Category — Travel

{Photo source}

This is one of those (hilarious) pictures that are worth a thousand words!

This time-lapse is made up of 6,237 photographs. The journey covers 17 countries in 343 days. What an amazing job, Kien Lam.

We discovered The Whale’s Rib while running an errand last weekend in Deerfield Beach.  All in all this little gem is a true beachside Florida classic.

The restaurant has been around for over 25 years, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you are ever in or around the Deerfield Beach area.

{delicious homemade and super famous whale fries}

{New England style lobster roll}

{the best crab cakes I’ve ever had…ever}

{blackened shrimp + whale fries}

All our food was finger-licking good! Specially the whale fries dipped in whale juice (their staple honey mustard dipping sauce that goes well with everything!)… We’d definitely plan a beach day at Deerfield Beach just to go back for lunch at this spot!

The latest issue of Phoenix magazine was complimentary at our hotel. On the cover, it featured 2011′s best new restaurants in the Arizona valley (list here). We decided to go have brunch at a coffee shop that looked super cozy and only a few minutes away.

Carmel’s Coffee is your friendly local neighborhood coffee shop.  The kind where the welcoming owner is there, taking your order. Carmel’s serves up basic goodness, all the way from its coffee to its scones, croissant-wiches and egg breakfasts. The fresh OJ is squeezed right in front of you. Sweet, tangy and delicious. The coffee is customized and served anyway you like it. They even had almond milk!

Our favorite was the lemon blueberry scone. Baked just right, with just enough tart and sweetness. Perfectly crumbly and with the right amount of blueberries.

For anyone planning on visiting the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, this little shop needs to be on your list. It’s the kind that makes you want to open your own coffeeshop when you grow up.

{Montelucia Resort & Spa}

While in Arizona, we stayed at the Montelucia in Paradise Valley. This resort immediately made its way into my top five.

{view from our hotel room}

The resort is open and spacious, as was our room, and the atmosphere is just the right combination of sophisticated and relaxed. The views from the property are incredible, and the hotel effortlessly blends into and adds to the overall scenery.

The salt water pool was definitely a big highlight of our weekend, together with the float and the adult water!

We also enjoyed looking out for the jackrabbits roaming freely around the complex.

Prado, the award-winning hotel restaurant, was also delicious.

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