HILLARY BOWLES

JAMAICA TRAVEL GUIDE

May 4, 2022 -

We headed to Jamaica for the very first time a few weeks ago and it was pure magic. I can’t believe we didn’t travel there sooner! We were really craving a trip to the caribbean where we could just sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful water and Jamaica was just that! It’s the third largest island in the Caribbean and the perfect mix of tropical paradise, lush mountains and rainforests.

Where to stay:

We stayed at Sandals Ochi Rios and had the most amazing time. If you have been around for awhile, you know that we are already big fans of Sandals resorts. We honeymooned at one of their resorts and celebrated an anniversary at another one- highly recommend. The best part about staying at a Sandals resort is that 1. it’s all-inclusive so once you arrive at the resort, you don’t have to worry about anything but relaxing and having a good time 2. you know you will be getting top notch service, food, drinks and a very luxurious stay. Ochi Rios is located in Ocho Rios and it’s actually the largest Sandals property! It has 16 restaurants and 11 bars… yes, you read that right and has the Caribbean’s only speak easy!

Ochi Beach features a variety of rooms types, both on the beach and tucked into the hillsides of Ocho Rios. We stayed in the Butler Village One Bedroom Poolside Villa Estate Suite which featured a spacious bedroom, living room, a semi-private pool and a butler! Having a pool right outside your bedroom door was incredible. We spent so much of our time out there, especially in the evenings after dinner. While we have stayed at other Sandals properties, this was our first time having a butler and let me tell you, it’s worth the money! They give you a phone for the entirety of your stay and your butler is always just a phone call away. They will book your dinner reservations, reserve pool/beach chairs, bring you lunch and drinks to the pool, you name it and they will make it happen!

What to do:

Relax at the Great House Pool

We normally would choose the beach over a pool but we found ourselves at this pool A LOT. Not only does it have a swim up bar, but it has a variety of restaurants nearby for lunch. It was so lively, fun and made for the perfect pool day. Ps. the frozen drinks are to die for- my fav is the Miami Vice and Logan’s is the Dirty Banana!

Ochi Beach Club

Head down to the beautiful beach to relax and swim! We loved this beach- the water is beautiful and crystal clear plus you have beautiful trees that meet the water and it’s such a vibe.

Book an Excursion with Island Routes

This might of been our favorite day of the trip! We did the Dunn’s River Falls excursion with Island Routes and I can’t recommend it enough! You will head out on the catamaran and stop for a swim and snorkel. After you snorkel, you head to the falls! Dunn’s River Falls is the most popular attraction in Jamaica and you can’t miss it! You start from the bottom of the falls on the beach and climb all the way up (with the help of a guide) and it’s incredible. We had so much fun swimming in the falls. After you are finished at the falls, you will head back to the boat to have lunch and drinks then head back to Sandals. The boat picks you up and drops you off right at Sandals. There are SO many excursions to choose from and you can book directly at the resort when you arrive.

Water Sports

Sandals offers every water sport you could ever imagine! Everything from paddle boards, kayaks, aquatrikes, wind surfing, snorkeling and more. You’ll definitely want to spend a day at the water sports beach. You won’t regret it.

Private Dinner on the Beach

Highly recommend booking a private dinner on the beach. It’s so romantic and the perfect way to end your vacation- we did it on the last night. The dinner comes with bottle of champagne, an appetizer, main course and dessert. This is one thing I wouldn’t skip.

Where to eat:

The food at Sandals always exceeds our expectations! With 16 restaurants to choose from you’ll never have to eat the same thing twice (although you might want to because it’s so good). The food is always really important to me because I am a vegetarian. There’s nothing worse than traveling somewhere and not having good vegetarian options. Sandals is great about allergies and dietary restrictions- it’s the first thing they ask when you sit down to eat. They are very accommodating and are willing to make almost any dish vegetarian! You can check out the restaurant list here and a list of our favs below.

Soy

Soy is the sushi restaurant on property and it’s our favorite! It is always SO fresh and the signature cocktail is delish. There are tons of vegetarian options- we loved the spring rolls, tempura veggies and veggie roll.

Kelly’s Dockside

Kelly’s is the over water restaurant and another one of our favs! It offers mediterranean cuisine and fresh seafood with a side of waves crashing 😉 We loved this spot so much! We ate there twice! I got the seafood alfredo (no seafood) and it was DELISH!

Valentino’s

Ya’ll know italian food is my absolute favorite so this restaurant is at the top of my list as well. The bread they give you is TO DIE FOR- we’re still talking about it haha! As for the main coures- I got the gnocchi and my husband got the chicken parm!

Dinos Pizza

Neapolitan-style, made to order pizza just steps from the pool? Sign me up! We had this for lunch more times than I’m willing to admit. We loved the Ortolana and Margherita.

Sandals Ochi was a luxurious and relaxing all-inclusive stay in every way and we can’t recommend it enough if you are heading to Jamaica. We will definitely be back!

MALDIVES TRAVEL GUIDE

March 24, 2022 -

Maldives is a MAJOR bucket list destination! It’s been on my list for a long time- especially after going to Bora Bora (I’ll do a comparison in another blog post). Maldives truly is PARADISE on Earth. It’s a country made up of 1192 islands in the Indian Ocean that sit right on the equator. Crystal clear water, over water bungalows and luxury hotels… what’s not to love?

We went during their high season which is December – March, which means it’s the most expensive time to go to the Maldives but also the best weather. It was beautiful clear skies every single day and that sun was STRONG. I’ve never felt sun like that in my life but I love a good tan so I definitely wasn’t mad 😉

How to get there:

I would say this is the only downfall of the Maldives. It is very far from the United States, which makes for 30+ hours of travel. We decided to break our travel up and stop in Dubai for four days before heading to the Maldives which I would HIGHLY recommend. We flew direct on Emirates from JFK to Dubai (12.5 hours) then it’s four more hours from Dubai to Maldives on Emirates. You’ll fly into the Male airport which is the capital and hub for all the other islands. Once you land in Male, you’ll exit your plane and get loaded onto a bus that takes you to the airport. You’ll go through customs, get your luggage and head to the lobby where you will see hundred of people with signs that read either your name, your resort or both! They will then tag your luggage and either guide you to your speedboat or to your seaplane- depending on where your resort is located. I hate flying so I specifically chose a resort that did NOT require a seaplane, and to my surprise there are a ton of amazing resorts that are close enough for a speedboat. The speedboats are located right outside the airport so we hopped on the speedboat and we were at our resort in 20 min! So quick and easy.

Where to stay:

The best thing about the Maldives are the endless resorts (and at different price points). Every resort is located on it’s own private island. We chose to stay at Grand Park Kodhipparu in the Overwater Pool Villa and from the second we stepped off the speedboat we were treated like ROYALTY. The service was 10/10 – absolutely incredible. From the rooms to the grounds, food and drinks it was all amazing and so well kept. I truly can’t recommend this resort enough.

What to do:

So, the Maldives is definitely about relaxation and the WATER. We honestly spent the majority of our time in our bungalow because why wouldn’t we? I had a pool and the ocean! What more could you ask for? The resort did offer a ton of water sports and activities you could do. We did schedule a few fun things with the resort and I’m so glad we did.

Sunset Cruise: We did a sunset cruise on a traditional Maldivian Dhoni boat and it was such a cool experience. We loaded up the champagne and cruised the water all evening. The sunset that night (and every night) was truly to die for. Maldives is known to have the most insane sunsets and we found that to be very true.

Private Movie and Dinner on the beach: We both agreed that this was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done! They set up a huge projector screen on a private beach, we chose the movie and they served us the entire time! First was champagne, then appetizers followed by dinner, popcorn and ice cream for desert! They set up all the pretty lights with two cozy bean bags and blankets! Once in a lifetime type of experience and we loved every second.

Couples Massage: Honestly, we normally aren’t massage people but we couldn’t resist it in the Maldives. Our resort has the most beautiful spa located over the water with incredible views. Plus the massage ended with a flower bath overlooking the lagoon. I mean, what?!

Glass Bottom Paddle Boards: This was super cool! We rented glass bottom paddle boards and went all around the lagoon. You can see all the fish and stingrays swimming under you! We loved this so much. Logan is also a terrible paddle boarder so it made for a good laugh lol!

Snorkel: Our resort had AMAZING snorkeling right outside the bungalows so there was really no need to go out on a boat for snorkeling because we could jump off our bungalow and snorkel for hours! Theres a big reef right along the edge of the resort. We had reef sharks and the most colorful fish swimming under our bungalow the entire time!

Our resort offered soooo many activies- I wish we had time for all of them! Some of the other ones I thought sounded amazing was a dolphin tour and a picnic on a private island! Most resorts in the Maldives will offer all of these and more 🙂

What to eat:

So, since the resorts in the Maldives are on their own island- you have to eat at your resort. Our resort was NOT all inclusive but it had multiple restaurants to choose from, a breakfast buffet and 24 hour room service! We honestly ate in our room majority of the time! We love room service and whats better than room service in your overwater bungalow? Nothing. You can also choose to do a floating breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snacks! Worth every single penny. We did the breakfast!

Travel home

When the time comes to leave the Maldives (insert crying face here), it’s a very similar process as arriving. You’ll load up on your speedboat and head to the airport. The airport is actually a lot bigger than you’d imagine… I had in my head that it would be TINY like Bora Bora and that wasn’t the case. You’ll go through security, wait at your gate and then load back up on the bus to head to your plane. We flew four hours back to Dubai, had a six hour layover in Dubai then 14 hours from Dubai to JFK. Emirates doesn’t fly to Charlotte, so we had to switch to Delta to get home. The travel and jet lag is less than ideal but so worth it in my opinion!

I hope this was helpful! Feel free to message me on IG (@hillary.bowles) if you have any other questions! Happy to answer 🙂

OAHU, HAWAII TRAVEL GUIDE

March 23, 2022 -

We travelled to Oahu, Hawaii as our first post covid trip and wow, was it amazing! We are already dreaming about when we can go back and visit the other islands. I’m not going to lie, Hawaii was never high on my bucket list. I didn’t think I would love it but oh, was I wrong. We had the BEST time in Oahu and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the Royal Hawaiian (aka the Pink Palace of the Pacific), situated on the famous Waikiki Beach. This hotel is hands down the most ‘instagrammable’ hotel I’ve ever stayed it. Everything is PINK and so dreamy! It is in the perfect location for food and shopping! Right in the heart of Waikiki. Make sure you make dinner reservations and beach chair reservations ahead of time, as they book up veerrrrry fast. Keep in mind that Waikiki is a busy beach so if you are looking for a quiet escape- I would look into another area of the island! We booked the Royal Hawaiian directly through their website.

What to do:

RENT A CAR! My number on piece of advice for Oahu is to rent a car. There is so much to see and do, and if you stay at the hotel the whole time you’ll definitely be missing out. We spent most of our days driving around the island and exploring! An absolute must.

Here are some of my favorite spots we stopped at.

Halona Blow Hole – a super small beach, but totally worth the stop! I recommend getting there early in the morning because it does get really crowded and its a small spot.

Makapuu Lookout – the most GORGEOUS views of the water and mountain backdrop. You can hike all the way down the the Makapuu tide pools, but we did skip that part as we had a lot of other spots we wanted to stop at.

Kaaawa Beach – Probably my favorite beach on the entire island- it’s full of locals in the little town of Kaaawa. The beach is really small but the views are UNREAL. Crystal clear water, big palm trees and a mountain backdrop. It doesn’t get any better than that! Make sure you check the tide though because since the beach is so small, when the tide is high there really isn’t a beach at all!

Lanikai Beach – You’ve definitely seen this beach on instagram. The water is TO DIE FOR! It’s a large beach with two little islands out in the distance. We came here a few times because we couldn’t get enough. Parking was tough as it’s a super popular beach- we drove around looking for a spot for at least 15 min but it was totally worth it.

Sunset Beach (North Shore) – Also known as the pipeline! This is the famous surfing beach and let me just tell you… the waves are HUGE and we were there when the waves were ‘small’ but we literally got taken down by just having our ankles in! Super cool to see. Theres also a palm tree that grows sideways out into the beach which makes for a cute pic.

Turtle Beach (North Shore) – Okay, I know I said Kaaawa was my favorite but Turtle beach might have it topped. It’s called turtle beach for a reason- theres HUNDREDS of turtles just swimming in the water and laying on the sand. It was magical. Logan literally had to drag me out of there lol. My phone storage was FULL by the time we left because I took approximately 120983 videos.

Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens – I have no words for how insane this place is. YOU CAN’T MISS IT. The photo opportunities are endless. We went before it opened to try and snag a few pics- they leave a side gate open for people to walk and run the trails after hours. They do say no photos at the entrance but a lot of people take them anyways.

Spitting Cave – This was kind of hard to find as it’s actually in a neighborhood. We definitely thought we were lost. You have to hike down between two houses- it’s pretty steep so wear appropriate shoes… I did not and kept sliding. The views from this spot are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Alot of (brave) people jump into the water from here but it seems SUPER dangerous and I do not recommend doing that haha. We almost skipped this spot and we were so happy that we didn’t.

RENT A SURFBOARD AT WAIKIKI DURING SUNSET:

One of our favorite things we did! We rented a surf board from a local shop across the street from Waikiki Beach and sat on it and watched the sunset. Neither of us can surf (although I would love to learn) but it was so fun to just hang in the water and watch the sun go down. Most surf board shops directly on the beach actually close before sunset even starts so you have to leave the beach to snag one from a place that stays open later. It wasn’t a big deal though- quick walk and definitely worth it!

PILLBOX HIKE:

We ran out of time/we aren’t huge hikers but this one looks amazing! The views are stunning (overlook Lanikai Beach) and apparently it’s a super easy hike. Tip: go early in the morning before it gets crowded!

CATAMARAN CRUISE:

If you stay on Waikiki these are super easy to access! They literally pull the boats up to the beach and you can sign up to go out the day of. It’s super affordable and you’ll get amazing views of the island.

HELICOPTER TOUR:

I wanted to do this SO BAD but Logan was still traumatized from our helicopter ride in St Lucia, so we skipped this. I highly highly highly recommend doing this. I did a lot of research and the views are INCREDIBLE. Still kicking myself that I didn’t convince him do this one!

WHERE TO EAT:

Sunrise Shack: We ate this more times than I’m willing to admit! Everything on the menu was to die for- my favorite was the acai bowl! They have a couple locations around the island but my favorite was the one on the North Shore across from Sunset beach. It really is a little shack on the side of the road.

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck: An award winning food truck that apparently sells the best shrimp on the entire island. I don’t eat seafood so I can’t speak from experience but I’ve heard nothing but great things. Cash only!

Leonards Bakery: The best donuts ever!!! If you’re looking for a sweet treat- Leonards is the spot!

Dukes Waikiki: Definitely a touristy spot but has super cute tiki vibes and sits right on the beach in Waikiki! Located in the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort.

A common question I get asked is Oahu worth it on it’s own? Should I skip Oahu and go straight to Maui? The answer is Oahu is 1000000% worth it on it’s own. There is SO much to see and do in Oahu. We spent a week there and still didn’t get to see everything. Maui would definitely make a great addition but I wouldn’t skip Oahu! We loved it so so much and can’t wait to return one day 🙂

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