Showing posts with label Traveling. Show all posts

Vacation Highlights

I'm back and hoping to catch up on all the blogging over the weekend!

Thankfully Friday arrived really quickly this week after returning home from Jamaica on Wednesday night. It's never fun jumping right back into reality but a two-day work week makes it so much more bearable to deal with the post-vacation blues.

We flew to Montego Bay last week Friday for my cousin's wedding and had an amazing time catching up with 20+ family members that came in from three different countries. It was really good for the soul and, being at an all-inclusive resort in paradise, made it that much sweeter!

 
I plan to post a full travel recap next week when I've had time to organize my photos...and my brain, let's be honest...but I wanted to share some highlights from the trip.

Family Time
K and I are the only ones that live in the US so spending time with my parents, sister, and the extended family was much needed. Especially being able to catch up with my cousins and meet their babies (and not-so-much-babies anymore) for the first time.


 

Pre-Wedding Fun
On night one, the bride-to-be willingly agreed to participate in the Miss Iberostar "pageant" which was really a very unorthodox competition involving collecting as many shirts and pants from the audience. Guess who won?



On night two, we secretly organized some extra entertainment from the staff that came to the beat of the Magic Mike soundtrack. She was a good sport and it was no rated-R show but it was so fun and pretty hilarious to cap off the night before her wedding.



The Wedding
This is a given because it was the purpose of our trip but we got to witness my cousin and her love say their vows in a beautiful setting.



Post-Wedding Fun
We only had time to leave the resort and do one excursion on this trip so we picked a catamaran cruise (more to come on this) but snorkeling was one fun part of the excursion.


On our last night we had a bonfire cocktail party on the beach for one last get-together before saying our goodbyes the next day.


Bonus Highlights
Other than all the quality time with my family which is priceless, a huge highlight of our trip was winning two free gifts. I chose a 50-minute massage at the and K picked two tickets to the VIP departure lounge in the Montego Bay airport. So much unexpected pampering but we loved it!


The MoBay VIP departure area offers complimentary food, drinks, and a really comfortable lounge with reliable WiFi access so it was a really nice end to our trip.

So happy to be home to be with my Lola but lots of detoxing and cleaning eating is much needed for the next few weeks.

I hope you enjoy the weekend just as much as I will enjoy sleeping in my own bed!

An Anniversary trip to Ocho Rios

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm still in Jamaica relaxing for a few days with the family after celebrating my cousin's wedding yesterday. K and I visited Jamaica back in 2012 for another destination wedding in Negril and now we're in Montego Bay so I've been looking forward to seeing a different part of the island.

My good friend and fellow blogger, Kate from Green Fashionista so generously offered to share the highlights from her wedding anniversary trip to Jamaica. They happened to visit around the same time we were there in 2012 but they stayed in Ocho Rios which is a part of the Jamaica I've yet to visit.

 
Kate and her hubby spent 4 nights at the Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, which they chose because it's a beachfront all-inclusive resort with some beautiful pools and waterslides.
 


The swim-up bar is always a favorite when it comes to all-inclusive resorts and Kate said they immediately got in the pool when they arrived and could just feel the stress melt away.



Their days were spent lounging in the cabanas by the pool, sipping on cocktails, and enjoying the pool and waterslides.

Sounds like the perfect vacation to me and that's exactly what we've been doing.



They enjoyed some Bob Marley cocktails poolside which look delish.


I just love the view from their hotel room and it gives you a nice glimpse of Ocho Rios' coast.


Thank you Kate for sharing the highlights of your anniversary trip to Jamaica!


If you're interested in exploring more about Jamaica, you can read Kate's full Ocho Rios trip recap and my trip to the 7-mile long beach in Negril.

Hope this week treats you well!
                                                                                 

Jamaica Bound

Happy Friday!

I hope you have some fun plans lined up for the weekend. I've been looking forward to this day for a few months now because we're en route to Jamaica for my cousin's wedding and will be spending the next few days with my family in Montego Bay. The last time we went to Jamaica, we spent the entire trip in Negril so I'm excited to explore a different part of the island.


For once I planned nothing for this trip and will be going where the wind takes us around whatever wedding festivities we have to attend. I'm hoping to go on an excursion or two but I'm waiting to explore the options while we're there. I'm most excited about lounging on the beach and hopefully returning home with a nice tan.

Enjoy the weekend!

Exploring Denver


This past Memorial Day weekend, K and I took a quick weekend trip to Denver which I briefly recapped last week here. We arrived late on Friday night so we just had time to grab dinner at Yard House which was conveniently located in our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Downtown Denver which is in a great location to explore downtown by foot. I definitely recommend staying there if you're looking for a great location, price, hotel amenities, and comfort of the rooms.


On Saturday morning, we walked to Elway's for some breakfast before starting our adventures. Several people recommended Elway's Steakhouse for a nice dinner but we didn't manage to make it there in the evenings on this trip.

We wondered through the Denver Day of Rock festival and purchased some local art before heading to the Great Divide Brewery to sample some craft beers.



We stopped in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store to buy some chocolates and candy since the shop smelt amazing from the street.



After exploring the city and visiting several breweries, shops, and the LoDo area we settled at Earl's Kitchen for an early dinner. They have great food and a modern environment in the heart of downtown.




 In the evening we stopped at Union Lodge No 1 speakeasy for some 19th-century-inspired cocktails and really enjoyed the prohibition-era environment.






On Sunday morning we headed to Ophelia's Electric Soapbox from some brunch and I have to say this was one of my favorite brunch experiences. The live music, eclectic menu, bottomless mimosas, and overall environment left me feeling extremely happy we chose this spot to get the day started.





After fueling up K and I headed to Coors Field to catch a Rockies vs. Giants game which was a great time and our seats were only 5 rows up from the field so we can take in all the action. It was definitely one of the better stadiums I've visited with lots of entertainment and team spirit.










The ViewHouse was one of my favorite sports bars and restaurants in the city because it overlooks Coors Field and has a huge outdoor area for tailgating along with great food and drinks.

Some other cool places we checked out on Sunday was Lodo's rooftop bar (which is very close to Coors Field) and Jagged Mountain Brewery to sample some beers.





On Monday it was time to check out of our hotel and head out for a quick lunch at Henry's Tavern. We walked past Henry's several times on the weekend and the restaurant was packed full of people with long waiting lines so it appeared to be a popular spot to eat, drink and watch sports in downtown Denver. On Monday it was quiet so we were able to get right in and enjoy some lunch. The beer cheese soup that K and I shared was amazing.


Overall Denver was an amazing city to explore but I wish we had more than two full days to explore beyond just the downtown area and make it over to Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Past Wanderlust Wednesday travel recaps:

Wekiva Island


I wanted to share some local travel-related adventures even though our Wanderlust Wednesday linkup is not until the second Wednesday of each month. Consider this a save the date to get your travel posts ready for May 11th if you want to join Kerri, Kate, and myself.



I still can't believe it took me over 10 years of living in Central Florida before visiting Wekiva Island for the first time last year with Kate and our second in commands (that's a running joke we have not meant to be taken seriously). What a great day we had relaxing along the river. The water is cold but it's refreshing like spring water and there's a ton of amenities and activities to make it a fun day trip. Plus it's dog-friendly so you know I'm already sold.



Since our first trip to Wekiva Island we've gone back a few times to take my parents and then most recently my best friend last weekend. (recaps here and here).









If you're looking for a fun day outdoors, Wekiva Island offers canoeing/kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, volleyball, boating and swimming. Additionally there's live music (on certain days), an on-site restaurant, and cabanas for rent if you want to have your personal space. I consider this a hidden treasure of Central Florida.