travel blogger

london recommendations

August 24, 2015

|image via|

Hello from London! Saturday evening we flew across the pond, and landed in London early Sunday morning for a girls’ trip. After we landed, we headed straight to our family’s flat in London and tried to fight jet lag with a cappucino and yummy lunch. We are beyond excited to be back in one of our favorite cities, celebrating a really special guy’s 77th birthday this week!

Having family that lives in London means we have gotten to know the city pretty well, but there are always things that we haven’t done in awhile, or ever done! One of these is experiencing a traditional afternoon tea in London. When visiting Hong Kong many years ago, we had afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel, but have never done it in London. So today, we are getting dressed up and heading to Four Seasons London to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea!

We would love to hear any other unique London recommendations, or hidden gems! We are interested in any tips you have for us: from parks, to coffee shops, to shopping and exhibits. Stay tuned for more frequent updates on Instagram and Snapchat (bishopnholland) during our trip!

PS: You can see a sneak peek of what we packed here and a comfy travel look here.

Cheers,

four seasons scottsdale

July 13, 2015

Over the Fourth of July, Caleb and I spent a long weekend at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is one of our favorite places to visit, you can see pictures from our trip last year here. The desert is so beautiful and we love any chance to get away, especially before Baby Coffman arrives! After two trips to Four Seasons Scottsdale, we can’t imagine staying anywhere else. Four Seasons Scottsdale is giving away a stay! To enter, Instagram a picture of your favorite summer moment with the hashtag #FSGold. Winner will be chosen by Four Seasons Scottsdale and prize includes a two-night stay, daily breakfast for four, dinner at Proof for four and a 60-minute photo shoot with Flytographer!

Stay:

Four Seasons Scottsdale: This is one of our favorite resorts. A quick 30 minute drive from the airport, the resort has beautiful mountain peaks and so much natural wildlife surrounding it. Each room is actually a casita with beautiful patios that overlook the mountains or pool. We thoroughly enjoyed starting our day and ending our day at that exact spot!

Eat:

Talavera: One of the top steakhouses in Scottsdale, Talevera is on-site at Four Seasons Scottsdale. We ate dinner there on Fourth of July and the views were incredible, along with the food. A few of our recommendations: For starters we highly recommend the soft shell crab and asparagus risotto. The salmon was a new addition to the entree menu and was delicious. For sides, you can’t go wrong with Arizona vegetables, and the lobster mac n’ cheese is to die for! Oh, and have the sommelier pair wine for your meal!
Proof Restaurant: Proof is a casual restaurant at the Four Seasons and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. We always love to go to Proof for breakfast because it has the best breakfast buffet ever. The coffee is also incredible and they make the best juevos rancheros and oatmeal you’ll ever have! Proof also has great dinner options, too. On Friday nights during the summer, they have a BBQ with live music. Caleb ordered the BBQ while we were there and I had an amazing Super Food salad. Other items worth trying: pretzel knots, hand cut fries and homemade ice cream, which I may have indulged in too often!
Saguaro Blossom: Most afternoons you could find us out lounging by the pool! The poolside restaurant, Saguaro Blossom, is perfect for those days you can’t get off your lounge for lunch. We enjoyed a few meals in the cabanas and highly recommend: carne asada nachos (ask for jalapeños on top), and the cilantro jalapeño hummus which we became addicted to last year. If you are looking for a tropical drink, you can’t go wrong with the AZ Mai Tai, served in a pineapple! This year, I had to get a virgin Mai Tai, but it was still delicious!

Do:

Pool: We spent most of our days here. There is an adult pool, where we spent most of our time, and a kid’s pool, where we will be spending a lot more time next year! This pool is one of the most relaxing places to be. Scottsdale is a hot place to be in the summer, but the pool staff try to minimize that for you! They bring ice cold towels, fruit skewers, gummy bears, frozen grapes, samples of drinks from Saguaro Blossom. They even come around and give your sunglasses a cleaning! We felt so pampered, we didn’t want to leave! Pool cabanas are available for daily rental and we definitely recommend in the heat of the summer!
Hike Pinnacle Peak: Many views from the resort are of Pinnacle Peak. The peak is within walking distance of Four Seasons Scottsdale and is fun for all ages. We hiked to the peak, but you can also keep hiking to another mountain. This takes only an hour of the day, and we highly recommend it, but do it early in the morning!
Spa: Visiting the resort spa is usually on our list of must do’s while vacationing. But it is always hard to decide on one treatment! Four Seasons Scottsdale offers a Summer Happy Hour at the spa, where you can pick 2-3 mini treatments instead of just one treatment. I had my first maternity massage (which will be hard to beat!) and an exfoliating body polish!
Golf at Troon North: I have accompanied Caleb on many golf outings, but this is still my favorite course. The desert views are beautiful, and there is so much wildlife! The resort offers a complimentary shuttle to the course, which is convenient if you don’t have a rental car!

|enjoying our first sunset in scottsdale from our room w/ a view|

|after hiking pinnacle peak and heading to the pool|

|poolside cabanas for the day|

carne asade nachos, poolside, unique nacho recipe, four seasons scottsdale

|carne asada nachos by the pool|

off the shoulder chambray dress, casual date night, couples getaway, four seasons scottsdale

|heading to dinner at proof|

|breakfast at proof with the best oatmeal and iced coffee|

pink flowers, desert flowers, summer flowers, four seasons scottsdale spa

|pink flowers on the way to the spa|

troon north golf, four seasons scottsdale, couples getaway

|joined the hubby on the golf course after the spa happy hour|

peter millar golf, troon north golf, four seasons scottsdale

|golfing troon north|

saguaro cactus, scenery at four seasons scottsdale, desert scenery

|saguaro cactus on the resort property|

soda shoppe decor, old fashioned candy shop, four seasons scottsdale

|old fashion candy shop at proof|

homemade ice cream, summer dessert, ice cream cones, four seasons scottsdale

|a scoop of strawberry cheesecake and a scoop of vanilla bean with sprinkles|

striped topshop dress, striped summer dress, four seasons scottsdale

|homemade ice cream at proof|

relaxing couples getaway, poolside cabana, four seasons scottsdale

|enjoying the adult pool at four seasons scottsdale|

|heading to dinner at talavera on the fourth of july|

couples getaway, four seasons scottsdale, poolside cabanas, relaxing vacation

|perfect pool day with a view of pinnacle peak|

tassel cover up, pineapple drink, four seasons scottsdale, festive summer drink

|AZ Mai Tai by the pool|

Cheers,

laguna beach

June 29, 2015

A few weeks ago, we spent a long weekend in beautiful Southern California. Our family friends were tying the knot in Newport Beach, so we decided to enjoy a a few days in Laguna Beach beforehand, and made the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel our home away from home! It’s also close to the town of Laguna Beach, which we love to visit. It’s like a sleepy little beach town that is incredibly busy (if that makes any sense!). There are so many charming shops to explore & great restaurants to try. Here are our Laguna Beach suggestions if you are planning a trip in the future:

Stay:

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel– Located on the bluff above Salt Creek beach, this property has stunning views of the Pacific. Each morning we started with Pilates or yoga overlooking the Ocean, followed by breakfast. We highly recommend the oatmeal w/ fresh berries, and the iced coffee is delicious! The rooms are beautiful and each room has a patio overlooking the pool or the ocean. The beach is a quick walk down the bluffs and resort staff will greet you with chairs, towels and umbrellas! If the beach is not your thing, the resort pool is beautiful with a full service bar and restaurant. It’s a great setting for lunch!

Eat:

180BLU- The terrace restaurant at the Ritz, this was our favorite place to eat at the hotel. You can’t beat the views, and the food is amazing too. We highly suggest the nachos, sweet potato fries, lobster tacos, oysters and hand rolled sushi that is available on the weekends.
Sapphire– Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, this restaurant is in what was once a charming beach cottage. We were thoroughly impressed with each of our appetizers and main dishes. There were a few that really stood out: the seared hamachi was a favorite of the appetizers we tried, and the whole grilled branzino was a showstopper entree. For dessert, we shared bananas foster, which was to die for!
Watermarc– Every trip to Laguna we find ourselves eating at Watermarc. And no exceptions for this trip! We had lunch at Watermarc two days during our trip and it did not disappoint. We think everything is delicious, but especially the filet mignon sliders, beet carpaccio and ahi watermelon skewers – yum!

Shop:

Fashion Island– World class shopping just a short drive from the Ritz
Laguna Beach– Wander in and out of the little boutiques that line PCH in Laguna

Golf:

Monarch Beach Golf Links– Free shuttle service from the Ritz to Monarch Beach. Beautiful course right on the ocean! Our husbands loved the course and the close proximity to the Ritz
Pelican Hill– A beautiful course in Newport Beach, our husbands played the South course. We made a day of it with shopping at Fashion Island and then meeting them at the hotel bar for a drink when they finished their round

Do:

Beach
Drive PCH from Laguna to Newport and stop in each beach town
Relax!

PS: We’ve been sharing a few looks from our trip over the past few weeks. You can see an adorable palm leaf print dress, our favorite tassel dress in coral, the perfect boho short set and a chambray dress.

Cheers,