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Showing posts with label sasaki time travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sasaki time travel. Show all posts

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Kia Classic: Review of the Golf Course and the Tournament!

Part of my social media trip with Kia was to attend a day at the 2013 LPGA Kia Classic. Kia was also gracious to arrange a meet and greet with Kia spokesperson golfer Michelle Wie! She came by to take photos and talk with us! She is a super gracious and friendly person. It was also great to find out she is from Oahu where my mom and dad are from so I knew they would appreciate Michelle and I doing the shaka! You have a new fan Michelle!
Thank you for the autograph Michelle!
Let's grab our media pass to allow for photography along the course and the Championship Club passes to allow access to the SkyBox on the 18th green!
But let's take a walk around the beautiful golf course at the Aviara! Here is the leader board on Saturday morning.
Kia was showcasing their latest creation the Cadenza. I cannot wait to drive this!
The clubhouse is gorgeous!
The entryway to the Champions Club and the SkyBox!
An open bar was provided for us.
Time for a Bloody Mary! One of the best I have ever had!
I always have to take a cheesy photo!
Here is the view from the SkyBox!
There are several gorgeous water features along the course.
Kia showcased all of their vehicles along the course.
It was actually really cool to be able to take photos of the golfers. I love the media pass!
This Kia Forte had an amazing backdrop!
Looks like a nature trail!
Such a great place to just take in the view and enjoy the tournament.
My friend Brian said this was one of the prettiest golf courses he ever walked on.
We walked the front 9 and then went back to the SkyBox for lunch! There were several salads, chicken wraps and tri-tip sliders!
The tri-tip was so moist and tender.
The bartender was kind enough to make me her own version of a Mai Tai.
Here is the view of the Park Hyatt Aviara from the golf course.
The back 9 is just as amazing as the front 9.
I love this rushing stream.
Can you imagine this as an extension of your backyard? There are some houses here that can!
Having never walked a major golf course before, I had no idea how vast it would be.
The first Kia that I reviewed. Can someone buy me this car? Thank you in advance!
Taking in the view from the 16th hole.
Here we are on the 18th!
Here is the view from the 18th to the SkyBoxes and the Cadenza floating on the water.
So cool to see a car "floating" on the water.
This is the SkyBox I was in.
One last stunning photo of the beauty of the golf course!

Such a great unique experience offered by the great folks at Kia! I have included the links to my review of the 2014 Kia Sorento and my review of the Park Hyatt Aviara.

*Disclaimer: Food, lodging and transportation were provided by Kia but the opinions expressed are my own!*

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Aviara

Kia invited me to test drive their all-new 2014 Kia Sorento and to stay at the beautiful Park Hyatt Aviara, a AAA Five Diamond resort and watch the 2013 LPGA Kia Classic. I was also able to take one of my writers Brian with me on this trip as well. He is a huge golf fan and couldn't wait to walk this course!
Every bit of this resort is stunning. Take a look at the lobby! Their flower of choice is the orchid which is one of my favorites! There will be plenty of orchid photos later, I promise!
Bathrooms are large!
Do not the simple accommodations fool you! The service here is above Disney standard and with the elegance of the rest of the resort, I actually appreciated the simplicity of the rooms.
A huge 42" LG TV provided more than enough entertainment for us and as you can see we spent a lot of time working when we were not out exploring the resort of watching golf.
Comfy seats on our balcony.
This was our view of the courtyard and fountain.
In the afternoon there was complimentary ice tea and cucumber water. In the morning this is replaced with coffee and tea.
Lots of great places to sit and relax in the hotel.
The Lounge was a great place to listen to live music or to stop for afternoon tea.
As promised, photos of orchids!
So many wonderful orchids to take photos of.
Exploring the hotel you will find this beautiful staircase.
Which leads to this game room! Video games on the wall, plus pool tables and assorted table games!
Right now this is a quiet place to escape. But I can imagine this place gets busy in the evenings.
So many wonderful things to take photos of as you walk around.
Here is the fountain in the courtyard.
This is the lap pool.
Cabanas are available for you to relax in.
The hotel pool is a level above the lap pool.
I love the makeshift beach they created.
But I think I love these hand painted surfboards even more!
Just a reminder of how awesome the weather is here!
Hidden gems around every corner!
The amazing sunset from the balcony!
Dinner time was kindly provided by Kia and they offered room service.
The Park Hyatt Aviara is home to one of the best steakhouses in North San Diego. Brian ordered the filet mignon.
While I ordered a New York strip. Both were amazing cuts of beef. Perfectly cooked and seasoned with salt and pepper. The steaks were melt in your mouth tender. One of the best steaks around.
I also had some grilled asparagus, one of my favorites.
All the toppings for our baked potatoes.
Brian who loves chocolate had this amazing slice of chocolate cake.
I went with the pineapple upside down cake. After a massive steak, this was the perfect dessert. Just the perfect amount of pineapple and cake to wind down dinner.
After eating a wonderful meal, I had to go take a walk to work off some of the food I just ate. So, it was time to find more orchids to take photos of.
This is probably my favorite photo! I love how the light plays with the orchids and the background is just a touch out of focus.
This is my next favorite photo as it shows how translucent orchid is.
These are the orchids from the center of the lobby.
And a photo from the pool ends this tour of the Park Hyatt Aviara.

Top of the line service from the top down. I hope that I get a chance to stay here again.

To learn more, please check out their website:
Park Hyatt Aviara

*Disclaimer: Transportation, lodging and meals were provided by Kia but the opinions expressed are strictly my own.*

Photos by Jason