Hello Friends, how are we all doing? It has been a pretty rough year to …
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Category: Travel
Family Fun at The Wave Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey
We had a great family holiday last week at The Wave Resort in Long Branch, …
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A WONDERFUL FAMILY REUNION IN WHITSTABLE
My family and I recently traveled back to England for a family reunion to celebrate …
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LONDON MARRIOTT PARK LANE HOTEL REVIEW
I love traveling to London. After living in the UK for so many years, London had become a second home to me. I relish every opportunity I get to go back to visit.
This time around I was fortunate enough to stay in the luxurious London Marriot Park Lane, which is set on the prestigious Park Lane in central London. The hotel boasts close proximity to all the wonderful shopping on Oxford Street and the serenity of Hyde Park and provides excellent transportation links via the Marble Arch Tube stop.
This hotel has kept the Marriot branding but has recently undergone an extensive multi million pound renovation to compete with the likes of The Dorchester. The decor of the rooms certainly did not disappoint. Greys and whites are combined with subtle hints of purple and chartreuse to create an ambiance of relaxation yet whimsical refinement.
There are many facilities inside the hotel from a restaurant on the ground floor called Lanes of London which offers sumptuous fare, to the serene swimming pool, you will be spoilt for choice with options to enjoy your time here.
CONTACT London Marriott Hotel Park Lane, 140 Park Lane, Mayfair, London; tel +44 (0)20 7493 7000; marriott.co.uk
Until Next Time!
LONDON SIGHTS! KENSINGTON PALACE TOUR
When you don’t have a lot of time in a major city and you want to go for maximum impact, think grand. I just had to witness the grandeur of Kensington Palace, currently the home to William and Kate and many other royals past and present. So exciting!
My tour began with a lovely walk through Hyde Park toward Kensington Palace. It’s a picturesque scene as the daffodils have already started to bloom and bird song is to be found atop every tree.
Thank
Once inside the Palace my friend and I collected our tickets which were purchased in advance from VisitLondon.com although tickets can be purchased directly on the property. Our guided tour lasted approximately 45 minutes where we learned so much about the Palace and the Royals that lived there. The costumes on display were mesmerizing and were featured in the Academy award winning motion film, “The Favorite”.
The rooms on display to the public are in the East Wing to the house, and were quite extraordinary!
Kensington Palace is a truly remarkable destination in London. The historic charm and grandeur will take your breath away at every turn. I highly recommend it for your next London visit.
Until Next Time!
FAMILY ADVENTURES IN SANTORINI
We spent a week in the breathtakingly beautiful volcanic island that is Santorini, Greece. We overlooked a majestic volcano submerged into the Aegean Ocean every morning for seven days and never grew weary of the site.
When we could tear ourselves away from the gorgeous view, we took a sailing tour in the Aegean for a closer look of the active volcanoes of the island. We also ventured to Perissa beach to check out the Santorini Water Park for our 6 year old daughter which provided a great day of fun.
Finally we checked out the glamorous town of OIa for lunch and then headed to Fira to enjoy the jaw dropping views from the cable cars and then travel back to the old world with donkey rides back up the volcano.
All together it was an amazing holiday. Check out the video to join us on our family adventure!
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Packing for Santorini Greece
I can’t believe it. A dream vacation destination is finally becoming reality. Our family and I are heading to one of the most beautiful destinations in the world – Santorini, Greece!
This is our end of summer vacation. We are flying into London Heathrow and from there getting a direct flight to Santorini. Direct flights from London usually only happen in the summer and other times of the year you will need to fly into Athens and get the high speed ferry to Santorini. It’s is usually about a 5 hour ride but I hear it goes fast. We were however very fortunate to snag flights directly from London Heathrow for our end of summer getaway.
So what am I packing? Since I know it will still be really warm, I will be sure to pack breezy light weight summer staples; floaty maxi dresses in stripes and floral prints and plenty of white. As for beauty products. I want to pack minimally with my go to all-in-one blush bronzer/combo from Hourglass, the Tarte in Bloom eyeshadow palette and my favorite OPI nail color Big Apple Red on my hands and feet. For footwear, flats are key. I am loving these white birkenstocks. They go with everything I’m wearing and add perfectly to the chilled out Mediterranean vibe of the island.
We are staying in the gorgeous town of Fira which boasts the most remarkable sunsets ever. I can’t wait to enjoy the view from our balcony and share those views with you. Stay tuned for photos and a recap of our stay in the magical island of Santorini.
Until Next Time!
WHAT I WORE IN ROME
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There are a few places on the planet that make my heart still. A few places where the air seems just a little sweeter, yet the vibe seems a little more electric. One of those places for me is Italy. We had the pleasure of taking a holiday to Rome last year, and I also went to Venice with my mom a few years back. Although both cities are strikingly different from the layout of the land to the pace of the people, they both have a certain old-world magic to them that pulls on my heart strings. A yearning for the bella figura or la dolce vita or whatever keeps me wanting to go back for more.
First lets talk Rome. Be prepared for everything to move super-fast and for the city to be bustling. There isn’t much room for lost tourists so be sure to know where you want to go before you leave your hotel. As for dress, Romans have simple impeccable style. So dress neatly and wear all natural fabrics like cotton or silk in the summer in light or neutral colors. Leave your bright prints for your tropical holidays. Women dress pretty modestly, with knee-length dresses and skirts and elegant flats paired with gorgeous hair, skin and handbags. Men are equally coiffed in made to measure suits, freshly starched and tailored business shirts or white skinny jeans and polo shirts.
We stayed at the Hotel Raphael in Piazza Novona and were delighted with our room and our close proximity to attractions like the The Trevi Fountain and Colesseum which were are all short distances away.
The food is on a whole other level. We dined at local eateries with our favorite spots being in the Trastevere district on the West bank of the Tiber River. The simplest meal was a culinary creation, each mouth watering morsel better than the last. I personally found it hard to find a bad restaurant in Rome, and I really could eat my way through the entire city with delight.
For even more history take a short flight up north to Venice where you can get transported to a mythical time where gondoliers and ships are your primary modes of transport. Take a photo from the Rialto Bridge where you can have centuries of culture as your backdrop while you immerse yourself in the beauty on land with the innumerable churches and cathedrals.
Food in Venice is very seafood rich, especially since the city is on the water. I really enjoyed having venetian fish soup, zuppa di pesce. The markets are bustling and filled with beautiful Murano glass and venetian leather goods. A gondola ride on the canals complete the fairytale.
Italy will always hold a special place in my heart as a favorite travel destination, filled with fashion, amazing food and a superior sense of style.
What are your favorite travel destinations? Leave me a comment below!
Until Next Time,
My #BLOGHER17 RECAP -THE CON-DOWN
BlogHer17 took place this year in warm and sunny Orlando Florida at the stunning Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort. I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the event and had the great honor to hear so many inspiring women speak during my very short stay.
Since this was my first conference that I actually flew to attend, I was a bit weary of going the whole hog and attending all of the days, so I decided to test my conference confidence and warm up to the event beginning with a splendid 2 day bit of solitude, in which I have called my mommy vacay or #momcation. This was my time to recharge my batteries and relax and unwind. So in reality it meant long days spent in the hotel’s lazy river lagoon and cozying up at night with a bit of reality TV and room service!
When it was time for the conference to begin I was psyched. The amazing female panelists for the keynote included Chelsea Clinton, Cecile Richards, Tai Beauchamp and Margaret Cho among others. I was mesmerized, inspired and so proud to be in the same room with such inspirational women who were changing the world and making no apologies.
After the Keynote, I met up with some awesome bloggers at the hotel bar and I feel like I have really made some new friends. It was such an amazing time for me, short albeit sweet and I cant wait for next year. I’m going full blogger throttle!
So now its back to reality, back to being a lady with her blog. I have to admit there is a bit of a come-down or a con-down after attending such a powerful conference. One thing is clear and that is my resolve to commit to finding my voice and niche in the blogging space, because as I have learned from the event, there is still room for success. What are your BlogHer17 stories and takeaways if you attended? Would love to hear from you! Also if you have any questions for me about the event, feel free to leave them for me in the comments below.
Don’t forget to check out my video for more details of my stay in Orlando and the conference!
Until Next Time!
HOW TO PREPARE FOR BLOGHER17 – MY THOUGHTS
It’s sooo exciting to have the opportunity to attend the annual #BlogHer conference this year. It’s all going to go down tomorrow. Thursday – Saturday June 23-25 where hundreds of female influencers and thought-leaders in the blog community will converge in one venue. Oh and did I mention Chelsea Clinton, Serena Williams and dozens of inspirational women will be in attendance as well? 
I have to make sure my personal presentation is on point, i.e hair and nails done and cute outfit. I need to also make sure all my logistics are arranged and make sure to bring my A game. Here is a list of how I have prepared for the event.
Before You Go:
Book your conference pass online.
You can take advantage of The BlogHer early bird sale that runs in February when you save almost $100 off the admission price which includes access to all events.
Choose to stay at the hotel:
The Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando had an amazing conference rate that I was able to use to secure a deluxe room under the special BlogHer discount rate.
What To Bring:
When I think conference I think blazer and Business cards, but since this is BlogHer the stuffy blazer idea is cute but not crucial. BlogHer bring thousands of female online media content creators together in one venue, plus with it being held in Orlando this year I doubt anyone will be wearing a blazer! I’m carrying a nice cocktail dress and yes of course my business cards!
Speaking of business cards I think they are really imperative to networking and helping other bloggers and brands to remember who they’ve met. I know there are new digital apps that offer online business cards, but I’m old-school and I really love a hardcopy card to hand out. Since I was in a rush this year with organizing my cards, I ordered some same-day cards with Staples online and picked them up locally before I left for the conference. They will do.
A big problem I struggle with is phone storage! I am always running out of room so make sure to upgrade your phone storage or check that you have enough iPhone storage because you’ll be taking lots of videos and photos. Also carry a camera because you will want to take pictures and maybe vlog content. Don’t forget your laptop, battery and headphones for video editing on the go! And of course a great tote bag to carry all your gear around.
Outfits:
For the conference I think a nice dress or cute top and pants are perfect. Then you might want to have another change of clothes for the evening events. Also make sure you carry a pretty comfortable pair of shoes as there will be a lot of standing around. You will also want to allow for any downtime with some swimwear and flip-flops.
What To Do:
Network Network Network. Get to know a few people before the event. Download the BlogHer app from the Apple Store.
It’s pretty convenient to know exactly which speakers are speaking on which days and where they will be speaking. You can also create a profile so that other bloggers can connect with you and plenty more! There’s also another app called Muses where you can meet other bloggers and collaborate there as well.
It is such an exciting time for content creators to meet. develop and grow from each other and also expand our horizons and views of what’s possible! I am so excited to be here and I look forward to making the most of it. I will see you soon with my margarita from BlogHer!
Until Next time!
