As soon as I entered our deluxe two-bedroom suite, I thought, "Wow." The space was massive, and I felt we got so much value for what we paid.

The elegant space was outfitted with mahogany furniture, a raised four-post king bed, wide wooden shutters, and coral stone walls.

The primary room had a king bed and the secondary had two twin beds and a crib for my daughter. There was also a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and spacious dining and living room areas.

Our favorite part of our room was the private tropical garden with a patio deck, gazebo, and pool. Because we were surrounded by greenery, it felt like our own private little getaway.

There was so much to do on the property that we didn't use this as often as I'd have liked, but we did spend some time relaxing out here.

On our first night at the resort, we tried Zen, a restaurant that serves Japanese and Thai cuisine.

Although the restaurant didn't offer a kid-friendly menu, my daughter absolutely loved the chicken katsu dish, which included fried cutlets with white rice. My sushi rolls also tasted incredibly fresh and delicious.

My daughter really enjoyed eating at D'Onofrio's, a restaurant serving Southern Italian fare. The staff immediately noticed I had my little one with me and quickly asked to take her order, which I appreciated.

One thing I was disappointed by was the resort's breakfast buffet. Although the views of the beach were spectacular, I found the food to be inconsistent and thought the service was slow.

Eventually, we decided to go to the café for breakfast, which had quick service and everything we needed to start our day on a good note — fresh fruit and granola for my daughter and a croissant and an oat milk latte for me.

My daughter and I both enjoyed spending time on the resort's beach. Watching the waves crash against the shore was the perfect way to unwind.

I only wish the resort offered some loaner beach toys for my daughter to play with. I usually don't like to pack these items because they take up too much space in our luggage.

However, I ended up buying a shovel set for her at the gift shop.

As a single parent, the complimentary on-site day care was a lifesaver. Whenever I needed some me time, I could leave her with the team to play games, make crafts, and have storytime.

Although the service is usually reserved for kids ages 4 to 12, they made an exception for my daughter since she's been in day care for years.

One night, I also took advantage of the resort's $ 15-an-hour private babysitting service. The same people from the day care worked as babysitters, so it was nice for my little one to be greeted by friendly and familiar faces.

Overall, I cherished the time my daughter and I spent together at The Crane.

The resort had genuine and patient staff members who made my daughter feel welcome, a spacious and affordable suite that gave us our own space, and lots of activities for us to do.

I'd definitely return to The Crane in the future and take advantage of any sales they may offer.

This was my first time trying Shake Shack, which didn't have a Canadian location until the summer of last year.

When the restaurant first opened, the lines were very long, so I was excited to see whether the food lived up to the hype.

I ordered a ShackBurger, which cost 9.50 Canadian dollars, or about $6.80. It came with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, but I also added pickles.

When I took a bite of the ShackBurger, I immediately noticed the crispy edges and nice char. The Angus beef was also tender and tasty.

The toppings gave the patty some additional moisture, and the soft potato bun held everything together nicely. I liked that the bun was sturdy and had a delicate sweetness to it.

I would definitely order this burger again.

I didn't grow up eating Burger King, so my experience with this fast-food chain was pretty limited.

I ordered a standard cheeseburger for CA$4.10, or about $2.95, which came with American cheese, pickles, yellow mustard, and ketchup on a toasted sesame seed bun. I also added lettuce and tomato to keep it consistent with the burger I tried at Shake Shack.

The first thing I noticed about this burger was how messy it was. There was a ton of ketchup and mustard on it, which overwhelmed the other flavors.

The sesame bun was light and fluffy, but I found it to be pretty bland.

Thankfully, I could definitely taste the flame-broiled char on the burger patty. The overall flavor reminded me of what I'd find at a backyard barbecue.

However, I probably wouldn't order this burger again.

Unlike the other two chains I visited, I'm very familiar with McDonald's. Growing up, there was a McDonald's around the corner from my house, and I could always smell the food cooking.

I used to eat there a lot, and in high school, I was a fan of the Quarter Pounder with cheese.

This time, I ordered a standard cheeseburger for CA$5, or about $3.60, which came with cheese, onions, and pickles. I also added lettuce and tomato.

When I took a bite, the first thing I noticed was that the bread's texture wasn't fluffy and soft like I'd hoped. The bread was too sweet for me, and I thought it tasted a bit stale.

I didn't enjoy the patty itself, either, which I felt had a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. The burger was also the messiest to eat, and toppings slid out as I picked it up.

I wouldn't order this burger again, which was disappointing because I remember enjoying the Quarter Pounder with cheese so much in my school days. Maybe this simple cheeseburger just wasn't the right McDonald's order for me.

At the end of the day, the burger from Shake Shack was my favorite by a landslide. The burger had a good balance of meat, toppings, and sauces, and had delicious, fresh-tasting ingredients.

Though it was the most expensive of the three cheeseburgers I tried, it definitely felt worth the price.

When we walked into the restaurant, I felt like I was walking into a time capsule. The white plaster walls, blue lighting, and curved white banquettes all seemed reminiscent of the early 2000s.

Bubbles seemed like an appropriate way to kick off our reunion meal, so I ordered a glass of Veuve ($36) to start.

My friend chose a cocktail called Fade to Blueberry ($23), which contained Jack Daniel's No.7 Whiskey, mint, blackberries, and fresh lime juice. She said it was refreshing and tasted like summer in a glass.

We also ordered a bottle of Saratoga water ($9) and a glass of Caymus cabernet sauvignon ($57) to share during our meal.

We ordered several appetizers to share, the first of which was an iceberg salad ($32).

The pungent Point Reyes blue cheese and cubes of applewood-smoked bacon were balanced by the refreshing cherry tomatoes.

We enjoyed the grilled octopus ($34), which was on special the night we dined at STK.

In addition to the octopus, this dish included fingerling potatoes, salsa verde, olives, and smoked paprika aioli.

Honestly, the seafood was so perfectly charred, tender in texture, and delicately sweet that I didn't think it needed the sides or sauce.

The Lil' Brgs sliders ($36) seemed like an homage to a McDonald's burger with a high-end twist.

These were made with premium wagyu beef, STK's house sauce, and homemade sesame seed buns. The meat was ultra juicy, and the sauce provided a nice tanginess.

The first entrée we ordered was the the Hokkaido scallops ($67). This dish was a special and came with celeriac purée, brown butter, capers, and a pomegranate reduction.

The scallops were naturally sweet, rich, buttery, and tender. It was my favorite dish of the evening.

The duck confit gnocchi with Parmesan crema ($59) was rich and heavy — but I think that was the point. Thankfully, the butternut squash, oyster mushrooms, and brussel sprouts balanced the dish nicely.

The 6-ounce filet mignon ($64) is something I'd never traditionally order because I don't like leaner cuts of meat. However, our server assured us we'd love it, so I decided to give it a try.

The filet was cooked medium-rare, fanned out, and topped with wagyu-umami butter ($13), which was torched tableside and drizzled over the meat.

"Wow" was the only word that came out of my mouth when I tried it. The meat was tender and complimented the salty notes from the butter nicely.

We ordered three sides: lobster mac and cheese ($43), Brussels sprouts ($21), and truffle fries ($21).

The lobster mac and cheese seemed over-the-top, but even with all of the cream, butter, and cheese used, it didn't overwhelm the delicate lobster meat.

I was excited to try the Brussels sprouts, which were deep fried, tossed with bacon pieces, and finished with a cider glaze. However, I wasn't a fan of the glaze and thought it made the dish too saucy.

Finally, the Parmesan truffle fries were decadent and had a crispy exterior and fluffy interior.

The mac and cheese was my favorite of all the sides we tried. If I wasn't ordering anything else, I'd happily enjoy it as an entrée.

We ordered the chocolate cake ($22), which was decadent but balanced thanks to the airy layers of cake that offset the rich chocolate ganache.

The doughnuts ($22) reminded me of the ones you'd find at a fair. The fluffy fritters were tossed with cinnamon sugar and had the perfect amount of sweetness.

The most unique dessert was "The Cloud" ($22), a mass of cotton candy set on fire tableside with Belvedere Vodka.

The sweet, sugary threads dissolved slightly, revealing a cake surrounded by berries and marinated in ginger syrup.

It was flashy and fun, but I thought the dish was far too boozy and sweet.

After tax and before tip, our meal came out to just over $636. We spent about three to four hours at STK chatting, feasting, and catching up, but we never felt rushed.

Most of all, I appreciated that the music wasn't turned up throughout the evening so we could hear one another.

I was so pleased with how I felt when leaving this location that if I was back in Los Angeles, I'd definitely visit again.