Travel Guide to Paris, France

I just got back a week ago from a surprise weekend in Paris! Hubby did an amazing job planning and keeping it a surprise. I was super excited to share one of my favorite cities in the world with him and Baby Veer! We did a combination of eating, sight seeing and shopping. We kept things light and go with the flow since we had already been back in 2019. You can check out that blog post HERE.

Getting there

We took a direct flight out of Philadelphia to Paris. We took a red eye which was perfect for the baby and it would get us into Paris around noon. Prior to boarding the flight we ate and had Baby Veer run around to tire him out, needless to say he was super excited on the flight so getting him to sleep was indeed challenging. But once he fell asleep he was out until we pretty much landed! Coming back to the States we had a daytime flight, however, we had a row of three so that helped. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks, toys and an ipad to keep the little one occupied!

Where to Stay

Paris is divided into a total of 20 arrondissements starting from the center and going outward. Last time we went to Paris we stayed in the 6th arrondissement which is Saint German at the cutest boutique hotel called Hotel Madison. This time we stayed in the 8th arrondissement which is Champs-Elysees at Sofitel Le Scribe. The hotel was actually perfect as it was walkable to most places, plenty of high end shopping and restaurants nearby. The hotel also had a beautiful lobby, a cafe, restaurant and bar. The room for Paris standards was large and was perfect for the three of us.

What to See and Do

Outfit:
Top: ASOS / Blazer: JustFab (Similar) / Jeans: JCrew
Shoes: Cole Haan / Purse: Saint Laurent

Eiffel Tower
Seine River Cruise
Louvre
Musee D’Orsay
Notre Dame
Sainte-Chapelle
Versailles
Arc de Triomphe
Tuileries Garden

One piece of valuable advice I have for any of these places that you need a ticket to get into (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc.) book your ticket ahead of time. The queue for some of these places is insane and it’s always best to book ahead.

Top Places to Eat

Au Pied de Cochan
Balagan
Cafe de Flore
Cafe de l’Homme
Cafe Marly
Cafe Cassette
Cedric Grolet Opera
Chez Julien
Chez Le Libanais
Ferdi
Girafe
Gigi
Hotel Costes
L’Avenue
La Bourse et La Vie
La Fontaine De Mars
L’as Du Fallafel
Le Cinq (at the Four Seasons)
L’Arpege (Vegetarian - one of the World’s Best Restaurants)
Lou Lou
Pink Mamma
Thierry Marx (at the Mandarin Hotel)
Laduree (Macarons)
Pierre Hermes (Macarons)

All of the cafes were wonderful! For breakfast we kept things super simple with a croissant and espresso’s (I’m still dreaming about those wonderful, buttery croissant’s… yummm). Lunch was casual as well since we were usually on the move. Dinnertime we made nightly reservations and some of the views at the restaurants (i.e. Girafe and Gigi are AMAZING!).

Shopping

The best shopping for luxury items is in the Champs Elysées. Any and every high end store you can think of is there! My number one tip for getting into Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Dior, Van Cleef, Cartier, etc. is to get there EARLY since a lot of the designers have their flagship stores in Paris. In all honesty, it is hard to find inventory so don’t go to Paris just to shop. Things are even harder with the Dollar and Euro being pretty much the same and everyone is traveling to Europe. All in all, we still had a good shopping experience.

 Another important thing, if you do purchase any luxury items, notify the sales person that you would like to collect the VAT tax. They will then take a copy of your passport and give you a receipt (sometimes the sales person will just do all the paperwork which is what happened at Chanel). Once you get to the airport you need to locate the kiosk to scan your receipts (sometimes they do need to see your actual purchases) and once you come back to the United States you need to declare all goods at customs.

Overall

Paris is such a magical city.
I had such an amazing time and can’t wait to someday go back!

Secrets Wild Orchid in Montego Bay Jamaica Resort Review

Outfit: Coverup: LSpace / Swimsuit: Beach Riot
Tote: H&M / Sandals: Tory Burch

For my husband’s birthday we decided to do something a little different and take a friends weekend getaway to Montego Bay, Jamaica. We decided on Secrets Wild Orchid in Montego Bay, Jamaica due to the adults only, as well as, location and the Secrets brand.

GETTING THERE

Getting to Montego Bay, Jamaica from Philadelphia was fairly easy. We took a flight from Philadelphia and it was about 4 hours nonstop. It was quick and easy which is something we always look for when planning a quick weekend get away. We booked a car service through Byron Jamaica Tour and it was very quick getting to and from the resort.

THE RESORT

Secrets Wild Orchid is one of three connecting properties. There is also Secret St James and Breathless. Certain amenities are located on each property. For instance, the restaurants are all on the Secrets Wild Orchid side and the spa/gym are on the Secrets St James side.

Upon arrival we were greeted with a glass of champagne. The lobby was underwhelming… I thought to myself “this is it?” Not grand in any sort of way like other resorts we’ve been too. Check in was straightforward and we reminded the individual checking us in about my husband’s birthday as well as his birthday dinner reservation for our group at the hibachi restaurant. Our room was available at the check in time so while we waited we had lunch out by the pool.

I was pleasantly surprised with the room. The room was pretty large even for a standard room. I loved the large bathroom, the double sinks and jacuzzi tub. The bed was really cozy and comfortable. We had a nice sitting area inside the room and also outside (as well as a pretty view).

ENTERTAINMENT / WHAT TO DO

During the day we spent the majority of our time at the pool as the beach wasn’t equipped for swimming conditions (there were jellyfish). We spent alot of time by the main pool area and the swim up pool bar. As compared to other Secrets properties we have been to the entertainment during the day was underwhelming as well. We saw some entertainment happening by the pool Thursday, as well as Friday, but nothing Saturday. The issue is that entertainment team at Secret brings their guests next door to the Breathless pool. Which, in my mind, you shouldn’t make your guests pick up and move to another resort for the pool parties and entertainment. I did not like that aspect at all. Luckily the guys had brought speakers so we blasted our own music at the pool.

Outfit: Swimsuit: Beach Riot / Coverup: Beach Riot

As far as nightly entertainment went, the resort did do a good job. To see what’s on each night, there are a number of built-in boards throughout the resort. We really liked the silent disco, however, we wished there were enough head sets for everyone to enjoy the event.

secrets-wild-orchid-montego-bay-jamaica-travel-review-couples-adults-only-vacation

Outfit: Maxi Dress / Sandals: Steve Madden

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

The drinks were spot on and one thing you can expect with Secrets is the good quality of alcohol that is included (gray goose, johnny walker, etc.). The drink service around the pool and the bars were all great.

During the daytime, there was a place near the beach/pool area to grab good food such as jerk chicken/beef patties, burgers, nachos, etc. This all inclusive resort probably had the best food of any all inclusive resort I’ve ever been to. The jerk chicken cart was the BEST. It was so amazing and you knew the cart was coming when you would see people getting up and leave and then coming back with plates. The cart was also out in the evenings too so great for munchies after those post evening events!

We dined at the following restaurants:

WORLD CAFE - Standard buffet but good
BLUE MOUNTAIN - Jamaican Caribbean Cuisine
HIMITSU - Hibachi (Need reservations but fun!)
PORTOFINO - Italian (Had the most amazing lasagna)

Luckily, getting a reservation wasn’t too hard with our large group. We would put down our name at the restaurant, grab a buzzer and head to the piano bar for a cocktail while we waited for our reservation.

I also liked that during the day the resort had a place to grab coffee and small snacks (pastries, small sandwiches, fruits, etc.) called Coco Cafe. There was also a 24 hour room service menu available. The service was a little slow, but the food was decent.

OVERALL

Overall, I’m glad we got to spend a few days on vacation relaxing with friends. I probably wouldn’t return to this specific Secrets resort but we still had a good time with our close friends. Lastly, pandemic protocols were also followed and everything was VERY clean so that was very reassuring!

Caribe Hilton Review in Puerto Rico

Coverup: Playa Lucila / Swimsuit: Beach Riot / Sandals: Tory Burch
Beach Bag: H&M / Sunglasses: Quay

We just got back from a mini getaway and a friend’s wedding at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico. We had a good time and got so many questions since it seems like alot of folks are thinking about traveling to Puerto Rico! This post is not sponsored in anyway - just wanted to share my thoughts with you all.

GETTING THERE

We took a direct flight from Philadelphia to Puerto Rico which was a little under 4 hours. Once we arrived in Puerto Rico we called an Uber - the Uber rates can be all over the place once the flight comes in. For instance, we paid around $30 getting to the hotel and paid around $9 getting to the airport so prices can really fluctuate! Once we got into our Uber getting to the resort was seamless.

THE RESORT

Once we arrived at the Caribe Hotel, I liked that it was located smack in the middle of everything we wanted to see and do. Check in was pretty seamless and luckily our room was ready early. The downstairs areas - the front desk, lobby, bars, restaurants, outdoors (beach/pool) all were well kept and renovated.

The room itself was spacious as well as the bathroom. The rooms appeared to be a little outdated and could use an update. We had a balcony overlooking the ocean and the view was stunning - I really enjoyed looking at the view each morning!

WHERE TO EAT

We didn’t love the food on the resort and opted to leave the resort for food for the most part. We grabbed breakfast from a bagel place nearby and also across the street. Also, since the Uber ride into Old San Juan was very reasonable we checked out a few restaurants - our favorite was Raices (you have to try the mofongo… it’s amazing).

There are also a few restaurants on the property:

Néctar del Caribe - Buffet
Mojitos - Carribean Fusion
Rustica - Italian
Lola’s - Puerto Rican
Caribar – Tapas (Also the birthplace of the Piña Colada)
Morton’s - Steakhouse

WHAT TO DO

Since we were in Puerto Rico for a wedding our time was limited but we were able to see some of the sights.
On the property there are a number of things to do:

• Three Pools (including kids fountain pool) complete with sun beds and umbrellas

• Beach

• Hammock garden

• An outdoor playground

• Fish feeding or the koi pond at the Tropical Gardens

  Off the resort in Puerto Rico there are a number of things to enjoy and see:

• Bioluminescent  Bay - There are five of these in the world and 3 of them are in Puerto Rico

• El Yunque Rainforest

• La Placita

• La Castillo San Cristobal, one of the two famous forts (The other is El Morro)

• Shops in Plaza de Colon

• Stroll around Old San Juan - Make sure to check out La Factoria which is also one of the top 50 bars in the world!

• Toro Verde Adventure Park which has the longest zipline in the world

WHAT TO WEAR

Pink Romper: NBD / Sandals: JustFab

Resort wear, in my opinion, is the best way to go for an island vacation. For daytime I lived in swimsuits and cute cover-ups and in the evenings I dressed up (there was also our friends wedding one night I opted for a floral dress which is below).

Floral Dress: ASTR / Sandals: JustFab / Clutch: Valentino

OVERALL THOUGHTS

In terms of traveling during the pandemic, before traveling you need to comply with COVID restrictions. We felt very safe and had a good time on our trip. Puerto Rico is beautiful and we hope to visit again someday!