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Trip Report :: Holbox, Mexico

5 / 19 / 225 / 19 / 22

Holbox has been on our radar for a while, as we’d long heard it was one of the best spots to swim with whale sharks. (Ironically, we didn’t actually swim with them, as it wasn’t the right time of year. Next time!) So, when we were trying to find a beach spot for spring break this year, we dug a little deeper into this small, sleepy island town.

Turns out, when it comes to our preference for quieter, more remote, less developed beach spots with lots of local color, Holbox checks all of the boxes. That, coupled with the fact that we found really inexpensive tickets to Cancun, made it an easy choice.

Getting to Holbox isn’t exactly easy, though, but that’s one of the reasons why it is special. Here’s the thing: if a place is convenient for you, it is also convenient for lots of other people. Convenience isn’t in and of itself a bad thing, especially when traveling with kids, but we’ve often found that, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little convenience, the pay off will be worthwhile, and that was absolutely the case with Holbox. I’ve said it before on this blog, and I’ll say it again: pick a popular beach destination, like Cancun, and drive an hour or two away, and that’s where you’re going to find the sweet spot.

To get to Holbox, we took an Uber to the airport, a flight to Cancun, a 2.5 hour van ride to Chiquila (we had a private transfer with Miguel’s Holbox Transfer Service, and they were great), a 20 min. ferry ride to Holbox, and then a golf cart taxi ride to our rental house. To be honest, we’d underestimated the length of the travel day, mostly because the flight to Cancun seemed so quick and easy, compared to most of our flights, but the boys took it in stride, and they enjoyed checking off the various modes of transportation on a travel day to-do list they’d made.

We arrived in Holbox after 9PM, not having eaten dinner. Luckily, our AirBnB had an on-island concierge of sorts, and she was AMAZING. She helped arrange all of our transfers, had our rental golf cart waiting at the house when we arrived, had already ordered us pizzas, and was happy to show me how to get a few groceries from the market just 3 minutes down the road.

When I got back from getting the pizzas and some necessities, Sona had a look of horror on her face. “What?” I asked, worried. “We can’t stay here,” she said. Turns out, unbeknownst to us, each of the 3 bedrooms at our rental house had its own external entrance, meaning that the room the boys were sharing was basically it’s own little house, connected to our room by an external hallway. It certainly wasn’t ideal, especially with a pool in the back, and the AirBnB ad didn’t disclose this info, but we decided that, since the door locked from the outside, and since we’d brought the baby monitor with us, we would make do. (It ended up being fine, and we’d absolutely stay in that AirBnB again.)

I tell this story because it’s important to note that travel is often unpredictable, and when we go to places that aren’t as “easy,” there are almost always some sort of hiccups: bugs in the kitchen, external entrances for bedrooms, showers that don’t get hot, etc. At first, especially after long travel days, those things can seem overwhelming. By the end of the trip, they aren’t even blips on the radar.

Our days in Holbox were slow and wonderfully restful. We didn’t do any cooking at the house. So, each morning, we’d wake up, hop on our golf cart (no cars allowed on the island) and take the bumpy 10-minute ride along dirt roads into town for pastries or a quick breakfast at one of the many good restaurants. Inch for inch, Holbox has some of the best food of any island we’ve been on, btw.

We spent a few half-days at the beach near our house, Playa Cocos, which we really loved. We got there early, usually by 9:30AM, and we paid around $15 to rent beach chairs and umbrellas from the local vendor. Then, we’d spend several hours sipping mojitos, walking out to the sandbar in the water that seemed to never get more than knee-deep, and eating mango after mango from the couple who sell them from a cooler under one of the mangrove trees.

After we grew sun tired, we’d ride back to our house, each lunch by the pool, take long naps, and then head into town for dinner and exploring.

Although the island is small, we found plenty to do:

We explored a lot of the island’s beaches, of which there are many.

We “checked out” puppies from El Refugio animal shelter, taking them for walks around the beach. (Did this twice, actually, as the boys LOVED it.) If you want to do this, make sure to check the times they allow walking. When we were there, it was at 10AM and 5PM, and there were always people waiting at both times.


We paid like $2 to let the boys jump in the trampoline in the town square, which was TOTALLY questionable, but which they also loved. Did this several afternoons.

We booked a half-day AirBnB boating experience with Alonso, touring Bird Island, Paradise Island, and Mosquito Point. This CANNOT be missed, IMO. And, although there are many larger tour operations offering this same excursion, we really appreciated the intimacy and respect with which Alonso, a local, approached the tour. Punta Mosquito, in particular, had some of the most beautiful turquoise water we’ve ever seen. (You can walk to Punta Mosquito, but it takes about an hour each way, and requires wading through waist-deep water. All of the locals said they would NOT recommend doing this with kids.)

We ate LOTS of gelato, loads of fresh-cut fruit on the beach, marquesitas in the square each evening, and as many tacos as we could stand.

You’ll find this block of local food stalls just outside of town, and it 100% has some of the best food on the island. We were bummed that we waited until halfway through the week to try some of the stalls. Our favorites were the fish taco place (also had a great whole fried fish), the juice bar, and the very last stand all the way down on the left, which had some of the best tacos in Holbox. The boys LOVED their black bean and cheese tacos, and we loved the steak tacos.
Get a cajeta and banana marquesita from this cart and thank me later.

As much as we loved our time in Holbox, it’s not the kind of place you want to go to without having done your due diligence. Here are some things to know before you go, some of which we’d researched ourselves before going, and some of which we found out while there.

First, lots of people say you don’t need a golf cart for the full week, but we disagree, especially if you have kids. Our AirBnB ended up being about a 10-15 min golf cart ride outside of town, which would have been a 30-45 minute walk down dirt roads in fully exposed sun. I can’t imagine doing that trip several times a day with a whiny toddler, to be honest. I don’t even know if I’d want to do it myself. Bikes would be an option for older kids, but finding kid-sized bikes on the island is tough. There are also plenty of golf cart taxis, but we paid around $10 each way to get to and from town.

The golf carts are pricey. I think it was around $650 for the full week, but we used it CONSTANTLY. With it, we were able to explore much more of the island, and we were able to make multiple trips into town a day without feeling guilty about paying for a taxi. Plus, zooming around on the golf cart is just a blast. Both kids say it was their favorite part of the trip.

Next, as I’ve mentioned, all of the roads in Holbox are made of dirt. When it rains, many of those roads become literal streams–I’m talking knee-deep water that can be impassible with a golf cart. We saw one get stuck while we were there. We got really lucky, as it only rained on our last day, but I couldn’t believe how quickly the roads flooded.

In fact, not only did the roads flood, but halfway through nap, we awoke to the boys screaming bloody murder, and ran to their room to find that their bedroom was also flooding. The rain was no joke!

Honestly, we could barely get out of our driveway, and we couldn’t even return our golf cart before leaving because it was stuck. Sona and I both said that, had it rained our entire week, it likely would have ruined the trip for us.

BRING CASH. This was one thing I’d read before going, and we came to Holbox with a lot more cash (both dollars and pesos) than we’d ever traveled with before, but it still wasn’t enough. Very few places on the island take credit card, including the golf cart rental place, and there is only 1 ATM on the island that dispenses pesos, and it regularly runs out of money. Let’s just say that there were a few hours spent trying, anxiously, to get our hands on some cash.

Even with these–challenges?–we would go back to Holbox again in an instant. During another time of year, we could see whale sharks and flamingos and even a bio bay! If you’re family is the kind who needs non-stop excursions and amusement park-like activities to be entertained, then this probably isn’t the place for you. However, if you like to slow down, get your feet a little dusty, and have an adventure? I can’t recommend Holbox enough.

Not only were the people beyond kind, but we felt very, very safe on the island. Honestly, I felt safe in Holbox than on most of the Caribbean islands we’ve visited. And because the water is so calm and shallow at most of the beaches on the island, it makes for a great destination for the littles!

Holbox felt special, and it felt like a secret. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be a secret much longer, and there’s talk of big resorts moving in. Alfonso, our boat guide, assured us that the island has laws protecting 80% of the land from development, and they don’t allow any structures higher than three floors. I hope they can continue to protect the beauty of that place, but I worry that it will be a completely different island in 10 years time.

All the more reason to go there now.

Our Holbox faves and recommendations:

  • stay on the quieter side of the island, near Punta Cocos
  • book a boat tour with Alonso through AirBnB
  • walk puppies at El Refugio–and make a donation to help them continue their good work!
  • watch sunset from Punta Cocos
  • spend evenings in the town square, eating at the various food carts, and watching the locals
  • eat dinners at La Tapatia (go when there’s a band playing), Roots Pizza (trampoline + live music), Barba Negra, and Viva Zapata (worth noting that there were many “nicer” restaurants we didn’t try, because kids)
  • get cheap tacos al pastor at Tacoqueto
  • eat breakfast/brunch at Tierra Mia, Painapol (go early!!!), and Restaurante Naranjas
  • get gelato at El Mangle Blanco (I loved the maracuya)
  • look for the lady selling tamales out of a cart on the street–fantastic!!
  • eat your way through the locals’ food stalls just outside of town
  • drive around and check out the abundance of really wonderful street art and murals
  • if in season, snorkel with whale sharks, find the flamingos, and visit the bio bay at night
  • find one of the many hammocks on the various beaches and plant yourself there for as long as you possibly can

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Trip Report :: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

7 / 13 / 217 / 14 / 21

It’s a cliche, but it’s also true: I’ve saved the best for last.

If you remember from my Samara post, we’d originally planned on staying in La Fortuna, near the Arenal volcano, for only 4 nights. However, after an AirBnB blip in Samara, we decided to head there 2 days early, giving us almost a full week.

In the end, we probably should have always spent the most time in La Fortuna, because, of the three places we visited during this particular trip, it was, by far, the most jam-packed with stuff to do. As it turned out, it also ended up being our favorite stop.

Originally, we’d booked a large two-queen room at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. It’s an “eco lodge,” which means that it doesn’t have a lot of the modern luxuries you might be used to. There are no TVs, the rooms are fairly basic (though clean), and there’s no AC. After having spent several nights in 100-degree Samara, sleeping in an AirBnB with hardly any AC, we realized that we needed to end in a place where we would be more comfortable. (Although, having now experienced the much more temperate climate in La Fortuna, we probably could have hacked it without AC.)

So, when we decided to cut our time in Samara a bit early, we also made a very last-minute lodging switch, opting instead to stay at Hotel El Silencio del Campo, which wasn’t really on our radar before. To be honest, it was one of the only affordable places that had rooms available, and the website boasted that they had an organic farm onsite. So, we gave it a shot.

Although the Arenal Observatory Lodge looked great, and it is the only lodging actually INSIDE of Arenal National Park, meaning I think it is still worth a look, ending our trip at Hotel El Silencio del Campo really ended up being a twist of fate, as it is one of our favorite places we have ever stayed.

The property is composed of 20-something cabin-like villas, each with a large bathroom, a mini bar, one or two beds… and AC! It’s right near the center of the action in La Fortuna, and right next door to a pretty gaudy resort, but they have done such an amazing job of making the boutique hotel feel like a quiet, isolated oasis.

The grounds are the real champion, as there are several different hot springs, a full-sized pool, a restaurant that offered a perfectly good breakfast each morning, a playground, and a little farm, which made for the boys’ favorite experiences of our trip.

On the farm, there are ponies, cows, goats, sheep, peacocks that roam free, a couple hundred chickens, and other kinds of fowl. Kids can milk the cows, ride horses, and gather eggs every single day, which we took advantage of as much as possible. We also saw a momma and baby sloth, which live on the property, along with several lizards and iguanas.

Honestly, I really can’t say enough good things about the property. We aren’t the kind of folks who like to spend a lot of time at a hotel, which is why we usually opt for smaller lodgings or AirBnB type places, but Hotel Silencio del Campo was the exception. We spent a lot of time on onsite, and we enjoyed every second of it. It probably helped that, due to COVID, the property was only occupied at 30%, and we were often the only people around.

Anyway, our days in La Fortuna went something like this: wake up, grab breakfast onsite, milk the cow and ride a horse, venture out for an activity, grab lunch in town, come back for nap time, wake up and spend an hour or so in the hot springs (which are especially lovely when it is raining), grab dinner in town, go to bed early. Even though we did an activity or two every single day, we still couldn’t get it all in.

One of the things La Fortuna is known for, other than the Arenal volcano, is that there are natural hot springs. A lot of the big resorts have created their own hot springs, but they just aren’t the same. Although many, many people buy day passes to one of several beautifully tempting resort properties, where you can use their hot springs for a fee (Tabacon is the one we would have chosen, if we did the day pass thing, but it’s better for adults only), we really wanted to go to the free, local hot springs, which are hidden away off the side of the main road.

I’d read several reports of families going, and I figured it was safe enough. So, on our first full day in La Fortuna, we headed out to find Chollin’ hot springs. To get there, you park on the side of the road, right next to the Tabacon entrance. You’ll know when you find the spot, as you’ll likely see other cars parked, and you’ll also find unofficial parking attendants, who will watch your car for $3 or so. Pay them. You can afford it, and they are helpful.

There’s a little trail that leads into the jungle from the road. Follow the trail down for a few minutes, and you’ll come to what looks like a shallow, babbling river with lots of little pools. On one side, a cool creek flows down from the rainforest. So, you can choose whether you want to sit in a little pool of lukewarm water, or whether you want to venture further in to find water that is quite hot. We did both, and, honestly, it was my favorite day of the entire trip. I have never seen a place so magical.

By around 11AM, it starts to get busier. So, if you can, go early. Also, make sure to bring a waterproof bag so that you can keep it close. Again, we felt totally safe, but you want to be smart.

On another day, we drove 40 minutes outside of La Fortuna to do the half-day volunteer tour at Proyecto Asis–another highlight of the trip. Because of COVID, we ended up having a private tour, which was really a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.

Proyecto Asis helps rehabilitate wild animals who have been injured or who have been illegally kept as pets. Their goal is always to release animals back into the wild, and they run a really admirable operation. As part of our volunteer experience, a guide introduced us to and taught us about every animal at the property, and then we got to prepare the food for all of the animals and make the daily feeding rounds. It was unbelievable, and I’d do it again in a second.

Another day, we did the Don Olivio Chocolate Tour. Sona and I have done a Costa Rican chocolate tour before, but we wanted the boys to experience it. To prep Finn, we watched the StoryBots episode about where chocolate comes from the night before. He was so excited! Admittedly, Elias was a little bored, but the Don Olivio family tried SO hard to engage the boys, giving them constant snacks, allowing them to be hands on, and cracking lots of jokes.

It’s a very small, family-run operation, but that’s also what made it special. We got to not only see cacao, but we also got to try freshly picked pineapple, different varieties of bananas, mango, fresh-pressed sugar cane juice, orange juice straight from the orange, and other delicious things. (We may or may not have done a couple shots of the rum they distill onsite.) We saw and learned about over 25 different kinds of spices, fruits, and vegetables grown in Costa Rica. And, of course, we got to harvest cacao, grind the roasted beans, and make fresh hot chocolate!

Another must do in La Fortuna is the Mistico Hanging Bridge tour. It’s a 2-3 hour hike through the rainforest, complete with 6 hanging bridges above the canopy. We really suggest going with a guide, as you’ll see MUCH more wildlife that way (this is true of most places in Costa Rica–the guides are experts at spotting things you’d never see), and we booked with Tavo through AirBnB experiences. He was amazing–and great with the boys! We told him the last animal we really wanted to see before leaving was an eyelash viper. And I kid you not: he found one within 3 minutes!

Pro tip: you can rent really nice strollers there for $8, which SAVED us, as Elias would never have made it the whole way otherwise.

On our last day in La Fortuna, we awoke to the clearest view of the Arenal volcano we’d seen. It was such a gift!

Then, we decided to cram in ALL THE THINGS. We started by doing the SkyTram at Sky Adventures. Admittedly, it’s a little pricey for a relatively short ride, but the view was worth it. If your kiddos are old enough to zip line, they have an amazing course, and the tram is included in the tour.

We also checked out the butterfly conservatory, which has a lot of indigenous frogs, too. We could have easily spent a full morning there, but sped through in just an hour, as it was crammed in right before lunch.

We went into town for one last lunch at Soda Viquez, a place we loved, and one last copo in the park.

We had one last swim in the hot springs.

Even as I write this very long post, I feel the frenzy of panic, wondering what must-dos I have missed. La Fortuna has so much beauty to experience, and the temperate climate makes it a lot more comfortable than other parts of Costa Rica. Although I thought I’d like it least, as it isn’t near the beach, Sona and I both ended loving it the most, saying that it was the kind of place we could see ourselves settling for an extended period of time.

Leaving Costa Rica was hard, but La Fortuna sure did a good job of offering us one last hoorah.

Our nearly 3 weeks in Costa Rica went by too quickly, as it always does, but when I look back on my posts about Manuel Antonio, Samara, and La Fortuna, I’m damn-near knocked over by all we got to see and experience–and more importantly, all our boys got to see in experience–in that time.

Every time we go to Costa Rica, we find it harder to leave.

Our La Fortuna faves and recommendations:

  • stay at Hotel Silencio del Campo
  • eat at Soda Viquez (LOVED the arroz con camarones and the chuleta Casado and the iced tea)
  • eat lunch at Rancho Mi Tata (on the way back from Proyecto Asis)
  • get pretty decent pizza and let your kids run wild in the playroom at Cafe Mediterraneo
  • do a guided tour of the Mistico Hanging Bridges with Tavo
  • taste the wonders on the Don Olivio Chocolate tour
  • do a half-day volunteer experience with Proyecto Asis
  • visit the butterfly conservatory
  • get chocolates at Chocolate Fusion Cafe
  • eat arroz con pollo at Soda La Parada (right on the square)
  • walk around the park in the square and get a copo and fresh OJ from the cart on the corner
  • visit Chollin hot springs (in the AM, if possible)
  • hike down to the La Fortuna waterfall (we didn’t do this, as we weren’t sure Elias would last on the 500 steps up and down, but we’ve heard it’s amazing)
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Trip Report :: Samara, Costa Rica

6 / 18 / 216 / 18 / 21

Last week, I shared a trip report for our first stop on our recent Costa Rican adventure: Manuel Antonio. Next up: Samara!

Samara was actually the first spot on our radar for this particular trip. Since, as I’ve mentioned already, we’d previously visited the Caribbean coast, we knew we wanted to explore the Pacific side this time. The Guanacaste region, which Samara is in, is the one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica. Although, most people end up in the northern part of the region, near Tamarindo.

Instead, we opted for Samara, which I’d heard about through a few Costa Rica expat Facebook groups of which I’m a member. Samara, which is near the southern tip of Guanacaste, is a much, much quieter beach town, known as an expat hub–and as a place with lots of young families. Playa Samara also boasts some of the most shallow surf in Guanacaste, making it good for the littles.

The drive from Manuel Antonio to Samara took about 5 hours, was easy, and provided some really beautiful scenery. We arrived in Samara in the early afternoon, heading straight for the house we’d rented through AirBnB.

When we planned our itinerary for Costa Rica, we imagined that the boys would struggle with moving around so much, and that we’d also need a break from the constant packing and unpacking. After all, the house in Samara was our 3rd stay in just 6 days. It was also, we thought, the most swanky of all our lodgings. So, we planned to stay for a full week, giving ourselves a bit of a reprieve. In the end, that ended up being a mistake, but I’ll say more about that later.

When we arrived, there were some issues with our AirBnB, which was the least favorite of all our lodgings in Costa Rica, as it turned out. So, we were all a little cranky, a little tired, and hungry. While the property manager was rectifying issues with our rental, we decided to head straight for the beach. We pulled along the cute, but small, main stretch of Playa Samara, parked on the side of the road, and wandered into a beachside cafe for pizza, salads, fresh juices, and a beach view.

Almost immediately, all the boys wanted to do was go play by the water. And who could blame them? They’d been in a car all day, it was hot as hell (over 100 the entire time we were there), and the surf was gorgeous.

Turns out, we spent almost every single day and night in Samara down on that same beach, often with only a handful of other people. Playa Samara is something special—one of my favorite beaches we’ve been to, and we’ve been to lots. While the waves can still get a bit rough, enough that the beach sustains a little surf school where you can watch kids and adults alike try again and again to stand up on their boards, low tide brings with it the most shallow, pool-like surf, which looks glass-like in the fading sun, and which is perfect for smaller children.

That shallow surf, plus a crescent of palm trees lining the beach, plus the copo (shaved ice) carts that wander up and down throughout the day, plus all of the small cafes that let you use their chairs and umbrellas if you purchase a drink, plus the occasional monkey, plus the wild horses grazing on grass that edges the sand, plus the complete and total absence of rows and rows of plastic resort beach chairs and loud, drunk tourists and hoards of people really makes Playa Samara special.

The little town of Samara is full of expats and locals alike. There’s plenty of restaurants to choose from, a couple of well-stocked grocery stores, organic juice bars, and ice cream shops, and side-of-the-road fruit stands. In a lot of ways, Samara feels like Tulum felt 10 years ago, and I hope it doesn’t end up like Tulum is now.

It felt like the kind of place where we could easily see ourselves settling, should we ever spend a year or two living in Costa Rica. Yet, for this particular vacation, with two boys who couldn’t yet surf or ride ATVs or safely swim in the waves, it didn’t quite warrant a full week. I think that, if we’d had a house that was more comfortable and air-conditioned (we can’t hang with the heat, what can I say?), we would have felt differently. I also think the boys were just a couple years too young to more fully enjoy the Samara area.

The beach is Samara’s main draw, and a wonderful beach it is. However, after having come from the adventure-packed rainforest of Manuel Antonio, Samara almost felt a little too sleepy for us, at least with Finn and Elias at their current ages. Every day was pretty much the same: wake up, grab pastries at Roots Bakery, head to the beach and set up show at Lo Que Hay, spend as many hours as we could stand the sun and heat, splashing in the waves and playing in the sand, come back to the house (which had no AC and was unbearably hot) for lunch by the pool, take naps, wake up, go back to the beach for dinner and sunset.

There was absolutely nothing to complain about, but the heat in Samara was relentless, and we knew we wouldn’t last a full 7 days in the sun. Plus, there was SO much we wanted to do in La Fortuna/Arenal, which was our last stop, that we realized we weren’t going to be able to fit it all in the in the 4 nights we’d planned there. It was an error made in the planning stage, we realized.

Nonetheless, we did our best to find little age-appropriate adventures, including visiting the gorgeous palm-tree covered park on the north end of town, doing drive-by visits of a couple other area beaches, spending a morning dolphin-watching (from a very small boat where pretty much all of us got seasick, but still), riding horses on the beach, eating some of our favorite meals in Costa Rica, and watching every sunset from the sand.

Everything came to a head though when, after several days of issues with our rental, one night we came home, after dark, the kids hungry and tired, and found that the gate to our property was broken. The property manager was an hour out at sea, and we were stuck in the middle of a pitch-black jungle with absolutely no way into our rental. Sona made the very bad decision to try and drive up a muddy hill, leading to the back of our property, and, long story short, she almost sent our rental car careening over the side of an embankment. It was literally held up by two slim palm trees. We panicked, got the kids out of the car as quickly as possible, and spent 2 hours, with the help of the nicest locals, unsuccessfully trying to get the car out safely.

The next morning, after a backhoe came at 6:15 AM to pull our car off of the ledge, we decided we’d go to the Macaw Recovery Network tour we’d long had booked, come back, pack our bags, and leave Samara two nights early, giving us more time in Arenal, which had much more to do, a more temperate climate, and AIR CONDITIONING, which everyone, even the boys, were missing. (Their bedroom was 80-85 most nights, and they had a hard time sleeping the entire time.)

So, while our time in Samara was slightly colored by a bad AirBnB experience, we still really loved the town, would still absolutely recommend it, and would come back–will hopefully come back–one day.

As we sat at Roots for one last breakfast before hitting the road for Arenal, the stray dog that Finn had befriended at the beginning of the week, and who’d somehow found us everywhere we went in town all week long, wandered up. At the same time, an expat family with a young son walked by, saying, “You should take her home. We love her, but we already have a dog.”

Of course, we couldn’t, but I sure got a little misty eyed imagining we lived the kind of life where we could just take that sweet, stray dog, jump in our beat-up beach car, and drive to our little Costa Rican beach home, where the floors are always sandy, swimsuits were perpetually drying on the patio, mango trees grow in the yard, and we live a much quieter, more family-centered life.

And as I write this post from our very comfortable, air-conditioned home in Chicago, the kids at school and Sona at work, there’s a big part of me that wishes we were all sweating together on that beach in Samara.

Our Samara faves and recommendations:

  • watch tide charts and make sure to hit up the beach at low tide
  • get drinks and guac and beach chairs at Lo Que Hay
  • eat as many copos as possible
  • but pipa fria and fresh OJ from the fruit cart in town (you’ll see the one)
  • splurge on a grilled feast at El Largarto
  • get pizza at the swanky Gusto beach cafe
  • eat as many meals as possible at Soda La Perla
  • sit in the porch swing chairs and eat sushi at Samara Sushi
  • take a horseback ride on the beach
  • visit the Macaw Recovery Network to learn about their conservation efforts
  • check out Playa Carillo
  • if your kids are old enough, take surf lessons at the surf shop on Playa Samara
  • get pastries and breakfast at Roots Bakery
  • if your group is old enough, take ATV or horseback rides to Playa Barrigona


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Trip Report :: Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

6 / 10 / 216 / 18 / 21

Sona and I first went to Costa Rica–Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean side–almost 10 years ago. We flew into San Jose, had a nearly 5 hour drive to our jungle abode in Puerto Viejo, and arrived after dark–hot, hungry, and suddenly unsure about staying in a cabin with no walls, no AC, and plenty of creepy, crawling things. I’m pretty sure I cried that first night.

A week later, we not only had settled into our first Costa Rica vacation, but we’d fallen so in love with the country that a seed had been planted: maybe, one day, we could live in a place like this.

That little seed settled, germinated, and grew. So, after a year of COVID and languishing and feeling so stuck I wanted to crawl out of my skin, it was no surprise that the first place we wanted to take the kids in a post-COVID (or, recovering, at least) world was Costa Rica. It’s the most freeing place we’d ever been, and we were craving freedom.

Wanting to explore the Pacific coast of the country, which seemed to be a much more popular spot for tourists, we settled on three locations over 2.5 weeks: Manuel Antonio (for the rainforest), Samara (for the ex-pat beach life), and Arenal (for the volcano and hot springs).

So, on the day of departure, we woke at 2AM, left our house by 3AM, had two flights and a long layover before landing in San Jose at around 1:30PM. We picked up our rental car (from Adobe, full insurance, for anyone looking to rent a vehicle during their stay), and embarked on the 3 hour drive to Manuel Antonio. The kids had barely napped, Finn got carsick and puked Oreos in the backseat, and, once again, we found ourselves arriving in less-than-stellar spirits. It didn’t help that we pulled into our rental villa after dark, which meant we couldn’t appreciate the view that we would wake to the next morning.

Our first stay was in Casa Camila, which is one of the properties of Alta Vista Vacation Rentals, which we found on AirBnB. I’ll be honest: it wasn’t our first choice. However, by the time we got around to finally booking, most of the MA homes we’d saved were already taken. Ironically, Casa Camila ended up being my and Sona’s favorite stay of the trip.

The house is small and quaint, but it has the modern luxuries (AC, washing machine, ample hot water) that make traveling a little more comfortable, especially with kiddos. The real winning feature was the pool, which overlooked the rainforest and the ocean, and was the perfect spot from which to watch the two nesting Scarlett macaws who made a tree directly in front of the property their home. In fact, of all of the places we stayed, our little bungalow in MA was the one where we most enjoyed just hanging out on property.

We spent our first day and a half in Manuel Antonio just settling in, hanging out by the pool, and letting the kids adjust to their new surroundings. We spent 5 days in MA, ultimately, which many would argue is too many, if you are the type who likes to have a new experience every single day, but since it was our first stop, it was nice to be able to transition slowly into vacation mode.

The kids are too small to take advantage of much of what MA has to offer, like strenuous hikes and zip lining galore and river rafting. However, we really came for the wildlife, and so we scheduled a guided tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park with Mike of Mike’s Nature Tours, and I can’t recommend him enough.

The tour is generally a 4-5 hour affair, including an hour-long stop at the beautiful beach that sits halfway through the MANP loop. Like most days in Costa Rica, the day we went was HOT and and humid, and the boys struggled a bit, both because they hadn’t fully adjusted to the heat and bugs (Elias got bitten by something the second we got to the park, and he was on edge for the rest of the time) and because most of the wildlife was best seen through a monocular, which didn’t always capture the interest of a 2 and 5 year old. Even though Mike pointed out a ton of wildlife that we’d never have seen without him (sloths, 3 kinds of monkeys, frogs, lizards, bats, birds, etc.), Elias and Finn were fading, and Sona and I ended up carrying them to the “rest stop,” which is a small cafe just before the beach.

Once they had some snacks, they rallied a bit, and by the time we hit the beach, they were all game for fun. The beach at MANP is GORGEOUS and remote and undeveloped in all of the best ways. Costa Rica isn’t known for its beaches, which CR enthusiasts will tell you, but I love their wildness. Although the water is a little too rough for the littles to swim in, we splashed and ran in the sand and chased iguanas and hermit crabs until Mike waved his hand, indicating it was time to move on with the tour.

The second half of the walk went a lot better, and the boys were motivated by the big surprise we had been baiting them with all morning. After we left MANP and grabbed some lunch, we checked into our second accommodation, which was a splurge that Sona and I had kept hidden from the boys for a few months: we were staying in a full-sized 747 jet that has been converted into a jungle home!

I’d be waiting for the moment when we pulled up to the jet for weeks, barely able to keep my mouth shut, and it did NOT disappoint. The 747, which we also booked through AirBnB, is on the property of the Costa Verde resort in MA, which is huge and well-groomed and boasts a few airplane abodes, as well as regular hotel rooms. The airplane was so well placed, though, that we felt like we were all alone, and we never saw more than one or two people at any of the pools on property.

The motto of the hotel is “more monkeys than people,” and they weren’t lying. Minutes after checking in, Finn went out on one of the balconies for some time in a hammock, and he was quite literally stormed by capuchins, who seemed to be dropping out of thin air, and who wanted to make clear that this was THEIR jungle, and we were just visitors. It scared little Finn to death, but is not one of our favorite memories of the trip.

The next day, which was our last in MA, we decided to find one of the secret beaches mostly only locals know about. Mike, our guide, recommended it, and it didn’t disappoint. Playa Biesanz is located off a jungle road, down a 10-minute jungle trail. It’s one of those places you wouldn’t know about unless someone told you, and that’s what made it so great. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you see a few cars on the shoulder of the road and some local guys, who are make-shift parking attendants, asking for around $3 to watch your car. Just pay them. It’s honest work, and they are kind, and it’s less than you’d spend on a coffee in the States.

We spent a full half day at that beach, wading in the cool “sweet water” stream that comes down from the rainforest and trails into the ocean and drinking limonatas made by a local who has a very make-shift bar set up under the palm trees (you can also rent umbrellas and chairs from him for around $15).

Manuel Antonio is small, and many folks say there are better spots in Costa Rica to catch the rainforest. If we had to compare it to Puerto Viejo, which is also a beachfront town in the middle of the rainforest, I think we’d say we prefer the latter just slightly, but we were really charmed by MA, and it was a wonderful place to be welcomed into this trip. Sona and I make every attempt to steer clear of super touristy spots when traveling, and MA didn’t feel very touristy at all. Although, that might have been due to low numbers of travelers because of COVID. Nonetheless, we liked it a lot, and we would absolutely go back.

Our Manuel Antonio faves and recommendations:

  • rent a villa from Alta Vista Vacation Rentals, which feels more like a B&B–complete with hot breakfast every morning, cleaning service, and a concierge–than a true vacation rental
  • consider a night or two in one of the airplane abodes at Costa Verde and watch out for the capuchins
  • hire Mike from Mike’s Nature Tours for a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park (but make sure the kiddos have eaten plenty before going, as you aren’t allowed any snacks within the park)
  • eat at El Wagon Pizza, which has a great atmosphere for families and really, really good pizza
  • eat at Emilio’s Cafe–great breakfast and my favorite whole-fried fish of the entire trip
  • wander around the town of Quepos, and eat at one of the small sodas
  • take the kiddos to El Avion, a restaurant under the wings of a captured spy plane, with a great view and a cockpit they’ll love exploring (the food is good, not great, but worth a stop for the atmosphere)
  • absolutely stay somewhere with a view, as it’s one of the best features of MA

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Trip Report :: Todos Santos, Mexico

4 / 30 / 216 / 18 / 21

Like the rest of the world, we spent most of the past year social distancing. For Sona, her life didn’t look much different, as she’s in the medical field and, therefore, work was pretty much business as usual. For me, though, it meant that I went from an uber-social work setting, wherein I am accustomed to interacting with dozens of students and colleagues every week, to the isolation of a laptop, a not-so-comfy-chair, and an empty house.

This is to say, while Sona and I both needed to get away, I really felt like my mental health was hanging on by a thread. So, when my parents offered to watch our kids for a week in March, as they do every year (thank goodness for grandparents, am I right?!), we decided we’d pounce on the opportunity to leave (the house, the city, and the country), and we headed to Baja Sur, Mexico, which was a sleepy enough spot that we felt like, although there were still some risks involved with travel, we’d have a decent shot of a safe and mostly distanced vacay.

Todos Santos, specifically, has been on our radar for a few years. It’s one of those places that very few people knew about a decade ago. However, thanks to social media, it has become one of the “most undiscovered spots in Mexico”–albeit, not for long.

Generally speaking, Sona and I always try to avoid a lot of the Greatest Hits destinations. We often joke that, if you want a good travel experience, you should fly into a really touristy spot, and then drive an hour or two away. That has been our experience all over the world, and we often find a lot of sweet spots by doing just that. This time, that meant flying into Cabo, hopping in a Jeep (Sona’s dream car), and taking Highway 19 about an hour and a half north, past more cacti then you ever thought possible, until you hit Todos Santos.

While Todos Santos checks all of our off-the-beaten-path boxes, it also, ironically, is home to a very hip and chic hotel by The Bunkhouse Group, which really sealed the deal for us. We wanted quiet and an escape from the rowdy crowds that Cabo has in abundance, but we also needed a little pampering. That is, having a boho lux hotel, plopped right into the middle of the otherwise undeveloped desert, was exactly the kind of salve our travel-starved, COVID-weary souls craved. Enter: Hotel San Cristobal.

Located at the end of a questionably dusty road–one enough to make even seasoned travelers a bit squeamish–sits the sort of 70s-inspired, bohemian paradise your Baja dreams are made of. The white stucco hotel, which is the only building on a Pacific bay where we never saw more than a handful of people on the beach at any time, provides a good respite from days spent driving up and down the desert, eating fish tacos, and adventuring around the peninsula.

Because of the pandemic, the hotel was at 20% capacity, which means that, most days, we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. (The property only has 32 rooms. So, I imagine it still feels small, even at full capacity.)

Each night, while the property was still and the Pacific waves roared, we sat by the fire, drank mezcal cocktails, ordered plate after plate of churros, and watched the stars.

Then, come morning, as we’re always want to do, we would adventure. There’s really so much to see and experience and EAT in the area, if you’re willing to drive a bit.

We spent a good bit of time just wandering around downtown Todos Santos, which, although there are some corners geared toured tourists, still feels mostly authentic and unspoiled, especially if you work to find the local spots.

We visited the many, many art galleries–it’s an artists’ town–and tried every fish tacos the place had to offer. (Go to the blue and orange street stand, across the street from Hotel California, for the best!)

We spent a day at Cerritos Beach, watching the many surfers on the water, and stopped at the Justina Blanket Factory on the way.

We didn’t get to have sunset cocktails at Hacienda Cerritos, but we hear it’s a great spot! We also loved Barracuda Cantina, where we got great shrimp tacos and passionfruit cocktails with our toes in the sand.

We spent a day at sea, swimming with Whale Sharks and sea lions, as the former is what originally piqued our interest in the Baja Peninsula to begin with.

During the excursion, we stopped at Balandra Beach, outside of La Paz, which is surrounded by pink mountains, and widely considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It did not disappoint.



We ate the best carnitas of our lives at Carnitas Machin, a roadside stop in El Pescadora–and area really worthy of exploring and eating your way through.

We found that, after a difficult year wherein we often had to be together, we actually still liked being together. (Something that all long-married couples, but especially those with kids, need help remembering every now and then.)

And we spent night after night, driving across town to a somewhat hidden beach, where we’d heard they sometimes release sea turtle hatchlings. Four nights we went, and four nights we found the makeshift hatchling tent empty.

Then, on our very last night in Todos Santos, just as we were walking back to our car, somewhat defeated, we saw an ATV come rambling up the beach, park at the tent, and a volunteer go inside.

So, we spent our final night watching the sun set and trying to coax turtle hatchlings into the water. Everyone left, even the volunteer, and Sona and I sat alone on the pitch-black beach, watching over the handful of timid hatchlings that were taking their time.

Did I mention that we also saw grey whales spouting from that same beach?

It might have been the fact that we hadn’t truly traveled in well over a year or the release that was having a week of unrestrained joy after pandemic living, but we completely fell for all that Baja Sur had to offer, and it was the perfect reminder, after a year of feeling so isolated, that there is a big, wide, beautiful world outside of our front door, even if we can’t always see it.

Our Baja Sur faves and recommendations:

  • eat all of the fish tacos, but especially the ones at the blue and orange street stand in Todos Santos and at the very local-oriented Compa Chava
  • stay at Hotel San Cristobal 
  • spend a day in Cerritos, eating lunch at Barracuda Cantina and watching surfers on the beach
  • shop for woven blankets at the Justina Blanket Factory
  • eat lots and lots and lots of carnitas at Carnitas Machin
  • eat the catch-of-the-day turned sushi at Derek’s
  • visit the many art galleries in Todos Santos; we especially liked La Sonrisa de la Muerte
  • spend a day on the water with Explora Baja
  • if you go during the right months, watch baby turtles be released at Torugueros Las Playitas
  • grab pastries and coffee at Talle 17 and wall down Calle Benito Juarez (the street with all of the hanging flags)
  • spend a lazy afternoon eating lunch and exploring the organic gardens at Hierbabuena
  • get the passion fruit sorbet at La Paloma
  • have a “fancy” dinner at Jazamango, and order the whole fish
  • check out the mezcal pop-up at El Refugio, Tues-Sat
  • spend a lot of time sitting in the sand, doing absolutely nothing, other than watching for whales




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Trip Report: Cartagena

8 / 6 / 198 / 6 / 19

The last time Sona and I really got away without our boys was our trip to Venice and Florence the summer before Finn turned 2. He turns 4 next weekend.

So, to say that a kid-free adventure was in order is an understatement. Luckily, Mimi and Pops were willing to sacrifice a week of their own summer vacation to make it happen.

We’ve tried to remember how and why Cartagena landed on our radar, and we can’t quite pinpoint it. I’m sure it has something to do with an awe-inspiring Instagram photo, as Cartagena has been a hot spot for travelers over the past couple years–and for good reason.

Nonetheless, with only a week to travel, we knew that we didn’t want to waste time going all the way to Europe. We also wanted to be budget-minded on our trip, which can be difficult to do in the Caribbean. Therefore, when the colorful old city of Cartagena presented itself, and we found relatively quick and affordable red-eye flights, which meant that we wouldn’t have to sacrifice a day of fun for a day in an airport, we jumped.

AirBnBs are plentiful and CHEAP in Cartagena. Even though we booked our trip pretty late in the game, meaning the majority of rentals had already been nabbed, we were still able to find one that was super nice, affordable, and in a great area. In fact, we paid around $85/night for our place in Cartagena, which is the cheapest lodging we’ve ever booked for a trip.

From the second our cab pulled into the old walled city of Cartagena, we fell in love. Everything Sona and I love about travel, Cartagena offers in loads: authentic and interesting cuisine, lots of local color, plenty of small streets to wander through, just a touch of exoticism, and more photo-worthy nooks and crannies than I could possibly account for.

We spent the majority of our time in Cartagena either eating our way through the street vendors in the walled city, sipping cups of coffee, and surveying the unbelievable street art in Getsemani. We also took a boat out to Tierra Bomba, where we spent the day at Blue Apple Beach Club; it was fantastic!

Despite the heat and humidity, which were oppressive at times, we fell in love with the little slice of Colombia that we experienced–and the people, all of whom were so genuinely friendly! Cartagena made for a great first impression, but it absolutely won’t be our last trip to Colombia.


Epoca was one of our favorite cafes–and we ate there three times! Ironically, the owners also own the AirBnB we stayed in.
Abaco Libros y Cafe is a must visit!
In that heat, a pool is a must!
While it’s true that there are a lot of street vendors, selling hats and headbands and bracelets, they are all really pleasant.
The neighborhood of Getsemani, which is just outside of the walled city, has the best street art of anywhere we’ve been in the world.
One day, we did a 3 hour street food tour through Cartagena Connections. It was awesome–and we got to taste so much yumminess!

This guy–who was SO NICE–had the very best pineapple and mango with tajin and lime. We went back several times throughout the week!
I had a love affair with arepas throughout the week, and we tried over a dozen. Our very favorite was from Mona, who operates a street cart near Parque Fernandez de Madrid. She was there every night, and we ate them every night!
Though, this particular cart, which is at the end of Calle 38, is often thought to have the best arepas in town.
The rooftop of the Muvich hotel has the best view in the city!
For around $60, you can go spend the day at Blue Apple Beach Club, which has beautiful grounds, delicious food, amazing service, and $30 massages!
Our favorite breakfast from Epoca: passion fruit juice, arepa con huevo, and calentado!
Every “must do in Cartagena” list will include sunset drinks on the wall at Cafe del Mar. However, we much preferred the quieter, less scene-y El Baluarte, and we regretted not spending more evenings there.

Our Cartagena Faves and Recommendations:

  • Rent an AirBnB in the walled city. The further you get away from the historic city’s entrance, the more local the vibe. We stayed near Plaza de San Diego and really loved the area.
  • Eat calentado and limonada de coco at Epoca
  • Get breakfast and pastries at Mila Postres
  • Watch sunset from the rocking chairs at El Baluarte
  • Book a street food tour through Cartagena Connections
  • Skip Playa Blanca and spend at day at Blue Apple Beach Club
  • Thumb through the vast book collection at Abaco Libros y Cafe
  • Search for the sloths and monkeys in Parque Centario
  • Roam around Getsemani, checking out the street art and the local galleries
  • Grab drinks at Demente (head to the backyard) and then enjoy the lively atmosphere of Holy Trinity Square at night
  • Get dinner at El Arsenal and Alma
  • Splurge on the tasting menu at Carmen
  • Grab some cocktails and ceviche on the rooftop of Alquimico, which is has a hip tiki vibe
  • Check out the view from the rooftop of the Muvich hotel
  • Eat as many arepas con huevos as possible, especially from Mona’s cart near Parque Fernandez de Madrid. While you’re there, keep an eye out for the amazing Michael Jackson impersonator!
  • Hang out in as many parks and plazas as you can, eating mango and drinking limeade from street vendors nearby
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Where to Eat in Chicago

7 / 1 / 199 / 17 / 20
Image result for where to eat in chicago

**Updated 9/17/20

This post has been like 15 years in the making. I’ve written a version of it again and again–in texts messages and emails, to people I’ve never met and to close family members. There’s at least 10 times a year when I get asked, “Where should I eat when I come to Chicago?”

If you have ever visited the city and allowed me to play tour guide for a day, you know how seriously I consider that question. It sends me into a damn-near clinically insane spiral wherein I’m likely to ask you a million follow-up questions (What’s your shoe size? How do you like to spend Sunday afternoons? How were the stars aligned when you were born?) and offer up twenty seven complete multi-step, multi-dish itineraries.

Next to my family and travel and words, food and the City of Chicago are two of the things I hold the most dear. So, when you ask me to tell you how to best eat your way around my city, I go into a full-on tailspin.

Even now, I’m not sure how to best approach this. Top Chicago bites? Organize spots by neighborhoods? Break down by price points? I could write a handbook on where and how to eat in Chicago, but I’m going to try to drill it down to a somewhat palatable blogpost. (See what I did there?) There are no less than four people currently waiting for me to send them my list. Therefore, I figured now is as good a time as any to begin writing it down.

So, without further ado, here is where I think you should eat in Chicago!

I don’t think you have to spend a ton of money to eat well in Chicago, but I do think Chicago has some mid-to-higher-end places that, to my mind, are destination eateries that help put us on the map. Before I breakdown into smaller categories, here is the list of what I consider to be Chicago’s most noteworthy, scene-defining restaurants, in no particular order (it goes without saying that you need to make reservations for all of these places way ahead of time):

Girl & the Goat: Stephanie Izard, of Top Chef fame, is one of Chicago’s most beloved chefs and one of the country’s most successful female restauranteurs. She now has four restaurants in the city. This is the first and most well-known. If you want to try Izard’s food but can’t get into Girl & the Goat, Little Goat is a great alternative!

Monteverde: Another female Top Chef’s feature restaurant. Maybe the best Italian in the city. (Other contenders for this spot would be Spiaggia, Nico Osteria, and Sienna Tavern.)

Alinea: Before anyone gives me shit about this, let me just acknowledge that you can’t make a list of the best Chicago restaurants without including Alinea, which is widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world. If you want a combination dinner/theater experience that costs as much as a month’s rent, you should try it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime meal, and it’s as much about the spectacle as it is about the food.

Publican: This hip, small-plates meat-focused restaurant really put that style of dining on the map, and it was the first to break into the now hot-as-coal food scene in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. Get the pork rinds and the duck fat fries with a fried egg on top and, if you call ahead of time so they can have it shipped in from Japan, the seafood tower.

Au Cheval: Best burger in the world. There, I said it, and others have too. The last time I went, we waited 7 hours for a table. Yes, 7 hours. Yes, it was totally worth it. If you don’t have the time or energy, you can get an almost-as-good-but-not-quite version at Small Cheval, of which there are many locations.

The Purple Pig: I don’t know a single Chicagoan that doesn’t love this long-standing small-plate wine bar. The food has never been anything less than excellent, and they’ve recently moved to a larger location, which means you actually have a chance of grabbing a table at this spot that doesn’t take reservations but still packs in the crowds after having been opened for years.

Offbeat Hip Neighborhood Spots:

Lula Cafe: Honestly, this could be in the first category, too. Like Purple Pig, every Chicagoan loves this small, seasonal restaurant that boasts an inventive menu in one of Chicago’s up-and-coming neighborhoods, Logan Square.

Giant: Homemade pastas, great cocktails, small space, and hip vibe. We still talk about our meal there, including the fantastic cocktail, which we have the recipe for hand-written on a postcard the waiter gave us.

Passerotto: This relatively new Italian/Korean fusion joint is in our ‘hood. The crudos and the pastas were some of my best bites of last year. You won’t find this menu anywhere else. Skip the Korean BBQ platter, IMO. (This restaurant has since closed.)

Longman & Eagle: Hipster-ville but totally delicious. Go for brunch or dinner with friends.

Fat Rice: Portuguese-Chinese fusion that sorta went viral in Chicago. Great pastry selection. Huge communal tables. Rowdy, fun vibe. Go in a group so you can order a lot! (This restaurant has since closed.)

Steakhouses:

Maple & Ash: I feel like someone is going to yell at me for not having any of the classic Chicago steakhouses on this list, but oh well. Maple & Ash is one of the most romantic, special restaurants I’ve been to in the city. This place is SEXY (we’re talking actual candelabras and velvet curtains), and their wood-fired seafood with chili oil is the stuff of dreams. I’ve been dying to try their Sunday brunch, which seems deliciously opulent.

RPM: Made famous by the celeb couple Bill and Giuliana Ranic, RPM is superb. It also has one of my favorite bites in the city: the miso crab appetizer. HOLY DELICIOUSNESS. I know several Chicagoans who have gone multiple times, including ourselves, and that’s saying something in a city that prides itself on high-end steakhouses. I don’t like the counterpart, RPM Italian, though.

Bavette’s: This is my go-to recommendation for date night. It’s swanky and sexy and the food is absolutely fantastic. They also have my favorite seafood tower in Chicago, and I’ve tried dozens.

Brunch Spots:

M. Henry: We live around the corner from this Chicago staple. It’s been open for years, and there’s still a line around the block every weekend. It was one of Chicago’s first brunch-only restaurants. The bliss cakes are where it’s at.

Prime & Provisions: Imagine that Marie Antoinette, who grew up to be a high-power businesswomen, said “I want an AYCE brunch, and I want it to be EXTRA.” That’s what you get here. The jaw-dropping spread is sure to wow you–and your belly.

The Allis: In the lobby of the uber hip Soho House Chicago, The Allis is all plush velvet sofas, antique rugs, chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Their brunch is killer, but so is the atmosphere. Get the coconut pudding and the avocado toast.

SummerHouse Santa Monica: True to the name, this feels like a real CA experience. It’s bright and airy and bustling, and the brunch menu is extensive, as is the pastry selection!

Etta: From the same folks who did Maple & Ash, Etta is one of my favorite new-ish places in the city. Dinner is fantastic, too, but brunch is my favorite meal there. Also super kid-friendly.

Sweets:

BomboBar: You really don’t know me at all if you don’t know how deeply my love for BomboBar runs. Fresh-fried Italian donuts and obscene milkshakes and sundaes that are the stuff of Instagram foodies’ dreams. Luckily, they just opened a second location. So, I won’t have to wait in a 50-person line anymore. (Though, TBH, I would have done that forever.)

Pretty Cool Ice Cream: Insta-worthy interior, drool-worthy frozen treats. PCIC has a range of 20+ popsicles and ice cream bars, all made in-house. Think caramel ice cream dipped in milk chocolate and covered in salty potato chips.

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate: This place has an impressive savory menu too, but we’ve only ever gone for the desserts, including the hot chocolate so good it warrants the restaurant name. You’ll want a reservation, as the secret has been out about this place for quite some time. (They are now producing THC-laced edible sweets, too. Get ready, Chicago!) (This restaurant has since closed.)

Sweet Mandy B’s: If you close your eyes and imagine what the bakery of your unicorn-laden dreams would look like, this would be it. SMB’s has my favorite buttercream-smothered desserts in the world. Their iced sugar cookies and vanilla cupcakes are my standards, but I dare you to leave without a box full of temptations.

Floriole: Floriole is right next door to SMB’s and is like its older, more sophisticated French cousin. They do a great cafe-style lunch, and their croissants and composed desserts are some of the best in the city. The passion-fruit tart and pot de creme are my personal faves, along with their bacon, arugula, and fig sandwich.

Chicago “Must Eats”:

Lou Malnati’s: I don’t love deep dish pizza, admittedly, but this is the one most Chicagoans recommend, and, if you’re in the city for the first time, deep dish is a rite of passage. Chicagoans go for the sausage.

Pequod’s: If I have to eat deep dish, this is the one I prefer–crispy, near-burnt cheese on the crust seals the deal.

Weiner’s Circle: This place is a bit of a Chicago legend. Great char-dogs with all the Chicago toppings, served alongside a good ol fashion verbal roasting from the workers. Go, ask for ketchup, have your iPhone video camera ready.

Hot G Dawg: Hot Doug’s was a famous hot dog eatery in the city, garnering lines around the block. When it closed, the cooks opened Hot G Dawg, which is in our ‘hood. It’s uber-casual but uber-delicious. Get the classic Chicago dog and tots with cheese!

Taqueria El Asadero: Everyone knows about Chicago pizza and hot dogs, but the city is just as well-known for its authentic street tacos, and everyone has their favorite spot. This one is ours. Bring cash, prepare to smell like grilled steak, and, if it is nice, take your order to the park across the street and eat in the grass.

Cocktails:

Lost Lake: There are two can’t-miss tiki bars in the city, and this is one of them. Three Dots and a Dash is the other. The first is a bit hipster and the second is a bit scene-y, but both promise a good time, show-stopping Hawaiian-inspired cocktails, and lots of fun. (If you have an extra $500 to spare, try the Treasure Chest at Three Dots.)

Aviary: The Aviary is owned by the same people who brought us Alinea, and some may think it’s equally obnoxious/expensive/outrageous, but I love it. In fact, I much prefer the cocktail experience at Aviary to the dining experience at Alinea. If you want to really go big, book the chef’s kitchen table. The food is as good as the cocktails, which are each their own work of art. Two (three?) words: foie gras Snickers.

Apogee: Apogee is a less expensive, slightly less impressive alternative to Aviary. You won’t need tickets ahead of time, and there’s a great view, complete with an outdoor space. Plus, you’ll still get weird science-fair ready drinks with shit like cotton candy floating atop your martini.

Signature Lounge: The ONLY reason I am recommending this place is because it’s the best way to get a FREE view from the near-top of the Hancock building without paying to go to the observation deck. Instead, grab a cocktail at this restaurant on the 95th floor and enjoy the sights. Eat the food at your own risk.

Randolph Eats:

Au Cheval: already mentioned above

BombaBar: already mentioned above

Bavette’s: already mentioned above

Avec: Randolph is the most restaurant-packed street in Chicago, and you could easily make a day of eating your way up and down it. Avec is a little tapas-style bar with only enough seating for a handful of people. Go right as lunch or dinner service begins or make a reservation. Eat the chorizo-stuffed dates (though, everything is wonderful).

Bonci: Bourdain once called Bonci his favorite pizza in Rome, and Chicago got their first US location. You walk in, spy 20 or so different foccacia-style pizzas, and order by the slice, which they cut with a pair of scissors. Try 5 or 6 varieties, grab a can of wine or a cold beer, and chow down while you game-plan the rest of your Randolph eating adventure.

Gus’s Fried Chicken: When Memphis-started Gus’s finally came to Chicago, I was one happy southern gal. If you know me, you know how much I love fried chicken, and Gus’s is the best I’ve ever had. Anywhere. Ever.

Cold Storage: Okay, this is technically a couple blocks from Randolph, but it still counts. Cold Storage is one of the places we’ve been to the most–and since we try something new every time we go out, that is saying something. They have the best raw bar stuff (oysters, crab legs, etc.) in the city, and their smoked trout dip is INSANE. I like to go, grab a cocktail, sit at the bar, and down some seafood before moving on to the next stop.

Bavette’s/Maude’s: I’ve already mentioned Bavette’s, and Maude is Bavette’s twin. Both are dark and sexy. Both have a speakeasy vibe. Both have been long-standing winners on the Chicago dining scene. Maude’s steak tartare is the best in Chicago.

Cheap-ish Eats

Xoco: Rick Bayless is one of the most famous Chicago chefs–a ginger guy known for his Mexican cuisine. (I’ll let you work out the ethics of that.) I’m not a huge fan, but XOCO is the exception. It’s his fast-casual concept, and I prefer the food to his finer dining establishments. The masa dumpling soup with carnitas and arugula is one of my favorite Chicago dishes, but folks also love the tortas.

Taqueria El Asadero: already mentioned above

La Unica Market: This place is so underground they don’t even have a website. La Unica is a Cuban market on the north side of the city, and there’s a cafe tucked in back that serves amazing fare, including killer cubano sandwiches, the best black beans you’ll ever eat, and a whole range of Latin finds.

Calumet Fisheries: This place requires three things of you: a car, a love of seafood, and a serious devotion to foodie travel adventures, as you’ll have to drive a good 30 minutes from downtown in order to access this roadside seafood shack, where you can get the best smoked salmon–and a whole host of other sea-based fare–to go. Eat the fish with your hands, out of a paper bag, while sitting in a nearby park. Be prepared to smell of hickory for the entire day, but it’s so worth it.

Lao Sze Chuan: When I moved to the city, LSC only had one location; now they have many. I can’t really vouch for the others, but the one in Chinatown has long been a favorite of ours. Get the dan-dan noodles and the five chili chicken. After, head over to Chiu Quon Bakery for $1.00 pork buns and coconut custard tarts. (There’s also a Chiu Quon on Argyle, which is in the city’s Little Vietnam neighborhood.)

Manny’s Deli: Open for over 75 years, this is a true NYC-style Jewish deli experience. You grab a tray and work your way down the line, ordering all of the smoked meat sandwiches, matzo ball soups, and other Jewish delicacies you can bare to carry.

Sun Wah BBQ: If you’ve never done a Peking duck experience, then you must try this place! Bring at least 4 people, be sure to call and order at least 24 hours ahead of time, and be prepared for a feast. One duck will net you enough bao for 4-5 people, duck fried rice, and duck soup.

Wildcards:

Here are some places that are work a visit but didn’t fit neatly into any other category

Langham: Best afternoon tea service in a totally awe-inspiring hotel space. Fancy, girly–worth the splurge!

Proxi: One of our favorite new restaurants of the past few years. They do global-inspired street food in a slightly upscale, but still whimsical, way.

Bar Ramone: Some of our favorite tapas and cocktails are in this small but centrally located bar. The salmon tartare, tomato bread with jamon, and patatas bravas (which they do as fries) should all be tried. It’s perfect for a group date or cocktails and nibbles before a night out.

Eataly: Nearly every major city in the US now has its own Eataly, but if you’ve never been to one, this Italian food mega-mall/dining hall is definitely worth a stop. There’s a Nutella station. Need I say more?

Virtue: Stationed in Hyde Park and run by one of the Obamas’ favorite chefs, Virtue has the best Southern food we’ve eaten outside of the South.

Honorable mentions: Galit (very new Israeli place that’s on everyone’s hot list with good reason), The Gage (one of our first Chicago loves–good option across the street from Millennium Park, Aba (only for the rooftop and cocktails, beware of scenesters), Burger Bar (our favorite burgers, after Au Cheval), Tank Noodle (and any of the pho places on Argyle, really), Uru Swati (our favorite Indian street food spot),

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The Big Question: What’s Next?

6 / 17 / 196 / 18 / 19

Let’s do a quick walk-through of the past 18 years of my and Sona’s relationship. If you skim through that timeline, you’ll hit a milestone every few years: graduate from undergrad, move to a big city, get graduate degrees, land our dream jobs, get married (legally!!!), have Finn, buy our first house, have Elias.

working on a grad school paper
pregnant with Finn
Elias’s first day

I think back through those years, and I am so proud of where we are and how far we’ve come. We are living the life we could have only dreamt of when we first met in that Tennessee dorm room way back in 2000. 18 year old Danielle’s big dreams aren’t lost on 37 year old Danielle, trust me.

Still, for as long as Sona and I have been together, we have always been working towards something: a degree, a career, a home, a baby. Now that we’ve had Elias, and are certain that our baby-making years are behind us, I have found myself thinking, “What’s next?”

Before you start sending me “appreciate what you have” or “stop and smell the roses” memes, let me assure you: I do. We do. We love the life we’ve created together, and we recognize how fortunate we are to live it, but at the end of a long day, when we’re frazzled and tired and thread-bare. When we’ve paid the bills and called about the weird insurance notice we got in the mail and responded to the 27 to-do items on our HOA’s fix-it list, and dropped the boys off at daycare, and ran to the gym, and commuted to our respective jobs, and picked the boys up from daycare, and rushed home to cook dinner, and answered a million work-related emails, and given whatever pet is sick their medicine, and rushed to make bedtime happen at a relatively normal hour, and watched our 60-90 minutes of DVR’d TV, and crawled back into our perfectly comfortable bed, and set the alarms on our phones for the next morning, when we will wake up and do some version of all of that all over again, I think we both wonder, “Can we do this for the next 30 years?”

More to the point: do we want to do this for the next 30 years?

That is the question that’s been needling us for a while, now. Before the boys, we talked about our pipe-dream of moving internationally for a stint. Where to? Who knows. And do what? That’s a good question. But it was always something at the back of our minds.

When we started traveling to the Caribbean a lot, it became clear to me that a Caribbean lifestyle was I could be happy with. Like, forever. If you know me, you’ve likely heard me wax poetic about being barefoot in the sand, living in a simple cottage, spending most of my time outdoors, eating head-on fish with my hands, and never wearing make-up again.

Yet, there were milestones we knew we wanted to hit. And so, our one-day Caribbean pipe-dream never moved far beyond the waxing.

Then we had Elias, got through the first few months of having a newborn, which, as any parent can tell you, doesn’t allow you much time to think about anything else, and let the dust settle. And once it settled, the nagging question began to echo louder: “What’s next?”

I think it’s easy to conflate a lust for adventure with discontentment. A therapist might tell us that, by always looking to what’s next, we’re trying to out-run some sort of emotional baggage. But for me, it’s not so much that I’m craving an escape as I’m craving a beginning. Like I said, I love my life, but I don’t want this to be the only life I ever live. I don’t want to re-write the same chapter over and over, decade after decade, without ever trying something new.

And what’s also become abundantly clear to both myself and Sona is that the lives we live now don’t allow us to maximize time with our kids. Practically speaking, our kids are with their daycare providers more than they are with us. And even when we are together, Sona and I are often so spent that we don’t have as much energy to devote to family time as we’d like.

But we’re also craving something else: a completely new experience that shows our boys a different pace of life and affords us the invaluable gift of bonding together in the context of the unknown. A chance to live somewhere altogether different than Chicago. A new landscape. A new language. A new lifestyle.

And we recognize that, when it comes to the boys, there’s a window in which we can do this. We need a few years to prepare. We want the boys to both be old enough to remember our adventure and get the most out of it but not so old that they resist family time and resent us for leaving their friends. And, should all things go as planned, we’d like to come back in time for them each to experience a full high school career in the States, giving them the opportunity to experience all the things you experience as an American teen, including a fairly rooted peer group.

Ultimately, that means that our window is somewhere between the ages of when Elias is 4 or 5 and Finn is 12 or 13. If you’re doing the math, that means we have about 3 or 4 years to shit or get off the proverbial pot.

Recently, Sona and I have begun getting more and more serious about our pipe-dream. We’ve given ourselves one year to make an informed decision, which means we are embarking on an info-gathering mission.

There’s so much to consider. Chief among our anxieties are these questions: Would I be stupid to give up a tenured academic position that I love, knowing these sorts of gigs are near impossible to come by? (Sona could get a new job relatively easily.) Would we be fools to abandon the financial security that we’d likely have at about the same time we’d be giving it all up to move abroad? Would I be able to have affordable access to insulin? What would we do with our stuff? Sell it all and start from scratch? Pay to store it for an unknown length of time? Will our pets still be alive?

Of course, some of those questions are more pressing than others.

Then, there’s the questions we have about where we’d move to: Can we find a place that feels undeveloped without sacrificing basic infrastructural needs? Will we both be able to find jobs that support our cost of living? Will there be good schools for the boys? In case of emergency, will we have access to affordable healthcare?

A while ago, we abandoned hope that we’d end up on a small Caribbean island. As much as I’d love it, it just wouldn’t be practical. And we’ve gotten to the stage in our game-planning that we are mindful of practicality.

That has led us to Costa Rica, a place we visited in 2012 and fell in love with. Costa Rica gives us much of what we want: a new language, a new culture, a Caribbean vibe, lots of geographic variety ripe for exploring, cultural richness, the ocean. It also has enough infrastructure that we’d feel comfortable moving there with young kids. CRNAs can practice, and there are several teaching possibilities.

The one catch is that you have to be a citizen in order to be employed in the country, and citizenship requires three years of residency. So, we’d have to have employers advocate for our getting work visas out of need, which might prove tricky.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We haven’t made a decision, remember? Come the summer of 2020, we have to decide: Do we want to slowly begin downsizing, preparing for a life-changing move out of the US? Or do we want to sell our condo, roll our money into a single family home, and commit to life in Chicago long-term.

By the summer of 2020, we’ll have to decide: what’s next?

(In the meantime, I’d love to be connected to any ex-pat families with small-ish children who would be willing to let me pick their brains.)

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Traveling with Small Kids

4 / 26 / 194 / 26 / 19

“Do you have any tips for traveling with small kids?” is probably the question I get asked the most, both on social media and in real life. It’s not that Sona and I are the most well-traveled folks around; it’s just that there aren’t that many families who venture out–especially internationally–with small kiddos. That trend is changing, though, slowly, and that’s thanks to a lot of Insta-famous globe-trotting families.

I’ve joked a lot about how naive Sona and I were pre-kids, promising each other that we wouldn’t let our babies derail our lifestyles–that we’d just strap them on us and bring them along to hip restaurants, long city walks, and international adventures. We had no idea what kind of shit-storm we were heading into, of course, but actually, I think we’ve stayed fairly true to that promise.

As much as we can, we still do the things that make us us, even with a baby and toddler in tow. Of course, we don’t do those things as frequently (hello, expensive daycare costs), as spontaneously, or without a fair share of anticipated stress, but we still do them. And that’s what matters.

I’m no expert when it comes to traveling with kids. Like anyone, even our best laid toddler-baby-travel plans often go up in smoke, but I have learned some tips and tricks along the way. And, since I think it’s so important to keep doing the things that make you you, even with little ones, I thought I’d share.

Here are our tried and true tips for traveling with small kids:

  1. Don’t follow any ubiquitous travel-planning advice. You know your kids better than anyone. Follow their lead. For us, that means that, unlike a lot of parents, we try to avoid red eye flights. Early mornings, allowing us to travel 5-7 hours and still get to our destination in time for an afternoon naps, works best for us. Finn is a great sleeper–when he’s in his crib. He’s never been keen on sleeping anywhere else, including planes. So, we try to avoid all-night flights, as we know he will likely resist sleep with every ounce of his little willful power, and we will all be miserable as a result.
  2. When traveling with an infant, book bulkhead seats and request a bassinet. I feel like this is just one of those tips that most people don’t know about unless another parent tells them. When we flew to Portugal when Elias was 8 weeks old, the bassinet was a life-saver. It hooked to the wall right in front of our seats, and he slept in there most of the flight. (Finn, on the other hand, didn’t sleep at all. See tip #1.) Not all airlines have bassinets, and most don’t let you reserve them ahead of time, but if you get to the airport early enough, scoring one shouldn’t be a problem.
  3. If you can afford it, get the kid their own seat. Yes, having a little one who can travel free-of-charge until they are one years old is a perk, but how much is that perk worth to you? Your sanity? For us, we prefer for our kiddos to have their own seats once they are one. Babies an be easy to hold, pass around, plop in a bassinet, but a wiggly one year old is a whole other story. If it’s affordable, it’s always worth the extra space.
  4. Pack extra carry-on clothes for everyone. Plus some. Every single time we’ve ever traveled, someone has needed an outfit change: spills, blow-outs, dirty airport floors. There are myriad reasons why you’ll need extra clothes. We also learned early-on that parents will need extra clothes, too. Trust us, we know from experience that you don’t want to spend 5 hours on an airplane wearing a puke-stained t-shirt.
  5. Expect that your luggage will, at some point, get lost, and have everything you’d need to survive for 24 hours in a carry-on: extra outfits, swimsuits for warm-weather destinations, formula, diapers, wipes, lovies, blankets for bedtime, etc. The only thing more stressful than traveling with kids is traveling with kids and not having your kid’s survival kit handy.
  6. Ditch the carseat, stroller, and any other big, heavy baby stuff. This is going to be controversial, I know. But honestly, for us, we had to simplify our must-take list. Even without these big ticket items, Sona and I often struggle to carry our luggage and our boys at the same time. There are NO free hands. We rent carseats wherever we go, understanding that it’s a slight risk. We also forgo carseats on airplanes, as our kids hate them anyway. If we are going to a place with a beach, we know we likely won’t use a stroller. So, we opt for baby-wearing. In fact, we almost always opt for baby-wearing whenever possible. If you want to travel regularly with small kids, you will have to make some sacrifices. You’ll have to do some cost-benefits analysis. For us, renting whatever we need (cribs, carseats, etc.) at our destination saves us a lot of stress and headaches.
  7. Stay somewhere with a washer and dryer, and only take half as many clothes. Man, our lives changed when we started doing this. If we are going somewhere for 8 days, we take 4 days worth of clothes and wash mid-way through the week. Think about it: that cuts down on HALF of the clothes you have to take, and it just simplifies packing, too.
  8. Pack an on-the-plane survival kit appropriate to the length of your flight. Whenever we travel, we take a bookbag packed with favorite snacks, small activities (coloring books, stickers, playdoh, window clings, etc.), and new toys. I usually keep a stockpile of stuff in our closet and add to it whenever I see something the boys would like: little action figures, cars, construction trucks, etc. The Dollar Store is a great source for these sorts of goodies! Generally, I plan for one toy or treat for every 20-30 minutes, just in case the plane ride is rough. If you want, you can wrap these treats and call them “plane presents,” which the kids really like. Of course, I never pull out a plane present unless I need one. So, some plane rides require two presents and some require five. It just depends on everyone’s mood. I also try to make sure that the toys are things they can use at our destination, as we usually don’t pack other toys for them. So, I’ll get water-friendly toys for the beach, for example. Those will be the things the kiddos play with while we are out of town.
  9. Save a favorite treat for after landing. For me, the most stressful part of a long travel day is when we’ve landed and have to patiently stand in a customs line or wait for luggage. By that point, everyone is tired and hungry and cranky–and TOTALLY out of patience. So, I’ve found that having a favorite goodie (for Finn, that’s a Kinder egg), helps us get through those long waits.
  10. Build excitement for the trip by talking about it a lot beforehand. This is something we’ve just started doing in the past year or so, now that Finn is older. For the month or so before we travel somewhere new, we show him videos, read books, and talk a lot about where we are going. That way, by departure day, he’s super excited and doesn’t feel like he doesn’t know what he’s getting into.
  11. Stick to sleep schedules as much as possible. You know, kids crave routine, especially when it comes to sleep. When we travel, it’s really easy to get off that routine. We do often let the kids stay up a little later or occasionally skip naps, but as much as possible, we try to keep sleep consistent.
  12. Buy it there. We are just coming around to this one, as it can be anxiety-inducing to head to a foreign place without knowing whether they will have diapers that fit your baby’s chunky thighs. When we first traveled with the kids, we’d take suitcases full of diapers and wipes and formula and baby-friendly snacks. More and more, we are recognizing that EVERYWHERE–even small, nearly uninhabited islands–sells baby stuff. You know why? Because babies are born EVERYWHERE. 😉
  13. Rent a home rather than stay in a hotel. We started doing this even before having kids, as there are SO many advantages to having a home. You get to live like a local. You get more space. You get a kitchen. You get advice from a local/the owner. It’s considerably cheaper. With kids, that list goes on. Everyone can have their own room, just like at home. There are kid-friendly AirBnBs with toys and cribs and baby-proofed spaces. You don’t have to stress about disrupting the peace and quiet of everyone else at the hotel. MORE SPACE for all of the kid crap you’ll inevitably have.
  14. Tell yourself that travel days are going to suck. Sometimes, they don’t, but most of the time, they really do. Travel days often suck when it’s just Sona and I, too. If you don’t expect it to be easy, you won’t be surprised when it is hard. We’ve had some AWFUL travel days, but we’ve never felt like the trip itself wasn’t worth it.
  15. Have reasonable expectations. This is the biggie, and it doesn’t happen in the first trip–or even the first few. I’ll be honest: traveling with the kids is NOTHING like when Sona and I get to travel alone. It’s less relaxing, more exhausting, and requires a lot more work. When we go into a vacation thinking, “We are going to do Portugal the way we would do Portugal by ourselves,” we are just setting ourselves up for failure. Instead, we now think, “We are going to live our everyday lives with kids, just in a different location.” In other words, expect that you will have to do and deal with everything you do and deal with at home–just somewhere prettier and maybe warmer! Have one goal a day: a place you want to see, an excursion you want to try, a restaurant to eat at. Do not over-plan; do not set-up some elaborate itinerary. You’ll just be stressed out and disappointed when you can’t stick to it. When everyone said we were crazy for taking a newborn to Portugal, we would say, “Well, we can be tired in Chicago or we can be tired on the beach in Portugal,” and we were both very glad we chose the latter.
  16. Just go. I promise you won’t regret it. Almost every single one of my most-cherished memories, both as a couple and a family, are from our travels. Pushing your kids to see new places, experience new cultures, and eat new food will make them better, more curious and well-rounded people. Getting away from the responsibilities of home will allow you to hyper-focus on your family and to be present, something that’s so much harder to do when we are caught up in the rat race of our normal lives, unfortunately. Yes, your kid could get sick from something they eat. Yes, they will be tired and cranky at times. Yes, you’ll have to fumble a bit in order to find your stride. But guess what? That’s true of staying put, too–only you miss out on the adventure.


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Trip Report: Antigua

4 / 12 / 198 / 6 / 19

It’s pretty obvious to everyone that our trip to Antigua didn’t end well. What with cancelled and rebooked flights, two cases of food poisoning, and an ER visit on the other end, we didn’t exactly get to ease out of the island in the same way we eased into it.

Still, before things spiraled, they were actually pretty great. For the boys, at least, the trip was full of only good memories. Finn, especially, seemed to really hit his vacation stride on this trip, and I know his memories of Antigua will only consist of the happy things: donkey kisses, water bottle fights with local kids, and more pool time than he could ever want.

Antigua was a beautiful island, and though we’d worried that it would be too developed for our taste, we managed to avoid most of the cruise crowds, and it ended up being just our speed.

It was our 10th island, Finn’s 3rd, and Elias’s 1st. All things considered, I’d say it was a pretty good inauguration into Caribbean life for our little guy.

Here are more photos than you probably want to see from our time there.

Our Antigua Faves and Recommendations:

  • stay in a villa at Tamarind Hills
  • get avocados and Antiguan pineapples from Clemie’s fruit stand
  • grab a passion fruit daiquiri from the bar at Carlisle Bay resort
  • make a day of going to Long Bay beach (the end opposite the Pineapple Resort), eating at Mama’s Pasta, and seeing Devil’s Bridge
  • eat lunch and then reserve a daybed at Jacqui O’s 
  • visit the donkey sanctuary
  • eat a trendy meal at Sheer Rocks
  • spend a day (or 5) at Ffryes Beach, renting chairs and umbrellas from Dennis’s 
  • go to the Sunday night BBQ at Shirley’s Heights 



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