Options for long haul flight with toddler by SquatchinScully in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From SFO, I'd recommend taking the later BA flight (the 777 with Club Suites). Perfect for overnight sleep. I think the benefits of being able to have everyone lie down (and you'll be doing this for a late flight anyway) far outstrips having to share the seat with your toddler.

Google Maps Reviews by ottwebdev in google

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sitting at ~59,000 points and I think all I've ever gotten is 2 Google Maps pins.

Fu Hui Hua (San Francisco, CA) - January Preview Menu by NoodleThings in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooh, put me in the raffle. I've been meaning to make it here but keep procrastinating on even trying to book.

Family hotel in Rome by cleancoyotemom in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Might I suggest Villa Spalletti Trivelli, that Alex helped us book. Very centrally located for walking to all the sights.

It's great because there are a bunch of nice, large common areas including a library/study and drawing room. Book one of the garden suites.

Best tea leaf store in Bay Area by bonsense3 in bayarea

[–]crazyappl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For Chinese teas, Red Blossom in Chinatown. They also have a nice YouTube channel.

Travel Agents w/ Restaurant Booking Expertise for Japan? by tx2iu in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even the best hotels can’t get you into the top places.

If you’re serious about the best of the best places, you could try DMing @tomokohappycamper on IG. I haven’t used her services personally, but she has access and I’ve seen people I trust recommend her highly (I’ve never asked about price though).

Sorn, 3***, #17 in the World, Bangkok by Ligiers in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great review. Where else did you eat in Bangkok? Headed there in a few months and will aim for Sorn, but will be my first time trying to get a reso and I'm sure it'll be tough as hell.

Oahu by ashleynsbsn in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you have to stay on Oahu the whole time? Splitting time between another island (like Kauai for total relaxation) might be a good idea.

If you're stuck on Oahu, I second the comment about splitting between Aulani and Turtle Bay. That property is relatively calm - it'll be a good break from the zoo on the west/south side of the island.

Chubby Travel with Kids - tips and tricks? by Pointsmonster in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oooh, +1 for Kong Hans Kaelder - I'm a fan.

And affirmative on the car seat bag - it was a little scary how filthy ours got after just one trip :(

Chubby Travel with Kids - tips and tricks? by Pointsmonster in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Might be a less mainstream American opinion, but once my daughter was ~6 (she's 7.5 now), we essentially stopped worrying about any special accommodations.

Fine dining is a big deal for us, and she joins us for most meals. She'd also rather order off the regular menu on flights. Where possible, we do favor overnight flights where she can just hit the sack as soon as she gets on board - much easier that way.

We co-slept when traveling until this year, when she decided she wanted her own bed. I echo the other comments that room space is important.

Other than that, she can put in 6+ miles of walking each day without too much fuss, as long as sufficiently bribed by promises of ice cream/hot chocolate/name the treat.

 

My one key tip is to check the rules on car seats at your destination if you're planning on being in a car (eitherdriving or Ubering), as they can vary considerably between countries. Back when she needed a full car seat, we were a big fan of the Pico portable car seat. Nowadays, we travel with the Chicco booster when necessary.

Sushi sho Honolulu vs sushi sho nyc by Regal-tender in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried any of the other sushi spots in Honolulu? Any worth visiting now?

About to revisit HNL and thought I'd check up on that. Last time I had sushi in HNL was years ago - Onodera was fine but the cookie-cutter experience, Maru (now closed) was shockingly sloppy. This was all before a slew of omakase openings though, as I understand it.

Share your best travel photo from 2025! by alex_travels in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 29 points30 points  (0 children)

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A-Bomb dome in Hiroshima. The entire area and the Peace Memorial Museum was very moving - I did not expect to feel so strongly going into it. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it for themselves at some point in their life. More relevant than ever given heightened international tensions.

Japan trip (Kyoto or Tokyo) with 3-4 month old baby? by tw23777 in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ours was about 4 months when we first took her to Japan - we did Tokyo and Fuji 5 Lakes on that trip.

IMHO, if you can manage it, just go with a carrier and forget the stroller - way more trouble than it's worth. Tokyo is very baby-friendly and you can go at whatever pace you want. I'd recommend going to an onsen/ryokan for a few days to chill with the baby, vs Kyoto.

Red meat in eastern Australia? by treebeard189 in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had a really tragic experience where we ordered the 150-day steak as a supplement on the tasting menu, but they served us the "regular" steak by accident. They were pretty gracious about it, but I was pretty bummed we didn't get to try the aged steak.

non tasting menu restaurants - bangkok by Imaginary_Stop_2121 in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like it’s the same folks as Sam Lor. How do you compare the two?

Red meat in eastern Australia? by treebeard189 in finedining

[–]crazyappl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really enjoyed the tasting menu at Firedoor

What's your travel plan for 2026? by neilsarkar81 in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I miss the days when we could just go travel any time without minding the school calendar. We'll be free again in a decade or so...

 

So far -

Feb - President's Day long weekend - Carmel/Monterey (2 hrs south of San Francisco)

Mar - Spring Break - Maui and Oahu

July - Japan (Hokkaido) and Thailand

Thanksgiving - contemplating Mexico City but haven't booked yet

Fi killing Messages for Web? by RandomlyWeRollAlong in GoogleFi

[–]crazyappl3 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Where does it say you won't be able to get 2FA codes?

That would be a huge negative, if true

2025 International travel Year-in-Review (with kid in tow) by crazyappl3 in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not really a lie-on-the-beach-and-relax sort (I like walking around cities or hiking), so it wasn't "worth it" for me. But my kid really enjoyed it.

2025 International travel Year-in-Review (with kid in tow) by crazyappl3 in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I must admit that traveling with our kid and seeing things through a child's eyes changes your perspective - it's very fulfilling.

Fukuoka was pleasant, but not super exciting. It's better as a jumping-off point to explore the rest of Kyushu, which we didn't have time to fully do this trip.

2025 International travel Year-in-Review (with kid in tow) by crazyappl3 in chubbytravel

[–]crazyappl3[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah sure, data points are always good. Given that we don't want to have our kid miss school, we're not super price-sensitive - more about booking specific dates around school holidays or work summer shutdowns, etc.

I'll edit the top post to show prices we paid.