La Jolla holds a special place in our hearts. The southern coast of California is one of the few places we can drive to enjoy the beach – with James – so we’ve found ourselves returning year after year to celebrate Jake’s birthday in the spring. It’s the perfect getaway for relaxing, seeing family and friends, and getting a much-needed dose of the ocean just as Arizona is heating up.  Always a top priority on our list: the dog beach.

The Del Mar Dog Beach is our new go-to: it’s a huge expanse of beach where dogs can run around unleashed during most of the year. Sun, water, packs of pups on the loose, and a seemingly endless supply of tennis balls – this place is a dog’s dream.

If that’s Jiggy’s ideal spot, then the coastal walk around the Cove is mine:

(That baby seal on the right was JUST born!)

In past years, we stayed a bit further out of the village, but this time we splurged and rented a house right in town, so that we were able to walk to all the restaurants or the beach in less than 10 minutes. Between the amazing location, the extra space (including a full kitchen and courtyard), and the privacy, I don’t think we could go back to hotel-living in this town again.

We had little on our agenda this trip, but one stop I did want to make was Balboa Park. The 1,200-acre park is home to gardens, museums, performing arts venues, beautiful architecture, and the San Diego Zoo, among other things. It’s free to enter the park and it’s open 24/7, so we decided to head there early one morning to beat the crowds. At 7:30 am, we had the place to ourselves.

See what I mean about the architecture?! Our last full day was overcast and a little rainy (i.e. perfect). Funny how since we moved to Arizona, these kind of days popping up in the forecast are what make me happiest.

Last mini highlight of the trip – stopping at the sand dunes in Glamis, CA on the way back. These dunes are right along the route back so a little stop off was totally doable (no way Jake would go for a detour from the already 6 hour journey). We parked at the Hugh T. Osbourne Lookout on Route 78, and from there were able to hop right into the sand. I’m not a fan of gritty sand in my toes, but this stuff was so fine, and bone dry, that I could have spent all afternoon running around these hills.

Not surprisingly, the boys loved it too. 😉 Til next time!

Earlier this year, when Jake told me he (read: we) may get the opportunity to fly back to Hong Kong for work, I let just a little bit of excitement begin to bubble up in me. (After all, I’m big on odds and he put ours at a mere 12%.)  We knew that the trip would be a long shot, so we kept the news to ourselves and secretly celebrated with each indication it would be a go, and shed tears (ok that was just me) when it was looking less likely. After weeks of holding our breath, we finally let ourselves get really excited. We were going.

I’ve now been back to HK four times since leaving in 2013, and every trip is different. From reuniting with the friends we left behind for the Rugby 7s just months after our sad departure, to surprising my bestie before she too bid farewell to our city, to helping my sister move and get settled in at the start of her own Asian adventure, each visit brought new emotions, new memories, and new personal growth as I learned to navigate my way as as a visitor in the city. Whatever the situation though, Hong Kong always was and always will be about the people we love there – our friends, and now, our family.

The heartfelt stuff out of the way… this was also a trip where I could revisit some of the locales around Hong Kong that I loved while living there. Over the years, I’ve had numerous friends who were traveling to HK reach out for recos on how to spend their time there. With some free time on my hands for this trip, it was the perfect chance to sift through the lists I provided and pick out the ‘best of’s’ in my mind. (Granted this list may not be for everyone. Keep in mind I am a woman who likes pretty things, carries a big camera, and is keen on walking for miles on end.)

Without further ado:

1. Stay in Central. Some may argue that HK is a big city and there are plenty of other places to stay, but I like what I know. We stayed at the Island Shangri-La and the Conrad, which were just across from the street from our old hood, and for me, you can’t beat being walking distance from the bars, restaurants, shops, and general hum of the financial district. You’re also close to transport, the harbor, and just a stop away from TST if you want to go battle the crowds on the Dark Side. Bonus, the Shang serves up a lovely welcome tea service and has some awesome views from its rooms. (Even better than ours below are those facing the harbor.)

3. Head over to the Kowloon side, if you dare. There were hoards of tourists when I went to the promenade in TST (also, a really weird young guy who took about a dozen photos with me… cringe), but I wanted to be able to see the harbor from the other side. (Yes I’m obsessed with the IFC and like to get photos of it.) I timed it so that I got there just before the Aqua Luna boat came in and then set sail back towards Central so I could get a photo of it with the IFC in the distance. (Nerd alert.)

4. Go to the Peak. Is it touristy? Yes. But unlike the Avenue of the Stars or the Symphony of Lights, this one, for me, is a must do. Every time. The view never gets old. Don’t do it like everyone else though: skip the line for the silly tram, and just hail a cab to take you to the top. It’ll cost you something like $12 if the traffic is light. (Do not, however, get a taxi from outside the tram stand – they will charge you 4x that.) Alternatively you can take a bus up if you want to be cheap about it. Also, at the top, EXPLORE. Skip paying the fee to go to the sky deck and do the the Circle Walk to get a panoramic view of the harbor. You can also take Old Peak Road down (its a little steep so get ready to fire up them thighs) and wind up in Midlevels or Soho for a drink like we did 🙂

6. Visit Chi Lin Nunnery and Nian Lan Gardens. They’re free! And stunning. If you need a place to feel serene and at peace, and take in an amazing garden and monastery, this is it.

7. Visit the flower market. This is one that is not Jake-approved – not by a longshot. Back in the day, I spent many an hour trucking myself up to the flower market in Prince Edward, perusing the many stalls, and lugging armfuls of fresh flowers back to our apartment via the crowded MTR. It’s a place of nostalgia and beauty for me. There’s also a strange little bird market just up the steps from the flower market that I visited for the first time. Not sure that I like the idea of birds in cages, but it was kind of cool to see regardless.

8. HIKE!!!!! Hong Kong has no shortage of amazing hikes with breathtaking views of the incredibly vertical city, the sea, and the lush, mountainous landscape. We’ve taken dozens of trails that gave us different vantage points around both the island and Kowloon sides, and decided to add to our list by trying two hikes that were new to us.

Hike One. Rachel’s pick: Suicide Cliff. I’d seen her pics from the last time she hiked it and the view was impressive – probably the most expansive view of Hong Kong that I’d ever seen.

Yea, that’s not it.

Two things I didn’t bargain for: the ever-threatening crappy HK weather (aka heavy fog), and a steep, steep ascent to the top on an unmarked trail. (Though I guess you could argue that a few scant red ribbons tied to the brush leading up could count as ‘marked.’) After huffing and puffing our way up to the top on all fours (speaking for myself here), we were super disappointed to find that the fog had only thickened as we climbed, and barely any of the view was visible from the cliff. Still, it was a great workout and at least I managed a few more pics with sissy. (And the odd one of sweaty Jake.)

Note to anyone wanting to get to the cliff: there are several ways to get there, one of which is a little longer but involves steps and a more gradual climb. With that path, there’s also no sense of feeling like you can fall backwards to your demise. I’ll be taking that trail next time.

Hike Two. Years ago, we had hiked a trail that took us up Mount Butler for some incredible views of the harbor and back down through the Tai Tam reservoir. I kept the photos I took that day and before coming on this trip, used what little info I had about that hike to try to map out the path. I didn’t have much luck, but ended up coming across this article at the last minute, and while it wasn’t the exact path that we followed, still had some of the same elements.

Exhibit A. Lovely views of the reservoir below. (With this hike though, we didn’t descend into it like we did the other.)

Exhibit B. A sweaty, shirtless Jake (timeless) about to take in some of my favorite views….

Did I mention I tricked him into thinking this was a 20 minute hike? Luckily he was game for going further given the gorgeous day. And the fact that he didn’t really have another choice, what with us being in the middle of nowhere. All in all the entire hike took us less than 2 hours, and we wound up near Quarry Bay where we hopped in a taxi to get back to our hotel.

9. Eat out. Hong Kong has world-class food – and not just Chinese. This trip, we had Lebanese at Mama Malouf, Indian at New Punjab Club, and Japanese at Tokyolima. (Other than that I pretty much ate bags of nuts, blocks of cheese, and stolen apples from the fitness center while on the go.) I’ve never been the foodie, but I do know good food when I taste it, and HK has a LOT of it.

10. Go out. Our last day was pretty much reminiscent of my old life in HK: lounging by the pool, napping, and gathering with some of our favorite people to down bottles of champagne and dance in (not on though) the bars. The restaurant/bar scene is Hong Kong is like no other in my opinion, with people from all over the world mingling and spilling into the streets til all hours of the night. So experience it!

A few more things we would have done had we had another few days, or that I would reco to a first time visitor:

• Outlying islands (Cheung Chau or Lamma)
• Ngong Ping/Big Buddha (or if you’re adventurous, hike to the Buddha via Lantau Peak)
• Aqua Luna at sunset
• Night Market (if you’re into buying cheap shit like us :))
• Additional hikes: Braemar Hill, Lion’s Rock, Dragon’s Back

In closing, because Jake specifically asked me to, I’d like to thank him for his generosity in bringing me on this trip. It truly made me a very happy woman, which should get me off his case to travel somewhere, for a few more weeks at least 🙂

PERFECT TRIP! 10/10 would repeat.

We took next to no vacations this year. And not by Fuller standards – by any standards. I took so few vacation days from work that I had to start forfeiting them, and by the time September rolled around, I decided enough was enough. We were going to plan a trip for November – Italy, Spain, Laos, Hong Kong, somewhere. But with time constraints, near-winter weather, and the ever-present Zika threat, our options were limited and we slowly, grudgingly had to cross almost every destination off our list. We were just about to give up when I found flights to Maui for a steal: $350, round trip, direct. Unbelievable. (For anyone that hasn’t discovered Google Flights yet – do!)

Here’s my one gripe about Hawaii: it’s expensive. I’m still fixated on places like Bali or Thailand (yes, still) where hotels, food, and services are shockingly cheap (hello $10 massage on my private lanai), so by comparison, the hotels in Maui had me a little panicked. Panicked enough that I cancelled and then rebooked our flights. Four times.

I didn’t want a trip that doesn’t even require a passport to cost us a fortune, so I devised a plan. We would find a new, clean, convenient condo for the first half of our 5-day trip, where we could eat fresh fruit for breakfast, make sandwiches for lunch, and bring our own bottle of champagne to the beach. We’d skip the frills of the resorts, and give ourselves a little more freedom to explore the nearby independent coffee shops, restaurants, bars. Then we’d go over to the resorts in Wailea for our last few days and see what the fuss was all about.

It wasn’t as easy as I thought to find such condo. At one point we had a B&B in Lahaina booked, but couldn’t cancel fast enough when we realized the bed was queen-sized. Somehow I stumbled on the Napili Surf Beach Resort, and while the outside isn’t much to look at, its located directly on the beach (in a little bay called Napili, which had already caught my attention for its snorkeling), and all the units were recently renovated top-to-bottom. It checked every one of my boxes.

After grabbing groceries and poke near the airport, we checked in just in time to see the sun set on our beach. I had a feeling right then and there, that I was going to LOVE the area we chose to stay, and I was right. Napili is about 15 minutes north of Lahaina, but it feels much more peaceful, with lots of little bays and walking trails carved into the land, and a mix of condos and gorgeous resorts like the Ritz.

Full disclosure here: I sucked at taking photos this trip. I always say that taking little to no photos are a sign that you’ve had an amazing time, and that rang true here. So I’ll piece together what I have, but wish I had more to illustrate my story.

Our first morning, we wanted an easy, but scenic trail close to where we were staying, and we found it in the Kapalua Coastal Trail. This trail starts in Kapalua Bay, which was the bay right next to where we were staying, and is a relatively flat stroll that takes you along the coastline and past several beaches. We always love a little cloud cover when we’re hiking (me for photography purposes, Jake for sweating), but we got more than we bargained for: clouds quickly turned to drizzle which led to…. so many rainbows.

We’re big fans of snorkeling, so after our walk, we returned to Kapalua Bay to test our luck in those waters. Rating: 5/10. Easy access and we saw some pretty fish, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The beach was lovely though. Just after we got back from Maui, Jake stumbled across this article – turns out Kapalua Bay Beach was voted #1 beach in the world in 2018 by Dr. Beach! (Whoever that is.)

On our walk that morning, we passed another beach that we named the ‘secret beach’ (real name, Oneloa) since it was the only one that was deserted and had a long, wide stretch of white sand and a pretty good surf – much different than the other beaches that had more shallow sandy areas littered with people and completely calm waters. We returned to Oneloa later in the afternoon and it was still deserted. (Yay.) Jake got to do some body surfing while I awkwardly watched on (I can’t hold my own in big waves) and got bit by little ants, but it was still one of my favorite memories of the trip.

We had checked out Whaler’s Village in Kaanapali our first night (just 10 minutes south of Napili), and that felt a too touristy for us, so we decided to stay local for our second night and try out Merriman’s, which had come highly recommended. Since Merriman’s is also located in Kapalua Bay, we had popped our heads in earlier, just long enough to get a glimpse of this gorgeous restaurant and find out it hosts a happy hour daily from 3-5 pm.

When we returned later that afternoon the place was already packed, so we settled at the bar, which is where we ended up staying so we could chat with the bartenders and get continuous refills on our $6 (!!) martinis. By the time we left, we already had plans to return the next night – in my mind, nothing would beat this place. Bright, airy, and open to the ocean, you get incredible views and a heavenly breeze that’ll leave you coming back for more.

Always fun trying to explain how to use my camera to a stranger. Head out onto the patio for sunset… or if you’re lucky enough to snag them, get seats on the deck over the water.

The next morning, we traveled a little further east to walk the Ohai Trail (a tip from one of our bartenders). It took us about a half hour to get the trailhead from our condo, but the drive was beautiful and we had the road to ourselves – and even better, we passed not a soul on the trail! This is an easy, mile-long loop that is so green and picturesque – and the perfect remedy for a fuzzy post-two-martini head. 

More snorkeling at Honoluo Bay was next up on the agenda, as I had read that this secluded cove offers some of the best snorkeling in the area. It’s a bit tricky to get into the water at this location and you have to swim out about a half mile to get to the reef, so I was really hoping to be amazed by what we saw in return, but wah wah. No. It was okay, but I’m going to go ahead and rank our experience a 2/10 – lot of effort, little return. I will say the walk to the bay from the parking lot is very cool (you feel like you’re in Jurassic Park), and the snorkeling may very well be better at different times.

A bit defeated, we decided to head back to Napili beach for the remainder of the day, and surprise of surprises…. we had the best snorkeling experience of the trip right in our own bay.  The water is incredibly calm, clear, and blue (the most similar to the Caribbean of any beach we had been to in Maui… or Kauai for that matter) and the reef is shallow and close to the shore. Within 20 minutes we spotted a turtle, and followed him until he met another turtle, and then another. Pretty thrilling.

We wound up at Merriman’s again for happy hour, and then went into Lahaina for Ono Gelato, which was amazing.

The following morning we took one final walk in Napili and then drove over to Wailea to check into the Andaz. On our way, we were craving poke again (daily thing in Hawaii) and stopped off at a local’s recommendation called Tamura’s. This caused a little bit of confusion because this is actually a liquor store, but sure enough, they carry fresh poke (and lots of varieties at that) that is SO GOOD.  Good enough to base our plans for that night on – we’d buy a couple pounds of the poke, along with a couple bottles of champagne (the liquor portion of the store came in handy), and we’d park ourselves on the beach at sunset for a picnic dinner.

And that we did. 

By the way – we loved the Andaz. We were debating between a couple different hotels, including the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons, but the Andaz was priced right in the middle and I was really drawn to the sleek design (reminds me of hotels in Asia). 

Again in search of the fish, we booked a snorkeling tour for the following day to take us to Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. 

Molokini was different than I expected, with a lot of boats parked up against the shore, and really choppy waters that kept threatening to smush me against the crater wall. The water is somewhat deep, but really clear so you do see a lot of fish. Turtle Town had less visibility but we did manage to spot and follow a couple turtles and saw a huuuuge manta ray – pretty breathtaking. All in all, I’d do it again, but Napili Bay still ranks #1 for me.

Our last night called for champagne on the beach (now tradition) followed by happy hour at Gannon’s, which is in the Wailea Golf Club and sits on gorgeous grounds.

Our last morning, we rose early to see one more sunrise and to have the Wailea Beach Path to ourselves for a bit. (This pretty path goes along the coastline from the Fairmont to the Andaz and it gets BUSY. Be prepared to dodge runners every 90 seconds in the morning.)

Had a little more beach time before we had to pack up and leave our lovely hotel. Our flight wouldn’t leave until 10 pm, which gave us plenty of time to at least start the Road to Hana.

Start was about all we did. We saw the cool surfboard wall at Mile Marker 0, and the first set of waterfalls at Mile 2.5 before deciding our hearts weren’t in it (neither were our stomachs…. those are some windy roads). So off we slunk, back to our hotel, where they kindly re-admitted us and we happily spent the rest of the day ordering pool-side drinks and cheers-ing to a wonderful vacation 🙂

Much mahalos to that!

I’ve been in love with the idea of Maine for a long time.  The images I dreamed up in my head as a child from books, movies, and especially the ever-classic Murder She Wrote had me fascinated with a quaint life on the coast from an early age. Still a New England virgin at 35, I couldn’t pass up the chance to tag along with Jake ‘on business’ (more golfing) in Boston, and plan a short weekend just up the coast in Maine.

I only spent a grand total of 18 hours in Boston, but what I saw, I liked. We ate dozens of mussels at Al Dente in the North End, had a shot at Bell in Hand (which despite being the oldest tavern in America, attracted the  youngest of-drinking-age, and we scurried out in a hurry), and ogled at the cakes at Modern Pastry. The North End was charming and lively, and really, just perfect.

After sleeping on our first lumpy, tiny bed of the trip (this is what happens when you cheap out in an expensive city), we woke early and caffeinated ourselves at Tatte in Beacon Hill. I had every intention of snapping a few shots of this beautiful little bakery (note, there are multiple locations) and our chocolate croissants, but the place was jam-packed and I didn’t want to be ‘that girl’ taking pics of her food. So we scarfed down our meal and set out to explore Beacon Hill with the short amount of time we had left.

Beacon Hill is gorgeous and full of history. It actually reminds me a little of the Gold Coast or Lincoln Park in Chicago, and similarly, is on the waterfront. But alas, it was time to hit the road and see what Maine had to offer. We didn’t have much of a plan for this trip other than to drive from town to town along the water. We drove through a little bit of Kittery, just across the border from New Hampshire and only an hour outside of Boston. Even so early into the drive, I was in awe of how picturesque everything was – every barn, every fruit stand, every colonial-style home, I thought, was worthy of a photo. (Too bad Jake didn’t feel the need to stop the car for any of it.) We didn’t pass any strip malls, or Targets, or even any large grocery stores. I got the sense that people there live a much different kind of life, but don’t realize how special it may seem to outsiders. The little old man who ran the produce stand we stopped at seemed stumped as to why I would want to take a photo of his little roadside business, and that only added to the authenticity of it all.

From there, we drove just 20 minutes north along the 1 to Fox’s Lobster House. Situated on the water and charming in its own little nautical way, this was our favorite stop of the day.

On less chilly days (or if you’re not from Arizona), you can sit outside and get a view of both the ocean and Nubble Lighthouse, which is just a stroll away. (No pics because it was under construction.) As you leave Fox’s, there are some gorgeous homes along the water and a pretty little main street that you can’t miss.

You could take your time driving through a few other towns (note, Ogunquit being one of them), but at this point we were getting anxious to get to our B&B in Kennebunkport. When we booked the last available room at Captain Jefferd’s, we knew it was going to be ‘cozy,’ but we didn’t expect a Hobbit House…

I loved it nonetheless. The only thing I could have done without was yet another mini bed. (Yes, I can’t seem to let this go, but any couple that sleeps on a king can appreciate this, and those on a queen need to rethink things.) We’d pay for our lack of sleep for days after (we’re getting old), but the inn itself and our champagne toasts in the garden made up for it.

The town of Kennebunkport is really not that big and it only took us one evening on Spring Street and one short yet excruciating bike ride down Ocean Drive to feel like we got a lay of the land.

On our second day, we breezed through Portland, which is the largest town in Maine. I had seen a few pics of Portland online when I was researching where to stay, and even though there were more hotels, more restaurants, and likely more to do than in some of the smaller outlying towns, I wasn’t compelled to stay there.

As we drove through it, I thought it to be a cross between Milwaukee and the other Portland (Oregon) on the water, and lovely as that sounds, I didn’t come to Maine to drink craft cocktails and stare at a bunch of hipsters. 🙂 So we checked that off our list and continued north to Wiscasset. There seemed to be one main attraction in town: Red’s Eats. This small little lobster shack attracted a big crowd. Not really having anywhere special to be, and (falsely) assuming the wait wouldn’t be more than 30 minutes, we got line. When in Rome, right? TWO HOURS later…

By the time we were 20 minutes in, we realized it was going to be a much longer wait than expected, but we were pot committed. And we couldn’t wimp out in front of the new friends we made in line. (Including a 7-year old Golden named Emily.) I rarely make food the focus of our trips and I definitely would not have gotten in that line had I known what we were in for, but it was worth it. There rolls themselves were buried under huge servings of lobster, which was incredibly fresh and NOT smothered in mayo (which I took to be a good sign). The rolls did come with butter to dip them in (yum) and Red’s serves a number of sides. Next time I’d swap the onion rings for a whoopie pie or the homemade blueberry pie with ice cream from the shop next door.

After a brief visit at Portland Head (the lighthouse pictured at the very top of my post), we made our final stop of the trip: Ogunquit. We had driven through this colorful town on the way to Kennebunkport, and I had to see more.

If I had one ‘do over’ for this trip, I would have stayed in Ogunquit. The town has such a fun atmosphere – lots of outdoor wine patios, busy restaurants, and one very lively piano bar. And did I mention its known as ‘New England’s gay getaway?’ (Can’t miss all the flags. And the random pineapple.) Plus some of the inns were right on the water and that big open beach above.

One more thing: If we had more time, I also would have tried to make it up to Rockland and Camden, and even as far as Bar Harbor.

We took in one more gorgeous sunrise (not a single edit to the pic below) and called our first East Coast road trip done. Short, sweet, and very satisfying 🙂