We spent 3 days out in Palm Desert just looking for some sun, relaxation and family time. Mila absolutely loves vacation and swimming! Yayyyy:) It was a perfect place to have a family vacation with a quick drive, plenty of hikes, food, and sun. We did a lot of time just hanging poolside, checked out the thousand palm hike in Coachella, and enjoyed our free perks at the beautiful spa. Practice makes perfect, so fingers crossed Mila continues to be a little angel on our upcoming Iceland trip!!!
We took Mila on her first tropical getaway to the Valley Isle, Maui. This was a first true family vacation so it was important to have certain amenities easily available to us. The Residence Inn Wailea accomplished this for us which included separate bedrooms as well as a full kitchen. We were able to spend the days walking in and out of our room to meet the Campbells and Macdonalds for some pool time.
Mila absolutely loved vacation and spending time with the other babes; Finlay and Cooper. She even did amazing on her first flight.
We discovered Ulua beach during our dive trip and it became our go to beach for the week. There were several turtles spotted cruising around during our stay. Mila got her toes in the ocean for the first time at this beach and also got to see a huge turtle within seconds of getting into the Pacific.
The final 2 days, we upgraded our stay to the Grand Wailea. The hotel grounds were enormous with several lush gardens to go along with 13 different pools and water slides. Both mornings we enjoyed a long walk on the beach followed by a delicious buffet breakfast in the grand hall. For our anniversary, we enjoyed some fine beachfront dining at the Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a restaurant. Maui Mila will definately return to da islands!
Pops is turning 70 and that’s something to celebrate!! We took a two night getaway to Julian with the whole family. Mila and Jayce are 3 months old now. We stayed in a beautiful cabin in the woods and got a lot of quality family time together. We enjoyed lots of home cooked meals and laughs with all the babies.
We went in a few excursions; the wild animal parks (Kristen and Cooper also joined), downtown Julian for lunch, ice cream and some shopping, and a quick walk on the the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be a vacation we never forget!
Our very first family vacation! Mila is only 7 weeks old.
We road tripped up the coast to Santa Barbara and
stayed in an AirBnB for 3 nights. It was a beautiful
spot up in the hills and the accommodation and
surrounding area had a feel of Tuscany.
We had some things to learn about traveling with our
new addition but we figured we had to just do it. And
we all survived and actually had a great time:)
First vacation was a success and Mila was
so good to us:)
CLICK HERE to view the video of this trip
For years, the Maldives was on our radar, but not somewhere we thought we would actually get a chance to travel to. However, times have changed and we to the other side of the world in luxurious Emirates business class. Did I mention the onboard bar?
Upon arriving in the capital, we were transferred to our seaplane which would fly us into the Conrad’s private island.
Islands the size of a football field dotted the ocean on our way to the Conrad.
Our first 4 nights, we had the pleasure of staying in an over water bungalow for the first time. It was magical as we enjoyed the plunge pool spotting fish and eagle rays as we relaxed the days away.
Our days had the perfect structure that allowed us explore the island without feeling stressed.
We started the days off by either walking the length of the island or snorkeling off the house reef. [Oh, the house reef.]
Can we talk about the house reef? Every day we snorkeled once or twice on this amazing reef. Things we saw: lots and lots of fish, lion fish, turtles, octopuses, a HUGE school of parrot fish, small black tip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and one big blacktip reef sharks that was a little unsettling.
Then we sat and enjoyed the breakfast buffet [free for gold members].
After lunch, we would either go back to relax at our bungalow, visit the pool, or sit on the beach.
This was often followed by a second snorkel session.
At 4pm, we made our way for tea and appetizers at the overwater restaurant [free for gold members].
At 5pm, the golf cart dropped us off at the most perfect setting for happy hour drinks. Beach front and staring across the lagoon enjoying every shade of blue imaginable [free for gold members].
After a few cocktails, we walked to the beachfront restaurant listening to live music and watching the sunset. One of the cool things was the baby blacktip reef sharks lined the shores off the restaurant every night.
After dinner, we walked home to our bungalow carefully searching for giant manta rays [12ft wide] swimming underneath the walkway. We were lucky enough to spend a half hour with one the first night.
One of the days, we went on the snorkel safari. Not only did we see sharks and turtles, but we spent an hour free diving with giant manta rays. This was a lifetime highlight for us as we have traveled in search of the mantas which are often hard to find.
Our last night, the Conrad upgraded us to a deluxe beach villa. This was John’s favorite hotel room we have ever stayed in. Not only did it have its own pool, an outdoor shower spa and was over 3,000 sqft, but its location was less than 30ft to a world class reef.
After a too quick 5 nights in the Maldives, it was time to leave. We were able to secure two first class tickets on Etihad to get us home.
We enjoyed the Mercedes transfer at the airport, complimentary massages in the lounge as well as the onboard lounge for premium passengers.
Our seats were called an “apartment” and they were able to be joined together. We watched movies from either our bed or the chair depending on our mood. The food and drinks were high end and the onboard shower[yes, a shower in the sky] put this flight in the running for the best flight we have ever been on. It’s difficult to decide if this beats out our first class Singapore flight, but it’s certainly a strong contender. We might just need to fly back to the Maldives one more time to truly decide….
Day Five
Back to it! Now that we are all rested up, we are on to our most challenging hike in Switzerland! We hopped on the train to Grindewald and then the Gondola to First peak. We started our hike around Bashlapsee Lake. These views were worth it, a pristine lake surround by beautiful mountains X2, with the reflection!
We next continued up a steep, snowy climb toward Falhourn. The Alps were in every direction and the skys were so clear. As we got toward the peak it became very cold, steep, scary, and our footing was not instilling confidence. We eventually got to the point where John’s legs decided we should turn around.
We then headed down a different trail that was not quite as popular and found ourselves all alone and on a very snowy hike. We both only fell once! With soggy feet we enjoyed some Pb and J on the mountain side taking it all in. We finally made it safe and sound to Busslap.
We shared a sandwich on the terrace at Busslap before renting some trotti bikes and flying down the rest of the mountain back to Grindewald. We were told not to rent these because they are dangerous, we did it anyways and they were a blast! We hopped back onto a train after another long day and ~8 miles of hiking to cook some dinner and enjoy our last evening in Lauterbrunnen!
Day Six
We awoke in to learning that our canyoning excursion was canceled due to the water levels being too high. So instead we did a short steep 2 mile hike up to Wengen. Wengen is a small mountain side town that sits right above the Lauterbrunnen Valley and offers picturesque views. We walked around town, grabbed some delicious pizza for lunch, and made a few friends with donkeys. We then ran back down the trail because it was surprisingly more easy then walking due to how steep it was.
We then packed up at our air BnB and hoped on the train to interlocking and checked into our gypsy cart tiny home on the river front. After getting settled we walked the popular streets of Interlaken until we arrived in Unterseen where we preferred the vibe. There was minimal people in this quaint part of town, and houses and plazas were so cute sitting at the foot of the mountains.
We grabbed a beer in a dive bar and got some good recommendations from the bartender and took him up on them. We landed ourselves a delicious authentic swiss meal of fondue and rosti at Baren. It was mind blowing and we would have eaten there the next night again if it wasn’t closed on Mondays. We finished our night off with a riverside walk back to our tiny home under lamp light and played a few games of cards.
Day Seven (the last day of our trip)
We slept in a bit and relaxed reading and cooking a meal in our little place before hitting the streets. We grabbed some gelato and watched all the paragliders in the park jump off the mountain and soar down to us. Then we went to rent some bikes.
We decided to do the 25 mile ride around Lake Brienzersee. The lake itself is stunning and the color of the Caribbean seas. We went through an old town called Iseltwald that had cobble stone streets and a castle. Then we climbed some elevation to get to the Giessbach waterfall, which you could hike up to and get right under it. We then descended back down on trails, which was scary, to our last stop the town of Brienz where we had some lunch by the lake.
After washing up we headed back to Unterseen to stroll the cute streets and enjoy some wine. Then we had our last meal at Hotel Interlaken where we went all out! We got the double portion of the deluxe fondue. I was the best thing ever and now we will be buying a fondue set.
Switzerland is simply breath taking and is now a sizable competition to my other favorite place in the world, New Zealand.
Day One
Our trip from Munich to Switzerland was smooth and easy on the trains. As we pulled into our station we immediately had to start taking photos, luggage and all, because it just didn’t look real. Lauterbrunnen valley is magical and a fairytale land. We found our lovely Air BnB, Ey Hus, got seattled and did some grocery shopping. We cooked a nice meal, enjoyed views from our deck, and relaxed the night away while enjoying the waterfall view, stars, and moon all out our bedroom window!
Day Two
Woke up bright and early, cooked a hearty breakfast, and still couldn’t stop staring out our windows in every direction. We headed out on the trails for a day of hiking. We started off with a steep upward climb from Lauterbrunnen to Grutslap. Not a single person on the trail (most take the railway) to disturb our mind blowing Swiss Alps views.
We then headed toward Allemend Hubble on the Mountain view trail. It was a hike weaving through forests, meadows, and river crossings with the Eiger, Monch, and Joungfru towering over us. The weather was perfect and we just could not get over the beauty in every direction. We stopped for a meal at Allemend and enjoyed the most delicious tomato soup.
From there we hiked down to the town of Murren, a little hillside town that is quiet and has the cutest little chalets with colorful flowers sprinkled throughout the hills. Our decent continued to Gimmewald, another hillside story book town where we enjoyed a beer with Malta Matt. Then hopped on the gondola for a steep ride down to the valley floor.
We finished our 13 mile hike from Stechelburg back to home in Lauterbrunnen passing cows, farms, and trummelbach falls while walking along the glacier blue river. What a day! Best hike ever!
Day Three
We awoke to a crystal clear sky, cooked breakfast, and got ready in a hurry to get out to our next adventure. We grabbed the mountain railway and took in all our unbelievable surroundings all the way up to Klein Scheigg to Hike the Eiger trail. The Eiger trail crosses the north face of the Eiger mt. This hike was much different than yesterdays hike because the terrain was much more rough and the wind was blowing, and the views were to the cute hillside town of Grindewald.
John had a rough time with his fear of heights at first but luckily his awesome wife is full of distractions! Eventually it was less scary and we got to enjoy waterfalls, new mountain views, colorful foliage, and Grindewald from above.
After the ~5 mile hike we walked the streets in Grindewald, stopping in shops, and grabbing a beer at Avocado. A great stop for good drinks with a perfect Eiger view terrace to look at what we just conquered!
We then got aggressive and decided why stop now and hiked a steep trail up to Bort, where a starving Ashleigh got turned down for food at the restaurant because they were just closing. We returned back down on the gondola, found Beebis, and enjoyed fondue and wine on their terrace. Another outstanding ~7miles, but a very different hike!
Day Four
Time for some time off, and to chill out. We slept in. We had coffee and snacks in bed. We read a lot before making our way out of bed for a bit of touring the town. We headed out in Lauterbrunnen to check out Stachbach falls, which is the waterfall that we look at from our BnB. I believe it is the highest waterfall in Europe, or something like that. You get to hike up it and walk behind it!
We saw the worlds most beautiful cemetery, grabbed breaky at Airtime Café, and bought a beer stein in a cute little shop for a souvenir. We then headed home to do a little bit of bill paying, laundry, and catching up on real life on our back patio with some cava. Bills don’t seem so bad when you do it this way.
For the evening we took a stroll to hotel Oberlin for some wine and a game on Gin rummy. I won (Ashleigh). Then headed home to build a fire, make some dinner, and snuggle up for a movie.
After a quick and colorful flight to Munich, we checked into the Moxy hotel near the airport and headed to Therme Erding. We were unsure what to expect at this place but once there, it completely blew our minds. It is known as the largest sauna and indoor waterpark in all of Germany. We immediately headed to the slides and spent a couple hours racing down all of the slides in the park. It was interesting to us as there was only 1 employee monitoring the slides and everyone just did what they wanted, not really too concerned with safety. However, there was one slide that only allowed men to ride it.
After getting tired out and a bit bruised up from the slides we headed over and got a facial with a honey-based paste. We tested out the hyper speed not so lazy river and some of the indoor/outdoor pools that had caves and grottos to explore.
We then made our way to the other side and spent the rest of the day in the most luxurious spas you could dream up. It resembled a lot like Roman baths and a Venice setting. We went in and out of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, pools, polar plunge baths, and had skin treatments. For the grand finale we were singing with 100 other people in a log cabin sauna to famous German songs. After the 7 hours of fun we got to have a fancy upscale dinner in our robes and enjoy some wine.
The next day we checked into a nice Holiday inn express, free on points, and waited for our gang of friends to show up while enjoying complimentary drinks. First came in James (in Germany for work), then Jeff (his last stop of his own Eurotrip), and finally Johannes (our resident German chaperone). We were all stoked and ready to hit the streets for some Lederhosen and Octoberfest!
We got to the festival about 4pm and were blown away by the excitement and enormity of it all. At our first stop we finished our first beer in about 15 minutes (~3 cans of beer in one), met a bunch of Russian friends, learned German sayings and songs, and chugged beers while standing on tables. The night only got more entertaining from there but details are a bit hazy. Either way we all survived and only 2 people slept in their cars.
The following day it was unanimously agreed on that Octoberfest round two was not happening. We hopped in the car the Johannes and he showed us a perfectly relaxing and beautiful day in the German Alps. We rented a little boat and putted around the lake checking out the castles on the islands with our knowledgeable captain, Jeff Boman. We finished off our German experience with a lovely dinner on the lake sharing local Bavarian dishes.
I bought you food and this is my coat! Off to Switzerland for the week:)
After a quick 30 minute flight we arrived at our AirBnB late in the morning in Ibiza and were in the Mediterranean Sea just a few minutes later. We spent the afternoon people watching and enjoying the sun by the boardwalk. It was a happening place with dance music coming from the buildings while we napped on the beach.
By 5 o’clock, we decided to pack a small bag and hop on a ferry to an island next to Ibiza called Formentera. It is much more low key and less built up. We rented a scooter and drove down empty roads to our beach bungalow for the night. It could not have been a more perfect spot with the ocean right outside our door.
Once settled in, we took a stroll down the beach, and found a fantastic hippy beach bar and grabbed a drink while watching a sunset that every minute it got even better. We continued down the beach in the moonlight until we came upon a restaurant to have dinner at. After dinner we sat on the beach drinking cava in the moonlight and took a quick midnight dip.
The next day, we headed out on our scooter, exploring the small island. We spent a couple hours at an empty beach with crystal clear water tucked inside a bunch of small coves. It was our own little piece of paradise.
After that we drove the length of the island to see the lighthouse on the southern tip followed up by some lunch at a little hut set on the cliffs that was a perfect place to just chill out.
We continued our beach hopping tour to another beach on the other side of the island but equally perfect. John got an extra treat of a free pedicure from the local fish.
Our last stop on Formentera was to the island’s most famous beach, Ses Illetes. This spot is famous for being a sandy strip of beach with water on both sides facing Ibiza. It was definitely the place to be as there were anchored yachts covering the horizon.
After that we took the ferry back to Ibiza, enjoyed one last sunset, and got some rest before heading to Munich in the morning.
After a nice 13 hour rest, using our free night at Hotel Indigo to the max, and only waking due to the staff wondering if we were going to check out, we finally ventured out to explore Barcelona. We strolled down all the beaches and wandered the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter. Since it was the last day of a local holiday, we stumbled upon a few of the festivities.
That night, we went to an amazing flamenco show at Taronto, that was both excellent at the dancing and singing! Checking out the dance of different cultures is turning into one of our favorite things to do in new countries. Also kind of makes us ashamed that all we do in the US is grind, Haha. For dinner we ate tapas and drank homemade vermouth in a cool little spot with lots of character.
The next day, we rented bikes and covered a lot of ground in the city, and up in the mountains around the city. We made it to Parc del Laberint d’Horta where we enjoyed finding our way through a maze and through pretty gardens.
Afterward, we biked to Park Guell where we saw amazing views of the city from above and wandered through some of the famous Spanish architecture by Gaudi. The park was full of people, but it was nice to see the fun and colorful structures up close.
We returned the bikes that night, enjoyed more tapas and wine at Mucci’s in Raval, finally we headed in to rest our tired legs.
Our last day in Barcelona started off at Departure Coffee to relax and Caravelle for some yummy breakfast. We headed back to the Gothic Quarter to enjoy the medieval architecture and some people watching in the Placas.
We walked through the Santa Catarina market tasting some croquettes and cheeses, then strolled to the Arc de Triumph for a few pictures.
Our next stop included Gaudi’s finest works, La Familia Sagrada. One of the finer details of the cathedral was the way the stain glass reflected a rainbow of light throughout the entire church. The place was a must see, it is so big and detailed and still so much more to be built.
For dinner, we tapa hopped, drank cava, and tried new dishes along the way. On our walk home, we saw Ashleigh’s favorite piece of Gaudi, Casa Ballto.
We’re off to Ibiza!
voychicktravel 