Travel, Bachlorette Party, Beaches, Caribbean, Couples Getaway, Honeymoon, Travel Tips, Uncategorized, Vacation

Saint Martin: Top 6 Beaches for the BEST Caribbean getaway

April 10, 2022 2 Comments

Saint Martin, also known as “The Friendly Island” is a unique getaway with some of the most gorgeous beaches in the caribbean. There is a perfect beach for EVERYONE on this island, and I hope this guide helps you to plan your next trip to optimize your time at the beach (or beaches) that will make your getaway unforgettable.

My husband and I recently returned home from our AMAZING getaway to St. Martin & I couldn’t wait to share about the unique & beautiful beaches we found on our trip! We only stayed in St. Martin for 6 nights, so we didn’t venture to EVERY beach, but I spent time researching leading up to the trip & I hope this list saves you time by having all the top spots in one post!

This post is dedicated to our favorite beach spots & I will follow up with another blog post on tips for traveling to St. Martin including our favorite restaurants!

#6: Mullet Bay (Dutch Side)

Mullet Bay was the first beach we visited on the island. It’s located on the Dutch side of the Island & wasn’t far from our hotel near Princess Juliana Airport. As soon as we parked our rental car in the free lot, we were greeted by a friendly local (I believe his name was Chester) who was selling beach chairs to sit on with umbrellas. This is fairly common in St. Martin so be sure to bring cash to the beaches if you don’t have a chair of your own. We arrived around 1 pm & paid $15 for 2 chairs + an umbrella located front row to the water. This was technically mid-day, so if you arrive earlier, you will likely pay a little more for the chairs/umbrella combo.

This beach has a fun vibe with a beach bar, Rosies Rib Shack (which are termed as the best ribs on the island) & beautiful views. This is a beach where group excursions make a stop, so be prepared for random influxes of 100+ people at a time jumping off a catamaran and crowding the beach. It was definitely a fun spot, & if you love a busier/robust atmosphere, this is your spot.

One of my favorite parts of my day at this beach was getting a fresh (chilled) coconut for $5 to sip on. I also paid another $5 to add rum to make it the perfect refreshing cocktail to relax on the beach with!

#5: Maho Beach (Dutch Side)

This is the infamous beach on St. Martin that tourists frequent to watch the planes fly overhead (literally) as they land at Princess Juliana Airport. It’s definitely a “Must see” on the trip, but it wasn’t somewhere we spent more than an hour at the entire trip.

Maho is a very small beach & It gets extra crowded in the afternoon (between 11:30am – 3pm) when the biggest planes are usually flying in. I would try to avoid this beach on days where cruise ships are in port since it seems to be the spot most cruisers will visit for their day in St. Martin.

You can grab drinks at one of the beach bars on either side of the beach and enjoy lunch in the area as well. The Sunset Bar has a surf board out by the beach that lists the times of incoming flights for the day so you can be prepared for your perfect photo op! (They also make a pretty strong painkiller cocktail!)

A little tip: I checked the airport website which listed which planes were coming in & also alerted to incoming flights that were arriving earlier than scheduled.

Luckily our hotel was walking distance to Maho, so we got to spend some time there on our last day when it wasn’t so crowded getting my plane photo-op & checking that experience off the bucket list!

#4: Anse-Marcel Beach (French Side)

Anse-Marcel was a random lucky find for us. How did I find this beach? I looked on our map (since we had no wi-fi when off our resort) and picked a spot that looked like it had a beach… & so the adventure began!..

Anse-Marcel beach is surely an adventure to get to. It requires a drive over steep mountains on narrow winding roads with little to no partition between the road and the edge of it. Be sure to have a more experienced driver take the wheel for this one! There’s also a few stops you can take along the way with gorgeous scenic overlooks of the island.

When you get to the beach at the bottom of the hill, you’ll notice it’s on a resort where you can also rent beach chairs & food. We opted to sit in the center of the beach on our towels with our own beverages that we packed in our cooler & enjoy the sights since it was a little later in the day. There weren’t many people there & it was a nice break from the more crowded beaches.

This beach is technically a cove, beautifully nestled between sets of scenic mountains. The water is calm and it was a pleasant escape from the intense winds we had at Orient bay for the first part of our beach day. If you have an especially windy day on your trip, this is definitely a good option since the mountains shelter this beach from the wind gusts.

# 3: Orient Bay Beach (French Side)

Orient Bay seemed to be at the top of every list I found for beaches in St. Martin. It’s an absoutely GORGEOUS beach & was the largest one we visited on the island. It had numerous options of beach clubs to rent chairs for the day & eat/drink at. If you want to sit at those spots, outside food/drink is not allowed, & much like Mullet bay, there are fees for renting the chairs/umbrellas.

This beach has a lot going on, so its perfect for a group that wants to stay busy & have options for their daily activities. Water sport rentals are available if you want to wind surf or you can opt to rent a jet ski, go on a banana boat and enjoy other water activities. I was content just watching the wind surfers.

FYI: If you walk to the northernmost end of the beach, you will find the nude beach. So if you want to go for a swim in your birthday suit, this is the spot! (or if you’re not a fan of this type of experience, here’s your warning to avoid that side of the beach!)

I believe our experience at Orient bay was a little skewed by the intense amount of wind on the day we were there. The sand was blowing hard at us so we decided to spend our time on Orient Bay taking a walk along the beach to take in the views before headed to another location.

# 2: Grande Case Beach (French Side)

The Grande Case area was one of my favorite places in St. Maarten. We started our day with brunch at a beautifully decorated restaurant called Rainbow Cafe. It’s curated so aesthetically & feels like a bohemian getaway in itself. After our delicious brunch, (be sure to make advances reservations) we opted to rent lounge chairs from the restaurant & spent our day relaxing there & ordering delicious cocktails served right to our seats.

The water on this beach is the most beautiful shade of blue & the tide is very calm allowing you to enjoy the water without big waves. Another perk that made me absolutely fall in love with this beach was how much beautiful sea-glass I found! There was so much green, aqua, & clear sea-glass on our walk along this beach that I couldn’t even carry it all. We even found very rare blue & white ceramic pieces!

FYI: The Broken pottery pieces are called “Chaney”. The word derives from “China” & “Money”. One story of how this came about is: When passenger ships traveled across the ocean from Europe, passengers would dump their China that broke along the trip overboard to avoid paying taxes since these items were taxed upon arrival according to their weight.

On another night of our trip, we returned to Grand Case to watch the sunset and it was absolutely beautiful! There are also many other restaurants in the area both on the water as well as along the street which make it a perfect spot to spend an entire day.

In a future trip to St. Martin, I would most definitely stay in a hotel or Air B&B in this area since it had so much to offer & we spent a majority of our trip there.

Number 1: Happy Bay Beach (French Side)

Happy Bay Beach was definitely my number one beach during our trip. Not only does it have beautiful views & calm waters for swimming, but it also remains fairly secluded because its a little off the beaten path. Getting to Happy Bay beach requires a 10-ish minute “hike” from the more touristy “Friar Beach”. During our day at Happy Bay Beach, there was never more than 20 people total at one time & the trip was well worth it.

How to get there: Park your car at Friar Beach & walk to the north end of the beach where you will see a small dirt path leading up a small hill. I recommend wearing sneakers for the hike because it’s unpaved, rocky & easy to trip. This short hike is uphill but doable for anyone in average physical condition. During your walk, you also can stop to take in some beautiful views out into the ocean along the coastline.

If you plan on staying on the beach for an entire day I recommend you bring a cooler with drinks/snacks & either beach chairs (if you have them) or beach towels/blankets to sit on because there isn’t any rentals available due to the “hidden” location of this beach.

FYI: since this beach is secluded, nudity is allowed (but not required), so you might see some people topless or fully nude. Feel free to join them if you wish!

I don’t think you can really go wrong at any beach on the amazing island of St. Martin. It was honestly pretty hard for me to rank them & the experience we had on our trip may vary with weather, tourist flow & your own personal expectations. The biggest piece of advice I could give you for your trip is to rent a car so that you can travel around the island freely & not be tied down to a single area. There is so much to see & I’ll have to make another trip to visit the beaches we missed on this trip!

I will follow up with another blog post on tips for traveling to St. Martin including our favorite restaurants!

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Uncategorized, Travel

The Best Nashville Weekend in your 30’s

January 24, 2021 No Comments

Nashville, also termed as “Nash-Vegas” has become one of the biggest party cities & a popular bachelor/bachelorette party destination in the United States. For 30+ year olds (or those who may not want to spend the full weekend based solely around drinking), I’m sharing some of my favorite spots, & ways to balance your weekend in Nashville between experiencing the amazing culture of the city with all the fun Honkey Tonks & events. It’s hard to see everything in a weekend trip, so be sure to plan ahead for the things that are a “must-do” for you, and things you wouldn’t mind missing out on in your first trip.

Day 1: (Wednesday – half day)

Our flight landed in Nashville around Noon on a Wednesday, which is one of the quieter days in the city, so this is the day of the week that’s best to do the “touristy” things that you don’t want to fight the crowds the rest of the weekend doing.

We used this half day to scope out Broadway, try on cowboy boots, & go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. We opted out of the RCA studio tour (which is where Elvis Presley recorded), I don’t regret skipping it, but maybe I’d do it on my next trip.

Night 1 we had pre-ordered tickets to the Famous Grande Old Opry. I ordered them a few weeks in advance to assure we would be able to get a good seat. We purchased the package that included a tour of the Opry after the show, and tickets to tour the Ryman the next day. If you want to do these 3 things, you save money by purchasing the bundle from Opry.com .

Pro tip: The Grand Ole Opry is NOT CLOSE to downtown, so plan for a 20 minute uber ride to get there. Also, be sure to book your Opry tour right before or right after the show to avoid having to take that ride twice.

Day 2: Thursday

Thursday morning we HAD to head over to the Gulch & get brunch at Biscuit Love. The wait was only about a half hour (the next day the line was over 100 people long). Brunch was 100% worth the wait, & on another trip I would probably wait longer to get inside if I had to.

Biscuit Love Must try menu item: Hummingbird Family Reserve & of course, the biscuits with fresh jam

The Gulch is a really fun part of town to walk around & is full of instagram worthy photo spots like: The Nashville Wings & Amelia’s Flower Truck.

We fit in our Ryman Auditorium Tour after brunch since we were too full to start drinking at a honky tonk. This tour was totally worth it. There was a 10 minute interactive movie that went through the history of the Ryman and was so fun & entertaining. The tour included a free photo of us on stage at the Ryman which was also a great perk.

Pro Tip (from our Uber Driver): Tootsies Orchid Lounge shares an alley way with the Ryman. This is the entrance singers like Johnny Cash used to take to sneak into the Honkey Tonk between sets at the Ryman. Just for fun we walked in through that entrance to channel our inner Johnny Cash. Tootsies was 100% my favorite Honky Tonk because of the small dive bar feel and the history behind all the autographed photos on the walls… also, the band playing that day was AMAZING.

Thursday evening I booked a photo tour with a local photographer to get some shots in front of all the unique murals in the 12 South area of Nashville. This is where you’ll find the “I Believe in Nashville” mural, as well as Draper James infamous blue & white striped walls, and many others. I fully recommend booking a shoot with a local photographer at 12 South at some point in your trip (Bachelorette parties especially can have a blast with this !)

Thursday Night we stopped by a great speakeasy called the Patterson House on our way back to our Air B&B. This place has a total 1920’s prohibition vibe with one of the most amazing cocktail menus I’ve ever seen. The bartenders only serve patrons that have a seat, (so it never gets overcrowded) and they spend their time to make the drinks perfect. We were lucky to get there on a night that wasn’t busy so we were seated immediately. This was a low-key night but it was one of my most memorable spots in Nashville. I loved my maple bacon old fashioned, and the bartender made my second drink based on some questions he asked me about my favorite flavors and liquors (it was delicious!).

Day 3: Friday

Friday morning Nashville becomes a whole different beast, lines for brunch at the hottest spots are around the block, the pedal taverns & honky Tonks on wheels are packed with bachelor & bachelorette parties & Broadway is packed. This is when the party begins.

We started Friday with Brunch at Milk and Honey in The Gulch. The wait was about an hour, but they text you on your cellphone so you’re able to window shop in the area (or take your Nashville wings photo only about a block away) while you wait, which made it not too terrible. Again, the food was worth the wait.

Milk & Honey Must try menu item:
Shakshuka (no, I cannot pronounce it). Basically it was eggs poached in marinara sauce that arrived to the table on a steaming skillet. it is still one of the most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever eaten (& one of the more healthy options I ate during the weekend).

Friday Night was probably my favorite of all at the Skulls Rainbow Room Burlesque show. Skulls is a speakeasy type restaurant & bar with such a cool vibe. My husband claimed his strip steak was the best he’s had in his entire life; & my pork chop was life-changing. In addition to the delicious dinner, the Burlesque show was so much fun. This is a great spot for a formal dinner for a Bachelor or Bachelorette party. It’s located on a very fun street called Printers Alley which is also a must see spot in Nashville.

Pro Tip: If you want to get into Skulls for Dinner & the Burlesque show (Friday & Saturday nights) you MUST make your reservation a month or more in advance.

We spent Friday & Saturday afternoon Honky Tonk Hopping on Broadway, my top spots were (in order):

Tootsies Orchid Lounge
Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk (this was a surprise to me but it was by far the most fun spot)
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen & Rooftop Bar
Dierks Bentley Whiskey Row
Ole Red (The rooftop had the best view of Broadway during the day, & at night, the downstairs stage has some amazing acts.

Day 4: Saturday

After we had our fair share of Honkey Tonk Hopping we took advantage of the rental Scooters that are all over Nashville and took a joy ride to Hattie B’s for their famous Nashville Hot Chicken. This was another spot with another long line that was worth the wait.

Pro Tip: Order a Large plate for 2 people to split to save money. It’s the same amount of chicken per person as the 1/2 bird platter and even if you add an extra side you’ll save about $10. I PROMISE you’ll have more than enough food.

Saturday night Hootie & The Blowfish and The Barenaked Ladies had a concert at the Bridgestone arena (just one block from our Air B&B). We got tickets last minute online (literally 30 minutes before the show started). It was an amazing show, especially for those of us in our 30’s… so moral of this is to make sure to check to see if one of your favorite artists are playing at one of the concert venues while you’re in Nashville.

Overall, Nashville stole my heart and I definitely plan to be back again soon!

Is there any spots I didn’t include in my trip that are a MUST ADD for next time?

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Travel, Fashion & Style, Petite Style, Uncategorized

Nashville Girls Weekend Travel Guide

January 24, 2021 No Comments

Nashville is one of my favorite places…. The live music, delicious food & southern hospitality is second to none. I took a quick trip to Nash with some amazing ladies & am finally sitting down to share this travel guide of how we made the most of our time during our trip. I’m including some Covid related topics in this guide, because this is our current situation & I want to share my experience so you can know how to plan & what to expect for your trip.

Nashville does have a little different feel in the midst of Covid… there were some restrictions that we stuck with to stay safe during our weekend & also some regulations that were mandated (eg: masks indoors, no more than 6 people at tables when dining out, & an 11pm curfew for bars)… but this doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your stay. Compared to my last trip to Nash, I would say that honky tonks, restaurants & Downtown in general were much less crowded. I did appreciate that everywhere we went to was doing their best to accommodate our “new normal” & I felt very safe everywhere we went.

Where to Stay:

I was so grateful that Bode Nashville hosted us for our stay in one of their enormous apartment like suites. I was so impressed by the size of the living room, family room & kitchen, as well as the 5 bedrooms in the suite. This was definitely the most spacious hotel I have ever stayed in, and having a full kitchen was also a huge perk. One of my favorite things about Bode was its awesome outdoor space. They had 2 firepits, giant jenga, corn hole & so much space to hang outside with your crew. This was the perfect spot for our last night in Nashville to relax with some wine before our early flights home. Bode was also walking distance to Broadway which is so convenient.

Exclusive Discount offer: Follow Bode Nashville (@bode.hotels) on instagram & shoot them a DM mentioning me (@fit_sedation) to receive 15% off your stay at Bode!

What to Do:

Music City Crawler Pedal Tavern: Okay, So I have been wanting to go on a pedal tavern for the longest time & finally got to have this fun experience. This was such a fun few hours spent singing & riding around Downtown with our fun driver & Bartender. This is such a fun event to plan with a group of friends to kick off a day in Nashville.

Just a heads up… You actually DO have to pedal otherwise you will not make it too far. So make sure to wear a comfy outfit & get ready to lose your voice from singing & cheering so much.

Walk Along Broadway: This is where you will find all the best Honky Tonks in Nashville. Walking through the streets you can hear the live music & either choose to hop around or stay at one spot for the night.

Some new changes during Covid is limits on the amount of people allowed in the Honky Tonks. The positive part of this is you’re not squeezed into a crowded bar fighting to get a drink…. The only negative was that all I wanted to do was get up & dance to the music but couldn’t.
If you do go to Nashville at this time, be sure to bring cash to tip the Band. The bands & artists that perform at venues in Nashville get paid solely on tips… with a lot less people traveling to & allowed inside the venues, they are making a lot less money. We have to support these talented artists so that they can continue to keep “Music City” alive.

Visit Painters Alley: Painters Alley is a small street downtown that gives all the feels of the 1920s with speakeasy type bars & bright signs lighting up the entire street. This is one of those places that you visit that just sticks in your head and is a must see in Nashville

Photo Tour: Although we didn’t have time to squeeze a tour of the 12 South Murals, it is another fun activity to do while in Nashville. There are a bunch of murals in this area, & you can easily book a tour with a local photographer. On my last trip I booked a photo tour with Kristen Sheft Photography, it was perfect because she knew where all of the murals were
located so we could get so many fun shots during our session. This would be a great idea to book for a Bachlorette party or girls trip to get fun photos of your group (without having to flag down a stranger to take a photo)… it’s also a perfect option to sightsee in Nashville while being outside & away from large crowds.

Shopping: No trip to Nashville would be complete without a little shopping! I was so excited to discover Molly Green Boutique in Nashville that has some fun & stylish clothing finds. We also enjoyed our trip to Kendra Scott where we got to experience the Color Bar & design some beautiful jewelry pieces! You can also find some great shops on Broadway that sell a huge selection of cowboy boots!

Donuts at Five Daughters: So I am a bit of a donut snob, & I can say honestly that these were some of the most delicious (100 Layer) donuts I have ever eaten! I didn’t take the trip to the shop, but they have some adorable & instagrammable spots to grab a cute photo while you enjoy you one of a kind donut! My favorite was the “King Kong” which had maple glaze & candied bacon!

White Limozeen: Sadly, our reservations to this spot were cancelled due to the venue closing for safety reasons in regards to Covid… but you bet your butt I’ll be making sure I get a reservation to this Dolly Parton themed indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant on my next trip to Nash. Reservations are made on line and open up 14 days in advance (& book FAST), so be sure to plan ahead if you want to make this spot a part of your trip.

Where to Eat:

Hampton Social: I loved this spot for brunch. Not only is the menu great, but the decor inside is gorgeous! This is the location of the beautiful blush pink ombre “Hey There Nashville” flower wall you see in so many peoples Nashville Instagram posts. I highly recommend the shrimp tacos that are served during Brunch, Lunch & Dinner.

Restoration Hardware: A.K.A.. the furniture store… I didn’t know what I was getting into for this brunch reservation but it sure was an amazing experience. The cafe in RH is GORGEOUS, with a beautiful courtyard feel including a fountain & beautiful chandeliers & natural light.. I felt like I was dining in the courtyard of a European villa. On top of the beautiful ambiance, the food was TO DIE FOR… I’m pretty sure the RH Scramble was the most savory scrambled eggs I’ve ever eaten. I can’t wait to go back here on my next trip to Nashville to try some of their other dishes!

Nada: Who doesn’t love delicious Tacos & Cocktails? On our last night in Nashville we were hosted by Nada for a delicious dinner. I’m pretty sure we tried every item on the menu…. and there was not one thing I didn’t like! This is also the perfect spot to go as a group to share assorted tacos & side dishes. Just a heads up… the queso is AMAZING, so make sure to plan for a double order for your group because it goes FAST!

Honorable Mention to some of my other favorite Nashville food spots from my previous trip:

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
Bisquit Love
Milk & Honey

Tips for your first trip to Nashville..

My first & most important tip is to do your research in advance. Make a list of the must see sites & things you must do vs. things you can save for your next trip. Nashville is surprisingly big with so many different areas to see & things to do… it’s impossible to do it all in one trip. This girls weekend was jam packed, but didn’t include sightseeing any famous spots like the Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, etc. (You can refer to my “Nashville in your 30’s” post for details on these places I visited on my first trip to Nash). Also, it’s a good idea to reach out to spots you’d like to go to for reservations in advance as well as any information in regards to specific Covid rules.

Like my Nashville outfits?

You can find all of my Nashville fashion picks linked on the liketoknow.it app…

Is there any other spots I need to visit on my next trip to Nashville to add to this list? Please share in a comment below!

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