Staycation in South Florida

I live for the vacations to explore something new! Sometimes, my pocketbook doesn’t always agree! It’s fun to take a step back and explore the neighborhood you live in, I’m so blessed to live in a tropical destination people dream of visiting! Summer is the perfect time for a staycation and a lot of the local hotels and resorts have some great deals! Hollywood Beach has amazing views, great restaurants and the iconic Hollywood Beach Broadwalk! (floridashollywood.org)

The Diplomat Beach Resort

is an iconic property on the south end of Hollywood Beach. What’s great about this resort is the feeling of vacationing like a celebrity. The hotel is glamorous to say the least, they just did a beautiful renovation! But literally, they partner with celebrities. Do you watch Food Network? Top Chef judge, Geoffrey Zakarian, opened Point Royal an indoor-outdoor Coastal American establishment, serving American Cuisine and a lively raw bar and cocktails with local flavor. If you are looking for a luxurious brunch on the weekend, make sure to check out “The Royal Brunch” where you can enjoy a great charcuterie, fresh seafood and all your breakfast favs! Right now they are offering a LOCALS + LOYALISTS SUMMER GETAWAY package. Great perks for those with kids, like kids eat free and comp two hour daily access to the kids club. But I was sold on the 20% off spa services, waived daily resort fee and comp Candy & Cones welcome amenity! If you just want to do a long weekend, check out the deals they have when you Stay Friday and Saturday then get 40% off Sunday nights! (diplomatresort.com)

Margaritaville Hollywood Beach

is Destination Paradise. It has a great blend of relaxation and adventure. I like to stay active on my vacation and the resort offers comp bike rental for guests to use on the Broadwalk. You know that bikes are my favorite way to explore any destination! The best new activity is their new beer yoga on the rooftop pool. That’s right, get an hour serene yoga class with a spectacular view of Hollywood Beach and then end the class with fun yoga moves combined with a can of Landshark beer! Match made in heaven! If you are really up for a challenge, check out the Flowrider. This is one of the most sought after surfing simulator experiences in the world. Get your adrenaline going while you perfect your surfing skills right on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. Right now, they have specials for Florida residents or you can Vacation like a VIP with the promotion with Greater Fort Lauderdale. You can get a free room upgrade, $100 resort credit, comp valet and a savings card! (margaritavillehollywoodbeachresort.com)

While the typical summer vacation involves the beach and the pool, I encourage you to explore the urban areas and local downtowns! If you cross the bridge west and venture into Downtown Hollywood you will be greeted with a vibrant and arts & culture hub. Over 24 outdoor murals in the Downtown Hollywood Mural Project and a bustling restaurant row with cuisines from around the world.

The CIRC Hotel

is the recently opened boutique style contemporary hotel on Young Circle. This is perfect for the social butterfly. The location is perfect with access to Downtown Hollywood, literally steps away from ArtsPark, local restaurants, bars and clubs. Foodies rejoice, one of the hottest new restaurants is just downstairs. Olivia showcases authentic Italian cuisine and creative specialties that are beautifully complemented by an elegant yet casual ambiance. Make sure to extend and stay for their Martinis & Mozzarella Mondays! $5 each at the Olivia Bar from 5:30p - 6:30p. If you are looking for the best picture ops, head up stairs and enjoy the Muse Views! You can literally see all of Hollywood from the beautiful rooftop bar. The CIRC Perks is great for repeat stays, lower rates, a $20 uber credit, comp welcome drinks and more! (circhotel.com)

Just like the saying goes, from the sand to the city, you’ll love what you find in Florida’s Hollywood! Make sure to tell me some of you staycation suggestions in the comments or follow me on Instagram!

Experience Florida's Hollywood

Downtown Hollywood has a lot of new fun things to do!

Hollywood, FL is sandwiched between two monster cities, Miami & Fort Lauderdale. It’s sometimes overlooked but I urge you to check it out! From fun entertainment to great food to beautiful art - there is a lot to see, eat & photograph.

Downtown Hollywood Mural Project

Florida’s Hollywood has over 25 large scale out door murals adorning the walls of buildings within a 4 block radius.

Instagramers Dream!

My girlfriends and I had such a great time exploring and finding the murals Downtown. This one is by NYC artist Alice Mizrachi

There are a few out of the box concepts that are great for a GNO or event date night. You could channel your artist at AR Workshop, play detective at Boxroom Escape Room or reenact Ghost with a pottery class at L/Mercado. We opted for an exciting try at Extreme Axe Throwing!

Bullseye!

Step right up and grab an axe! Test out your skills at Hollywood’s newest attraction. Extreme Axe Throwing has two sections, the front has three bays of axe throwing with digital games and a slightly softer (and easier) material to throw at. In the back, they have certified axe throwing, where they often hold competitions.

Bad Axe Babes

Grab your friends, put on the flannel and BYOB! This is so much fun with a group. For $35 a person you can get training and an 1.5 hours of so much fun!

After all the exploring you will work up quite the appetite! Downtown is filled with tons of great food options. From casual pizza or empanadas to international cuisine like Indonesian, Greek, Peruvian & more.

We tried the new speakeasy, Hotsy Totsy. They have a variety of tapas that are perfect to share and a full bar with tons of speciality drinks! The green fried tomatoes, dip sampler and steak are not to be missed!

Muse Views

To end the night, walk over to the Circ Hotel. Located on Hollywood’s Young Circle this new chic hotel is the newest hotspot! Muse is the hotels, rooftop bar with stunning views in both the day and night. They have a DJ playing great music nightly and a full bar with VIP area if you are looking for bottle service.

We made a great day of it but will definitely be back again! On the 3rd Saturday of the month there is a huge Artwalk with vendors, live music and a free guided mural tour! Have you been before? What did you love doing in Florida’s Hollywood?

Christmas In Delray Beach

It’s a new annual tradition to make the drive up to Delray Beach for the holidays. The City of Delray Beach has really put a lot into their Downtown and transforming Old School Square Park into a magical Christmas wonderland.

100ft Christmas Tree

2018 has marked the 25th Anniversary of the 100 foot Christmas Tree. You read that right, 100 feet tall! It is a gorgeous display of lights that is nothing short of stunning at night. The tree is open daily, with a $1 suggested donation. You can walk inside and look up and see the tree internally. There are also little windows with displays inside and music playing. In the courtyard you can meet Santa, ride the carousel, ice skate or play mini golf.

Christmas Miracle

After exploring the square and taking some beautiful family photos. A perfect addition to the night is a stop to Death & Glory. This local downtown Delray restaurant staple transforms into Miracle! Miracle Bars have been popping up all around the country. Christmas decorations, lights and fun surprises adorn each location. There is also a special festive menu and glassware.

Drinks like a Christmapolitan, Snowball Old Fashioned and Bad Santa. One of my favorites is the Run Run Rudolph which has gin, mulled wine puree, lemon and prosecco. Great mix of classic and bubbles with a holiday twist! A unique bonus is a festive food menu as well! We went with Bah Hamburger which is also available with a vegan patty. The tomato aioli is such a great touch with the seasoned patty. It also comes with rosemary fries which are amazing!

It’s a great way to kick off or wrap up the holiday season! You still have time left to see it this year!

Things to do in Sacramento, CA

When you think of California, cities like LA, San Diego and San Francisco usually come to mind. Those are the typical west coast destinations, but for my last vacation, I decided to visit my best friend in her new home town of Sacramento. I was pleasantly surprised with how much there was to do and see! Check out my must do's while in the state capitol! 

Rose Garden

Right next to the state capitol building you will find rows of lush roses! This garden's mission to cultivate world peace. It is free to visit, so it's a great stop on a sunny afternoon.

California has such a beautiful scenery! Coming from the flat swamplands of Florida, seeing mountains and lush trees was a wonderful contrast!

Hiking

About 30 mins from the downtown area we found some amazing hiking trails. We picked  an easy trail with shade throughout and had a stunning waterfall!

Kayak

For $12 for an hour kayaking at Sacramento State Aquatic Center is the perfect afternoon! The waters are extremely calm which was very important for a beginner like myself. The views are beautiful and there are little paths you can take for more adventure. They also have hydro bikes, stand up paddle boards and more available for rent. There are even classes available if needed.

There is so much influence from the Mexican Culture! One of my favorite little shops was Kulture.

Kulture

This eclectic store has such a great mix of Mexican imports, unique apparel, local art, jewelry and sunglasses for any occasion. I loved looking at the art, if I didn’t have to travel light I would have purchased more! If you can, make sure you go by for their “Second Saturday” Artwalk events!