I’m back from Paris and having withdrawals already!! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have kept up with my trip. I ended up not posting as much compared to my trip from earlier in the year but am totally ok with that.
As I mentioned last week, this trip was all about my best friend who was getting married in Paris! I wasn’t sure how I felt about a destination wedding prior to the trip but I have to admit – I’m totally onboard for a destination wedding. Sorry, Mom and Dad! Dina and Jason had 30 of their closest friends and family make the trip. I loved how small and intimate the group was and how much time we got to spend with the bride and groom.
Three of my very close friends from college also made the trip which made the adventure 10x more fun. The best part about this trip is that we didn’t feel pressure to visit every major restaurant or tourist destination – it was more about eating, drinking and spending time doing whatever we felt like each day.
Below are some of my favorite pictures from the long wedding weekend. Dina wore Vera Wang on her wedding day and it was stunning! Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!! Xo. Lauren
P.s. one thing that is a MUST is seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight. Such a great way to end our trip! We all look so tired but so worth it. <3
One of my favorite things about living on the east coast are the weekend trips. Summer is absolutely insane with travel but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being able to escape the city quite easily on the weekends.
Last week I traveled to Newport, Rhode Island with my mom, aunt and cousin. Every summer since I was in middle school we have been traveling to the east coast (Connecticut) to visit my cousin, Holly. Within this trip, we try to include a quick two day trip to a new town: Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Newport, etc. Now that I’ve been living on the east coast, it’s been so easy for us to combine these trips.
When this year’s annual trip rolled around my mom and aunt wanted to go back to Newport. As I mentioned last week, I’ve only been to Newport once with my blogger friends. I have to admit, I didn’t fall in love with the town when it was mid-February with mounds of snow everywhere. Traveling during the summer to this cute New England town, however, is a definite game changer. Here’s what we did in just 48 hours.
Day 1: On your drive to Newport, stop at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Grab lunch, a cocktail or just walk around the grounds. The grounds are perfectly manicured with croquet courts, hydrangeas, and white rocking chairs. Let’s just say I found the perfect place to get married (after I find a new boyfriend, of course). Continue the drive to downtown Newport. Check in to the hotel. We ended up staying in the Harbor Side Inn – the cutest little bed and breakfast. Located right in the center of town off of Thames street, the Harbor Side Inn is walking distance from numerous boutiques, shops and restaurants.
Walk over to Bannister’s Wharf to catch the Madeline sail boat. Situated directly on the waterfront, the Madeline sailboat is the perfect way to enjoy the spectacular views of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. After your boat tour, head over to Forty 1 North for dinner right on the water. Order a glass of rose and king salmon for dinner.
Ocean House Front Entrance
The Back View of Ocean House
Entrance to the Ocean House
View From The Terrace
The Madeline Sail Tour
Day 2: Schedule 1-2 mansion tours. The Breakers is an absolute must. Other fan favorites include Servant Life tour at the Elms and the Rose Cliff mansion tour. After your tours, drive over to Castle Hill Inn for lunch. Sit in the Adirondack chairs and take in the view.
After shopping head to the Mooring for dinner. If you have enough time before sunset, head to Narragansett Lane or Ruggles Ave to enter the Ocean Cliff Walk. Walk past the mansions from the waterfront and take in the ocean views. A definite Newport must!
You know I love a good summer weekend in the Hamptons. Whenever I travel out east, it’s pretty random where I stay. Last summer I stayed at my company’s house in East Hampton, at the Montauk Yacht Club with Jess and Lauren, Sag Harbor with Cadillac and Amagansett with friends. This past weekend I jumped in on a friend’s share house in Montauk. The location was perfect – walking distance from Surf Lodge and only a 12 minute walk to downtown!
If you’ve ever been to the Hampton’s, you know it’s expensiveeee – whether it’s hotels, food, ubers. You name it, Montauk is expensive. Anywho, after exploring Montauk this past weekend, I thought I’d share what to do in 48 hours since that is a typical time frame you would travel to and from the city.
Day 1 –Friday Afternoon
Getting there: Yes, there’s an airport but unless you’re catching FlyBlade, you’re commuting out with the rest of Manhattan. You’re best bet? Catch the 1:43pm train out of Penn Station. You will have to transfer at Jamaica. Quickly frolick as cute as possible with your sun hat in hand to the next train – you cannot stand for the entire 3 hour train ride to Montauk!!! Also, do not forget the rose! The LIRR is the only way to drink and drive through the Hampton’s.
Arrive in Montauk Friday evening. Walk downtown to Gig Shack for dinner. Order the spicy tuna tartar taquitos, oysterys, billy goat salad, and mushroom risotto. After dinner, walk over to Montauk Beach House or South Edison for an after dinner cocktail.
Day 2 – Saturday
Attend 9:30am Soul Cylce class (because you know we have to work off all of the rose from the night before). If you don’t end up getting into Soul, head to Surf Lodge to attend one of their kick-ass weekend fitness classes. This series is a part of their “wellness program” that runs through Labor Day. After class, walk down S. Edgemere Street to the plaza. Have breakfast Joni’s – prepare yourself, there will most likely be a line full of hip Montauk locals.
After breakfast, walk down Montauk Highway back to the plaza. Pop in Montauk Clothing for a cute, casual crew neck sweatshirt. Swing by Kelly B Boutique, Gansett Lane Home, or Montauk Carriage House for the sweetest home décor gifts. There’s also an amazing pop-up shop currently happening at Montauk Beach House. After shopping, head to Navy beach for a bite to eat and some rest and relaxation. Navy Beach is one of Montauk’s best beachfront restaurants with casual, coastal cuisine. Order the Navy burger.
Saturday night head to Ruschmeyer’s for dinner. Sit outside on the back patio (get there early if you don’t have a reservation). Order the market salad, watermelon with shiso and peanuts, and margharitta pizza.
Day 3 – Sunday
Review all of your Snapchats from the night before before heading to Naturally Good for breakfast. Order the organic egg sandwich with cheddar. After breakfast, head to Ditch Plains beach – don’t forget your turkish towel and suncreen. Ditch Plains Beach has beautiful cliffs and is great for cutie surfer watching. Other local must-stop by beaches include Gin Beach, South Edison Beach or Hither Hills State Park. After a day in the sun, head to Surf Lodge at 5:30 for their Sunday evening concert series. Expect a laid-back California vibe. Order their “Juliet” rose. Catch 9:30pm Jitney home.
Are you familiar with Haven In Paris? They are a luxury apartment rental company with numerous locations in Paris, London, Provence, Tuscany and more.
I first came across there website when a friend referred me and I couldn’t stop perusing their listings! I knew I had to reach out regarding a few of their apartment rentals in Paris.
As you know, planning a trip abroad can be a tiny bit overwhelming. Am I right?! Finding just the right hotel or apartment rental is half the battle in my mind. You want something comfortable, cozy, clean and will meet your needs while abroad. The other stressful part is picking the location. When you’ve never been to a certain city before (or for a super short period of time), it can be hard to nail down a location or neighborhood that’s just the right fit.
For this trip in particular, we had already established that we wanted a hotel for London and an apartment rental for Paris, per friends recommendations! Luckily the hotel was easy. We discovered the Langham London so that part of the trip was planned in no time! Paris on the other hand was a little more difficult. Because so many friends recommended renting an apartment in Paris, I can’t tell you how many listings I looked at on Airbandb none of which came close to the type of listings we came across on Haven In Paris! Seriously, you guys. Haven In Paris rentals are everything you would imagine / would want when you are traveling to locations like Tuscany, Provence and Paris.
As soon as we discovered Haven In Paris, we were on our way to the cutest Parisian apartment in no time.
This was the view we had from our living room balcony. A girl could get used to this – that’s for sure. Side note: there was a little antique furniture store right across the street called Lawren’s where I picked up a blue and white ginger jar that I will instagram soon. I mean is this FATE or what?!
Here’s the view of our mantel. Note to self: need a gold parisian mirror in future home. Done.
Here’s me and my BFF Carly from Dayton enjoying a glass of rose on the balcony. Did you know that rose is so cheap in Europe? 4 Euro a glass. Again, a girl could seriously get used to this.
Below are a few shots of our living room. <3
The apartment was located in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood of Paris. Little did we know before picking this apartment that Saint Germain is one of the best neighborhoods in Paris. We seriously LOVED this neighborhood and I would definitely stay here again. There were flower shops on every corner, cafes filled with people drinking espresso outside (even in 50 degree weather and yes, there were heat lamps), and we were a 5 minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral and the Le Seine which has beautiful views of Paris.
Renting through Haven In Paris made traveling to this magical city so worthwhile and EASY. One thing that I loved about working with them is that they have a personal greeter for when you arrive and depart the city. The greeters were very helpful especially when we first arrived – making restaurant and tourist recommendations, letting us know certain nuances about the apartment, how things worked like the dishwasher, washer and dryer, and even how to lock the door! Little things I didn’t even think about when beginning the process of renting an apartment that made our stay so much easier. Who knew Paris doors could be such a pain-in-the-ass to lock?
Last but not least, they take down your travel information (flight or train number and arrival time) and you’re able to call them if you run into any trouble or have a hard time finding the apartment which can be scary when arriving in a new city where you don’t speak the language.
All in all, our experience with Haven In Paris was nothing short of amazing which is why I’m personally recommending them to you, my lovely readers, and my friends (who are also lovely!) for future Parisian adventures.
For more information and apartment listings in Paris, Provence, London or Tuscany, head on over to Haveninparis.com.
*A media rate was offered by Haven In Paris for our stay.
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