Location: Hotel Clarion

Sis and I found ourselves at Hotel Clarion during a recent road trip up the eastern coast for a friend's wedding.

I don't often remember hotels, but I think I'll remember the Clarion. Maybe it was the company. Maybe it was because we had such a lovely weekend as a whole. Maybe you can add up all the maybe's, and there still remains one very simple truth: we were very happy with our home on the beach.

First thing we liked: Valet car service. Sure, our car was parked just a block away on a grassy unprotected patch of land. But still, we didn't drive it there.

The second thing we liked: Having a big room that really did overlook the ocean, just like the website said it would. I could lie in my bed and watch the waves crash.

Third thing we liked: The working fireplace. Yes, it was warm. Yes, it added to the relaxing ambiance. Yes, it gave off some sort of dopamine that nearly drugged us in our sleep. But not in a bad way. We slept better than we've slept in days, and we both had to agree it must have been because of the heat from the fire. We woke up feeling like we had slept 1,000 nights, and needed 1,000 more. Needless to say, we opted not to turn it back on. You know, just in case we didn't wake up the next time.

Fourth thing we liked: HBO and CNN. Nothing feels more like "vacation" than the luxury of watching Entourage reruns and JonBenet highlights round the clock.

Fifth thing we liked: Continental breakfast included. Had we woken up in time, we most certainly would have enjoyed participating in this.

Sixth thing she liked: My sister used the jacuzzi in our bathroom and declared it wonderful. However, that also seemed to drug her, and she was quite "out of it" for a few hours after.

Seventh thing we liked: I have to tell you, the hotel was directly across the street from the beach. It.was.right.there. Hop, skip, or jump... and our feet landed on sand.

Eigth thing we liked: They told us our room was a smoking room, but that they would ionize it for us. Whatever that means, the room didn't smell.

Ninth thing we liked: Triple A membership priveledges. My red white and blue card saved us nearly $50 each.

Tenth thing we liked: Beach-town food, beach-town arcade games, beach-towns, period.