As promised, here are the photos from our trip to Cancun last week.  We stayed at Breathless, which we decided on since we had stayed at Breathless in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic three years ago and loved it.  This resort did not disappoint and I'll let the photos speak for themselves before I go into a little more detail afterwards.


Hi ladies!  Today I'm sharing my tips for packing for an all-inclusive vacation.  I've taken several trips down south, and I like to think it gets easier each time, but alas there is always some last minute packing going on over here.  

I also wanted to note that I pulled almost all of these items from my closet, versus going out and buying a whole new vacation wardrobe.  While the the pull to go on a shopping spree was real, we are saving hardcore for a house, so, I had to get creative with mostly what I had.  This isn't so much about the exact items in my luggage, but ideas on how to pack efficiently and stylishly.  Apologies I don't have all the same items to link but I am linking to super similar items and pieces I have on my wishlist!

So all that to say, I'm hoping to help you become more strategic in how you prepare for a week away, and I've rounded up all the items you need to bring to your next resort vacation + I've created an easy, printable, packing checklist to remove the guesswork.  So with that, hopefully this takes some stress out of the packing, let's jump in!


SUNGLASSES  |  F21 OFF SHOULDER TOP -- OLD (SIMILAR)  |  SHORTS -- OLD (SIMILAR)  |  NUDE FLIP FLOPS  |  H&M FRINGE BAG -- OLD (SIMILAR, SIMILAR)

Hi ladies!  Today I’m sharing a huge photo overload of our four days in Cancun Mexico.  We were lucky to fly down for a quick trip for Marco’s work, and we stayed at the amazing Le Blanc Spa resort.  

It was a bit of a whirlwind, with only two full days there and plenty of activities in between.  I’d love to share a few photos with you if you’d like to see…


SHOP THE POST






Good morning!  Today I'm sharing a huge photo overload of our trip to Whistler, British Columbia last week.  We left Ottawa on Wednesday morning and travelled to the west coast of Canada to visit the beautiful Whistler-Blackcomb ski village.  

Our trip was only a short four days, and the days on either end were basically travel days, but I took a ton of photos and would love to share, if you'd like to see...




I'm finally wrapping up the last of our trip to Italy.  From Bellagio, we took a 45 minute hydrofoil boat ride to the small town of Lake Como.   We stayed at a the boutique-style Hotel Metropole Suisse, and the location was perfect as it was directly across the street from the hydrofoil dock--and when you're lugging far too many suitcases, you want to be close.

We checked in, dropped our bags and took in the view.  We had a gorgeous lake view, and the mountains were just stunning.  Such a picturesque spot to stay, and I was excited to get out and explore.


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Venice was that one city I was on the fence about--it seemed silly not to go there, being in Italy, and not checking it out last time, but I just wasn't... sold.

Cue the moment we stepped out of the train station: sold.

Something about being surrounded by so much water, the vastness of it and the fact that the city was built on it, was just so incredible.  


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The plan from Pisa was to head out to Cinque Terre, a picturesque town we had never been to.  However, since we aren't planners, and were booking our accommodations as we went, we couldn't find anything that looked great.  After hours of searching over dinner, and back in our hotel room, Marco asked how I'd feel about going back to Florence for one more night.  I was totally down.

If you couldn't tell, Florence is a favourite for both of us and since we had lost our luggage and spent our only full day there on a wine tour, the thought of getting a little more QT with the city was just what the Doctor ordered.

We packed our bags and hoped on (the wrong) train in the morning--which may or may not have been my fault--and eventually made it to the city in the early afternoon.  

First stop: paninis on the street!  



GARAGE STRIPED TOP -- OLD (LOVE THIS)  |  DYNAMITE SCARF (SIMILAR)  |  NECKLACE  |  DENIM (SIMILAR)  |  SNEAKERS  |  SUITCASE (WANT THIS)  |  CELINE BAG


I definitely think the more you travel, the easier it gets when it comes to packing, but there are still challenges and I still wouldn't consider it a quick task.  While I've mastered packing for Vegas in a carry-on, longer winded trips are a little trickier.  

Having just come back from a week and a half in Italy, I wanted to share a few things I was grateful I had packed--aside from clothing--and what I wish I had brought in my suitcase. 


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LONG SLEEVE THERMAL (SIMILAR ON SALE)  |  NECKLACE  |  RAG & BONE SKINNIES -- SOLD OUT (ALMOST IDENTICAL, BUDGET FRIENDLY)  |  LACE UP FLATS  |  BAG (BUDGET FRIENDLY)

After a couple days in Florence, we took a train to Pisa, which was about 45 minutes away.  We had never seen it before, and since it was so close, we decided to do one night.

We arrived in the afternoon and took a taxi to our hotel, unloaded our things and set out to explore...


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TRAVEL STYLE : SUEDE JACKET  |  OPEN BACK SWEATER -- ON SALE!  |  LEGGINGS  |  BOOTS  |  ALDO BAG (SIMILAR)

Hi ladies!  I took to Snapchat last night because I wasn't sure if I should share a huge photo round up of the entire trip to Italy in one post, or break it up into multiple posts per city.  I left it to a vote on Snap and multiple posts won by a landslide!  So thank you to everyone that voted with their screen shots, and that's what I will do.

First stop: Florence.  

When we were planning our trip back in August, we had always said if we went back to Europe, we would do Spain or Greece.  However, when push came to shove, we kept going back to Italy, how much we loved it last time, and ultimately decided to go back and travel north this time, with the start our trip in our favourite city first.


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While in Italy, we visited Bellagio, a little town up north, on Lake Como.  To say it was an amazing experience doesn't do it justice because the hotel and scenery were so unbelievably beautiful, you'd think it was out of a painting.

We stayed for two nights, and on our second night we spent it at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni--the only five star hotel in Bellagio.  The hotel is family owned and has been for generations.  Built as a private home in 1853, it was turned into a luxury hotel 20 years later, and regularly quoted as one of the best hotels in the world.  #ibelieveit

The day we arrived, it was beautiful, warm and sunny.  We took advantage by exploring the property and snapping some photos.  I'm so glad we did, because the following day, it rained all day long--however, considering it was the best hotel of our entire trip, not a bad way to hang out indoors (plus their Internet connection was amazing).





We arrived in Bellagio yesterday afternoon, travelling from Venice on the train, then by car to this beautiful, small town.  Situated in the province of Como, we were really excited to stay in the main part of the village at Hotel du Lac.  Situated directly across from the ferry, steps from amazing food and shops, the location really cannot be beat.

We checked into our hotel and headed out to explore the little town.  Bellagio is definitely a walk-able town, and you certainly won't need a car here.  There are, however, tons of stairs to go up and down, so flat, comfortable shoes are a must.  Poke around the boutiques, purchase Como-famous silk scarves or grab a gelato and take in the amazing views.




I know we have been back from our trip to Cancun for a while now, but I've finally pulled together all the footage I took while we were down there and put together a little recap of our trip.  Hope you enjoy.



DOLLARAMA PANAMA HAT (SIMILAR)  |  URBAN PLANET ROMPER -- OLD (SIMILAR)  |  BIKINI TOP  |  GLADIATOR SANDALS (SIMILAR)  |  SUNGLASSES (SIMILAR)

Today I'm sharing all the outfits I wore in Cancun while on vacation a couple weeks ago.  I definitely love to pack colourfully for vacation, which is a change to my usual neutrals at home.  While I'm a fairly strategic packer, this time around, there wasn't much time so it was a lot of throwing things into the suitcase without much planning.  Needless to say, while I did pack a little much, I never ran out of clothes #optimisticspin

Hope you enjoy the recap of what I wore--I'm sharing links to everything that's still available plus options to similar items so you can scoop them if you'd like.  As always, thanks for reading!

All the outfits after the jump...


O U T F I T  D E E T S :  PANAMA HAT (SIMILAR)  |  MAXI DRESS  |  BIKINI TOP  |  CHOKER (TIED IN THE BACK)  |  FLIP FLOPS  |  VINTAGE BEACH TOTE (SIMILAR, SIMILAR, LOVE THIS)

Before heading to Mexico, I spent a full evening shopping for a few new items.  I wanted to bring some new pieces with me to wear on our trip and I left almost empty handed--almost as if when you're ready to treat yo' self, you find nothing!  However, I did find this maxi dress and did a little dance when it was long enough.  

I paired the dress over my suit one day but it would be really pretty for evening with a wide bandeau underneath in white, yellow or mint.  I also love how this choker looks wrapped around multiple times and tied in the back--another great way to wear one of Spring's trends I'm loving.




Hi ladies, and happy Monday.  If you follow me on Snap (I'm acoest1984) or Insta, you saw that I was in Toronto for a long weekend with Marco.  We had such a great time, it was such a nice mini getaway. 

We walked a ton (like 10kms a day!  I started using the Pacer app to track my steps, it was fun to check in at the end of the day--definitely don't walk anywhere near that much at home), saw a lot, met up with friends and more.  I'd love to share a huge photo overload, if you'd like to see...

More photos after the jump...





Sharing the last day of my trip to LA.  If you follow my YouTube channel, you've already seen this (sneaky sneaky!) but if not, here we go.  On the last day we went to Malibu and drove the PCH, grabbed Açai bowls and had a huge crab feast.



Today I'm sharing day three of my trip to LA; we switch hotels, do something touristy, and more.



I visited Los Angeles for the first time a week ago and it did not disappoint.  Although the trip was a quick three-and-a-half days, I jam-packed a bunch in and saw quite a bit.   

I'd love to share a major photo overload with you, if you'd like to see...



JACKET - OLD (SIMILAR)  |   WHITE TEE  |  BRALETTE  |  LEGGINGS  |  SCARF (SIMILAR)  |  CARRY-ON BAG (SIMILAR)


Hi ladies!  I spent most of the plane ride editing the blogs from my trip to LA--which I had totally planned to upload while there, but hey, life.  

So, here we are--day one and day two featuring some fun sights, how I eat healthy when travelling and meeting up with a couple of my favourite blogger friends.


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