with a trio of dancing cages! Nope, it's The Dallas Cowboys Stadium where hip hop dancers kick-it for the whole game!}

{The game begins, with much fanfare and a fire show, naturally.}

{Cheerleaders, a tight group in every sense of the word.}

{Two Canadians, aka Mr. and Mrs. Trip Styler, at a Cowboys game.}

{I was tempted by the healthy concession, but really, when in Rome...}

PS - Ferris Bueller is back...for the superbowl...in a Honda commercial.

[photos by @tripstyler]

Fashion Friday :: Celeb Travel Must-Haves

[trip style = any]

Lady Gaga recently tweeted that she loves flying because she can sleep, drink red wine and not be bothered by phone calls. But my question is: how can she sleep in these airport outfits? And if she changes on the flight, how does she even fit in the plane bathroom? But then, those are the big questions in life and I won't attempt to tackle them today.

One of my favourite online and grocery store check-out distractions is looking at celebrity airport style. Celebs usually manage to look pretty fantastic {Britney Spears and Megan Fox withstanding}, thanks, in part, to the celebrity travel uniform: sunglasses {likely Ray-Bans or Tom Fords}, jeans, lightweight jacket and one or all of the trends shown below. Follow these simple style suggestions and you'll be flying like a star. Or at least closer to the stars... Because you'll be at 30,000 ft.

{For more high-flying style tips, check out Fashion Friday :: Airport Style}

{sienna miller / anne hathaway / michelle williams / rachel bilson / miranda kerr}

{rosie huntington-whiteley / jessica alba / gwen stefani / reese witherspoon / cat deeley}

{fergie /reese witherspoon / molly sims /ashley olsen / lauren conrad}

{nicole kidman / leona lewis / miranda kerr / diane kruger / eva mendes}

{camilla belle / dakota fanning / mila kunis / emma watson / frida pinto}

{david beckham / john hamm / ryan reynolds / bradley cooper / daniel craig}

Trip Styler Tip: I've had some pretty high level celeb sightings at LAX -- Freddie Prinze Jr and Jake from The Bachelor {jealous? wink wink} -- so remember to keep your eyes peeled in the terminal.

Fashion Friday posts are published on the last Friday of every month and written by fashion blogger Heather.

[graphics by @heatherlovesit, photos via Just Jared & People Magazine]

Bellevue, Bundled

[trip style = weekend getaway + urban]

{Editor's Note: A few weeks ago we published some IMG_FRI photos of a small-batch coffee shop in Bellevue, WA hinting there was more to come. Following yesterday's Roam+Board featuring a health hotel in Bellevue, I give you: what's cool in the sub/urban city just outside of Seattle.}

Sometimes you need a trip style = urban + weekend getaway that's easy -- an auto-pilot escape.

For Vancouverites, one such escape is Bellevue, WA. If your goal is to shop, eat out and explore a little on the side, this entertainment destination has got you covered. Everything is close, walkable and bundled into a smart little package.

One of the main reasons people hit up Seattle instead of Bellevue is the city vs. suburb draw. Yet in the last few years, Bellevue has shifted to a city destination of its own. Here are some its indie, urban finds to whet your palate.

Breakfast - Chace's Pancake Corral - Tie up your horse car and gobble a few flapjacks sour cream waffles and hash brown omelets at this wild, wild western breakfast saloon. A Bellevue institution since 1958, this diner has a steady flow of high ratings on Urbanspoon and yelp.

Coffee - Cafe Cesura - If a Yaletown loft, '50s Palm Springs rancher and Intelligentsia Coffeebar had a baby, this is what it would look {and taste} like.

Happy Hour - Lot No. 3 - A dimly lit den where Bellevue's cool cats gather for happy hour or late-night drinks and nibble on {a new take on} comfort food. Try the baked pretzel and homemade mustard dipping sauce paired with a respectable selection of craft beer and cocktails.

Dinner - Monsoon East - Saigon-inspired Vietnamese cuisine with a dash of Pacific Northwest. Perch yourself at the Ocean Bar to marvel at the open-concept kitchen's fresh ingredients and pace.

PS - Don't forget to visit the Bellevue Arts Museum for the famed Gorge Nelson show {on until Feb 12th}. Hailed as "pure furniture porn for mid-century modernists" by Brian Miller, Seattle Weekly.

See more of TS's do/eat/stay Bellevue picks here.

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[photos by @tripstyler & restaurant websites]