vacation – T.W.O.

TCI Fish Fry + Meals in Paradise

Published on August 15, 2014August 21, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Every Thursday night, Provo is rocking from 5:30pm-9:30pm with food, music and entertainment in Bright (Children’s) Park. Local restaurants set up booths serving lobster, conch salad, crab ‘n rice, mac ‘n cheese and local island corn. Many locals attend this event every Thursday as well as tourists. Each week a new band takes the stage to get the party started. The week T.W.O. attended there was a DJ that played, mixing up some dance tunes for us to dance to…. “Slide to the Left, Slide to the Right, Criss Cross” We got down and boogied! (Our mom even got pulled on staged since she was celebrating a birthday!) Later in the night “Henry the Conch” made his appearance with the Island Band. It was one heck of a parade! T.W.O. highly recommends going to the Fish Fry – – It is well worth it! Don’t forget to grab your coconut water and rum drink! It’s delicious!!!

As you know, T.W.O. loves to cook and enjoy food. Needless to say we ate very well this trip…whether if it was homemade and on the beach or out to dinner. Check out all the fun we had with planning our meals! It wasn’t a complete day without going to the gourmet grocery store!!

Taylor Bay + Bugaloos

Published on July 31, 2014July 30, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Taylor Bay

We took an excursion to Chalk Sound for the day and visited Taylor Bay. It’s a secluded beach with white powdery sand and beautiful blue waters. You can walk about a quarter mile out with the water only going up to your knees. Definetly bring your snorkels, there are fish, coral and maybe even a turtle or two that you will find further out. We also, well mostly our brother, decided to make a spa day out of our visit too. Taylor bay has great “clay sand” to exfoliate your skin. The Caribbean version of the Dead Sea according to our brother! This beach is a little tricky to find and don’t expect a parking lot. After making a left on Ocean Point Drive, we turned into a residential area. Not seeing any signs we asked a local and he directed us to a path that looked like it didn’t go anywhere. Well it did – and once we walked down the path and turned the bend we were all in pure awe. Taylor Bay is a MUST when visiting Turks & Caicos.

Bugaloo’s

Located in Five Cays Settlement, this beach side restaurant was the perfect lunch spot! Great views, friendly people, fantastic food and drinks! It was the first place on our trip where we ordered conch. Conch Salad, Coconut Conch Fritters, Conch Sandwich – – – we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it! It wasn’t our last time ordering it, that’s for sure! The Provo Punch was a great drink for this hot and humid afternoon – it’s a blended drink with tropical fruit. If you really want to make it a good, good lunch – – ask for a topper!!! After lunch we headed down to the beach and picked up two conches to take back home. The conch diver showed us the art in catching conch and removing the mollusk out of the shell. It was amazing to see these beautiful shells just lying on the beach. Won’t find these in California, that’s for sure!!!

And we made a pit stop for ice cream at…..

Villa del Sol

Published on July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Villa del Sol was our home for the week when we visited Turks & Caicos. It was the perfect place to stay with our group of 6. The 3 bedroom and 3 bath villa was located on Grace Beach on Provo Island. The updated kitchen, open living spaces and large bedrooms were great amenities for us. The outdoor space had a lot of outdoor furniture, a hammock, beautiful pool and access to the beach. The beach was amazing – secluded, clean and big enough for our lounge chairs, paddle boards and fruit rum drinks. We can’t wait to go back and stay at Villa del Sol.

Beach Bag Essentials

Published on June 30, 2014June 30, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

1. Beach Towel // 2. Book // 3. Sunscreen // 4. Hat // 5. T.W.O. Bag // 6. Bathing Suit

Hats Off to Traveling

Published on February 20, 2014February 20, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

If you haven’t already noticed, T.W.O. enjoys traveling. And like most people, we usually get a souvenir (well actually, we should say souvenirs) when we travel! One of those souvenirs has to be a hat. Yes – a hat. It’s an item that we will wear the rest of our trip and get to bring it back home to the States. Beach hat, winter hat, ball cap – doesn’t matter! Here are some of our favorite hats we got a long the way.

Costa Rica:

The Caribbean:

Lake McClure:

Palm Springs/ Stagecoach:

Tahoe:

Angel Games:

Italy:

Spain:

Happy Travels!!!

Sevilla

Published on October 8, 2013October 7, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Sevilla is the capital and largest city of Andalusia, which is located in the southern part of Spain. The locals would describe it as a city of “passion.” With narrow, winding streets, this romantic city has heritage of art and architecture. In T.W.O.’s eyes, the traditional Spanish culture that was envisioned prior to the trip was depicted in Sevilla. During the summer months, the town is less populated because of the hot weather. 99.9% of the stores close at 2PM for the traditional siesta so they could rest and get out of the heat. The most popular time to visit this town is in March/ April when the weather is more manageable. T.W.O. enjoyed their time in Sevilla-we just wish it was a tad bit cooler!

Getting There

T.W.O. hopped on a jet plane in Barcelona and made their way to Sevilla. The flight was a little less than 2 hours…a hop, skip and a jump!

Accommodations

T.W.O. stayed at the Hotel Casa de Santa Cruz located in the Santa Cruz district. This was the “walking district” of the city. The hotel encompassed a traditional Spanish theme….textiles galore! The rooms were clean and the hotel staff was very helpful. There was a bottle of cava waiting for T.W.O.’s arrival in the room…Cheers! Highly recommended hotel!

Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Sevilla Cathedral)

Catedral de Santa María is the largest Gothic cathedral and the 3^rdlargest church in the world. It was located near Hotel Casa de Santa Cruz, so T.W.O. was able to walk by this iconic church a couple times a day.

Plaza de España

Plaza de España is located in Parque de María Luisa and was built as an example of the Renaissance Revival style in Spanish architecture. The semi-circle building is filled with tiled fountains, brick, exploration stories and a river. While T.W.O. was exploring the historical plaza, a commercial was being filmed. They asked us to be in it, but we had to decline…

Casa de La Guitarra

Casa de La Guitarra is located in the Santa Cruz district and is a small, quant place to watch a flamenco show. It was a good thing that T.W.O.’s hotel made reservations for us because we received VIP seats….front row. Doesn’t get any better than that! The experience was amazing watching the guitarist play, while a gentleman sang and clapped and stomped his feet to create a beat. The flamenco dancer was passionate and eloquent. This is a must do while in Sevilla!

Gusto Ristobar

Located near the Cathedral, T.W.O. stumbled upon this ristobar while looking for a snack. The pizza slices in the window caught our eye! It wasn’t your traditional American slice though; it was a fluffy bready-square topped with cheese and fresh vegetables. Yum! T.W.O. made friends with the waiters who treated us like royalty. Who wouldn’t like that? The fresh salads and the ice cream bars kept calling T.W.O.’s name, so we went back a couple times! Definitely stop by and enjoy the atmosphere of Gusto!

Bar La Terraza (@ EME Hotel)

Little did T.W.O. know, but this hotel had one of the best rooftop views in town. After dinner one night, T.W.O. decided to check out this boutique hotel since there was a lot of activity outside of it and we heard music. After riding the elevator up to the roof, T.W.O. was pleasantly surprised to see that this was the place to be since it had the best views of the Cathedral. The atmosphere was lively and the music was even better. Cheers!

Night Strolls

T.W.O. enjoyed their night strolls in Sevilla. The weather was perfect, people were out and the gelato was plentiful!

Pamplona

Published on September 16, 2013September 15, 2013 by T.W.O.3 Comments

When you hear the word Pamplona, what do you think? First guess- “Running of the Bulls.” Correct? Okay, T.W.O. thought so! While in Spain, T.W.O. had the chance to experience the weeklong festival celebrating San Fermin, patron Saint of Navarra for one day. Actually, lets clarify….a couple hours!

Getting to Pamplona from San Sebastian isn’t hard, but making a day trip of it can be a little bit challenging if you wanted to see the run at 8am. (The first train that arrives is at 8:30am, which is already too late to see the run.) The solution….car service! T.W.O. travelled to Pamplona in style with a private driver. Arriving in Pamplona around 7am, T.W.O.’s first mission was to get the gear…the white capri pants and the red scarf. CHECK! Next, T.W.O. luckily had some family friends that were saving a spot on the last turn before going into the bull ring so they were able to see the run from the first row. Well, behind the barricades that housed the police and medics…so second row. CHECK!

The town was lively, full of “hydrated” people roaming/ stumbling the streets of Pamplona. Ambulances lined the city streets… re-assuring, right? Balconies were filled with spectators, anticipating the run as we watched them hoping the balcony didn’t collapse. Needless to say, it was quite the scene!

8am…..GO TIME! It was the fastest 30 seconds of T.W.O.’s life, watching people run for their lives….Some making it, others eating it on the cobblestone and the rest jumping over the barricades to escape the large beasts. The bulls wore bells around their neck, so the runners heard them coming. Torro! Torro! Torro!

It was a trip well-made and T.W.O. was glad that they can say they “ran with the bulls”.

Ole! Ole!

T.W.O.’s Favorite Orange County (OC) Spots

Published on September 5, 2013September 4, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

31^st Street, Newport Beach

For many years, T.W.O. has been riding their beach cruises to this street’s beach front to soak up the sun. It’s a great place to catch-up on your summer book read, gossip magazine news and a little game of smash ball. Generally, this beach spot is not too crowded so you don’t have to worry about finding a place to sit.

Balboa Island

This island is famous for its Balboa Bar, which is a chocolate dipped frozen banana. It’s THE BEST in the WEST! Other than these gastronomical gems, Balboa is a great place to stroll along the board walk and enjoy the sun! And if you have young children, the island offers a Fun Zone and a Ferry Boat that will definitely keep your children on Cloud 9!

Sugar Shack

Located on Main Street in Huntington Beach, the Sugar Shack is a restaurant that T.W.O. and their family have been going to for breakfast every Christmas Eve. The eggs, pancakes, hash browns and the hot chocolate are highly recommended. The restaurant is also known for its hamburgers and Turkey Dinners on Wednesday nights.

Fashion Island

Where the shopping bags meet the surf! In T.W.O’s opinion, there is no better way to spend the day shopping than in an outdoor shopping mall that has views of the ocean. The center has many of T.W.O.’s favorite stores- Norstrom’s, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Trina Turk, Rebecca Taylor, Elie Tahari, Kate Spade,Nike, and the list goes on! One of T.W.O.’s favorite spots to dine for lunch while shopping is True Food Kitchen, which has the most amazing salads!

Crystal Cove Shake Shack

Shake Shack is a great place to cool down with a shake and enjoy the views of the Pacific Ocean. This small little hut is located on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) near Laguna Beach that is worth stopping at! They are most famous for their date shake creation. So take your next date here and share a date shake!

Cannery, Newport Beach

A local favorite, The Cannery is a wonderful restaurant that is known for its gastronomical, fresh seafood. Whether you go for brunch, lunch dinner, or drinks, this waterfront spot will not be a disappointment. They also offer a fantastic happy hour from 4-6:30 PM daily!

TK Burger, Newport Beach

At the beach and craving a hamburger? T.W.O. would highly recommend that you make your way to TK Burger. This spot is filled with locals because they know that it is the best burger you can get in town with sand on your feet. All their food is fresh- never frozen and cooked to order. They also have locations in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Anaheim Hills and Santa Ana.

Happy Exploring!

T.W.O. in Madrid

Published on August 26, 2013August 26, 2013 by twinswithoriginality1 Comment

After a plane flight, metro ride, and adventure walking with our suitcases over cobblestone, T.W.O. made it to our first stop in Spain- MADRID!! Ole! Madrid is an amazing city full of history, architecture, exquisite restaurants, friendly people and not to mention, ZARAs on every corner! T.W.O. was in heaven!

T.W.O. was in Madrid for 4 days at stayed at the Vincchi Soho hotel in the heart of the historical area of Madrid. T.W.O. would definitely recommend Vincchi Soho- it is clean, modern, the staff is very friendly and it is in a great location of the city- walking distance to everything!

While in Madrid, T.W.O. explored everything- from plazas to palaces, ZARAs to bull fights, restaurants to mercados, and Rosés to papas fritas. T.W.O loved it all! Here are just some of the highlights of T.W.O.’s adventure in Madrid!

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor was one of the biggest plazas in Madrid. T.W.O enjoyed stopping by this plaza one, two, even three times a day to see this beautiful site.

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel is a must-see if you travel to Madrid. This mercado is a great spot to head for lunch if you don’t want to deal with a restaurant. Inside the mercado, there are over 30 merchants selling their respective tapas specialties. T.W.O would highly recommend the burrata cheese crostini with pesto and the croquette with cheese and jalapeno.

Palacio Real de Madrid

Palacio Real de Madrid is another site to see in Madrid. Pay the 12 euros and enjoy the breathtaking art and architecture inside the palace. You won’t be disappointed.

Plaza de Santa Ana

Plaza de Santa Ana was T.W.O.’s favorite plaza in Madrid. They spent everyday in this plaza whether is was for breakfast, lunch, dinner or their siesta!

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

When in Madrid, go to a bull fight! T.W.O. enjoyed this amazing experience and would suggest everyone see one if they are in Madrid. The art of this sport is spectacular and the local people are so passionate about it. Bull fights typically take place on every Sunday during the summer months.

Lateral

Lateral was T.W.O.’s favorite restaurant in Madrid. It is located in Plaza de Santa Ana (how ironic!). T.W.O. would suggest the stuffed piquillo peppers, goat cheese with caramelized onions, and the patatas bravas.

Strolling around Madrid and Parque del Buen Retiro

T.W.O. enjoyed strolling around Madrid, especially when it involved shopping at Zara! During the stroll, T.W.O. walked through Parque del Buen Retiro. It was absolutely gorgeous and reminded T.W.O. of Central Park in New York City. This park is a nice place to take a picnic, go for a run, or just enjoy an evening walk!

T.W.O. truly enjoyed Madrid and would definitely go back- well actually; they did, for one day! In terms of the future, Madrid will be revisited. It is a great city for everyone- young adults, couples, families and elders! T.W.O. me encantό Madrid! #gemelasenespana