destination envy: duddell hong kong

Hong Kong's Exclusive concept space, Duddell's is a destination for the elite.  With a waiting list longer than my wish list, Duddell's boasts a lounge, Cantonese Restaurant and an art collection curated from the archives of private collectors. But what I'm most in awe of is the relaxed yet glamorous interior.  With stone bones, warm, colorful textiles and gems of contemporary art - I'd pretty much give anything to visit. 

destination envy: duddell hong kong

Hong Kong's Exclusive concept space, Duddell's is a destination for the elite.  With a waiting list longer than my wish list, Duddell's boasts a lounge, Cantonese Restaurant and an art collection curated from the archives of private collectors. But what I'm most in awe of is the relaxed yet glamorous interior.  With stone bones, warm, colorful textiles and gems of contemporary art - I'd pretty much give anything to visit. 

drool worthy travel destinations

Z and I have been discussing our next big trip for what seams like forever. Although we won't be able to get away until later in the year, we're itching to pick a destination and get something on the books.  I don't know about you, but having a big trip to look forward to and plan for is always an exciting time.  Here are some of the destinations on our short list.

1. Iceland
2. Mykonos
3. Chile
4. Brazil
5. Puerto Rico
6. Lake Hillier
7. Bondi Beach
8. Nepal

We've also thought about a train-ride through India, beach hopping in Thailand or a Serengeti Safari.  I'd love to hear, do you have any great recommendations? 

To see some of our past travels, check out the Travel tab to the right. 

drool worthy travel destinations

Z and I have been discussing our next big trip for what seams like forever. Although we won't be able to get away until later in the year, we're itching to pick a destination and get something on the books.  I don't know about you, but having a big trip to look forward to and plan for is always an exciting time.  Here are some of the destinations on our short list.

1. Iceland
2. Mykonos
3. Chile
4. Brazil
5. Puerto Rico
6. Lake Hillier
7. Bondi Beach
8. Nepal

We've also thought about a train-ride through India, beach hopping in Thailand or a Serengeti Safari.  I'd love to hear, do you have any great recommendations? 

To see some of our past travels, check out the Travel tab to the right. 

travel diary: new dubai

As the name would suggest, New Dubai is quite the opposite of Old Dubai.  While Old Dubai was filled with culture, history and exotic locations, New Dubai was an entirely new experience filled with affluence, excess and luxury.

We spent our second day in Dubai at the center of it all, the Burj Khalifa.  Standing 2,716.5 feet tall, it is 1,263 feet taller than the Empire State Building.  Currently the tallest building in the world, the Burj was a site to be seen.  Although we had seen it in our days prior, up-close and in person, it seemed make-believe along the desert skyline where there are no competitors in size.  I would've sworn it was a hologram, it's that surreal.

We took elevators to the landing deck to check out the view from above.  You could see for miles and miles.  The form of Palm Island, the World islands, the hotels and homes and malls and highways and even off into the bare and desolate desert.  It was a sight to be seen.

Just as our first day in Dubai was all about experiencing the culture of the old city, our second day was all about experiencing the luxury of the new city.  So we treated ourselves to dinner at the Armani Ristorante within the Burj.  It was an extraordinary experience full of luxury, impeccable service and what we now refer to as the best meal of our lives! It was the perfect end to our quick stop in Dubai and the perfect amount of time to explore the city (both new and old) before jetting off to relax under the hot Indian sun.

If you missed our day in Old Dubai, check it out!

travel diary: new dubai

As the name would suggest, New Dubai is quite the opposite of Old Dubai.  While Old Dubai was filled with culture, history and exotic locations, New Dubai was an entirely new experience filled with affluence, excess and luxury.

We spent our second day in Dubai at the center of it all, the Burj Khalifa.  Standing 2,716.5 feet tall, it is 1,263 feet taller than the Empire State Building.  Currently the tallest building in the world, the Burj was a site to be seen.  Although we had seen it in our days prior, up-close and in person, it seemed make-believe along the desert skyline where there are no competitors in size.  I would've sworn it was a hologram, it's that surreal.

We took elevators to the landing deck to check out the view from above.  You could see for miles and miles.  The form of Palm Island, the World islands, the hotels and homes and malls and highways and even off into the bare and desolate desert.  It was a sight to be seen.

Just as our first day in Dubai was all about experiencing the culture of the old city, our second day was all about experiencing the luxury of the new city.  So we treated ourselves to dinner at the Armani Ristorante within the Burj.  It was an extraordinary experience full of luxury, impeccable service and what we now refer to as the best meal of our lives! It was the perfect end to our quick stop in Dubai and the perfect amount of time to explore the city (both new and old) before jetting off to relax under the hot Indian sun.

If you missed our day in Old Dubai, check it out!

hotel envy: portuguese escape

Located in a small town just outside Evora, Portugal, Villa Extramuros is anything but traditional.  This communal boutique hotel boasts all that you'd ever need for a luxurious Mediterranean escape.  Contemporary architecture, open spaces, olive groves, specialty picnics and views for days. I can't imagine a better hideaway.

hotel envy: portuguese escape

Located in a small town just outside Evora, Portugal, Villa Extramuros is anything but traditional.  This communal boutique hotel boasts all that you'd ever need for a luxurious Mediterranean escape.  Contemporary architecture, open spaces, olive groves, specialty picnics and views for days. I can't imagine a better hideaway.

san francisco travel diary

For Zach's birthday we headed up to San Francisco to celebrate with friends.  It was amazing weather for this time of year so we tried to get out and do as much as we could!

We arrived late on Thursday and enjoyed dinner at NOPA.  It was completely laid back, packed and fit the bill for our late night arrival.

Friday came much too quick and since it was Zach's birthday, we headed out to explore the city.  We started our day with a drive through the Presidio to have breakfast in the Marina. From there we walked to Crissy Field to see the Golden Gate, the dog walkers, the bike riders and on this very windy day, the kite surfers. My only request for the trip was that we make it to Hayes Valley to scour all the great shops and Zach obliged.  We window shopped boutiques and antique shops until we fell upon Lunch Pad, a great sandwich shop.  Since Alamo Square Park was just a few blocks away (known for it's view of the Painted Ladies, aka where Uncle Jessie lived on Full House), we opted to take our sandwiches to-go and had an impromptu birthday picnic! After such a full day we had a low key night with margaritas and mexican fare at West of Pecos.

It was so beautiful Saturday, we crossed the bridge into Sausalito for some beers and bocce.  We soaked up the sun, had pizza, drank pitchers and played bocce.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day.  As you know, I couldn't wait to visit Bar Agricole and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.  Dinner was second to none but no good trip would be complete without a dive bar, right?   As though it was meant to be, after our nice dinner we found ourselves in one of the city's diviest of bars, Butter. We walked in to find a Winebego inside the bar and gangster rap turned up loud, it was perfect.

Needless to say, Sunday was a struggle, but the trip was just what the doctor ordered.  A few days away from the grind spent with great friends!

san francisco travel diary

For Zach's birthday we headed up to San Francisco to celebrate with friends.  It was amazing weather for this time of year so we tried to get out and do as much as we could!

We arrived late on Thursday and enjoyed dinner at NOPA.  It was completely laid back, packed and fit the bill for our late night arrival.

Friday came much too quick and since it was Zach's birthday, we headed out to explore the city.  We started our day with a drive through the Presidio to have breakfast in the Marina. From there we walked to Crissy Field to see the Golden Gate, the dog walkers, the bike riders and on this very windy day, the kite surfers. My only request for the trip was that we make it to Hayes Valley to scour all the great shops and Zach obliged.  We window shopped boutiques and antique shops until we fell upon Lunch Pad, a great sandwich shop.  Since Alamo Square Park was just a few blocks away (known for it's view of the Painted Ladies, aka where Uncle Jessie lived on Full House), we opted to take our sandwiches to-go and had an impromptu birthday picnic! After such a full day we had a low key night with margaritas and mexican fare at West of Pecos.

It was so beautiful Saturday, we crossed the bridge into Sausalito for some beers and bocce.  We soaked up the sun, had pizza, drank pitchers and played bocce.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day.  As you know, I couldn't wait to visit Bar Agricole and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.  Dinner was second to none but no good trip would be complete without a dive bar, right?   As though it was meant to be, after our nice dinner we found ourselves in one of the city's diviest of bars, Butter. We walked in to find a Winebego inside the bar and gangster rap turned up loud, it was perfect.

Needless to say, Sunday was a struggle, but the trip was just what the doctor ordered.  A few days away from the grind spent with great friends!

travel: old dubai

We went to Dubai!  I still can't quite believe it myself.  When Zach and I first started dating I was astonished to learn that he not only grew up overseas, but he spent his high school years in Dubai.  He spoke about the lavish gold souk (he's always known the way to my heart), the vibrant colors and scents of the spice souk, his beloved cheese maneesh (think arabic quesadilla thats completely worth a 16 hour flight) and countless days at the beach.  

And that was when Dubai was added to my wander list.

So when it came time for us to plan our honeymoon, naturally Dubai was high on our list.  I wanted to see where Z had spent so much of his time and he wanted to go back to see how far it had come.
After making long lists of possible destinations, looking into what it would take to get there, saving, saving and saving some more, we finally decided to spend our honeymoon in the Maldives.  Don't worry, I didn't know where it was to start with either but it is geographically the Hawaii of India and is very, very far away for a California native.

Once the plans were made, we decided that if we were going to go all the way to the other side of the world, that we better spend a few days in the luxurious city of Dubai.  It would be a perfect pit stop on our long trip and would allow us time to see the sites, experience the local culture and taste the amazing food of this well known city.

We broke our time in Dubai into two parts: Old Dubai and New Dubai.  Old Dubai was the Dubai that Z was familiar with and New Dubai would be a new adventure for us both!

We spent our first day exploring (me) and reliving (Zach) Old Dubai.  We secured a driver for the day to take us to all of Z's favorite spots.  We visited the gold souk (I was in heaven), the spice souk, crossed the Dubai Creek, were tourists in the old cultural museum, indulged in cheese maneesh at Z's favorite bakery and visited his childhood home.  Come evening, we experienced the thrill and night life of Jumeriah Beach and explored the legendary Palm Island.

It was a dream to explore such a culturally rich city together.  We can't wait to return!