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Travel, USA

Longwood Gardens | PA

September 17, 2014

Top (actually a tunic): Forever 21 | Skirt: Nordstrom (similar) | Scarf: Zeena | Belt: Anthropologie |

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Shoes: DSW | Watch: Michael Kors

This post is picture heavy – but that’s what happens when you go to a garden spanning 86 acres! Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania is a gem! Last week I went with my friend Z and we had a spectacular day there! They have a variety of gardens, waterfalls, conservatory, and so much more! It was a about a 2 hour drive for us therefore we did a day trip. I actually really enjoyed the children’s garden in the conservatory – so much fun and very interactive! I’m such a kid!

It was a fun time and I highly recommend a day trip to the garden if you are in the DMV area!

DC, Travel, USA

A Thousand Years of the Persian Book

September 12, 2014

You know those days that you don’t plan and everything just happens and you end up having a ton of fun? Wednesday was one of those days for me! I ended up at the Library of Congress with a friend who was visiting DC. We were able to check out the exhibition that has been on my list since March but I never found the time to actually go to – A Thousand Years of the Persian Book. This exhibition explores the vast and rich history of Persian literature ranging from science, religion, history, and literature. The pictures are all taken with my iPhone – I could kick myself for not having my DSLR on me that day! Oh well! I had a lovely time and enjoyed it very much!

The exhibit is only going on until September 20! I highly recommend a visit to Library of Congress to check out this exhibit as well as the LOC itself – which is stunning!

Travel

#TBT | Costa Rica

September 11, 2014

Part 2 of #ThrowBackTravel is an ode to Costa Rica!

My trip to Costa Rica occurred in March 2012 with my sister and two girlfriends. It was the most fun girls trip I have ever been on! Put a doctor, lawyer, SLP, and a grad student in Costa Rica for a week and you have nothing but silly adventures from horseback riding, zip lining, sun burn, jumping off cliffs, and complete Pura Vida!

The four of us planned our trip thanks to Anywhere Costa Rica and Trip Advisor. We stayed in two locations – first La Fortuna for 3 nights and second Santa Teresa for 3 nights. Upon arriving to CR we reserved a shuttle in advance to take us from the airport to La Fortuna – this was by far the best idea ever because our flight got in at around 1am and there was no chance that we were driving in CR – I don’t recommend it! There are no street signs, lights, or perfectly paved paths and it is just dangerous. Hiring the shuttle driver was the smartest option. He was waiting for us upon arrival and drove us straight to our hotel, checked us in, and took care of everything!

Los Lagos Resort in La Fortuna

Horseback Riding at Los Lagos Resort in La Fortuna

Crocodile Farm at Los Lagos Resort in La Fortuna

Arenal Observatory at Los Lagos Resort in La Fortuna

Fangus Spa at Los Lagos Resort in La Fortuna

Zip Lining Map

The view while zip lining

La Fortuna Itinerary & Details
-Hotel: Los Lagos
-Restaurants: Don Rufino, Las Ventanas at The Springs Resort & Spa
-Activities: At Los Lagos Resort [Horseback Riding, Butterfly Garden, Crocodile Farm, Fangus Spa, Arenal Volcano Observatory] and Zip Lining

Los Lagos Resort was incredible! A friend of mine who studied abroad in CR recommended it and I couldn’t have been happier with the resort! They have a ton of amenities and the staff is beyond friendly! We only left the resort three times – twice for dinner and once to go zip lining. Otherwise we spend majority of our time at the resort! Through concierge we booked a horseback riding session, massages at the spa, and a zip lining experience. The zip lining experience was booked through the hotel however it was not at the hotel. A shuttle picked us up and took us to the location and brought us back afterwards. Also the restaurants we dined at were incredible! Our breakfast was included with our stay at the resort – which was divine! However for dinner we ventured out of the resort. Also the hot springs at the resort are incredible! Literally best part of the stay!

En route to Santa Teresa

Hotel Buenisimo in Santa Teresa

Sunset view from out balcony at Hotel Buenisimo in Santa Teresa

Night time fun at Play del Carmen

Playa Carmen

Sunset at Playa Carmen

Montezuma Falls

Dinner at Brisas del Mar in Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa Mal Pais Itinerary & Details
-Hotel: Hotel Buenisimo
-Restaurants: Pasta Basta, The Bakery, Brisas del Mar
-Activities: Montezuma Falls, Playa Carmern

After 3 nights in La Fortuna we headed out to Santa Teresa Mal Pais. Our journey there was long – we weren’t expecting it. We took a 3 hour shuttle from the hotel – then got on a 1.5 hour ferry – then another 2 hour shuttle – and then finally we arrived at our hotel. Also there are no asphalt roads in Santa Teresa therefore it was a bumpy ride. Our hotel in Santa Teresa was recommended by my sister’s coworker – it was a eco-friendly type of hotel. We had 2 casitas which were very nice and had a great view of the sunset. Location wise it was fantastic – however it was drastically different than staying at a resort. Nonetheless we had a ton of fun being beach bumps, enjoying good food, and just relaxing in Santa Teresa. One of the days we headed out to Montezuma Falls for a hike and to see the falls. The owner of the casita drove us out to the falls and guided us on the hike – a ton of fun!

All I can say about Costa Rica is Pura Vida! It is a must see place and there is so much to do there!

DC, Travel, USA

National Harbor

September 9, 2014

Aruba

#TBT | Aruba

September 4, 2014

I am fortunate enough to travel ever so often and love to share all my travels and experiences with others. My travel buddy is my sister – no secret in that. We have the same taste and travel well together. Generally she picks the location and I plan. I want to share a series of our past travels over the next few weeks with my readers. Majority of these trips were taken before I started blogging – therefore the series shall be #tbt (throw back travel) and over the next several weeks I will share snippets from all my favorite past travels. This week it’s Aruba! My sister and I went to Aruba in August 2012.

First Night

Once we arrived in Aruba we took a taxi to our hotel and checked in. We were there for four nights and stayed at the Aruba Mariott Resort & Stellaris Casino. We booked our hotel through Priceline name your own price and got a great deal. After we freshened up we went to Flying Fishbone Restaurant for dinner. Words can’t describe how amazing this dinner was. The food was just amazing. However the location was unreal. Literally dinner on the beach with our toes in the water right at sunset. It was a very romantic spot and my sister and I kept saying how this restaurant would be perfect with a significant other but oh well – we have each other – sisters forever. #awkward

Day 1

Day 2 began with a trip to the Butterfly Farm. All the employees were extremely knowledgable and explained everything there was to know about butterflies. We bought some amazing souvenirs from the Butterfly Farm!

Afterwards we went back to the hotel for some beach time and laying out in the sun.

For dinner we went to Papiamento Restaurant – which was recommended by a taxi driver to us. Once again the food and location were on point!

Day 2

Day three began with a submarine ride via Atlantis Submarine which we booked through our hotel. Since I can’t really swim – that well – and there is no chance I can learned to SCUBA dive the next best thing is a submarine ride! This was definitely an experience I won’t forget! So much fun.

After the submarine ride we went back to the hotel for some beach time and then watched the sunset.

For dinner we went to Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano. It was located in the more touristy area of Aruba and we got a glimpse of the night life.

Day 3

Day three was a long one but so much fun. We hired a taxi driver – that actually picked us up from dinner on the second night. He was born and raised in Aruba and offered to give us a tour of the Island by the hour. We visited many highlights of the island and were able to see the entire island in the span of 4 hours. We went to the Ayo Rock Formation, Arikok National Park, Caves at Arikok National Park, Casi Bari, Natural Bridge, and Baby Bridge. The caves are just stunning because they are above ground and contain drawings on the wall. In addition there are bats – lots of them – flying around the cave. I had some moments of yelling – no shame.

Our last dinner was at Marandi Restaurant. We watched the beautiful sunset and enjoyed delicious seafood. All the restaurants in Aruba during our trip were a hit. Not only was the food delicious but also the ambiance and locations were breathtaking!

My tan in full effect on the last day in Aruba!

The only thing I will add was that my sister and I didn’t rent a car while we were there and instead took a taxi everywhere. Majority of the taxi drivers in Aruba were female! We chatted with a ton of them and they were so delightful and helpful with restaurant recommendations, information about the Island, and much more!

Has anyone traveled to Aruba? What is your favorite location on this beautiful Island?!

Happy Thursday!

Michigan, Travel, USA

Mackinac Island

August 21, 2014

Over the weekend I organized a girls trip up north to Mackinac Island! It was the perfect get-a-way weekend! I haven’t been to Mackinac Island since I was 10 years old – therefore I was very giddy and excited to visit one my all time favorite Michigan destinations. We drove up Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel in Mackinaw City. We stayed at the Ramada Mackinaw City Waterfront. It was nothing fancy – but a fabulous location! It was directly adjacent to the Arnold Line Ferry which we took in the morning to get to the island.

Once we arrived on Mackinac Island we rented our bicycles for the day. For those of you who may not know – there are no motor vehicles on the Island! The only mode of transportation is walking, biking, or horses!

Once we had our bikes our first stop was the Mackinac Island Butterfly House. I’ve been to a butterfly house before (in Aruba) and this was a smaller version of it. There were a ton of beautiful butterflies flying all over the place! While we were there a butterfly landed on my mom’s arm, another on a visitor’s head, etc. They were gorgeous creatures and it was marvelous capturing these colorful butterflies in action.

After the Butterfly House our plan was to go to the Grand Hotel and explore – however we missed the street and ended up biking around the entire island – which ended up being extremely fun! We ended up biking on the M-185 Perimeter tour which was 8 miles long. Along the way we stopped by the lake, ate some ice cream, and explored some historic sites.

Along the way we stopped at the Arch Rock to take in this magnificent natural wonder. From the bottom the view wasn’t that great. Therefore we climbed 207 stairs (one way) to get to the top to take in the magnificent view. Thankfully the minute we got up there the sun started to shine and we were able to view the “Live Life to Max” written in the lake with stones.

After our loop around the Island we returned our bikes and grabbed some lunch at one of the local places. After lunch we walked over to the Grand Hotel to see the gardens. The hotel goes into dress code at 6:30pm and since we were wearing pants and didn’t have extra clothes we didn’t purchase the $10 pass to explore the inside of the hotel. Next time I fully intend on staying at the hotel and will have plenty of time exploring the indoors! However the garden area is free and doesn’t require a dress code therefore we hung out there and snapped some lovely photos.

After the Grand Hotel went down to Main Street and started sampling some fudge! In the end we purchased all our goodies from Ryba’s Fudge Shop – the best fudge in my opinion!

After we bought our goodies we headed to the beach and found a little secluded area to watch the sunset. It was just marvelous! Once the sun set we ran our way back to the docks to board the 9pm ferry to leave the island! It was a long day but it was so relaxing and fun! There is nothing better thank biking, eating ice cream, climbing, frolicking in gardens, and watching sunsets!

Sunday morning we woke up extra early to witness this stunning sunrise from our hotel room balcony. Just gorgeous!

After breakfast we drove over the Mackinac Bridge to enter the Upper Peninsula – just to say we went to the UP. Bragging rights! Woohooo! After snapping a couple pictures we piled up into the car and drove back home to Ann Arbor.

It was a very perfect Pure Michigan weekend!

Longwood Gardens | PA

A Thousand Years of the Persian Book

#TBT | Costa Rica

National Harbor

#TBT | Aruba

Mackinac Island

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