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We shared some shoes for traveling that were more “summery”, but now, since it is fall around the corner, we wanted to share some comfortable shoes that you can wear all day long when traveling, or just whenever without being in pain.
Whether you are looking for a sneaker, a slip on sneaker, a mule, a bootie, or any kind of flat, we have you covered!
We wanted to point out some of our favorites:
#3 LEOPARD FLATS: these come in different colors, are cute, and comfy!
Traveling is something that makes us anxious. Well, everything making us anxious 😉 Besides figuring out what to pack, what to take on the plane, and literally remembering every little detail that you need, even if it is just for a weekend, you still have to remember snacks. We know, *insert major eye roll*! Well, some of you all may not care as much as we do about food, but, we take it very seriously.
We wanted to share some of our go-to snacks to take with us when traveling, or even if you are on-the-go! Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared or make better choices. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge every once in a while!
Preparation is key
If you do anything, always, always prepare! Without preparation, you will almost always fail. We are always planning ahead, and making sure that we have prepped and ready to go. Whether you are in town, or traveling, you want to make sure you have snacks that are accessible and enjoyable to eat.
Make a list
If you are headed on a road trip, make sure you make a list of things you want to pack with you whether it is fresh fruits, chips, popcorn, or other things (we will provide our favorites at the bottom of this post!).
Chop up any necessary items
If you’re packing food with you for a trip, make sure you have bags or containers you can take with you, and to chop up anything you can’t eat whole.
Chew mindfully
This is something we honestly struggle with A LOT. We eat so fast and on-the-go, but you ideally want to chew something at least 20 times before swallowing. Seems crazy, but it allows you digest your food better, and also helps to get satiated.
Load up on the fruits
Up until a year ago, we would eat fruits, but not the amount we eat now. Typically, we could eat at least 4-5 apples a day, each. Fruit is literally the best snack out there.
You can take them anywhere you are going, they stay fresh when traveling, and they are good for you! They have so many health benefits, and we love that they have fiber, so they keep you fuller longer. Also, they treat a sweet tooth, which we always have! 😉
Carry snacks in style
We always like to pack our food in something that is practical, but not ugly. We love these silicon stasher bags (all silicon and free of chemicals!) and these glass containers if we are taking leftovers, or something like that.
Avoid processed foods and added sugars
If you follow one tip, it should be this one! You could try to be the healthiest person in the world, but if you are loading up on added sugars and processed ingredients, you are not doing yourself justice. Sadly, a lot of labels misguide us, and make us think we are eating something healthy, when in reality, it is all full of ingredients we don’t recognize. Pay close attention to things like “natural and artificial flavors” and preservatives.
You can wear them with so many things, and they add the perfect amount of print. We love Sole Society for all of their great accessories for summer and fall, and all of them are pretty much under $100!
We are back from our trip, and had SO many questions while we were there with our family on where we stay, places to eat, etc, so we are sharing some of our favorites with you all! We have been going there every summer for 12 years, so we feel like we know the spots pretty well.
Where to stay
There are a lot of places to stay here, and we have only really stayed at the same resort on Seven Mile Beach, which is STUNNING!
Resorts
You can choose to stay at a resort, which is what we recommend, just because you are truly on a vacation!
There are also homes and condos you can rent all along Seven Mile Beach, which is gorgeous! We haven’t personally stayed at any of these, but they look gorgeous! We recommend using sites like VRBO.com .
Where to eat
We could spend hours talking about the food! You all know we like to keep it pretty healthy, and now, with us eating plant based, it can get even more limiting, but we found some great options!
Where we ate
Saltwater Grill: this spot has everything from seafood to steaks! They were super accommodating and made us this veggie plate that was so good!
LeVele Restaurant: we ate here the second night we were there. It is a really cute spot on the water with great Italian food. We suggest sitting outside, and if you are a pizza fan, their pizza is delicious. They also has some vegetarian and vegan options like a stir fry and gnocchi!
We got grilled vegetable plate that was so good!
Agua Restauant: Another night, we ate at this spot, which is at their mall in Camana Bay. We got this really good green salad with a tahini dressing.
They also had a vegetarian menu that had this vegan ceviche with plantain chips that was delicious!
We also ordered this sautéed vegetable bowl!
Seven, Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman: we ate here for breakfast every morning.
We also ate at their club lounge for lunch every day, and they had the best salads with dips like hummus, guacamole, and more!
For our birthday, the chefs made us a watermelon carved with our names on it. It was SO incredible!
We also asked for fresh celery juice, and were so happy they made it for us!
Veranda Restaurant, Marriott Grand Cayman: we LOVE going there for their Wednesday night Lobster Night. Highly recommend going!
We got this green salad with veggies and pecans on it to start.
For the lobster night, they have a pre-fixe menu with a salad with mango, papaya, and lobster.
Then, it comes with lobster bisque soup, and of course the lobster tails and vegetables.
Ristorante Pappagallo: this is one of our favorite restaurants! They have the most beautiful birds there you can look at while you are there.
This is also an Italian spot, and they have the best pastas and seafood. We ended up ordering a few of their delicious sides: cauliflower, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, and asparagus. All SO good!
Other places to eat we recommend
Casanova
The Brasserie
Luca
Catch Restaurant
Grand Old House
Lobster Pot
Calypso Grill
Morgans Seafood
Abacus
Blue
What to do
There are a lot of activities to do, but we honestly spend most of our time at the gorgeous beach. The water is perfect and clear, and the sand is white and soft, so there is no comparison!
If you are wanting to do some excursions, we recommend:
Stingray City
Snorkeling
Scuba Diving
Catamaran Sunset Sail
Rum Point
Dolphin Discovery
Shopping in Georgetown
When is the best time to go?
Really, any time of year is great! It is warm there all year long, but summer is typically their rainy season, but it is also less expensive to go during that time. We usually go around June or mid August.
Their high season is in the winter time, so usually around Thanksgiving through the spring!
What is the weather like?
The weather is pretty much warm all year, but between November and April, it is a little cooler than it is during the summer months. It is tropical there, so it can rain in one part of the island, and not other parts. Also, if it does rain, it passes very quickly!
Getting there
We usually fly American Airlines direct from Dallas, but they don’t always offer direct flights all year long. Otherwise, you can fly a lot of other airlines like Southwest.
What we wear
We shared a bunch of our looks below we wore on our trip. Think a lot of swimsuits, cover ups, and cute summery dresses and rompers!
We are getting ready for a trip next week with our family, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share our travel essentials. So many of these are packing and traveling game changers! We are going to get into each of these and why we love them so much!
We just got some, and these are a game changer for packing! They help organize all your stuff, and they fit perfectly in your suitcase and keep it all organized.
With summer travels in full swing right now, we have been getting a lot of questions and requests to share some of our go-to shoes that you can walk all over Europe in without getting blisters, or just wear all summer long! Some of these shoes we have had for years, and we swear by them to walk in for days.
We initially got this pair of sandals when we were in college years ago, and have been wearing them ever since. Even our mom has them in a few colors! Not only are they flattering, and match everything in your closet, but they are seriously SO SO comfortable. No blisters, and super padded.
You can also adjust the back for a looser or tighter fit! We have a size 7 in these in the “almond” color. We recommend sizing up a half size in these.
#2 TORY BURCH MILLER SANDAL
Y’all already know that we LOVE these sandals. If you decide to get any pair of shoes, it should be these! This is our third pair, and we are so obsessed with this color. We wear these at least every other day, so they are so worth the price!
We have these in a size 7 in the “sea shell pink” color.
We can’t stay away from leopard, and we love how unique these sandals are with the straps and the separated toe ring. This brand is always comfortable and they will look cute with white jeans, dresses, and rompers.
We got a size 6.5 in these in the “leopard calf hair” color.
Another leopard pair that we had to try! These are also Sam Edelman, so you know they will be super padded. We love the beading on these, and they come in 3 other color options, but this one is our favorite because they match everything from blacks to browns!
We are wearing size 6.5 in these in the “Natural Multi Fabric” color. They do run a little wide, for reference!
Can you tell we love all things Sam Edelman?! This pair is SO cute! We love our bedazzled shoes!
This pair is also super padded and come in a non-jeweled version! We got a size 7 in these in the “Classic Nude Nappa Leather” color. We did hear and read that the stones may fall out, so just an FYI 🙂
We had been looking for a slide sandal that was comfortable and something different than leopard. This pair is snakeskin, and SO fun! They come in a few other color options as well, and thy are really padded.
We are wearing a size 7 in the “Natural Snake Faux Leather” color. These run a little small, so we recommend sizing up a half size.
Probably another one that we have been wearing at least every week! Again, these sandals are very padded, so comfortable, and match everything. They also come in a ton of other colors. You just can’t beat them. The straps do stretch out a little bit as you wear them, so keep that in mind!
Last but not least: the best platform sandals you will ever wear! We were SHOCKED at how comfortable these are. The straps stretch out, and the bottom padding almost molds to your feet. HIGHLY recommend! And, they give you just enough heel height.
We are wearing a size 7 in the “Blush” color.
We found all of these sandals and shoes from Nordstrom. We love shopping there for shoes especially because we love the convenience of being able to order our favorite shoes and pick them up without even leaving our car the same day! Such a game changer, but also makes us feel so lazy 😉
You all may remember us staying at this property in Riviera Maya last year, and we loved it SO much, that we had to check out the Riviera Nayarit property! We received so many messages from you all about this luxury all-inclusive resort, and so we wanted to share a recap of our stay!
First off, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is a gorgeous all-inclusive property that is a AAA Five Diamond resort, but what is even better, are the the staff. Every employee we met at this Riviera Nayarit all inclusive resort was nothing but helpful and sweet, and not in a forced way, if that makes sense? We have nothing but amazing things to say about this property, so let’s get started!
GETTING THERE
We flew into Puerto Vallarta from Dallas. It was a direct flight for us, so very convenient. The drive from the airport to the resort is only twenty minutes! There are taxis and Ubers available at the airport, or you can book a car ahead of time online, which is typically what we do!
FITNESS
You all know we are avid gym-goers, so having access to a nice gym while we are out of town is important, and we know many of you all are the same way!
Their gym has everything you could want like free weights, upscale machines, TRX bands, cable machines, cardio equipment, and more!
Also, they offer a ton of fitness classes like yoga, anti-gravity yoga, pilates, and more! We had the chance to take the anti-gravity yoga, which was SO fun. We were a little nervous before because it was not something we had done before, but we loved it. The instructor was great, and we loved that they offered a unique class like that there.
SPA
Sometimes we skip out on the spa treatments at resorts, but do yourself a favor, and DO NOT miss out on Se Spa! It has been included on Forbes Travel Guide’s list of The World’s Most Luxurious Spas, and we can definitely see why! They offer thirty different treatments, including facials, massages, scrubs, and more!
We experienced both the Water Journey and the Xocolat Massage.
The water journey is an hour-hour-long experience where a personal spa valet takes you through seven steps: hydro refloxology, eucalyptus inhalation and steam room, cinnamon-infused sauna, hot and cold lagoon, jacuzzi, and a multi-jet pressured shower.
Throughout the process they provide some delicious and refreshing snacks like fruit skewers and homemade mango and berry popsicles!
The Xocolat Massage is a body scrub treatment where they use coffee beans to exfoliate your skin and then apply a chocolate body mask, which as you can imagine, smells amazing! We wanted to eat it all, haha. They also treat you to a chocolate mask and facial. Yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds!
DINING
We were blown away by the food at this resort. You all know that we eat mostly plant-based, and very healthy, so we weren’t expecting to have that many options. The food was out of this world, and even so if you don’t eat healthy! They have tons of options for any diet, and pretty much cover all bases in the food area. They have six restaurants, and three of them have been awarded with the AAA Four Diamond Award.
Azul: International Cuisine
This restaurant is actually a buffet, but it is upscale, and presented so beautifully! They are constantly changing out the dishes to keep everything fresh. Azul also overlooks the beach, so the view is incredible!
We ate here for breakfast and lunch every day we were there! They had tons of options like fresh fruits, an egg station, pastries, fresh juices, and other gourmet foods.
While we were staying there, they had a big cacao festival going on! Every restaurant had chocolate-themed drinks and meals, which was so cool. They even had hot chocolate and other treats at the Azul buffet.
For lunch and dinner, they have a huge salad bar, sushi bar, dessert bar, and every entree option you can think of.
Frida: Mexican Cuisine
We ate here on our first night! They had a lot of traditional Mexican dishes like upscale tacos, seafood, and more!
We started with their house margarita and their table-table-side guacamole (you know that was our favorite part!).
We also loved that they had a lot of vegan options like these nopal tacos that we thought were amazing!
Lucca: Italian/Mediterranean Cuisine
We LOVED the food here! They were super accommodating with our dietary needs, and the food was delicious. They have everything from fresh pastas to pizzas, and also a lot of fresh seafood and meat options.
We got a green salad to start, a pumpkin cream soup (made with coconut milk), a melon and cucumber appetizer, a pesto caprese salad, and they made these vegetable filled pastas for us out of zucchini.
And, for dessert, they made us two plant-based desserts: a chocolate cake and a key lime pie. Both were incredible and creative!
They also made us a tiramisu martini for dessert, which was to die for, and a berry, mint, and lime cocktail to start our meal with!
Sen Lin: Asian Inspired Cuisine
This restaurant is one of their newer restaurants, and the decor is absolutely stunning.
They have everything you could want like soups, spring rolls, yummy noodle dishes, traditional asian entrees, and more!
We got the Papaya Salad, the Vietnamese Vegetable Rolls, and the Vegetable Dish that had curry and turmeric and was delicious!
They also made us a great drink that had curry and cinnamon in it!
In Room Dining :
We ordered room service once while we were there, and they had some really good gourmet options!
They had everything from sandwiches to pasta. We ordered some salads, guacamole (of course), fresh fruit, and some hot tea!
Piaf: French Cuisine
Selva Del Mar: Poolside Dining (snacks like burgers and nachos)
BEACH/POOL
The pool is gorgeous, and has a lot of presence, especially when you’re taking a lot of Instagram pictures.
It is surrounded by perfectly manicured greenery and flowers. The pool is a three-tier infinity pool, all with different temperatures of water. They have a ton of cute pool floats to hang on, and the view overlooks the beautiful ocean and mountains.
The chairs are so comfortable, and there are a ton of staff members all around to bring you any kind of drink or snack you want!
There is also seating on the beach, if you want to hang out there for the day! They have cabanas and chairs and water sports like kayaking available.
ROOMS
The rooms at this resort are stunning. We had never stayed at such a gorgeous and upscale all-inclusive property before staying at the Velas his resorts. This property has all ocean-view rooms, and some have amazing plunge pools! All of the rooms have a fully-stocked minibar with tons of snack options, and they even have a Nespresso machine in the room if you love your coffee!
The bathrooms are stocked with L’Occitane products, which smell amazing!
Another cool feature about all of the rooms is that they provide a beach tote that is actually really cute, AND holds a ton in there. It is great because you don’t have to worry about packing a big tote in your already stuffed luggage! 😉
We had the opportunity to stay in one of their Wellness suites, which has an exercise bike in the room (so cool, right?!), a personal training session, a massage in-suite, and an Aromatherapy kit.
Our room also had a really cool terrace with a jacuzzi tub and a great view of the sunset and beach!
ACTIVITIES
They offer really fun activities for kids, and even adults like dreamcatcher making. We actually had the opportunity to learn about and make our own dreamcatchers. It was SO fun and interesting!
Not only do they look pretty, but we learned that they are made to filter dreams, and only allow positive dreams and visions to pass to the sleeper (since you typically hang it above your bed).
The staff member helping us make our dreamcatcher was so sweet and helpful, and we loved getting to ask her more about the property!
FITNESS
FAMILY
If you have kids, you know how tough traveling with them can be. This resort has it ALL figured out for you! They supply you with strollers, and other things like toys you may need. They also have a baby concierge, a kids club, and a teen’s club where they have tons of activities for them to enjoy! We thought it was so cool that they had actives like horse-riding, a mini foam party, and a nightly cinema with movies and popcorn for the kids, while the parents had dinner.
Overall, we highly recommend this resort! We loved the size of it and how walkable it is. We are already thinking about coming back with our parents soon! If you all have any questions about anything, please feel free to reach out!
OUTFITS
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