Romantic, Luxurious, Tropical, Beach Vacations!

Lately I have been really stressed and just thinking about needing a vacation.  My best friends wedding is coming up, and I honestly have no time to myself.  I would love to just take a romantic vacation with my man- but by the time I will have a week to myself, it’s going to be Mid-May; and who wants to take a tropical vacation when the weather is just starting to get nice up in the North!  So here is a little fun piece on beach vacations that have been in my dreams for the last couple of weeks

If you’re looking for a warm, luxurious escape right before the summer, a tropical beach resort would make an ideal destination. But with so many beautiful beaches around the world, how can you decide which one to visit? Here’s our top five list of beach resorts to escape the cold this winter season.

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
For tropical breezes, exceptional service, and delicious cuisine that’s not too far from the west coast, head to Hawaii. There are many beach resorts to choose from, but Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is in a class of its own. The white sandy beach with crystal-clear turquoise water provides the perfect winter respite, and there are a variety of activities the whole family will enjoy. There’s world-class scuba diving, snorkeling, whale watching, and fun water sports – including wind surfing. A pristine national park is right nearby for you to explore, featuring a dormant volcano.

The Tuscany in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
The Tuscany Resort sits on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Grace Bay Beach on the island of Providenciales. This small resort has only 30 exclusive suites, and each one is located right on the beach with its own private patio. If you can possibly tire of looking at the picturesque landscape outside your door, consider a game of tennis, golf, go horseback riding, caving, fishing, or parasailing.

Six Senses Soneva Kiri on Kood Island, Thailand
Wintertime is the best time of year to visit the exotic Land of Smiles, and the best place to stay is Soneva Kiri. There are several styles of lavish suites and rooms to choose from with sweeping views of the bay, many with private infinity pools. Each booking includes the use of an electric cart with which to explore the island, where you’ll discover stunning remote waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife. The resort is also home to Six Senses Spa, voted Traveller’s World Magazine’s Best Spa (2011). Indulge yourself in a variety of massage and beauty treatments – you’ll forget that winter even exists.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives
This amazing resort is located on the northernmost island in the Maldives. If your dream of a winter escape includes views of the most beautiful ocean landscape imaginable, then Waldorf Astoria Maldives should be your destination. Luxurious water villas are built right over the sea, complete with private infinity pools, and glass floors so you can watch the tropical fish dancing beneath you. Swim from your room to the Great Barrier Reef, or go deep sea fishing. There’s also tennis, water sports, a Waldorf Astoria Kids’ Club, and even a bungee trampoline.

Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy
If you’re yearning for a trip to Europe, book a room at Hotel Splendido in Portofino this winter. Many of Europe’s wealthiest families flock to this resort on holiday, and it’s easy to see why. These beautiful villas offer picturesque views of the harbor filled with yachts, and you’ll find an array of shopping, bars, and nightclubs to keep you entertained until the wee hours. Originally a private palace, this estate is located within the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it the perfect luxury resort for melting away all your winter blues.

Live – Laugh – Love – Travel

AJ

St. Patricks Day Fun for the Entire Family

This week I had the privilege to play with my nieces and nephews and some of their friends.  We did some fun crafts, so I decided to write a little piece about what you can do with your kids for fun on St. Pattys Day.  I hope people are able to read this and take something from it! Enjoy

My Nieces Socks!

Holidays are always a welcome experience to break up the monotony of everyday living. They allow us to bond with our families and friends, they let people of all ages just kick back and have some fun and they maintain traditions that have lived on for hundreds of years. When people think about holidays the focus generally shifts to holidays like Christmas or Halloween or Thanksgiving, but there are plenty of other holidays out there that are rich in history and fun for the whole family and one of them is St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday made to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. St. Patrick was one of the first people to bring Christianity to Ireland and is well known for a legend that states that he explained the Holy Trinity through the use of a shamrock, which is a clover that grows in Ireland and generally has three leaves.

St. Patrick’s Day is now celebrated in many different countries, not just Ireland. The people who celebrate it generally take part in the various traditions of St. Patrick’s Day such as wearing green, going to parades and going to church. It’s also common to see people wearing some form of shamrock during St. Patrick’s Day.

There are many different ways you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the whole family. For instance, you can cook some Irish food. Corned beef and cabbage is a very popular Irish dish to make on St. Patrick’s Day. In addition, there are dishes such as Irish soda bread, corned beef pizza and deserts such as lime pie and green velvet cupcakes. It’s always fun to try new and exciting dishes that are popular in other countries. You can find numerous recipes for traditional Irish meals through a quick search on the Internet or various cookbooks.

Another option is to get creative with regular food. Some people dye their food green for St. Patrick’s Day or arrange it so there are many green items on the menu. A fun option for the kids is to make shamrock shaped sugar cookies made with green sugar on top. You can also let them decorate some cupcakes with icing in Irish designs.

The fun doesn’t have to end with the food. You and your children can also have fun with some St. Patrick’s Day arts and crafts. For example, with some green, black and gold construction paper or felt, some scissors and glue or tape you and your children can make leprechaun hats to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. You can also get some cardboard, green paint, scissors and safety pins to make shamrock pins that you all can wear. You can also stick with a classic and get some gold construction paper along with a small cutout of a shamrock to make a gold paper chain shamrock necklace. Some free time to draw can also exercise their imaginations for St. Patrick’s Day.

Celebrating the holidays with your children is one of the best feelings a parent can get and it creates some great memories for your children as well. Break out your best green clothes, grab a shamrock and gather your children so you can all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to the fullest.

Live – Laugh – Love – Travel

AJ

St. Pattys Day at Home

We didn’t end up going to Ireland this week. I am so incredibly sad. Family things came up that we felt we shouldn’t leave the country for a week. But it’s alright, there will be plenty of other opportunities! Work and life has been crazy busy anyways, so it will be nice to unwind and let loose at home this upcoming weekend. “Slainte!”

 

“Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.”

St. Pattys Day

Is everyone getting excited for St. Patty’s Day!?  I certainly am.  My boyfriend and I both come from a family of Irish, so I found it fitting that I would surprise him with a trip to Ireland for the holiday!  His father went a few years ago, and I went back in high school.  Before I met him, I actually stayed in County Mayo, the same place his entire family is from!  We will be heading over to Dublin to experience all of the festivities on  March 13th and returning to the U.S. on the 20th.  I am going to need a vacation after this vacation.  I wrote up a travel piece on experiencing St. Patty’s Day in Dublin.  I hope you enjoy it!

“Erin Go Bragh!” “The Wearing of the Green!” “The Luck of the Irish!”  The air will be filled with all these familiar expressions in the streets of New York, Chicago, Savannah and many other cities on March 17, when St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated.  St. Patrick’s Day has not always revolved around celebrations.  It was only in 1970 that Ireland began having festivals and activities.  Before that time, St. Patrick’s Day was observed as a religious holiday to honor their patron saint.  However, times have changed, and no where in the world will the celebration be more exuberant than in Dublin, Ireland!  Dublin will be sure to provide its own unique flavor and overwhelming enthusiasm for St. Patrick.

Numerous activities take place in the whole of Ireland on this special day. The biggest annual event is the St. Patrick’s Festival, which takes place in Dublin.  It offers entertainment for people of all ages.  The festival began in November 1995 and now draws approximately 1.5 million people.  Parades, music, family carnivals, street art, dancing, and theater are just a few of the events taking place.  It lasts for four days.  The St. Patty’s Day Parade in Dublin, is the largest of them all.

Along with the reveling, many people take the opportunity to engage in the St. Patrick’s Pub Crawl.  This pub crawl involves going to several different spots for drinks.  Some of the favorite Irish drinks that could be consumed on this pub crawl are whiskey, cider, cream liquor, Irish coffee, wine, or the most famous, Guinness.  Other popular beers are Murphy’s Stout, Kikenny and Smithwick‘s.  Throughout the days of partying and celebrating, you must eat, or else you probably won’t make it!  The most popular is to just grab a bite from the street vendors; however, if you want a nice sit down meal there are many restaurants to choose from. The Pig’s Ear and Rustic Stone are popular restaurants where you can find fantastic Irish food.  The traditional foods are Irish stew, soda bread, corned beef with cabbage, Dublin coddle, champ, and apple cakes.

If you are still looking for something to do, additional activities to participate in are the Dublin University Boat Races, the 5K Road Race and a Walking Tour in St. Patrick’s foot steps.  This tour takes you through the origin and legacy of St. Patrick.  In the 21st century, Ireland has become as ethnically diverse as the 40 different shades of green that is believed to exist in its landscape.  All of Ireland and the entire world will take to the streets to jubilantly celebrate Ireland’s patron saint on St. Patrick’s Day.

Live – Laugh – Love – Travel

AJ