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Seattle Travel Guide

September 5, 2019

This was our first time in Seattle and I have a feeling it wont be our last.  If you missed it on my Instagram, I recently accepted an 100% remote IT recruiting job with Amazon, so they flew me out to Seattle for my first week of training at their headquarters!  I know we went in the prime time to visit because it only rained once the entire time for a week and the weather was mid 70s.  Apparently every other month of the year is typically rainy, so if you’re going to visit shoot for the summer months!  The city felt fresher to me, unlike New York or Paris, but a crisp feel probably because it sits right on the water.  Overall, we felt great about the trip and below I’ve highlighted a few of our favorite spots!


(your basic picture of pike place market, wearing all shop the mint)

What to do:

  • Get the Seattle City Pass: Visit all the hot spots included.
    Admission Includes

  • Go to the Beach: We were recommended Alki Beach Park the most but we never made it! There is also Goldens Garden Park & Enatai Beach Park & Boathouse.
  • Take the kids to all the Museums & Parks! Downtown Bellevue Park playground is a new area.  During the summer they show free movies in the park for the kids!  Also heard great things about Kid’s Quest Childrens Museum, but we never made it.
  • Go to Pike Place Market:  Shop the farmers market, walk around on the pier or grab local sushi!

    (Kids at the Zoo wearing Emu Shoes!)

    (on the Ferris wheel, included on city pass)

Where to eat: (so many spots we didnt get to check out!)

  • Breakfast: Biscuit Bitch, All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar, Room service from either of the hotels mentioned!
  • Lunch: Lola’s, Mbar, Wataru, Serious Pie Pizza
  • Dinner: Canlis, The Nest, Sushi Kashiba, The pink Door, Bateau, Walrus & the Carpenter, Shuckers, Spinasse, Stateside
  • Dessert: Cinnaholic, Chocolate factory (pike place market), Salt & Straw Ice cream, Molly Moons Ice Cream.

    (View from the Nest bar & restaurant)

Where to Stay:

  •  Downtown Seattle:  This is where we stayed the entire time with the kids & I loved how close all the attractions were and amazing restaurants.  We checked out to amazing hotels while in town, our first night we spent it at Loews Hotel 1000 (read my full review here) and the rest of the week we stayed at The Fairmont Olympic (read my full review here)!  Both were amazing 4/5 star hotel spots, click on each review to see exactly what we loved about each!
  • Capitol Hill
  • Bellevue:  The Eastside of Seattle, several restaurants and things to do with kids here!
  • Ballard Area:  Where a lot of locals live!  This is a hip waterfront neighborhood that would be cute to rent an airbnb for a weekend!


    (view from the space needle: also available via city pass, dress is tiare hawaii)    *As always, you can shop all my outfits here from all my trips!
travel

Review of The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle

September 5, 2019

We checked into the amazing Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle on our second night in town and stayed for four nights!  This place was unreal, I felt like we were in a story book once we walked into the lobby area.  The entire hotel screams luxury and the staff was so amazing it would be hard to complain about anything here.  The Hotel felt like a solid 5 star hotel, so I’m not sure why online it says only 4 stars.  But let me tell you, if you are going to stay at a hotel in Seattle, this should be it!  See behind the scenes of the hotel on my story highlight here and tons of videos.
Read below for everything we loved about the place!

What we loved:

  • The Rooms:  We specifically had the Deluxe Executive King Suite, room 342 and 344 I believe.  I loved that the rooms were connected via a private hallway, and each room had its own pull-out couch with a living space to hang out.  Traveling with kids can be exhausting, so I think it’s important to make sure the room situation is perfect for your own sanity and enjoyment when vacationing.
  • The Amenities:  They have an indoor pool that the workout room over looks so you can conveniently work out while watching your kids swim.  The entire area has a clear roof, which brings so much light in too.  I researched a few hotels in downtown, and I think this was the only one I even saw with a pool!  My kids LOVE hot tubs, and this was the perfect size for them.  It was about the size of a baby pool, and 3ft deep all around.

  • The Location:  Located just blocked from the pier, pike market, and all the action, everything was such an easy walk!
  • The Service: From check in to check out, the entire team at Fairmont Olympic Hotel made sure we were spoiled for everything!  There is also a driver concierge to take you wherever you need to out front. We also did the Spa one day & I loved their new infrared pods that help with releasing antioxidants.
  • The Food:  I could order their entire breakfast menu from room service daily, and I did haha.  The fruit is so fresh and very tropical (papaya, grapefuit, etc) I craved it every morning.  We also enjoyed dinner one night on site at their restaurant Shuckers.  If you love oysters, this place is a must try!

    (picture from shuckers, on site restaurant at the hotel) 

    Thank you Fairmont for having us & for all the special touches during our stay, we can’t wait to visit again!

 

travel

Review of Loews Hotel 1000 Seattle

September 2, 2019


We spent our first night when we arrived in Seattle at the Loews Hotel 1000 (downtown Seattle) location & it was the perfect welcome into the city!  We have stayed at other Loews properties (see review of Loews Santa Monica here) & always felt their hotels held high standards.  We are kind of hotel and food snobs, so we won’t ever stay at a place that isn’t phenomenal all around if I can help it!  You can see live behind the scenes of the hotel and our experience on my Instagram stories here, under highlights Seattle.

What we loved about the hotel:

  • Location:   A block away from all the action in Downtown Seattle.  You can walk to Pier 57, Seattle Great Wheel, Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, all within 5 minutes.

  • The Rooms:  We stayed in a Deluxe City view two queen.  I love how the rooms were separated by a wall & curtain, so you actually felt like you were in a suite!  Also in love with their bathtub, the water comes from the ceiling!  Perfect for a small family.  You can book our exact room here.
  • The Dining:  We had breakfast one morning at their restaurant on site, All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar, and it was amazing!!  We had pancakes, fruit, French toast, green tea, coffee, you name it, everything was delicious!  I read the reviews and I know people love to eat dinner here too!
  • Golf Simulator:  If your husband is a golf fanatic like mine, then you just made his trip!  The hotel has an amazing golf simulator you can reserve for two hours ahead of time, or block for a party as well & have food catered in!
  • Family Friendly: We love Loews Hotels because they are very family centric!  They cater to parents and children of all ages.  The snippet below was recently announced this season, which can help families book more on a budget with their hotels! “Loews Hotels has revamped their legacy kids program with the launch of Loews Loves Families, focusing on kids of all ages, from infants to teens. For more than two decades, Loews Hotels has been a brand known for catering to children through Loews Loves Kids. Beginning this summer, Loews Loves Families will elevate the experience for the entire family, parents and children alike, starting with a special Family Road Trip package that will save families money on stays throughout the west coast this summer.”  Book the family road trip package here, valid until Sept 30th! All in all the staff, food, and service was amazing at Loews Hotel 1000 Seattle, we can’t wait to visit again!  Thank you for an amazing stay :).