My Sorority sister and I spent a week in Greece in at the end of July. I can honestly say that there was nothing about the country that I didn't like (except maybe the toilet system). We rented a airnbn near black sand beach in Santorini and used that as our base. Oia was easily excessable through bus. Oia is a charming village, far from the tourist mobs of Fira--except when a tourist bus rolls into town. There are several good places to eat (Anemomilos is very traditonal, and Pelekanos has great crepes), many lovely shops, and breath-taking sunsets. We were told by several residents to try the octopus at Katina Tavena, just below Oia, but it has only open air seating and the weather was too chilly for that. Maybe next time...In Fira, we enjoyed the food at Naoussa and Simos. We also ferried to Parikia on Paros where we stayed overnight awaiting a connection to Mykonos. You can see my review of the Hermes Hotel in Parikia elsewhere on this site (13 euros per person). The cab ride to visit Naoussa on Paros is worth the fare. It is a very picturesque fishing village. In Parikia, we ate a couple of meals at the Pomegranate Cafe along the waterfront. It has a good breakfast menu, as well as dessert crepes. The cafe is very tastefully decorated and you can sit outside and watch the harbor activity.We spent only night on Mykonos, where we stayed at the Pension Matina. The price was right (about 26 euros each per night) and the place was clean, with a nice view and large swimming pool area, but it is quite a trek up the hill from the center of town, and the proprietor was less than gracious.
Rio De Janeiro was one of the first places I’ve ever visited outside of the United States. I had just an okay experience. I should have done proper research before going because i went during the winter season so instead of having fun in the sun it was a bit chilly. The beaches were full of locals hounding you to buy things. I couldn’t close my eyes to relax without someone asking me to buy something. I went on a Jeep tour that took us to a couple of beautiful views. The highlight of my trip was visiting the slums. At first i was hesitant to visit because i didn’t want it to seem as if i was using someone’s struggle as my own entertainment. I am so glad i went, the money that we spent on the tour was donated to a school. It really gave me a better understanding of the culture and made me so grateful for the little things. We also volunteered at a the school we donated to. We were able to play with the kids and get a hands on understanding of what it’s like living there.
Phuket is one of my favorite places in Thailand! Full of amazing night life. My friend and I spent a lot of our nights on patong road. This is a street loaded with bars and clubs. Everything is super affordable from your Airbnb to food and drinks. We took a boat to Phi phi island and omg the views are breathtaking. We loved it so much that we ditched our tour and booked an Airbnb to stay the night. If you visit Phuket definitely plan to stay a couple of days in phi phi island. Do not take the island tours. It’s super rushed and you don’t get your money’s worth. A friend of ours told us this and we didn’t listen. When we got to phi phi island we took a taxi boat to monkey beach and maya bay. With a private taxi boat you are able to spend more time in the places that you want to see. It is also cheaper than the tours. The monkeys at monkey beach were so cute. A baby monkey took a drink of water from my water bottle and it was an overload of cuteness. I reccomend Phuket to anyone thinking of traveling to Thailand.
My girls and i visited Cuba back in August 2017 and it was such an amazing experience. It was surprisingly very easy to get there from the United States. We booked a straight flight with Alaska Airlines for less than $400. We split our trip in half between varadero and Havana. Varadero is a great place if you want to experience clear blue water and white sands (breathtaking). It was very relaxing and an experience like no other. At night my girls and I went to the Havana club. Who would have thought you can buy a bottle in the club for only $30? Next we went to Havana. Havana is rich in culture. The locals were super friendly and as an African American woman i felt like i fit in here. My friends and i chose to stay in an Airbnb because we wanted to experience the culture first hand. When trying to think of a location for our girls trip, we chose Cuba because it was so different from most places. It was the one place that wasn’t “Americanized” Overall it was an amazing experience. I would recommend it to anyone thinking about traveling there
My Sorority sister and I spent a week in Greece in at the end of July. I can honestly say that there was nothing about the country that I didn't like (except maybe the toilet system). We rented a airnbn near black sand beach in Santorini and used that as our base. Oia was easily excessable through bus. Oia is a charming village, far from the tourist mobs of Fira--except when a tourist bus rolls into town. There are several good places to eat (Anemomilos is very traditonal, and Pelekanos has great crepes), many lovely shops, and breath-taking sunsets. We were told by several residents to try the octopus at Katina Tavena, just below Oia, but it has only open air seating and the weather was too chilly for that. Maybe next time...In Fira, we enjoyed the food at Naoussa and Simos. We also ferried to Parikia on Paros where we stayed overnight awaiting a connection to Mykonos. You can see my review of the Hermes Hotel in Parikia elsewhere on this site (13 euros per person). The cab ride to visit Naoussa on Paros is worth the fare. It is a very picturesque fishing village. In Parikia, we ate a couple of meals at the Pomegranate Cafe along the waterfront. It has a good breakfast menu, as well as dessert crepes. The cafe is very tastefully decorated and you can sit outside and watch the harbor activity.We spent only night on Mykonos, where we stayed at the Pension Matina. The price was right (about 26 euros each per night) and the place was clean, with a nice view and large swimming pool area, but it is quite a trek up the hill from the center of town, and the proprietor was less than gracious.
Rio De Janeiro was one of the first places I’ve ever visited outside of the United States. I had just an okay experience. I should have done proper research before going because i went during the winter season so instead of having fun in the sun it was a bit chilly. The beaches were full of locals hounding you to buy things. I couldn’t close my eyes to relax without someone asking me to buy something. I went on a Jeep tour that took us to a couple of beautiful views. The highlight of my trip was visiting the slums. At first i was hesitant to visit because i didn’t want it to seem as if i was using someone’s struggle as my own entertainment. I am so glad i went, the money that we spent on the tour was donated to a school. It really gave me a better understanding of the culture and made me so grateful for the little things. We also volunteered at a the school we donated to. We were able to play with the kids and get a hands on understanding of what it’s like living there.
Phuket is one of my favorite places in Thailand! Full of amazing night life. My friend and I spent a lot of our nights on patong road. This is a street loaded with bars and clubs. Everything is super affordable from your Airbnb to food and drinks. We took a boat to Phi phi island and omg the views are breathtaking. We loved it so much that we ditched our tour and booked an Airbnb to stay the night. If you visit Phuket definitely plan to stay a couple of days in phi phi island. Do not take the island tours. It’s super rushed and you don’t get your money’s worth. A friend of ours told us this and we didn’t listen. When we got to phi phi island we took a taxi boat to monkey beach and maya bay. With a private taxi boat you are able to spend more time in the places that you want to see. It is also cheaper than the tours. The monkeys at monkey beach were so cute. A baby monkey took a drink of water from my water bottle and it was an overload of cuteness. I reccomend Phuket to anyone thinking of traveling to Thailand.
My girls and i visited Cuba back in August 2017 and it was such an amazing experience. It was surprisingly very easy to get there from the United States. We booked a straight flight with Alaska Airlines for less than $400. We split our trip in half between varadero and Havana. Varadero is a great place if you want to experience clear blue water and white sands (breathtaking). It was very relaxing and an experience like no other. At night my girls and I went to the Havana club. Who would have thought you can buy a bottle in the club for only $30? Next we went to Havana. Havana is rich in culture. The locals were super friendly and as an African American woman i felt like i fit in here. My friends and i chose to stay in an Airbnb because we wanted to experience the culture first hand. When trying to think of a location for our girls trip, we chose Cuba because it was so different from most places. It was the one place that wasn’t “Americanized” Overall it was an amazing experience. I would recommend it to anyone thinking about traveling there