California Trip - L.A / Universal Studios

Our last couple of days were spent back in Los Angeles. We drove in from Palm Springs and headed straight to Erewhon (thanks Tik Tok) for a smoothie and some lunch.

We detoured via Rodeo Drive for a look then headed up the hills to Griffith Observatory.

A must to view the Hollywood sign and look over L.A. It was pretty smoggy when we were there but we had fun cruising the streets in the hills and found a great lookout at Jerome C Daniel overlook on Mulholland Drive.

We checked into the Hilton Universal City and hung out by the pool for the afternoon.

 Ready for our day at Universal Studios the next day.

We had booked our tickets online earlier - We chose the Universal Express which gave you the option to skip the lines on certain rides but were offered an upgrade at the gate to VIP tickets.

These were great as there were no lines and we really got to enjoy all rides with no wait times, multiple times. Noah and Jasper really utilised them when they went on a Harry Potter ride 11 times in a row!

We had a great Italian dinner at Buca di Beppo that night at Universal City Walk  (a bunch of restaurants and shops near the park)

We had a late check out on the day we were flying out. Our flight wasn't until 11.40pm so we had a whole day to fill. We decided to head over to Santa Monica to check out the pier and Venice Beach.

They are very iconic but a bit gritty and dirty!

We decided to have an early dinner before our flight so headed to the Cheesecake Factory at The Grove.

Some great shops to browse too.

All in all we had a wonderful time and it was so good to have that time as a family together.

It was a busy time and I'm thankful we have a week to chill before school goes back.

Weekend in Port Stephens

 Simon and I had a lovely weekend away in Port Stephens. We had booked this trip earlier in the year when we saw a great deal  at Bannisters. It was a great break from the busyness of the last few months. 

We were blessed with fab weather, you could feel spring in the air!

 The sun was shining and it was so relaxing to just explore new beaches, enjoy the blue skies and catch up, just the two of us...

We stayed at Bannisters Port Stephens

We ate at -

Julio's

The Cheeky Dog

Shoal Bay Country Club

Murray's Brewery

We drove around and explored - 

Soldiers Point

Anna Bay

Fingal Bay

Shoal Bay

Birubi Beach

We came across the camels on the beach at Birubi Beach. If you drive to the surf club you have a view of the beach and where the camels come out from.

The weekend felt like an old school coastal town holiday and as the warmer weather hasn't started the towns felt very quiet. It was really lovely and relaxing x

Byron Diary - March 2020

Towards the end of last year Simon and I had booked a little getaway to Byron but we cancelled it due to all of the fires. So when we had a gap in our schedules we decided to rebook it and enjoy a few days in one of our favourite spots.

We stayed at the Byron at Byron and loved the peaceful surrounds just out of town. We had quiet mornings having breakfast overlooking the rainforest and afternoon dips in the gorgeous pool. The weather was so humid whilst we there so the pool definitely got a work out!

We enjoyed a few lazy days checking out our old favourite places and discovering new finds.

It was lovely to be back in Byron......

The Spell girls have shared a Byron guide which is full of amazing recommendations

 You can read it here and here

Other Byron Bay travel ideas here

Have you been to Byron Bay recently? I'd love to hear your favourite spot!

Noosa - Sun, sand + surf!

What a year 2019 has been so far! 

We've had so many things happen this year that we feel like we've been on an emotional rollercoaster.

We expanded our business and dealt with the busyness that comes with that, had multiple family members in hospital for surgery/illness and had my in-laws move state as well as begin a few renovations/additions to our own home.  On top of the normal every day responsibilities of life it has added up to a very full year! So we were ready for a few days of sunshine and relaxation.

We made a last minute booking at the Fairshore Apartments in Noosa and managed to snag a cancellation on a beachfront apartment in the heart of Hastings Street.

It was so lovely to just move between the beach, the pool and to venture out for meals and the occasional snow cone ;)

So relaxing and just what we needed. We started our summer holidays off perfectly.....

I'd love to hear your Noosa/Sunshine Coast tips for our next trip up that way!