Today’s Pure Barre workout incorporated something new to me!
(Photo Source – And if you think my leg is anywhere close to as straight or high as the women in the above photo, you are very, very wrong.)
This crazy band changed things up a bit and allowed us to engage our arms and core even more than usual throughout the class. Sometimes the core work we do at the end of Pure Barre can get a little redundant, so using this band was a nice change of pace. And it was tough!
Breakfast today included a bowl of my banana egg white oatmeal topped with blueberries and slivered almonds. The pictures wasn’t nearly as attractive as the ones I snapped yesterday since I stirred the blueberries in halfway through and the end result was a pasty looking bowl of blue-gray oatmeal, so I will leave you with this image instead:
It’s better this way, trust me.
Onto some travel talk (my favorite!):
Top Hotels in the World
Last night, as Ryan and I crawled into bed, he told me about an article he saw on CNN yesterday morning that listed Fodor’s top 100 hotels in the world. (You can see the full list on Fodor’s website here.)
Ryan and I talk about traveling all the time and constantly discuss dream vacation destinations and our ongoing “travel bucket list.” We both absolutely love exploring new areas and have fortunately been to some amazing destinations together that serve as some of our fondest memories. Some of my best travel memories are actually from short drivable weekend trips (our first stay at a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida ranks high on my list!) but of course Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands are hard trips to top.
Last night, when Ryan told me about a handful of the hotels on the list, we started talking about the nicest hotels we’ve ever stayed in and I began to realize that my criteria for a fantastic hotel is a little skewed. Of course a beautiful hotel with great customer service is important, but I absolutely love hotels that have a warm, friendly ambiance and adore the feel of a family-owned bed and breakfast.
That being said, I think the most luxurious place we’ve ever stayed (for all of one night!) is the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt in Ireland. It was on another level of fancy and the bathrooms even had heated floors. Unreal!
But my favorite place we’ve ever stayed would have to be Little Palm Island in The Keys where we spent two days of our honeymoon!
It was incredible and I loved the way the island felt like it’s own little world. Plus, the food at Little Palm was phenomenal!
And two more of my favorites would have to be The Agustin Inn in St. Augustine (an adorable bed and breakfast) and The Magnolia Inn in Jacksonville, Oregon.
I’m sure it didn’t hurt that I visited The Magnolia Inn right in the middle of autumn when it was decorated with lots of festive fall flare. Too cute!
Now I want to hear about some of your favorite hotels, bed and breakfasts or vacation rentals!! Fill me in!
Questions of the Morning
- Where is the nicest place you’ve ever stayed?
- Of all the places you’ve ever stayed, what place has been your all-time favorite?
- Is there a hotel or bed and breakfast on your “travel bucket list” that you’re dying to stay at in the future?
Ryan and I are both dying to stay at one of the One & Only Resorts some day. They are gorgeous! And after reading Fodor’s recommendations, the Belmond Khwai River Lodge in Botswana and The St. Regis in Bora Bora look unbelievable. A girl can dream!
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this post made me want to travel even more than i already do (if that’s even possible)!
My hubs and I stayed at Waterford Castle in Ireland many years ago. It’s on it’s own island with just a golf course and you have to be a guest to get on the ferry over there. We had a beautiful suite but I made he mistake of asking if it was haunted and I think the waiter had a good time scaring me. I didn’t sleep for 2 nights! Unbelievable experience!
I wouldn’t be able to choose just one!! By far the nicest place I have ever stayed was in an over water bungalow in Bora Bora at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort and Spa. That over water experience can not be beat.
My all time favorite place was the Mara West Resort overlooking the Masai Mara in Kenya. When you have giraffes and zebras walking around outside of your chalet, you almost have to pinch yourself.
On the bucket list… Raffles Praslin, Seychelles and Isla Holbox Mexico (where you can swim with Whale Sharks)
My pure barre studio recently got those bands and I haven’t used them yet but they look challenging/scary in a good way. 🙂 I went to barre last night for the first time in too long (hard to squeeze in w traveling and half training), and it was fantastic.
They are just about to start incorporating those crazy bands at my Pure Barre studio. Can’t wait!
Strange question does Little Palm frown upon kids there ? We want to go but we bring our kids everywhere we go!
I’m not sure, but I can tell you that I do not remember seeing any children. I think it’s worth asking though!!
I used to work at a Fairmont Hotel, so I got to stay at quite a few awesome properties for a hugely discounted rate. The Plaza in NYC during the holidays was a magical experience, while The Raffles (also a Fairmont brand) Phnom Penh, Cambodia was probably the most upscale and exotic place I’ve stayed.
My all-time favorite place I’ve stayed would probably be Castel Pietraio in Tuscany, Italy. It had the feel of a B&B, amazing historical grounds, and a good central location for traveling to some of the cities in Tuscany.
Now I’m trying to plan my honeymoon and have no idea where I want to go! Hopefully I’ll get some good suggestions from reading through the comments 🙂
The crazy tubes in Pure Barre are so intense, but I secretly love them because I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth! I also feel the same way about the 7 minutes of abs “on the wall” vs on the mat like it usually is. Feel the burn!
We checked off the top of my bucket list for our honeymoon and stayed at Le Meridien in Bora Bora (right next to the St. Regis–ours had larger glass floors 😉 ) That was beyond amazing, and I don’t think anything could compare. I would love to stay at the Spindrift Inn in Monterey, CA for a weekend trip someday.
I love using airbnb.com for domestic and international trips. My husband and I booked our rooms for a 16-day, 5-city Italy trip through the site, and it was great to stay in less-touristy accommodations while having advice from local hosts. There are a wide variety of price ranges and room/house types. I swear I don’t work for the site – I’ve simply had such good experiences with it these past two years.
Hi there I just started reading your blog and love it! In terms of vacarions and places to stay, my favorite is the pink sand cottage on the island of Eluethera in the bahamas. I went there last October during off season so it was a bit cheaper with my bf to celebrate our anniversary. Definitely one of the best vacations!
The Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, Volcano House on the Big Island. Just a coincidence that these are all in Hawaii….
Julie, it’s like you were reading my mind! I’ve been dying to book a bed-and-breakfast in St Aug for my husband for our anniversary. I’m going to take your advice and look in to the Agustin Inn. Thanks!
The Bucuti Beach Resort in Aruba was the nicest I’ve stayed at. It was geared towards couples and was soo peaceful and quiet during our stay. A great place to relax and the customer service was unreal.
After seeing Tina’s review, I would love to travel to The Esperanza Resort, even if only for a night.
How did you develop your love of travel? Did you go on a lot of trips growing up?
I love this post!
And yes, the bands at pure barre are awesome- and def felt like a good arm workout!
I love traveling, my favorite hotel is the del cornado in san diego……expensive but seriously awesome. it’s like it’s own little resort right on the beach, lots of restaurants and shops on the property. ahhh I want to go back!
The nicest place I ever stayed was the Luxor in Vegas. Starting with my parents on family vacations, we always tended to go a bit more “economy” on hotels, and spend the money on more experiential things! Although a clean room and excellent service is worth it!
We have this old historic hotel in southern Indiana called The West Baden Inn. It has a huge dome in the atrium and is just gorgeous. We went on our honeymoon and now go back whenever we can. I love to sit in the atrium, drink wine, and listen to the piano player. The grounds are great for walking and there are tons of rocking chairs on the front porch 🙂
My legs would look nothing like the ones in that picture! I’m so inflexible, but working on it!
I want to travel a little more now that we are married and can start building our savings back up again. Hawaii and Australia are high on both our bucket lists.
LOVE staying at a good hotel. The best part, for me, is the bed (and robes)! We loved Le Méridien Nice, France. It was super modern, which typically I don’t tend to gravitate towards, but a very luxurious spot for honeymoons!
Can’t wait to see pics of the house!
Julie!! We were just in Key West during the first week of August and we ate at The Dining Room on Little Palm Island!!! IT WAS AMAZING!! The boat ride out, the food, the service, the views, the sunset…. all unreal! BREATHTAKING!
YAYYY!!! It was seriously one of the most amazing experiences of my life. LOVE!
LOVE LOVE LOVE is right!! I agree! And if you are ever going back, we went to a similar place called Latitudes that was EQUALLY as amazing 🙂 ! We might even have liked it slightly more than The Dining Room!!
My fiance and I LOVE to travel and talk about where we want to visit all the time! We’re taking our honeymoon in Hawaii and want to spend the last 2 days at the Waldorf Astoria in Maui. We’ve heard amazing things about the hotel and really want to go out on a good note. I haven’t stayed at many hotels (we do mostly rented homes) but we recently visited the Muscle Shoals Marriott Hotel and Spa and it was AMAZING! Every room had a balcony and the restaurant on site was so good (and reasonably priced!). One of my favorite places we stayed was a cabin in the Smokey Mountains- a perfect view, hot tub, and a cozy fire!
Hey Julie,
My parents run a small Relais & Chateaux inn (same organization that Little Palm is part of) in Warren, VT. Its a small 11 room property, where each room was designed by a different architect! It’s nestled into the heart of the green mountains and surrounded by skiing, mountain biking, great hikes, and the most amazing views! Check it out if you and Ryan are ever looking for a New England getaway. We’d love to host you!
http://www.pitcherinn.com
This is such a sweet offer! Thank you, Zari!!
I have a few favorite spots we have stayed. On cape cod I love Chatham Bars Inn, we stayed at hotel Caesar Augustus on island of Capri and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Also Hotel Poseidon in Positano was a very special spot. Viceroy Hotel in Anguilla was one of the most beautiful places I have stayed. Heading to monertey Ca next month so going to check out the spindrift inn mentioned above. Great idea for a post…
Definitely The W Retreat & Spa in the Maldives!
I would also highly recommend a Relais & Chateaux inn. This would be the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, VA. It would be a wonderful weekend getaway for you all! We love it there. Plus Charlottesville is such a cool town and Monticello has an amazing view and grounds.