Kat's 9 Lives

The best thing about the DoubleTree Hotels are the free cookies!!!! They are best when they are nice and warm, but that is not always the case.  There is no resort fee charge as that is very important these days since most Las Vegas hotels have a hefty fee.  Let's all be honest, who spends time in their hotels and let alone enjoy the amenities?!  It's Las Vegas and it only makes sense to live it up!
Of course you will need a car in order to stay at the DoubleTree as it is a little ways off The Strip.  Once you are off the freeway, the hotel is very close and easy to get back on the 15.  The parking lot is never too crazy busy and a simple lot.
The rooms are comfy and the beds are solid.  I always steal a pillow or two from my bunk mate as I love sleeping on a pillow fortress.
Make sure that you sign up for their rewards points if you travel a lot as it never hurts.  Not sure if it is because of the Hilton Honors status, but we normally get room upgrades and free bottles of water.  Here they are very generous with their waters and often give extra bottles.
If you check in too late to your room, which we often do... they may run out of cookies! =*( One time they only had 3 cookies left and I had to work it to get those 3 cookies! lol  Ironically, someone else checked in later than we did.  I proudly ate my cookies! O=D
 There is your Coffee Bean single serve machine for those who like a cup of Joe in the morning.
 The amenities are from Crabtree & Evelyn, which are only so-so.  At least they smell nice.  As usual, a table for people to work on and use for their laptop if they would like and a TV for entertainment.
The bathroom is small but there is some leg room.  Plenty of space for personal items if you want to lay them out on the counter.  Simple shower area and so-so water pressure.  Nothing too special about the shower/bathtub.
All in all I love staying at the DoubleTree purely for the yummy cookies! So they better keep offering me those tasty treats to tempt me to stay.  It's a decent hotel and the location is not too much out of the way, but like I said earlier... you must have a car to stay here to get around.
DoubleTree By Hilton
7250 Pollock Dr, 
Las Vegas, NV, 89119
(702) 948-4000

It's been a while since I last went to a Cha for Tea.  They use to be located in Garden Grove.  For a while it seemed like a flourishing business but many locations shut down.  This location in Alhambra was packed for a Sunday night! They also offer free wi-fi.
What caught my eye was that they had brick toast.  I was craving for some sweet brick toast lathered with the tasty milk powder.  If they only added more of it on top, it would be good.  They only had a thin layer, which was still tasty but nothing too special.
For drinks, I made the bad choice of the honey milk green tea.  It's been one of my new favorites lately but only from one place as I have learned.  Ms. Lin Guide chose the better drink.  She got the mango green tea.  At first I was very wary because most places don't do a good job mixing the flavors and the drinks often taste like soap.  I must say the mango was very sweet and flavorful.  So here is the trick that they do not tell you, you can get refills for only $1.99.  Do you know where that information was found?  In the bathroom! Talk about keeping it secret! lol
They had a few Taiwanese snacks.  The sausage was not bad and tasted like it was from Sinbala, which could be very likely in these neck of the woods.  Their popcorn chicken was fairly priced and the portion was not bad.  Not sure why they offer a sweet and sour sauce and for a fee.  The chicken itself usually has enough flavor and nothing else is needed.
All in all it was a good place to hang out with friends.  It is quite cramped on Sunday as every table was taken inside and outside.  They made a big mistake with our bill and had to explain to them.  For four people, they brought us a bill of almost $100! DANG! What did we drink and snack on??  Be careful with their bill as the refills were entered as a full order plus the refill charge.  They had a ton of employees for a small place.  At least they were all very friendly.  I'd definitely come back for the mango green tea.

Cha for Tea
2 E Main Street Suite 2
Alhambra, CA 91801

I have heard so many great things about Portola Coffee Lab, yet I have never been to the actual place nor did I even know where it was located.  Unfortunately my first experience with Portola Coffee Lab was at The Playground and it was not a great experience.  At first I had written them off because of the horrid experience, but as always I try to keep an open mind as I never had it from the source.
Thanks to Katie and Mike (Eating My Way Through OC), we were out on one of our foodie adventures  and added a few stops along the way.  She had been dying to try Portola Coffee Lab and I was completely on board to join the fun =).
Finding the place was a maze in itself.  We went on a Sunday and the place was desolate.  I guess most of the businesses around here are only open on the weekdays or closed early.  There were a few places that we would have liked to try on another trip when they are open.
This was the last place we visited after a full meal so there wasn't much stomach room to try out their delectable pastries.  Their cases offered a wide variety of both savory and sweet treats.  They definitely looked worthy of a return trip.
I really enjoyed all the eclectic and inspiring coffee concoctions.  It almost feels like you have stepped into Dr. Frankenstein's science laboratory.  Coffee is not just made here but "created".  The mad scientists laboratory was just so well lit that it was almost like a moth to a flame that I kept staring at the equipment.

Portola Coffee Lab is definitely not your ordinary coffee place.  I spoke to the manager and mentioned my past experience and he sincerely voiced his concern, which made me feel like that they really do care about the quality of their coffee and not just about selling the coffee.
Although they are known for their coffee, I felt like a Mocha instead.  It is made with their housemade Belgian Chocolate Ganache and you can have it either hot or cold.  The chocolate was thick and rich.  For those who don't really like overly sweet drinks, then this would be good for you.
Katie and Mike decided to go with their teas that are brewed in their special Trifecta brewer.  The tea was light and refreshing.  Personally I prefer my teas a lot sweeter but that can always be rectified by adding more sugar.  I thought the tea was a good balance of flavor and a subtle aromatic taste that doesn't overpower the tastebuds.
All in all this was a much better experience than my first drink.  There are a few more places at the OC Mart Mix that I would like to come and try so I will definitely be back and stop by for a drink! They also offer free wi-fi for patrons to use.  A nice place to chit chat with friends over a good drink.
Portola Coffee Lab
3313 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(949) 284-0596