girls trip

The Best Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona for a Girl’s Trip

July 2, 2018

scottsdale arizona girls trip travel guide

This year I have had one major travel bug, especially towards girls trips. Sometimes after all the bar hopping and sightseeing you need a vacay from your vacay. Scottsdale, Arizona is the perfect place to relax – without breaking bank – while still being able to explore a new travel destination.

where-to-stay-arizona-girls-trip — The best resort to stay at for an Arizona girls trip!

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort offered a desert oasis among tranquil surroundings. From gorgeous views of Camelback and Mummy Mountain to poolside cocktails, it was the perfect spot for rejuvenation (and photo shoots!). Located in Paradise Valley, the resort provided just that – paradise. I loved the Spanish-inspired architecture and cactus-filled grounds as it portrayed what I imagined Arizona to look and feel like.

scottsdale plaza resort arizona girls trip

Although the hotel features a luxurious spa, tennis court and golf course, the best part – in my opinion – was the pool. Swimmers and sun tanners ranged in age from young kids to those retired, however the vibe of the pool deck was the perfect mix of relaxation and pool party. The tunes, especially, were on point (I’m talking the best summer dance mix I’ve ever heard).

Aside from the best summer playlist and full-exposure to Arizona’s sun, the main pool also has a stocked bar. Cafe Cabana offered frozen cocktails, quesadillas, tacos, salads and more, all to have poolside while catching some rays. Who doesn’t want to relax with a Pina Colada in hand?

If you love to take pictures and do photo shoots like I do, Scottsdale Plaza Resort’s pool is perfect for a photo op. We woke up early to get to the pool before other guests and had a good 45 minutes to snap some Instagram-worthy shots. Great content opportunities for bloggers!

The resort features two sit-down restaurants on-site with one – Garden Court – conveniently located outside by the pool (as well as inside). We took advantage of this location a few mornings during our stay to have breakfast before hitting the pool right after. I recommend having the JD Favorite – two eggs your way with roasted potatoes, buttermilk biscuit or toast, and choice of sausage, bacon or house-made corned beef.

Scottsdale Plaza Resort is conveniently located a quick Uber ride from Old Town Scottsdale, a quaint little town with a Southwestern vibe. From old west cowboy decor to authentic cacti along the sidewalks, exploring the area accentuated the desert lifestyle. If you’re in the area, make sure to grab a sweet treat at Sugar Bowl!

I highly recommend Scottsdale Plaza Resort and personally plan to stay again. Check out the resort’s current deals & packages here to make your stay even more great!

City Guide: Nashville

May 12, 2018

Nashville City Guide

It’s always fun to explore new places and experience new cultures. A 360 from my recent Miami girls trip, Nashville was the perfect authentic getaway filled with good food, good music, and a good time. Thinking about taking your own girls trip down South? Make sure to hit all the memorable spots with my Nashville City Guide!

Biscuit Love

Ready for the best southern brunch spot in Nashville? Biscuit Love will have you using ‘Y’all’ in your vocabulary all the way to 5 more pounds. We luckily only had to wait 10 minutes before being seated, however the wait can sometimes be longer depending on day and time. I recommend sharing the blueberry compote and lemon mascarpone Bonuts among the table to start, followed by the Southern Benny (pictured above). The different locations feature extra cute signs – perfect for a photo op! You can never go wrong with biscuits & gravy.

12 South Wall Murals

Ready for a photo op? 12 South District is the best opportunity to hit multiple wall murals within just a few blocks. It wouldn’t be a Nashville City Guide without them!

Blue & White Striped Wall & Rolling Stone Tongue: 2608 12th Ave S on the side of Draper James

I Believe in Nashville Wall: 10 feet from the Blue & White Striped Wall

Nashville at Heart Wall (Tie Dye Wall): 2705 12th Ave S on the side of Corner Music

I Love Donuts: 1110 Caruthers Ave. at Five Daughters Bakery 12th South

21st Ave Shopping

Head over to 21st Ave S for daytime boutique shopping. The whole street is full of popular brands and hidden gem, including Altar’d State (this location has the cutest dressing room and in-store greenery), The Impeccable Pig, Posh Boutique, and Dress Up Vanderbilt (check out their Hello Nashville tributes throughout the store!).

The floral skirt featured in the wall mural pictures above was purchased at Altar’d State.

Sprocket Rocket Nashville

Pedal Pedal!

This will be the highlight of your trip. Pedal your way to Broadway Street (& booze) with Sprocket Rocket Party Bike, Nashville’s #1 party bike! The bikes hold up to 16 – make new friends! – and is a BYOB pedal tour around Nashville’s best nightlife. This was hands down so much fun! Our bike was shared with a bachelorette party and birthday party: 16 women belting out to Backstreet Boys & old school Nelly.

The Grilled Cheeserie

Not to be cheesy, but The Grilled Cheeserie melted my food cravings. Literally the best grilled cheese I have ever had. Their menu features an array of specialty melts, but the Buffalo South took 1st place in my heart. Pepper jack, pulled organic chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese aioli and pickled celery on country white sourdough bread. YUM. Take a seat at their milkshake bar and stay awhile!

Five Daughters Bakery

Those with a sweet tooth take note. Five Daughter Bakery is the cutest bakery with the best donuts. Spring 2018 staple flavors include Triple Strawberry with strawberry cream infusion, Lemon Blueberry with lemon curd infusion (tried it – I can vouch it was phenomenal), and Parent Trap: PB Cookies and Cream with peanut butter cream infusion. Is your mouth watering yet? Donuts, Cronuts, Cinnamon buns – it’s hard to choose just one. Sit back and relax at the bakery’s outdoor patio seating!

BarTaco 12 South

Among the many BBQ joints you’ll find BarTaco, a beachy Mexican restaurant serving creative tacos and cocktails. Unique to other nearby establishments, customers check off their desired items on your own personal order form – I tried a ginger grapefruit juice, the plantains appetizer, one mojo pork carnitas taco, one glazed pork belly taco, and one chicken pastor #noregrets. My favorite taco was the glazed pork belly due to its sweet maple finish! For a large order the bill was actually pretty reasonable. Would recommend for a sit-down lunch!

S’more Love bakery

One of the best surprises was finding that there were so many desert trucks on 12 South Ave. S’mores, shaved ice, peach cobbler, you name it! I tried S’more Love – the cutest desert food truck I’ve ever seen. Unlike most s’mores, the desert came out on heart shaped gram crackers, adorned with toppings. Like coconut? The Samoa S’more was to die for! Coconut shavings and caramel complete with a chocolate drizzle. Who said s’mores couldn’t be gourmet?

FGL House

There are many bars in Nashville, however my favorite was FGL House (Florida Georgia Line’s new bar). Enjoy live country music on the first floor or a full dance floor and rooftop on the third! My favorite aspect about FGL House was the variety of danceable music DJ’ed: pop, country, Latin, 80s, 90s. Everyone was dancing and having a good time, taking in views of the Music City skyline at the outside rooftop. It was certainly a party that all could enjoy.

Hatty B’s Hot Chicken

Y’all come get your hot chicken! There’s no other place than Hatty B’s. Choose your spice level, two sides & dig in in the restaurants’ indoor or outdoor seating. Tip: the mac & cheese side is out of this world.

Bars on Broadway

Looking for a night out? Broadway Street is the place to be. Compared to other “bar areas” in Nashville, Broadway Street is touristy yet the best place to be if you’re not from the area. Think Chicago’s Wrigleyville gone country. From Tootsies to The Stage to Honkey Tonk Central, hear Nashville’s best live music and experience what Music City is all about.

Martin’s BBQ Joint

If you look BBQ you’ll love Martin’s BBQ! Each table gets an array of four BBQ sauces to pair with your meal, ranging from mild to spicy. My pulled pork sandwich and side of mac & cheese was amazing. Make sure to not get there too late in the day – the restaurant is open until they sell out!

music city sign nashville — Music City sign at Biscuit Love

I’m always planning a next vacation to explore & experience. I hope this Nashville City Guide helped you plan! Where should the next travel checkoff be?

City Guide: Miami

April 8, 2018

If you’re looking for the best girls trip destination in a warm climate, look no further than Miami. From nonstop nightlife to amazing food, Miami has a little bit of everything to offer wanderlust junkies and Spring Break dwellers.

Miami City Guide

I had been wanting to go to Miami for quite some time now, eager to see what the hype was all about. After visiting for the first time a few weeks ago with a couple of girlfriends from work, I not only loved the area, but already wanting to plan a trip back. South Beach – the “Vegas Strip” of Miami Beach – offered a great location close to the best beaches and nightlife, Little Havana highlighted salsa dancing and live Latin music, Brickell – the “downtown” local hangout – catered a familiar city feel to back home, and Wynwood – Miami’s art district – gave a glimpse into Miami’s local art scene (not to mention the best Instagramable wall murals). Read below for my Miami City Guide!

Wynwood

Dress: Express // Necklace: 6th Borough Boutique // Handbag: H&M // Sandals: Steve Madden

The Wynwood area is jam packed with colorful murals and artistic flavor. Each block features one-of-a-kind wall art creating the perfect – and Instagram worthy – backdrop for a photo op. Above are just a sliver of my favorite walls that were found along the streets, however the Wynwood area also has a designated Wynwood Walls outdoor museum showcasing urban graffiti for viewers to admire. What makes Wynwood special, aside from the murals, were the local art vendors along the sidewalk and gallery stores. I got the most beautiful copper ring from a vendor called Daddy Daughter Jewelry – shop their items here!

El Patio

Hands down the best place to dance. Held outside on a – well, patio – party goers shake their hips to a mix of Latin/Pop remixes. El Patio is unique in the sense that you pay a $30 cover fee (bring cash!), which is then given back to you in “tickets” to use at the bar. I honestly felt like we were playing Monopoly as the tickets looked like play money. Each drink was about 2 tickets! We went on a Sunday night and it was crowded back-to-back with nonstop dancing and good times. I could only imagine how much fun a Saturday night would be!

Nikki Beach Miami

Forget the prestigious pool parties and head to Nikki Beach Miami, a chic beach club on the tip of South Beach. All you need to get in is your ID, swim suit, and good attitude. Featuring cabana beds, bars, and beach access, Nikki Beach Miami offers the perfect bougie spot to have a drink and mingle while showing off your new bikini. The cabana beds range from $350-$750, however there are many other areas to hangout while sitting or standing. Make sure to take a pic in front of their notorious tee-pee!

Bodega South Beach

Ever been to a hidden speakeasy? What looks like a small, casual taco joint on the outside is actually concealing a swank bar, featuring velvet seating and pricey cocktails. While grabbing $3 tacos from Bodega’s exterior, we noticed people opening a not-in-use porter potty door adorned with stickers, attached to a corner wall. After confirming this was indeed not a bathroom, we followed in to find the hidden bar (and cool wall sign).

American Social Brickell

Sip on your cocktail underneath the palm trees! American Social, a sports bar located in downtown Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, offers food, drinks, and classic waterfront scenery.

Havana 1957

Enjoy traditional Cuban food with the backdrop of Ocean Drive at Havana 1957. 10 flavors of mojitos to choose from + Ropa Vieja had me in heaven. The Cuban Combo appetizer plate was perfect to split, which I highly recommend to get a quick taste of different dishes – ham croquettes, bite size pork, plantain chips, fried yuca, potato balls stuffed with pork and tamal seasoned pork. Needless to say, we left in a food coma.

Gramps Wynwood

The place is just as fun as the name. Gramps, a tropical bar in Wynwood, features fun cocktails, colorful seating and a stage for live entertainment. We came upon the joint after checking out the Wynwood Walls (Gramps is a very close walk from this) and were luckily able to take advantage of their weekday Happy Hour deal. 50% off all drinks? Yes, please! We didn’t have time to stay for the stage entertainment, however Gramps has everything from live music to Bingo!

Ball & Chain

Welcome to Little Havana! Ball & Chain, an iconic bar featuring delicious Cuban food and live Latin music, is a must-stop place to go at night. While waiting for our tapas, we partook in a free salsa dancing class hosted right in front of our booth! As for the food, come with a empty stomach. The plates may be small, but there are multiple dishes to choose from to share with the table. My favorite was the Churrasco sliders paired with my Pina Basil Margarita!

Morgan’s Restaurant

Southern charm meets tropical chic at Morgan’s Restaurant. Located in Wynwood (can you tell I really liked the Wynwood area?), the dining establishment was by far one of the cuter brunch spots in Miami due to it’s lush greenery. The drinks come in mason jars! The food was delicious and the plates were large enough to split. I recommend the Eggs Benedict Traditional with their famous hashed spuds!

Need-To-Know Tips for Visiting Miami

You NEED either a promoter’s hook-up or a table bought to get into any pool party – the pool parties are very exclusive (and expensive)
Utilize promoters to gain free – yes completely free – VIP access to clubs. Promoters will often come up and talk to you while laying out at the beach or will post a comment on your Insta pic to DM them about deals. Warning: Many promoters are salesy, but it’s worth having a contact for the express entry and complimentary drinks!
Some bars have a $20-$30 cover charge. Bring cash!
Spanish is spoken just as much as English.
Not all of the hot-spots are along the beach (or Ocean Drive). Miami is spread out through a variety of neighborhoods, all offering their own unique flare worth checking out.