January 25, 2012

Five-course dinner? My kind of spa!

By Abby

Low-cal filet mignon.

Lest you think we deprived ourselves, Miraval is not that kind of spa. After a delicious three-course meal at the Cactus Flower restaurant the first night (yes, with wine), we opted for the “Cooking with the Chef” class on the second night. Five courses with wine pairings! Starting with an amazingly healthy, crisp and delicious Caesar salad, we were amazed at all of the things you can do to cut calories in the kitchen. The girls at our table diligently took notes, vowing to cook the whole shebang for their husbands when they returned home to Canada. But only the travel blogger took photos! Pictured here: angus beef filet mignon with roma tomato, basil and shallot salad, drizzled with vinegar reduction and topped with a goat cheese ball.

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Posted in Getaway, Journal Entry | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments
January 23, 2012

Miraval: Different Kind of Arizona Spa

By Abby

Miraval Resort & Spa, outside of Tucson, Arizona, is an unusual place, sort of a hippy-dippy summer camp for adults. But I only wished this camp was a three-month, all-summer-long affair! Instead, I spent a relaxing long weekend there, soaking in the calming desert landscapes and melting away at the spa. Miraval stands out among Arizona spas; it is the type of place where everyone is either strolling the serene walkways in a robe on the way to and from the spa, or donning their cutest Sporty Spice wear to the gym, a hike, or one of the activities the retreat is famous for. But we’ll get to that.

First, I want to show you the grounds.

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Posted in Getaway, Journal Entry | Tagged , , | 22 Comments
January 20, 2012

Winter in Vegas: Pass the Meringue

By Abby

How Vegas does winter: with edible treats.

We don’t get much snow in sunny Las Vegas, but that didn’t stop at least one chef in town from creating a mini-meringue snowman on a plate. Michel Richard is famous for his whimsical food designs and having pastries to die for. At his hot spot Central at Caesars Palace (open last fall), executive chef Todd Harrington had the pastry chef whip up this cute little winter treat for me. He was so lifelike, I had a hard time wanting to dig in! One forkful of the homemade chantilly creme that covered the plate, looking like melted snow, solved that. The snowman is a vacherin dessert (watch out for other fun designs throughout the year — Chef loves ‘em), meringue on the outside, soft ice-cream in the middle. As I broke through the meringue, which had been hardened and dried in the oven, the sinful vanilla ice-cream started to melt a bit, and the adorable snowman’s parts finally started to cave in, so he was easier to eat. And eat him I did — this little snowman was ridiculously delicious! As he started to look more and more like a real melted snowman, I knew my taste (pun intended) of winter was coming to an end. I’m a warm-weather girl and a foodie to boot — I’d take this version over the real kind any day!

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Posted in Las Vegas, Snapshot | Tagged , , | 33 Comments
January 17, 2012

How to Spend the Perfect Day Trip in Toronto

By Abby

 

Meeting Simone for the first time.

When I was recently home in Albuquerque for Christmas, I failed miserably at being a tourist in my own city. But my friend Simone, of the sassy award-winning blog Skinny Dip, is a rock star. She created for me the best itinerary for her home digs, a little town called Toronto. I have so many trusted online friends who I’ve never met, but Simone and I got to spend some quality time together when she last visited Las Vegas for (what else?) a blogging convention. I hope you enjoy her Toronto itinerary for the perfect day trip in Toronto as much as I did. I made it to Montreal this year and have been to other places in Canada, but not Toronto.

I’ve always wanted to go!

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Posted in Getaway, Guest Blogging | Tagged , , | 38 Comments
January 13, 2012

Different Kind of Pool Club

By Abby

Sometimes, nothing beats a dip in the pool.

In Las Vegas, a “pool club” often means a cabana with a flat-screen TV, celebrity host in a barely-there bikini, and loads of tourists dancing to loud music. This here, is what I prefer. When I lived in Costa Rica, the Club at Coco Bay wasn’t open to the public. Now, for a small fee, you can have access to the gorgeous haven, for those days when chlorine beckons. I grew up in Florida and love the beach, especially the sounds of the ocean and gazing off to the horizon. But sometimes, nothing beats a refreshing dip in the pool. Happy Friday, everybody! I’ll be daydreaming about meeting my friend Lisa for a girls’ afternoon at this pool.

Posted in Big Travel, Snapshot | Tagged , | 12 Comments
January 8, 2012

What’s In a Name?

By Abby

The good life: Hammock and lush greenery. Bad side: nature means critters.

Maybe by now it’s sort of obvious how I got the ridiculous nickname “Jungle Princess,” but for my last post about my recent trip to Costa Rica, I thought I’d explain — and show how far I’ve come. As with everything these days (haha) it all started online. My friend Mike had signed me up on Twitter the day before I left my Las Vegas friends for the jungles of Costa Rica. I finally got into it a few months in, but all of the travel folks were confused… Where was my blog? they asked. (My what?!) Since my tweets were all about scorpions, spiders, monkeys, rain and not wearing high heels… Diana of DTravelsRound finally publicly tweeted something along the lines of, “Come on, jungle princess, you’re starting a blog tomorrow.”

So I did.

 

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Posted in Big Travel, My musings, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 53 Comments
January 4, 2012

A View Ahead: 2012

By Abby

Happiness is a choice. Anyone can become, among a circle of friends, the “joy lightbulb,” as my friend calls people who seem to emote positivity. You may shine brighter than your peers, your boss, even your parents. I somehow resisted writing a 2011 wrap-up, but I have been thinking a lot about what’s going to unfold in my life in 2012.

No resolutions here, predictions about how many times I will use my passport, pounds I’m going to lose. I’m not vowing to stay dedicated to my job, or to leave it, or act a certain way or to stop a bad habit.

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Posted in My musings | Tagged , , | 65 Comments
December 29, 2011

What a difference a year makes

By Abby


My former hometown of Coco had the nerve to grow while I was gone! I lived in the small town in Costa Rica for a year, and then it took me 15 long months to find my way back. In my mind, Coco will always be a quaint little fishing village with a rough little beach and a barrio outside of town where chickens and roosters roam free.  (Ok, the barrio’s still there, but none of my friends still live near the chickens.)

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Posted in Big Travel, My musings | Tagged , , | 34 Comments
December 26, 2011

Colors of Costa Rica

By Abby


Lest you think my entire recent trip to Costa was all rained out, I wanted to add a post on the colors of Costa Rica. I hope that shots of flowers like these are a reminder of why the tropics needs so much rain! I’ve seen these same areas after months and months without rain — I promise you that I will never again take the lush green plants and colorful flowers for granted!  The first time I visited Costa Rica, a trip that lasted one year almost to the day, it was bone dry. While I saw spots of green, for the most part, the trees and dirt roads were brown and dry. I didn’t complain — dry weather meant more days in the sun, cleaner roads while walking home, and much easier driving (not that I had a car myself.)

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Posted in Big Travel | Tagged , , | 48 Comments
December 20, 2011

Rain, rain, go away?

By Abby

I love the rain. Maybe it’s the nine years I spent living in Florida, but to me, nothing beats a hot shower in the tropics. So when my insane work schedule made it so that my last Costa Rica adventure landed during the tail end of rainy season, I didn’t bat an eye. Obviously, it was sort of a buzzkill when it rained during my one boat day, but we didn’t let it stop us. And the beach here in Guiones proved that stormy weather can be absolutely beautiful. I’ve collected some of my favorite photos that show off the wet weather. This first one here is the Club at Coco Bay, a beautiful beach club that just recently opened to the public. One minute we were sunning ourselves in the searing hot sun, the next we were grabbing our towels and running for cover, as the sky tore open. I thought it was beautiful, all part of the Costa Rica adventure. I love how the rain makes everything so green — none of that lushness exists long after the rains have stopped for the year, usually in November. Instead of “summer” and “winter,” Ticos enjoy “wet season,” “windy season,” (which affects all sports and tourism at the beginning of each year) and then dry season again until about September.

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Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments
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