Category Archives: curacao

Travel Style – a #FriFotos Special Edition

Stylin’ & Profilin’

Lola's #Style is #lolafied

Lola’s #STYLE is #lolafied

I’m excited to share that I’ll be co-hosting #FriFotos on Twitter this Friday, April 26. In case you aren’t clear what #FriFotos is exactly, it’s a 24-hour chat that trends internationally. People worldwide share their photos that match the week’s theme and you can play along if you’re on Twitter or Instagram by following the #FriFotos hashtag and including it in your Tweets with your photos.

The usual hosts will be there: @FriFotos who can also be tweeted to as @TravelDesigned, @EpsteinTravels & @CharlesYap. I’m sharing co-hosting with ooo lala @purplepassport AND you can find me @LolaDiMarco. NOW onto this week’s theme. After a little discussion we decided on #STYLE. I think this is a fantastic topic for #FriFotos because it can apply to lots of things with regard to travel. Like is your #STYLE solo travel, backpacker or luxe? Is your accommodation #STYLE swanky, hip or budget? What’s your travel food #STYLE or even libations #STYLE? You get my point, right?! #STYLE is about the LIFESTYLE of travel too. Of course, I think the more creative the better and to help inspire you I’ve put together some ideas to show you LOLA’S TRAVEL #STYLE.

LOLAPINK

LOLAPINK

Theres no doubt about it. My travel #STYLE involves lots and lots of PINK wherever I can pull it off!

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Lola’s drink #STYLE of choice is COCKTAILS

Seen here are a Dark & Stormy at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Ultimate Gin & Tonic at SLS Beverly Hills, CA, 3 different versions of Negronis at Four Seasons Florence, Italy & the delicious Eastern Standard at Soho Beach House, Miami.

my travel #Style most certainly includes luxury hotel stays

my travel #STYLE most certainly includes LUXURY hotel stays

Don’t know what your #STYLE is for accommodations but mine’s definitely one where I’m looking for something special! These properties absolutely fit the special #STYLE bill. Seen here are two Four Seasons properties: Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, CA and Four Seasons Milan in Milan, Italy. AND two Relais & Chateaux properties: Bellevue Syrene in Sorrento, Italy and Villa Galicci in Aix en Provence, France. I can assure you that I have never stayed in any Relais & Chateaux or Four Seasons property that didn’t meet every expectation in GREAT #STYLE.

Lola #Style also goes with HIP hotels

Lola’s #STYLE also goes with HIP hotels

My travel #STYLE enjoys finding the new hot spots too. These hotels certainly exude a HIP #STYLE. We’ve got Mondrian SoHo in NYC, W Barcelona in Spain, The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas & The James Royal Palm in Miami. All very HIP. All very COOL.

FACT: Lola hearts the #Style of a beach vacay

FACT: Lola hearts the #STYLE of a beach vacay

It’s gotta be NO surprise that my travel #STYLE is definitely one that leans toward beach vacations. Sun, sand & the sea make me so happy! Here are a few of my favorite beachy spots: Miami Beach in Florida, Gouverneur Beach in St. Barts, Lucy Vincent Beach in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Cas Abao Beach in Curacao.

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very important in my world…minibar #STYLE

One thing that I’ve found that really sets some properties apart is a beautiful, well-appointed minibar! First up is the BEST up so far – Soho Beach House, Miami. To the right is Mondrian SoHo, NYC. Below is Four Seasons Florence, Italy. To the left is W Barcelona, Spain. If you love a cocktail to start your evening off right or to have a night cap at days end, a minibar with serious #STYLE is essential! Just sayin’

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Lola’s #STYLE is definitely all about a FAB hotel pool

I don’t care if it’s not even warm enough to sun yourself, there’s something amazing about the #STYLE of great swimming pool. Granted, I prefer the sunshine & warmth option in my travel plans. Found here are Delano South Beach in Miami, W Barcelona in Spain, Petit Palace in Santorini, Greece and Soho Beach House in Miami. I ask you what’s not to LOVE about these pool’s #STYLE?

I hope these examples of #STYLE has got your creative juices flowing. It will be so FUN if you come PLAY along on Friday on Twitter with #FriFotos. Don’t forget to tweet to me @LolaDiMarco and add the hashtags #STYLE and #FriFotos to your photos. I look forward to seeing you & your travel #STYLE there!

xo – LOLA

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Filed under amalfi coast, barcelona, california, caribbean, cocktails, curacao, europe, florence, florida, france, greece, hipster hotels, italy, martha's vineyard, miami, milan, new york, spain, st. barts, swanky luxe stays, travel, USA, vegas

favorite travel spots – food for thought

dear fellow traveler – THANK YOU!

as i rushed from my late-arriving airplane from Barcelona to Zürich on Tuesday, i met a fellow traveler who was attempting to make the same ridiculously tight connection back to Boston. it was easy for him to discover we were in the same predicament when i started freaking out on the plane upon arrival in Switzerland. YES! i was one of ‘those people’ who jumped up before we even got to the gate and barraged the flight attendant with “will i make this connection?” “will they hold the plane?” she was all, “no big deal, you spaz!” WHATEVER. if my plane-mate and i hadn’t sprinted from the farthest terminal of A to E through the Zürich airport, i’m quite sure we wouldn’t have made our flight.

in any case, our race against each other on who’d get to the boarding gate first bonded us to an extent. then, when we arrived and as they were full on boarding the plane (no time for a bathroom break or to buy any coveted Swiss chocolates for us) we were then each individually given the ole “you’ve been pre-selected for extra screening”. READ you and your bags will now be molested. at least they had to deal with my sweaty self from my marathon sprint. HA – serves them right! this little incident made us laugh as the two of us, while we might be troublemakers, are far from sketchy looking terrorists.

so, after our half-day return flight from Europe to Boston, now the joke was whether our bags made the tight connection. my plane-mate, Adam, got his bag immediately – lucky bastard. but he kindly waited to see if i’d have the same luck. as we waited we chatted a bit and he asked me “what’s your favorite travel spots you’ve visited to so far?” SUCH A GREAT YET TOUGH QUESTION!!! i really appreciate him asking me this. it got me thinking and made me discover something new about myself. well, sort of.

i said to him that is difficult to answer and it depends on the type of travel experience you’re looking for. i know you all recognize i am a self-professed POSHAHOLIC. so my go-to answer is typically “heaven on earth is St. Barts.” it’s like the perfect place in my mind. AND while i do adore it and dream about it all the time, the question made me realize it’s not my favorite place anymore.

my favorite travel spots are the places that i know the least about and have no expectation of. like Budapest, Curacao and Cambodia to name a few. it’s NO SECRET that i love to travel. but i realized through answering Adam’s simple question that what makes me love a place is being pleasantly surprised in the unknown. the adventure of taking it all in and discovering it from my perspective.

i had already decided after my Cambodia trip that i need to travel at least once a year to somewhere i’ve never been. it’s good for learning and pushing myself and, let’s face it, i don’t have a lifetime of travel ahead so i gotta take advantage of the years i do have to discover all the wonderful places in the world that will touch me. BUT i didn’t recognize is HOW important this is to me. HOW i actually might love it more than the incredibly perfect and posh St. Barts. MY FAVORITE PLACE is quite possibly a place i haven’t been!

the takeaway?

1) this princess might not be so prissy after all since some of my favorite places are quite rough around the edges

2) it has to be top priority to seek this kind of travel out to keep me growing

3) i hope that Adam reads my blog as promised & comments because i’d like to say thank you for asking such a simple yet thought-provoking question

4) and THANKS for waiting with me until i FINALLY got my enormous bag off the luggage belt – phew

XO – lola

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Filed under budapest, cambodia, curacao, travel

it's an internationally confirmed hit

[youtube=http://youtu.be/EPo5wWmKEaI]

while i still love LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, after my visit to Greece it’s now officially confirmed (sorry little sis) that Pitbull’s Give Me Everything featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer is definitely a HUGE hit everywhere.  that, and my rap crush – Flo Rida’s – Where Them Girls At with David Guetta & Nicki Minaj.  i love that i discovered Give Me Everything in Curacao in April before it was even being played here in the USA.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/p4kVWCSzfK4]

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Filed under curacao, greece, st. barts, travel

beautiful boka santa cruz & the blue room

boka santa cruz - awesome!

after watching cliff jumping it was time to relax! if you are looking for some R&R – boka santa cruz is a great place to stop off. c’mon…look at this picture!  who couldn’t be lulled into relaxation here? local fisherman come up onto the beach with their nets and buckets & giggling children enjoy peering in to see what they’ve caught. nice caribbean music is playing in the background for extra ambience! i think i’m in love.

lookout down below - the blue room!

post – R&R i was off for a little trek in search of topping my lovely day at cas abao beach.  luckily, i made some friends who insisted there is something very unique to Curacao that cannot be replicated just anywhere…the blue room. i agree! after a short and easy hike you reach the end of the island where it’s rocky and there are all these beautiful impressions of shells and sea life fossilized into the rock. just below is a cave that has the most incredible blue water because of the way the sunlight shines into it. a la the blue room! the sea life viewing isn’t too shabby there either. i should mention half way through the hike is another very nice beach – santu pretu – which means black sand. the blue room/cave is listed as one of the top 10 dive sites on Curacao – FYI. masha danki dushi  to my new friends for this amazing trip tip and guided tour to the blue room!

my day closed with a wonderful meal at the boathouse. very close in proximity to the Hyatt, this was the perfect place to have a delicious dinner and end my trip as i had to be up bright and early the next morning for a full day of traveling back home. the boathouse has a beautiful view over the Spanish Water bay and the marina there.  i had skewered grilled shrimp with yummy indian curry and chili garlic mayonnaise. even upon arriving close to the kitchen closing – we were greeted with friendly and accommodating staff.

my impressions of Curacao are if you have the chance – you should go. with only 200,000 visitors per year – it is still very unspoiled. on top of that, it’s very affordable and the people are so welcoming – you really feel as though you have gotten away. Ayo Curacao – i look forward to returning as soon as i can!

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Filed under caribbean, curacao, travel

amazing west punt/playa forti

playa forti and the cliff jumping!

off again to the far end of the island – west punt. the water, beaches and views are stunning and definitely worth the drive. i had lunch at playa forti in an open-air restaurant. it felt almost like being in capri, italy…loved every minute. watching people take the big plunge 40 feet below was thrilling and terrifying all in one. i wasn’t so adventurous!

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Filed under caribbean, curacao, travel