TRAVEL DIARIES | THE AMALFI COAST

July 31, 2015

after biarritz, we flew into barcelona and spent one night before making our way to italy the next morning. our time in barcelona was short but it seemed like such a fun + interesting city (plus their soccer team had just won a game that evening and the locals were going CRAZY until the wee hours of the morning).

anyways, get ready for a million photos ahead…i just couldn’t help myself. the amalfi coast is ridiculously beautiful and incredible and amazing and photos don’t even do it justice! the last time we were in italy was on our honeymoon 2.5 years ago and ever since then, i’ve been wanting to come back to this beautiful country. specifically the amalfi coast. the natural beauty is absolutely stunning and the colors and textures of this town are perfectly picturesque. we were there in the middle of may so it wasn’t overly crowded yet and the weather was still nice enough to lay out in the afternoons.

AMALFI COAST | JAYADORES

where we stayed

hotel savoia

we stayed right in the center of positano at this mediterranean style hotel and we would stay here again in a heartbeat. we loved this place and our room had a beautiful panoramic view of the piazzetta dei mulini. it was a 5 minute walk to spiaggia grande (the main beach) and all the restaurants and shops were super close. they also had a delicious free breakfast every morning, including espresso drinks!

things we did

boat ride | hands down, one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life! we rented a little zodiac boat (sans driver) and rode up and down the coast for a few hours and it was MAGICAL. we drove along the majestic sea cliffs, through rock tunnels and into the fiordo di furore. if we had one more day here, we would have spent it camped out on this gem of a beach. we were like little kids in a candy shop. the whole ride felt so surreal!

shop | i had no idea positano was known for their linen. there were so many boutiques that had beautiful linen pieces, but my favorite was la bottega di brunella. i got a tunic for myself and the cutest mini tunic for one of our nieces. also, marvis toothpaste is made in italy and we noticed it was sold at all the local drugstores. it was 1/2 the cost it is on amazon here in the u.s. so we stocked up.

day trip to capri | we debated taking the ferry to the isle of capri one day and we are so glad we did! more photos (i know, i know, i took too many pics) to come.

car service | getting to the amalfi coast is a bit off the beaten path and taking a bus on those crazy windy roads could take forever. we were trying to condense our travel time as much as possible, so we booked a private car service in advance (which supposedly is cheaper than hailing a taxi at the airport). we flew into naples and used amalfi car service and they were super kind and accommodating.

where we ate

i don’t really think you can go wrong in italy food-wise. every restaurant basically serves the same ingredients (tomatos, basil, olive oil, bread, and cheese) in multiple forms aka deliciousness and you end every meal with a shot of espresso or a cappuccino. we did have some favorites though!

bruno | up the hill a little ways from our hotel, this place was the most romantic restaurant and the food was so delicious. they have tables located on the sidewalk overlooking the town & the ocean and it makes for an incredible dining experience.

le tre sorrelle & covo dei saraceni | two other romantic dinner spots right on the water with amazing pasta and service. the mariara pizza at covo dei saraceni was our favorite!

next stop: a day trip to the isle of capri

TRAVEL DIARIES | SAN SEBASTIÁN, SPAIN

July 30, 2015

one of my best friends/roommate from college, lauren, and her boyfriend david were on a 2 month roadtrip through europe and just so happened to be staying in san sebastián while we were going to be in biarritz. the two towns are only 40 minutes apart so we knew we had to meet up at some point. they told us a cafe to meet them at and while driving there was a success (only because of our trusty gps), finding them after we parked in a city garage took 45 minutes. our phones didn’t work so we couldn’t just call them or google map it and the basque language is so crazy and full of x’s and words we couldn’t pronounce. i honestly don’t understand how we got anywhere pre-smartphone. i know i depend on it a lot here at home, but you really realize how much you use it when you don’t have it! anyways, it was a small victory once we found them. the coffee shop, gogoko goxuak, was also super cute and had good coffee and treats. they had been there a few days so they showed us all around the cute town and we spent the day eating pintxos (the basque country version of tapas), walking, talking, and shopping. oh and lots of laughing because those guys are hilarious. san sebastián is a beautiful, beautiful city and we wish we had had more time to stay a few days! it felt a little like a coastal version of paris but with spanish influences. guess we will have to go back!

next stop: the amalfi coast!

TRAVEL DIARIES | BIARRITZ, FRANCE

July 29, 2015

BIARRITZ, FRANCE | JAYADORES BIARRITZ_R3A9496 after our stay in lisbon, we flew into san sebastián, spain and rented a car to drive up to biarritz, france. (sidenote: driving in a foreign country can be a little tricky but it was actually much easier than we thought! my #1 suggestion is to upgrade and get the GPS! europe lovveees roundabouts. like i swear there is one every 2 miles. and some of them are so confusing! so make your life easier by paying the extra $65 and have the talking machine tell you exactly where to go.)

biarritz is a quaint seaside surf town on the southwestern coast of france. reis wanted to surf while we were on our trip so that’s why we chose this place as one of our destinations. buuut he didn’t even end up surfing because the waves weren’t that good. we’re still glad we went though!

where we stayed

hotel eduardo vii

we posted up at this charming little boutique hotel in the town center a short walk from the beach. it’s actually a house from the 19th century and has so much character! our room was spacious and we had two little balconies overlooking the street.

things we did

day trip | we drove down to san sebastián one day to meet up with our good friends. we really loved it and wish we could have spent more time there. photos to come!

walk | besides surfing and eating and beaching, there’s not too much exploring to be done in biarritz. the overcast weather was perfect for going on walks and there was the coolest path that went all around the coast. we discovered the path at 1 in the morning one night after dinner and it is one of my favorite memories from the trip!

where we ate

tapas and wine bars are the popular spots in this little surf town. our favorite eatery was puig et daro where we ate 3 times because the tapas were so good. european dining is so interesting! here in the states, waiters are so eager to turn tables and over there, you can take your sweeeeet precious time and they don’t even care! so many times we were ready for our check for practically an hour before they brought it or we decided to finally ask for it. we also tried pâtisserie miremont a couple of times for breakfast and snacks. it’s overpriced, but pretty tasty. i could eat macarons and pain au chocolats all the live long day.

up next: san sebastián, spain!

TRAVEL DIARIES | LISBON, PORTUGAL

July 28, 2015

LISBON, PORTUGAL | JAYADORES

i’m deeming this week ‘euro-week’ on the blog and will be recapping our recent travels to europe! we hopped around portugal, france, spain, and italy this past may and fell in love with each place we visited. going through all of our photos made me want to do a repeat of our entire trip.

first up: lisbon, portugal!

lisbon is a super old city, rich in culture and covered in old tiles and mosaic cobblestone sidewalks and streets. it’s incredible! it took us forever to walk anywhere because i kept stopping to admire the intricate detail of the tiles and perfectly placed stones. it was also really hilly and walking around all day was quite the workout. we had perfect weather during our stay and the climate felt really similar to any southern california beach town, warm during the day, a little chilly at night.

LISBON, PORTUGAL | JAYADORES LISBON48_R3A8819

where we stayed

palacio ramalhete

we loved our hotel so, so much! it was probably our favorite accommodation of the entire trip. it was about a 10 minute walk to the baixa/chiado area and 15 minutes to alfama. the concierge was lovely, the entire building was gorgeous and the rooms were hugeeee. our room had a view of the central courtyard and it even had a separate “lounge hallway” with a tv, chaise, mini bar, and herringbone wood floors (want these in my future house btw).

things we did

castelo de são jorge | our first night we went to the castle to explore the grounds and watch the sunset over the beautiful city. touristy, yes. but we went about an hour before it closed so it wasn’t too crowded and the views were well worth it.

feira da ladra flea market | reis’ good friend lived in lisbon a couple years ago and told us we had to visit the flea market! it’s pretty much one gigantic garage sale; the locals set up all of their old crap they don’t want on blankets and attempt to sell it to tourists. we walked around for a couple of hours and found a few treasures including some old tiles that i made reis carry around the rest of the trip. still not sure what to do with them since we only bought 4, but i still think they’re cool.

got lost in alfama | one afternoon we just walked for a couple of hours through alfama. it’s the oldest (and most charming & picturesque, in my opinion) district of lisbon and full of steep alleyways. #bunsofsteel

shop | the baixa/chiado area is the place to shop! there are also lots of cute cafes and restaurants. i spent about 2 hours in zara because prices are nearly half of what they are in the states! major score.

belem | we took the train to belem one night and indulged in the popular custard filled pastries & espresso at pasteis de belem as an appetizer before dinner. they were delicious and we could have eaten 5 more. unfortunately most of the historical sites were closed since it was late at night, but if we had more time, we would haved loved to explore the impressive jerónimos monastery.

where we ate

food in general in lisbon is much cheaper than anywhere else we visited during our trip. i also didn’t think it was the best food i’ve ever eaten in my life, but i’m not a foodie so i’m not the most credible source. but! it was awesome to pay 1 euro for espresso and 35 euro for an entire dinner with drinks and dessert.

our favorite restaurants were pois cafe, cruzes credo (great local spot that we ate at 3 times), and royale cafe (sit on the patio with the plant wall!).

next stop: biarritz, france!

HOME | A BATHROOM MAKEOVER

July 17, 2015

we have two bathrooms in our little abode so my husband and i [luckily] don’t have to share. i think this house was more designed for roommates than a couple because each bathroom is connected to a bedroom. my husband uses the bathroom in our bedroom, and i use the one in my office.

when we first moved in 2 years ago, reis’ bathroom was a sad, sad sight (i took photos but they are nowhere to be found!). the walls were a terrible blue color, the last tenant left us her red gingham shower curtain, and there were mismatched ikea shelves barely hanging by a few nails on random parts of the wall. the first things we did were to paint it white, get a white shower curtain, and make some wood shelves with my dad. i also made some “ace hotel inspired” fixtures including that toilet paper holder and some towel hooks using pvc pipes and spray painting them black. then it sat like that for about a year. i feel like when you first move into a place, you have a lot of decorating/diy momentum and then some projects just sit at a standstill until you have time/energy to work on them again. that was the case with his bathroom. i was more focused on getting our living room and my office into shape so that project went on the backburner. finally at the beginning of the year, i decided to spruce it up and got some baskets and plants and a few flea market trinkets. it’s a much happier place now than its original state….only took me two years!

INSPIRING READS

July 16, 2015

BLOG_BOOKS2 i have slowly been building my design library over the past few years and wanted to share some gems i’ve found along the way. so much inspiration!!

the monocle guide to good business

i was first lured in by its beautiful linen cover and gold foiled title but i promise the contents inside are just as good as the outside! this book features several companies and their inspiring stories on how they came to be and got to where they are.

knife + fork

if you’re a design loving foodie, this is the book for you. the pages are filled with unconventional visual identities for restaurants and the food + beverage industry. not only do these companies care about the quality of their products and what they serve, but they are also passionate about creating beautiful packaging, gorgeous menus, and designing their shops in innovative ways (cause i mean, your space definitely has to be ‘grammable these days).

start me up

this book was just released in march of this year and i’m obsessed! even my husband was buried in it one night and kept commenting on how cool it was. it showcases various brands from around the world ranging from florists to supermarkets to oak floor specialists who have recognized the need for strong communication of their vision through creative branding. i’ve never seen so many incredible products and companies in one place and the impeccable designs, collateral, and packaging inspiration make this book worth every penny!