travel Archives | Page 3 of 27

visiting the algarve

August 6, 2018

champagne toast with a view of the sea tivoli hotel algarve

| spectacular views from Sky Bar at the hotel |

Last week we shared our side trip from London to Lisbon with you guys and we mentioned that we also visited the Algarve area in Portugal as part of that trip. We were so excited to see another part of Europe and being able to incorporate a stay in a new city along with a beach vacation seemed like a win/win to us- and it was! When we read about the Algarve in this Vogue magazine article we were really intrigued (the beaches looked simply amazing!) and decided that’s where we would spend our beach vacation. It’s even more beautiful than the pictures, the food and wine are top notch and the people are so warm and welcoming. It’s also fairly unspoiled and there is even a bit of a language gap between English and Portuguese, which in our opinion only adds to the unique experience. After our time in the Algarve, all we can say is… You guys need to go now!

view of pool and sea tivoli hotel algarve

| views from the hotel lobby and mare bistro |

| first beach day |

Where to Stay

Tivoli Carvoeiro

We chose Tivoli Carvoeiro solely based on this article in Vogue and we are so happy with our choice. The sea views from everywhere in the hotel are fantastic! Now that we’ve been there, we can assure you the views are even more breathtaking in person than what we’ve seen in pictures (if that is even possible!).

Rooms: Tivoli Carvoeiro has a great set-up for families. They have a “family room” which is essentially a one-bedroom, two-bathroom suite with a pull out bed in the living room. We booked a family room with terrace, which gave us a huge outdoor patio and views of the amazing coastline and sea. Jean & Bill were in a one bedroom room, with the same terrace size and view. The rooms are spacious and so light and bright- perfect for a beach getaway.
Breakfast: Breakfast was included in the hotel room rate, so we ate there every morning before heading to the beach. It was a buffet breakfast with so many food items to choose from – plus, a champagne and mimosa bar!
Pool: We spent time by the pool each day after returning from our beach adventure. The views from the pool are spectacular too! There is a full bar and food service at the pool as well.
Sky Bar: The hotel has a rooftop bar with more amazing views. It is such a perfect place to start the evening with a cocktail before heading to dinner- we went here every night.

| beach on day two |

blue & white gingham two piece // coral coverup // eyelet coverup // blue & white one piece // blue & white sun hat // wide brim sun hat // round sunglasses (similar) // tortoise sunglasses

cocktails on the rooftop tivoli hotel algarve

| pre-dinner cocktails at Sky Bar |

// rainbow striped maxi // tortoise sunglasses

babies with view at breakfast tivoli hotel algarve

| views from breakfast at mare bistro |

// sailboat pjs //

| cliffside beach adventures|

Where to Eat

We had such great food and wine in the Algarve. Fortunately we all like fish, including William and Henry, because seafood is abundant and we ate it every day- except our husbands had steak on our last night. Also, the local wine selections are just so good. We tried wines that we’ve never heard of and loved them all. The level of service and cuisine was a pleasant surprise to us and again, everywhere we went William and Henry were warmly welcomed.

O Pescadar Benagil: This restaurant is a very short distance from the hotel in a small village overlooking the sea. The atmosphere was wonderful and the seafood freshly caught and so delicious. Chef brought us the catch of the day to select from and we chose the 4-pound snapper to share. This was our favorite restaurant in the Algarve- authentic, local, charming and it was unbelievably delicious!
Restaurante Rei das Praias: This charming beachfront restaurant is a must for lunch or dinner. The views out to sea are fabulous! The service was wonderful and the food was delicious.
Onze: This restaurant is located in the village of Carvoeiro and has a great view from the open air terrace. We had dinner here on our last night and our husbands had had enough fish, so they ordered the rib eye. They said it was one of the best they’re ever had! And that’s coming from two big Texas steak lovers.
Mare Bistro and The Med at the Tivoli Carveiro: On our first night we had a lovely dinner in Mare Bistro in a private room with a sea view to die for! The seafood was excellent and we had the opportunity to try some “new to us” wines. We enjoyed late afternoon snacks and drinks poolside at The Med. The cocktail selection was great!

|a walk down to the beach|

|pre-dinner drinks at the sky bar|

// floral maxi // tortoise sunglasses //

|gigi and the babies|

// eyelet coverup // blue & white sun hat // tortoise sunglasses

|picture perfect|

Beaches to Visit

There are so. many. beaches. in the Algarve! We were so happy to find the local area of Lagoa published a small handbook guide to the beaches near Carvoiero. It would have been hard to find many of them without the guidebook! And even with the guide, finding some of them was a little challenging, but so worth the effort once we arrived!

Praia da Marinha: This was the first beach we visited and it was beautiful. There are places to buy an umbrella/sunscreen and some food options, too. It was named one of the top beaches in the world – so it was also very busy.
Praia da Carvalho: You enter a tunnel through the rocks and once you make it down the steps, you are greeted with a breathtaking beach! There were people cliff jumping and great areas for the boys to play.
Praia De Vale Centeanes: We stopped by this beach after lunch one day and William loved exploring the caves!
Praia de Albandeira: This was the beach we visited on our last day and it was our favorite beach. It was quiet, and a huge rock separates the beach into two.

|kisses from henry|

// coral coverup // white ruffle two piece // wide brim sun hat // round sunglasses (similar)

baby boys with sea view algarve portugal

|the best little travelers|

|took these stairs and tunnel down to the beach|

|soaking up that algarve sun|

//eyelet coverup // lemon print one piece // blue & white sun hat // tortoise sunglasses

// blue & white one piece // blue & white sun hat // tortoise sunglasses

What to Wear

The Algarve is a beach area, so the dress code is basically casual, but definitely resort casual for dinner. During the day swimsuits and coverups were our uniform. At night we would freshen up and change in to a casual maxi dress or sundress. It is definitely a more relaxed vibe than Lisbon.

// coral coverup // white ruffle two piece // wide brim sun hat

|dinner at our favorite spot|

|sunset from the hotel|

|aperol spritz – cheers!|

Things to Know

Our hotel provided towels for the beach which was very convenient.
Bring plenty of sunscreen – we went through 1.5 bottles while we were there!
Buy a beach umbrella in town or from one of the local vendors near the beach.
We also bought a bucket and shovels for William and Henry to play in the sand.
Bring snacks and water. Many of the beaches don’t have any food services or food nearby. The guidebook to the beaches indicate which beaches have services and which don’t, so there aren’t any surprises when arriving at the beach.
Some of the beaches are challenging to reach. Some have a lot of stairs to reach the beach, some have no stairs but a climb. We had more fun walking through caves and tunnels to reach some of the beaches, but we also were worn out from some the hikes back up from the beach! And, be aware if you are traveling with kids – there are beaches that aren’t stroller accessible.

|the cliffs were breathtaking|

// eyelet coverup // wide brim sun hat // round sunglasses (similar)

|sky bar before dinner|

mom and baby boy at the beach in the algarve

|beach baby|

// blue & white gingham two piece // wide brim sun hat // round sunglasses (similar) //

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

ten tips for flying internationally with babies

July 31, 2018

While we were in London, and Lisbon and the Algarve in Portugal, we received so many DMs for sharing tips on traveling with babies! It’s so exciting that many of you are traveling abroad with babies soon, too! While we are not experts by any stretch of the imagination, these are ten tips that worked best for us while flying internationally with babies. A lot of these tips will work well for domestic trips, too. We hope that this is helpful for all you soon to be traveling mommas, and if you have any tips of your own, please share with us!

Ten Tips for Flying Internationally with Babies

No. 1: Buy a children’s book about the place(s) you’re visiting

This was a huge help in getting William excited for the trip. We have two London books (this one and this one) at home and while we’ve always enjoyed reading them, they took on a new meaning now that William is old enough to realize we were actually going to see everything in person. We took the books on the trip with us and we made sure to check off everything that we saw that was also in the book. While we were out and about William spotted a few things before we did and he still is talking about everything we saw!

You can also find similar books for: New York, Paris, San Fransisco, California, Pacific Northwest and National Parks. We have them all!

No. 2: Talk about what’s expected on the flight.

The flight to London is long. William hadn’t been overseas since he was 9 months old and this was Henry’s first time. They’ve traveled a lot, but this was by far the longest flight with the two of them. We talked about it a lot prior to the the actual trip. We talked about how the flight would go – that we were flying at night and that we got to sleep on the airplane. The boys wore pajamas and I also carried on Henry’s sleep suit and both boys’ lovies. We let William watch his first movie ever and then after they served dinner it was time for bed. It was much later than his normal bed time, so he had no trouble falling asleep! Henry slept in the bassinet around the same time.

No. 3: Bring a travel stroller

We have talked about our travel strollers that we brought with us and they were absolutely the best thing to take! Because of the size, you don’t have to break the stroller down when going through security, they are lightweight and you can open/close with one hand. Seriously a game changer for traveling.

No. 4: Eat before the flight

Airplane food is not the best, so we decided to get to the airport early, eat dinner at a restaurant where we knew the boys would get a good, full meal and then sleep well. We didn’t want to depend on the airline’s timing of the dinner meal or what the options might be for the boys.

No. 5: Snacks, snacks, snacks

If all else fails, snacks are usually distracting and take up time! I always get a few things we wouldn’t typically eat all the time at home. Things that I know William likes (annie’s fruit snacks and mini m&m’s, for example), so that way he is excited to have them. They can also be used for bribing power! We are not above bribing 😉

No. 6: Buy a seat in the bulkhead

This is worth paying more money for when choosing seats for the flight. The bulkhead gives you lots of extra floor space! You can stand up and walk around or stretch without disturbing other people and… for the best part about the bulkhead… keep reading!

No. 7: Reserve a Bassinet

Airlines have baby bassinets available on long-haul flights, but they are only available for use in the bulkhead. So, if you are traveling with kids, be sure to book seats in the bulkhead so that you can request a bassinet when you get to the gate. Most planes only have 1-2 per flight and it’s first come/first served – at least on American Airlines!

No. 8: Make it special- anything goes

You want to make the flight enjoyable for you and those around you. We typically don’t do much screen time, so it was a special treat that William was able to watch a movie. Henry is at an age where you do everything you can to keep him entertained! It wasn’t hard on the flight to London because he slept the whole way there. It was a different story on the way home – just due to his age and him being very busy. It actually made the time pass quickly since we were so busy keeping him occupied!

No. 9: Don’t do more than one major time zone at a time

I would suggest flying into an initial location and staying a few days before moving on to the next location – especially if it’s going through another time zone. Two years ago we flew into London, had a 2 hour layover and then flew from London to Helsinki, which was another 2 hour time difference. I was up every night with William for a few hours because he had a hard time adjusting. I think it would have been different if we had been able to stay in London for a day or two to adjust.

No. 10: Stay busy to beat jet lag

This was probably the thing I was most anxious about going into our trip, especially with two babies now. As soon as we got to London, we had lunch and then went for a six mile walk. Getting the boys outside was key and they slept in the strollers if they needed too. We went to a park and they got a lot of fresh air and William ran and played hard. We got back home around 6:00 pm after our walk and time at the park and then we started to get dinner ready. They ate as usual, took a bath and were in bed around 8:30 pm. They both woke up around 10:30 pm and then around midnight they fell back asleep. They slept the rest of the night and woke up around 10:00 am the next morning. That was our hardest night. After that they fell into the rhythm of London like a dream!

What are your tips for flying internationally with babies? We are always looking for new ideas!

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

48 hours in lisbon

July 30, 2018

|the views from four seasons lisbon are incredible!|

white maxi dress // sandals // sunglasses // striped jumpsuit // sandals

Whenever we travel to London, we always try to make a side trip while we’re there. The flight to London is so long, and then once we’re there, it’s just a short flight to almost anywhere in Europe. After going back and forth about a few different places, we decided that Portugal sounded like a great place to visit. We allotted six days for our trip and decided to split it up between a couple of days in the city of Lisbon anding spend the rest of our time exploring the beaches of Algarve (more on that in a later post!).

Lisbon is just a two hour flight from London and you can now fly direct from Dallas to Lisbon if you’d like to make it a strictly Portugal trip. Once we arrived in Lisbon we went directly to Four Seasons Lisbon to check in and freshen up. We can’t say enough wonderful things about our stay at FS Lisbon! We settled into our beautiful accommodations, admired the views from our balcony and then headed downstairs to get started on our 48 hours in Lisbon…Normally we do so much advance research before we visit a new spot, but to be honest, before our trip to Lisbon we just didn’t find the time. Luckily we were in good hands with the Four Seasons concierge. They gave us the best advice for how to make the absolute best of our short stay and everything they recommended was just perfect.

|can we move here?|

|the views from castelo de são jorge are amazing!|

striped jumpsuit // sandals

|a porto tonico at dinner our first night|

// yellow clutch //

|tile everywhere|

|tram lineup|

Where We Stayed

Four Seasons Lisbon

We really can’t get over what a wonderful experience we had at Four Seasons Lisbon. The hotel is in a quiet neighborhood, but still right in the heart of Lisbon. The views of the city from the hotel are breathtaking and the attention to detail in the hotel and the service was unlike anywhere we’ve been!

Rooms: We stayed in the premier rooms, which were very large by European standards and spacious even by US standards. The marble bathrooms were to die for and they even had a robe and slippers for William! The premier rooms also had private terraces which overlooked Eduardo VII Park and you could see the Chiado and Alfama neighborhoods as well. The boys loved running around on the terraces and burning off some energy!
Breakfast: We enjoyed breakfast every morning at the Varanda Restaurant. It’s an iconic Lisbon restaurant, that has a beautiful terrace and it just breathtaking! The breakfast buffet has so many choices and it was so relaxing to start our day there everyday!
Ritz Bar: We ended each evening with a drink at the Ritz Bar – the perfect place for an after dinner drink in such a beautiful space.
Concierge: Like we said above, the concierge was so helpful in planning sightseeing and activities for us to do, especially considering we had such a short stay! They made lunch and dinner reservations for us and had great suggestions for what we should see and do during our time in Lisbon.
Spa: If we had had more time, we would have loved to try a spa treatment, but we spent most of our time exploring the city! After our first day of exploring, we took the boys to the Spa pool and let them swim. The Spa pool is open to families, which shows how much Four Seasons Lisbon caters to families!
Rooftop fitness center: We didn’t actually work out here, but we went up to the fitness center for the most amazing 360 degree views of the city!

|relaxing and swimming at the four seasona spa pool|

|our amazing bathroom and a tiny robe for William|

|a beautiful flower market|

|charming streets|

|riding on tram 28|

white maxi dress // yellow clutch // sandals // sunglasses

|dinner at lisboa a noite|

What We Did

Castelo Sao Jorge: After checking in the first day, this was our first stop! It is a Moorish castle at the top of one of Lisbon’s many hills and overlooks the city – it’s a beautiful viewpoint! The ride to get there is unreal – the tiniest little road and steep, too. Once there, you buy a ticket to get into the castle and the viewpoint. We were there around 5:30 pm and it was a beautiful time of night! Afterward, we walked through the nearby Chiado neighborhood (so charming!) and made our way to dinner.
Tuk tuk: The Four Seasons was so gracious to host our Tuk Tuk adventure. We explored Lisbon by Tuk Tuk (it’s like an over-sized golf cart) for the first half of our second day. It was the perfect way to see most of the city in a short amount of time. Our Tuk Tuk driver was so knowledgeable about the city and its history plus the boys had the best time riding around in the Tuk Tuk.
Time Out Market: This was a great stop during our tuk tuk tour. We explored the market and sampled the traditional Portuguese liqueur Ginjinha- it tasted similar to sour cherries. .
Tram 28: William was all about the yellow trams, so we of course had to ride one! The concierge recommended for us to get on the trolley at the starting point, so that we would be able to get a seat – the trolleys get very crowded as you head closer into the city. It was great advice- we got seats at the front and by the next stop people had to stand.
Walk the neighborhoods: Chiado, Barrio Alto, Alfama are the most charming, colorful and beautiful little areas. There are so may charming shops and restaurants. Almost all of the sidewalks are made of tiny cobblestones and tiles, so be prepared for uneven footing- and the hills! Comfortable flats, sneakers or sandals are the way to go!

|tile and color everywhere|

|the best way to see lisbon|

|gelato kisses|

white top // embroidered skirt // sunglasses // bag // sneakers // red jon jon

|coffee at the varanda restaurant at fs lisbon|

white maxi dress // sandals // sunglasses

|beautiful white doors|

|happy to be at four seasons lisbon|

Where We Ate

Antiga Wine Bar: We stumbled upon this little wine bar as we were walking from Castelo Sao Jorge through Chiado. It was tiny, charming and wonderful!
Forno D’Oro: After our Tuk Tuk tour, we were dropped off at the hotel and we walked to Forno D’Oro for lunch. They are known for having the best pizza in Lisbon. It was the best pizza we’ve had – and that’s saying a lot! You have to go just to see the custom gold pizza furnace- amazing!
Cantinho do Avillez: On the recommendation of the concierge, we ate dinner here our first night in Lisbon. We wanted to try one of José Avillez’s restaurants (he is the only two-star Michelin chef in Lisbon) and we were happy to be able get a reservation here! We loved the cozy ambience and the food was wonderful!
Lisboa a Noite: For our second night, the concierge recommended that we try traditional Portuguese food and made a reservation at Lisboa a Noite. We arrived around 7:45 and the place was completely full at 8. We had the best experience here with fabulous food and service. We highly recommend the salt baked cod. And William would recommend the dessert cart! It was his first experience with one and he is now the biggest fan.
Pastéis de Belém: It’s not a trip to Portugal without trying a visit to Pastéis de Belém for their Pastéis de Belém creamcakes. There will be a line, but it moves pretty quickly and it is totally worth the wait! Yum.
Gelados Santini: We were told that this iconic little ice cream shop serves some of the best ice cream in the world and we won’t argue! William’s favorite was the mango and strawberry combo.

|exploring lisbon by tuk tuk|

|the prettiest blue and white tile|

|after our ride on tram 28|

white maxi dress // yellow clutch // sandals // sunglasses

|the tiny streets of lisbon|

|a beautiful lisbon church|

white cami // pineapple midi skirt // sandals

What To Wear

Sneakers and comfortable shoes: So.many. hills. And so many cobblestones and little tiles! Wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk! Brought these white sneakers and also brought these sandals which were comfortable on the days we explored Lisbon.
Shorts/skirt/dress: It was warm during the day so we recommend packing dresses, maxi dresses, skirts or shorts!
Jacket for night: It cooled off at night, so we always brought a jean jacket to dinner!
Crossbody bag: Or something you can wear near your body. We were warned about pick pockets on the Tram 28 and other congested parts of the city.
Find all the items we packed for Lisbon on this post!

|flowers at time out market|

|the cutest little wine bar, antiga|

|views from the rooftop at four seasons lisbon|

|fresh fruit and veggies at the time out market|

|four seasons lisbon lobby|

Things to Note

It’s hard to get around with strollers. For the most part the sidewalks are very narrow and uneven. We were so happy we brought the two MINU strollers for the boys. With our double stroller VISTA we’re not sure how we would have navigated the city streets or pushed them up all the hills. The smaller strollers made it so much easier!
Dinner starts no earlier than 7:30.
We wanted to go to Park one evening for drinks, but some of the bars don’t allow children- call ahead before going.
The traditional appetizers we were served before dinner were delicious – soft Portuguese cheese and olives!
Everyone we met was very helpful and so kind to the boys – something you don’t always find when traveling!
We were warned about pick pockets on the Tram 28. We didn’t have any problems, but be mindful of your things when out in public!

|tile and color everywhere|