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Charleston Travel Guide

May 11, 2019

I have been to Charleston a few times over my life since I grew up a few hours away in NC and it always is so charmingly southern!  I love exploring cities with the kids because I get to do new things from their point of view & more family focused.  One of the coolest things you can do in Charleston is get the above sign customized at the American Theater for 24 hours.  It was Roman’s birthday “weekend” when we were in town, so I made sure everything was centered around his birthday (hence the sign).  I made my first road trip by myself with both kids & we squeezed in as much as we could do in two nights.  I wanted to explore two different areas that are family friendly while in town so you all could see the different options.

Sharing some pictures of our quick getaway first, scroll all the way down if you want the details immediately 🙂

(Kids are wearing local shop Pitt Street Kid attire, taken at beach entry pool located at the Beach Club Resort)


(Iconic Rainbow Row in downtown Charleston.  Romans outfit is from Zara, mine is from Pink lily here)


(Sunset celebration night at Beach Club, roasting S’mores!)



(Birthday party thrown by the Beach Club Resort (contact Amy smith) – Hulk Cake by Cupcakes Down South)



(Matching mommy & Me suits by Eberjey, red and yellow shown above)



(My outfit is from Shop Whilden, and my shoes are Adidas, SO comfy! Pictured here on Pier 101 by the tides hotel)

 

Where to stay:

1. Near Downtown/on the Marina
The Beach Club- At Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina–  We stayed here our first night in town and I was blown away!  I felt like I was on a tropical island resort the way they had everything set up.  It is VERY kid friendly, they have their own kid camp director run by our long time friend Amy Smith who is amazing.  My kids did not want to leave this place and neither did I.  It is on the list to go back as soon as we can!


What I loved about this resort:

  • The multiple pools: That’s probably what made it feel the most like a luxury resort.  You could keep the kids at the beach entry pool, go to one that was heated, or go to the hot tub (which my kids live in).  There were also pool bars & full menu pool service with staff that catered to you.  All of this mentioned overlooked the beautiful marina view!
  • Kids camp/Kid Parties:  Here is a list of all their offerings, but you can see from these pictures how awesome their birthday parties are!  Amy put together a special one for Roman that had sand art, splash pads, water balloons, you name it!  I got his cake from a local place called Cupcake Down South!
  • The Ferry/Transportation:  They have a daily water taxi that takes you right to downtown charleston in 10 minutes!
  • The Food: We had dinner & breakfast on site.  The Restaurant Charleston Harbour Fish House was so good!  I had the Surf & Turf, amazing.  We also ordered room service in the morning, very large portions on everything and just as good.
  • The Rooms:  We stayed in the Harbor Deluxe room and you can see videos of the inside under my Instagram stories highlights “Charleston”.  The room felt like a guest room suite in a house, it even had high ceilings with a sun light window!  It is the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hotel room that welcoming.**They are offering 10% off reservations made by calling this number 843-284-3500 and mentioning discount Becca2019!!  Certain black out dates my apply.

2. On the beach/Oceanfront:

The Tides–  We went here on our second night in town & I loved how you can walk straight out to the beach immediately.  The Tides hotel is located about 20 minutes outside of Charleston Folly Beach.  They recently renovated the hotel!

What I loved about this resort:

  • Oceanfront:  This is the place to stay in folly beach if you don’t rent a house and want to be directly on the beach.  It also had an oceanfront pool too, so you could hop back & forth with the kids!
  • Walk out rooms:  Request one of the first floor rooms and you will have patio to relax on right in front of the ocean!
  • Location: Folly Beach, I loved how you could easily walk to all the cute restaurants and shops for several blocks.
  • Dining: On site, we loved eating lunch at Pier 101 and also dining ocean front at Blue Restaurant & Bar.  Pier 101 is at the entrance of the Pier, it was fun to walk down and watch the surfers & birds with the kids.

 

Where to eat:

If you venture away from either of these hotels, these are some of the places we have loved over the years or came highly recommended.

  • Breakfast: The Lost Dog Cafe (in folly), Callies Hot little biscuit, Tasting menu at Charleston Grill
  • Lunch: Leon’s Oyster Shop, goat.sheep.cow.north, huriyali
  • Dinner: Husk, Fig, High Cotton, Magnolias

 

What to do:

  • Get the VIP Charleston Tour Pass if you are in town for more than 2 days!  We had these and used them to go to the Charleston Kids Museum which was really cute, but they give you access to 36+ hot spot attractions in town!  Make sure to visit at least on plantation, they are gorgeous.

 

travel

Nassau, Bahamas Travel Review of Baha Mar Resorts

December 20, 2018

We started in Exuma & took a quick (45 min) hopper flight over to Nassau to stay 2 nights at Baha Mar Resorts.  I absolutely loved our resort, after being on quiet Exuma, Nassau is definitely where you come for most of the action.  I loved it so much, that we never even ventured off property.  Everything was perfectly set up for you to enjoy everything on site without getting bored.  There is a section on my instagram highlights here where you can see videos of entire trip!
Here is everything you need to know about our stay:

(Suit Pearl Street Swim)
(Suit Lspace)

Accommodations:  Baha Mar Resorts
This Resort is brand new (as in built in the last 3 years) and there are three different areas on the property you can choose to stay at.  The property is all connected, but it never felt overwhelming to me like Atlantis did (we have stayed there before, and I would never go back except for a day trip after this experience).  You also have access to every single pool on the property, which I thought was amazing no matter what section you stayed at.  There is a Casino on the ground floor.  If I had to describe this place, I would say a mix of Vegas Cosmo feel with Miami/Nobu dining.  Basically all my favorite things combined into one Resort.  Needless to say, we will be back!

Here are your options at Baha Mar

1. Grand Hyatt Baha Mar– We stayed here, I felt like this was perfect & affordable for families.  The rooms were all white & felt very luxury.  I loved how low the beds were to the ground.  The room came with your own iPad to show you the result property and let you choose activities for the kids or spa during your stay.

2. SLS Baha Mar– I would stay here without the kids, or even with older kids if you want luxury feel all around.  Their lobby during Christmas was a beautiful site and their pool was my favorite.  Every pool has a different menu, and SLS pool was the only one that had the EXOTIC fruit plate I was obsessed with.  I probably had two a day :).  They also serve a variety of popsicles for kids and adults, heaven!

3. Rosewood- We didn’t get a chance to really check this area out with so much to do in our lobbies.  But their properties have direct beach access and I’m sure just as amazing as the others.

IMG_9323
(Views from our room, Grand Hyatt.  Dresses: little Choco Pink)

Amenities on the Property:

  •  The Pools: There are 6 pools!  Yes, 6 very different pools.  It was like you were at a different resort every hour, amazing.  Our favorite pool for food menu was the SLS pool.  For exploring/fun- Dean’s Blue Hole, you could jump off the rocks into the pool & there was an underwater aquarium where you went under caves.  We stayed at the hot-tubs right by that area a lot too.  It was the closet pool to the beach.

    (Suit Montce)(Suit Minnow Swim)
  • The Beach:  Beautiful as usual and not crowded at all.  Comfortable lounge chairs waiting for guest use, and there was a local Cabana boy that sold Coconuts for $15, and after you drank it he would provide an alcoholic drink in it complimentary!  They had water-sports equipment you could use, but we never made it down there enough to do it.(Dress PinkChickenNY)
  • The Sanctuary: This was an onsite interactive water area that grants guests access to feed the nurse sharks, stingrays and turtles!  Kids 8+ older can participate, or enroll your child in the kids camp and they will take them there too!  (I did this for Lainey and met her at the site & watched her feed the turtles & sharks!)

    IMG_8744
    (Suit Lspace)

  • The Food: Ahhh, I’m already dreaming of going back for the food.  There were amazing food trucks on every
    corner of the resort, from hot-dogs to tacos to snow-cones/ice-cream you name it.  Then the restaurants on site, hands down as good as Nobu chain which is our favorite restaurant.  We made reservations at Cleo & Katsuya both nights.  So good, Katsuya was my favorite.   We also had breakfast at Cafe Madeleine, Avocado toast + their cappuccinos were amazing.  Again, no complaints on any food which is rare because my husband owns an Italian restaurant and is always the biggest critic!
    (Suit Minnow- Mine: Montce)
    IMG_8020
    (Get the exotic fruit plate)
  • Service: Last but not least, the service at Baha Mar was 5 star!!  I don’t think one single employee ever looked mad, or answered my question with any hesitation.    Anything I asked for, they delivered happily.  I felt like we were their number one propriety when there were so many other guests there too.
    (two piece: Tiare Hawaii)

All & All, If you can’t tell from my review, this was an absolute new favorite resort of mine I am so glad we found.  I plan to take many future family trips here.  Thank you to the team at Baha Mar Resorts for being so amazing!

(Dress Ivy City Co, Discount: Becca10)

north carolina,travel

Travel Guide: Blowing Rock NC, Chetola Resort & Spa

December 16, 2018

I have been visiting Blowing Rock, NC since I was little so this post might be all over the place!  My parents have owned a Condo at Chetola Resort for 20+years, so its safe to say we have been to the area a lot.  Most of my travel guides on here have been to places I’ve had to research nonstop beforehand and we hit up every single hot spot during a short period.  Growing up visiting Blowing Rock, I find myself going to the same usual places we love and not exploring the city like we do other places.  But isn’t that usually the case in your own home-town?
I’ll tell you all our favorite spots below we hit up when in town, but you probably will find more on google too that I dont know about!

Accommodations:  Chetola Resort
Like I mentioned above, this is where we typically stay when in town because my family owns one of the condos.  The entire property is decorated & lights up during the holidays, so we are always there after Thanksgiving.  They also have big events in the summer for 4th of July, and Parades for both seasons.  The grounds are beautiful- So many people get married on the lawn overlooking the pond.
3 Types of Accommodations to choose from on property:
1. The Chetola Lodge- Which is just like your standard hotel rooms
2. The Bob Timberlake Inn- a Bed & Breakfast with 8 rooms that connects to the Lodge, above the main restaurant.
3. Condominiums- Which is where we stay- great for families!  They range from 1- 4 bedrooms!

Amenities on site:

  • Indoor Pool & Jacuzzi- My kids live here, so great during the winter months.
  • Spa on Site
  • Dining on Site
  • Play Ground & Kid Recreation Center
  • Outdoor Recreation:
    Sunbathing Deck
    Maintained Hiking Trails and Guided Hikes
    Horseshoe Pit
    Tennis & Pickle Ball
    Fishing Clinics
    Fully Stocked Lake
    Fishing Rods
    Paddle Boats/Kayaks/Paddle Boards
    Playground
    12-Hole Disc Golf

Things to do Around the area:

  • Explore Downtown Blowing Rock: go to the shops, park, tennis courts and basketball courts less than a mile from Chetola.
  • Visit The Blowing Rock– This is one of my favorite scenic spots that’s very close by.
  • Visit Tweetsie Railroad– If your visiting BR more than twice and have kids, get the season pass.  Its the same amount if you were to go twice, and you can go year round.  They just started doing Tweetsie Christmas, so its pretty much open on weekends year round now too!
  • GrandFather Mountain– Its about a 30 minute drive, cross the high bridge and hike the trails to see all the animals onsite at the zoo.
  • Skiing/Snowboarding: For beginners, or a short drive- just go to Appalachian Mountain.  For more advanced go to Beech or Sugar.  My personal favorite is Sugar for snowboarding.
  • Hike a Waterfall: We’ve done Laurel Creek Falls, but follow the directions online to a tee.  There are no signs.
  • Visit Rough Ridge for amazing views/pictures:  We did our family pictures here last year, you will see them below- its a hike up and then you can stand on the rocks overlooking the mountains.  Peak time is in October/November when its fall foliage!
  • Spa– for another beautiful spa off property, check out Westglow resort & Spa.  Breathtaking!
    (This is the path to Rough Ridge where these photos were taken)

Dining:

  • Bistro Roco– we make sure to always get a reservation here in advance during holidays!  Favorite date night spot.  It feels like you are in a cave/mountain kind of and I love there MacnCheese!
  • Mellow Mushroom– I know a chain, but its right in Downtown Blowing Rock and I crave their “esperanza” dipping pizza sauce.
  • Twigs– Go here for lunch on a nice day and sit outside, grab a draft beer.
  • Kilwins– Another chain, but go here for Ice cream & Lemonade when walking around Downtown 🙂
    (Our dresses are from Ivy City Co)

    (these photos were taken on the grounds of chetola)

*I love our tradition of getting family photos done during the holidays every year there! All photos were taken by the lovely- Sydney Gail, if you’re local to Blowing Rock area, and are looking for a photographer that knows the area well + takes amazing photos, book her here!