florida travel

JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes Weekend

Happy Wednesday friends!

I have an extra special post for you today! I had the amazing opportunity to take a weekend getaway with my husband and puppy to the JW Marriott in Orlando this past weekend and y’all in was heavenly!

I can’t recommend enough if you are traveling to Orlando that you stay at Grande Lakes and really enjoy your trip and everything the hotel has to offer! I’m sharing a look at the hotel and everything they have to offer as well as the amazing restaurants and fun things to do! Keep scrolling to check it out!

When Travis and I arrived on Friday we headed to have some lunch at Bleu. This is located on the Ritz-Carlton side of Grande Lakes and they have delicious fresh bites and the prettiest views! They are also conveniently located close to the Ritz pool so if you are looking for a yummy bite or drink this is the spot!

From there we walked the grounds a bit to really enjoy the beautiful scenery and the nice weather that we had this past weekend. We then headed to our room to relax and then get ready for dinner.

Friday night we had dinner at Primo and to say it was one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had would be an understatement. Every bite of food was amazing, the presentation was a vision, the service was impeccable, and the atmosphere was tranquil! We could not recommend Primo enough! Next time you’re there we highly recommend trying the charcuterie, the campanelle cacio e pepe, the pork saltimbocca, and the donuts!

Saturday morning we headed to Citron for breakfast to start our day! We were welcomed with mimosas and fresh coffee and decided to do the breakfast buffet so we could try different things. They had so many amazing options to choose from. I can never turn down a salmon bagel and theirs is perfect with cream cheese and pickled onions. Plus they have the BEST donuts ever! The most fresh and delicious classic glaze donuts I’ve ever had! Highly recommend starting your day here!

We spent most of Saturday poolside at The Spa at The Ritz Carlton. This is an adult only pool area which is super nice and the atmosphere is the most amazing! We enjoyed our private cabana most of the afternoon, with delicious smoothies and poolside bites. The cabana is definitely a plus for a day at the pool, being able to stay shaded and have space to relax was so luxurious!

Our final dinner was at Highball & Harvest at The Ritz Carlton and it did not disappoint! The atmosphere of this restaurant in the evening is so cool and unique. Travis and I enjoyed the southern spread to start before our main dishes; diver scallops and prime ribeye, everything was so amazing, the flavors were out of this world! To top if off we had vanilla crème brûlée for dessert and it was the perfect ending to the meal. Again all the food the whole weekend exceeded expectations and everything was so delicious! So no matter where you eat on property you will not be disappointed!

We had the best weekend at The JW Marriott Orlando at Grande Lakes and can not wait to go back! We loved all the people we met and how everyone loved our little pup, Chewy and made us feel welcome! It was the perfect weekend!

Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes Weekend

Happy Wednesday friends!

I have an extra fun post for you today! I had the amazing opportunity to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando this past weekend it was the most amazing experience! I’m sharing a look at the rooms at both The Ritz-Carlton Orlando as well as the JW Marriott Orlando. I’m also sharing a look at some of their amazing restaurants and things to do at the hotels!

Friday morning I arrived and we immediately had breakfast at Highball & Harvest and it was amazing! Here’s a small look at the buffet with everything you could want and everything fresh! The fresh made donuts absolutely blew me away!

Next we shot some content at The Ritz! The capabilities they have are endless as you can see below. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion they can make that moment for you extra special! The rooms are beautiful and so fresh and clean and really are just the most luxurious!

The Spa at The Ritz is so tranquil and super enjoyable as I believe it is an adult only pool and super quiet! The landscaping itself is super stunning and gives you the ultimate vacation vibes! We enjoyed delicious smoothies and snacks while lounging and enjoying the beautiful weather!

Here are some of my favorite photos from my room at the hotel in addition to some photos I got from the Royal Suite and the attention to detail and colors in these rooms are probably some of my favorite things! I especially LOVED all the photos in the rooms and how crisp everything was!

Friday evening we went to the lounge before walking over to Knife & Spoon where I ate some of the best food I’ve ever had! Everything was cooked to perfection. The textures and colors were something of art and the taste of everything was unbelievable! My top three favorite things was the Bone-In Ribeye, Potato Puree, and the King Crab “Scampi”. It will be a meal you’ll never forget!

Saturday morning we attended breakfast at Citron, again amazing food with fresh ingredients and amazing flavors! The fresh biscuits with butter and guava jam were melt in your mouth along with everything else we got to eat!

We then headed to shoot more content at the JW Marriott as well as got to see their suite that you can see below which is amazing! All my interior design dreams in one place!

Lastly that night we went to Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen for drinks and enjoyed some amazing food there as well!

We then headed over to Primo for dinner, again, another amazing meal and I can’t recommend enough checking them out! The atmosphere is amazing and the food was impeccable! The desserts were out of this world, I can’t describe how heavenly these were!

Overall one of the most amazing weekends I’ve ever had and am so grateful I had this opportunity! I can’t recommend The Ritz-Carlton Orlando and JW Marriott Orlando enough!

Bachelorette Weekend Recap & Mini SRQ Travel Guide

Happy Wedding Wednesday!

This week we are talking everything bachelorette party weekend! I chose to have my bachelorette party in Sarasota, are you surprised? Let’s be honest I’m a Sarasota girl through and through and I had to have my bachelorette weekend at the beach, no place I rather be than here! This post is about the weekend but also a mini travel guide for some fun things to do if you are ever in Sarasota!

First off my girls killed it with the hotel and the decor for the weekend! We stayed at The Sarasota Modern, and it was an instagrammer’s dream, everything was beautfiul and picture perfect and I can’t wait to go back! My party was tropical themed so everything banana leaf and pineapple which I’ll share below with all my favorite treats to munch on over the weekend!

A must while in SRQ is to hit Selva Grill especially for Happy Hour! They have my ALL TIME FAVORITE Cesar Salad and the drinks are amazing too! *Word to the wise get there earlier, it’s a poppin spot* We also hit some bars on Main, which I can’t attest to much as I’m not a bar girl so we didn’t stay long, but we did have a celeb sighting at one of the bars, see if you can’t guess who it it below :)

We also of course hit Daquiri Deck on Siesta Key and had to take a photo at the beach because what is a trip to Sarasota if you didn’t go to the beach, right?! Highly recommend checking out the Daquiri Deck if you’ve never been, it’s a staple in town, especially if you’re going for a beach trip! They have great drinks of course and the food if yummy too!

Lastly we only hit one local breakfast spot, but if you’re ever in town make sure to stop at Station 400 they have amazing breakfast and lunch and the food is out of this world. The whole vibe of the downtown location is just like a train station, it’s the cutest! Highly recommend!

Sharing some snaps from the weekend below and will have a fun photoshoot from the weekend coming soon! We are 4 months away, next stop bridal shower!

Annual Daytona Beach Trip

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Y’all know that for the past few years now Travis and I have taken a little weekend vacay once a year to Daytona Beach and it’s a great time for us to reset and enjoy the start of summer! I love to share travel blogs with y’all the most probably because traveling and doing something different than everyday life is fun and a great escape!

We got to The Hyatt Place on Friday and immediately went to the pool to relax and enjoy golden hour before grabbing pizza at my favorite pizza place in Daytona, Rossellini’s! We get a basic cheese and peperonni pizza with ranch and y’all it’s one of the best places I’ve ever been for pizza!

Saturday we hit the beach and pool pretty much all day after grabbing our complimentary breakfast at the hotel. I’m loving all the gingham this summer and this suit from Old Navy is not exception. I paired it with some retro sunnies, also from Old Navy and some earrings from Bauble Bar, topped it off with a red lip and you could say I was probably the most over done person at the pool, LOL!

Moving on to Saturday evening we decided to check out a new restaurant as we tend to go to the same places while we are here. We decided to give Cocina 214-Daytona Beach a try! Y’all this is probably some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had! Their queso blanco with chorizo and chip is out of this world! Seriously what dreams are made of! Travis got tacos with rice and beans and I got the enchiladas and we were not disappointed! Everything was amazing! The restaurant itself is stunning inside and looks out to the water so I decided to wear this little tropical print number to dinner. Again the dress is from Old Navy paired with my go to summer LC Lauren Conrad straw bag with flip-flops and it was the perfect casual dinner outfit! We finished the evening taking a stroll on the beach and just enjoying the water and each-others company, sappy I know.

On our last day we soaked up as much beach and pool as we could before heading home. I brought this fun pink suit from Aerie to snap some shots of and absolutely adore the color and style! Paired with some simple gold earrings, white sunnies, and pink lip I loved this look!

That’s about it for this years trip! We had a great time and just love our time by the water and hope to move closer to it again someday soon!

xoxo

Spring Time Embroidery

Happy Monday Friends!

I’m totally ready for spring time and sunshine, anyone else?! I’ve been picking up some spring pieces lately and Old Navy and Stein Mart have had some great steals recently! These jeans are my new favorites y’all! They are high waisted, distressed, and sculpt how can I resist?! These are the best jeans and are of course from Old Navy! The tunic top is from Stein Mart and such a steal for $18 and I love the embroidery detail and the color! Paired with sandals from last year and Loft aviators on sale! This is my ideal spring look, it’s super comfy and easy on the go!

We are busy wedding planning and scheduling trip for the summer and I couldn’t be happier for beach days and trips! What is your favorite part about spring/summer?!

Hamptons Vibes

Happy Wednesday ya'll! Summer is in full swing, especially here in FL and this has to be one of my favorite looks to date! i snagged this Vince Camuto Jumpsuit from TJ Maxx for only $40 isn't that amazing! I love a great deal on high end pieces and TJ Maxx never disappoints. This look is very different from what I'm used to, more bold, bright, and colorful but as long as you like it and feel confident in it that's all that matters! Right?! 

I'm sharing this fun look with you below, as well as the accessory details so keep scrolling and check it out!

This look gives me all the resort feels and makes me feel like I'm in The Hamptons on a vacay! What accessory gives you all the vacay feels? A big floppy hat of course! This LC by Lauren Conrad hat has been my everything since the moment I purchased it! It goes great with everything and is perfect for the beach, pool, picnics, you name it! 

I finished the looks with some pink wedges and gold oval hoop earrings keeping the accessories minimal and clean since the jumper is so loud and vibrant. Jumpers and rompers have quickly become my favorite look this summer since they are so easy and perfect for the heat! 

So between the V-neck on the jumper, the print, the accessories, this looks can really take you anywhere! I've worn this to work paired with a sweater and the same wedges. I've worn it to a conference/event and out to eat! This is perfect for pretty much anywhere and you don't have to try to hard! What do you think of this look and are you loving jumpers just as much as me this season? Let me know! 

 

Photos: Lacey Irving Lifestyle

New Smyrna Beach Day

Summer is on its way here in the sunshine state! We have already made a few local beach trips to New Smyrna Beach our go to beach here in Orlando. If you have never been it's an awesome drive on beach making it the most convenient to pack lunch and drinks and have a day at the beach without lugging your stuff from the car to the beach, perfection! Saturday was perfect beach weather and so beautiful! We of course went with our friends and had an amazing time and of course snapped some photos as well!

The beach is my favorite place, the best place to take a minute and reset! I was born and raised in Florida and could never imagine not living remotely close to a beach! What about you? Love the beach or no? 

Again all my pieces are linked below. Everything is super affordable, the suit is actually from  TJ Maxx and the top and shorts are Old Navy and the hat is my favorite LC by Lauren Conrad for Kohls, make sure to check them out!



Poppin' Pink

Happy February Everyone! With Valentine's Day only weeks away I'm pulling together a few Valentine's looks for y'all! What better way to be festive than with a pop of pink! This is one of my favorite looks for Valentine's Day, it's perfect for the office or date night...or both! I'm loving the classic black flare skirt with the pop of pink and black t-strap heels! It's perfect for all my girls out there that don't want to be in your face Valentine's but still festive! 

If this is still to bold for you try just incorporate some accessories that are for the holiday! Maybe a heart necklace or pink or red bag, something along those lines would be perfect with a solid black dress or jeans and a top!

What is your go to Valentine's look? Do you love the super girly look or like something less pink? Let me know below! 

Top 7 Travel Essentials

Happy Thursday everyone! I wanted to sit down and talk travel essentials for a few minutes. I have several trips planned for this year and am working on booking more trips and have quickly learned that we all have our basic things we bring on every trip. That being said I have 7 travel essentials besides basic necessities that I take with me on every trip I go on and they really have come in handy recently with all our traveling. Check out my top 7 travel essentials below and let me know your must haves when traveling!  


1. Of course first things first is my suitcase. I recently invested in a hard shell suitcase from iFLY that is super cute but also heavy duty. I love how easy it is to pack and how much it holds. I only travel with a carry on suitcase as it saves time and money when traveling as well! I've linked my suitcase below as well as a few others I love!

2. Next thing is a toiletry bag. I'm obsessed with my Genoa Voyager Toiletry Bag from Hudson + Bleeker. This bag is perfect for traveling whether just escaping for the weekend or leaving on a 2 week excursion you will want this bag with you. I'm nortorious for packing several different bags for different things and this keeps it simple. I pack this bag for toiletries and another for makeup that's it. Find my bag linked below along with a few others that I adore!

3. Makeup is my kryptonite and I can't travel without it, needless to say I need a bag that can take it. My friend Mer got me my current makeup bag that I adore for traveling as it has a seperate area for brushes and is durable and easy to clean. It's the perfect size and highly recommend having a makeup bag like it that can withstand the travel. Again I've linked my bag below along with other recommendations. 

4. Of course you need your travel sized toiletries for your trip. I always have my shampoo, conditioner, face wash, perfume, and micellar water. I pick up all my travel sized toiletries at Ulta and Target. Below are some of my favorites that I take everywhere with me.

5. Every time I travel I always make sure to have a sweater, doesn't matter if I'm going to the hottest destination or not I always have a sweater for the plane or if you happen to get chilly out to dinner or something. My must have cardigan is from White House Black Market, below are some other favorites too.

6. Up next I always travel with flats, or whatever is your most comfortable walking shoe because let's be honest you don't want to be stuck without comfy shoes. Never travel without shoes that you can live in because when you travel you never know what you'll be doing. Again some favorites linked below.

7. Final must have for travel besides the absolute necessities is a basic T-shirt and some jeans because you can't go wrong with that outfit. Casual and comfortable is the absolute way to travel. My go to as you all know is Old Navy and Loft for my casual looks check out some must haves below.

Hope you all enjoyed this post, please let me know your travel must haves in the comments below!

Vero Beach Weekend Vaca

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all have had a great start to the new year and have set some goals for 2018! One of my goals this year is to travel more and have started fulfilling this goal already with our first trip of the year to Vero Beach. We spent this past weekend celebrating our close friends' Mer's birthday at Disney's Vero Beach Resort! What a stunning place to start off the new year! The decor around the whole hotel was stunning so nautical and clean, giving me perfect beach vibes! Although it's still pretty chilly here in FL we still hit the beach for a few minutes...in jeans...before dinner LOL! Never the less we still had a blast hanging out with our friends and venturing to a new place! Below you can find some of my looks from the weekend! Hope you all enjoy! Where are you traveling this year? Let me know!


Saturday during the day we played some mini golf and corn hole so of course it was a jeans and t-shirt kind of day. I kept it tropical with the lime green T and royal blue earrings since we were at the beach after all.

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Saturday night we grabbed a few quick photos on the beach before heading out to dinner. Yes, it was so cold hence the jeans and sweater but you can't vacation at the beach and not go to the beach right?

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Sunday before heading home we enjoyed some sunshine and the beautiful resort! Literally such a stunning place!

Miami Trip

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I'm still getting back to my normal routine from getting back from our amazing trip to Miami! We had such a fun time visiting and I'm excited to share all the details with you guys!


We drove to Miami on Friday and for the most part missed rush hour traffic...for the MOST part lol! Once we checked into our hotel we immediately got ready to go to happy hour at a retro place I found called Vagabond Kitchen & Bar that is part of a motel! Guys! This place was probably my favorite place of the entire trip! The drinks and food were absolutely amazing! The menu is simple and clean the food is impeccable paired with the craft cocktails this place is a must when visiting Miami! Also the decor in this place is like none other, it's like something out of a movie, very retro chic! Seriously so good! Below is some of the food which included truffle fries, croque monsieur, and goat cheese croquetas! Also how awesome is the interior of this place?! So cool!

Below that you will find my light and airy outfit from happy hour and can shop the look as well! 

Check out the Vagabond Kitchen & Bar HERE


Saturday was our South Beach day of course! We hit the News Cafe for brunch before hitting the beach! This place is so fun and right across from South Beach! The food was delicious and it's a popular place for locals and another must if you're just visiting the area! Below you can find some of the food and details from this fun restaurant! After brunch and the beach we hit Wet Willies for a cold daiquiri before walking around Collin's Ave and Lincoln Rd. Later that evening we got take out from another cool place, Crust! Super yummy pizza and great price point! Needless to say Saturday was a blast!

Check out Crust HERE

Also check out News Cafe HERE


Sunday Funday consisted of the Dodgers vs. Marlins game! We were representing the LA Dodgers! Go Dodgers go! The last time I went to a baseball game I'm pretty sure I was 10 and had no idea what the point of this game was! Needless to say I still don't understand all the rules but it was really cool to be pretty close to the field and watch the game! You can't go wrong with a hot dog and a baseball game on a Sunday, right?! It was a pretty cool and fun experience! My outfit was a pretty standard comfortable and blue of course pairing to represent our team that of course WON! Shop my look below!


As you can see we had an amazing time in Miami! It was a blast exploring another city! I've always loved Miami and it's a different experience every time I visit, that's the best part about a city like this! Let me know where you guys would like to see us venture to next! xoxo