6 Reasons Why You should go on a Family Cruise

August 1, 2018 No Comments

Hello guys! I finally was able to finish this blog post about our cruise. I am here to share all the reasons why you should go on a Family Cruise. Honestly, I am scared of riding boats or even cruise ships or thinking I might get sea sick but hey. How will I know if I will never try, right? So back in February my husband and I was thinking of a family travel for this year and we were like. We should try something different (our adventurous side kicking in!) and we thought about the cruise. Talked to a friend and gave me the contact number of their travel agent. Ms. Jing (our agent) was very helpful as we are first timers and gave us all insights on what kind of room to book and where is the best location at the ship and so we booked….

And so the adventure began and ended and here are the reason why we enjoyed it as a family and why your family will have the best time….

FOOD! Nobody wants to be hungry specially when you are travelling with kids who are most of the time asking for food. It is all inclusive so no need to worry about it and just know which restaurants are open at a certain time and go there.
SWIMMING POOLS! There are different areas in the ship that the whole family can enjoy, whirlpools for the adults, water park for the kids and young at hearts.
ENTERTAINMENT. All around the ship there are places of entertainment from Stand up comedy, lives band performance, mini concerts, game shows, kids shows and many more to choose from for all ages.
BEACH EXCURSIONS. When cruising you get a chance to get of different islands depending on what destinations of your cruise will be. Sounds fun already right?
KIDS CAMP. Our kids enjoyed being in the camp, we usually leave them there when my husband and I want to go to the gym. The kids loved being there because they meet new friends and get to play with them and learn new things like arts and crafts and the likes. Also if you would want to spend an adult time for yourself, your adult friends and family.
CASINO. if you like to gamble. We are not into it but I included it here (good to know).
ACTIVITIES. on top of the ship they have different games for everyone like mini golf, table tennis, billiards, basketball and a lot more.

It was overall a wonderful experience and can’t wait to go back again. If you have any questions about the cruise let me know maybe I can make another blog post about it.

Thank you for stopping by!

Simply,

Christianne

Outfit, Travel

Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC

July 30, 2018 No Comments

Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC DETAILS: DRESS

Hi Guys! Today I am sharing Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC. All the things you need for a best vacation is outlined here. I have been wanting to share our family experience about our stay at Kimpton Hotel Palomar (a boutique hotel) in Washington, DC. I wanna show you how it was to have a staycation around the Nation’s Capital.

Honestly, It is our first time to stay in a Hotel in the District as I live in Maryland which is about 30 minutes away. I am glad to have stayed in DC this time as we were able to visit some of the other beautiful places around it. Most of the people who visits Washington, DC mostly wanna go to every museum and monuments around and specially the White House.

There are other places around that you should also include in your itineraries. I have outlined some of the reasons why you should stay at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar.

Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC 1. ACCOMODATION. They have the stylish and spacious rooms for you with super comfy beds! I fell in love with their modern style furniture and beautifully designed bathrooms. When we got tired of going around the area at least we enjoyed staying in the room for all those reasons while watching some good shows.

2. WINE HOUR. They have this complimentary wine hour where you get to taste different kinds of wine and make it your happy hour of the day. Good for people who are wine lovers like me and my husband. Don’t worry they also have something for the kids. They have popcorn and lemon waters to share so everybody and for those who does not drink wine. We were able to enjoy those moments staying in the hotel lobby chit chatting. You get to see and chit chat with other guests too if you are some kind of social butterfly.

Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC

3. POOL TIME. One of the reasons why we love doing staycations is the swimming pool. Isn’t it fun if you can get to swim while you are staying away from home. It already feels like you are in a resort right? The whole family get to enjoy this pool time specially the kids that loves water. They have this pool float her that we get to use for ourselves. It was a little chilly this day but we were able to manage.

4. FOOD. They have Urbana Italian Dining where you can get to eat delicious Italian food and you will surely enjoy the ambiance. We ate there for breakfast and it was the best meal if the day! They have a lot of breakfast food to offer.

5. COMPLIMENTARY BIKES. Who doesn’t want to explore the surrounding areas if you are staying in this Hotel right? The best part is you get to do cardio. DC is such a nice city to get around on a bike, it is too much of a hassle to use your car and find a parking spot, plus it is expensive too. It was just unfortunate that it was rainy during our stay so we were not really able to go farther than around the City. We would have been able to reach all the Museums…

Reasons to stay at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel in DC

6. COMPLIMENTARY UMBRELLA AND YOGA MAT. It actually came handy during our stay because it was really a rainy weekend. If you prefer to stay in the room to workout because they have a towel and yoga mat in the closet. Even though the gym is always open 24 hours. It rained so hard after we took this last photo.

In case you are looking for more hotel stays in DC. I have them here and here for you to check out.

In case you have questions just let me know. Thank you for stopping by!

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

Thank you Kimpton Hotel Palomar for hosting our stay!

Outfit, Travel

Beach Day at Grand Turk

July 18, 2018 No Comments

Beach Day at Grand Turk Beach Day at Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos SHOP THE LOOK:

FOREVER 21 similar BIKINI

FOREVER 21 FRAYED similar HIGH WAIST SHORTS

FOREVER 21 CROP TOP (NO LONGER AVAILABLE) SIMILAR HERE

KAREN WALKER similar SUNNIES

HAVAIANAS FLIP FLOP

As promised, here is another port that we visited: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. It was the last island we visited, and we absolutely fell in love with it. Grand Turk met all my criteria for the perfect beach, with its pretty white sand and turquoise water.

Exploring Grand Turk

We decided to rent a golf cart to explore the island on our own time, as our visit was limited to just 5 and a half hours. Although you can circle the island in about 2 hours, we chose to explore downtown first. Finding nothing of particular interest there, we ventured out to look for another beach and were fortunate enough to find one all to ourselves.

Beach Day Outfit

I wore this cute two-piece bikini, which is high-waisted, flattering, and affordable. Since the sun was intense, I always wore my hat and sunglasses. My crop top and shorts served as a cover-up while we moved around the port.

Activities at Grand Turk

At the beach next to where our ship docked, you can go horseback riding for an hour for $65. The beach by the ship also features a nice pool, fake surfing areas, and plenty of activities like shopping, bars, island hopping, snorkeling, jet skiing, and banana boating. However, the water there wasn’t great, so we were lucky to find the beautiful, isolated Governor’s Beach for ourselves.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

Outfit, Travel

Weekend at the Pocono Mountains

August 21, 2017 No Comments

DETAILS:

KNIT CARDIGAN c/o CHICWISH ALSO LOVE THIS AND THIS

HM WHITE TANK TOP BASICS

FOREVER 21 HIGH WAISTED SHORTS SIMILAR HERE

MARSHALLS SANDALS SIMILAR HERE

FOREVER 21 SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

It was a fun filled weekend for Aidan’s birthday celebrated it with family and friends. We went to the Pocono Mountains at Eagle Rock Resort in Pennsylvania. We make it a point to go there at least once a year. That place is perfect for family gatherings because of the laid back feel. You will never get bored with all their activities like horse back riding, swimming, lake water fun activities, skiing in the winter, spa and fitness, golf, billiards, volleyball, basketball and so much more.

It was Aidan’s 4th birthday and I was just stunned that when I was changing him in the bathroom after swimming. He just said “thank you everyone for my birthday!”. I was so shocked an excited as well because he is becoming more mature. The silliness is getting less, exciting and at the same time I do not want him to grow so fast, both of my children.

As for the outfit, I am glad I brought this chic cardigan from chicwish which will be coming soon to their website. It was so soft and perfect for the cool breeze we had there in the morning and evenings. You know you will always feel some chill when you are in the mountains.

I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend and wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

Outfit, Travel

Sunflower Fields Plus My Chicwish Dress

August 2, 2017 No Comments

DETAILS:

WHITE DRESS c/o CHICWISH (worn here)

ZARA BOW SLIDES SIMILAR HERE

F21 SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

So I finally made it to this pictorial with the sunflowers. As a part time blogger like me, there are a very few time that I can possibly squeeze in a photo shoot specially if it is an hour away from where I live. Another thing is to be able to persuade my husband (instagram husband) to take a picture of me. Most of you fellow bloggers know what I mean. Last year, I have planned to visit a a Sunflower festival but did not get the chance to do it. As for the dress, as you can see I have worn this already on this post here. I was really planning to wear this during the Lavender Festival back in July but still did not get a chance. With that in mind, I made sure this time I make it to the sunflower field before it dies and be able to wear the dress with the picturisque backdrop. That is how Sunflower fields plus my chicwish dress post came up.

It has only been a week since it was announced that the sunflowers will be in its peak for 2 weeks but when we got there, most of the flowers died already. I was so sad but still made it work and tried to find a spot where there were still a lot of bloomed sunflowers. Have you noticed the dead sunflowers? Not really right because the whole picture together with the beautiful sunny day made it perfect. Just a thought, always stay positive and try to creative something good with everything and you will see the big difference even though it did not start well.

Thank you all for stopping by and hoping that I was able to give some inspiration to all of you who are having a rough day.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

with special participation of my daughter and of course Aidan (my son) doesn’t wanna be in the picture 🙂

Location: McKee Beshers Wildlife Management

Outfit, Travel

Stripes and Gingham All in One

July 7, 2017 No Comments

OUTFIT DETAILS:

ASOS DRESS (on sale!!)

F21 SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

(on sale!!) PULL AND BEAR SLIDES

MICHAEL KORS HANDBAG

TGIF! I am sharing one of my favorite dress this summer that I really enjoyed wearing specially when we visited the University of North Carolina. I had no idea that blue and white was their color and I felt like I just represented their school. This dress is stripes and gingham all in one style. All the fabulous trends all together in out outfit. What I love about this is the simplicity of the stripes part and the chic ruffled gingham at the end of the dress. I just had to match it to these pair of espadrilles slides that are a perfect summer pair.

As you all may noticed, I had the brown tote (mommy bag for strolling purposes with the kids) and just realized that the one I packed for this trip I left at home. I was thinking of pairing this look with another white or grey bag.

What do you think of this outfit? Did you like the style of it?

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Noevl (my better half)

Location: University of North Carolina

Outfit, Travel

Easy Dress While Exploring Italia In Miniatura

May 31, 2017 No Comments

Easy Dress While Exploring Italia In Miniatura OUTFIT DETAILS:

PALM PRINT DRESS c/o KARINA DRESSES

ZARA CROSSBODY SIMILAR HERE

SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

ZARA BOW SLIDES SIMILAR HERE AND HERE

If you have kids like me and you are in Italy and close to Rimini. You might wanna check out this Italia in Miniatura. It is the best place for the whole family as you and your kids will get to see the whole Italy in a small version.

Dresses to wear to this trip

Easy Dress While Exploring Italia In Miniatura — The whole map of Italy

They have rides and water splashing places for kids so make sure to bring extra clothes because you are gonna get wet.

They also have a little animal kingdom where you get to see different birds.

Here you will get to see the different places Italy has to offer. We found out that there are a lot of cities that we need to visit when we visit Italy again.

We really are grateful and blessed to have such wonderful family living here in Italy taking us to this places we have never though existed. We get to see and taste the whole Italy because of them, driving us around, pretty much sponsoring our Italian trip.

It was just so appropriate that I wore this dress here as it was easy to move around and the slied are just as comfy as I did not have t walk much from this trip.

We stayed in Modena, Italy and it is 2 hours away from Milan, Venice, Pisa, Verona, Cinque Terre and 45 mins away from Bologna and 5 hours away from Rome. Just to give you an idea how we get to these places.

Thank you so much for stopping by and Happy hump Day!

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better Half)

Outfit, Travel

2 Days Trip Guide in Barcelona, Spain

May 29, 2017 No Comments

2 Days Trip Guide in Barcelona, Spain

OUTFIT DETAILS:

FLAMINGO BLOUSE c/o CHICWISH

AMERICAN EAGLE HIGH RISE JEGGINGS

FOREVER 21 SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

ZARA CROSSBODY BAG SIMILAR HERE

ZARA BOW SLIDES SIMILAR HERE AND HERE

Good morning and Happy Monday! How are you celebrating your Memorial Day? Today, I’m sharing details of my 2-day trip to Barcelona, Spain. I’ll cover all the places I visited, along with the restaurants and shops I tried. If you have an upcoming trip to this beautiful city, I hope this gives you some helpful ideas and insights.

Feel free to let me know if you need any more adjustments!

2 Days Trip Guide in Barcelona, Spain

Why am I saying it was only a 2-day trip? Well, we arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday afternoon and left early Thursday morning. We stayed in an apartment about 40 minutes away from the center, Plaza Catalunya, by bus. We could have taken the train or a taxi, but we wanted to see more of the city, so we chose the bus, which had its last stop at Plaza Catalunya.

Upon arrival, we refreshed ourselves and got situated at the apartment, then headed straight into the city. The public transportation was very efficient; we didn’t experience any traffic and arrived at Plaza Catalunya around 3 PM. From there, you can easily walk to La Rambla, where you’ll find numerous restaurants, shops, La Boqueria (a fresh produce market), and the marina. In the opposite direction, you can walk to Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí’s famous masterpieces, aside from the Sagrada Família.

On Day 1, we strolled along La Rambla and were amazed by its accessibility to various shops, restaurants, and attractions like museums and street performers. This place is very busy, so be sure to keep an eye on your belongings.

2 Days Trip Guide in Barcelona, Spain

La Boqueria is one of my favorites on this strip, as it has a wide variety of fresh produce to satisfy your heart’s desires. We met my husband’s aunt, who lives in Spain, and she invited us to her place for dinner. She made a delicious seafood paella, with all the ingredients sourced from La Boqueria.

At the end of La Rambla, you’ll find Maremagnum, a small mall in the middle of the sea, where you can shop and dine while enjoying a beautiful view of the water.

2 Days Trip Guide in Barcelona, Spain

Day 2 we started late around 12nn and this time we took the Barcelona City Tour Bus (29 Euro adult ticket and 16 euro for kids 4-12 free for 3 and below) so the kids won’t have to walk. It is a hop on hop off bus to see all the city attractions and here we got of to see the Sagrada Familia. Such a stunning masterpiece and we wanted to get inside but the next available opening was 7pm too bad we did not have time. The person at the entrance said we should have booked it online to save us time.

The other stops we just took pictures from the Bus. Another tip, Barcelona has a lot of beautiful beaches so if you love the beach, make sure to bring along your swimsuit, sunscreens.

Sure, here’s a revised version of your blog post:

During our trip, we enjoyed a meal at a Tapas restaurant in Plaza Catalunya. The food was delicious, and the Sangria was amazing! For lunch, we headed to Chipilon at the Maremagnum. The food there was just okay.

For my outfit, I chose a flamingo blouse paired with pants and some cute slides from Zara. It’s more affordable to buy Zara items here since the brand originates from Spain. For added comfort while sightseeing, I alternated between my slides and Toms shoes.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful week ahead.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better Half)

Outfit, Travel

Beach Day in Mykonos with my Perfect All Day Maxi Dress

May 22, 2017 No Comments

my little Greek God and Goddess OUTFIT DETAILS:

SLIP MAXI DRESS c/o CHICWISH

FOREVER 21 SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

MOSSIMO SLIPPERS SIMILAR HERE

ZARA CROSS BODY BAG SIMILAR HERE

Good morning from Maryland! Finally back from our 2 week vacation. If you have been following me on instagram you have seen some of my post from our trip but since we were always ot and about. I have not posted all of those outfit and travel inspiration here on the blog. Starting today you will see all the wonderful outfits and travel photos to keep you inspired and this Beach Day in Mykonos with my Perfect All Day Maxi Dress. Mykonos is best for family vacations as I have heard because I haven’t been to the most famous Santorini. In this island most beaches are close by just like this Aegios Stafenos Beach here is 5 mins away from our hotel which happens to be above the beach.

I have worn this perfect dress for sunset dinner and then went straight to the beach for some family fun with the gorgeous water and sands. it was a cloudy day but it was perfect as we all enjoyed the view, the sound of the relaxing waves. We were dancing on the beach with the kids and they started collecting some rocks which they brought back here in the US. The dress is super soft and I actually sat on it. It was also being pushed away by the breeze and I was able to feel its softness on my skin. This is definitely one that you would want to wear when you are out on a sunny day too. You will love the fabric!

I hope I was able to give you some inspirations today and was able to put some smile on your face. Happy Monday and thank you for stopping by. Just let me know if you have any questions or any suggestions on what you want to see me post.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel ( my better half)

Outfit, Travel

Exploring Mykonos Town

May 19, 2017 No Comments

OUTFIT DETAILS:

RED ORANGE TOP FOREVER 21

HIGH WAISTED SHORTS FOREVER 21

FRANCO SARTO SANDALS

STRAW BAG SIMILAR HERE

SUNNIES SIMILAR HERE

Boungiurno from Italy! I do apologize for not posting consistently this week and last week and you all know. We are on our family trip here in Europe and we are always out and about and when we are staying in the hotel or our relatives house. We catch up with each other so I really coudn’t keep up.

Today, I am sharing our trip to Mykonos Town last week. This is a very small town but it is so pretty as you can see in the pictures. Here you can find different restaurants, shopping places both high end and low. You will get to see the famous picture perfect view of the sea and the windmills.

Our family really enjoyed strolling around here. We rented a car as our hotel is few miles away from here. I liked it that way and will tell you why when I post about our hotel and why I chose to book it.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you in my next post next week.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (My better half)

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