Travel Archives - Alyssa Smirnov https://alyssasmirnov.com/tag/travel/ Fashion and Lifestyle Blog Mon, 29 Nov 2021 05:41:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://alyssasmirnov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-big-1-32x32.png Travel Archives - Alyssa Smirnov https://alyssasmirnov.com/tag/travel/ 32 32 A Day in Van Lierop Park https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-day-in-van-lierop-park/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-day-in-van-lierop-park/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2021 19:00:35 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=11576
Van Lierop Park, Blooming lupine flowers

What comes to your mind when you think of summer? Some might give you the obvious (and in my opinion, the pessimistic) answer. Heat and humidity. But if you ask a staunch nature lover like me, summer means beach days, resort retreats, double rainbows, and a chance to chase butterflies. Basically, a long, warm handshake with nature. But the thing that I look forward to the most each season is frolicking in flower fields. 

Think rolling carpets of bright sunflowers and neverending rows of colorful tulips, happily swaying under the golden sun. It’s magical to just think about these tiny patches of heaven on earth. 

My first stop this season was Van Lierop Park. It’s quite a recent addition to the city parks and a stunning one at that. You will find pathways lined with wildflowers, peaceful trails, views of Mount Rainier, and a field of gorgeous purple lupines stretching as far as the eye can see. There’s also a walking trail around the field itself that you can use while taking in the picturesque views. 

Van Lierop Park was actually formerly Van Lierop Bulb Farm. The city purchased the land to build something that everyone in the community can enjoy. With families, bikers, and other trail users already coming in flocks, suffice to say, the city plan was a success. 

The flowers are in full bloom in June so that’s the perfect time to visit. For Van Lierop Park, I wanted to wear something that makes me feel comfortable, lets me enjoy the gentle breeze AND helps me live that fairy tale moment among the flowers. This one-shoulder white dress from Chicwish checked all the boxes. It features an exaggerated bow on the single shoulder and a side slit at the hem. It’s comfy, elegant, and charming even with its simplistic beauty. 

Just like Van Lierop Park is the ideal location for your pre-wedding or bridal shower photoshoots, this dress is also perfect for such events. Plus, white truly stands out against the purple lupine field. So, your photos are bound to come out stunning. Dresses are an easy way to put together a whole look.

While Van Lierop Park will stay in my top favorites, I still have more flower fields and farms on the list to visit this summer. Many more walks among the blooms, basking in nature’s glory. 

Van Lierop Park, Blooming lupine flowers
Van Lierop Park, Blooming lupine flowers

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-day-in-van-lierop-park/feed/ 2 Crescent Valley Lavender Farm Gig Harbor https://alyssasmirnov.com/crescent-valley-lavender-farm-gig-harbor/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/crescent-valley-lavender-farm-gig-harbor/#respond Tue, 28 Sep 2021 19:00:56 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=11582
Crescent Valley Lavender Farm Gig Harbor

Another day, another flower field. I don’t know about you. But for me, visiting flower farms and bathing in all the beauty is peak summer activity. Especially after being confined in our homes for so long, immersing in nature, witnessing vibrant fresh blooms, and feeling the breeze while you do that can be really cathartic. 

This season, I have been on a mission to discover flower destinations around me. And in my quest, I stumbled upon the beautiful Crescent Valley Lavender Farm that’s actually just opened up this year. The little gem is tucked away in a quiet corner in Gig Harbor, Washington State. Thrilled would be an understatement of what I feel to have this beauty so close to home. 

Crescent Valley Lavender Farm was established by a lovely couple Glenn and Diana Liebner and their daughter in 2015. You know how they say — beauty becomes beautiful when it’s shared with others. So now in 2021, the kind owners decided to open the farm to the public, and I for one couldn’t be happier. June is when lavender is in full bloom and that’s when the grand opening was held.  

Sadly, as of August 1st, 2021, the farm has been closed for the season. But when you pay a visit next season, 7 different varieties of lavender will be waiting for you. From Royal Velvet to White lavender, the farm is filled with rows of refreshing goodness. A burst of white, lilac, and violet-blues with a little gazebo in the middle. Some varieties such as Grosso are used to extract oils that we all love so much. Some such as Royal Velvet can be used for culinary purposes. While others like Folgate and Melissa are richer in color, sweetly fragrant, and used in potpourris after drying.

The best part about Crescent Valley Lavender Farm is that they also offer you-cuts. You get to pick your own lavender that you could use to make bouquets, wreaths, or whatever you want. The farm provides you with scissors and a basket to give you that proper harvesting feel.

Crescent Valley Lavender Farm Gig Harbor
Crescent Valley Lavender Farm Gig Harbor

They have a gift shop at the farm too. So along with your own lavender clippings, you also have the option of bringing home lavender essential oils, bath bombs, lip balms, lotions, scrubs, and other personal care products. And as you can imagine, they smell like heaven. The only thing you have to be careful about when visiting the farm is buying the parking ticket in advance since they have limited parking space. 

For my visit, nothing seemed more fitting than a lilac maxi dress. It’s made of the softest, breathable material and features short ruffled sleeves. The backless design with a knot in the middle makes it even more interesting. To feed that farm-inspired look, I also carried a Pamela Munson Basket Petite Isla Bahia Bag. I love the woven corn husk material — a nod to sustainable fashion. The white leather handle and a knot on the front offers a nice contrast. The bag opens up to a fabric-lined interior which is roomy enough to store all your essentials, including those lavender clippings 🙂

Crescent Valley Lavender Farm Gig Harbor Washington state lavender farm Washington state lavender farm Washington state lavender farm Washington state lavender farm

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/crescent-valley-lavender-farm-gig-harbor/feed/ 0 Post Hotel, Leavenworth, Washington Experience https://alyssasmirnov.com/post-hotel-leavenworth-washington-experience/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/post-hotel-leavenworth-washington-experience/#respond Sun, 24 Jan 2021 20:00:19 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=10874
post hotel Leavenworth Washington marble bathtub

For Christmas 2020 I was gifted a one night stay to Post Hotel. The Post Hotel is a boutique hotel in Leavenworth, Washington. It is known and has become popular for its various sauna and steam rooms. It is considered very luxurious and comes with the price tag to match. It follows the German theme set by the town of Leavenworth.  Me and my husband decided we didn’t want to wait and booked it soon after. We ended up staying in the first week if January. I loved the idea of a winter getaway and The Post Hotel in Leavenworth seemed like the perfect spot.

Booking and Check-in

Since we did book somewhat last minute, I had to check frequently and wait for a cancelation to reserve us a booking. We also wanted to go on the weekend to avoid taking too much time off work. It’s important to keep in mind that if you book on Friday or Saturday, they require a minimum of two nights. Even if you were only gifted one night for the gift card. Booking was easily down online and the hotel was quick to answer any questions I had over the phone as well. We ended up paying the extra night ourselves but it turned out better. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from us so we didn’t want to have to drive back home the next day and we got to enjoy more experiences.

We arrived and the check-in process was simple and quick. They have good security at the front door as you have to use your key card to get in or get buzzed in by the front desk. They took our temperature for covid safety measures and gave us a little overview of the hotel offerings. One of the best parts about the hotel is that they offer a free parking garage to their guests. This turned out to be a huge plus because it did snow quite a lot while we were there but our car stayed clear and we didn’t even have to go outside to put our luggage away. 

We were really impressed when we got to the room. It was very cozy and nicely designed. I love the balcony and fireplace. We had the Mountain View room. In the video below I shared a room tour. Each of their rooms features a large marble bath. The bath was really beautiful but it does take a while to fill up and I didn’t find it that comfortable. It cools off quickly due to the cold marble. The room was very clean. Some of the amenities included were a large wardrobe, tv, mini fridge, iron and hairdryer. Many of the guests in this hotel wear their robes around the hotel. This is probably because they spend most of their time at the pool area. The hotel provides the robes and slippers in each guest room. Each room also gifts water bottles to the guests that they can use to fill up at the water stations around the hotel.

Pool and Spa

The pool is one of the most popular features that attracts people to Post Hotel. Upon entry into the pool room you are greeted and handed a clean towel. You can choose your own lounging chair to place your belongings. There were a variety of large round cushioned loungers and and the traditional fold out kind. During our stay the hotel seemed to be quite full so at times there was some difficulty finding an open spot. The staff is helpful and try to locate one for you if you ask. The pool area consists of a large half indoor and half outdoor pool, a hot jacuzzi outside, a hot jacuzzi inside, 2 very cold dip tubs, and foot soaks of varying temperatures. They also have several rooms that include 3 steam rooms and 3 dry saunas of varying temperatures with various essential oil infusions. They also have one cold room. I really enjoyed all these rooms, they were very relaxing as well as beautifully designed. The entire pool area was clean and seemed to be well maintained. They had a water station there as well. The only negative was that it did get a little crowded at one point while we were there. The hotel also offers a paid spa that is separate. There you can get massages and other treatments. We didn’t try anything but it is there as an option. I did not take any photos at the pool area as it was too crowded and they do ask guests to avoid taking photos for privacy reasons. It’s best to leave your phone in your room and enjoy the moment. 

post hotel Leavenworth Washington cozy fireplace in lobby
post hotel Leavenworth Washington snow outfit the arrivals moya coat

Food

One of amenities factored into the price at Post Hotel are the meals. They offer complimentary breakfast, lunch and an evening dessert. They don’t offer a dinner but you have the option of going into the town and getting something there or they have night bites which are small snacking plates. We ended up ordering take out from some places in the city. The meals that they provided were very good and filling. You are able to order multiple dishes to make sure you get full and you can try different things. Another tip is that you are able to order lattes and various coffees even though it wasn’t on the menu. They have a rotating seasonal menu so during our entire stay the menu was the same for breakfast and dinner. They feature German dishes so that you can get the full Germantown experience. The nightly dessert also changed so we got to experience something new both nights. The first night was chocolate pudding and a cookie and the second night was a baked fruit tart. I included some photos of our dishes at the bottom of the post. Overall the food was really good and fresh. They also had a lot of beverage options to choose from. After you check out or if you are only staying one night. You are allowed to stay on the grounds till 2pm. This way you can still enjoy the lunch even if you only stay one night. 

Things to Do

Although you could totally just relax at the hotel all day, we wanted to get outside for some winter fun. There’s many options for fun activities near Leavenworth, especially in the winter. For our full day there, we planned a snowmobiling tour. It was through the company Leavenworth Snowmobile Tours. We chose to do the two hour tour and it was perfect for us! My husband really enjoys more adventurous activities and I thought it would be fun too so i booked it. I just rode as the passenger on the back and he was the driver. It was just long enough. Riding through the snow covered mountains was definitely one of the most beautiful sights. The only negative about the tour was that it was quite bumpy. I had a hard time holding on at one point. Our guide said that the trails probably wasn’t groomed recently so it might not always be so bumpy. Another fun activity that I was considering was a sleigh ride. It looked so cool and it would be better for a larger group, if you have kids or just want a more calm activity. There are several companies that offer sleigh rides. Near the town there is also a reindeer farm. This would be another fun option with kids. The town of Leavenworth itself is also really nice to walk around and explore. They have a variety of shops to look through. 

Overall I really enjoyed our little winter getaway to the The Post Hotel in Leavenworth, Washington. It was very relaxing at the pool and spa rooms yet I feel that we got to enjoy some fun winter activities outdoor as well. I would definitely recommend visiting there at least once to experience it and I hope to come back some day. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment down below and I’d be happy to answer. 

]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/post-hotel-leavenworth-washington-experience/feed/ 0 The Brothers Greenhouses, Hobbit House in Washington https://alyssasmirnov.com/the-brothers-greenhouses-hobbit-house-in-washington/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/the-brothers-greenhouses-hobbit-house-in-washington/#respond Fri, 25 Sep 2020 19:00:47 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=10662
The Brothers Greenhouses Hobbit House in Washington State

No matter how much you love your home, there is nothing quite like being out in nature. There is just something about being among plants, and feeling the wind in your hair that is so soothing, refreshing even. Since I have always had a thing for such moments, I recently decided to go to The Brothers Greenhouses in Washington.

This is home to the enchanting Hobbit House, a beautiful remake of the ones featured in the legendary Lord of the Rings. Its designer, Cheryl, even got its picture signed by Sean Austin, one of the actors in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It is therefore not surprising that this place is a favorite among the movie buffs, some even going as far as coming to visit it in full Hobbit attire. When visiting the Hobbit House in Washington, you’re not just restricted to the cute little pavement, you can go inside. But it was closed when we went, such a bummer in my opinion but I have something to look forward to for my next visit.

However, all was not lost. We still got to see lots of plants and flowers in the various greenhouses. There were succulents, perennials,houseplants, and a few edibles. The place even has a cute gift shop that sells cards, local tile art, gardening essentials, and fairy garden accessories.

There are also people you can ask questions to and workshops that happen all year round. I even got word of a yearly tomato-tasting event that is held every September and features 40 to 50 tomatoes; a unique opportunity for all tomato lovers! And if your thing is photography, they also have a contest to keep you busy.

Needless to say, there is a lot to do at The Brothers Greenhouses. All things considered, it is a cool place to visit, and I will definitely go back again!

For this look I wore this beautiful side bow top from Chicwish. It’s a knit style top with good stretch and it’s very cozy. The bow is a perfect way to dress up a simple long sleeve. I paired it with some dark wash jeans, my Saint Laurent espadrilles and my classic Chanel medium flap.

The Brothers Greenhouses Hobbit House in Washington State

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/the-brothers-greenhouses-hobbit-house-in-washington/feed/ 0 Costa Rica Travel Guide and Tips https://alyssasmirnov.com/costa-rica-travel-guide-and-tips/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/costa-rica-travel-guide-and-tips/#comments Sat, 08 Feb 2020 20:36:49 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=10074

If you’re thinking to visit Costa Rica, be ready for an adventure! There’s so much to see and explore that it would be almost be a waste to just stay at the hotel the entire time. If you’re looking for just a relaxing trip instead then you can still visit Costa Rica but I would suggest to look for hotels close to the airport and possibly considering an all-inclusive option. I chose to divide our trip among two different parts of Costa Rica to experience different areas. First we stayed in La Fortuna, by the volcano, and then we drove to Nosara, by the beach.

One Week Itinerary

    • Fly in to San Jose Airport
    • Drive to La Fortuna
    • Stay in La Fortuna for two days
    • Drive to Nosara
    • Stay in Nosara for two Days
    • Drive to Liberia Airport
    • Fly out ot Liberia Airport

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

After landing in San Jose airport and going through customs (this took so long!) we got our rental car and began our drive to La Fortuna. It’s about 2.5 hours away. What we quickly realized about driving in Costa Rica is that you need a reliable car. The rental car was ok but definitely not the best maintained. Even though the city is not that far away it takes a while to get there because the roads are very twisty and there are lots of steep hills going up and down so you have to maintain a low speed. Also there are very many stray dogs around the roads, be careful! It was finally nice to arrive at our hotel, The Royal Corin. The hotel here was excellent, I can’t think of anything bad to say. We had the most beautiful view of the volcano (see picture above) from our balcony. Our room was very clean and there was a delicious breakfast buffet included. Also we had free parking for our rental car and there was lots of places nearby to explore. My favorite part about this hotel though was the hot springs! They have pools filled with water that flows from the volcano and they are so warm, like 104 degrees. It’s so relaxing and you want to relax in the pool all day. They also have about 5 small jacuzzi that your can use too and a natural steam room, however the steam room was not warm.

The hotel has two restaurants, and two bars, one is a swim up! There’s lots of surrounding restaurants as well if you want to try different places. While in La Fortuna we did an ATV tour through Power Wheels Adventures. This was super fun and we went though a farm and saw lots of wildlife, then we went to La Fortuna waterfall and finished with lunch. Our second day, we visited Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. This was another beautiful walk through the jungle and you can even spot some monkeys, toucan and sloth if you’re lucky. Its best to wear closed toe shoes here but I didn’t know, oops. The climate in La Fortuna was different than Nosara as it was warm but more overcast and often times there was clouds covering the volcano but thankfully it cleared up one day. Also it did rain a few times but generally it was not very humid there. 

Nosar, Costa Rica

After our stay in La Fortuna, we started our 4.5 hour drive down to Nosara. The drive didn’t seem so long but wow I am warning you now the roads are bad! Half the time we were driving on an unpaved dirt/grave road. This is why I’m telling you, get a good car! However I still saw it as an adventure. You can make some stops along the way but we were trying to get there quickly. Nosara is a very small ocean town and we stayed at the Hotel Boutique Lagarta Lodge. As soon as I arrived here I was amazed at how beautiful it is! It’s situated in a protected nature reserve and has an epic view of the ocean and jungle. Every night there is the best sunset. Our room was very impressive, the private balcony had a hammock and the view looked out into the jungle and we could see animals climbing on the trees right outside. The climate in Nosara was much more humid and felt hotter. We made good use of the air conditioning there. Our hotel has one restaurant and breakfast is free. The food was good but same as american prices, dinner is about $20-$30 per person however it’s a bit difficult to go anywhere else for dinner because its far and you have to drive down the bad road. Instead I would suggest trying other places for lunch. A very convient feature of the hotel is that they offer a beach shutter. They go to both Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones. We went to both but I prefer Guiones. Playa Pelada has a very cool rock section on the beach with sea animals inside and we ate at Le Luna while here. I liked it but the ocean was a bit  rocky even in the swimming areas. For our second day in Nosara we decided to get an ATV rental so we could explore the town a bit better and have a little more flexibility with going to the beach instead of using the shuttle. Playa Guiones beach was one of the highlights of the entire trip. There we got boogie board rentals and swam in the ocean half of the day. We got fresh coconuts from a vendor nearby. At this beach you can walk to several nearby shops and the swimming area is not rocky at all and so warm for swimming. We did get quite burned even though we used sunscreen so make to to use a high SPF and reapply frequently. The hotel pool was also a very beautiful and relaxing place to swim. They use natural minerals instead of chlorine to keep the water clean and the water was decently warm but not like the hot springs. On the last night we used the tripod to get a picture of us together. 

Top Tips

    • If you plan to drive, get an SUV or a car that does well on off roads.
    • Use Bug Spray, especially at night
    • Plan all the places you want to visit ahead of time. 
    • I recommend ATV rental even if you have a car, in Nosara because it will be easier to get around. The front desk at the hotel was able to arrange it for us.
    • Don’t take a bunch of stuff to the beach and bring a waterproof phone holder that you can swim with because it’s not safe to leave your stuff unattended. I used this.
    • Use a tripod with your phone or camera to take pictures with the people you’re traveling with.

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/costa-rica-travel-guide-and-tips/feed/ 1 A Week In Greece https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-week-in-greece/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-week-in-greece/#respond Wed, 09 Oct 2019 02:27:15 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=9908

Greece has always been a dream vacation for me and this year we were lucky enough to be able to go. Everything is so beautiful and there are so many things to do but we had to fit it into a week. I wanted to share our experiences and recommendations in case you are curious or are planning a trip yourself! We decided to visit Santorini as a more relaxing destination and then Athens to see more of historic Greece. I’ll split the post into a section for each destination because although it’s the same country, both locations are so different. 

Santorini, Greece

In Santorini we stayed in the capital city, Fira. On this island I would definitely recommend staying in a more developed city because there’s more things to do and everything is close which is much more convenient. The other main city is Oia, which we visited one of the days. The hotel we stayed at is called Kastro Suites. It’s quite small with less than 10 rooms but I really loved how quiet and private it felt and every room has an amazing caldera view. This was the most important to me when looking for a room. I would suggest looking for a hotel that provides breakfast. It was very convenient not to have to look for breakfast every day but just be able to eat quickly and start exploring. Be prepared for a lot of walking and stairs all over the island! Even within the city we stayed at, there was stairs between the shops and the ground is all uneven stone. To get up to the hotels you have to drag your suitcase up a large hill. Most hotels can help carry the luggage so I would call ahead to check.  I packed a few pairs of heels and ended up wearing sandals the whole time! For exploring the island you can either get a rental car or lots of people get ATV’s. We decided to get a rental car because they picked us up from the airport, there was A/C and they drove us to the ferry port after our stay. We used Spiridakos for car rental and we didn’t have to pay for parking anywhere. The fun in Santorini is going around and seeing everything from one end of the island to the other. It’s quite small and you can drive the whole thing in about an hour. If we had more time I would have done a sailing cruise but I feel like I got to see everything I wanted to.

Trip Schedule

Monday- Arrive in Santorini

Tuesday- Kamari Beach, Ancient Thera, Red Beach, Akrotiri Lighthouse

Wednesday-Ammoudi, Oia

Thursday-Ferry to Athens

Friday-Historic Sites in Athens

Saturday-Plaka, Lake Vouliagmeni

santorini fira view sunset

Where We Ate

    • Argo Restaraunt-Good but pricy! Our favorite was the Santorini Salad
    • Volcano Blue-Very good with no wait time
    • Ouzeri-My favorite and best priced in Fira
    • Pelekanos-Ate here while visiting Oia, very nice view.
    • Asterias- Went to lunch here while near the Red beach.

The food is one of the best parts of visiting Greece! So many good options and definitely one of my favorite cuisines. I would recommend making a reservation for dinner because often times there will be a wait time if you come after 7. Most of the nice restaurants average about $50 for dinner for two people. Santorini does not have safe to drink tap water so be prepared to buy water bottles at dinner or you can bring your own.

santorini pool view caldera

Athens, Greece

Athens is a busy city full of history. It has an entirely different vibe from Santorini. It almost feels more like being back home than being on a relaxing island like Santorini. The tourist area is much more defined in this city and is mostly just the city center and historic sites. We stayed in an Airbnb and it was our first time but I was very impressed! It was nicer than many hotels I’ve seen and it had a kitchen and laundry which was very convenient. Not to mention the rooftop view was unbeatable. For our two full days in Athens we spent the first day visiting all the interesting historic sites. Although you can spend a week doing this, we picked a few favorites and visited those. It does get quite exhausting walking around the city in the hot sun all day. Everything in the city is within walking distance so there was not any need for a car or rental. On the second day we were so tired from walking around all day the day before and we wanted to enjoy the sun before we head back to the cold in Boston so we decided to try Lake Vouliagmeni. It was so fun, I;m really happy we went. It’s a natural hot spring and it’s full of the fish that nibble on your dead skin. You have to pay to get in but they provide changing areas, lockers, and sunbeds. The water was  very warm, about 80 degrees. We had to take a taxi to get there because it’s about half an a hour away from the city. I would highly recomend downloading the about Beat. It’s like uber but for taxi’s and the prices are better and you can call them from anywhere.

Sites

    • The Acropolis-This contains several sites within one area
    • The Acropolis Museum
    • Panathenaic Stadium

    • Temple of Olympian Zeus

    • Zappeio Hall
    • National Garden
    • Plaka-Outdoor market and restaraunts

Food in Athens

    • If Espresso Bar-Breakfast
    • The Brunch Factory-Breakfast, nice to walk through the Plaka when coming here.
    • God’s Restaurant-My Favorite one we went to!
    • Greek Stories
    • Liondi

Thankfully tap water is safe to drink in Athens so you can save there. The food is similar to Santorini but I would still recomend making reservations for dinner.

Interesting things About Greece

    • Most places you can not flush toilet paper. I was surprised when I saw the sign in the bathroom.
    • There is so much Graffitti in Athens! Almost every wall is covered.
    • You can use the google translate app with camera to translate words you can ‘t read.
    • There are lots of stray cats all over the island of Santorini.
athens view chanel in greece

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/a-week-in-greece/feed/ 0 Wicked Tulips Farm, Rhode Island Experience https://alyssasmirnov.com/wicked-tulips-farm-rhode-island-experience/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/wicked-tulips-farm-rhode-island-experience/#respond Sun, 05 May 2019 22:57:02 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=9612
Wicked Tulips Farm Rhode Island

The Wicked Tulips Farm is one of the only large tulip farms in New England. While doing my research it seemed like the only one worth visiting. But this also makes it one of the most popular and busy. This experience isn’t one that you can just decide you want to visit one weekend. It’s best to plan your visit ahead. You may only purchase tickets online on their website. They sell out very quickly, especially for the weekend dates. We got very lucky to buy some last minute early bird tickets that were added to their website the day before. This year (2019) the tickets included 10 tulips with an adult ticket. So we got to take 20 tulips home. You can definitely buy as many more as you like. You will most likely need to drive there and it was about 1 hour away from Boston. The parking is also included in your ticket but their lots are very muddy and they try to put hay down to prevent cars from getting stuck. The actual farm is quite large but there are also very many visitors. We got there a little after noon on a Saturday and the line wasn’t too bad to get in. The tulips are organized into two sections, a small show garden and the rest is U-pick. They have lots of varieties and colors for you to choose from. When you’re done picking you can wrap them up to take them home.

Wicked Tulips Farm Rhode Island
Wicked Tulips Farm Rhode Island

If you are coming here to take photos, as it seemed everyone else was (including me) you will need to have a lot of patience and take your time to get good photos. The biggest challenges were not having people in your backgrounds while trying to stay in the best patches of tulips. The results are so worth it! It would be very difficult with children but if you are able to move around a lot to avoid people and have patience then you can still get amazing photos. Just have reasonable expectations before coming. Be sure to dress accordingly when visiting Wicked Tulips Farm. They are open rain or shine. It wasn’t raining when we went but the ground was still muddy so I would highly recommend wearing some mud proof shoes like rain boots. In the photos that I was wearing my sandals, I put those on only for the photos and had boots nearby. You will also get a little muddy from picking the tulips so wet wipes would come in handy as they don’t have full bathrooms, only portable ones.

I would recommend vising this beautiful tulip farm if you live on the East Coast. It is smaller than the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival I’ve been to in the past but still worth and visit and you are able to pick the tulips to take home.

red tulip farm festival photography wicked tulips

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/wicked-tulips-farm-rhode-island-experience/feed/ 0 Plymouth, MA Travel Guide https://alyssasmirnov.com/plymouth-ma-travel-guide/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/plymouth-ma-travel-guide/#respond Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:58:32 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=9463

On a warm spring day, Vlad and I decided to visit Plymouth, MA and see all the interesting historical sites that are nearby. We want to make an effort to visit as many significant places around New England before we move back to the west coast. I’m creating this Plymouth, MA travel guide because it is a great place to take a day trip to as well as to make sure you can see the most interesting spots while in the area.

Proposed Itinerary:

(details on each section and more below)

  1. Plimoth Plantation (2-3 hrs)
  2. Walk along the water in Plymouth Cultural District and grab lunch (1-2 hrs)
  3. Walk to the Waterfront Exhibit (1-2 hrs)
  4. Plimoth Grist Mill (1 hr)
Plimoth Plantation entrance

This was really the highlight of our trip. Its a living museum where you are able to visit and experience what life was like in 17th-century Native American village as well as the 17th century English village. In the Wampanoag site,  they have real Native Americans (not actors) who show you have they did various things back then. On our visit, a man was showing how they would build canoes and there was a real fire to demonstrate.

Plimoth Plantation Plymouth MA Travel Guide
Plimoth Plantation Plymouth MA Travel Guide

Nearby was a woman showing me how she was making a belt from handmade natural spun and died string. They are willing to answer any questions you have about the things around them and how they lived. It was really inspiring to see how in tune they are with their ancestors and that they were still able to demonstrate the original traditions.

Plimoth Plantation Plymouth MA Travel Guide

When you’re done with the Indian site, you can walk down to the English Village. Right away you will notice the difference in the way they lived. It is a full city and you can go through all the areas of it. Instead of tour guides, you get to interact with the villagers and learn from them. While we were there they had an interactive activity where they did “militia training” and they taught you how to use spears for a battle. It’s so realistic, you feel like you are being transported to another time.

Plimoth Plantation Plymouth MA Travel Guide
Plimoth Plantation Plymouth MA Travel Guide

More photos at the end of the post

 

Waterfront Exhibit

After finishing up at the plantation, you will need to drive to the next location, depending on which one you choose to go to next. We were hungry by this point so we wanted to get lunch somewhere. Driving along Water street and down to Town Warf Road, there are lots of places to choose from, especially seafood. This is right along the coast so you will have the best views to go along with your lunch. While there, a really cool place I would suggest walking to it the Plymouth Breakwater. It is a long strip of rock that allows you to walk into the Plymouth Harbor. You can walk or drive but right down the street from the shops and restaurant is the Plimoth Plantation Waterfront Exhibit. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to participate in this exhibit because the Mayflower II, which is the full-size replica of the original, is being remodeled until 2020. Walk down a little further and you can see the Plymouth Rock! There are also several statues in that same area.

 

Plimoth Grist Mill

Plimoth Grist Mill

A short drive or 10 minute from the waterfront is the Grist Mill. The Grist Mill was our last stop for the day. There was also free parking at the Town Brook Park. Inside there is a quick tour about how the Mill works and how they used it to make cornmeal. Even if you don’t do the tour inside, it is still nice to visit and see the outside of it. It’s much better looking in the summer where there are flowers and greenery surrounding it.

When to Go

The city of Plymouth has similar weather to Boston but it can be a bit cooler and windier since its right by the ocean. We went in Mid-March and there still wasn’t that much greenery and it can be cold to walk. I would suggest visiting late Spring through early fall and planning according to the weather that day. The exhibits close at 5 so don’t go too late or you might not be able to see everything you wanted to. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Boston.

Plymouth is a place I would recommend anyone to visit who is nearby or enjoys historically significant sites. There are so many more places and museums in this area that you could probably even spend a couple of days here. If you are planning a day trip, I hope my Plymouth, MA Travel Guide was helpful. If you have any questions feel free to comment and I’d be happy to answer the best I can.

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]]> https://alyssasmirnov.com/plymouth-ma-travel-guide/feed/ 0 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Travel Guide https://alyssasmirnov.com/punta-cana-dominican-republic-travel-guide/ https://alyssasmirnov.com/punta-cana-dominican-republic-travel-guide/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2019 07:10:05 +0000 https://alyssasmirnov.com/?p=124

Why We Chose Punta Cana

Punta Cana was definitely a trip of a lifetime. It was sort of a last minute booking, about 2 months in advance. We haven’t really gone on any personal trips since our honeymoon, so our two year anniversary was the perfect time to go. Since it’s already getting cold in Boston around November, we knew we wanted to go somewhere warm and be able to relax. Punta Cana has many options for all-inclusive resorts which was a big plus for us. Also, it is somewhere we haven’t been yet. The best time to visit is November-February because there will be less rain and much less seaweed on the beaches.  It was almost 85 degrees every day but very humid. Our anniversary usually falls in the same week as Thanksgiving so we had something extra to be thankful for 🙂

Things To Do

Some of the best parts of the trip were the things we go to experience. Since we stayed for almost a week, we did three tours total on the trip. the first was the Runner’s Adventure Monkeyland and Cocoa Plantation tour. If you only do one tour, choose this one! Feeding the monkeys was so much fun and I guess we came at a time when there were lots of baby monkeys. It was also interesting to see how they make various cocoa products like chocolate, coconut oil, and butter. One of the things you can’t go to the Dominican without hearing about is mamajuana. It’s their version of medicinal juice filled with rum, honey, wine, and herbs.The other two tours, we booked together but it was split into half the day was the ATV adventure and catamaran cruise. For both of these, don’t worry about dressing cute. I would suggest wearing a swimsuit with a coverup that you don’t mind getting dusty and you will be able to go into the swimming hole. Also, bring your own bandana sunglasses and dustproof phone cover for the ATV to prevent dust from getting everywhere. Both of the tours had transportation included and we booked through Trip Advisor. Whenever you go out of the hotel, bring a little cash in case they offer some extra experiences or you want to get some souvenirs.

Our Hotel: Excellence Punta Cana

We stayed at the Excellence Punta Cana Resort and really enjoyed it! The first thing we noticed was how peaceful it was.  It is an adults-only resort and was very secluded from any neighboring resorts or busy areas. One thing to keep in mind is that to our resort and the surrounding ones, it is about a 45-minute drive from the airport. We ended up getting a taxi both ways. It had a really good variety of restaurants to choose from and every night they had a new entertainment in the main lobby. For dinner, they do expect you to dress up and guys have to wear long pants.  The resort itself is very nice to walk through. In the front, there is an ecological park with wild turkeys, flamingos, and lots of different birds. The beginning part of our recap video above is from that part of the resort. My favorite part was the beautiful beaches and they had unlimited coconuts that they cut fresh for you!

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A couple of the adorable spider monkeys we got to feed

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