Tag: beach

awake, breathe, jet away, mmm...tasty

Aloha! Choose your Big Island Adventure around your hotel stay

The Big Island of Hawai‘i offers abundant opportunities to choose your own adventure and your choice of where to stay shapes the story. One moment you’re standing before an erupting volcano (which happened twice during my visit between December, 2025 and January, 2026), the next you’re driving past snow-capped peaks, coffee farms, waterfalls and beaches dusted in black, white or even green sand. As the … Continue reading Aloha! Choose your Big Island Adventure around your hotel stay

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
breathe, calm, jet away, mmm...tasty

No Passport, No Problem: Sandestin, Florida Delivers Coastal Family Fun

There might be a reason the word ‘sand’ is in Sandestin, Florida – as the area’s miles of silky white sands, with crystal clear waters of the Emerald Coast, remind me of beaches in the Mayan Riviera, Fiji, or the Caribbean islands. But this stretch of the Gulf coast is even more remarkable – with pristine powdery sugar beaches, unpolluted waters, and seas without sargassum.  … Continue reading No Passport, No Problem: Sandestin, Florida Delivers Coastal Family Fun

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
jet away, mmm...tasty

Barbados Is Closer than You Think, and Even More than You Imagine

It’s the birthplace of rum. It’s also where the grapefruit was invented. I’s believed to be a hybrid of Jamaican ugli fruit and Indonesian pomelo. And another bit of trivia, it’s the only foreign country that George Washington ever set foot on. That country is the island nation of Barbados. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with its ambassador to the U.S., Victor … Continue reading Barbados Is Closer than You Think, and Even More than You Imagine

Unknown's avatareatwritelaLeave a comment
jet away, mmm...tasty

Gorge Yourself in the Galapagos on Ecoventura’s Relais and Chateaux Expedition Yacht

The article Taste of the Galapagos was first published in Taste and Travel Magazine (Jan. – March 2025) on Pages 48 – 53. A black torpedo zoomed by my snorkel mask as my eyes widened to witness a Galapagos penguin, one of the smallest types of penguins in the world and the most surprising endemic resident of the islands. Just a few seconds earlier, I … Continue reading Gorge Yourself in the Galapagos on Ecoventura’s Relais and Chateaux Expedition Yacht

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
breathe, calm, jet away

Find Solace at Laguna Surf Lodge

This article was first published on JohnnyJet.com, MSN.com and a different version on Conejo Valley Lifestyle Magazine print. While sipping wine on a patio hanging above the ocean, I marvel at the pulsating waves of the vast Pacific Ocean below me. The long-cresting waves crash along the coast, as surfers careen back and forth on the renowned Thalia Street surf break, embodying a vision from … Continue reading Find Solace at Laguna Surf Lodge

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
jet away

LaLaScoop’d our favorite hotel stay of 2024 – seen in UPROXX

Melissa Curtin (@lalascoop): Xela Tulum – Mexico Privacy and intimacy are the ultimate luxury. A secret door awaits as you enter through a jungle-laden path to a dramatic 12-foot weathered wooden door with clay pots and gurgling water. The new Xela Tulum feels like your own private villa, with just 12 rooms, located on the quieter south side of Tulum, Mexico. The rooms are mere steps from … Continue reading LaLaScoop’d our favorite hotel stay of 2024 – seen in UPROXX

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
awake, breathe, hot bod, jet away, mmm...tasty

Now you can surf a wave in the desert at The Palm Springs Surf Club (or dine and admire the surfers)

Already sold out for January, The Palm Springs Surf Club may require some pre-planning to catch the ultimate wave, bro, but you can ride in any time for an amazing meal – and watch the surfers! Book your wave at the first global surf destination in Southern California nestled in the heart of the desert. A few years ago the words ‘desert’ and ‘surf’ in … Continue reading Now you can surf a wave in the desert at The Palm Springs Surf Club (or dine and admire the surfers)

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment
awake, breathe, calm, hot bod, jet away, Malibu, mmm...tasty, topFAVs

Kickstart your New Year with a Malibu Winter Wellness Retreat

Malibu Beach Inn has partnered with CURE and Alo Moves to offer hotel guests three nights in a King Premier Ocean Front Suite, including all dining experiences at Carbon Beach Club, daily wellness offerings, and Alo Moves instructor-led fitness classes.  “The cure for anything is salt water – tears, sweat, or the sea.”  No truer words can be expressed as this wellness retreat at Malibu … Continue reading Kickstart your New Year with a Malibu Winter Wellness Retreat

Unknown's avatarMelissa Curtin1 Comment
jet away, Malibu, mmm...tasty

Zachari Dunes – Beachfront Best Kept Secret (in Oxnard)

Beachfront Best Kept Secret Design lovers will appreciate the newly revamped multimillion-dollar remodel at Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach with coastal art, beachy décor, lavish chandeliers, BoHo basket lights, and a grand staircase retaining some of the property’s historic charm. Part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, this modern Hacienda-style resort is an easy getaway. All 250 suites feature two bathrooms and six presidential suites offer two … Continue reading Zachari Dunes – Beachfront Best Kept Secret (in Oxnard)

Unknown's avatarMelissa CurtinLeave a comment