 Zurich in the fall! This fall we spent three nights in Zurich and it was such an enchanting city. So clean and picturesque it seriously looked like a children´s storybook. We came in October so all the summer crowds were gone and the city had a more chill vibe, the weather was still good, a bit cold but nothing too bad. This was my first time in Switzerland and all I could think of was good chocolate and cows with bells hahaha we got to see the cows later on but the chocolate was first order of business and oh boy do they have really good chocolate! Turns out that the cows here produce milk with a higher percentage of fat hence the delicious and creamy chocolate. I also discovered that Switzerland´s best-kept secret is how good their wines are! I hadn´t tried it before and that´s because less than 2% of swiss wine is exported... they know what's good and they don´t want to share it. I usually drink Pinot Noir but decided to try other grapes and these were my favorites; Red: Gamay y Garanoi White: Chasselas and Müller-Thurgau. As many of you might already know Switzerland is very expensive in general, but there´s always a way to enjoy it and so worth it. So for accommodation, we chose to stay at an Airbnb rather than a hotel, the decent and good location hotels were definitely out of our price range and I rather drink/eat our budget, haha we all have priorities. Here is the link of the Airbnb we stayed at, it was very convenient, there was a bus stop was right across the street and the train within a 7-minute walk.   Here is a summary of our quick 3 nights and 2 days itinerary: Day 1: Walk around the old town Lindenhof, starting at the Zurich Tourist Information/Train Station, walk along Limmat River and marvel at the most beautiful turquoise water you´ll ever seen., climb the stairs to Spielplatz Lindenhof and get awesome views of the city, then continue zigzagging through the narrow streets filled with beautiful pastel color buildings, shops and cafes. We kept walking towards Bahnhosfstrasse the shopping street for some window shopping and stopped by the Strauhof Museum. There are lots of other museums around that you can choose depending on what your interests are. For lunch we went to Milcbar andI was so happy! It was very cozy and quaint and I had delicious mushroom risotto with my first glass of Garanoi and to finish up an apple strudel with warm cream Anglaise. As we slowly make our way to the water end we stopped at the famous Sprungli for a few pieces of chocolate and a much-needed cappuccino. Walk towards Ganymede Statue to seat down and admire views or hop on the 50 minutes Limmat River Cruise for only 4.40 CHF. We walked to the Opera House which is impressive and then head back on the opposite side of the river to see the Grossmúnster cathedral and wander through the streets following along the route to NIederdorstrasse which is a pretty street to walk on. Franzos is another great option for a coffee stop. We then went to Jules Verne's panoramic which gives 360° view of the city and they have very good although a bit expensive cocktails but they were worth it. We went out for a bit shopping and then went for dinner at Brasserie Lipp. I highly recommend it. Really good food and ambiance.
Day 2: We started off with breakfast at John Baker, rented bikes and went for a bike ride towards Aboertum Park to take in the views and chill for a while. If you are into it nearby is the FIFA Museum, We decided to keep on biking to the highest point in Zurich: Uetliberg only 40 min and being from Costa Rica the climb was not bad at all. You can also take the bus to the top. After we returned our bikes we took the train to Zurich West the trendy district. What was once an industrial area was transformed into the hippest neighborhood with lots of art galleries, design stores, restaurants, and bars. The market halls are located inside Viadukt. We first stopped at Frau Gerold's Garten which is a city garden and a restaurant, this is what you would expect of Switzerland, a yurt with fireplaces, cozy blankets, and shearling seat covers and the fondue, lots of fondue! Needless to say, cheese comma was inevitable but when in Switzerland do as the swiss. Walk off some of the cheese and wine, strolled and browse the cool stores at Viadukt, the murals, and the cool and trendy neighborhood. We went back to our airbnb for a power nap and headed out for dinner. For tonight we chose BANK that´s a restaurant inside an old Bank because what could be more swiss than that hahaha but it has a cool botanical vibe and small but varied menu to share, great cocktails and wine. It´s also open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. We then strolled to some quaint little parks around the area and got ready for the next day´s adventures in Interlaken. Our next day we sepnt it in Bern and came back for dinner to Zurich, I´ll write more ind etail in the next post about wahte we did here and at Interlaken but I would like to leave you with another good recommendation for dinner in Zurich: The Artisan kitchen an urban garden with a romantic and cool setting. Happy Travels!     
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We´ve been living in Costa Rica for almost two years and now that we are on this part of the world is the perfect time to start exploring more of Central and South America. Some of the top cities on our bucket list are: The Inka trail hike up to Machu Pichu in Perú, Buenos Aires and Mendoza in Argentina, Chile, Medellín, and Cartagena in Colombia. So our travel goal of 2019 is to visit at least 2 new cities in the area. This time around we were looking for a weekend getaway to celebrate my birthday so Antigua made perfect sense since it´s a short flight from home (2 hrs) and it has been on my list for years.Antigua is a small city surrounded by Volcanoes in the southern part of Guatemala. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque Architecture. Picture colorful houses, cobblestone streets, quaint vibe, boutique hotels, and fantastic food. Antigua is fairly close to the main airport at about 45 min drive so it´s very convenient. If you have more days in Antigua I would add the following sites:
Antigua Tips:
 Where to Stay: We rented an Airbnb that had the most amazing breakfast included but the room was not good at all... so I won´t link it here but there are many cool options to chose from.
   Things do Do: This is one of those cities that doesn´t really require a fixed itinerary because of the small and quaint vibe plus you´ll want to have some leisure time to walk around the streets, stop for a cafe or people watch. Here are the main attractions:
       Where to eat: The most important part of the trip if you ask me! I rather stay in a budget hotel and "invest" the savings on our meals hahaha.
     I´m so excited to share this travel guide with you! Amsterdam was one of those cities that blew my mind off. I felt a connection with it, not sure if it´s because there´s a bit of chaos that made me think of Amsterdam as a Latin Scandinavian country hahaha. I loved loved the canals, strolling its quaint streets and people watching! So much street style inspo over here! We stayed three nights on an Airbnb apartment in De Baarsjes neighborhood about a 15-minute bike ride to the city center. We really liked this area because it was close enough to the hustle and bustle but with the "real neighborhood" feel if you know what I mean. It´s nice to pretend to be a local for a few days and absorb the city´s vibe. Our host recommended this neighborhood gem: Cafe Cook and it was so good and cozy (or hygge as my husband would say) that we ended going there every day either for breakfast, a light lunch or just a glass of wine and a bite.  Best neighborhoods to stay at:
   Where to eat:
     What to see:
      Other tips:
Send me a message if you would like more tips and details. Happy Travels! Gaby  When I was doing all the research for our upcoming African Safari I was so puzzled about what to pack, especially since you can only bring a max of 33lbs on your luggage with you in the smaller planes that will take you to your hotel! This was definitely challenging for me since I´m a notorious over-packer, yes yes one of those that it is going on a 3 day trip and brings 10 tops and bottoms and only used 2 hahaha so I knew I really have to plan all my outfits and most importantly bring pieces that will travel well and that I could mix and match and create different options for our 10 day trip. Before I dig deeper it is important that I make a disclosure: by no means, I´m a fashion blogger.. phew now that I left that out in the open I do love putting outfits together, browsing online for inspiration ( yes Pinterest I´m talking to you) and of course shopping, specially online! Luckily all the hotels offer free laundry during your stay so no need to worry you can reuse every item multiple times. So no need to pack 10 pairs of socks and underwear! Here are my tips for putting this packing list together:
It´s Africa, it´s a Safari but don´t go overboard with the hiking gear, unless you are really going trekking but on a regular safari you´ll be most of the time on the car and a bit of walking but nothing crazy. So just make sure to bring comfortable clothes and shoes that would give you the freedom to stretch and move around. All this being said there´s a reason why hiking gear is preferred by most people on a Safari; they are lightweight, quick dry and durable. So I recommend bringing some good base layers from brands like Columbia, Patagonia, North Face, etc. and combine them with your everyday clothes to create a more relaxed outfit. Also, you don´t wanna bring your favorite clothing items since most likely they´ll get dirty. The other important thing to remember is to check if in the area you are going to there are Tse-tse flies then you should avoid black and blue color since they are attracted to it. What to pack: you can click on each picture to go directly to the website to see more details and price.
Toiletries and makeup: the resort will provide you with body moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner, bug spray, and sunblock. These items can be heavy so bring travel and sample sizes just enough for the duration of the trip. I finally put to good use all the reward samples I got at Sephora. And bring the absolutely necessary, your skin will survive a few days without your full regimen i.e serum, tonic, masks and whatnot.
And lastly always take in consideration that since there´s not much you can bring in your luggage you´ll need to think carefully about every item that you pack. Each item should have multiple wears and functionality. Hope this list would be helpful and if you have any question please let me know ;). Happy Travels! After 36 hours in Nairobi where got a glimpse of Kenya´s Capital City (you can read all about it in my previous blog post), we took an early flight to Masai Mara for the next leg of our African adventure. All the different camps throughout Kenya are connected through small 12 people planes that operate like Uber Pool between the different camps in Massai Mara, they make quick stops at each campsite dropping off or picking up and sometimes you have to wait in the airfield for a smaller plane to pick you up and fly you to your final destination, it´s all part of the adventure and it doesn´t hurt that while you are waiting for your next flight there´s zebras and giraffes hanging around. When we landed we were picked up by our private guide and spotter they were our hosts for our entire stay. I can´t say enough about these two awesome guys who made our experience extra special and super fun! They quickly found out that our family has a dark sense of humor and started making practical jokes, which comes in handy when you spend 8 hours cramped up in a car. We were not prepared for the amazing level of service we got from the moment we stepped down from the aircraft. The guides had set up a bar right there in the field for us to have a refreshment before heading out for a quick drive to the base camp. We were blown away! I mean I was drinking champagne in the middle of nowhere... little did I know at that time that this was just the beginning of an amazing trip and these amazing people that can turn any remote place into a bar, picnic area or fancy lunch. I still can´t figure out how they can pack some much in those cars. You can literally have lunch and dinner with zebras and wildebeest for company and go to sleep listening to the sounds of the whooping Hyenas and hear lions roaring from your bed (not nearly as scary as it sounds I promise).     We stayed at the Mara Bushtops tented camp nestled in their own private wildlife conservancy in Massai Mara. Upon our arrival at the hotel, the staff and manager greeted us with you guessed it more champagne! welcomed us, showed us everything and immediately made us feel at home. The lobby area opens up to impressive views of the Mara and an infinity pool and from here we went down to see our rooms. The tents have a deck overlooking the savanna where you can be within 10 meters of a Giraffe, zebras, elephants... you name it! It has a hot tub that your guide can arrange with the hotel so it´s ready for you when you come back from the Safari tired and grubby hahaha.Although is a tent is not your childhood campground, these tents are amazing! Plush king size bed, indoor/outdoor shower and all the comforts of a regular hotel room with the perks of being in the wild. The camp is right in the middle of the reserve so anything can stroll on in; We could hear footstpes and all kind of sounds at night from our tent needless to say wandering around after dark and in the day are a no-no; there’s strict rules when you’re going to and from your room and you’re always escorted back and forth after dark by one of the Masai´s guards which only makes the whole thing feel more exciting. The camp has a delicious restaurant with a la carte menu and delightful waiters and chef that will always go the extra mile to make sure you are having a great experience. There´s a big terrace outside the restaurant near a salt lick so there´s always different animals around creating the perfect view while you sip south African wine and eat delicious food. When we booked our trip some of my family members where a bit anxious about the number of days we were going to spend in each camp "doing the same" since we are always used to city trips and being always on the go seeing new things every hour but oh boy were we wrong... once we got into what we called "Africa time" it becomes the most memorable trip of our lives. Every day we will see different animals or the same ones but with a different routine, also the peaceful and quietness that we experienced while in the savannah was unparallel.        Here is what you do on a typical safari day: Early wake up call so we could catch the predators while having their breakfast. They will give us coffee, tea, fruit juice and cakes before we would head out on our daily game drive. We will then rush to get to the park before sunrise (be there by 5:30 am) so we could spot the lions, lionesses and other predators hunting for food before they went for their nap. Afterward, we will stop and they will set up an amazing breakfast spread, were we could stretch our legs, walk around and take awesome pictures. Once our bellies were full we will continue the game drive and look out for specific animals and work out our hunger for another stop for a bush lunch with crisp white wine and sometimes even a quick nap. We usually would be back at the hotel around 4 pm to rest, use the pool, gym, spa or simply read a book on the terrace. At night we will go to the dinner tent for cocktails and a lavish dinner before heading out back to our tents for a much-needed sleep. While at the camp we also did a night game drive which was exhilarating and nerve-racking... picture this: pitch black environment in an open side car with a hyena walking right down your car so close you could hear her (I´m pretty sure it was a she LOL) breathing... we only stomached to do the night safari one, they also have night vision cameras so we could see in the built-in screes in the car what type of animals were crossing by.          One of the highlights of the trip was visiting a Masai Village. We had an eye-opening and meaningful experience here. We were received by the "warriors" of the village with dances and the males of our group had to join and afterward, all the ladies of the village welcomed and invited us to dance with them and we all went inside the village. The chief of the village explained to us their magnificent and simplistic life philosophy where the entire community is seen as a family and contributing to the wellbeing of all. We learned how to make fire, did some shopping (amazing craftsmanship) and just spent a wonderful afternoon filled with laughs and love.      We did a sunrise hot air balloon safari which I recommend greatly! Although we had to get up at 3am it was a fantastic experience to see the sunrise from the air and fly above the animals. It´s so quiet and peaceful. I felt like I was transported to this dreamy world where everything stands still for a while. I´ve probably written a lot of adjectives like awesome, wonderful, incredible and great... because this place deserves all of these and more and I´m no writer so I cannot think of better ways to describe the best trip of my life. The best part of Kenya is its people! Never met more kind, friendly and happy people. I left a part of me in Kenya and I can´t wait to go back!      I´m taking a break from the Africa posts to share with you what I should call the NYC Travel Guide for non-first timers... maybe I should work more on the title ;). NYC is one of those cities that I love going over and over because it has so many layers that there´s always new to discover. I´ve been to NYC multiple times and I feel like I never have time to see everything I wanted to because I get lost in beautifulness strolling through the neighborhood streets and then puff time is up! My birthday was this past February 28th so my awesome husband gave me as a present what I like the most: a trip! We spent 4 perfect and cold days in NYC. Since we moved to Costa Rica about 9 months ago I´ve been missing the winters so I was more than happy to pack up my coats and boots. Traveling off-season especially to a big city like New York, has many advantages, there´s much less tourists so it is easier to navigate the streets without bumping into somebody every 20 seconds, it is much more relaxed , airline and hotel fares are lower and you can get tickets for most of the Broadway shows, of course, the downside is that it is cold and sometimes the weather won't let you do everything you wanted to.. like biking over the Brooklyn Bridge or biking at all :( but I´ll take that over crowded streets. Where to Stay We stayed at ROW NYC hotel which is located two blocks from Times Square long enough to escape all the noise but close to everything. We walked EVERYWHERE from the hotel and and for those rainy days, the subway is only one block away so it´s perfect! Location, location, location! This is a big hotel with the boutique hotel charm that I love the most! When I was searching for hotels and came across ROW NYC I was blown away by their attention to detail in every space, super cute rooms, location and most important a fair price. ROW has super cool amenities, there´s a food hall named City Kitchen right at the lobby level where you can find everything: from doughnuts to sushi but if you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth there´s also Sugar Factory with their famous milkshakes, dessert and everyrthing delicious and if you want to burn it all off you can head over to CYC Fitness cycling studio. ROW offers discounts to their guests to all these amenities. We had a great experience at the hotel and waking up to amazing city views from our bed. Check out their website and deals here.     What to do: As I mentioned before this was not my first time in NYC so we didn´t go to most of the main touristic attractions but rather re-visited some of our favorite and strolled through new neighborhoods. Top of the Rock: In my opinion is way better than the Empire State Building Observatory. My tip here is to arrive early in the morning to avoid crowds and to get truly spectacular pictures of the city without tons of heads in it. Also, head up to the 69th & 70th floor´s decks first because most people stay in the main observatory. Grand Central Terminal: come here to appreciate all the architectural details and to grab delicious Danish baked goods at the new Great Northen Food Hall by the famous Danish restauranteur Claus Meyer. New York Public Library: there´s always cool exhibitions going on plus the building itself is beautiful! Right behind is Bryant Park. Central Park: every time we come to NYC we make our way here to explore different parts. There´s a Le pain Quotidien Cafe inside which sells the most amazing Belgian Waffles. Our plan was to use the Citi Bikes and burn some of those waffles and explore the northern part of the park but the rain didn´t let us. Rockefeller Plaza: Stop by Bouchon Bakery to sip coffee and fresh pastries and shop a little bit.        Nolita: We went to a fantastic Food and Culture walking tour of Nolita & little Italy with Foods of NY Tours. We loved it! I´m always a bit hesitant with food tours because they tend to stop only at tourist traps but this one was different. Our tour guide was from Nolita so she walked us through history and we got to try out 6 really good restaurants, those that only the locals know. Totally recommend taking this tour. High Line: walk around, get amazing views of the skyline on your way to the Chelsea Market for delicious eats. This is one of the sights that´s much nicer in the Spring/Summer but definitely worth a while. Chelsea Market: Stop by to browse cool stores and sample delicious foods. There are snack type restaurant and seat down ones as well. Meatpacking District: walk around this area before or after visiting Chelsea Market and the High Line. There are super cool and trendy shops. Guggenheim Museum: We took advantage of their free admission day every Saturday after 4:00 pm. 9 11 Museum: We took the train and got down inside the Oculus transportation hub shopping mall which is an architectural masterpiece and then headed outside to the museum. It took us about 2 hours to walk around the entire museum and in my personal opinion, it was tastefully done. Broadway Show: Catch a show and dinner. We went to see the Book of Mormon and it was great! There´s so many good options right now.      Where to eat: and dinner at Lillie´s which is to die for! the decor Flora Bar: located in the lower flor of The Met Breuer Museum is this hidden gem that serves tapas style plates and delicious cocktails. Morimoto: hands down the best sushi I´ve had! In my experience far better than Nobu. It´s located right next to the Chelsea Market. Splurge and get the Morimoto Omakase tasting menu, you won´t regret it. La Pecora Bianca: in NoMad this is where your instagrams dreams come to life! The place it self is soooo beautiful! and food was delicious!. It is a quaint neighborhood style restaurant. Lillie´s Victoria Establishment: they had me at Victorian haha. This gastropub it´s located in the teathre district and we came here after watching The Book of Mormon. The decor inside it´s inside! most of their furnishing and decor comes from an 1800´s ballroom in Ireland. Upscale delicious bar food and drinks. Cafe Boulud: We came here for the pre fix menu lunch, is tucked away on a side street on the Upper East Side. Le Pain Quotidien: A must for breakfast! Their belgian waffles and avocado toast are the bomb!     Thanks ROW NYC for a lovely stay at your hotel!
This past summer we went on our dream trip and African Safari! We´ve been planning this trip along with my family for over a year and the excitement kept building up!. This trip was definitely one for the books and I have so many experiences and tips I want to share with you that I decided to break it up into three parts: Nairobi, Massai Mara, and The Serengeti. Let me tell you more about our 36 hours in Nairobi. We flew in from Dubai and landed midday and our next flight to start our Safari at Massai Mara wasn't scheduled until two days later. We stayed at the beautiful and historic Fairmont Norfolk Hotel in the heart of Nairobi. I´m going, to be honest, we were not very excited about our quick stopover in Nairobi because we just couldn´t wait to be in the Safari but I´m glad we got to see it and experience city living in Kenya. They warned us in advance that traffic in Nairobi is brutal so we plan all of our activities in order to avoid being stuck in traffic. Where we stayed: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel: it´s centrally located, it´s been in Nairobi for ages and has lush gardens inside and that charming old Victorian Estate feel. What I liked the most was its location since we were close to good restaurants and markets and that one of the best restaurants in Nairobi is located onsite. We also visited Hemingways Collection Hotel which is located a bit further out from the City Center and is simply beautiful! We went there for a late lunch before our late night flight back home and we enjoyed it a lot! Food was great but more than that the hotel itself has beautiful gardens and an impressive lobby area that transports you to another era. I think this hotel is a better choice.    What we ate: As usual, this trip was centered around food! I did my research and picked these 3 restaurants and plan our daily activities based on our food schedule. We had a wonderful time, there´s something magical about being on vacation, surrounded by family, good wine and good food! These are the times that as a family we cherish, we always bond around food and wine. Tatu: this is the restaurant inside the Norfolk Fairmont Hotel which also has a cool bar for pre-dinner cocktails on the porch. We had an amazing dinner here, I think their menu is contemporary Kenyan.American fusion. You´ll find international dishes with a bit of Kenyan flare. We got to try a lot of the dishes on the menu since we were a party of 7 and we all enjoyed every bite of it. My favorite was the lamb chops. Graze Steakhouse: this restaurant is also located inside a trendy hotel Sankara, I really liked their atmosphere which was hip and cozy. The steak here was to die for!!! We had an amazing South African wine and we ordered different cuts to share with a spread of side dishes to share. I was impressed by the quality of the steaks. Tamarind: We came for lunch after visiting a super cool market, it´s located in the posh Karen neighboorhood and has a beautiful garden where are the tables are set under umbrellas, at night their service is indoors. I highly recommend coming here at lunchtime and take advantage of the outdoor seating. I still reminisce about our quaint and relaxing lunch here, we were definitely on Africa time as we called it and enjoyed our glasses of wine, the sunshine, and the good company. Most tour operators recommend to visit Carnivore where you can eat all different types of game meats but after reading some reviews we quickly realize that this wasn´t the best choice for us and I´m glad we went to these other restaurants instead.     Besides eating and drinking we also did other stuff! hahaha, we didn´t want to go to Nairobi´s National Park where you can do a game drive since we were going later to Massai Mara but if you are only visiting Nairobi then I think you should do it so you can get a taste of the wildlife and park is fairly big. We hired a private tour guide to take us around the city and we tailored our day to our likings. We went with DK Grand Safaris and it went great, the tour guide picked us up at the hotel in their super cool safari cars hahaha so we got a taste of how our next 10 days were going to be like. Here is what we visited: The David Sheldrick elephant orphanage: we, of course, wanted to see the baby elephants being feed which only happens at 11 am every day so we drove around the city first and saw some of its landmarks and then we headed off to see baby elephants :), it takes about 30 minutes all depending on traffic. Your admission tickets its a contribution to the shelter that rescues elephants that lose their mom and they won't survive by themselves in the wild. When 11 am arrives the caretakers bring out the tiny elephants to an area where you can see how they drink their milk bottles. Some of them are still so small that they wear blankets to shield them from the cold weather.. cutest thing ever! Utamaduni Artisans Market: THE BEST!!!! In this shop, you can find goods from more than 18 different artisan shops, in a clean and organized environment. No haggling here but after you see the quality of the crafts you won´t do it. I love love this place! We found so many cool things for our house, jewelry, and clothing even if you are not playing to buy anything (not sure how haha) it´s a great spot to see. There´s a restaurant inside the property called Makutano Grill that looked very good. Massai Market: the market changes its location regularly but your tour guide will know where to find it. I really like this experience. The Massai´s have impressive craftsmanship and I bought some many cool things to bring home. The most amazing wire and knitted handbags, blankets and art. Be ready to haggle but also be mindful that this is their main source of income for their families so feel free to buy souvenirs for yourself, family and coworkers so you can contribute. We took a well-deserved (that´s the lie I keep telling myself haha) message inside the hotel and we called it a day! Nairobi was a bustling city that it deserves a pit stop here so you can understand more about Kenya. One thing is for sure the Kenyans stole our hearts with their warmth and friendliness. See you soon in Massai Mara!       I visited Dubai about one month ago during the peak of the summer season which means it was scorching hot and I wanted to wear comfortable and breezy pieces! You can read more about it on my previous post where you can find a complete travel guide. Dubai´s weather is pretty hot year round except during the Winter months when nights get chilly. While researching for the trip I often felt lost in the wardrobe department! I wasn´t sure what was appropriate to wear and be respectful of UAE´s dress code. I couldn´t find a straight answer on what was ok for tourist to wear and since it was going to be pretty hot I was trying to figure out if I could wear my normal summer clothes. There were not many articles about it so I went with my gut and the few guidelines I could find from other fellow travelers. These are the man reason why I decided to post about what I found was appropriate to wear. Dubai is much more “liberal” than other middle eastern cities and there´s tons of expats and tourists, so you ´ll find a mix of everything. I wanted to be respectful of their culture and also feel comfortable so I opted out to wear some more conservative summer clothes and I always carried a long pashmina with me for when I needed to cover my shoulders and to keep warm when the AC was on full blast. I found out the since most of the places we were visiting are tourist spots then it was ok to show a bit more skin but without being too exposed. I didn´t have any dress code issues during the trip and found out that people are pretty relaxed about it except at the Mosque where you have to adhere to the strict dress code: covered arms, legs (nothing above the ankle), no tight-fitting clothes, ensure that the fabric is opaque and wear a headscarf. My advice is to refrain from wearing the following:
Here are some options of what I wore:
  I paired all of my outfits with sandals and comfy espadrilles for walking around the city although it wasn´t the brightest idea to bring espadrilles to the desert safari since the sand was really hot and it would get everywhere I think the best option would have been close toe espadrilles.
Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I´ll be more than happy to reply back! Happy Travels! This summer we went on an incredible trip to Dubai. We spent 5 wonderful and extremely hot days in Dubai. Oh my was it hot! The average temperature was 48C degrees (about 100F) but as everything, there´s a silver lining to it... there were no crowds, which is a rare exception since there´s roughly 14 million of visitors per year in a relatively small city. Dubai is as extreme, opulent and luxurious as it looks in all the pictures and Pinterest boards I saw while planning our trip. At first, you are not sure in which country you are since only 5% of its residents are UAE national citizens and the remaining 95% are expats from all over the world which I thought it was soo cool and unique. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Dubai located in the Marina and it was a great location! Another good thing about visiting during the summer months, the hotels have great deals. This is a beachfront hotel and had amazing views of the coast and the Dubai Eye Ferris Wheel which will be completed in a couple of months. We only ventured out to the beach before it got impossibly warm around 7 am but they told us that in the winter months is very pleasant to be outside.    We were a big group of 7 (my entire family!) and we had a blast. I feel that 5 days was enough for us to see the City and of course there´s always some other nearby attractions that you could add to your itinerary or more time at the beach in the winter months. Below are the highlights of our trip, tips & tricks and of course restaurant recommendations. Dubai Highlights:
       Abu Dhabi On our last day in Dubai, we took a private tour to Abu Dhabi with the same company Dubai Private Tours. We didn´t want to see a lot of the touristy attractions in Abu Dhabi so the private tour was a great choice. We were able to pick departure time and what we really wanted to see. We mainly wanted to see the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque. The one hour trip to Abu Dhabi is totally worth it! The mosque is magnificent! yes, it is a bit of a pain having to cover yourself from head to toe in the blazing heat but it is so beautiful! Every architectural detail was thought through.     Restaurants:
Tips and tricks:
If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I´ll make sure to address those. I love to travel and plan trips so I would love to be helpful
The last leg of our spring trip to Europe was Ireland. We´ve seen so much before arriving here that we could have easily been let down by the Emerald Island but it was the complete opposite! I was blown away by Ireland´s people, music scene and beautiful landscapes. We divided the trip in three: city life in Dublin, nature & nightlife at Galway and R&R at Kinnitty Castle. As usual, we crammed as much as we could see in 4 days and I feel that we got a pretty good taste of Ireland by visiting these three different areas. Ireland is pretty big so it takes a while to drive from point A to point B so we couldn´t make it to the Ring of Kerry because it would have taken a good chunk of our time since it is about 4 1/2 hours drive from Dublin and driving the ring itself takes about 5 hours so we left it out for our next trip. Dublin: We started our trip in Dublin, where we stayed at Dylan hotel that it is tucked away from the hustle and bustle but still within walking distance from most of the attractions, we found this hotel through Tablet Hotels one of my favorite booking websites for boutique hotels, you can read more about it on earlier post with 5 tips for travel planning . Here what we did in the two days we where in Dublin: Jameson Distillery: Be sure to book your tickets in advance because it gets sold out. The distillery was recently renovated and it is so cool! The tour starts with a glass of Jameson and Ginger Ale which I was a bit skeptical at first since I´m not a whiskey fan but turns out I do like Irish Whiskey, I guess it is due to my 2% Irish heritage LOL! The tour was short, fun and informative. At the end of the tour, we ended up staying at the bar and ordering another round of cocktails since the place was so cool and had live music. Temple Bar area, this area is filled with bars, shops, and restaurants. It was already getting dark by the time we got here so we did what the Irish do best; eat and drink at a pub, There were so many to choose from and they all had live music so it was a blast. Guinness Tour: This is Dublin´s most popular tour so expect crowds. If you are short on time buy one of the tour bus tickets and you´ll get a discount on the entrance tickets. It wasn´t my favorite activity but it was definitely worth a visit. My favorite part was the end of the tour when we got a beer and drank it at the rooftop. Trinity College and Books of Kells: Be sure to buy the tickets online so you can avoid the long queues. It was fascinating to read the history behind the elaboration of the books. We also visited: St. Stephen's Green, St. Patrick Cathedral, Grafton Street ( the 5th Avenue of Dublin) where we window shopped and stopped for irish tea and biscuits. Where we ate: Awesome Shepperds pie at Boxty, Casual dinner at Miss Sue, seafood at The Seafood Bar and delicious french food at Dax      After two days in Dublin, we headed off to Galway! Our driving skills on the opposite side of the road improve drastically (once we got an automatic transmission car LOL) and our journey to Galway about 2:30 hours was a breeze! We stayed for two nights in Galway at a beautifully decorated B&B owned by previous gallery owners who transformed a 1930´s house in a contemporary design heaven! I highly recommend staying here when in Galway, the owners are amazing, they gave us great tips on what to do, where to eat and shop. They have a fantastic eye for design and all the shops they recommended were super cool. Besides all of the above, their homemade breakfast is to die for! hands down the best breakfast we had in a long time! The Stop B&B is a 5-minute walk from the city center. Galway´s streets are filled with musicians, pubs, shops, and restaurants. I really like the city´s vibe. On our first night, we walked around listening to several bands, popped in for a pint at a pub while we worked our appetite for our dinner reservations at Aniar. Aniar has one very well appointed Michelin Star and it´s focused on serving food that´s autochthonous from Ireland so everything they use is source locally. I really liked the Scandinavian contemporary look of the restaurant. The food was AMAZING!!! our best meal in Ireland! The Pre Fix Menu won´t break your bank and each course will linger in your senses for a while. The restaurant is very small with about 8 tables so it is very intimate and cozy. A must when in Galway. It takes Irish cuisine to another level.
On our second day in Galway, we drove 1:30 hours to see the famous Cliffs of Moher, We made sure to hit the road early as we wanted to avoid the tour buses that will start arriving after 11 am and I´m glad we did this! We arrived around 9:30 am and there were only a few other cars but like a clock after 11 am the tour buses started to poured in by the minute so the park started getting crowded pretty quick, After seeing tons of pictures of the Cliffs before our trip all I can say is that they don´t do justice to how pretty and impressive it is! Thanks to our B&B host we made a few pit stops on our way back to Galway, first at Hazel Mountain Chocolate an artisan chocolate factory where we sample some freshly made chocolate, yum!! and later on at Flaggy Shore where we walked around the beach and saw some impressive views! and lastly, we stopped at Dungaire Castle that was also on the way and took a few pictures and hopped back on the car. We took a quick shower and changed into warmer clothes and went out for a Gin and Tonic at a local pub where I had the most delicious rose water infused G&T! After this, we went to an Italian restaurant il Vicolo that was delicious and packed with locals which is always a good sign! Make sure to have some extra room in your luggage because Galway has tons of cool little stores that sell cool art, clothing, house accessories and comfy throw blankets.         After two nights in Galway, we started making our way back to Dublin and stop at Kinnitty Castle that dates back to 1209! It´s in the foothills of the Silver Bloom Mountains where you can hike right up from the Castle´s front door. The Castle is magnificent and it checks all the boxes of what I thought a real castle should look like. We wandered around the castle discovering tons of cool nooks and rooms and stopped for afternoon tea at the drawing room. We ate in the dungeon bar and it was marvelous! The day after we hiked a 5k trail located on the back side of the property that offered great views of the rolling hills and nearby mountains. The grounds of the castle are very well kept and has very nice wild gardens. It was the perfect place to just sit down, read and enjoy the peace and quiet as our trip was coming to an end. Kinnitty is right in the middle between Galway and Dublin so it was a good way to split the journey in two.    |
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