Home Travel

Travel

Renaissance Times Square Staycation (plus win a stay!)

renaissance-timeout-staycationI’m so excited! As some of you may remember, Charlie and I partnered with the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square a few weeks ago for an epic staycation and our campaign video is now done. The video really says it all, but to be in gorgeous, spacious room, at a pet friendly hotel where you have the pulse of the city at your finger tips and then as soon as you close the door it is so quiet and tranquil was magic. And the unexpected lambs and details in the hotel and on the balcony was such a cute touch! (Also scroll to the bottom for your chance to win a 2 night stay and exclusive discounts!).

 

As you can see from the video we had an absolute blast during our stay. The theme was #UnexpectedNYC and they delivered! Owned by the Marriott, we had a beautiful, newly renovated terrace room on the 4th floor with a balcony that overlooked Times Sq. I mean, look at this view from my balcony! All of Times Sq is behind me!

Stay Here: Hotel Providence RI

hotel-providence_1

It’s good to be back in Providence. This time we spent two nights at the Hotel Providence, located in downtown and central to so many of my favorite shops. Charlie and I took over their Instagram since they are the only dog friendly hotel in Providence. They even have a doggie lounge with couches for them. Which Charlie clearly appreciated…

Lara-Eurdolian-Charlie-King-Hotel-Providence

The hotel has 80 rooms of which, 16 are suites, 4 of which are King Suites. The hotel is arts and literature themed with the suites named after famous New England creatives. We stayed in the Dr. Seuss King Suite, which had his books all over the room. Very appropriately since Dr. Seuss and I are both originally from Massachusetts and I grew up reading all of his books.

Stay Here: Newport Marriott

marriott-newport-sign-logo

Today was awesome, I took over the Newport Marriott’s Instagram channel to share my travel diaries. Newport is honestly one of my favorite places and is just so magical. Visiting the mansions, doing the cliff walk and dining and walking around downtown should be on everyone’s list. Check out my complete guide on where to go HERE.  For this trip I wanted to share more on the Newport Marriott since this was my first time staying there — and in the Presidential Suite no less. lara-and-charlie-marriott-newport

Outfit details:

Splendid Striped Crepe Pants (on sale, 70% off!)

Splendid Temescal Cardigan (on sale!)

Boohoo white crop top (similar)

Teva Flatform Universal (on sale!)

  marriott-newport-renovation As some of you know they had a redesign last year and the result is stunning. (You can read more about the update on their blog). So much natural light and it’s so open and calming. The above photo is the view looking down from the fourth floor. The nautical theme is seen throughout — I like to think I dressed the part to match for my Instagram takeover. The view from our room was of the bay, sail boats in front and the downtown to our left. What more can you ask? A swimming pool and top notch fitness center? Yeah, they’ve got that too.newport-boats-marriott-view

As you can imagine the Presidential Suite was epic, TV’s in both rooms, and 1.5 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room table and lounge area. I would happily trade my NYC apt for it.

OXiGEN water, beach bags and cliff walks

beach-hair-don't-care-hit-bando-flask-oxygen-water

Splendid Crocheted High-Neck Swim Top and bottom (on sale!)

Ray-ban Gatsby Tortoise Green Mirror

Sudio Sweden Earphones Vasa Rose Gold White

Abaco Beach Company Beach Hair Don’t Care Beach Hat and Beach Blanket

Ban.do Love Potion Flask

 OXiGEN water and shot

Neutrogena CoolDry Sport SPF 50, Moroccanoil Sun Lotion SPF 30, La Prairie Cellular Swiss UV Protection SPF 50

marriott-cliff-walk

My goodness does it feel great to be back in Newport!! Not much has changed since last year, it’s still perfect. Today we hit up the beach and it’s not an exaggeration when I say at any given time I have three sunblocks on me. One for my face, another for the body and then Neutrogena CoolDry Sport SPF 50 because it’s great for quick application and isn’t messy. Lately my body SPF of choice has been Moroccanoil Sun Lotion SPF 30 it feels so luxe (it’s more of a wet liquid consistency) and smells amazing. And La Prairie Cellular Swiss UV Protection SPF 50 for my face, since when in Newport, be fancy. It smells like their signature moisturizer and doubles as a primer that works to repair past sun damage while preventing any future damage. Beach Hat, sunnies, a book, water and headphones make up the rest of my beach bag staples (all listed above).

Crop Top + Flare Pants

mac-retro-matte-lip-high-drama-ella-moss-layla-print-pants-H&M-crop-topH&M-black-crop-top,-perverse-sunglasses,-ella-moss-print-pantsperverse-sunglasses-times-square-renaissance-hotel-h&m-black-crop-top-ella-moss-pants ella-moss-layla-pants-gigi-new-york-chelsea-crossbody-h&m-crop-top
I was definitely feeling a bit of a 70s meets 90s vibe this weekend with this H&M crop top and these retro oh so slightly flair pants Ella Moss Layla Flare Leg Pants (on sale!). They were the only pair of pants I packed for my staycation since they are so lightweight and comfortable, and fit me perfectly. There are my first pair of pants from Ella Moss and now I want a million. I also took the weekend to play with the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour collection and wanted to create an outfit around the deep wine shade, High Drama (swatches and full review with more shades HERE). Most people think dark shades are just for fall and winter but I think it’s always fun to break them out every now and again in summer.

This weekends staycation at the Renaissance Hotel was so relaxing and I figured out my favorite way to take in Times Square — it’s from my rooms balcony. No crowds, and with an impeccable view to just take in and appreciate what all of these tourists come to see, and what most of us New Yorkers take for granted. And then I can close the door when I’ve had enough and enjoy my private oasis of a hotel room that’s so quiet that I feel like I could be anywhere in the world.

Outfit details:

H&M Short Mock Turtleneck Top

Ella Moss Layla Flare Leg Pants (on sale 50% off)

MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in shade High Drama

Gigi New York Chelsea Crossbody Bag

Perverse Fresh Sunglasses

Miami Swim Diaries

setai-miami-beach-lolli-swim-yandy.com-Blank-NYCAs someone who’s used to a healthy dose of ridiculousness and amazing experiences, last weekend schooled me in fun and was one for the books thanks to Kyboe! watches.  My friend Melissa and I flew down to Miami with the brand for Miami Swim, where they debuted the new collection of their watches down the runway.  (You can read all about the show and watches HERE).kyboe

townhouse-hotel-rooms-miami
Townhouse Hotel

We flew in Friday afternoon, checking into the Townhouse Hotel, which is a humble boutique hotel perfectly located on 20th and Collins next to the Miami Swim venue. With beach and rooftop access the rooms were small but comfortable and the location could not have been more prime.

Adrienne Bailon
Adrienne Bailon wearing the 6 Shore Road by Pooja limited edition Jose Cuervo collaborative swimsuit

While we were checking in Adrienne Bailon was helping launch the Jose Cuervo’s partnership with the 6 Shore Road by Pooja for this limited edition collaborative swimsuit she’s wearing above. Inspired by by the vibrant colors of the Authentic Jose Cuervo Margarita range and the iconic blue agave plant the vibrant one piece is so hot!!! It’s available for purchase at www.6ShoreRoad.com.

Meet Charlie

charlie1

I have a big announcement, today we’ve added a new member to our family, Charlie Westin King! He’s a 10 year old Pomeranian that was found in a kill shelter before being rescued by Animal Samaritans — who I like to call Charlie’s Angels. And yes, he already has a profile on Instagram @PomPomCharlie (you know I had to!).

charlie3charlie2
Instead of heading to LA in between both weekends of Coachella, James and I decided to stay in Palm Springs at The Westin Mission Hills to explore all of the amazing sites in the area before heading into weekend two of the music festival.  The Westin has a partnership with Animal Samaritans and had Charlie living in their lobby allowing guests to play with him and take him for walks. I walked him everyday.

It can be really hard for older dogs to get adopted and I just fell so in love with him so after some nudging, James agreed that we needed to give this little guy a home! He came with the name Charlie so we didn’t want to change it but added Westin after the property for his middle name, and then gave him James’ last name since Charlie Westin King sounds better then Charlie Westin Eurdolian.

westin-mission-hills-property westin-palm-springs westin-mission-hills-palm-springs

The Westin is an incredible property, set on a golf course with multiple restaurants and pools. Our favorite part was all of the activities they offered and the amount of animals on the property. Walking the grounds they have giant bunnies, tortoises, black and white swans, ducks, iguanas and a bee tour! They have a whole bee keeping program where they make the honey used on the property. And as some of you know bees are crucial to our survival and have been on the decline since 2006. On Sundays they even offer bee tours, which of course we had to do!

westin-bee-tour bee-tour-westin-palm-springswestin-mission-hills-giant-bunnies westin-mission-hills-animals charlie4

We owe a huge debt of gratitude for this property for all that they do with Animal Samaritans and for bringing Charlie into our lives!

Music Festival Kick Off. Who’s ready for Coachella?

coachella_style_2

I’m in a complete music festival state of mind. I’ve been zipping around LA this past week getting ready. and this is the first year that I feel like I’m doing it completely proper! I’ll be in Palm Springs for both weekends to really enjoy all of the fun parties without feeling like I’m missing most of Coachella. And then weekend 2, I’ll be all about the music festival (and in between the two weeks I’ll be touring the Palm Springs area and Joshua Tree. You should follow me all weekend on instagram/snapchat: @prettyconnected and on Saturday I’m so excited to be taking over Bloglovin’ snapchat!coachella_style_5

Of all the days I’m most looking forward to Saturday! If any of you will be there (if all goes to plan), here’s what to expect on Bloglovin’ snapchat: I’ll be hitting up Vestal Village in the morning, then heading to the #WHHSH party (where Splat is going to pimp out my hair) before being picked up by the Ben Sherman London cab — sounds amazing right?. After that theirs a a DFM House party and one for Basecamp and then I’m power napping in preparation of the most exciting late night party of Palm Springs, Neon Carnival!

Visit London: The Art, Fashion and Food Scene

london exhibits

London has been absolute magic this week. Besides nearly perfect weather (we only had rain for 2 out of the 10 days!), there were a number of incredible cultural, fashion and art exhibits and shows happening. Many of which were free! VisitLondon.com was an amazing resource for helping plan our trip and discovering many of the below. If you’re headed to London anytime soon or there now, here’s what’s not to be missed!

louis_vuitton_series3_exhibit_london louis_vuitton_series3_exhibit_london_3 louis_vuitton_series3_exhibit_london_2

Louis Vuitton Series 3 Exhibition (FREE) – Discover Nicolas Ghesquiere’s inspiration for his fourth ready-to-wear show as Artistic Director of women’s collections at Louis Vuitton. Enjoy two floors of Louis Vuitton amazingness, taking you through the craftsmanship and history of the brand. There are actual LV craftsmen on the floor making bags on the spot which you can interact with. One of my favorite parts was the room that shows iconic pieces throughout the century. Not only is the exhibit free, but you also walk out with a complementary poster and stickers! The exhibit is on display through October 18th.

covent_garden_balloons_2 covent_garden_balloons

Heart Beat installation at the Covent Gardens (FREE) – See the work of French artist, Charles Petillon for his first public art installation. Enjoy 100,000 giant white balloons spanning 54 meters of the 19th century Market Building, Covent Gardens. It’s spectacular and something out a fairytale.

audrey_hepburn_national_portrait_gallery audrey_hepburn_national_portrait_gallery_2 audrey_hepburn_national_portrait_gallery_3 audrey_hepburn_national_portrait_gallery_5

Audrey Hepburn Portraits of an Icon Exhibit – Currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery through October 18th, enjoy the rare opportunity to see this fascinating photography exhibit of actress, humanitarian and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn (1920-1993). A beautiful display of seventy images capturing her humanitarian work, film stills, magazine covers and more from the lens of photographers Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Cecil Beaton, Terry O’Neill and Norman Parkinson. The exhibition is sold out online, but you can still obtain tickets at the door. Learn more at npg.org.uk/hepburn

theatre_royal_haymarket_alexander_mcqueen_play

McQueen at the Theatre Royal Haymarket – I didn’t know what to expect out of Alexander McQueen in play form. The complexity and brilliance of this designer was evident in every design he produced on the runway and his untimely death was so tragic and such a loss that it was interesting to see what this play would be about. Brilliantly performed by Stephen Wight as McQueen, the actor takes you into the mind of the designer and the struggle to walk the line between life and death, and his perfectionist, genius and eccentric tendencies. The scenes themselves are visually engaging and thought provoking with great costume and set design.

4 Hair + Travel Tools I Can’t Live Without

simple human mirror, chi flat iron

Summer calls for exploring and I couldn’t travel without a few beauty essentials. Out of dozens of contenders, these four tools outperformed the rest and have quickly become a staple on my packing list.