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girls trip

Travel, women

Iceland: Heaven on Earth

When my sister suggested we visit Iceland, I initially wondered what we would do there. Our sister trips traditionally involved beaches, cocktails, and dressing up. However, after booking our tickets and planning our itinerary, I was pleasantly surprised by what Iceland had to offer. The country is about the size of Ohio, making it easy to navigate (they even drive on the right side of the road!). With several itineraries reviewed on TripAdvisor, we planned a 5-6 day summer trip, which is doable. Since it was nearly 24 hours of daylight, we didn’t see the Northern Lights, so my itinerary doesn’t include tips for that, but I found this post helpful for those interested.

Most itineraries recommend 70% of the same attractions, and here’s the list I chose from. Many suggest staying in Reykjavik and taking day trips, as most attractions are within 2-3 hours of the city. This approach allows you to experience the country without too much redundancy.

1. The Blue Lagoon
Iceland’s #1 tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon, is a must-see. The architecture, connection with nature, and origins of the geothermal seawater create a unique experience. Day passes start at $90+, so budget 3-4 hours for a visit. If possible, stay a night at the Silica Hotel on the property. You’ll have access to both the Blue Lagoon and private lagoons. The contemporary hotel, nestled among volcanic rock formations, offers amazing rooms. See more photos and reviews here.

2. South Coast Tour
Tourism is Iceland’s greatest economic driver, resulting in excellent tour packages. Our South Coast Tour included a comfortable bus with Wi-Fi, well-timed stops, and a variety of sights. Highlights included breathtaking waterfalls, the black sand beach, and a glacier visit. Tour guides are well-versed in history and folklore, making the journey interesting and fun.

3. Downtown Reykjavik
While many food tours are available, I’d skip them unless you’re a foodie. Downtown Reykjavik is small and easily walkable by American standards. Popular stops include Rainbow Street, Hallgrimskirkja (the largest church in the country), Harpa Concert Hall, and more. The food scene is surprisingly progressive, with vegan/vegetarian options at every restaurant. One must-visit spot is The Bookstore, a bar that doubles as a bookstore with a great house band performing 3-hour sets from 8-11 PM.

Screenshot

4. Glacier Tours
There are various glacier tours available—by boat, foot, super jeep, or snowmobile. The weather in Iceland can change quickly, so our initial glacier and ice cave walk was canceled. We rescheduled for a snowmobile tour, which offered fun and amazing views.

5. Friðheimar Tomato Farm
A popular tourist stop, Friðheimar Tomato Farm, is easy to visit if you’ve rented a car. This unique restaurant is housed in a greenhouse that grows tomatoes year-round. The food is delicious; they even offer tomato beer and ice cream! It’s a short stop but worth it.

Hotels
After much research, we stayed at the Reykjavik Edition Hotel. With water on one side and the city on the other, it’s centrally located for downtown sites. The rooms are spacious, the on-site restaurant is excellent, and the overall experience is luxurious (it is so nice we stayed here for multiple nights). We also spent a night at the ION Adventure Hotel, which was designed to view the Northern Lights. Located in a remote area, it’s ideal for adventure-based tours like glacier hikes and biking. We stayed at the Silica Hotel (pictures below) on our last night and ate dinner at the famous LAVA Restaurant located on the Blue Lagoon property (the best meal I ate in Iceland). The Silica hotel is just simply magical, 10/10 recommend.

There were several activities we didn’t get to do, such as snorkeling between tectonic plates and boating among glaciers. However, I plan to return someday to see the Northern Lights anyway.

All in all, Iceland is an easy-to-visit country rich in culture and beautiful landscapes. I was truly surprised by how much I loved our trip (we were there during an active volcano eruption, just wow!). I hope this post was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].

See some of my other travel posts here.

Your Chick,

Rina

Lifestyle, Travel, Wellness

A Girls Getaways Close to Home; Check Out the Grand Geneva Well Spa

I am a Chicago native, and for most Chicago folks we look forward to Spring and, of course, summertime CHI!  However, stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the city is a great way to decompress and reconnect with nature!

I recently took a weekend trip with some girlfriends and drove up to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It was a quick 2 hour drive from the city!  Lucky for us, one of my girlfriends has a house right on the water. Having a place that felt like home made our trip just a little bit better. We started our mornings with a healthy breakfast and ended our days with girl talk on the couch filled with lots of laughter!

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva has a quaint downtown with boats, restaurants, and even a small beach! We set out to see Lake Geneva and try some of their yummy eats.  While I didn’t love our dining experiences there, the feel of this small city is just what the doctor ordered.

The Grand Geneva Spa

One thing we knew for sure was that we were going to top off our weekend with some time at the spa.  In doing some research, we realized that the spa at the grand Geneva hotel is rated the best in Lake Geneva. Of course we couldn’t leave without checking it out!  Each one of us received different services ranging from seasonal farmhouse massages, to deep tissue services.  We were greeted with a friendly face, and shown the amenities of the spa. The spa offers a whirl pool, sauna, steam room, and place to get your nails done! Since there were seven of us, we were given the Tranquil Lounge to sip on champagne and nosh on small bites while we waited.   I did the deep tissue with Diana, I have to say she has fingers of magic! I would highly recommend requesting her if deep tissue is what you are into.  The Grand Geneva certainly did not disappoint, we spent a little bit of time before and after our services just enjoying the amenities.

Thank you Lake Geneva for creating a lifetime of memories for my friends and I. Also, thank you Grand Geneva for giving us the rest and relaxation we needed to end our weekend filled with laughter and love!

Also, if you have not already, check out all the beauty tips we have on YouTube here!

Your Chick,

Sonia

At Home Spa Essentials:

Fashion

5 Ways to Resurface from Hibernation : Is it Officially Spring Yet?

I look forward to “spring cleaning” every year!  It’s my chance to be “out with the old and in with the new!”  A fun place for me to start is always my closet.  Every year I’m reminded of how I’ve been in rotation of the same clothes throughout the winter… especially since us Chicago folks have the ability to hide behind our parka jackets.  With nice weather creeping up on us (hopefully ??) I wanted to think about how to re-surface out of my hibernation and back into the balance of life, fitness and just being ME and I have come up with 5 ways to do it!

Put away your leggings!

I have finally come to terms with the fact that summer is around the corner.  My recent harsh reminder to put my leggings away was when I tried to squeeze into my jeans from last summer – not gonna lie, my fly kept falling down!  Come on chicks, I can’t be the only one who has leggings as their go to piece in the fall and winter.  Leggings can be a dangerous “go to” item because it’s easy to expand and not notice.  Also, it doesn’t help that the temptation to grab for Spanx leggings is real since they help squeeze in the extra pounds! With March finally here, it’s time to kick back into gear and work towards getting back into shape…bye bye leggings….hello jeans, dresses, and skirts!

ASOS Pink Asymmetrical Top

ASOS Pink Asymmetrical Top

(For the Pink Top – Size Down- I exchanged my Medium for a Small)

Consider a Change of Hair Style or Color

The winters in Chicago can be brutal! The wind chill in the city will make you feel like you never want to leave the house. I don’t know about you, but going for a cut and color has fallen by the wayside over the last couple of months. My split ends need to be gone…pronto! I am so looking forward to a fresh change.  Perhaps cutting off a few inches and going a little lighter in my highlights would be fun. Change it up and be bold!  It’s amazing how the way we look can influence the way we feel about ourselves.

Spring Is In The Air

My biolage was done by Anna George Salon at the Illinois Center – Ivana is amazing!

Add a Pop of Color to Your Spring Wardrobe

My husband always tells me that he’s tired of seeing me in grays, whites and blacks. When I look at my wardrobe I definitely fall into a sea of similar colors, cuts and styles. There is something about spring….the flowers, the sun, and getting out of the house that gives me an extra pep in my step.  When Spring shopping, I am usually looking for something with a pop of color that makes me feel like I want to smile and spread the positivity. I recently bought this really fun white blazer that is making me feel springy! A couple bright pieces is all you need. Don’t try to buy a new wardrobe — otherwise you’ll end up with several items that you don’t even wear.

Grab a Buddy and Join a Fitness Program

Over the years I have yo-yoed in my dieting and exercise routine. To be honest, I used to avoid having a workout buddy when going to the gym for fear of letting them down when falling off the bandwagon. What I’ve learned is that the accountability helps when committing to a fitness program. I recently joined ClassPass which had helped me work out with an array of different people who enjoy different styles of exercise. I’m not only getting in shape, but I am also able to socialize and hopefully work towards fitting into those jeans from last summer!

Women's Locker Room Inspo

Start Planning Your Next Chick Trip with Your Tribe

I can’t believe it’s already been 8 months since my last chick trip with my chicks! If you haven’t seen it, check out our vlog to Miami on YouTube.  When I take the time to focus on myself with the people I love most, coming back to home-life feels so much more refreshing. With the weather warming up, I’m really looking forward to coming together with my chicks and seeing where we are headed next (hint hint: DC and Charleston are on the horizon)!

Any ideas?

Your Chick,
Sonia

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Travel

The Chicks Take Miami – Our Top 3 Must See Spots

All of this cold weather has us dreaming about this past summer when the chicks came together and agreed that a little getaway was in order. We rounded up childcare, got the husbands to buy into a getaway for the gals, shopped, planned, and shopped some more (see our airport looks here) and finally booked our tickets for the famous Miami Beach.

It had been AGES since any of us had been there so we did a lot of research and mixed a little old with the new when we planned our stay.  For nostalgia’s sake we went to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Towers for our stay, in our 20s we used to enjoy spending time in their gorgeous lobby bar, Bleau Bar.  Our suite was heavenly, water on both sides and up in the  sky, we knew when we stepped into the suite that no matter what we had planned for the weekend that we were going to have a great time.  The suites in the towers at Fontainebleau  are fully stocked with a full kitchen and COFFEE!  Thank God, mornings without coffee are just awful especially after a long night!  The rooms were so comfortable and spacious, we all had room to breathe, spread out, take a break/nap, and gather.  We had all the right ingredients for an amazing weekend: good company, gorgeous location, no agenda, good vibes, and for the next three days NOTHING TO DO.  We left laptops, books, and to-do lists at home.

Espanola Way

We started at the tried at true Espanola Way for an immersive ‘Welcome to Miami’ moment.  The weather is always just perfect in Miami, no wonder you can’t help but feel happy when you are there.  Espanola way is so unique, with its cafes that spill out into the streets, string lights that stretch the entire block, aromas from foods all over the world, and live music that sets the mood which makes this block one of a kind.  Even though the temptation to stop into the first place you see is real, walking all the way down to Tapas N Tintos is well worth it.  This has been a chick favorite for ages, the flamenco dancers, tapas, intimate seating and cute servers make this restaurant a truly unique experience that can only be found in this corner of Miami.

Wynwood Walls

We popped into Blo BlowDry Bar for a little pampering the next morning before we started on the day’s adventures, we had an amazing morning with the staff there, so patient and hilarious, nothing like fun people to really elevate a girls weekend.   Since our last visit, Miami has become home to many creative hotspots and hosts amazing events like Art Basel each year.  Since we were just popping in for the weekend, we were determined to check out the installments at Wynwood Walls which was only about a ten minute cab ride from South Beach.  This enormous indoor/outdoor installment is not only beautiful, but also a bloggers dream come true! Backdrop after backdrop grace the grounds and alternative structural installments capture the imagination.   After strolling through the walls, we wandered around the corner and popped into KYU a vegetarian friendly restaurant where we ate the most amazing grilled cauliflower head with avocado drizzle.  This restaurant was so yummy and such an unexpected find.

After a fairly relaxing day, we were craving a high energy, high intensity environment.  LIV nightclub has been on our list, but they were closed for renovations so we headed to Rockwell to get our groove on.  A crowded nightclub may have been a little bit different than we remembered but we had a great time.

We knew that we would not want to leave Miami without a dip in the ocean, so we headed over to the beach the next morning to really just get the 360 experience, and the water was so warm, it was hardly refreshing against the Florida heat but it was still so liberating.  Something about the way salt water makes you float just makes us tick.  We floated for what seemed like an hour with nothing but a view of the sky, definitely one of my favorite moments of the weekend.  With a few of our favorite beauty products in our bags, we were good to go!

By recommendation, we headed to the stunning Scarpetta Lounge for dinner, conveniently for us located in Fontainebleau.  This restaurant makes you want to sit straight, look on point, order a fancy drink, take pictures, and just relish  the moment.  The food was excellent; they were accommodating for our vegetarian needs, and made dishes especially for us.   This was an expensive meal, but it was worth it!  Next stop was the hotel lobby bar where we had so many memories and laughs from years ago.  The bar is just stunning and massive!  Our cocktail for the night was a French 75, it’s a mix of champagne, lemon juice and simple syrup and a whole lotta sexy.  It’s a must try and the bartender at the bar NAILED IT!

SLS Pool Party

We were on a roll; we called it a night since our last day was going to be spent at the SLS pool party by recommendation the next day.  I am still speechless when it comes to our experience at SLS.  Please know that this weekly pool party books up months in advance so if you are going to Miami and want to go to this book it ASAP here.  SLS took a few tips from the Las Vegas pool party model and blew it out of the water literally, we spent eight hours there in total (thank god for physical sunscreen) and each one was different and unexpected.  The crowd was diverse but not stuffy, the staff were friendly and attentive and the venue was just breathtaking and intimate.  They have mastered the flow of this event and have good control over the crowd which we really appreciated.


Needless to say, we used the flight home to catch a quick cat-nap and hydrate.  In summary, our trip was epic and hopefully the start of a tradition with the chicks.  A little mommy getaway does the soul and spirit good. We were thrilled to get back to our families but super grateful for the break.

If we had to narrow it down to our top three things that you just can’t negotiate and miss on your next trip, they would be a visit to:

Tapas N Tintos – Espanola Way

Wynwood Walls

SLS Pool Party

These are a MUST MUST MUST!

What is your favorite thing to do in Miami?

For more travels posts, check out our post on a recent trip to Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Cheers,

Rina

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