Antigua part 2

Happy Monday friends! Since literally all I did was study all weekend, I figured I'd recap part 2 of our Antigua trip today. Day #4 was spent with an amazing breakfast on the beach [per usual], too many mimosas, reading, napping, relaxing, etc, etc. 

Night #4 we ate at a seafood restaurant at the resort and I had the most amazing lobster + shrimp dish!

Our last full day we decided to go into town and rent a 4-wheeler. This was probably the best day of the whole trip! We spent the whole day exploring the island, riding through the rain forest, finding small private beaches, and looking like total tourists with our helmets! It was SO much fun!

For lunch we went into English Harbor where all the huge boats and sailboats come in. We had lunch right on the water with one of the most amazing views I've ever seen!

Night #5 was NYE and the resort had a HUGE party for dinner. They had every food imaginable including a sushi bar, hibachi station, make your own pasta, steak, tacos, etc. It was so yummy! They also had a band playing which was fun. But I have to admit we were lights out way before 12:00am. I did wake up when the fireworks started but we did not see the ball drop #fail

This trip was the perfect start to 2016, full of much needed quality time and relaxation!

Linking up with Meghan and Biana

Antigua part 1

Happy 2016 friends!! This week has been so busy… doctor's appointments, studying for my board exam, taking down Christmas decorations, etc. that I am just now getting around to re-capping our Antigua trip. It was SO amazing, I did not want to come home!

We stayed at Sandals Antigua and were very pleased with our experience. The staff were incredible… super friendly, helpful, and genuinely interested in making sure we were having a great time. Our room was always very clean and stocked with everything we needed. Warning… photo dump below.

Night #1 we were super tired from traveling all day but we managed to shower and head a sushi restaurant for dinner. We are sushi snobs so I will admit that it wasn't nearly as good as our favorite sushi restaurant back home but it was decent.

Our first full day was gorgeous. Breakfast every morning with this view? Yes please. We would grab chairs on the beach for the morning and move to the pool for the afternoons. Because the pool had a swim up bar so basically we didn't move from those seats all day every day #notsorry

There was a dock with couches on it that you could sit and watch sunset. Late afternoon we would grab a drink, champs for me and rum for him, and watch sunset. My favorite part of the day hands down.

Night #2 we were a little burnt [sorry mom] after a few too many drinks are the swim up bar. We enjoyed a yummy Italian dinner with the best ever molten chocolate cake for dessert.

 The ocean in Antigua is gorgeous, crystal clear blue. And so cold!! We did a lot of paddle boarding which was super fun because it was so calm.

Night #3 we went to the pub restaurant and claimed seats in front of the t.v. to watch our Tarheels take on Baylor in their bowl game. Sadly we couldn't come through with a win but it was still fun to cheer for our team.

Check back next week for part 2 of our Antigua trip recap!

Linking up with Annie today!

NYC Part 2

[If you missed Part I of my recap, check it here!]

Day 2 we shopped all day long. We stopped in Little Italy for the.best.pizza.ever. for lunch.

Our hotel had a huge bar area that was always filled with people so we got drinks there before dinner. For dinner we had reservations at a new spot called Urbo. Once again, the atmosphere was amazing and the food even better! I had sushi for my meal and it was great. 

After dinner we had tickets to see Matilda on Broadway. It was great! I was surprised that it was different than the movie in some ways but overall I enjoyed it. I will say that if you have not seen the movie (my husband) then you will probably be lost during the play.

Sunday was our last full day. We woke up early and took the bus tour around the city. It had been so long since I had done that so it was neat to hear all the background about landmarks and buildings. We spent the rest of the morning/afternoon in SoHo shopping. We had a late lunch at Ellen's Stardust Diner and it was so neat. A perfect spot if you have kids! The waiters are aspiring Broadway performers and they sing in the middle of the restaurant during your meal. It was so fun and the food was good "diner food".

Sunday night we had tickets to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockette's. I could see this show every single day and never get tired of it! I got teary eyed when they did the baby Jesus scene at the end. Amidst all the bad that is going on in our world, it reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas and that there is still good in this world!

After the play we went to a bar and had drinks before our reservations at BLT Prime. This was the "fanciest" of the restaurants we ate it. It was good but very overpriced with small portions. You order sides for the table which were very small. They did serve delicious cheese bread poppers before our meal!

We had SUCH a great trip full of family time! I did not want to come home. I am trying to convince dad to make this a yearly tradition ;)

Linking up with Annie and Joey