Editor’s Note: I was a guest of Luna Liquida, a boutique hotel in Puerto Vallarta. You can review my disclosure policy here.
Tucked on a cobblestone street, perched on a steep slope, this boutique hotel in Puerto Vallarta seems inconspicuous. If it wasn’t for a tiny sign hanging on the outside of the old building announcing the presence of Luna Liquida, it’s easily missed.
Which means it’s love at first sight for me.
“I had to close the door a little more,” Kyla explains to me our first morning waking up at the Laguna oceanfront hotel, the Pacific Edge Hotel. “It was too loud.”
In this case, being too loud is a blissful problem to have since she’s referring to the sound of the Pacific Ocean crashing feet outside of our balcony.
In fact, in the early morning hours I awaken simply to listen to the waves crashing outside of our room.
It’s been a stressful few months and this mini-vacation is exactly what I need to unwind and unfurl myself from my desk long enough to breathe in some deep, salty air breaths.
I lay in my king bed, silent. Listening.
It’s a soundtrack that could be playing at a spa, but it’s real life.
Editor’s Note: I was a guest of Tourism Authority of Thailand during my time in Krabi.
My paddle dips into the glassy green water of Bor Thor, and the shrimp start dancing.
Hundreds of tiny creatures pop out of the water, hop across it like rocks skipping, and then dive back down into its depths.
“We’re almost there,” our guide, Man, who also graciously volunteered to steer my kayak, informs us.
Our three fire-engine-red kayaks skirt around a small turn and into a mangrove forest and then we see it: a half-moon emerging from the water and moving upward into a towering karst shrouded in palm trees and other jungle foliage.
We’re kayaking in Krabi — something I honestly never thought I’d do. Mostly because, let’s be real, I’m not so skilled at kayak navigation.
Editor’s Note: I was a guest of Sofitel St. James. For more, please read my disclosure policy.
We arrive into the grand entry at Sofitel St. James. It’s been a long day, and it has only just begun. Around us, business people and families are spread throughout the posh lobby, readying themselves to take in the rainy London afternoon.
The two of us standout, surrounded by hotel guests who are dressed far nicer than us, but it doesn’t matter to the staff.
Smiles greet us as we check-in and head up to our room. The past few days, we’ve experienced everything from a converted townhouse to a 70s disco room, to the mod Sex Pistol’s room we shared in Brighton, and now we have entered the heart of luxury.
And, I mean luxury.
Editor’s Note: I was a guest of Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton, England. If you have questions regarding this, please read my disclosure policy.
Tucked into the posh Regent Square in the famous seashore of Brighton, England, is Hotel Pelirocco.
This pink-halled 19-room hotel, dubbed “England’s most rock ‘n’ roll hotel” isn’t just a place to sleep. The edgy property, in its 15 years of life, has morphed into a cultural hotspot for Brightonians and travelers, treating them to a hedonistic (if they want) place to unwind and tuck into the town.
Brighton, an easy escape for Londoners looking to hit the shore, is also known as London-by-the-Sea. In its recent history, the seaside town has become the place to have “dirty weekends,” something Pelirocco caters to.
Light blue twinkling lights hang on what looks like an artistic interpretation of a Christmas tree in the lobby of Hotel Indigo Paddington.
We’re in the heart London’s Paddington neighborhood and for the next two nights, the converted townhouse of Hotel Indigo is home.
We stand outside the cafe, a gorgeous stone terrace with little tables, overlooking the tranquil blue water of the Ligurian Sea (a far cry from the tumultuous experience the day before when attempting to take Cinque Terre’s water ferry). Mom and I stand waiting, our suitcases at our sides, when the owner of Alla Marina comes up to us. We’re renting an apartment in Riomaggiore for our last night in the gorgeous region of Italy, and moved from our Flipkey rental in Vernazza to the most southern of the five towns to enjoy a the remaining moments of our mother-daughter Italian vacation.
“Hello, hello,” Sandro Pasini greets us. He’s one of the two brothers who run the Alla Marina, a small cluster of rooms and apartments in the village. Sandro is tall, his English perfect, and his willingness to help us is apparent immediately.
