LODGE AT GULF STATE PARK, GULF SHORES, AL: HOTEL REVIEW

Back in July, we took a short trip to Gulf Shores, AL. The beaches here are beautiful! We were originally planning on going to Mexico during these dates but my work instituted a 14 day quarantine for anyone returning from an international trip. I then planned a road trip to California and also thought about Florida, but these were also meet with the 14 day quarantine requirements.

We decided to spend a short 5 days/ 4 nights at the Lodge at Gulf State Park. This hotel is in between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL making it convenient to get to both places. When looking at hotels, we decided on the Lodge because it was brand new and in the state park so more isolated than the other hotels with crowded beaches.

Let me just say that this hotel was close to 500 per night and not worth it. The walls were super thin to were you could hear your neighbors having a normal conversation. The hotel was brand new and things were already broken and falling off the walls (more than likely, they were never installed correctly to begin with.) I really hate to write negative reviews, but I would not recommend this property (especially for the price!).

Although, aesthetically pleasing in photos, this was not the case in person. We didn’t let this ruin our trip, however. We really enjoyed eating at the restaurant in the state park that had tons of great food! It was called Woodside Restaurant and they had live music on the weekends with a ton of outside games. It was a really neat place. If you’re heading to Gulf Shores anytime soon, then you should definitely check it out!

ULTIMATE CROATIA ITINERARY

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2020, the gift that keeps on giving. In all honesty, if it weren’t for the trip I planned over these 2 weeks getting cancelled no less than seven times, then I wouldn’t have looked into the sheer beauty and adventure that Croatia has to offer. What 2 weeks are these you ask? Well if you caught my Oman Itinerary, then you saw the original plan for our vacation. Once we found out that Oman was still closed to tourists and Kenya is not letting in Texans, we proceeded to option 2, Hawaii. Hawaii then extended its quarantine requirements. Long story short, here we are planning a fabulous trip to Croatia, which is currently open and accepting US tourists.

In order to go to Croatia, you must have a negative COVID PCR test within 48 hours of entering the country and fill out a form with the government detailing your trip (where you are staying and travel dates). Since I feel like things are changing on a daily basis, I would check the US Embassy’s website on travel to Croatia for the most up to date requirements.

Pro tip: When you are looking for flights into Croatia right now, you will see that the travel time is extraordinarily long. In order to get around that, book a direct flight into London and then take a European airline into Croatia. There are several starting points in Croatia so the destination is up to you!

Below I have outlined a rough itinerary for Croatia. I will follow up with more in-depth posts after we return!

ULTIMATE CROATIA ITINERARY

Here’s our itinerary :

Dubrovnik (4 nights)

Split (4 nights)

Plitvinc National Park (1 night)

Istra (3 nights)

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Total days: 12

ULTIMATE CROATIA ITINERARY

DAY 1:ARRIVAL INTO DUBROVNIK

When arriving into Dubrovnik, we booked a private transfer with Octopus Transfers to our nearby hotel. I like to have a set transfer lined up after arriving into a new destination.

Today is super chill after arriving. Head to your hotel and then grab a quick easy dinner nearby.

We booked four nights at Hotel Excelsior. Another hotel that we considered was Kompas. These are two higher end luxury hotels but you can find a range of hotel options for Dubrovnik here or Airbnbs here.

DAY 2: DUBROVNIK

Spend the day exploring Old Town. If you’re into Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik was the filming location for King’s Landing so there are some great GOT walking tours.

Another option would be to chill at the hotel for day and get over your jet lag 😅.

For dinner tonight, make reservations at Panorama Restaurant and Bar for sunset views of Dubrovnik.

DAY 3:DUBROVNIK

We booked a private boat tour with Explore Dubrovnik to the Elaphiti Islands for the full day. I am so looking forward to this and can’t wait to report back on our trip!

Dinner at Taj Mahal tonight for some traditional Bosnian cuisine. They have two locations - Old City and Hotel Lero. Their Old City location is currently closed for renovations so we will be checking out their Hotel Lero location.

DAY 4:DUBROVNIK

Explore the Old City some more today or walk the walls of the city. Get lost on some side streets or shop for some local souvenirs. Whatever you choose, enjoy your last day in King’s Landing.

For the last night in Dubrovnik, make reservations at Above 5 Rooftop Restaurant for a special treat before heading off to Split.

DAY 5:DUBROVNIK TO SPLIT

We booked an early morning private transfer with Octopus Transfers from Dubrovnik to Split. There are several ways to get to Split from Dubrovnik. We chose to do a private transfer as there is a border crossing with Bosnia on the way and at this moment if you’re driving your own car, then you will not be able to pass through with a US passport. Other options, besides driving, your own rental car and a private transfer, include a short flight or taking a ferry that stops along the way in Hvar. If you have extra time or want to spend a night in Hvar, then this would be the night to do it!

Once arriving into Split, drop your bags at the hotel and explore the city. If you have an extra day, then I would suggest a walking tour with Ivica.

We booked Hotel Park in Split for our stay but you can find other hotels here or Airbnbs here.

DAY 6: HVAR AND BLUE CAVE DAY TOUR

Full day tour to Hvar and Blue Cave - I hope you’re well rested!

DAY 7: krka national park

Today is a day trip to Krka National Park where you can currently swim. The Croatian government is talking about discontinuing this next year. Here is the tour we are doing that has a stop in Sibenik on the way to the national park.

DAY 8: SPLIT TO PLITVINC NATIONAL PARK

Today we are heading to Plitvinc National Park from Split. We are picking up a rental car for the remainder of our time in Croatia. You could also do a day trip from Split to Plitvinc but it is about 3 hours away so that would make for a long day in my opinion.

On our way there, we are making stops in Trogir and Paklenica. We decided to stay right outside the park for an early entry but you could also stay in Zadar or Sibenik as well.

There are several options for places to stay but we choice the Ethno Houses Plitvica Selo Deluxe. You can check out other options here.

day 9: plitvinc national park

Today we are starting off bright and early. Our park entrance tickets are for 7 am. This is so we can do a hike and then head out for Istra around noon.

We are planning to do the C Program on the lake routes. This starts at the north entrance and takes about 4-5 hours to complete. You can check out all the other routes here. Also, don’t forget to purchase your entry permit for the park as well.

day 10-12: istra

On day 11, spend your time in the Pula are touring some ancient Roman ruins and then head to Cape Kamenjak for some cliff jumping.
Day 12, spend the full day in Rovinj touring the beautiful cobblestone streets and relaxing.

If you need any help planning your own Croatia itinerary, then send me an email at lauren@thatblondetravels.com.

ULTIMATE 1 WEEK OMAN ITINERARY

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Let me just start off by saying that this is one of my most anticipated trips for 2020 (assuming that we get to go!). I recently stumbled upon the country of Oman while researching Bolivia. I know this seems super odd right?! Well, I was getting into a wormhole on youtube while watching different travel vloggers, when I stumbled upon Lost LeBlanc. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him, but his videos are awesome quality! The only thing that I feel is lacking is a detailed itinerary to follow up on these epic trips that he takes. He does, however, have complete guides that you can purchase, which I’m sure are excellent, but unfortunately, nothing on Oman yet.

Anyways, so here I am researching Bolivia to potentially add onto our Peru trip was moved to August of next year, when I stumbled upon a video about Oman. I immediately was drawn to Oman because of the country’s diverse landscape and endless things to do. (Look it up, you will feel like you need more than a month to get everything in!)

Here’s the plan: We are (hopefully!) going on Safari in Kenya in September to see the great migration and then we plan to take a direct flight from NBO to DOH (Doha, Qatar). From there, we will take a short 1.5 hr flight from DOH to MCT (Muscat, Oman) to begin our 8 day journey in the northern part of Oman. I can’t wait for you guys to follow along with us!

ULTIMATE 1 WEEK OMAN ITINERARY

Here’s what our Oman itinerary looks like:

Daymaniat islands (1 night)

Muscat (2 nights)

Desert Lodge (2 nights)

Jabal Akhdar (2 nights)

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Total days: 8

ULTIMATE 1 WEEK OMAN ITINERARY

DAY 1:

Arrive into Muscat at 0635. We have a priority pass so I plan on accessing the amazing Primeclass Lounge that is inside the Muscat airport before heading out. They have showers and even beds that you can nap in!

Once we get freshened up, we are heading to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The Mosque is open to the public everyday from 8 to 11 am, except Fridays. It’s required for both men and women to wear long sleeve tops and long pants to the ankle. For women, bring a scarf to cover your hair. The mosque’s entrance is free but I will link some great tour options here.

After exploring the Mosque, it is time to grab a quick lunch. We are going to try Kargeen based on some recommendations found in other itineraries. It is well located in the middle of the city so perfect for right after a half day city tour of Muscat.

At 1300, we meet Blue Wave Oman at the All Mouj marina for an overnight camping trip to the secluded beaches of Daymaniat islands. While here, we will experience an Omani style BBQ, sunset, and snorkeling - cannot wait!

DAY 2:

We will spend the morning snorkeling in the Daymaniat islands with Blue Wave Oman and they will return us back to Muscat around 2 pm.

Once arriving in Muscat, we are going to make our way to our hotel for the night, Al Bustan Palace. There were several hotels that looked amazing in Muscat, so it was very hard to choose just one. I will link the others under “My Favorite Hotels” down below.

After checking into the hotel and showering, the plan is to head over to Muttrah Soug (check out the guide attached by The Culture Trip), which is one of the local markets. We will explore for a little while and then grab dinner at Biat Al Luban for some traditional Omani food.

DAY 3:

Today is a super early day as we are heading out to the Bimmah Sinkhole followed by Wadi Shab.

Bimmah Sinkhole is a 90 minute drive from Muscat on the way to Sur. You can do this on your own or you can book a tour here.

In order to get to Wadi Shab on your own, I would recommend going first thing in the morning for shade and to beat the crowds. You can do this by staying in Sur the night before or leaving extra early from Muscat. I will create a post after our trip detailing how to hike the trail on your own.

In between the Bimmah Sinkhole and Wadi Shab, grab lunch in Sur. We are looking at Zaki but will probably ask the hotel if there is another place they recommend. If you have time, you can check out Sur, otherwise, head on to your desert camp hotel for the next couple nights. You can stop by Wadi Bani Khalid and go for a dip if you haven’t had your fill of swimming for the day!

We are staying at Desert Nights Camp for 2 nights. While you can get to the camp with a 4x4, you can also have transfers arranged by the camp that includes a sunset along with dune bashing while you’re on your way to the camp.

DAY 4:

Enjoy your full day in the desert today. We plan to go sand boarding, camel riding, and have a dinner underneath the stars.

DAY 5:

Today is a super early start! Get up and head back to Muscat to meet for a canyoning expedition! We are partnering with Twenty3Extreme for a canyoning adventure and also via Ferrata. They have several awesome canyoning adventures. It makes me want to stay in Oman for like 5 or 6 more days so I can do them all!

We are looking at doing their Snake Canyon 2.0 or their brand new Jungle Book adventure.

After a full day abseiling, jumping from cliffs, and swimming, make your way to the mountains where your accommodations for the next two nights await. We booked two nights at the Alila Jabal Akhdar Oman. This property is so gorgeous with amazing mountain views. We decided on the half board rate as I’m sure that there are not very many restaurants in such a remote location.

Canyoning in Oman. Twenty 3 Extreme adventure company

DAY 6:

Another early morning today as we are heading to Jebal Shams for a hike. There are so many things to do here: via Ferrata, balcony walk, day hikes, canyoning, abseiling, etc. If you have an adventurous spirit, then the world is your oyster!

When you get back to the hotel, have a starlit dinner cliffside to help bring such a wonderful trip to an end.

DAY 7:

This morning, we plan to either do another hike or sleep in and then head back into Muscat. Once arriving into Muscat, check into your last hotel and do some exploring of things that you missed around the city.

End the night with a sunset dinner cruise around the Omani shores. We will have an early night as our flights leaves at 4 am the next morning!

MY FAVORITE HOTELS

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Visiting Oman requires a Visa. You can get this on arrival at the airport or you can get one online via this website.

The only vaccine that is required is Yellow Fever and that is if you have traveled recently to countries where the disease is rampant. We will be coming from Nairobi so we plan to bring our vaccine information with us. We had to get one before traveling to Ecuador a few years back so we are covered!

If there are any other questions, be sure to check out the US State Department’s website regarding travel to Oman.

AWAY'S NEW EXPANDABLE LUGGAGE REVIEW

I am an over packer - there I said it. It feels good to get that off my chest so now we can move on to more important things, like Away’s new expandable luggage!

I recently acquired Away’s new expandable luggage because I needed a new suitcase for an upcoming trip. The plan was to be in Peru for 2 weeks and then return and leave the next day for Manchester and Edinburgh. ‘Rona happened and messed up my travel plans, hence not actually needing another suitcase after all.

Regardless, I was able to test the new suitcase out on our girl’s trip in February to Mexico. I know, I know, why do you need a medium size suitcase to go to the beach?!? (We’ve already established that I’m an over packer..sooooo - let me live! LOL!) I really did just want to test this new bag out though so I could make sure that it would work for me and I got a free checked bag so, why not?

Compared to their normal Medium hard sided luggage - this bag can fit a lot more. I often have trouble getting the regular medium to fit all of my stuff so this is really nice.

All-in-all, I really loved this new Away bag! I had actually ordered another suitcase set that was recommended by another blogger off of Amazon. It was terrible. The set was $130. The wheels did not glide well and the zipper was crap (I could see it busting open after one use.). I know that Away bags can be rather pricey, but I believe that they are completely worth it! Not only are the bags great, but their customer service is phenomenal as well. I had my handle get stuck open on a trip and I mailed it to them and they fixed it at no charge and no charge on shipping either!

Just think of these bags as an investment into your travel future. Your future self will thank you!

All images provide by Away Travel

DISCUSSIONS, LIFESTYLE, TRAVELLauren BaileyApril 20, 2020luggage review Comment

EXCELLENCE RIVIERA CANCUN: OUR GIRL'S TRIP + HOTEL REVIEW

Excellence Riviera Cancun is located right outside of the hotel zone and only about 20 minutes from the airport. This hotel is relatively small compared to other all-inclusive resorts that are in the area. We just returned from a 5 day/4 night stay in one of their Jr Suite Rooms. This was our annual girl’s trip (7 of us went) and it was well..excellent (pun intended lol) This was my second time here and I will definitely be returning!

Excellence Riviera Cancun; That Blonde Travels, Mexico Vacation. Best All-Inclusive Resorts in Mexico

When we arrived, we were greeted with an ice cold glass of champagne by the bellman. They took our luggage and we proceeded to the check-in counter. We arrived very early so we were not able to check-in right away, which was fine, because we went and had lunch at the buffet and then headed to the pool.

Excellence Riviera Cancun has 7 different restaurants of which we tried all but the French. All of the food is phenomenal, my favorite is Basmati, the Indian restaurant. I know what you’re thinking, “Indian food in Mexico..”, but take my word, it was delicious! With there being 7 of us, it was at sometimes difficult for us to get a table at restaurants during peak times, but the hotel staff was very accommodating in getting us seated in a timely manner. If the wait was going to be awhile, we headed to The Flavor Market, Spanish tapas restaurant, for some yummy tapas and sangria.

With our favorite beach side server, Armando!

Fajitas during Mexican Fiesta Night; Shout out to Crystal for the photo!

The only restaurant that we thought we were not going to be able to eat at was the hibachi grill because they only take reservations the day of. One of the hotel concierges ended up helping us out on the last day since we had such a big group. The hibachi show is not to be missed! The chef on the grill was very entertaining and did some unique things that I have not seen at other hibachi restaurants so it was really fun!

On Friday night was the Mexican Fiesta. This was a blast! We ended up getting several tables to do shots with us and the seven of us finished off a bottle of Don Julio. Miguel and Edwin were so fun and Miguel was such a sport with dancing (It was hilarious!)

Last but definitely not least, the drink service at the beach was outstanding! Armando took such great care of us (all 7 of us!) and gave us the nicknames of Sirenas and Cowboys, haha! He was so fun! I can’t forget Ivan either who also served us at the beach and would anticipate our orders before we even asked for it!