A laid-back, family-friendly rustic mountain retreat in the middle of a long Ukrainian winter? Yes, please!
In late February, after seven months of suburban Kyiv city life, we made our way to Voevodyno, a family-friendly resort in the fresh air of the Carpathian Mountains. It was the break we needed.
Lviv . . . the most beautiful, romantic, full-of-personality little town in Ukraine there ever was. Not that I've been to that many towns in Ukraine quite yet, but I imagine that this is the best one (shhhhhh, don't tell Kyiv). It's quaint, historic, lively, full of stunning architecture, offers unique restaurants and fantastic parks . . . and we barely even scratched the surface. Like barely even scratched the surface.
In August, we traveled internationally during COVID-19 with our four kiddos, one big, loveable Golden Retriever, and about 1,000,000 bags. If a similar trip is on the horizon for you, here's our story and my tips for how to make the trip as safe as possible, and (hopefully) less stressful.
Romantic hilltop towns. Medieval town squares. Vineyards as far as the eye can see. Farm-to-table restaurants. Italian wine. Pecorino cheese. Olive groves. Ahh, Tuscany.
We just returned from a wonderful week in this paradise. We explored seven towns in seven days, ate fabulous food, and ran free in the most beautiful town squares. We visited family farms, saw saffron-picking and cheese-making in progress. We explored old fortresses and cycled along ancient city walls. We ate gelato every.single.day. The kids filled their pockets with olives, wine corks, acorns, and fall leaves. After all, it's the simple memories that are sometimes the most treasured ones.
After a perfect family beach vacation to Mallorca in 2016, we found it hard to consider anything else but going back in 2017. Hundreds of stunning beaches, beautiful landscapes, crystal clear water . . . you can read all about that here.
And then my husband threw a wrench in things, "how about we try some place new?"
What? Did I just hear that right? I was so set on going back to Mallorcan perfection, that I hadn't even given thought to some other beach locale. We looked at our options, and ultimately we decided to throw caution to the wind and try some place new.
It’s February, and in the northern hemisphere, winter is most definitely here!
One of our favorite winter getaways to date was to the Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia. It was a magical weekend full of luxury, adventure, delicious food, and snow . . . lots of snow! Here is a little preview of all that the Kempinski, and its unique surroundings, have to offer.
We just returned from one of our favorite spots in Zakopane, entry point to Poland's stunning Tatra mountains. On the first night of our four-day stay, my 7-year old asked, "can we stay for two months?" My kids absolutely adore the Tatras, not only for all for all of the beauty and fun winter and summer-time activities it has to offer, but also because of our choice of lodging - the Tatra Chalet. With multiple trips to the Tatras under our belts over the last few years, I want to shout from the mountaintops (and I could, literally, if I was there right.now) what makes our vacation time there so fantastic, so that others can find the same joy and respite in this spectacular place.
