St. Maarten Travel Post

Pinel Island

                           

Pina Colada duty. 

Shoal Bay Beach, Anguilla

Mullet Bay

Cupecoy Beach, right around that rock was a nude sunbather!

Ice cream boats instead of trucks on Pinel Island

Just wanted to share some photos from our great trip to St.Maarten and maybe offer up some advice. This was our first time in St. Maarten even though we have had a timeshare for about seven years that offers us a space there. The first day we got in, it was raining heavily, so we hung out in the Greenhouse restaurant which had pretty good food and 2 for 1 drinks for happy hour. The day after, we went out to Pinel Island. Once you get to the spot where the 'ferry'(its a small boat) leaves from, you can park and rent kayaks or paddle boards and get over that way. It was $15 for a single person kayak and $12 for the boat ride over. Get there early, they do not have many kayaks/paddle boards. Once you are there, I really suggest the Karibuni restaurant($20 for umbrella and chairs). Their drinks are really good and strong and the food is great! I suggest getting the cuttlefish dish. The service is super fast and friendly and they gave us a try of their home made banana rum, which was so yum my dad kept trying to get the recipe. 

The next day we drove with plans to go to Cupecoy Beach and snorkel. It is beautiful in pictures, but in person, there is not much sand or beach and the water is quite rough with a lot of rocks through out. It's not great for smaller kids, so we traveled on to Mullet Bay Beach. This beach is really pretty and I would suggest it for young kids and inexperienced swimmers. The snorkeling was okay. We got to see a few fish and urchins. The highlight here was the woman giving massages on the beach(I think her name was Trudy). 

The day after was my daughters birthday and she kept talking about going to the pool. Instead of taking her to the dinky pool at the apartments we went to Loterie Farm. They have a really beautiful pool in a lush rain forest setting. Entrance fee gets you a lounge chair and towel. The food here was pretty great, too. Here, I suggest the chicken and brie sandwich and BBC drink. You can also zip line or hike here but we decided to just chill. In the evening, we went out to a nice dinner at Ocean82 in Grand Case (get the lava cake, trust me). The views here are amazing, so make sure to make a reservation before the sun sets. We made the mistake of thinking there is no traffic on this island.. because island life, right? Wrong. Give yourself more time than you think you need, especially when traveling at rush hour(there are a few draw bridges near Simpson Bay). 

The day that followed really pissed me off. It was the only day we had planned perfectly and woke up super early to make sure everything went according to plan. We were going to get on a catamaran to go to Anguilla. It included food, drinks, snorkeling, transportation. We booked with Bluebeard Charters. Their website said to be at the dock at 8 am. 8:30.... 9:00.. still no one came. We tried to instagram direct message them. Nothing. The hotel tried calling them. Nothing. We finally get in touch with them after calling them and they say they had to cancel due to electrical issues. No one emailed, no one showed up to let us know. We just waited and wasted time on our last full day there. Finally, we decided to take the ferry over. Anguilla was AHmazing. We spent the entire day at Shoal Bay Beach. Be warned, their sun is no joke! Bring nothing below 70 SPF sun screen. You will not tan. You will burn. The drinks here were much much cheaper than St. Martin. The food was lacking a bit of something though. The snorkeling here was phenomenal and there is a big reef that is very much alive. Here, we saw many fish in all colors. You can rent snorkel equipment 40 ft from your beach chair. 

If you are going to party,drink, and eat this is the place for you. There are restaurants literally everywhere. Anguilla was a bit more peaceful and less developed, and I love it for that. If you are going for relaxation and to get away from people and de-stress, go elsewhere. Such as Anguilla, St.Lucia, or Antigua. 

Thanks for reading!

What I Wore; Strapless Striped Off-the-Shoulder Milly Top

     On Friday, in the middle of packing and moving, the husband and I went out for a date night to take a mini break from the craziness and stress. We went to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it was so good! Before that we enjoyed margaritas and some really delicious Mexican food. I brought this beautiful (big) Zac Posen purse so I could sneak candy in the theater, otherwise I would probably have done a small black bag.
     We are now all moved out of our old place, but the new townhouse is a total mess. There are things everywhere! No exaggeration. I have to get to work, wish me luck!

                                                                                        Thanks for reading!

My Unlimited Rent the Runway Experience

     So.. the last time I posted I spoke about rent the runway's clearance sale and how much I loved the concept and their products. It also wasn't the only time I talked about them. I mentioned how a few weddings were coming up and I was planning on renting my bridesmaid dress from them. Well, that has happened and passed and....I can say it was an amazing experience! I chose to do the unlimited account, which is the smartest thing you can do if you plan on renting a 'gown' from them. I paid around $150 (with taxes and all) for a month to have unlimited items versus $100 for a gown for 4-8 days. The process was super simple, I was on a waiting list just for a few days and as soon as i was off, I could start picking my items.
    My first shipment included a really cute Derek Lam shirt dress, a gorgeous studded Rebecca Minkoff leather jacket and a oxblood calf hair and leather Zac posen bag.              


      


Everything came within two days of picking them and they were all in great shape. I was really worried about the wear on the items since others have worn them, but they take such great care of everything! They arrived well packaged in plastic and on hangers in a garment bag, and the purse had a protective bag with stuffing, so it didn't lose shape. I got the most wear out of the jacket and still have the bag! It just goes with everything. When it came time to return the items, I dropped it off at the Georgetown location in DC. I have to say, I was only there to drop things off on our way up to CT... but I could probably spend a day in there. The level of luxury and beauty in that store surpasses many designer boutiques I have been to previously. The service was also top notch, there was only one person at the register, but she helped everyone in line in a timely, friendly manner.
      The items I received after (still in the same month) were out of this world beautiful. One of which, was my bridesmaid gown. It was a strapless gold sequined Badgley Mischka stunner. My second choice was a blue leaf print Marni dress that was layered and boxy in front, but had a gorgeous back. This was a dress I knew I would never purchase on my own, partly because it was $2300, also because it's so unlike anything I usually buy. I tend to go for form fitting instead of boxy, but i found this dress complemented my body in every way, although it is made for a smaller bust, my legs and butt looked really great.


                              


      Again, I can not say enough how happy I was with the condition of these items. I really really thought the sequin gown would have SOME issues. But there really was nothing wrong! I fell so in love with these guys, I extended my Unlimited account to December, since we are attending another wedding and heading to California in 2 weeks. The only downside is when new hot items come in, they become unavailable VERY quickly. Also, it seems they are very limited in the inventory they have for smaller sizes. Most size 0-2 items are unavailable most of the time. Overall, I highly recommend this company to anyone who is on the fence and undecided. You will not regret it!


                                                 Thanks for reading!

Check out my instagram for a few photos of these looks on me! My insta here

What I Wore; A Visit to D.C

This Sunday me and my husband took my family sight seeing around DC a little bit. After they left we ventured a little bit further out of the tourist-y areas and discovered a really fantastic neighborhood full of historical homes and condos and really great restaurants. We walked all the way over to Agora after finding it online, we never tried Turkish food and it was all that I had hoped for. In case you are in the area and curious, it's at 1527 17th st NW. The entire neighborhood is adorable and very LGBT friendly as well as four legged 

baby friendly :)

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                                                                        Thanks for reading!

What I Wore: Black and Olive

I wore a combination of the pieces in these photos so many times I might as well have packed half the things I actually did! The shorts fit really great, and they are super comfortable in the heat. The cropped top I wore with my high waisted, wide leg linen pants as well as with these shorts.  The shorts work great with all crop tops, but look cute and casual with a loose fitting half tucked tee shirt. 

Miami Beach Edition Trip: Day One!

    I just got back from Miami yesterday, we had so much fun! We were only there for three days and our first day it straight up rained as soon as we got there. There was not enough time or good weather to do everything we wanted, but I will share what we did and where we went with you guys, as well as some photos.
    First off, The Miami Beach Edition is one of the most stunning hotels in Miami Beach. It's further away from South Beach, so It's a bit quieter than staying somewhere on Ocean. The lobby is luxurious and the service from the beginning from valet, front desk, the bars, the restaurants..
everyone was really top notch.

This was the pool and beach bar with sun beds on the rooftop. 

sandals forever21 (here)

The cabanas looked very comfy and clean, probably worth it to rent one for the day if you are with a larger party. 

This was our view to the right of our ocean view balcony. The building you see is also part of the hotel, those are the ocean view bungalows. 

The first day we got there, it was raining hard during the day, but in the evening we headed to the beach. We saw a tarpon, that everyone thought was a shark, a stingray, and a bunch of other little fishies. Which, our daughter thoroughly enjoyed! At night, we headed out to dinner and to walk around Espanola Way. We had done this many times, but our friends had never been to Miami, so we had to show them the sights. We ate at Moshi Moshi and headed back to get much needed sleep.