HILLARY BOWLES

TULUM, MEXICO TRAVEL GUIDE

June 27, 2019 - Leave a Comment

Tulum, Mexico... you've seen it all over Instagram and it's become one of the hottest/most popular destinations as of lately. But, let me tell you... even the photos on instagram couldn't prepare me for how unbelievable Tulum truly is! I was absolutely blown away. It does not feel like you are in Mexico, it feels like you are in Bali or somewhere extremely exotic. If Tulum isn't already on your bucket list... it should be!

WHERE TO STAY:

This may be my one and only regret about our trip to Tulum. We went on this trip with our friends, and opted to stay at an all inclusive, where the food and drinks are included - Dreams Tulum. While the resort was beautiful, and it was great to have unlimited food and drinks included... I kinda feel like we missed out on some of the authentic Tulum experience. My recommendation would be to stay somewhere in Tulum Beach, such as Nomade Tulum, Azulik, etc. We ended up actually visiting both of these hotels for drinks and some exploring!

WHAT TO DO:

Tulum Beach: Exploring Tulum Beach is a must! It is a long (almost dirt) road that is filled with local shops, restaurants and bars. It almost might be the most photogenic street I have ever been on. I couldn't stop taking photos! On this road is where you will find the famous 'Follow Your Dream" sign. It is towards the bottom of the road, so I recommend renting bikes if you plan on seeing the entire road. Which brings me to my point below...

Rent Bikes: One of my favorite things we did in Tulum! We woke up early one day and headed to Tulum Beach to rent bikes and explore. The little street was soooo much longer than we thought! Talk about getting your workout in for the day lol! We stopped along the way to look at the shops, take some photos and grabbed a delicious smoothie from Matcha Mama.

Cenotes: This was so much fun! We opted to go to the Grande Cenote and loved every second of it. Be sure to arrive about 10-15 before it opens in the morning so you have the Cenote to yourself and don't bother getting ready or doing your hair because before you enter the cenote, you re required to take an ice cold shower and wet your hair. Wow, it was freezing and I definitely tried to get away without getting my hair wet but I was caught and forced to wet my hair lol! The part of this cenote that you always see on instagram is actually hidden in the back. Walk past the first entrance you see and you will stumble upon the little hidden gem! The water is so gorgeous!

Tulum Ruins: We didn't actually make it to the Ruins, but I've heard they are beautiful and sit right on the ocean. If you have time while you are in Tulum, I would try to make a trip to the Ruins.

Explore hotels: Honestly, this was one of our favorite things we did! The hotels in Tulum are one of a kind and breathtaking! Our two favorites were Azulik and Nomade. We couldn't believe places like that even exist! We went to Azulik for drinks, but there is a limit on how many people are allowed to go to the rooftop and sadly we didn't make the cut but we still got to head up to the bar and hang out on the giant hammocks! Nomade was unbelievable as it was just a resort full of little mini huts! I'll insert photos below.

WHERE TO EAT:

Matcha Mama: We stopped here on our bike ride down Tulum Beach Road. so refreshing, delicious and makes for the perfect photo op! I got an açaí smoothie.

Ziggys: Dining with your feet in the sand. What in the world is better than that? Great food and even better drinks.

Raw Love: If you are a vegetarian or vegan, like me... you will love this place!! The entire menu is vegan and so delicious!

Charly's Vegan Tacos: Traditional Mexican food with a vegan spin on it. What more could you ask for? So many options even for you non-vegan/vegetarians.

HOW TO GET THERE:

This was quite the adventure lol! Originally we were supposed to fly from Charlotte to Atlanta then to Cancun (closest airport to Tulum). BUT, our flight from Charlotte was delayed and as a result we were going to miss our connecting flight to Mexico and couldn't get out until the next day so, we hopped in our car at midnight and drove 4 hours to Atlanta so we didn't miss our flight. This resulted in us not sleeping all night, then hopping on our flight to Cancun at 7am. Once we arrived in Cancun, we had to get a 1.5 hour shuttle/taxi to Tulum. This was pretty painless (aside from being exhausted), it's just one street the whole way. We actually booked this trip through Expedia and chose the option to include our airport transfer which makes things pretty seamless and easy.

I hope this was helpful to you! Be sure to send me your photos of Tulum! I love seeing them 🙂

Xoxo,

Hillary

EXUMA, BAHAMAS TRAVEL GUIDE

June 25, 2019 - Leave a Comment

The famous swimming pigs... I know y'all have seen them all over instagram. Those sweet little pigs live in Exuma, Bahamas- aka the most beautiful place I have ever been. The water in Exuma is unbelievable! Crystal clear and bright blue! A trip I'll dream about forever.

We went to Exuma for our first anniversary and I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate! A quite, romantic vibe at the resort but still enough adventure to keep things interesting and fun!

WHERE TO STAY:

Exuma is a VERY small island with not too many resorts. We stayed at Sandals Emerald Bay. We actually booked this trip while we are on our honeymoon in Saint Lucia! By now, I'm sure you know how we feel about Sandals. The food is great, the drinks are good and the service is impeccable. Sandals Emerald Bay sits on a bay (Emerald Bay- hence the name lol) and it is honestly the most stunning beach I have ever seen. White sand and the clearest, calm water. We spent SO much time swimming in the ocean.

WHAT TO DO:

Swim with pigs, sharks and iguanas: Probably the coolest thing I have ever done in my entire 26 years. I'm obviously a huge animal lover but getting to interact with these types of animals in their natural habitat was unreal. We booked this tour through Robert's Island Adventures and I would recommend them to you a million times over. First, you head out on the boat and stop at Iguana Island- there are HUNDREDS of iguanas just roaming the island. It was wild. They were actually really friendly and interacted with us.

Next, we cruised around the most beautiful water and made a stop outside of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's private island (we didn't see them). We were soon on our way to Compass Cay to swim with sharks!!! Okay, I did not think I would be scared because I'm not really scared of sea animals but holy moly when you see 50 sharks swarming the dock it is just a little bit intimidating lol! To my surprise, Logan jumped right in with them! I had to warm up to them for a few minutes but once I got in... they we're SO sweet!!! Like little puppies, they just wanted to be pet. I couldn't believe it. We swam around with them for about 45 minutes and it was so freaking cool.

After that sharks, we headed to the PIGS!!! Which is what I was the most excited about. We pulled up and the pigs just swam right up to our boat and holy moly, they are HUGE! They we're a little feisty but oh so cute! There were about 10 piglets and I got to hold one! LIFE.MADE.

Sand Bar: Exuma is surrounded by sand bars where you can be in the middle of the ocean but walking on sand. No land in site. Unbelievable. We sat on the sandbar for about an hour and I'll never forget it. We just kept saying 'I can't believe this place is real". When it was time for the boat to leave we were NOT ready to go!

ATV's: We rented ATV'S for the day and explored the island of Exuma. I knew it would be amazing, but I didn't know how amazing. We drove up to a Caribbean farm and the farmed took a machete and gave us fresh coconuts. So delicious! We then toured historic landmarks and then headed to Coco Plum beach! Driving the ATV's in and out of the water. It was so, so much fun!

Rent a Car + Explore: This is a must in Exuma! There is only one road on the entire island so it is impossible to get lost. We drove up to Coco Plum Beach for low tide, down to Georgetown and to the Tropic of Cancer Beach! While in Georgetown, we stopped at the straw market and purchased two handmade straw hats- truly the sweetest locals! After the straw market, we hopped on a ferry over to Chat n' Chill. See below for more on Chat n' Chill.

Chat n' Chill: We hopped on a ferry from Georgetown to Chat n' Chill. Chat n' Chill is a local restaurant located on a tiny little island about 10 min from Great Exuma Island. The island is known for their stingrays and their fresh conch salad! The stingrays literally swim right up to the beach and rub up against you. It was SO cool- I loved every second of it. Logan.... not so much haha he kept running from the stingrays! Definitely put this on your list if you are in Exuma!

HOW TO GET THERE:

We flew Delta from NYC to Atlanta then from Atlanta to Georgetown, Exuma! The flights were super easy and not very long at all. I will say, the Exuma airport is SMALL. Smallest I have ever been in. The drive was about 15 minutes from the airport to our resort. On the way home we were delayed for 6 hours (which I hear happens a lot) and there is no air conditioning or food so keep that in mind before you head to the airport! Delta being the amazing airline that they are (our fav) gave us food and drink vouchers for the restaurant across the street from the airport, so we spent most of our 6 hours over there.

SAINT LUCIA TRAVEL GUIDE

May 29, 2019 - Leave a Comment

I know, I know.... I'm about two years late on this post but this is STILL one of my most asked questions. We traveled to Saint Lucia for our honeymoon in July of 2017, and if you ask me... it was the absolute PERFECT place to honeymoon. My husband and I had the time of our lives and cannot wait to return one day!

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at Sandals Grande St Lucian and I can't say enough good things about it! We stayed in the Caribbean Honeymoon Beachview penthouse Club Level - PC. I know the rooms are kind of confusing, but if you want to have a view of the beach make sure you choose a beach view room and not an ocean view room! There is a difference. The Oceanview rooms face the back of the resort- and while it is an ocean view room (the resort sits on a peninsula) it is not what you're imaging. Sandals does have a few other resorts on the island that you can go to, free of charge! The drive to Sandals Grande from the airport is quite long, so we opted to take a helicopter transfer to and from the resort and it was hands down, the coolest thing I have ever experienced. Highly recommend! Plus, you arrive at the resort almost 2 hours before everyone else! We booked through St. Lucia Helicopters.

WHAT TO DO:

Our favorite thing about Saint Lucia was all of the excursions you can do! We love exploring on vacations and trying new, fun things. We booked all of our excursions through Island Routes, and there are SO many to choose from!

Horseback Riding: My favorite!! We got to ride horses through the island and ended in the sea!!!! It was truly incredible and something I will never forget. Our tour guide was very helpful in making us feel comfortable and safe on the horses. My husband was actually TERRIFIED of the horses LOL so the tour guide held onto his horse the whole time.

Snorkeling between the Pitons: If you've seen a photo of Saint Lucia it was most likely of the famous Piton mountains. They are truly breathtaking! We stopped in three different locations where you just jumped off the catamaran and snorkeled. While the water in Saint Lucia is a darker blue (deep waters), it was SO CLEAR. As we were crusing along, we stumbled upon a huge school of dolphins!!! Hundreds of them. I was in complete awe- if you know me, you know much I love dolphins! After we stopped to snorkel, we went to a private beach where you could paddle board, hang out on the beach and eat lunch (provided). There were some locals swimming at the beach and I'll never forget this little boy who clung to my husband and I. He gave us a turtle he made out of shells and we still have it to this day!

Volcanic Mud Bath + Waterfall: An absolute must if you travel to Saint Lucia. Truly incredible! We did the JJ's Speed Boat Tour. First, you head to the Twin Pitons, and visit the west coast villages. Then, you are on your way to the World's only drive-in Volcano (The Sulphur Springs) where you can take a natural mud bath! The mud is SO HOT, though. I struggled getting in at first but I'm so glad I did. After you are completely covered in mud, you go over the water falls and wash off! The waterfall was so beautiful and refreshing after that hot mud bath! Once you're all clean, you will hop back on the boat and head to the famous Jade Mountain to swim and/or snorkel. We chose to just swim at the beach. The tour ends with a local lunch in Marigot Bay! Such an fun excursion with lots of rum punch involved hehe 😉

Sunset Cruise: We loved this excursion! So relaxing after a long day in the sun! We cruised around the island for a few hours and watched the sunset into the sea. One of our favorite memories!

Jet Ski's: We rented these at our resort and cruised around the bay (Rodney Bay) and stopped at a little private beach. Logan was a little scared of the Jet Ski.. so we didn't go very fast. He wouldn't let me drive because he said I would throw him into the water with sharks LOL. Still an awesome experience and amazing views of Pigeon Point.

WHAT TO EAT:

Since Sandals is all-inclusive you don't have to worry about food or drinks which is one of the many reasons why we love Sandals resorts. Our favorite restaurants at the resort were SOY (sushi), Toscanis (Italian) and Barefoot by the Sea! Oh, and we took FULL advantage of the room service... whoops. As for drinks, make sure you find Peter the swim up bar, bartender and ask for the Peter Special. It's delicious!

HOW TO GET THERE:

We took a Delta flight from Charleston (where we were married) to Atlanta, then connected into Saint Lucia! Once we landed in Saint Lucia, we opted to take the helicopter transfer to our resort. Definitely a once in a lifetime type of thing and one I will never, ever forget! We booked though St. Lucia Helicopters.