Destination Vacation

Destination on the Magical Mystery Tour Part 3???

Key West, Florida!! It was an amazing weekend with lots and lots of sun, fun and the usual debauchery that comes along with being part of the Toxic Trio. A quick recap?
Thursday night, we arrived around 7PM after a day of flying and immediately had dinner in the hotel restaurant which is situated on the beach at the southernmost point of the state! Key West just happens to be 90 miles from Cuba, and is indeed the farthest south you can get in the USA. The Southernmost is also the name of our hotel! The thing about Key West is that even though you are in Florida, you really don't feel like you are in Florida. Key West has this awesome island feel that makes you believe that you are somewhere in the Caribbean.

The pool bar just to the left in that photo was our next destination on Thursday night, and we closed out the evening in perfect Trio fashion: cocktails, friends, photos and fun! Friday was a spectacular day, weather wise, it was in the high 80's and we spent the day at the pool relaxing and making merry. The sun was strong and hot and we got plenty of sun kissed color on our bodies. We had arranged a sunset booze cruise, so we told the Trio to be ready by 5:45.

After some Pirate photo ops-complete with earrings and eye patches, we boarded the boat. The band on board was the first indication of the next two hours of fun and safe to say that the Trio ladies hijacked the boat and held court on the dance floor! We held a limbo contest and even dressed other people up as pirates with our props. Some people even thought that we worked for the cruise company! The scenery was perfection and the sunset didn't disappoint! We left the boat and retired to dinner on world famous Duvall Street. (remember the clue:Robert Duvall?) So many bars, restaurants to choose from, we chose outdoor dining and engaged in people watching for the rest of the evening.

Saturday was another gorgeous beach day and the guys managed to find a new obsession: Wallhooky!
Who would have thought the men could find so much fun with a hook, a brass ring and a piece of string? We then rented an electric car that seated six, perfect for the Trio and we were off to explore the island.

First stop was lunch at El Siboney Cuban restaurant for the locals favorite and then off to the Hemingway House. Earnest Hemingway was a very famous Key West resident whose home has been turned into a museum of sorts, and we toured the old home complete with the many cats that reside there. FUN FACT: the many cats that roam the property freely are direct descendants of Earnest Hemingway's first cat, Snowball, that was given to him by a Massachusetts fisherman decades ago. Hemingway was a complete dog-we found out-as he was married 4 time in his life, seemingly to women his wives had introduced him to. We had a wonderful dinner at Louie's Backyard, which is smack dab on the beach. The fine dining was some of the best food we experienced on the island and the atmosphere was incredible!

Sunday funday was another great beach day! The Trio spent the day playing Wallhooky with the world famous champion, Barcode-who was touring the coast trying to promote the sport. It was Sunday Funday for sure because the Trio got very tipsy spending quality time at the pool bar with Barcode and the boys and almost missed our dinner. We made it of course, and because it was our last night we just HAD to experience some Duvall Street night life and we chose, of course, Sloppy Joes, as our final destination for Key West night life.

Sloppy Joe's is a historic bar in Key West and its most famous patron was Earnest Hemingway himself!
The drinks and the music were flowing freely by the time we got there and I'm not quite sure we ever left the dance floor! The band was awesome, the patrons were just as crazy as one would have thought they would be in Key West and we danced until the wee hours in the morning.

Monday reluctantly came and the Trio boarded the plane to head back home, but not without heavy hearts.
We were just grateful that no one came home from vacation on probation..

The Magical Mystery Tour:Part 3

Hey bloggers! It's that time of year again..
Time to embark on our storied tradition of mystery travel with the Toxic Trio. This is our third year of the mystery trips and it is our turn to plan the events of the long weekend. In case you aren't familiar with what I am talking about I'll give you a quick bit of background:

• The Toxic Trio are a group of 3 couples that we are a part of and spend lots of quality time together making merry and crazy wherever we go. Believe me when I tell you we have been kicked out of only the finest establishments.
• This tradition started back in April 2013 and you can read about our first trip HERE and HERE.
• The next trip which was last April 2013 and was a great success! You can read about that trip HERE and HERE.
• The idea of the "mystery" is to provide the other couple with clues, so as to try to understand where we are going without really knowing where we are going.

This year it is up to us! My Guy and I have planned a fab vacation destination for the Toxic Trio to converge on and enjoy some quality drinking/fun time together. Last night we had our kickoff dinner, to get our Trio Trip vibe on, and as always it was a wonderful evening for all of us! We are definitely getting pumped for the weekends events!

Before I try to tempt you to solve our Mystery Tour riddle, I need to let you know that I will be leaving on our Mystery Trip tomorrow, April 9th, 2015. I will not be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 14th, 2015. On Tuesday you can all find out if you guessed the right destination.

These are the clues we provided:

• We will be traveling in the United States-no passports are required.
• The destination will be warm, so beach attire and light clothing are a good bet. 
• We will be taking 2 planes to reach our destination. (remember-I live in Boston)
• And the last clue was this:
  

Good luck guessing bloggers! I'll see you on the flip side!! That is if I survive...

Scrub You

While I was away I had the distinct pleasure of having a body scrub at the Eau Spa. Being in the business that I work in, I was more interested in the body treatments than I was in massage. I had a fab mani/pedi on the first day I arrived and after My Guy had a wonderful massage that he raved about, he persuaded me to try the services at the Spa.

I chose the decadent Champagne Shimmer Body Luster. A 60 minute service, it was nothing short of incredible. After being ushered into the spa facilities where I was given a robe and flip flops, I was taken to the relax lounge where a hot tub(with a cascading waterfall fell continuously from the ceiling), steam shower and heated lounge chairs set the tone for my body scrub. I entered into the treatment room where I was instructed to choose the lighting and the music for my treatment. I chose an upbeat playlist with a mixture of lighting (different colors changing sporadically).

The treatment began with a spoon full of honey that was curated by the spa's very own bee keeper and told of the benefits of a spoon full of honey a day. Then it was time for the treatment. Face down, I laid on the massage table as my girl worked the gritty scrub into every part of my body. I had never experienced a spa scrub before, so when it was done my body felt invigorated, yet gritty. I was then allowed to go to my own private, outside shower, just outside the treatment room, to rinse the scrub off. My skin looked amazing and felt even better. Smooth and supple, I then climbed back into the massage bed where I was massaged with exotic oils till my skin literally glowed.

My friends thought the body scrub would scrub off any suntan that I might have gotten the two days before, but on the contrary, my tan was even better and my skin felt and looked...glowing.

I can report that almost 5 days later, my skin never looked better. No dryness, no flaking, which usually happens when I change from a warm climate back to a cooler one, and the best thing? The condition of my skin has improved dramatically. Dimples, freckles and all of those "older skin" issues have almost disappeared completely. I think I may be onto something here! I can't wait to inform my clients the benefits of a 30-50 minute at-home scrub for healthy skin. I would say that an oil based scrub would be most beneficial as we head into the summer and I'm thinking that once a month I will take to a Day Spa for a serious scrub treatment.

I will keep you informed of my results...and I will thoroughly enjoy it. I''ll just file that under "research and development".

 

Plastic and Play

The winner is....
US! My Guy nailed it. It was West Palm Beach and it was spectacular! We arrived at the Eau Palm Beach Resort. It was gorgeous.The posh hotel and spa, the Eau was the subject of the second clue:

Which was very funny...because my friend thought "Eau" meant "ewww", but we later learned that it relates to water. So this clue was out of left field.
Anyway.. we arrived at the fantastic resort that was once The Ritz Carlton and we were ushered into the seaside bar for cocktails and a spectacular view of the ocean. It was then on to dinner and the service at the restaurant couldn't have been better. While we were there, we noticed that a lot of the women walking about had a similar "look". Nobody said anything, but I kept thinking that I had "seen that lady before wearing something completely different".

Next day after a leisurely day at the pool and a luxurious mani/pedi, we were off to Worth Avenue for some shopping.

Worth Avenue is an upscale shopping district in Palm Beach. voted one of the 3 Most Iconic destinations in the world, I call Worth Avenue the "rodeo drive" of the East Coast. Rod Stewart walked right by us and I issued a "Hey Rod", to which he replied, "oh hello", in his adorable little accent. After some retail therapy, we had dinner in one of Worth Avenue's little alley restaurants in outside dining. It was then that we really saw the women of Palm Beach. And we realized that they all look alike because they must all have the same plastic surgeon...
They looked like Stepford wives clones. Each one older than the next, but the same face, tight and completely lifted. You could tell by their exposed arms that they were older, but they all looked forever young. And the diamonds....we joked that after casing the joint, we could finance quite a few trips around the world with those rocks.Then there were the rugs, and I don't mean the ones that you step on. The men had to keep up with the women and they had the hair they bought to prove it. Needless to say we had a blast, the entertainment, the food and fun seemed endless.

Next day it was on to Delray beach. A bit of a change from Worth Ave, and a bit more real, the shopping and dinner was a bit more casual. We then stopped for music and drinks at an outdoor cafe with live music. It seemed like it belonged more in Key West, and there was a certain "biker element" in attendance, but strangely we were much more comfortable here than the previous night.

The last day was a relaxing Sunday by the pool, time spent at the spa getting a Champagne Body Scrub that was the most incredible feeling, I can hardly describe it. Then it was on to the world famous Breakers Hotel for dinner. It was the greatest way to cap the trip off, and we thoroughly enjoyed hob-nobbing with the elite of Palm Beach.

The whole trip was a joyous celebration of fun, friends and excess, in just the right amount. I have to admit to needing a wee bit of rehab...and detox, but it was well worth it. And next year, it's our turn to plan the trip.

Any suggestions bloggers?

Magical Mystery Tour Part 2

 It's that time again bloggers!

Remember last year when I went on a Magical Mystery Tour with The Toxic Trio? Yes? No?
Quick recap: The Toxic Trio are a group of three couples that I hang out with. We are a crazy bunch and a year ago we made a credo to travel once a year, for a long weekend, on a mystery trip. One of the three couples plans the trip and keeps it a secret until it's time to go. Well that time is here again!

This time we have received only 2 clues!! And while we still are not sure where we are going, we have narrowed it down to two choices of destination. Let's see what you come up with...
Here are the clues:

So that picture above was our first clue:
Kim and Kanye. Really? I don't think it's LA, because that would be sooooo obvious. Don't you think? But what do I know?
Ok, so we believe that the clue here lies in Kanye's last name..West. Hmmm..

The second clue:

This one really threw me...WTF? I am not looking forward to going somewhere smelly. I'm not getting anything here. Word has it when I find out what this clue means, I will think it was a brilliant clue.

WE have come up with two destination guesses:

Key West or

West Palm Beach. What do you think?

So, we leave tomorrow in the morning, Thursday, April 3,3014 and I will not be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 8, 2014. I'll have a full recap and we will see who guessed correctly!!

I'm dying to know what you think....

De-Toxic

Remember this photo?

This was one of our clues that I shared with you last Thursday regarding the Magical Mystery Tour the Toxic Trio embarked upon this past weekend. The Trio asked what the significance of this photo was, to which a blurry answer was provided. But since we were a wee bit blurry ourselves, we didn't pursue. When trying to recall the significance, I could only come up with the clues; three blue wine glasses and something about three's. That was it. 

Anyway, when we arrived home we were told that the Trio Trip was not complete. There was yet more and a delivery would be coming to our home Tuesday night.
Really? 
I was quite sure my liver would go on strike if there were more, but I anxiously awaited this new development. It was an exciting new surprise, and I thought for sure there was no way to top the weekend.
But this? Turns out, it was far better than anything I could have ever imagined.

Delivered to us, complete with enough for an entire day for both My Guy and I was The Blue Print Cleanse. I couldn't have been more thrilled and more curious. 

The Renovation Cleanse, by Blueprint, is today's complete menu for us and I'm looking forward to food deprivation like I never have before. I've always wanted to try a cleanse, but wasn't exactly sure how to start or where to start. Looks like I need no longer wonder.

The Renovation Cleanse is 6 juice drinks, each 16 oz to be consumed throughout the course of 3 days. The goal is to abstain from solid food and to cleanse your body. Instructions are to space them out as you like, but to stay hydrated with herbal teas and water in between. The only specific instruction is to try to have #6 two hours before bedtime.

So I'm anticipating an interesting day for me today, considering I have never done any type of fast or cleanse before. BUT I LOVE IT!!! I'm excited, and if I make it through today successfully, I just may purchase days 2 and 3 and go for it all. Cuz that's how I roll!

Oh, and incase you were wondering about the picture above and significance of the clue? It was quite brilliant, really. 

Three blue wine glasses- We had three blues:

• Jet Blue
• Fontainebleau
• Blue Print Cleanse

Good luck De-Toxing Trio!

Wiggle It, Just A Little Bit

And the winner is.......Miami's Fontaineblue Hotel and Happy Mommy! 

And it did not disappoint! We arrived Friday afternoon to pouring rain and lots of excitement. Of course a little rain never never held back this group, and we quickly had lunch, unpacked and went down to the lobby to explore our new surroundings. In hindsight, I should have realized that a lobby that has a huge bar, complete with a light up disco floor in the larger portion of the lobby was there for a distinct reason, but in my "just arrived" excitement I hardly noticed.We had a few drinks then went off to the first destination, Mr. Chow in the W Hotel. 

Is everything in Miami a "scene"? I'm not complaining, because I seemed right at home in the nightclub atmosphere of the Asian Fusion  famous chain restaurant. The food was outstanding, the wait staff amazing and the atmosphere was fun and young, but a bit loud for an intimate dinner if that's what you are looking for. But that's not what this group was looking for. This group was ready for a little party. I said little right? 

All of that was fine and well, but the real heartbeat of Miami and our trip was yet to come. We had no idea what we were about to encounter. Now, I had been to Miami before, but I brought the children last time and we enjoyed the famous South Beach in a different way. This time it was from an entirely new perspective. The Fontaineblue has a unique vibe and by unique I mean after dark it turns into something completely UNBELIEVABLE. (Heff and Bama, save your pennies, cuz this place is your kind of vacation!)

After Mr. Chow, we arrived at the front of the Fontaineblue among what looked like lots and lots of young people. Did I mention lots? and we sort of looked at each other like, "What's going on here?" 

WHAT WAS GOING ON? Hundreds, and I'm not kidding you when I say hundreds, of scantily clad young women and men had descended upon the lobby of our hotel. Scantily clad being the operative words here. One young lady was more "naked" than the next and it was then that we decided that this "show" was so much better than anything we would have paid admission for. 

For the next two to three hours, we sat at the lobby bar and had what was the best part of the trip: the people watch. The Fontaineblue has a famous four story night club called LIV and no we didn't go into it, but believe me when I tell you, we didn't need to. The line to get into LIV starts forming early in the evening and never stops. The club opens at 11:30 and closes at 5:30 am, but the real show is what takes place outside the club in the expansive lobby. 

Jiggle and wiggle were jiggling and wiggling all over the place and I'm sure jiggle did not know what wiggle was up to. Boobs, butt and legs were on display in every size, shape, color and creed and even the fat ones looked gorgeous. I swear. It was hilarious and us newbies did not know where to look next. The entertainment was endless. The best part were the dresses..or lack of and the high heels. Judging by the height of the high heels and the length of the dresses, (strategically just above the coochie area, was the average) you would have SWORE there was a stripper convention going on at that hotel, and not the medical convention that was taking place in another part of the hotel. 

That scene was only topped by the scene at the hotel pool the next day. Really, that scene was much better if  I ever believed that could happen. I never have seen more bikini's, boobs and big heels at a beach destination. Skin was a pre-requisite and if you weren't showing lots skin, you were the one who was looking uncomfortable. God bless them, they were out in full force at the pool too. What a scene. 

We saw much more on our ventures up to Ocean Drive. That's where the late great Gianni Versace was brutally murdered on his front steps in 1997. His palatial private residence is now a private club complete with a restaurant, but you can't walk by there without stopping to ponder the sad shame of his untimely murder.  On our trek further down we caught a full on Drag Queen show that was amazing! We didn't even need to go into the bar that was hosting it, this one was right on the street for all to enjoy! Some of the most beautiful transgendered men/women I ever had the pleasure of judging with my applause. It was at The Clevlander, a few crazy blocks down, that we saw first hand the art of naked body painting and pole dancing right on the street!!! In full on view of everyone. The point here is, if you can't beat em', join em', so we sat and had a few jovial cocktails and enjoyed yet another show. 

All in all, the endless skin show was a blast, and the trip a huge success, but the greatest thing of all was the great time spent with great friends. Like the name of the famous night club in the Fontainebleu, it makes you want to LIV your life to the fullest. Miami beach is one of those places that really enjoys life. 

And a life like that is certainly worth living every once in a while.

Magical Mystery Tour

Hey Bloggers!

Today's post is more of a riddle of sorts, and I need your help here to solve the mystery. You see, I'm leaving today on a long weekend with two other couples who are my very good friends. We, the three couples, decided back in January that we would draw numbers out of a hat and that each couple would plan a mystery weekend away for the group.

Tomorrow is start of trip number one.

The only things we know for sure are this:

• We are traveling no more than two hours away from MA.
• We are taking an airplane.
• The destination will host temperatures over 70 degrees F
• Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Goldfinger all have this place in common
• The name of these glasses will tell it all..

Now, by the time you read this, I will be well on my way to the mystery destination...and I won't be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 9, 2013. 

As it stands right now, we aren't sure where we are going, but we have a few suspicions. Miami? Fontainbleau? Still not sure...

Tell me bloggers, what to you come up with?

I'll reveal the mystery destination and the winner who guesses correctly on Tuesday. The prize? 

You can come on the next mystery with us trip in September. 

Have a great weekend bloggers and try to keep the mystery in your life alive....