Monthly Archives

November 2018

lifestyle,north carolina,travel

North Carolina Travel Stay-Cations

November 18, 2018

I was born & raised in North Carolina.  I went to school in North Carolina (except for a semester in Hawaii), and I now live in North Carolina with my family!  When it comes to traveling around the state, I find myself doing the same things I am so use to and grew up to know.  I wanted to break out of the ordinary and start traveling my own state like I do other cities.  These next couple months I am so excited to do several “Stay-Cations” in North Carolina and see some sides of these towns I haven’t before!  We have some upcoming trips to the mountains (Blowing Rock & Asheville) over these winter months so keep an eye out for those travel guides.

In NC, fall/Winter blend together for the most part. I wanted to show you my basic travel packing list for the kids when going on short one night stays in the area!
Here’s whats in their suitcase:

  •  Jackets: These Merrimane Jackets have been a life saver, not too hot, not too cold, perfect over the clothes jacket that’s so soft.  It also has a chic look too it, so we rock these jackets to church too :). * Fun Giveaway happening on my Instagram page, head over there for a chance to win a Merrimane Jacket!
  • Basic Tees/Leggings: My go to is H&M/ Carters for basic black/white tees for layering
  • Pajamas: Babybreez– I always try to put the kids in jammies when traveling for comfort.
  • Toboggans: Loving Love your Melon kid line right now!
  • Shoes: Uggs- so easy & Warm, I think im going to get black for both of them for christmas.
  • Essentials: Babybum products, from lotion to shampoo!
  • Packing Cubes: These making packing so much easier, got them on amazon here!

Below are some stays we recently did and Holiday events going on around the Triangle this month (Raleigh/Durham).  You can see my first Christmas post on events around NC here.

Winston Salem, NC
Where we stayed: The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel

  •  Proximity: We chose this hotel due to its convenience to downtown and tons of restaurants within walking distance.
  • Kid Friendly:  If you saw my stories on my Instagram, they didn’t do it justice.  This hotel comes with a complete underground basement with a basketball court, Bowling Alley, Slide, ping pong tables, and so on.  Anyone from kids to adults could spend hours in this area having a blast.
  • Pet Friendly:  This hotel allows dogs.  Its rare that I am at a nice hotel that also allows pets, so bring your fur babies!
  • Rooms:  We stayed in a large king room, the showers were amazing with kids- double sided no fights!
  • Buffet Breakfast: Starts at 8am, I would have preferred earlier because my kids are early birds but nonetheless it was delicious and easy!

    Raleigh, NC
    Where we Stayed: Hilton North Hills

  • Amenities: Their Indoor Pool & Whirlpool was the hit of our stay with the kids.  I love when a hotel has a pool indoors because you can keep the kids entertained no matter what time of year it is!  The place was huge and stocked with towels.
  • Restaurant on site:  Their new restaurant 88 Oaks was an easy choice for dinner & Breakfast.
  • Service:  Everything was perfect from check in to check out, to getting us anything we needed quickly.
  • Rooms: We had a king bed room and the bed was very comfortable, I usually toss and turn not sleeping in my own bed and didn’t wake up at all here.  The bed felt like a cloud.
  • Proximity: This location is within a mile from North Hills shopping, and we happened to stay the night of the Tree Lighting at North Hills!  A lot of fun action happening around this area for kids to be entertained.

We went to the Christmas parade in downtown Raleigh yesterday and then scooted over to the North Hills Hilton! There seemed to be a ton of events going on.  A tree lighting at North Hills Shopping center with a ton of vendors/events going on, and at the same time they had one in Lafayette Village we didn’t get a chance to check out.

The Kids are wearing their Merrimane Jackets in these pictures I mentioned above- giveaway happening on my instagram page!

Upcoming Events I am excited to check out and share with you, check them out if you’re in the area!

  •    Santa at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock NC
  •    Tweetsie Christmas- Blowing Rock, NC
  •    Umstead Tea with Santa
  •    Pullen Park Holiday Express
  •    12 days of Shristmas at Carolina Inn
  •    Polar Express
  •     Museum of Natural Science, Durham NC
travel

Loews Hotel Santa Monica Travel Guide

November 2, 2018



I just got back from New York this weekend and it made me miss California even more.  It probably didn’t help NYC was cold & rainy.  I am definitely a “cali” type of girl.  I mean the beaches, vibe, and food in Santa Monica have us coming back multiple times a year!  You can see our last trip to Cali & all we did on this blog post here.  Not to mention my sister lives there, so its an easy excuse to travel over :).  This trip, I am so glad we found Loews Hotel.  We decided to stay here on a Saturday night, and spend the day hanging out at the beach and Pier.  I knew this hotel was in prime location, but I was blown away the second we walked in.  The hotel has huge glass walls that face all the action on the boardwalk, with a pool overlooking everything as well.  With kids, I couldn’t ask for anything better to make our stay easier.

Here’s my highlights on our stay with Loews Hotel:

  • Location, Location, Location! Prime spot right on Santa Monica Beach.  You can walk right out of the hotel, and be on the beach, playing on the playground, or walking to the pier/restaurants.  There are so many rental companies right there too, you can reserve everything with your room number to the hotel.  We decided to go rollerblading on the boardwalk.  Roman ended up loving it more than lainey!
  • The Pool/Hot Tub: Both are situated on 4th floor of the hotel, outside and overlooking the incredible view of the ocean.  They have complimentary towels and chairs set up for you.  We were there on a Saturday and it felt like the perfect amount of people without being overcrowded.
  • Restaurants on site:  They have staff on site at the pool to wait on you, and also have dining options outdoor by the pool too.  All our service was 5 Star.  We ended up having breakfast outside in the morning as well because the weather and views are just too good.
  • Rooms:  We had two queen beds, both very comfortable.  The rooms also came with sound machines (this was genius for traveling with kids)
  • Service: From check in to check out everything was quick and smooth.  The Loews Team sent us wine, cookies, and milk for the kids with a personalized card (they spelled everyone’s name right: yeirdon, lainey, roman. very impressed).  I thought that was so sweet, sometimes with big hotel chains you get lost in the mix with all the people.  Loews made us feel like we were there number one priority, and it definitely felt special!
  • Loyal Customers– We spent a lot of time in the hot tub and we met so many locals that were members with the hotel for over a decade!  They all new each other and only spoke highly of the hotel.  Apparently you can join and pay a yearly fee if you live in the area and use all their facilities.  If I lived there, this would be on the top of my list.Here are some images from our stay with them, PS they have several other locations.  Book your stay with them here!

 


Now to our Restaurant Hit List:

  • Elephante: I do a ton of research online and on instagram before we plan to visit a city (so you don’t have to!).  This restaurant kept popping up as “new to the scene” and the “hottest new restaurant in Santa Monica.” I saw several of my favorite celebs/bloggers dine here online.  It didn’t disappoint, you NEED to make reservations here 30 days in advance if you’re going to get in.  It has a club like feel, their are two bars and the tables are laid back vibe.  I wouldn’t bring kids here (the music is loud)- this is a good night out with friends or date spot.  Get the “whipped eggplant” hummus. I am still thinking about it!
  • Scopa Italian Roots: THIS PLACE FOR DESSERT! (they shake donuts in a bag of powdered sugar in front of you).  Melt in your mouth.  I’d go here once a week if I lived in town, and I’d be broke too.  Besides the dessert, each dish was tapa style and just as good!
  • Nobu, Malibu: About 30 minutes from SM, but if you’re a seafood/sushi lover its the best.  Prepare to be dining among the best (John Snow from Game of Thrones sat at the table next to us, and Sheryl Crow was dining another time when we went).  You need to call 30 days in advance to reserve here too.
  • MEAT (Venice):  This place is the sister restaurant to WATER Grill (which we’ve dined several times and wanted to try a new place).  I vote Water grill over Meat.  This place was really big and didn’t have that intimate feel I like.  The staff was slower than normal too, and with kids I cant handle eating out with slow service for their sake and mine.
  • Tocaya Mexican- Chain, we rode our “Bird/Lime scooters” Over to the Venice location one afternoon here.  It is a unique twist on mexican and all the drinks/sauces are so good!  Why can’t we have chains like this in NC :(.
    (The kids loved skating on the pier, their skates are from playwheels Order them here)

    (We visited a few pumpkin patches that were just up for the season, one we loved the best was hosted at the platform by Mila & Emma.  I hope they continue to do this every year because it was the cutest set up!)    I linked all my outfits here