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NEW TRAVEL TIPS VIDEO! AIRBNB ROOM & APARTMENT RENTAL REVIEW, VANCOUVER’S GEORGIAN COURT BOUTIQUE HOTEL.


NEW HUFFINGTON POST TRAVEL VIDEO! AIRBNB ROME APARTMENT RENTAL REVIEW, VANCOUVER'S GEORGIAN COURT BOUTIQUE HOTEL. airbnb, air bnb, boutique hotels, hotel, apartment rentals, rental rooms, vacation tips, chain hotels, best hotels, coolest hotel decor, boutique hotel Canada, georgian court vancouver, rome trastevere, world's weirdest hotels, travel channel, mod apartment, rainbow interior modern decor, travel sos, tv show, tv hosts

Ciao! My latest Huffington Post Travel video is out, and I’m wearing an Angelic Pretty dress in it. Would you like to see?

In this episode, I explore two cool alternatives to boring chain hotels: boutiques and private rentals.

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Whenever I went on family trips as a child, we stayed in chain hotels. Unfortunately, the “safe choice” tends to be the boring one. I remember these rooms as a single beige blur.

Nowadays, I rest my head in more colorful environments. Watch my new “Travel SOS” video (below and on Huff Post) for a personal tour.

♥ Huge kiss if you support my work, by clicking the Like button below:

NEW HUFFINGTON POST TRAVEL VIDEO! AIRBNB ROME APARTMENT RENTAL REVIEW, VANCOUVER'S GEORGIAN COURT BOUTIQUE HOTEL. airbnb, air bnb, boutique hotels, hotel, apartment rentals, rental rooms, vacation tips, chain hotels, best hotels, coolest hotel decor, boutique hotel Canada, georgian court vancouver, rome trastevere, world's weirdest hotels, travel channel, mod apartment, rainbow interior modern decor, travel sos, tv show, tv hosts

I’m a huge fan of boutique, or lifestyle hotels. They’ve got indie rocker spirit.

For example, Vancouver’s Georgian Court has a modern lobby, a fleet of elliptical machines, and free chocolates. The women-only “Orchid Floor” pampers female guests, at no extra cost.

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Wearing an Angelic Pretty dress, Angelica Brigade hair flower clips, and a faux furry jacket from Hong Kong.

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What’s another option? Airbnb. Travelers can search for a private room or apartment, and rent it securely. When Seba and I went to Rome, we got a chance to test-drive the service.

I was attracted to the bright decor and excellent ratings of this Trastevere apartment. After speaking by phone, the owner met me to hand over the keys.

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It was a pleasure to meet musician Francesco IV, and get a taste of his world.

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For the price of a regular hotel, we stayed in an apartment full of personality, and experienced Rome like locals. Win, win.

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Since I’m an architecture and culture buff, I loved walking around Rome.

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Oh, the doorknobs…

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The pizza…

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And how about those Italian boys? Seba and I were in Rome for a secret project; you’ll find out more about it soon.

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The Aveda hair salon resembled an art museum.

NEW HUFFINGTON POST TRAVEL VIDEO! AIRBNB ROME APARTMENT RENTAL REVIEW, VANCOUVER'S GEORGIAN COURT BOUTIQUE HOTEL. airbnb, air bnb, boutique hotels, hotel, apartment rentals, rental rooms, vacation tips, chain hotels, best hotels, coolest hotel decor, boutique hotel Canada, georgian court vancouver, rome trastevere, world's weirdest hotels, travel channel, mod apartment, rainbow interior modern decor, travel sos, tv show, tv hosts

Would you like to see more La Carmina videos? Please visit this Huffington Post page and Like / Share / Tweet it. Every little gesture of support makes a huge difference — thank you so much!

What’s the most memorable hotel or rental you’ve ever stayed in?

LA CARMINA ON TUMBLR & PINTEREST! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, NYC BROADWAY DRAG MUSICAL, BEACON’S CLOSET.

Arr, we be sailing to new social media territories!

La Carmina is now on Tumblr and Pinterest. Will you be so kind as to add me? I’ll follow back, pinky swear.

La Carmina’s Tumblr – let’s be friends!
La Carmina’s Pinterest – let’s scrapbook!

These sites contain brand new content: NOT recycled posts from my blog. Think of it as a visual extension of my coffin-cute world: Gothic ballgowns, Jrock hotties, dark lipsticks, nail art inspiration. Thanks to my pirate-pal Alcy for the collaboration.

LA CARMINA ON TUMBLR & PINTEREST: ADD ME! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, BROADWAY MUSICAL, BEACON'S CLOSET, dances of vice, shien lee, dances of vice creator, priscilla broadway show, tickets nyc broadway musicals, broadway ticket rush lottery, student discounts, best vintage stores nyc, new york secondhand thrift shops, williamsburg shopping, goth tumblrs, japan fashion, gothic lolita tumblr

I’m currently sorting through a mountain of New York Fashion Week photos. Unexpectedly, one of my favorite days was February 16th, when Yukiro and I did nothing NYFW-related.

We met up with Shien Lee, the lovely creator of Dances of Vice (who has thrilling creative projects on the horizon). We went to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to kill all the hipsters.

LA CARMINA ON TUMBLR & PINTEREST: ADD ME! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, BROADWAY MUSICAL, BEACON'S CLOSET, dances of vice, shien lee, dances of vice creator, priscilla broadway show, tickets nyc broadway musicals, broadway ticket rush lottery, student discounts, best vintage stores nyc, new york secondhand thrift shops, williamsburg shopping, goth tumblrs, japan fashion, gothic lolita tumblr

Or, if you can’t beat them, join them. We spent a good hour in Beacon’s Closet, the motherload of vintage shopping. Shien found a leopard one-piece, breezy black dress, and red London Fog coat. Yukiro got red and black checkered velvet trousers — score.

drag queen musical, drag queens play, LA CARMINA ON TUMBLR & PINTEREST: ADD ME! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, BROADWAY MUSICAL, BEACON'S CLOSET, dances of vice, shien lee, dances of vice creator, priscilla broadway show, tickets nyc broadway musicals, broadway ticket rush lottery, student discounts, best vintage stores nyc, new york secondhand thrift shops, williamsburg shopping, goth tumblrs, japan fashion, gothic lolita tumblr

The three of us had spicy Thai food, followed by thick Honduran hot chocolate at City Bakery.

But the sweetest moment was winning the lottery. Yukiro and I scored front-row tickets to the drag-tacular Broadway musical — Priscilla, Queen of the Desert!

LA CARMINA ON TUMBLR & PINTEREST: ADD ME! PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, BROADWAY MUSICAL, BEACON'S CLOSET, dances of vice, shien lee, dances of vice creator, priscilla broadway show, tickets nyc broadway musicals, broadway ticket rush lottery, student discounts, best vintage stores nyc, new york secondhand thrift shops, williamsburg shopping, goth tumblrs, japan fashion, gothic lolita tumblr

The musical, about three drag queens journeying across the Australian desert, was perfection from start to finish. We gasped at the outrageous costumes (feathered headdresses!) and bopped along to gay anthems (Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Gloria Gaynor).

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a must-see. Do check out the film and the Broadway cast recording.

Hungry for more glam-Gothic inspiration? Please add my Tumblr and Pinterest for tons of new posts.

Also, feel free to leave a comment with your Tumblr blog link, so that more people can add you.

Have you seen any Broadway shows? Which are your favorites?

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