April 14, 2011 · 8:21 pm

bon bini – welcome to curacao!

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hello down below!

on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge 1/2 way between Punda and Otrobanda - Willemstad, Curacao

OK OK i have to confess – #1 i LOVED Curacao – an adorable dutch island in the caribbean with a diverse history & population – bring it on! #2 it’s a looong trip from the east coast & i could have used 2 more days. bottom line, you need some time – my pre-planning was a bit aggressive , most of my list i didn’t come close to tackling. having said that, i really thought Curacao to be an incredible island & cannot wait to return & discover more about it (if that’s any indicator because i’m totally going back). really the beaches are a gem & that’s where my time was spent so no regrets! it may sound ridiculous – yes…it’s an island but it’s kinda big and the infrastructure makes it a little time consuming to get from point A to point B.

here is the low down:  the people are wonderful!  very international – if you like that sort of thing.  you don’t feel like a tourist – you are out & about with the locals.

where i stayed – the Hyatt Regency – newest resort on the island (a spanking one year old) was very nice & the staff were superb – very Americanized & could accommodate any request BUT really out of the way. i stand by my choice…i had never been to Curacao & was traveling alone so a certain amount of comfort came in knowing i was staying somewhere that could accommodate my every whim. next visit i think i will consider something centrally located & in town like Avila Hotel or Kura Hulanda Hotel.

QUICK TRIP TIP – Jetsetter is having an AMAZING deal on the Hyatt in Curacao so if you are tempted to go – you should seriously consider this deal. Yahoo! also posted a deal on the caribbean this week & listed in it’s 10 best beach destinations for 2011 is none other but Cas Abao beach on Curacao – one of the beautiful beaches i visisted!  DO IT!

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April 3, 2011 · 7:59 pm

Early April – on the road again – Curacao, former Netherlands Antilles

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get ready curacao...cant wait to meet your melting pot!

ok – formulating plans. i’m staying at the hyatt which is swanky and new. i discovered this property though jetsetter.com so i’m confident it is nice. i booked it through cheapcaribbean.com, however, because jetsetter’s flash sale was long over and i got a good package deal – flight, room, airport shuttle transfer.

so far it sounds like i should visit the curacao liqueur distillery, museum kura hulanda, just stroll around willemstad in general, watch the floating pontoon queen emma bridge, eat at a landhuis (possibly landhuis daniel) and go to mambo beach bar. i’m also looking forward to checking out bamali – a women’s fashion store where the local owners design everything. oh and, of course, the obvious going snorkeling, sunning on various beaches & seeking out the night life scene! cannot wait to explore, discover and make new friends while visiting my little and only sister. i’m so lucky!

**travel tips article for visiting curacao

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March 31, 2011 · 2:48 pm

Miami Take 2 – reunited & it feels so good!

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ahhh meeahhmee – how i love you so!  the weather was sunny and in the mid 80’s every day – how fabulous!  great food, great people watching, great laughs.  only downside to this Miami visit was the Ultra Music Festival.  unless you are in college or really into dj’s spinning LOUD (& not always good) music – this is NOT the time to go.  we were looking for an adult spring break but nevertheless – we still had a fantastic time.

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· 2:47 pm

staying, eating, surfing…

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gansevoort plunge rooftop pool - you can enjoy without being a guest of the hotel

STAYING –

this visit i stayed at the gansevoort – which seemed like college spring break central.  while the customer service was excellent – every time something broke in the hotel or room it was attended to immediately – it was AWFUL that EVERYTHING kept breaking.  ie – no elevators operating, no cold water, no water at all, no toilets working.  the best feature of this hotel is their rooftop pool…beautiful!  but difficult to get to when the elevator is broken or you have to wait in a 30+ person line despite being a hotel guest – they opened the pool privileges to the public.  not impressed!

barton g - hooked on swordfish yummy! i especially loved it because it was served on a pirate sword! ARG!!

and because we enjoyed playing with the props - they brought us a GIANT fork - what fun!

EATING –

  • this visit i definitely dined well.  starting with sra. martinez located at 4000 NE 2nd Ave – in the design district. oh my gosh – off the beaten path of SOBE but sooo worth the trip.  i had the BUENAVISTA cocktail – yum! i’d also recommend: bacon wrapped dates, crispy artichokes & paella. you may want to consider the chef’s tasting menu…well worth the $65 investment. cross your fingers that sasha is your server – fabulous!
  • barton g. located at 1427 west ave (lincoln rd & alton) was amazing as well.  they do a little “play on the name” of their dishes.  i had the ‘hooked on swordfish’ (get it? – see picture above) so much FUN and very very good. also highly recommended: coconut crusted voodoo shrimp, mouse trap lobster mac & cheese and mahi mahi.  off the cocktail menu – cody’s mojito was delicious!
  • prime 112 located at 112 ocean drive & 1st st. was also nice – the service was excellent but it was a MAJOR scene. props for them that they carried my favorite rum – goslings – which is strangely difficult to find in South Beach. of course we had steak but the standouts were the signature prime 112 chopped salad and the tuna sliders.  the chopped salad alone could be a meal for 3.

SURFING –

unfortunately the waves weren’t with us this visit.  there were no swells until sunday and so were unable to surf due to being too close to our departure time. next visit marcello!  i love ezridesurfschool!

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· 2:47 pm

cabana-ing, shopping, clubbing

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cabana day at the delano

cmon...does it get any better than this?!!

CABANA-ING –

after a couple of days of hanging with the college kids, the sophisticated Delano was dreamy and a breath of fresh air. i booked a day cabana – which alone is worth every penny – but comes with many perks and privileges that only hotel guests enjoy. i had the best bloody mary ever upon arrival and almost every hour the staff bring by little treats for you such as frozen berries or better yet frozen rum slushies. DIVINE! we also indulged in half hour massages in a private cabana by the pool. between people watching, amazing ‘you are the most important person in the world’ service and constant laughter – this was the BEST DAY EVER! so good that we had to return that evening after freshening up to have cocktails poolside in the perfect evening air. shout outs go to sam, granville, soledad & mario who make us all feel like a million bucks.

SHOPPING –

as i have mentioned before, warm weather destinations are the BEST for swimsuit shopping. i had scoped out a new place to try – Bikini Beach near the Ritz Hotel – they were listed in the recent Sports Illustrated swimsuit addition so i had high hopes. sadly, this was a huge disappointment…don’t waste your precious beach/pool time! go straight to Runway Swimwear at 1625 collins ave. not only is the selection amazing – never has swimsuit shopping been so fun. the ladies that work there are able to size you up as to what will fit and look best.

TRIP TIP – another not to be missed shopping destination in Miami is So Good Jewelry at 532 lincoln road. pack your cute summery dresses but leave your costume jewelry at home ladies. go have some fun at So Good completing your outfit. remember in Miami where jewelry is concerned – more is more! So Good has a HUGE selection and it’s really inexpensive. i got the cutest bracelet on my february visit to Miami and then saw the very same bracelet while in Vegas for three times the price! i like to say “So Good is soooo good”!!

CLUBBING –

so as suspected…the club scene was a bit more hard-core than usual given Ultra. we managed to get on the list to the Florida Room one evening and popped into Louis Bar/Lounge late night one evening for one last dance. Ultra dj’s really weren’t our scene so we weren’t disappointed with the lack of club visits this trip. the hotel lobby and outdoor bar scene is so good – it’s hard to top! we enjoyed time at the W hotel & Shore Club but the top of our list and most of our time was spent at the various bars of the wonderful Delano. cannot say enough great things about this amazing hotel!!

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