Sayulita: Where to Stay!

Have you heard my whole thing about "seasons?" Like, I'm not talking about weather seasons, but, like, the metaphorical kind? There are seasons where I'm better at staying on top of the laundry, seasons where reading a good book seems to sit on the back burner, or seasons where I am really really good at carving out time for myself. Well, this season I've been in lately has revolved around keeping my kids semi-happy while they're out of school, so any writing and work has taken a bit of a hit. But, I'm ready to start a new season, and excited to find my writing groove again now that the kids are heading back to school.

Near the top of my list of things to write about and catch up on was our trip to Mexico earlier this summer! In an attempt to simplify things for myself I'm planning on breaking the trip down into smaller posts. So, we're kicking things off over here with Sayulita: Where to Stay!

Before choosing a place to stay, I really like to do a bit of research. I read reviews, searched to see if the places had their own Instagram accounts, and really tried to find out as much about the place as possible. I chose to book a stay with the Petit Hotel Hafa, and we are so glad we did. Whenever we have traveled together, Chris and I really like to look for a place where we can really immerse ourselves into the area. One time several years ago when traveling around England, I was able to (accidentally) find a place in Manchester that not only put us in a wonderful location, but also was a stone's throw from a landmark commemorating one of my husband's favorite historical figures. I wasn't able to achieve that this time (darn!), but I guess that means we just need to plan a trip back to Europe :) Although, I will say, Petit Hotel Hafa was pretty darn close to his favorite taco stand of all time, so that DOES count for something right??

Do you spy two little cute selfies??

We chose room #2, and I fell in love with the feel of the room right away. I loved the decor, and of course, I loved how bright and clean it felt. I will however, advise that you splurge a bit and pay extra for the AC-- it can definitely get a tad toasty in there. We had someone come in every day to clean and bring fresh towels. I also loved that in addition to the key we got to the room, we also got a key to the main gate of the hotel. They lock it up every night around 8pm, but you can let yourself in whenever you like. We felt super safe our whole time there.



Before our trip, I had these great plans to sleep in and not get out of bed till noon. Well, that didn't happen. I don't know that I would call myself a morning person, but once I wake up in the morning, I'm up. That's it. There's really no dozing back off to sleep.



I was pretty happy to lay in our room, however, reading there or up on the gorgeous rooftop deck that was just steps away from our room.

Seriously though, this place was just so pretty and quaint every took you turn!

The rooftop deck really was the cherry and whipped cream on top here. It was always quiet, and we usually had the whole deck to ourselves. We loved to come here to read in the mornings, or just spend time tougher after dinner. When it's dark, they light the place up with candles, and you can hear all the night owls in the streets. 

And if you're looking for a good spot for a picture, there is a darling path of hearts just outside our door!

So, there ya go! And these pictures don't even quite do it enough of justice. We loved staying at this super colorful and beautiful place, and I'd highly recommend it if you find you're planning your own stay in Sayulita :)

Till next time!

|| "Faye" Straw Boater Hat: HERE || Madewell tassel earrings (red no longer available) HERE || Madewell sunglasses (sold out) similar HERE || 

Traveling with Kids Part I: So you have a million reasons why not to...

Okay. I'd like to preface this series of posts with saying that I know I am absolutely no expert on this subject. However, I've lost count of how many flights and road trips my kids have been on, and I think I feel fairly confident in my packing abilities and preparing for any type of travel. We've done short flights, flights across that Atlantic, and flights that are just too long it's absurd with the kids. We've done short road trips and road trips across the country. Several times. I'd say our kids are pros.



Also, I've been approached numerous times about any travel tips I may have, so I've decided it's about time I sat and started writing them down. Here we go!

Traveling with Kids  Part I: Just Do It!

PREFACE!

I've heard people list off reasons why they choose not to travel with kids. Let's set aside the blatant reason that hello! It's expensive to fly/travel with kids!!! Because that's an incredibly valid reason! I'm sure SO many people want to travel more, especially with their children, but right now it is just not financially feasible. I can't stress enough- that's 100% valid. Please don't go into debt just for a trip because that's absolutely silly. In fact, a lot of our trips are ones that we couldn't have made in a million years if it weren't for them just falling in our laps.

Now that we've set that aside.

OTHER reasons I've heard people say they're not traveling with their kids...



"They're too young. They won't remember."
I get this. You're right about one thing. Your six month old won't remember strolling through the Victoria & Albert Museum, and your two-year old probably won't remember the breathtaking views of the Midwest. BUT, they can get used to traveling at a very early age. I think the reason our kids are on the whole so well behaved while traveling and excited to go to new places is because we've been doing it for a long time. Road trips and plane rides have been part of their lives since they were babies. Also. You know who WILL remember? You. And I promise you you'll cherish those memories.

"They won't appreciate it yet."
Then help them appreciate it. Make going to see a new place down the street exciting! Have talks about the things you saw. Say, "Hey, remember that time we saw those really cool Buddhist temples? Remember how we had to take our shoes off before we walked in? That was a good thing to do because we wanted to be respectful, huh?" One thing we've done is started a postcard collection for each of the kids. We let them pick out one postcard every time we visit a new country/state. This is such a simple and cheap thing to do, but they LOVE it!

"It's hard."
Yeah, it is. And exhausting. And frankly, duh, NOT easy. But, have you never done a hard thing? What happens when you do hard things? You learn from them and then you feel like Superman for having kicked that hard thing in the butt.



"I'm too nervous/scared."
Oh, goodness. I've been there! Sixteen hours on a plane SHOULD scare you! I know I was before every flight! But, again, the more you do things, the easier they get and the more confident you feel. I remember when S was two days old and we had to take her to her pediatrician. It's insane how much I packed for the seven minute ride. I was nervous about surviving a seven hour road trip with her when she was a few months old. We were pretty scared when we were preparing to fly to Europe with a six and eighteen month old. I'm still nervous about any potential flights to Asia! Let's just take a deep breath.

"It won't be as much fun with the kids."

I don't know how to address this one because I think it's really a manner of a opinion. We traveled to England and the Isle of Man with our kids, and then again to Europe without the kids a year later. Both were extremely memorable. C and I just happen to agree that a huge part of what makes any trip (near or far) especially enjoyable is simply seeing our kids experience it. Driving forty-five minutes to pick apples in a really pretty part of Pennsylvania we hadn't been before: Awesome. Seeing the kids "ooh" and "aah" at the trees and run up and down the rows: Priceless.

Well, now that I've addressed the main reasons why maybe some are choosing not to travel with kids, I'll start addressing the actual traveling part. Next up: (I think...I'm kind of just flying by the seat of my pants) what to pack for the kids for the flight/car.

Flashback: Recipease and Kensington Palace Gardens

One of my favorite girls, Casey, recommended this place to us, and I still can't get it out of my mind. She is my London girlfriend who was present at the infamous "Notting Hill Incident." I was determined to replace that memory with a really good one, and this place was just the ticket.

So, I promise I don't typically take pictures of everythinggg I eat. Okay...maybe some things.  But THIS! I of course got the mango lasi, because I can't ever pass one up. They added cardamon to theirs, and now I'm sure I have to make it myself and add in allll the cardamon. It was a great take on the typical mango lasi because it gave it just the perfect amount of spice. And that other delicious looking thing was the smashed spicy avocado toast. You know when the worst part of a meal is that it actually comes to an end. Yeah, that happened.

At the time, I was entirely too full to try out one of these meringues, but I wasn't too full to take a picture of them :) 

Cooking classes are offered here, and if I lived in London, I'd love to take one.

After brunch, we walked over to the Kensington Palace Gardens. I've said it before, but we really lucked out. The weather was so incredible our entire trip. I remember this day being even a bit warmer than I would have preferred. Not having to lug around coats was a total game changer on this trip. (On a side note...I've been asked by a couple people to share my packing tips, so I'll hopefully get around to that in another post. I packed for ten days, and all I brought was a small backpack (with room to spare for souvenirs) and an overnight bag.)

Two Euro posts in one week? I may be able to do this after all.

Flashback: Oxford

Why do I always do this to myself? Wait until forever to get trip pictures up? Until I can't remember the background of each place and just have to resort to a big ol' boring photodump.

Bah. But, I told myself I'd get these pictures up, and slowly but surely I am. I've got family members asking for them, and I just need to get them on here. So, I apologize. I've already gone on and on about how much I love England, and Oxford just took our breath away. (I love you, London! Don't be jealous!)

The building on the right had bicycles chained all around it. We saw a notice saying that they all had to be removed by a certain date because a "period piece" was to be filmed there. In my my heart, I just knew it was Downton Abbey. Okay...maybe I was just realllly wishing I'd run into Maggie Smith. So. Bad.

C was particularly excited about this place. He was like a kid in a candy store at the Oxford University Press shop. Maybe someday he'll see a book of his there? Right?!

Looking Back: Outer Banks and Greenville

So...way back in May, (Mother's Day weekend/our anniversary) we took a quick trip to North Carolina to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their family. They were blessing their new (delicious) little guy, and C's brother had just graduated with his Master's degree from East Carolina University. Although the trip was quick, it's always great to get together with family.

It's times like those that I wish we lived closer to family. Have my kids be able to grow up and make memories with their cousins and their grandparents. Have the chance to say, "Hey! We're making cookies. Come over!" Or, "Can you watch the kids so I can run to an appointment?" When my in-laws came a couple of weeks ago, I found myself on a solo grocery shopping trip while the kids napped. I actually walked down the aisles at a normal pace, as opposed to racing down them like a speed demon because I know that I have approximately 9.5 minutes before my kids are ready to run around like mini Tasmanian devils. You know the one, right? From the Looney Tunes cartoons that spins and spins and destroys everything in its path? Yeah. That.

S and her cousin had such a fun time running around at the Wright Brothers' Museum. It was pretty hot, and I'm pretty sure the last thing I'd ever want to do is run. Kids seem to have a way to just not care about the humidity it seems like.

Speaking of running...these two brothers decided to have a race. Can you spot a little Pato down the path?

Sometimes I really miss that tiny baby stage. And then I remember that Pato still doesn't consistently sleep through the night.

***

In other fun news...

I was invited to blog over at WhatToExpect.com! I was pretty surprised when they contacted me because, really, do I ever make sense? But, I'm looking forward to doing something for myself, and hopefully it will help me stretch myself a bit.

You can find my first post here: I'm a Mom (and a Rockstar Zoologist)