Japan, within walking distance of wherever we sleep.

We are a long-married Japanese couple. We travel a lot and sightsee little: we pick a hotel, then stay within walking distance of it, drink for hours, and write down what things actually cost — Sapporo, Okinawa, Fukuoka, and the places we fly to. Real menus, real prices, no sponsored stays.

Stays Eats Costs Abroad Sapporo (12)Fukuoka (7)Nuevo Vallarta (5)Chatan, Okinawa (4)Bangkok (3)Hakodate (1)Naha, Okinawa (1)Tokyo Bay (1)

Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort on foot: the cat road, an Aeon snack haul, and a packed lounge night
Stays Oct 1, 2026

Day four in Chatan: a cat cafe we backed out of, goats on the way and four cats on a seawall path, the Aeon souvenir shelf, and a lounge so full strangers sat at the next table.
Mexican red wine prices at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta: 585 to 785 pesos a bottle, and a 185-peso Cobb salad
Abroad Mexico Sep 29, 2026

The cheapest Mexican reds we found at Mercado Gourmet inside Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta on 11 July 2026 cost 585, 675 and 785 pesos. Expensive. The best value of the day was a 185-peso Cobb salad.
Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge Taco Station night: grilled fish came first, our nachos failed
Abroad Thailand Sep 28, 2026

One evening in April 2026 the Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge turned cocktail time into a Taco Station. Grilled fish was clearly the best of three fillings; our nachos experiment failed.
Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge breakfast: one à la carte hit, two misses, and the buffet that saved it
Abroad Thailand Sep 23, 2026

Two made-to-order dishes per person. The Isaan Benedict was a hit; the sticky rice was hard and the green curry so sweet we left half. The buffet cabbage stir-fry did better. April 2026.
Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge cocktail time, with Gemini as our sommelier
Abroad Thailand Sep 22, 2026

Cocktail time runs 17:30 to 19:30. We asked Gemini which cocktails were not sweet, drank the New York Sour it talked us into, and went straight back to white wine. April 2026.
Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta final bill: 32,971 pesos for 21 nights, and a 240-peso car wash
Abroad Mexico Sep 20, 2026

Checkout after 21 nights at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, July 2026: a seven-page paper bill, 32,971.11 pesos, 900 pesos of default donations, and a 240-peso car wash that was really the laundry.
Fukuoka Airport souvenirs, itemized: 22 things from ANA FESTA and Kikuhira for ¥14,702
Costs Sep 15, 2026

Two shops side by side at Fukuoka Airport, August 2026: 22 items for ourselves, ¥15,202 on the receipts, ¥14,702 paid. The packet ramen we buy every Fukuoka trip, ume hijiki, mentaiko.
Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta restaurants for takeout: nine places, 21 nights, receipt prices in pesos
Abroad Mexico Sep 14, 2026

What we carried back to our room from nine kitchens inside Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta in July 2026, from a 955-peso paella we wanted without its lobster to a 185-peso Cobb salad we bought five times.
Cirque du Soleil LUDÕ VIP seats at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta: 5,520 pesos and free-flow champagne
Abroad Mexico Sep 12, 2026

What the VIP ticket bought on 17 July 2026: a welcome cocktail, a tumbler, a three-course dinner printed on an edible menu, and champagne with no cap. The price, the menu, and our verdict.
Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Executive Lounge, night five: mizutaki, gameni and the ¥1,760 rock bath
Stays Sep 6, 2026

The last cocktail time of five was the Hakata one — gameni, pork kakuni, mizutaki, cold Goto udon — and five nights produced five different sets. Plus what the rock bath sign says. August 2026.
Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Executive Lounge moves to the 5th floor on 1 October 2026
Stays Sep 5, 2026

We walked past the new space behind the fifth-floor Chinese restaurant: partitions, nothing visible inside. Plus night four in the lounge, and a shumai that changed between breakfast and evening.
Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Executive Lounge day 3: Egg Royale, tonchan, and a one-hour warning
Stays Sep 4, 2026

Breakfast Today's Plate was Egg Royale, the soy sauce turned out to be vinegared, and at cocktail time we were told the lounge might go to one hour per party. August 2026.