Category: Travel

Chicago Trip – A&C Live Show, Shopping, Eataly, and more!

A few weekends ago I traveled to Chicago with my friends Annabelle and Meagan for the live show of their podcast Adderall & Compliments. I have been helping the girls in any way I can for the past few months after I saw what an incredible impact they have had on their community of listeners (referred to as “kittens”) all over the world. Annabelle and Meagan have shared on the podcast about their mental health ups and downs and the response has been incredible. Kittens at every show come up to the girls with tears in their eyes saying they have changed their lives and they are forever grateful. They feel so much less alone and like someone finally understands them and what they’re going through and that is just priceless. People have said they were contemplating suicide and the podcast got them through their low point and now they have finally reached out and gotten help- it’s amazing. I think the work they are doing is SO important so I am doing whatever I can to support them in their mission- hence why I have been traveling with them for their live shows!

Continue reading “Chicago Trip – A&C Live Show, Shopping, Eataly, and more!”

What To Do in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

As I mentioned before in my Nicaragua Travel Tips and Visiting Granada I went down to Nicaragua in mid-June 2017 for my sister’s wedding and had the best trip of my whole life. I have a couple wedding pics on this post, but to see all of the incredible professional photos by her photographer Chelsea Erwin be sure to check out Chelsea’s blog post. My sister and her husband are seriously like models you will die.

Photo of my brother-in-law Josh and my sister Hannah by their wedding photographer Chelsea Erwin in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Um could you die!?

We spent a whole week in a little beach town on the west coast (Pacific Ocean side) called San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Before traveling to Nicaragua I heavily lurked the amazing Instagram account @discovernicaragua which gave me so many great ideas for places to visit!

View of the bay and the town of San Juan Del Sur from one of our rental houses.

San Juan Del Sur is a popular place for surfers, college students, backpackers, and yoga retreat goers, but if you don’t fit into one of those categories this place can still be an amazing destination to visit! PS If the pictures are making these recommendations hard to follow, scroll all the way to the end for an outlined list of all of the places I mentioned here!

san-juan-del-sur-nicaragua-rental-house-pool
The view from one of our rental houses in San Juan Del Sur. Can you spot the Jesus statue on top of the hill on the right?

Disclaimer: Let’s keep it real. Nicaragua is a developing country. These are photos of beautiful mansions and yoga studios and restaurants that we were privileged enough to travel to. Most of these places are right next to homes with no electricity where some of the locals live which are not pictured. The people we met in Nicaragua were amazing and kind and loving which made the trip that much better. But things in Nicaragua are going to be different then back home- all of our houses had gates, full-time security, and drivers that would drop us off, wait for us to finish whatever activity we were doing, and be right outside ready to take us home after dinner or the bar. I never ever felt unsafe in Nicaragua for one second, but I did have these added luxuries. I was reminded of this when I showed my dad some photos and videos and he said “I feel like you went to a different Nicaragua than I did.” I want everyone that books a trip there to keep this in mind, I am only showing you one side of beautiful Nicaragua, but there is more to the picture than what you are going to see in this blog post. That being said, I highly highly recommend you check it out for yourself!
Continue reading “What To Do in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua”

Nicaragua Travel Tips and Visiting Granada

I just had one of the best trips of my entire life to a place you may have never heard about- San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. My sister and her husband are avid surfers and knew they wanted a destination wedding. When a friend suggested the small surf town on the west coast of this stunning Central American developing country they agreed that it was just what they were looking for. They ended up getting nearly 60 friends and family members to come out and celebrate with them! I stayed for about a week and I want to break this up into a few posts starting with this one with tips and tricks. Here’s a photo of the dreamy couple:

Before You Go to Nicaragua

Continue reading “Nicaragua Travel Tips and Visiting Granada”

Unique LA

Back in May I won tickets to a really amazing event called Unique LA and had the best time ever! I highly HIGHLY recommend checking this out and definitely bring your wallet because you are going to want to buy ALL THE THINGS! Like I was shook at how much amazing local stuff there was. I also went by myself and stayed all day and had an absolute blast!

“Your dollars make a direct impact in your neighborhood! The entrepreneurs you shop from at Unique LA are registered business owners in their cities, and therefore local taxpayers, so buying from them directly helps your neighborhood public schools, libraries, fire departments, parks, and more. How great is that?!”

— Sonja Rasula, Founder of Unique LA Continue reading “Unique LA”

Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Colorado

Back in February I visited Vail with my siblings and for our second and third day we decided to head to Beaver Creek which I LOVED! Beaver Creek, CO is like a smaller, more contained Vail Village that’s only about 15 away. It’s anchored by the huge Park Hyatt Hotel which became my home base for those two days. My first day in Vail I had a tumble down the mountain so I decided to skip the skiing for the rest of our visit (and possibly the rest of my life). Beaver Creek also has a lovely little area adjacent to the slopes with shops, restaurants, bars, rental shops, and a public ice skating rink right in the middle of it all.

Image result for allegria spa
The enormous Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek lobby was the best place to hang out during the day because it has huge windows that face the mountain so you can watch all the action outside while staying cozy on all the couches and by the fire inside. The food there was also amazing. At the cafe I had a hot chocolate with Baileys in it which was to die for.

The lobby at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. Perfect place to watch skiers and snowboarders come down the mountain!

Then I browsed the TripAdvisor app and had the greatest discovery of my trip, the Allegria Spa. This place OMG. This was exactly what I needed! If you go to the Vail area you cannot miss this spa. Especially if you’re staying at your ski bum little brother’s (basically) frat house like I did, this place will relax, calm, and cleanse you.

Aqua Sanitas at the Allegria Spa

The spa lobby and the entrance to Aqua Sanitas

At the Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek there is an incredible Aqua Sanitas water ritual which I could have spent the rest of my life doing. Basically you bring your bathing suit and the water ritual involves alternating hot and cold. If you get a treatment at the spa it’s included in the cost. You can also enjoy the Aqua Sanitas on its own for $20 if you’re staying at the resort or $55 if you’re not. The day pass includes access to Aqua Sanitas, the fitness center, locker room facilities, pools, hot tubs, and 1 group fitness class. It is worth every penny. Continue reading “Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Colorado”

Cameran Eubanks from Southern Charm’s Beauty Secrets

I’ve been a huge fan of Southern Charm since the very first season and Cameran Eubanks consistently has absolutely amazing hair and makeup that look natural and effortless. One of Cameran’s biggest beauty secrets and the reason why she always looks so flawless- she used to be a makeup artist! (Source)

How Old is Cameran Eubanks?

Continue reading “Cameran Eubanks from Southern Charm’s Beauty Secrets”

What to Bring to Coachella

Last year I posted about What to Wear to Coachella and today I’m back with some super practical tips (that’ I’ve updated for 2017!) about

What to Bring to Coachella:

Continue reading “What to Bring to Coachella”

Workout Like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills With ClassPass

I used to work out semi-annually. That’s right, only a few times a year which is horrible so I give it a cute name. Luckily I have finally come around and I’m working out regular these days thanks to support from friends and family and ClassPass.

ClassPass gives me everything I need to stay consistent. I pay $60 for 5 workout classes a month on ClassPass, but if you sign up using my link you’ll get $30 off! That’s only $6 per class for your first month! If I don’t use a class they do not roll over so I have to workout 5x a month no matter what. I can workout at each gym up to two times per month so I get the variety I need to stay interested and motivated. I can add my friends that have ClassPass to the app and see what workout classes they are signed up for which allows me to join them. You also must pay a cancellation fee if you miss a class and can only cancel (without a fee) more than 24 hours in advance. Once you’ve selected your classes you have to show up or else you’re paying twice! This is the perfect amount of accountability to keep me on track.

As I was scrolling through the available classes I started to see a lot of ones I had seen on Real Housewives episodes and on their social media. I thought it would be fun to include those classes to give anyone needing inspiration a silly little reason to sign up and get moving!

eden-by-eden-sassoon-pilates-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills

Continue reading “Workout Like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills With ClassPass”

LA Guide – Hollywood

3/2/19 I am updating this post, but it’s incredible how most of the originals are still my all-time favorites and go-to’s when I have guests in town or give recommendations!

I’ve added mostly photos, but a few great newer places to check out – Rubies + Diamonds, Tocaya Organica, The Highlight Room, TAO, Blackwood Coffee Bar, Lono, Division 3, Afters Ice Cream, and Pace Joint. There’s also a few OG’s I can’t believe I didn’t include the first time – Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream which has been a Hollywood Staple for about 40 years! And Tiago which was my go-to breakfast place when I lived in Hollywood. I’ve also included a few gyms to burn off the calories after you eat and drink at these incredible places.

Recently I had my 5 year anniversary of moving to Hollywood so what better time to write up a guide or list of recommendations for anyone who wants to explore my neighborhood? Sorry for the lack of photos, most of these places are dark and sexy so even if I posted photos from there you wouldn’t be able to see anything!

Where to stay in Hollywood

Continue reading “LA Guide – Hollywood”

San Francisco City Guide

I went to San Francisco for a conference and a long weekend a few weeks ago and I forgot how much I love that city! The food, the shopping, the parks, the homes, the history, it’s amazing! I wanted to give you a run down of some of my recommendations.

Continue reading “San Francisco City Guide”