After the hustle & bustle of a big city, I crave a tropical beach. So, to make the most of my flight half-way around the world to Sydney, I then took a relatively short flight to Bali (6.5 hrs). I spent 5 nights at the stunning St. Regis Bali Resort in Nusa Dua. From cabanas by the pool & daybeds on the beach to impeccable butler service & relatively cheap, 5-star cuisine (thank you foreign exchange rate) this is my favorite resort thus far.
The warm hospitality of the Balinese people, in general, is something to note, but the perks of the St.
My Favorite Sheet Masks & Why They’re Better Than Cream Masks
I’ve always been a huge fan of masks. I love going to spas, but don’t have the time to go often. So, masks are my at-home remedy. I’ve used them weekly for as long as I can remember, so I’ve tried hundreds of different kinds.
I have became obsessed with sheet masks. They’ve been around for a while, but I was hesitant, because (1) they look scary as heck (2) I’m always multi-tasking in my mask, doing house work, etc. I thought a sheet mask would fall off if I moved around. I finally tried one with a friend and realized they’re amazing &
Steaks by the Pool & Bubble Tea Cocktails: Where to Eat & Drink in Sydney
Dining in a cosmopolitan city like Sydney is always so much fun- the options are endless! After doing a ton of research- reading reviews, getting advice from locals & well-travelled friends that have visited Sydney, I made a list of restaurants to visit on my trip. I edited down to my favorites for my review below.
Din Tai Fung (Casual Restaurant $$)
If I had to pick my favorite restaurant in the world, and I’ve eaten at 525+ in Chicago alone, I would have to say Din Tai Fung. DTF is a Taiwanese chain, and their specialty is the xiao long bao (soup dumpling).
Adventures Down Under: What to do in Sydney
I spent 7 amazing days in Sydney before heading to Bali. I just love beach cities- They have a combination of cosmopolitan and laid-back that makes for a very exciting trip. Here are my top 4 favorite activities in Sydney.
*Food/drinks and shopping suggestions in my next post.
Bridge Climb
I’m sure most of you know the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, but did you know that you can climb it? How amazing is that! There is only one company that arranges the climbs (link above). There are many different types of climb options, but basically you have two decisions to make that impact the price of the climb:
When do you want to climb?
Park Hyatt Sydney: Lux Stay in the Rocks
PARK HYATT SYDNEY REVIEW
My next series of posts will be all about one of my favorite trips, Sydney + Bali. As I mentioned previously, I try to make the most of my precious vacation days by visiting at least 2 destinations per a trip when I travel internationally.
🗝 Tip: I pretty much always buy a round trip ticket to one destination and buy a separate RT ticket from a local airline to get to the second destination. This saves way more money than trying to link all your flights together and lets you take advantage of amazing, international, low-cost carriers (shout out to Jin Air) while still accruing miles from the long haul with your domestic carrier of choice.
Beauty Products You Must Buy in Germany
Not only can shopping abroad save you lots of money, but many times you can purchase things that you simply can’t buy outside of that country. One of the first things I look for is beauty products, especially in Germany. The biggest buzz in the beauty world is K-Beauty, Korean beauty products, but did you know the product that started the whole phenomenon- the BB cream, is originally a German invention? A German dermatologist, Dr. Christine Schrammek, created this multi-purpose miracle cream to protect the skin of her patients after chemical peels and surgery while also giving them some color coverage.
Freiburg: A Grimm’s Brother Fairytale in Wine Country
Having traveled the world, it’s pretty hard to pick a favorite place, but Germany is definitely one of my favorite countries to visit. (And U.S. News and World Report did just name it the best country in the world.) Although I highly recommend everyone celebrate all that is soccer & beer in Munich and shop & eat your hearts out in sexy, cosmopolitan Berlin, I’m going to tell you all about a lesser known travel destination- Freiburg. A city in the south west of Germany.
Freiburg is wonderfully scenic and romantic, much like the south of France, but yet is also an incredibly progressive academic city,