How to Spend a Weekend Wine Tasting in Temecula, California (with map)

Temecula Wine Tasting is the best!

Best wineries and where to go in Temecula, California - with map!

My sister and I had a wedding to attend in Temecula and decided to make the most of it. Since it is only a few hours away from Los Angeles, we decided to drive up on a Saturday morning and come back on Sunday. We went to 4 wineries across the 2 days and here's how it went down..

My sweet sister kindly picked up some Starbucks and swooped me up along the way, leaving LA with enough time to drive to Temecula (approx 2 hours without traffic) to make it to our wine tour!

Here is a Temecula winery map made with the Wanderlog Travel Planner, so you can follow along, add to your Google maps account, or create your own personal map! Wanderlog allows you to create great maps and guides for any vacation! 

Map courtesy of Wanderlog travel planner

ENTRANCE TO OLD TOWN TEMECULA

A little after 9a, we arrived at our hotel, the Extended Stay America (see review below), checked-in and called for our Uber to take us to the Stampede where we were to meet our tour, Grapeline Wine Tours Temecula, and get our taste on. 

Temecula Antique Shop

We entered through the Old Town, which the downtown area, that looked like an old miners town with wood-planked sidewalks and old tanks of all sorts, with antique shops galore! Super charming!

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Grapeline Wine Tours - Best Wine Tour in Temecula!

OUR WINE TOUR ITINERARY FOR THE DAY.

We booked a half-day wine tour for $95 which included tasting flights at 3 wineries, vineyard tour, cheese pairing, and a driver for the day. We reserved our spots about a month prior and emailed them directly, requesting the vineyards we were interested in.

The tour picked around 10a and was scheduled to drop us off at 2p just in time to get ready for the wedding we were attending at 5p. We were greeted by Robert, our guide, and he told us that we would be visiting all the wineries we requested and we had a great selection. He handed us a detailed itinerary and a discount card that basically gave 10-20% off all bottle purchases! He also told us the cheesiest, most amazing jokes to keep us entertained.

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South Coast Winery

STROLLING THROUGH SOUTH COAST WINERY, TEMECULA

We traveled about 10 minutes to our first stop, South Coast Winery.

The grounds were so beautiful, full of flowers and Instagrammable photo ops. The inside was different with animals everywhere. We went in for our tasting and we were the first and only ones there, but it was also 10:30am. Pamela helped us out, and she was very generous with her pours. She even volunteered to take a picture of us... and we got a selfie of her as well! Didn't even know she was taking it!

The most notable wines we enjoyed were:

1. Extra Dry Sparkling - Yummy Champagne taste

2. Boulder Red 2.0 - Closest to a petite Sirah

3. Wild Horse Peak Temporale - Earthy with a pepper taste

South Coast Wine Tasting Room

Robert kept us on schedule (even though we wandered off to take pictures) and got us back on the bus to take us to our next stop, Falkner Winery.

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Falkner Winery

Gorgeous Temecula Views from Falkner

Falkner had beautiful views from the top of the hill of Temecula Valley. We really wanted to come here because of the name to say things like Falk you and Falk off. Robert said no one had ever made those jokes before. We didn't believe him!

We went down into the cellar where we had the wine tasting along with a cheese and fruit pairing. Our fave was the Amante Super Tuscan which was similar to Sangiovese. I wasn't sure if I liked the Risque Riesling, or if I just liked the bottle and name... either way it wasn't bad! 

We were kinda disappointed we were in this dark room and the day was so beautiful. I was just excited that they let us keep the glass! FREE SOUVENIRS! 

Falkner Winery Free Glasses

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Europa Village Winery

THIS WAY TO EUROPA VILLAGE WINERY!

Our last stop was Europa Village Winery which was under construction but you couldn't really tell at first glance (especially after 2 other tastings). 

EUROPA VILLAGE WINERY - OUTSIDE TASTING BAR AND SEATING

EUROPA VILLAGE WINE TASTING PASSPORT AND COUPON

We were handed a tasting passport that they would stamp after each tasting (sometimes they forgot) and had a large selection of wines. Our favorite Europa wine was the Vendetta, which was a fruity yet rich red. We decided to buy a couple bottles and upon purchasing, we decided to become a member! 

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We were dropped back off at the Stampede in the old town area and picked up a pizza to eat at our hotel to get ready and go to our friend's wedding. We proceeded to eat our Shakey's pepperoni pizza and popped a bottle of Vendetta.

Old Town Temecula Restaurants

The next day we got ready (slowly) and sought out a good brunch spot. Our options seemed limited via Yelp so we decided we would drive through Old Town until we found a place we liked. 1909 was the happening spot, we put our name down for a 40-minute wait while we looked around for another restaurant before we ate each other out of starvation. Luckily it didn't come to that and right next door was Public House, which had a shaded patio and no wait! I had the eggs benedict with bacon (pork belly) and a coffee since we weren't ready for mimosas yet.

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Briar Rose Winery

Briar Rose Winery House - Straight out of a Disney movie

Before heading back to LA, there was one more spot we HAD to check out, Briar Rose Winery. It was like a Disneyland vineyard, with a cottage and princess statues. 

The gardens were filled with statues that were very Disney like. We were convinced that Snow White or Cinderella were going to come out and break into song at any moment! It didn’t happen, probably for the best!

We didn't make a reservation so our only option was to buy a bottle or glass of wine to walk around. I got a glass of the White Zin which I hadn't seen white zin at any other vineyard (or ever) - it was refreshing and pink! 

Briar Rose Wine Tasting Room

Finally, it was time to head home to beat traffic. I took one last look at the rolling hills covered in grapevines. BUT, before we left, we needed ice cream! So we stopped at Creamistry for some Liquid Nitrogen ice cream and then got on the freeway.

VINES AND KATE SPADE ICE CREAM UMBRELLAS

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Where we stayed: Extended Stay America - Temecula Hotels - Wine Country

27622 Jefferson Avenue, Temecula, CA 92590

I would never stay here again. We booked through Expedia which apparently means you are automatically signed up for a smoking room. The lady at the front desk said it doesn't smell THAT bad. She at least let us check it out before we took it. The hallway smelled terrible but the room wasn't too bad. It had new hardwood floors and was relatively clean. The view was of the parking lot and the freeway, which you could hear the cars rushing down the 15. The clientele was interesting as people hung out and smoked blunts in the parking lot. We were worried our car wasn't going to be there the next day. Luckily, we spent just one night and had enough wine to make it bearable. I’d recommend staying at an Airbnb or some of the vineyards have fancy rooms available!

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If you have ever been to Temecula, let us know about your favorite places! We'll be back soon - I have to pick up wine at Europa Village for my wine club! A hot air balloon ride over Temecula is on my list, which my friend highly recommended! Please note this is not a sponsored post and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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Wine Tasting in Temecula

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Need another glass? Try these posts:

HOW TO SPEND 4 DAYS ON YOUR MAUI VACATION - COMPLETE ITINERARY WITH MAP

Kaanapali Beach - Black Rock

Updated: January 12, 2026

What to do for 4 days in Maui, Hawaii - FULL ITINERARY AND MAP

Maui is our absolute favorite place in the world! We got engaged, then married there a year later. Now, we return EVERY year to celebrate our anniversary and relive our favorite memories.

This itinerary is part of our Ultimate Maui Travel Guide, where we cover hotels, food, activities, and travel tips.

Hawaii is calling and I must go sign in our apt!

Do as our sign in our apartment says, "Hawaii is calling and I must go!" We got this sign at Sand People in Maui, my favorite shop!

There are so many different things to do in Maui, but here is our favorite itinerary! Whether this is your first trip to Maui, or tenth, we hope you love our suggestions.

This post may contain affiliate links of services that we love! If you book anything through these links, we get a commission at no cost to you! Help support the blog by saving and using these links.

Before you go, check out everything you need to pack for Hawaii here: Packing Checklist for Hawaii - includes a helpful list of items you can buy straight from Amazon!

Here is a map made with the Wanderlog Travel Planner, so you can follow along, add to your Google maps account, or create your own personal map! Wanderlog allows you to create great maps and guides for any vacation!

Map courtesy of Wanderlog travel planner

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This detailed 4-day Maui itinerary is perfect for first-time visitors who want to see the highlights without feeling rushed.

DAY 1

FLIGHT & CAR RENTAL

Front Street - Lahaina

We take the 8:30a American flight from LAX and the airport to fly into Maui is known as OGG. It's about 5 hours to get there and with the time difference, we arrive at the hotel around noon and have almost a whole day to do something fun on the island.

It's hard to get around the island without a car. We always rent a Jeep through Costco Travel to save money and get the best car to tour the island. We love the ones with the removable roof!

Don't have a Costco membership? That's ok, Booking.com also has great deals on car rentals or you can get a fairly decent rate on an airport transfer (if you don’t want to drive)!

What does Maui mean? Fun fact: This name belongs to a trickster god in Polynesian mythology!

RELATED POST: How much does it cost to go to Maui? - Itinerary, budget, and more!

Maui Rainbows are everywhere!

BEST MAUI RESORT HOTELS

We like to stick the Kaanapali stretch of hotels mainly because there is a lot to do and you can walk (or swim) everywhere. We love the Sheraton Maui Resort, which is located at the end of the Ka’anapali hotel stretch, against the black rock. We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! If you are looking for a place to stay with more people, they even have offers for apartments and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO!

Before you go, check out everything you need to pack for Hawaii here: Packing Checklist for Hawaii

Sheraton Maui Resort Pool - Lagoon

Check out our entry for more on the Sheraton:  Hotel Review: Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa

Check-in is normally 3p, so we try and check-in to see if our room is ready early, and if not we head to get lunch at one the pool bars (Cliff Dive Bar or Mai Tai Bar) and a Mai Tai! YUM!

Usually, our room is ready right after lunch, giving us time to move in and get ready for our first adventure. 

AFTERNOON: SNORKELING

The best part about the end of the Kaanapali beach is the Black Rock, in front of the Sheraton Resort. Where it might seem like a hideous black lava rock, under the sea you can find gorgeous coral, tons of fish, and usually see a turtle or two. We’ve even seen a few octopuses but you have to look hard for them! Also, try a different spin on snorkeling and take sailing and snorkel trip to Honolua! Their catamaran is a BEAUTY!

Snorkeling in Maui - Turtle sighting

Another great spot is Kapalua Bay. Even though the clarity isn't as great as around Black Rock, there are still plenty of fish to see. On one of our swims, we saw 6 turtles! We parked in a free beach parking lot (or there is street parking) next to Merriman's, and walked through the tunnel near the valet for beach access.

RELATED POST: See more in our 5 Best Snorkel Spots in Maui

Kapalua Bay

 Don’t forget to pack a hat!

Hello Sunshine floppy hat

on Amazon.com

EVENING: DINNER AT MAUI BREW CO BREWPUB

NEW Location: 2525 Kaanapali Pkwy, Lahaina, HI 96761

Note: the Maui Brewing Company Kahana Gateway Shopping Center location permanently closed in 2025.

This is a perfect place for good brews and bar food especially if you are coming back from a swim in Kapalua! The Maui onion dip and buffalo chicken wings are our favorite items on the menu! They put all of their beers on menu chalkboards in the restaurant and switch them out occasionally. You can also purchase beers there and take them home! We had them package up a few cans of beers we couldn’t buy on the mainland - all beers made it home just fine in our checked bag. There are also TV's throughout the restaurant if you are looking to root for your favorite sports team.

Fun fact: Did you know Maui Brew Co is independently owned? Garrett Marrero is a Poway native and the owner and found of the Maui Brewing Company, with local production on Maui itself! You can even tour the brewery for $20 in Kehei.

RELATED POST: Want more dinner options? Check out our post for our Top 10 Restaurants in Maui, Hawaii

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DAY 2

ROAD TO HANA - FULL DAY TRIP

We’ve done the Road to Hana a few times since there are so many different things to do and see along the way. Some of our favorite stops include:

1. Black Sand Beach 

2. Lava Tubes 

3. Red Sand Beach 

4. Coconut Glen's ice cream

5. Haleakala National Park (2 hours - if you do the long hike)

Don’t want to drive the windy roads? I don’t blame you! Book a seat with this Road to Hana Tour as recommended by a local!

Pro Tip: Check out our complete guide with a map of our favorite stops: Guide to the Road to Hana

Don't forget to stop to try some of Coconut Glen's homemade ice cream! They serve organic, vegan, dairy free ice cream, using coconuts from the jungles of Maui. Don't let "organic, vegan, dairy free ice cream" scare you. TRUST ME, you won’t regret it.

See my full review here: Coconut Glen's Homemade Ice Cream

Mai Tai at Mama’s Fish House

EVENING: MAMA'S FISH HOUSE

799 Poho Pl, Paia, HI 96779

On our way back from the road to Hana adventure, we stopped at Mama's Fish House for dinner. Make sure you make a reservation in advance, we used Opentable. Parking is valet only. 

I'm not a fish person particularly, but I did try some of our friends Mahi Mahi dish and it was the best fish I’ve ever had. I enjoyed their short rib and a couple of Mai Tai's (love that it's served in a tiki glass)!

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DAY 3

MORNING: SCUBA DIVING

Since we are scuba certified, we love to go diving at different locations in Maui. 

We loved the company, Extended Horizons in Lahaina, they go to the best spots and have amazing diving instructors. The dive site, Cathedral II, was one of my favorite dives! We went through a lava tube which was basically a cave with holes in the back, creating a fun place to explore! Check out the weird-looking slipper lobsters we found on the dive in our video! Some other great spots include Molokini Crater, the Carthaginian shipwreck, and Olowalu Reef, also known as turtle reef!

Extended Horizons trips depart from Lahaina, which is very convenient for staying on Kaanapali beach!  Whale season runs from November to May, which you can often see the humpback whales breach above water and you can often hear them while diving underwater.

They lost their shop and their boat in the Lahaina fire but still offer dives!

Want to set sail but not scuba? You can always rent a boat from our friends at Get My Boat, which is like Airbnb for boats!

Related Post: BEST SCUBA DIVE SITES IN MAUI

AFTERNOON: MASSAGES

We book our massages at the hotel typically the day we check-in, and look forward to them every day. 

We love getting our annual couples massage at the resort, especially after a few scuba dives or doing a trip to Hana. We usually get a basic full body massage for 50 mins, but this last time we went for the 80 mins and it was worth every penny. The rooms are patio like with natural sunlight peaking from the top, complete with soothing Hawaiian tunes. Ahhh.. relaxing just thinking about it. 

POOL SIDE

Grab your flip flops! We like to bring a book, a magazine, cards, or scroll through Instagram by the pool. This is where I started my research to start a travel blog! I may have ordered a few drinks to think it was a GREAT idea!

Havianas Slim Flip Flops

Various colors and prints available on Amazon.com

Before you go, check out everything you need to pack for Hawaii here: Packing Checklist for Hawaii

EVENING: SHOPPING & DINNER

We walked down to Whaler's Village for some shopping and grab dinner at the Barefoot Bar. 

The Barefoot Bar is more casual ($$) serving burgers, fish and chips, pizza. The fun part about the bar, your feet are in the sand. Usually, they have live music and entertainment. 

I love their Mai Tai's which are served in tiki glasses topped with the umbrella! Presentation is everything to me. You MUST try the Hula pie! It’s vanilla or macadamia nut ice cream with an Oreo crumble pie crust, with whipped cream and fudge on top! OR try their enormous brownie ice cream sandwich. It’s a hard choice… just get both!

Need more options? There is also the Monkeypod Kitchen Restaurant in Whaler's Village that opened from the owners of Merriman's. We’ve literally tried everything on the menu and can’t recommend it enough - don’t skip out on the chicken wings or the mai tai with the honey foam! Check out our full review for more on Monkeypod: Restaurant Review: Monkeypod Restaurant

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DAY 4

MORNING: HALEAKALA SUNRISE

Sunrise at Haleakala

Parking: Haleakala Summit Parking, Kula, HI 96790 - You MUST make a reservation in advance as parking is limited! Reservations can be secured two months in advance and up until 6pm the day before your visit. See more information and tips on visiting Haleakala here: HALEAKALA CRATER

We got up at 2am and hit the road by 3am to drive about 2 hours to the top of Haleakala Summit. Check the sunrise times and try to arrive about an hour beforehand for a spot in the lot.

It gets pretty chilly at almost 10,000 feet. I wore layers including exercise clothes with sweatpants and sweatshirt on top. Bring snacks and water (and coffee) too!

If you don't want to drive (the roads are very windy up and down the mountain at very early hours), take this guided tour with Roberts Hawaii where they will pick up, take you to the top, feed you 2 meals, and bring you back. You can rest easy and even take a nap!

Since the sunrise viewing in atop of a mountain, there are many spots to watch the sunrise from and not a bad view. As the sky starts to change cameras come out, and the sun rises through the clouds. It's one of the best sunrises I've ever seen in my life. Fun Fact: Josh proposed to me here!

Mauimosas at Kula Lodge

BREAKFAST @ KULA LODGE

15200 Haleakala Hwy, Kula, HI 96790

On the way down from Haleakala, we stopped at Kula Lodge for spectacular views, a delicious breakfast (eggs benedict was my fave), and a Maui-mosa - they use pineapple instead of orange juice.

AFTERNOON: NAP AND POOL-TIME

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was time for a nap and relaxation. We took a quick nap, then went to hang out by the pool and snorkel in the ocean.

Black Rock Jumpers

EVENING: DINNER AT MERRIMAN'S KAPALUA

Address: 1 Bay Club Pl, Lahaina, HI 96761

We made a reservation about a month in advance to make sure we could get there for some cocktails and sunset. 

This fine-dining restaurant ($$$$) is the perfect spot in west Maui for sunset drinks and dinner. Located right on the water, you’ll overlook the waters of Kapalua Bay. Their cocktails are superb, made with fresh ingredients. The farm to table menu has a variety of Hawaiian fish and my favorite is the chimichurri savory steak.

Don’t forget about ordering some dessert! I enjoyed their homemade ice cream and cones (of course).  It's about a 15 min drive from the Kaanapali resorts.

Wwoof, what a trip. But how amazing did it look?! :) Let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions in the comments below!

We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! They even have apartments, lodges, and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO! By booking through this link, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link!

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Don’t forget some of our favorite packing essentials:

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Here are some other posts we have about Maui:

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Top 9 Reasons why you MUST add Bora Bora to your Bucketlist!

9 Reasons to Visit Bora Bora on your Honeymoon or in your Lifetime!

We went to Bora Bora in French Polynesia to bookend our honeymoon and it was worth every penny and mile it took to get us there! I was surprised our occupied our days were when I was expecting to not do anything! Check out what to expect with our 9 reasons below:

Overwater Bungalows InterContinental Bora Bora

1. Overwater Bungalows 

We stayed at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa and WOW, just being able to walk out into the water from your own porch is a dream. Its location has the best view of the center island, where the sun will set right behind the mountain.

Overwater Bungalow Sunset Bora Bora

In the guest room, there is a glass coffee table that lets you look down at the water below. We loved watching fish swim under our room! The bed faces a floor to ceiling window that makes you feel like you're just floating in the aqua lagoon. It’s literally heaven on Earth!

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2. Infinity Pool with a Perfect View

This infinity pool is just gorgeous and the InterContinental Thalasso has the PERFECT view of the mountain! I don't think I need to add anything else here. Maybe a drink...

Infinity Pool InterContinental Bora Bora

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3. Stingray Feedings

I was apprehensive about feeding stingrays at first but as long as you have their food, they are like little puppies that brush up against you begging for food. 

Feeding Sting Rays in Bora Bora

The man with the bucket came out blowing a shell like a horn, getting the stingrays ready for a feeding!

Warning, watch out for the seagulls. They are food stealers.

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4. Book a relaxing Massage at the Bora Bora InterContinental Thalasso Spa

The Bora Bora InterContinental Thalasso spa is top-notch! They even have a room where you can watch the fish through the hole in the table while getting a massage. How peaceful is that?

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5. Scuba Dive in Bora Bora 

The colors are beautiful deep below the surface, with thousands of fish along the gorgeous colorful coral reef. We even saw a 7 foot lemon shark swim through.

Scuba Dive in Bora Bora

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6. Rent Jet Skis and tour around the Island

The jet ski tour was my favorite activity! We went around the entire island, and our guide showed us how to break open a coconut on the shore with our bare hands! It was delicious!

Jet ski in Bora Bora

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7. Rent Paddle boards, Kayaks, and Other Activities 

Paddleboards and kayaks were provided by the hotel (InterContinental Bora Bora) at no extra cost. Just ask the pool boy for permission and float your cares away in the lagoon. 

For a price, you can also go on a rainforest tour, ATV safari, or even go parasailing!

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8. RELAX, You’re literally in paradise!

There's not a lot of pressure to do anything but hang out in your swimsuit for 24 hours. That's actually what we did for 4 days. 

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9. Fruity Drinks & Ice cream by the pool 

Brownie sundaes are always acceptable, even at the pool. Other food and many drinks can also be indulged poolside. Much like Hawaii or any tropical destination, they have all the fruity poolside drinks you can think of. Delicious and refreshing!

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More to do in French Polynesia:

Hobbiton really exists and I want to live there! See the movie set in New Zealand!

Hobbiton really exists and I want to live there! See why you must visit this movie set in New Zealand!

We work in television, so being on set is something we're used to, but the Lord of the Rings HOBBITON movie set was awesome! I read the first Lord of the Rings books in high school and have seen a couple of the movies but I wouldn't call myself an expert or super fan by any means. This place was so picturesque and perfect, I enjoyed it way more than I thought I was going to!

Hobbiton, New Zealand

How to Get to Hobbiton from Auckland

We were staying in Auckland and booked our tour through Viator.

Click here for the Small-Group Tour: The Lord of the Rings Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from Auckland

It's around $220 USD but includes:

• Transportation to and from Hobbiton

• Tour of the Shire

• Lunch at the Dragon Inn

•  A cider, ale or ginger beer inside the Green Dragon Inn

• $10 Voucher for the Giftshop

It's an 8-hour tour which starts bright and early with a pickup from your hotel around 7am. We stopped at a coffee shop along the way for a little snack and stretch since it was a 2.5 hour bus ride. Sounds like a long ride, but the sites along the way were picturesque and gorgeous. The ride also allowed us to catch up on a little sleep! 

Welcome to Hobbiton

Arriving at Hobbiton

When searching New Zealand for the perfect location, Jackson sought out for a tall tree near a lake that could live up to the "Party Tree" as described in the books. The perfect location for the Shire was finally found in Matamata on a working sheep farm in the heart of Waikato.

Hobbiton Map - Movie Set Tour

Sheep Farm - Hobbiton

Apparently the location scout for the movie landed his helicopter and went up to the Alexander house to inquire about using the land in an upcoming movie. Mr. Alexander's reaction was the best, he told the scout that the rugby was on, and he should come back later. He did. 

To get to bag end, you must drive through the 1250 acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family to make it up to the world’s biggest outdoor movie set. 

Fun fact: with over 13,500 sheep on the farm, not one of them was shown in the film. Director, writer and producer, Peter Jackson, preferred the look of Suffolk sheep with dark faces and legs, which were brought in for filming.

Read more about Small-Group Tour: The Lord of the Rings Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from Auckland - Auckland | Viator at: Small Group Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

The Shire was built twice since it was torn down after the Lord of the Rings trilogy wrapped, then rebuilt for the Hobbit movies. The set covers 12 acres, featuring 44 hobbit holes.

Hobbit Holes!

Hobbit Holes

We started venturing into the Shire, seeing all the hobbit holes including Bilbo Baggins’s house. Between 30 and 200 plants surround each hobbit hole, employing seven to eight gardeners to maintain the beautiful agricultural grounds.

Bilbo Baggins Hobbit Hole

The holes are based on different sizes to feed to the illusion of their actual size. The holes used by actors playing hobbits were built at a 90 percent scale, while the holes used by Gandalf were built at a 60 percent scale to make him look much larger.  

Most of the scenes filmed inside the holes were on a set, leaving the Hobbit holes as facades but there are some you can walk into. The inside is only about 5 feet, but still, fun to walk in!

Visiting Hobbit Holes at 60% scale

Hobbit holes ay 90% scale and a 5 foot inside

Click here for the Small-Group Tour: The Lord of the Rings Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from Auckland

This hobbit hole was my favorite! Just look at how pretty it is! We spent a lot of time here! 

My favorite hobbit hole with pretty flowers!

Hobbiton was allowed to stay in New Zealand as long as they kept the grounds just as it looked in the movie.

Hobbiton Party Tree

The Party Tree

The "Party Tree" can be found on the top of the hill of Hobbiton above Bilbo's house. This 70-80 meter tall oak tree's color is greener than most because it is made of fiberglass and hand painted silk leaves that were individually wired on to each branch. 

The Pond at Hobbiton

The Pond

While shooting the movies, the frogs in the pond were too noisy affecting dialogue among the characters and causing an inability to hear each other. Peter Jackson actually paid someone to move ALL of the frogs relocating them to a different pond on the sheep farm. They were put back after production wrapped.

The Green Dragon

The Green Dragon

The Green Dragon was a later edition to the farm in 2012. Southfarthing beverages can be found exclusively at the Green Dragon Inn: an apple cider, non-alcoholic ginger beer and two ales, all brewed at the Good George Brewery in Hamilton. They are served at the bar in the Green Dragon Inn. Our tour came with one, but we bought another round.

Totally worth checking out! Click here for the Small-Group Tour: The Lord of the Rings Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from Auckland

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Please note this is not a sponsored post and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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The latest and greatest on the blog:

Ice Cream Review: Halo Top Scoop Shop in Los Angeles, CA - Best soft serve!

Halo Top Scoop Shop

• LA Location: The Grove, 189 The Grove Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036 - all other locations have been permanently closed! :(

• Website: https://www.halotopscoopshop.com/ 

• Pricing: Generous soft-serve portion for a great price - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

• Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  (4/5 for their soft-serve but 3/5 for their ice cream)

• Take-out: Take-out only - enjoy on the grass near the fountain!

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy Free Options Available and Guilt-Free Options!

Hot pink ice cream cone with Halo Top’s Peaches and Cream Soft Serve!

I love ice cream but I hate dieting! I was thrilled when I discovered Halo Top at my local Ralphs, finally, a low-calorie ice cream that is delicious! I love everything about this brand, their marketing, flavors, and was so excited to hear the news that an ice cream scoop shop was opening near me! 

2020 UPDATE: A lot of the scoop shop locations have closed but The Grove is open with the same options as my visit to Century City! The Grove location is right in front of Nordstroms where Haagen Dazs used to be. It’s best to grab a soft serve cone and enjoy it near the fountain!

Don’t forget to check out our complete list of Best Ice Cream Scoop Shops in Los Angeles

Halo Top Scoop Shop - Century City - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Halo Top Scoop Shop Menu Flavors

If I buy the pint, I’ll want to eat the whole thing! Here you can get not only your favorite pint flavors but also incredible soft serve options! Since I can get a pint anytime at my local Ralphs, I wanted to try something different so I went for the soft serve. I tried all three soft serve options - Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Peaches & Cream. All were tasty, but the peaches and cream flavor was perfect for the warm summer day!

There were so many different options from 4 different kinds of cones to ice cream sandwiches and ICE CREAM TACOS! Also, the cones came in the best colors - pink and a bluish turquoise!

Halo Top Scoop Shop Menu

Halo Top Ice Cream Scoop Shop

Halo Top Scoop Shop Menu

It was also chock full of topping options to add to your delectable treats.

Toppings bar at Halo Top

I was debating on what my base should be, and when I heard they had pink ice cream cones, I knew it was a must (and it matched my nails!). 

YUM! If you get the chance, grab a cone or a taco and always add sprinkles on top! 

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Giapo - Best Ice Cream (and fanciest) in Auckland, New Zealand

Ice Cream Review: Giapo Haute Ice Cream

• Location: 12 Gore St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand

• Website: Giapo Ice Cream

• Pricing: Generous portion that is hand-crafted with fancy edible embellishments ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars for that

• Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 creamy for gelato)

• Dietary Restrictions: Halal, vegan, kosher, and gluten-free options available

• Take-out/Pickup: Pickup and local delivery service available - Download their app in the Apple app store or Google Play!

Giapo Ice Cream in Auckland, New Zealand

We stopped in Auckland, New Zealand while on our honeymoon and found the best ice cream shop with the fanciest treats I've ever seen.

Giapo is for the people who are ready to see ice cream as a platform for freedom and art. Giapo is for anyone who dares to strive for more.

Gianpaolo Grazioli (Giapo) and his wife Annarosa Petrucci just want to make the best ice cream in the world, from the bottom of the world. Their story is so cute, they met in high school in Southern Italy and are now making big strides in the ice cream industry. Italian culinary tastemaker website, Dissapore, named Giapo one of the top 10 gelaterias in the WORLD.

Giapo looks at ice cream as art and is a great innovator! Even the entrance was gorgeous and inviting. 

Giapo Ice Cream Shop

Our ice cream designer was a hoot! So much personality and helped us figure out if we wanted hokey pokey or chocolate evolution. Everyone was so nice and you could tell that they loved their job!

Sassy Ice Cream Scooper! Loved her!

Giapo Ice Cream Menu

I loved the creative names of the flavors, though it made it hard to order because I had no idea what was in "Kiss Kiss." These one-of-a-kind flavors included the classics, and there's always an Aotearoa Garden seasonal special.

Giapo Ice Cream Menu

Giapo Squid Ice Cream Cone - @giapokitchen Instagram

During these new times, they have posted their menu online and you can order through the app, then easily pick up your order in front of the store!

The colossal squid cone is one of their most famous ice cream cone designs, but they have many other beautiful creations. See their Instagram @giapokitchen for more.

Giapo Ice Cream Menu 2020

All toppings are handcrafted in the shop. Luxuriously appointed cones and chocolate cups that make the Giapo ice cream spectacular for both eyes and taste buds. Just look at the exquisite gold hazelnuts in the first picture!

Ice cream artists scooping and designing away!

If we were staying longer in NZ, I would have loved to take their Ice Cream Masterclass, where you can prep, make, and create your own luxurious concoction. There’s even a kitchen tour, which I would have also loved!

Giapo New Zealand Ice Cream

For bookings see more info here giapo.com or contact them via email giapo@giapo.com or whatsapp us here.

I'm in love with this place! I wish New Zealand wasn't so far from California! Please open a shop here, Giapo! 

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Terrifying Shark Scuba Dive at Stuart's Cove - Nassau, Bahamas | Video Included!

SHARKS?! ARE YOU CRAZY? Yup. It sounded like a good idea when we signed up, well maybe not a GOOD idea, but sounded like fun. Stuart’s Cove is famous for their Shark Dives and they offer a variety of different dives. I had been to the Bahamas before and had admired the sharks in the tanks at the Atlantis resort, but never thought I’d be inches from them!

*SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL VIDEO!*

Reef Shark Dive - Bahamas

SHARK DIVE ADVENTURE IN THE BAHAMAS

We went with the Shark Adventure Two-Tank Dive and there was NO CAGE! Stuart Cove’s Shark Adventure takes you deep down to get up close and personal with the Caribbean Reef sharks. We were staying at the Atlantis Resort, which they arranged for pickup as part of the dive package.

See all Stuart Cove dive packages including shark feeding, shark awareness, shark shooting (video), reef dives, and Snuba! Our scuba dive with the sharks in the Bahamas cost $182 for a 2-tank dive, all equipment, and shuttle to the dive shop and back to the hotel! Not a bad deal!

Once we arrived at the dive shop, we suited up and headed for the boat. There were many briefings on how this dive was going to work and that you need to stay calm so the sharks stay calm. The sharks really don’t want to eat you, but if you move your arm real quick they might think it’s a fish. Soooo basically I just didn’t move for 30-40 minutes.

We did a regular free swim dive first to get comfortable seeing sharks but not getting too close. There were a few sunken barges that were cool to check out and could see the sharks from a safe distance.

I don’t see any sharks behind me…

Then it was time for the Shark Dive! The briefing included clear instructions that we would all come down and head to the “Arena” where we would be placed in pairs, creating a semi-circle for the Divemaster to put on his greatest show. We were told to either sit on our knees or lay on your belly. There was a bit of a current, so it was harder to balance on my knees and I ended up slowly moving down to my belly.

The bait box and my new friend

Once you enter the Arena, the Divemaster brings out the bait box and feeds them like pets! Sharks would swim by almost knocking you over with their fins! There were more sharks than I had anticipated but it was pretty cool!

The sharks are so large and scary looking but there was one that looked like he was smiling. Although I think a hook ripped the side of his mouth, so let’s go with smiling. It was terrifying and amazing; I’m so glad we have it on video so we don’t have to do it again (but I highly recommend the experience😉)!

HAPPY SHARK WEEK EVERYONE!

This is my smiling shark friend! Doesn’t he look happy to see me?!

Now for our Shark Dive video!

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Shark Dive Bahamas

Shark Dive Bahamas

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Do You NEED Travel Insurance?

For the crazy and unprecedented events of 2020, travel insurance might be more important now more than ever for future trips! Make sure you’re protected for delays, illness, lost luggage, and even natural disasters—the best travel insurance can soften the impact of unforeseen events.

How do you get travel insurance? How does travel insurance work? How much does travel insurance cost? ALL great questions that can be answered in this ultimate Travel Insurance Guide from Consumer’s Advocate.

PRO TIP: We typically book travel on our credit cards that offer travel insurance, just make sure you read the fine print!

You never know who’s watching you. Look out for pickpockets! ;-)

5 Interesting Facts About Travel Insurance

1. Buzzkills - Standard in most travel insurance policies is a drug and alcohol exclusion that won’t payout if you’re intoxicated. So… don’t get hurt after that mai tai in the fun tiki glass with the tiny umbrella.

2. How much does travel insurance cost? It depends on what type of coverage you end up getting. Typically costs range about 4-10% of the trip price. However, premium coverage or Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) policies can be a bit more expensive. But if you can cancel a $3000 trip for $100, isn’t that worth it?

3. Event Cancellations - Allows for the cancellation of the trip if the specific reason for the trip--an event such as a concert or festival--is canceled.

4. Medical Coverage - If you are injured on your trip, some policies will fly a relative to take care of you or even emergency transport to your hospital of choice around the world. However, if you are being adventurous, check out extreme sports (bull riding, cave diving, and mixed martial arts) in the Explorer Plan vs Standard Plan activities (kite surfing, ice hockey) coverage here.

5. Loopholes--as they’re commonly understood--do not exist in insurance policies. While coverage can be denied for a number of reasons (drug or excessive alcohol use, for instance), those reasons are clearly laid out in the policy contract. 

Zip-lining in Maui, Hawaii

5 Different Types of Travel Insurance Coverage

1. Basic cancellation coverage: Covers you for pre-paid, non-refundable expenses under a fixed set of circumstances outlined in your policy. ​​​​​​ You can make a claim when have to cancel a trip due to:

   • A health emergency or illness, for example. Depending on the policy you choose, you may also be able to make a claim

   • If you’re laid off from work or you’re called for jury duty (depending on the policy chosen).

   • If your travel provider has to cancel your trip due to a natural disaster in the destination city.

2. Trip delay insurance: You’ll be reimbursed for any expenses you incur as a result of your trip being delayed

   • Usually included with cancellation coverage.

   • Meals, hotel charges, and taxi fees are among the expenses covered.

   • Short departure delays are not covered; policies set a minimum number of hours for covered delays.

3. Trip interruption coverage: protects you in the event you have to return home due to an emergency once you’ve already started your trip.

   • It will likely pay for the cost of getting you home and getting you back to your destination once you’re able to travel again. 

4. Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR): Offers the fullest coverage but may only make sense for you if your calendar is subject to change at a moment’s notice. 

5. Specialized Event Coverage: covers special events for most cancellations (i.e. outdoor game gets rained out)
   
   Have high-value items (phone, laptop, camera, etc.)? Make sure your items are within the limits of your policy; and if not, consider increasing your policy coverage! 

So do you NEED travel insurance? Probably a good idea if you’re planning in 2020!

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Do You NEED Travel Insurance?

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PACKING SECRETS: What to pack and what to leave at home when wine tasting in Napa!

PACKING ESSENTIALS for wine tasting in Napa Valley in Northern California plus FREE packing checklist!

We go to Napa about once a year, so I’m sharing my packing secrets with you! Layering is very important as mornings and evenings tend to be cooler in Northern California no matter what season it is! Here are year-round suggestions for what to pack for Napa!

Related Post: Planning a trip to Napa? Start with our Napa Valley Travel Guide for hotel, restaurant, winery recommendations and more! Don’t miss: How to Spend a Weekend in Napa - Complete Itinerary

Download our FREE Napa packing list!

Since I love to organize things, I sorted my list by category so it is foolproof not to leave something behind. Granted Napa does have shops and anything can be bought there, but I’d rather save my money to come back!

Want a FREE printable/downloadable pretty travel checklist with everything in this post? Click here: Packing Essentials for Napa or shop directly from our Amazon list with outfit ideas and budget-friendly accessories!

Click the image to shop Great Dress Options for Napa that Won’t break the bank!

CLOTHING TO PACK FOR A WEEKEND IN NAPA

1. Dresses - I love wearing short dresses around the wineries and to maxi dresses to dinner. During Winter, I pack cute sweaters for the day and maybe a dress for a fancy dinner.

2. Stay Warm - For mornings and cooler nights bring a sweater or three. During Winter, it can get to 50 degrees during the day and even cooler at night; so I’d pack a cute coat!

3. Workout Clothes - If you need to sweat it out! Some great scenery to run around Napa or hit the hotel gym.

4. Sneakers - great to have if you’re walking around or going on adventures

5. Plane Outfit - I love a good oversized top and leggings.

6. Basics - Socks, Underwear, Bras, Sports Bras, PAJAMAS!

7. Small Purse - to hold an ID, Credit card, cash, phone, lipstick, gum and maybe a car key

8. Accessories/Jewelry - Earrings, Necklace, Bracelet, Watch

9. Bubble wrap or a travel wine bag - If you think you will be purchasing some wine, bring some bubble wrap or something to put wine in and then pack the wine in the middle of your suitcase on your way home with your clothes protecting the bottles. You’ll have to check the bag if you’re flying with wine. Pro TIp: If you sign up for a wine club at the winery, you can add your favorite wines you sampled that day and have them ship with your first order.

What not to pack: DON’T OVERPACK! Plan your outfits ahead of time and see what you can mix and match or get away with packing just 1 extra pair of shoes! Everything should fit in a carry-on. Don’t pack a wine opener with a small blade for the foil - I speak from experience.

WINE TASTING DAY ESSENTIALS

1. Comfortable Footwear - Summer is warm with a breeze, Fall and Spring can go either way, Winter can be cold and rainy. No matter when you go, cute and comfortable shoes are always a great idea.

2. Sunglasses - Sojo Sunglasses on Amazon are budget-friendly, great quality, and trendy!

3. Camera - Napa Valley is picturesque, take it all in and take a photo!

4. Compact Travel Umbrella - Northern California is often rainy! Check the weather in Napa before you go!

5. Water Bottle - Stay hydrated! Collapsable bottles are great!

6. Snacks - We like to have granola bars, gummi bears, and M&M’s on hand for the car, in the room, or just to enjoy with some wine!

7. Cute tote or purse - You’ll need something to hold the above. If you have a designated driver, bring a small purse, and leave some things in the car!

What not to pack: Don’t bring your make-up bag, tons of lotions, or heavy things in your bag. Your day will typically consist of walking around or standing, don’t put too many things in your purse.

Want a FREE printable/downloadable list with everything in this post? Click here: Packing Essentials for Napa or shop directly from our Amazon list with outfit ideas and budget-friendly accessories!

TOILETRIES FOR NAPA

1. Basics - Shampoo, Conditioner, Shower Gel (if you prefer your own, most hotels have these)

2. Deodorant - Might be considered a basic, but something you really don’t want to forget!

3. Sunblock - We like to walk the vineyards or sit on a patio, protect your skin!

4. First Aid - I pack a few bandaids, Neosporin, aspirin… just in case (so much wine)!

5. Manicure Set - Manicure scissors (small TSA friendly ones), Nail clipper, tweezers, small nail file

6. Makeup! - I forgot my makeup bag once. It wasn’t pretty.

7. Hairbrush and Comb

8. Hairspray/Gel

9. Hair ties and Bobby pins - Never know when the wind will pick up and no one likes hair in their wine.

10. Curling Iron or Flat Iron - Get Instagram ready!

11. Feminine Products

ELECTRONICS FOR NAPA

1. GoPro - Get those driving shots with a camera mount on your car!

2. Camera - We love our DSLR for a higher quality shot

3. iPad - load it up with shows for the plane before you go and refresh the apps the day before you leave as some downloads won’t work after 24 hours.

4. Mobile Phone - I mean I can’t go 10 minutes without mine.

5. Headphones - don’t forget the little jack for Apple devices

6. External battery - keep your electronics charged!

7. Cables - don’t forget your charging cables

See more plane tips here: Flying in 2019: Tips and Trick for the Airport and Airplane 

Want a FREE printable/downloadable checklist with everything in this post? Click here: Packing Essentials for Napa or shop directly from our Amazon list with outfit ideas and budget-friendly accessories!

CARRY-ON LUGGAGE RECOMMENDATION

Would you believe me if I said I fit everything on my list for a 4-5 day trip in a carry-on and personal bag? We have the best carry-on that is spacious and seriously compacts all of our clothes - Travel Pro. Most pilots and plane attendants carry this Travel Pro model as well. Although I love the ease of steering with 4 wheels, having 2 wheels you get an extra couple of inches!

Travelpro Crew 11 - Softside Expandable Rollaboard Upright Luggage, Black, Carry-On 22-Inch

Find the best rate to visit paradise by booking your room through Booking.com Not only will you find the best rate out there but by clicking this link and booking a night, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link! :-) Thanks! 

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Napa Packing List for a Wine Tasing Weekend

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Packing checklist for Napa, California. Things you’ll need for a weekend in Napa any season of the year. Style and outfits for Napa Valley wineries. What to pack for Napa and free downloadable pack checklist.

Purchase

Want a FREE printable/downloadable list with everything in this post? Click here: Packing Essentials Checklist for Napa or shop directly from our Amazon list with outfit ideas and budget-friendly accessories!

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Packing Essentials for Wine Tasting in Napa Valley, California

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Ice Cream Scoop Shop Review: Little Damage and the little black cone | Downtown Los Angeles

Ice Cream Scoop Shop Review: Little Damage

• Location: Downtown LA - 700 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

• Website: littledamage.com

• Pricing: Generous soft-serve portion for a great price (one free topping included -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars for that)

• Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 creamy soft-serve)

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan option always available

• Take-out: Local delivery service available

I had been wanting to visit Little Damage for a long time and always saw on social media how the line went out the door and wrapped around the corner. I waited until winter to finally check it out and it was definitely worth the hype!

Little Damage counter and menu with a list of their flavors!

ABOUT LITTLE DAMAGE

Little Damage is known for its devilish, black charcoal waffle cone. It gives a unique look against contrasting colorful soft serve or bright sprinkles. Flavors often rotate as they make their ice cream in small batches with local ingredients from organic dairy farms and zero preservatives.

Little Damage Ice Cream Quote - “I licked it, so it’s mine!”

LITTLE DAMAGE ICE CREAM QUOTES

The shop is small but has cute neon signs with fun sayings like:

“I licked it, so it’s mine”

“Cute but psycho, but cute”

“I like love you”

Are you singing the “Cute but Psycho” song too?

Little Damage neon sign quote - Cute but psycho, but cute

HOW IT TO ORDER AT LITTLE DAMAGE

I mean it’s not complicated but here we go: there are a handful of flavors listed on the wall, pick one of those plus a free topping from the selection of topping jars on the counter!

Kiki n Cream was blue! Tasty with crumbled Oreos on top!

LITTLE DAMAGE IS SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDLY

This place is an Instagram dream! So many great spots for social media pics from neon signs to spots on the side walk out in front! They even have a FREE photo booth in the back to entice you to take pics with your ice cream and post to social media!

Cute outline for Instagram pictures of gothic ice cream in front of Little Damage

In conclusion (because that’s how you end a good blog post, right?) if I’m in DTLA, I’d stop here again for a gothic black ice cream cone!

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Please note this is not a sponsored post and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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Ice Cream Review: Little Damage Ice Cream DTLA

More Ice Cream Related Posts:

6 Most Instagrammable, Pretty, Colorful Ice Cream Shops in Los Angeles, California

6 Best Instagram Ice Cream Spots in LA

You know I love ice cream… especially pretty ice cream pictures! You can go to places like Black Tap and get crazy Freak Shakes for $15 or you can go to a local ice cream shop and get something just as tasty and Instagram worthy! Los Angeles has tons of Instagram Ice Cream shops, you just have to know where to look. Influencers, tourists, Angelinos - here is our list for your next perfect social media ice cream pictures!

Related Post: BEST ICE CREAM SCOOP SHOPS IN LOS ANGELES (Rated, ranked, and map included)

After’s Ice Cream in Venice

Afters Ice Cream

Locations: All over LA (this photo was taken at the Venice Beach location)

Afters Ice Cream has tons of tasty flavors and some are bright in color! Cookie Monster ice cream is blue and tastes amazing, but caution, it will temporarily leave your mouth blue! Totally worth it though. The Venice location is nice with a picture-perfect beach background, however, keep in mind ice cream can melt pretty fast!

They also have witty sayings like, “ruining diets everywhere.”

See more photos in our full review: AFTERS ICE CREAM REVIEW

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Little Damage Ice Cream - Downtown LA

Little Damage

Location: Downtown LA - 700 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

This devilish, black, charcoal waffle cone gives a unique look against contrasting colorful soft serve or bright sprinkles. Flavors often rotate as they make their ice cream in small batches with local ingredients from organic dairy farms and zero preservatives.

See our full review here: LITTLE DAMAGE ICE CREAM REVIEW

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Milk Bar LA

Milk Bar

Location: 7150 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Shopping in Melrose? Momofuku’s Milk Bar is open in Los Angeles and people are flocking from all over for these tasty treats! Cookies, cakes, and soft serve will leave you happy and full! 

Lots of hot pink colors here! Outside there is a cake painted on the side of the building that is a full story high! See it in our full review: MILK BAR REVIEW

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Sloan’s Ice Cream Shop

Sloan’s Ice Cream

Locations: Santa Monica and Woodland Hills

These pretty pink stores are vibrant and can be seen a mile away! Inside, you’ll find walls with sprinkles and lollipops with fancy chandeliers hanging. Sloan’s also has amazing ice cream flavors and serves up generous portions!

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Bumsan Organic Milk Bar

Bumsan Organic Milk Bar

Location: Koreatown - 534 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Ok, don’t these pretty ice cream cones just scream Instagram ME!? The colors, toppings, and fancy swirl give these classy cones an edge. Bumsan serves premium 100% organic soft-serve ice cream from the leading organic dairy producer in Korea.

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SomiSomi Ah-Boong Fish Shaped Waffle Cone with Ice Cream

SomiSomi Soft Serve and Taiyaki

Locations: Santa Monica, Glendale, Little Tokyo, Koreatown and more!

SomiSomi serves a very special Korean dessert known as “Ah-Boong,” which is a fish-shaped waffle cone with your choice of filling and topped with soft serve.

Flavors include: Milk, Matcha, Ube, Black Sesame and more.

Filling stuffed inside the taiyaki cone include: Custard, Nutella, Red Bean, Cream Cheese and Taro.

Don’t forget a topping like Oreo crumbs, Strawberry, macaron, Graham crackers, Fruity Pebbles, or rainbow sprinkles (always my fave)!

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Please note this is not a sponsored post and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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6 Most Instagrammable, Pretty, Colorful Ice Cream Shops in Los Angeles, California

More ice cream posts please!

10 FUN things you must do in Wailea - Maui, Hawaii

Top Ten Things to do and See in Wailea, Hawaii

First or sixth trip to Hawaii? Doesn’t matter, check out these fun things to do in Wailea! It’s a pretty coastal drive if you’re staying in Lahaina or a great place to stay for a few nights! We stayed at the Grand Wailea and fell in love with Wailea!

Not sure which area is right for you? Our Ultimate Maui Travel Guide compares Kaanapali, Wailea, and other regions.

Here’s a list of what to do in Wailea, Maui:

1. Go for a Hike in Wailea

   Wailea hikes are the best way to start the day! At the end of Makena Road just past Wailea, there is a trail to hike around old lava fields. We were lucky enough to find a Hawaiian Monk Seal that had just given birth days prior and was on the shore with her pup. We took the Haopili Trail to Hanomanioa Light where at the end of the trail is one of those natural pools that you often see influencers float in on Instagram. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across some black mountain goats along the way!

Hike to the natural pools in Wailea

2. Find a Secret Beach in Wailea

Maybe it’s not such a secret if I’m telling you. Again, At the end of Makena Road just past Wailea, if you’re not in the mood to hike (see #1), there are little beach coves that only fit a few people so you can jump in the water, do yoga, read a book, have a picnic lunch, or take a nap! It’s a private beach all to yourself! Pro Tip: Claim your spot early.

Secret Beaches in Wailea

3. Enjoy a day by the beach!

Beach chairs are provided by most hotels, you just have to get there early to nab one. We stayed at the Grand Wailea and would grab a few chairs around 8am to be in the front row.

4. Snorkel around Turtle Town

Wailea has some great spots for snorkeling, but you have to check out Turtle Town. Turtle Town is where the turtles come to have the cleaner fish pick off the algae and other parasites living on their backs! We also saw quite a few turtles right near our hotel (Grand Wailea).

Related posts: Best Snorkel Spots in Maui and Best Scuba Spots in Maui

Snorkel around Turtle Town in Wailea

5. Visit the Turtles in Wailea

Right off the back of a Makena Landing parking lot (5083 Makena Alanui, Kihei, HI 96753), you’ll often find turtles resting in the sand/rocks. Don’t disturb them, but admire them from the trees! Also, there were tons of chickens chasing each other in the parking lot.

Resting Turtles in Wailea

6. Go Shopping in Wailea!

I always love shopping! The Shops at Wailea have everything you need from high-end stores like Louis Vuitton to the ABC Store! Lappert’s ice cream can be found here and you’ll smell the fresh waffle cones wafting in the air when you get close! Soha Living has the cutest coastal decor, which makes great souvenirs! The Island Gourmet Markets is the best Wailea grocery store and their coffee shop brews a delicious coconut macadamia nut latte!

7. Pineapple Wine Tasting

There is a vineyard on Maui and it’s not far from Wailea! Have a taste of Maui Wine’s famous pineapple wines, exclusive small production estate wines, and sparkling wines.

FUN FACT: The King’s Cottage was originally built in the 1870s to welcome King Kalākaua himself, the last reigning king of Hawai’i. He would come to ‘Ulupalakua to enjoy a little royal vacation time with lavish dinners, dancing, champagne, and celebration. Maui wine continues that celebration today, this time inviting all of you! Complimentary guided tours of the historic estate, production area, and wine cellar.

8. Golf in Wailea

Josh loves to golf and there is a fantastic course (Wailea Golf Club) with gorgeous views in Wailea. The Wailea Gold Course is not only gorgeous but one of the top 100 courses in America!

Wailea Golf Club

9. Restaurants in Wailea

Do some fine dining - you’re on vacation! Monkeypod Kitchen is a MUST, their mai tais are my favorite on the island (food is fantastic too)! We also really liked Lineage (Top Chef, Sheldon Simeon’s restaurant), conveniently located in The Shops at Wailea shopping center.

10. Spa Day in Wailea

You’re at the beach in Hawaii, RELAX! Go for a nice massage and then grab a drink by the pool. Many of the resorts have spas, don’t be afraid to try them. This is the ultimate vacation life!

Grand Wailea Luau - Best in Wailea

BONUS TIP: Don’t miss the Grand Wailea Luau!

If you walk along the pathway at night, you’ll hear the drums and luau music play. You can kinda see what’s happening on the luau stage as you stroll by, but you should experience the show along with a traditional Hawaiian dinner! The Marriott Wailea luau puts on a good show too. Get a great price on luau tickets with Activity Authority!

Maui is part of ListForAll.com’s TOP 25 TROPICAL VACATIONS and I think these are some good reasons for Maui to make that list!

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Things to do in Wailea - Maui, Hawaii

All MAUI POSTS HERE or the latest and greatest:

Best Scuba Dive Sites in Maui, Hawaii - Reviews and video included!

I’ve always loved swimming and have a love for marine creatures. Maybe it was watching the Little Mermaid hundreds of times when I was little! I was so happy when Josh wanted to get scuba certified so we could explore what is really under the sea. 5 years later and with over 35 dives all over the world, we can’t get enough! We go scuba diving every time we visit Maui, and have discovered some great dive sites. We’ve also encountered some great dive shops which make it easy for us to just show up and they bring the gear! We usually bring our own fins and masks so we can also snorkel around the hotel - See BEST SNORKEL SPOTS IN MAUI if you’re interested in snorkeling!

Let’s get into the reviews and don’t miss our video of these sites at the end!

For a complete breakdown of where to eat, stay, and what to do, see our Maui Travel Guide.

Lanai’s First Cathedral

Best Dive Sites in Maui

Maui Reef Fish Guide

The great part about Maui is that you can hop on a boat and get to a great dive site anywhere from 20-45 mins. Some hotels and dive shops will do beach dives where you can walk right into the water and start exploring right off the shore! When traveling to sites by boat, we typically stay on Kaanapali Beach and prefer to depart from Lahaina, but if you stay in Wailea there is another marina that is nearby.

Click HERE to check dive conditions in Maui for the day before you head out. If the visibility is poor and the current is strong, the dive is not pleasant. It’s often warm enough that we can just wear a rash guard and not need a wet suit!

Molokini Dive Sites

Molokini is a small inactive volcano visible from the south end of Maui. There are relatively shallow areas to snorkel as well as deeper areas to dive down to. Here are some great Molokini Snorkel Charters.

Molokini Crater was once used as a practice area for bombing in World War II! Learn more about the crater history and check out their really cool infographic HERE!

On our first trip with Lahaina Divers, we went to dive sites known as Aquarium and Reef’s End. We disembarked from Lahaina and it took us about 45 mins to get there. There were many vibrant colors of coral and fish, including angelfish, butterflyfish, Moorish idol (black and yellow banded fish), Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby, White Spotted Pufferfish, Barred Filefish (‘O’ili), Parrotfish, and a spotted eel. We even saw reef sharks and a barracuda - catch it at the end of the Molokini section of our video below!

On our second trip, we decided to check out the Backwall and had two dives with Maui Diamond Sea Sports. We were staying in Wailea and took off from Maalea Harbor (behind the Aquarium) which took around 25 minutes to get there. Once we jumped in, the water was so clear and so blue! We caught a white-spotted eagle ray swim by, a spotted eel, and many beautiful fish including white-spotted puffer and spotted butterflyfish - both native to the area.

Molokini Backwall - Spotted Eagle Ray

Lanai Dive Sites

From Kaanapali Beach and Lahaina, you look directly across to the island, Lanai, which looks like it is so close! With a quick 20-30 min ride from Lahaina Harbor, there are quite a few dive sites to explore at the south tip of Lanai.

My favorite site is the First Cathedral. Crafted from a lava tube, once you swim through a tunnel there is a large area, about 2 stories high with holes in the back that look like stained glass of a cathedral and a rock in the middle that is known as the alter. Within the “cave,” you will often find lobsters on the sidewalls and pufferfish swimming around.

Wash Rock is also a great site that has gorgeous coral formations and a lava tunnel called the ‘Tunnel of Love.‘ Within the tunnel, we found a sponge crab, as well as sculptured and regal slipper lobsters. Look out for giant moray eels and tiny nudibranch, they’re both in this ecosystem! See all of this in our video below!

Wash Rock - Regal Slipper Lobster

The Secret Cove dive site was buzzing with tons of fish when we visited! Plenty of long nose butterflyfish, yellow are typical, but the all-black long nose butterflyfish are native to the area. We swam around the cove and through it!

Lahaina and Kaanapali Dive Sites

Carthaginian II Shipwreck is a great site to explore! There is a long history to the ship, it was originally built in 1920 in Germany and after a few rebuilds over the years, it was eventually named the Carthaginian and was even featured in the 1966 movie, Hawaii. After filming, Carthaginian was purchased by the non-profit "Lahaina Restoration Foundation" (LRF) and in 1967 was flipped to a whaling ship museum and tourist attraction. However, Carthaginian was destroyed after it ran aground on the Lahaina Reef on Easter Sunday 1973. A replica was made of the Carthaginian from the ship, Komet. After installing 15 short tons (14 t) of cement and steel ballast to balance the rigging, it was renamed Carthaginian II and restored over several years. In 1980, the ship was opened again as a floating whaling museum. However, the addition of ballast allowed moisture to seep into the inside of the steel hull, which rusted to a point where it nearly split in half. As it was too expensive to keep it afloat, the LRF decided to sink it and make it a tourist attraction. On December 13, 2005, the boat was towed and sunk to create an artificial reef in the water at a depth of approximately 97 feet (30 m), 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) off the coast near Puamana Beach Park. 

When we dove the Carthaginian, we saw an undulated moray eel under the ship, a small white tip reef shark lurking around, butterflyfish, endemic cleaner wrasse, yellow fingeat fish, and Spongebob attached to the side of the ship.

Carthaginian II Shipwreck

We love to stay at the Sheraton Maui beach resort and we’ve heard the night dive is pretty great on Black Rock. We have yet to do it, but we did a night shore dive at the site, Airport Beach, and saw bioluminescence glow at the bottom! Once we went shore diving during the day, Airport had a pretty Hawaiian coral reef, an abundance of fish, and a few eels that we encountered.

Olowalu

Just south of Lahaina is Olowalu and a long stretch of beach. Just off the shore is a great dive site Olowalu Reef, also known as turtle reef, where turtles often come in to have their shells cleaned by other fish. Rumor has it that there is a rare manta ray cleaning station and a blacktip reef shark nursery, but we didn’t see them. We did see a turtle swimming around and precious corals that were very vibrant with plenty of tropical fish to see.

Olowalu Reef Turtle

Best Dive Charters and Shops in Maui

Great dive shops and companies make it easy to just show up to the boat and they provide all of the dive gear along with great dive guides: Extended Horizons, Lahaina Divers, and Maui Diamond Sea Sports.

We’ve had the most dives with Extended Horizons, and we even got our advanced certification on one of our trips! We love their crews and guides! The guides would group us into small groups with those at a similar caliber that can keep up with each other. There are usually 2-3 groups with 3 pairs in each group. Water is provided and a light snack between and after dives. At the end of each trip, they put everything we need for our dive book on a board so we can easily remember and document our dives! If you’re looking for a dive school to get your certification, contact Extended Horizons or click here for more!

Lahaina Divers and Maui Diamond Sea Sports are very similar to Extended Horizons, but their boats are a little bigger and usually have more people. They also provide gear, water, snacks, and have great dive guides.

Extended Horizons always makes it easy to remember our dives!

Whale Watching in Maui

If you dive between November and May, you have a chance of seeing or hearing the blue whales as they migrate past Hawaii. Usually, you can see them spout water then after a few minutes if you’re lucky you can catch them breach or a glimpse of their tail come up and out of the water! If you listen to the beginning of our video below, you can actually hear them in Molokini! We didn’t see them underwater, but they did come up and breach the water a few times when we were on the boat! Book your whale watching tour with one of these tours on Activity Authority - recommended by a local!

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BEST SCUBA DIVE SITES IN MAUI VIDEO

Most of the dive sites and tropical creatures mentioned above can be found in this video:

Scuba Diving Packing Essentials for Maui Divers

Don’t forget to pack the following for your dive:

1. Sunscreen

2. Towel (we take the pool towels from the hotel)

3. GoPro or underwater camera - with batteries

4. Sunglasses

5. Fins

6. Mask - I love the Cressi Pano 3, finally a mask I can see out of and it doesn’t leak for a fairly inexpensive price

7. PADI or dive certification card

8. Dive book

9. Tote to hold all of these things!

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Please note, this is not a sponsored post, and based on my own personal experience, all thoughts are my own.

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Ice Cream for a Cause from an Ice Cream Doctor

I think I found my dream job, I want to be an Ice Cream Doctor when I grow up! Dr. Maya Warren, known as “The Ice Cream Doctor,” and Mona Lipson have teamed up, using ice cream to make a difference in the world! Also, check out how the heck you can become an ice cream scientist as well as myths about ice cream and healthy eating. An ice cream diet is life!

Ice Cream for Change

Ice Cream for Change

Ice Cream for Change is a platform created by Dr. Maya Warren, also known as “The Ice Cream Doctor” and the face of ice cream, as well as Mona B. Lipson, AKA Miss Mona Makes Ice Cream, to bring together ice cream lovers and makers advocating for social change and civic action. From dismantling racial injustice to fighting climate change, their goal is to use the power of ice cream (it really does have a special way of bringing people together) as a force for good by helping to raise money and awareness for organizations that are driving solutions and making a real-world impact across the globe.

Learn more by visiting www.icecreamforchange.org

Dr. Maya Warren on HOW does someone become an ice cream scientist?

• Anyone can become an ice cream scientist through passion and being determined enough to do it. You can go to college for the pedigree of knowledge in food science or chemistry. 

• You don’t need to get a PhD. You can get a master’s and have the same distinction, but if you “want to make a solid connection with ice cream to be an ice cream scientist” getting the PhD is one way to go. You’ll never forget all the little details and the impact every single ingredient has on a product in ice cream. 

• A lot of becoming an ice cream scientist is following your passion to become an ice cream scientist. Work hard. 

• Work smarter, not harder, and do what you need to do to get to the next level.

• Know what you want to do with your degree. If you want to be an expert and consult people, so they call on you to fill certain issues, the PhD helps elevate you. 

• The road to get a PhD is very different for different people. I would highly recommend people follow what their passion is and figure out what they want to do with your degree. 

• Know what the PhD behind your name means. When I go to countries and speak, that degree comes with more respect. Getting this degree is just something I did. I never wanted to go back to school, and now I don’t need to!

Dr. Maya Warren on the biggest myths about Ice Cream and healthy eating?

(proof that ice cream is good for you! 😉 Huzzah!)

1. Not everything on the shelf is ice cream - in the US, Ice cream has to be 10% or more milk fat. So we have all these non-dairy products, which in the science world, we call frozen errated desserts. The word ice cream isn’t on these containers when you look closely at them

2. Frozen errated desserts - you can make these desserts with any kind of milk. If you don’t want to use cow's milk, you don’t have to, but the fats that are in other dairy products are different from cow fat, so the texture will be different. Depending on what the animals eat, this will change the taste of the milk, making the ice cream taste different too.

3. Dairy replacers - coconut fat is better than others because it behaves similarly to milk fat. It gives a good texture.

4. All ice cream at room temperature melts - that has to do with the microstructure of the product. Even if it doesn’t look like it it’s melting, it is. Just at a slower rate because of the ingredients inside of it

5. Sugar substitutes - Not all ice creams are made the same. They don’t all have the same amount of sugar. If you’re diabetic, going with something with a sugar substitute may be better, but it can mess with your digestive system.

6. The big word ingredients aren’t always bad - These ingredients help for many different reasons. One being so it doesn’t melt right away. Other ingredients explain why freezer burn happens in some ice cream, but not all.

7. You don’t have to have a machine to make ice cream! You can control what you put in homemade ice cream. If you want to use alternative sweeteners, you can! You can put real fruit in with some agave or honey, maybe even water. The fruit might be sweet enough to put inside without a lot of sugar! In order to freeze your ice cream though, you do need some sort of sweetener. Otherwise, you’ll end up with something that’s too solid. One way I like to think about it is this: If you live in a cold state, they use salt to melt the snow. For ice cream, you use sugar so it can melt.

National Ice Cream Day 2020

This year, Ice Cream for Change brought the ice cream community together including scoop shops, ice cream companies, and home ice cream makers to help raise funds for organizations leading the fight to help dismantle structural and systemic racism. I saw so many scoop shops including some of my favorites such as MILK, Smitten Ice Cream, Coolhaus, all offering to donate to organizations such NAACP, Center for Healing Racism, Showing Up For Racial Justice, and others advocating for social change & civic action.

What’s next?!

Follow Dr. Maya Warren on Instagram and join her on Ice Cream Sundays for some ice cream fun and great recipes to enjoy with the family! Stayed tuned for more from her!

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Ice Cream Scoop Shop Review: Supercool Creamery | Los Angeles, CA

Supercool Creamery

SUPERCOOL CREAMERY

• Location: 4469 Sunset Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027

• Website: supercoolcreamery.com

• Pricing: Hearty scoop and show make it worth the price!

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-free Options Available

• Take-out: Local delivery service available

NOTE: They are TEMPORARILY CLOSED! I’m spreading the word so you can come back when they reopen!

With a name like SuperCool, I wasn’t sure what to expect! I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in and the ice cream artists were dressed like performers and put on quite a show!

SUPERCOOL ICE CREAM MENU AND FLAVORS

STEP RIGHT UP! The best ice cream can be found within! With the magic of liquid nitrogen (which is -320 degrees), the cream base I chose, turned into ice cream before my eyes. They call it nitro-artisan ice cream made by hand - yeah, that’s accurate! They have great flavor options such as Key lime with dark rum, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Coffee Toffee, and Berry Sorbet (dairy-free). You can always get a float or a shake if you’re in the mood! It took me a while to figure out what I wanted, but I ended up with Coffee Toffee!

Supercool Menu - so many great flavors!

Here is a little video from my adventure:

THE ICE CREAM MAGICIAN

Once I had my selection, the ice cream magician went to work. Ok, I don’t know if that’s what they actually call themselves, but go with it… He was so animated and funny, it was definitely an experience and not just going into Baskin Robbins for a scoop. Even shops like Creamistry or Smitten will use a mixer of some sort, but Supercool does it by hand!

SUPERCOOL CREAMERY LOCATION AND CATERING

Located in Silver Lake, they are right next to the Vista Theater. I noticed the ice cream sign, otherwise, I would have thought it was part of the theater! They also cater events and parties which would probably be really fun as the ice cream magicians are so enthusiastic! They’ll even spike their ice cream for events, so keep that in mind for your next party! I know I will!

Ta DA!

Supercool is a win in my book! Check them out when you can!

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How to Spend 3 Relaxing Days in Moorea - Complete Itinerary

What to do for 3 Days in Moorea, French Polynesia - Complete Itinerary

On our Honeymoon, we stopped in French Polynesia on our way back to the States. We were ready for some relaxation after going nonstop for over a week in Australia & New Zealand. We spent 3 nights in Moorea in an overwater bungalow and it was fabulous! Here’s everything you need to know about Moorea!

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How to get to Moorea

Getting to Moorea requires a few transfers. We booked our Moorea portion through Tahiti Legends, who booked everything including our transfers from airports and hotels (we booked our own flights). We stayed at the Sofitel Moorea, in an overwater bungalow, which is something everyone must do in their lifetime! We flew via Air Tahiti Nui in business class (from New Zealand) using our miles, which was a comfortable flight with big seats and great amenities. Air Tahiti flies from Paris to LA to Tahiti to New Zealand and back. We didn’t go to Paris on this trip!

We had to stay in Tahiti overnight because our flight got in so late from New Zealand, there wasn't an option to get to Moorea after 8pm. We used our points to stay at the InterContinental. This was the view from an “average” room:

InterContinental Tahiti Room with Garden Views

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Day 1

Morning in Tahiti

We had a car pick us up bright and early from the InterContinental in Tahiti to take us to the ferry. Driving around in the daylight unmasked the island and certain areas were definitely not paradise.

Aboard the Ferry from Tahiti to Moorea

We boarded the ferry around 8 am and the ride was about 20 minutes to Moorea. On the other side, a car picked us up (previously arranged) and took us about 10 minutes down the road to our hotel, the Sofitel Moorea.

We were too early for check-in when we arrived in Moorea, so we wandered around the resort to get our bearings. We walked over to the spa to check it out and made reservations for a couples massage for the late afternoon.

Entrance to our Overwater Bungalow Room

After about an hour, our room was available and we were so excited to check out our overwater bungalow. The room was spectacular and unlike any hotel we had ever stayed in!

Sofitel Moorea Overwater Bungalow Bed

The room felt like a suite. Walking in, you first notice the giant windows leading out to the water, then the high ceilings making the room feel enormous and spacious. The bed was perfectly placed in the middle of the room facing the water with a fantastic view. It had mosquito netting to which Josh said, "It's like a fort!"

Once you step in front of the bed, there is a part of the floor that has a glass square, where you could see the fish swimming under the bungalow. 

Floor to see fish under our room!

 Afternoon - Swim and Snorkel

Although we REALLY wanted to, you can't really jump off the deck of the bungalow, since it's pretty shallow and there is a lot of coral below. BUT you can go for a swim and there is a ton of marine life to see if you snorkel.

Just a small fish in a big pond

After a leisurely snorkel, we decided to switch it up and go over to the main pool to do more swimming (more like wading) and grab a bite to eat at the bar-restaurant. 

Fish in Moorea in front of our Overwater Bungalow

In the late afternoon, we had our couples massage appointment. The spa room was huge, complete with a shower and bathtub. We only signed up for a massage but realized we could have spent an entire day at the spa. The massage was soothing and relaxing. After being in the sun all day, there was a slight burn to which aloe vera was offered. I was soothed and comforted, I could have laid face down on that table for the rest of the evening. 

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Day 2

 

WAKING UP IN MOOREA!

Sunrise in Moorea - View from Sofitel Moorea

Here's how to properly wake up in Moorea:

 Not a bad way to start the day! Am I right?! From the Sofitel Moorea, we could see sunrises but the us would set on the other side of the island.

 

Morning - Drive around the Island of Moorea

We rented a little 2 seater buggy through Moorea Fun Roadster, which was like a small go-kart that went faster than you would expect, zooming around the island in about 4 hours. The road was bumpy at parts, but overall it was a blast! Since the island is so small it was nice to take the time to experience it on our own, checking out all there is to do!

See our post all about our buggy ride here: How to Rent a Buggy in Moorea

Afternoon in Moorea

After returning from our island tour, we were ready for some relaxation. We jumped in the water from our patio, and cooled off. 

Patio stairs to the water

We spent the rest of the day on the patio of our deck playing cards with some fun drinks!

Pro tip: Buy alcohol at duty-free store at the airport and mixers if available. On our buggy ride, we stopped and bought concentrate (which we thought was juice) at the grocery store on Moorea. The concentrate was an ok way to go since you can get TONS of drinks out of it, but they get old after awhile.

Once we got too hot, we'd jump in the water, swim around, and come right back to our card game. I don't think I changed out of my swimsuit that day.

Sofitel Moorea - Overwater Bungalows

Once we needed a break from the cards, we decided to feed the fish under our bungalow which was great entertainment for at LEAST 20 minutes.

Evening in Moorea

We grabbed dinner at the bar restaurant and took it back to our room so we could do some star gazing. Since it is so quiet and so dark, there were thousands of stars to see. I don't think I've seen that many before in my life!

Stargazing in Moorea

On average, we seemed to go to bed when the sun went down (around 9-10 pm) and woke up as soon as it came back up (around 6:30-7 am). We weren't on any time zone in particular as we had been bouncing around so many places the previous week (we were in Australia and New Zealand).

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Day 3

Morning in Moorea

We got up early to catch the sunrise! Since we didn’t get many sunsets here, it was nice to catch the sun coming up!

Sunrise in Moorea - Sofitel Moorea

We might have gone back to bed and then got up just in time to catch the end of breakfast at the main restaurant. The food was delicious, they offered a large spread of almost anything you could think of - eggs, omelets, french toast, pancakes, juices, coffee... and the view wasn't half bad. The only problem was the birds would try to snatch your food if you looked the other way! 

Breakfast at the Sofitel Moorea

Afternoon

We packed up and checked out. Although we weren't hanging our heads quite yet, it was time to head to our next destination, Bora Bora!

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Don’t forget to pack some of our favorite things:

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HOTEL REVIEW: Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

Address: L.G. Smith Blvd 82, Oranjestad, Aruba

Website: Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino

Flamingo Beach - Renaissance Island

The number one reason to stay here is to visit Flamingo Beach! After we were spoiled staying at the Hyatt Regency Aruba, the Renaissance was nice but we spent more time with my new pink friends than in the room! Read all about our days spent at Aruba’s Renaissance Island - Flamingo Beach . Many ask: Is flamingo island worth it? 1000% YES!

Find the best rate to visit these flamingos by booking your room through Booking.com Not only will you find the best rate out there but by clicking this link and booking a night, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link! :-) Thanks! 

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Renaissance Adult Only Hotel in Aruba

There are 2 hotels at the Renaissance property, both right across from each other. The adults-only hotel is more inland but still in the marina. It’s also connected to a very fancy, high-end mall and casino! Check out rates here: booking.com

All-inclusive rooms in Aruba!

All-inclusive room rates at Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino are available. However, these rates tend to be higher because they include onsite food and beverages in the room rate.

How to get to Renaissance Island Aruba with the Flamingo Beach

The Renaissance owns a small island just a quick 10 minute boat ride away that they have named Renaissance Island. Booking your stay at the Renaissance guarantees you access to the island, there is a small chance you can buy a ticket the morning of, but there are very few if the hotel is not sold out. Here, you will find beautiful beaches with lounge chairs, a restaurant, hammocks, and FLAMINGOS. A water taxi stops every 15 mins in the lobby to head to Renaissance Island.

Read more here: Aruba’s Renaissance Island Flamingo Beach

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Things to do at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

1. Go to Renaissance Island for the Flamingo and Iguana beach

2. Rent a cabana on Renaissance Island - The cabana comes with 2 bottles of Voss still water, 2 bottles of Voss sparkling water, bottle of sparkling wine, refreshing food amenity, personalized cabana butler service, towels, 2 water floats, and 2 full face-snorkeling masks. Cabanas at Iguana Beach come with kids snorkels. Cabana 4001 at Iguana Beach has a water slide. Rates start at $300 - BOOK EARLY!

3. Go for a dip in the pool (there is a family pool and adult-only pool)!

4. Get a drink at the lobby bar - it overlooks the pool and ocean!

5. Go shopping! There is a little plaza to shop around for clothes and souvenirs!

6. Have breakfast on Renaissance Island! There is an amazing restaurant, called Papagoyo Bar & Grill, that serves a large breakfast that will fill you up for a day in the sun!

7. Go to the Spa Cove on Renaissance Island! Peaceful and serene, this spa only has ocean views!

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Arrival: Parking, Lobby, and Bar at the Renaissance Aruba

Valet parking is available under the lobby. We took a taxi and didn’t need a car to get around the island. The lobby was open air and the bar was located right next to the pool. Check-in was a breeze. Literally. The staff was really nice and when our room wasn’t ready, they stored our bags and we were allowed to go to the island.

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Renaissance Aruba Guest Rooms

Our room was a decent size. We booked a Guest room, 1 King or 2 Double, Limited view in the Marina Hotel. The design was fairly modern and looked like they had been renovated fairly recently.

Guest Room

The little booth was cute but not very comfortable. Our limited view was an inside view and we were located right above Starbucks. The most exciting thing that happened out the window: watching people board the boats for Renaissance Island.

The closet was small, our suitcases didn’t fit inside. The robes were nice, though!

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Bathroom

The bathroom was on the smaller side compared the Hyatt we had just stayed at, but was perfect for spending 24 hours there. SO many towels.

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Renaissance Aruba Adult Pool

The adult pool was so quiet and relaxing, perfect for honeymooners. With ocean and marina views, why would you ever want to leave!

The lobby bar and the pool bar are one and the same. I love how open and bright the bar area is!

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We basically paid $400 to see Flamingos, but they were worth every penny!

Find the best rate to visit these flamingos by booking your room through Booking.com Not only will you find the best rate out there but by clicking this link and booking a night, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link! :-) Thanks! 

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MORE ARUBA!

20 Best Ice Cream Scoop Shops in Los Angeles - Ranked and Map Included!

20 Best Ice Cream Scoop Shops open and delivery options in LA (with map)!

It’s that time of year again! July is National Ice Cream Month and I’m here to celebrate despite the state of the world at the moment! Ice cream is my happy place and I think we all need a little happiness these days!

NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY is JULY 19, 2020!

See our post on where to find FREE scoops and deals: National Ice Cream Day 2020

I’ve ranked my favorite shops (best to last), and have even included a map for you to access anytime, anywhere in LA! I’m also adding in where you can get pints to go, as it is still very important to wear masks and social distance. Find the “best ice cream places open near me” by using the map below!

Looking for vegan and dairy-free ice cream options? I have those too! Now let’s get scoopin’!

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Strawberry Rhubarb and Blood Orange

GINGER’S DIVINE ICE CREAMS

• Location: West LA - 12550 W. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90066

• Website: gingersicecream.com

• Pricing: Great value for amazing homemade ice cream

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Homemade cookies, pops, brownies, and pints to go are also available here as well!

I discovered the best-kept secret on the Westside called Ginger's Divine Ice Creams! Ginger herself creates all ice creams and is often found at farmer’s markets in the area for the best local ingredients that are California homegrown. So many fresh flavors such as Strawberry Rhubarb, Chocolate Covered Crack, Oaxaca Habanero, "The Dude" White Russian, Unicorn Cotton Candy, it’s hard to choose and you’ll want to return again and again! Her flavors are inventive and different from other scoop shops, see her latest mashups here: Gingers Divine Ice Cream Flavors.

I’m gonna call it the Best Ice Cream in Los Angeles and my favorite ice cream in LA!

See the full review here: Ice Cream Review: Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams

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Rainbow Buttermilk on top of Cream Puff

JENI’S ICE CREAMS

• LA Locations: Santa Monica, Larchmont, Calabasas, Los Feliz (see more on their site)

• Website: jenis.com

• Pricing: Great value for artisan ice cream flavors ($6 for a split scoop)

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan and dairy-free ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints are available to go or you can order online! NEW: You can even find some flavors in select stores!

Jeni’s flavors are out of this world! A true artisan ice cream confectionary that started in Ohio and has made its way to California! So many flavors to choose from including Blackout Chocolate Cake, Boston Cream Pie, Cream Puff, Frozé, Coffee with Cream and Sugar, and Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks… literally, try them all!

New flavors are featured each month (Jeni’s Ice Cream Flavors) and get this, you can even have an ice cream subscription and have ice cream delivered to your house monthly! Happy to help you eat them.

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SALT AND STRAW

• LA Locations: Downtown LA, Mid-city (Beverly near Fairfax), WeHo, Studio City, Venice

• Website: saltandstraw.com

• Pricing: On the higher side, but the ingredients are more complex

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints are available to go or you can order online

I LOVE Salt and Straw! So many interesting Classic Los Angeles Flavors including Roasted Strawberry & Toasted White Chocolate, Honey Lavender, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, Black Olive Brittle & Goat Cheese, Freckled Mint TCHO-colate Chip, and Dandelion Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies & Cream).

They also offer about 6 new rotating flavors every month! Don’t forget to come back for their Thanksgiving series in November - try the mashed potatoes with gravy or the stuffing! Weird but good!

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Sloan’s Ice Cream with snowcaps!

Sloan’s Ice Cream

• LA Locations: Santa Monica and Woodland Hills

• Website: sloansicecream.com

• Pricing: Moderate price for a scoop and topping!

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Try UberEats, Postmates, Doordash!

SLOAN’S IS GOALS! This place is pink, pretty, and has all the goodies! Not only do they have tons of different flavors of ice cream like Almond Joy, Mom’s Apple Pie, and Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake, but they have baked goods, chocolates, and candy too!

Bring some friends, and I dare you to eat TRACY’S KITCHEN SINK - ultimate sundae with everything including the kitchen sink – 18 scoops of ice cream, all of the deluxe toppings, 4 cookies, 4 brownies, gobs of whipped cream & cherries – all served in a real sink! Best ice cream in Santa Monica!

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SWEET ROSE CREAMERY

• Locations: Mid-city (Beverly near Fairfax), Brentwood, Palisades, Santa Monica

• Pricing: The sundae is the best bang for your buck

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-free ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints and ice cream cakes are available to go!

I’ve loved Sweet Rose Creamery for a long time! Not only do they make their own ice cream in house, they make all their cones and toppings as well! Favorites include: Peanut Butter Fudge, Fresh Mint Chip (so fresh and made from mint extract - also, it’s not green!), Toasted Coconut. Check out their current flavors here: Sweet Rose Creamery Flavors

Ice cream pints, homemade toppings, ice cream cakes, party packs and other frozen treats can be delivered straight to your door through Postmates, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Doordash and Caviar!

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Frozen Rose

WANDERLUST CREAMERY

• Locations: Tarzana, Atwater Village, Venice

• Website: Wanderlust Creamery

• Pricing: Great value for your ice cream!

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints are available to go

Wanderlust Creamery is literally my dream ice cream shop, combining my favorite things, ice cream and travel! Their motto is A DESTINATION IN EVERY SCOOP and flavors are amazing concoctions using ingredients from around the world. To give you a taste, you can try flavors like Vegan Sticky Rice Mango inspired by Thailand, Abuelita Malted Crunch inspired by LA, Japanese Neapolitan, Violet Marshmallow inspired by France. Don’t miss out on their Ube cone (made from yams, another weird but good combo) and their monthly flavors: Wanderlust Creamery Monthly Flavors.

Don’t miss them at Smorgasburg LA over the weekends in Downtown LA (when they resume after social distance rules have lifted). Hopefully, they come back this summer in time for Ice Cream Alley!

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MAGPIES

• Locations: Silver Lake and Tarzana

• Website: magpiessoftserve.com

• Pricing: A cone with a topping is decently priced!

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan soft serve options available

• Take-out: Soft serve in a cup or pints, pies and more! Use Postmates or UberEats!

The owners of Magpies went to a Dairy Queen one day and came up with the idea to make a chef-y soft serve. They hit the nail on the head! Instead of chocolate or vanilla, you can get exquisite flavors such as Malted Milk Chocolate, Sweet Cream, Corn Almond (Vegan - Almond Milk), Brown Sugar Vanilla (Vegan - Oat Milk), Blueberry Pie (Vegan - Oat Milk), or Apple Pie! They even make soft serve pies which were perfect for birthdays at work! All toppings are made in house, including Butterscotch Rice Krispies, Chocolate Covered Honeycomb (Vegan), Brownie Bites (Vegan), and Graham Cracker Streusel - to name a few!

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Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean & Fresh Mint CHip

CARMELA ICE CREAM

• Locations: Mid-city and Pasadena

• Website: carmelaicecream.com

• Pricing: Get a split scoop in a bowl for your best value. The cones are really good too.

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints, Quarts, and ice cream sandwiches - Uber Eats and Doordash!

This shop is classy, pretty, and feels like an ice cream parlor. They make all their own flavors (favorites include Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean, Intelligentsia Espresso, Salted Caramel, White Peach Vanilla Bean), and you can smell the fresh waffle cones once you step in the door! See their seasonal flavors here: Carmela Flavors

Get a cone, an ice cream sandwich, or try their delicious coffee, something for everyone! You can even take an ice cream class and make your own ice cream!

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Wild Berry Chocolate Crisp and Malted Milk English Toffee

RORI’S ARTISANAL CREAMERY

• Locations: Santa Monica, Century City, Long Beach (and up the coast)

• Website: rorisartisanalcreamery.com

• Pricing: Get a split scoop in a bowl for your best value. The cones are really good too.

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints are available and you can find them in select grocery stores. See their website for more!

Rori’s originates here in California, freshly scooped from Carpinteria! Owner, Rori Trovato, makes all the ice cream, cookies, cones, and candy recipes, and try some of her great flavors like Biscoff, Black Pepper Pistachio, Fresh Mint Patty, Malted Milk English Toffee, Nutella, Peanut Butter Candy Swirl - mix a unique flavor with a classic flavor for the best combo!

Get shakes, floats, homemade cookies, brownies, What the Fudge bars and pints to go here too! They even cater parties, but you have to invite me if you hire them! ;-)

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Peppermint Stick

VAN LEEUWEN ICE CREAM

• Locations: Hollywood, Silverlake, Downtown LA, Culver City, and a Food Truck!

• Website: vanleeuwenicecream.com

• Pricing: More on the expensive side but really creamy exquisite ice cream.

• Dietary Restrictions: LOTS of Vegan ice cream options available

• Take-out: Pints can be delivered nationwide with Goldbelly or locally by delivery service (Doordash, UberEats, etc.)

I first tried Van Leeuwen ice cream in New York many moons ago! I was so excited when they first had a food truck and then shops started to pop up! I love their fun flavors which are pretty classic but mighty tasty: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cookies & Cream, Honeycomb, PB Marshmallow Crunch, Pistachio, and Salted Carmel to name a few. There are a lot of vegan options here! Seasonal flavors are also offered here, I love the Peppermint Stick during Winter, right now, keep up with their seasonal flavors here: Van Leeuwen Flavors.

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MILK SHOP

• Locations: Beverly and Silverlake

  • Beverly - 7290 BEVERLY BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA 90036

  • Silverlake - 1639 SILVER LAKE BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA 90026

• Website: themilkshop.com

• Pricing: Get an ice cream sandwich!

• Take-out: See their website for their delivery menu which includes cookies, cakes, pints, scoops of ice cream, and ice cream sandwiches

All ice creams and sorbets are made from scratch in their kitchen in LA from locally sourced products! You have to try their ice cream sandwiches! See all the best combinations here: Ice Cream Sandwich Flavors

Best ice cream sandwich combo: Fruity Pebbles, Grasshopper (mint), and California Strawberry - YUM!

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Coffee caramel and red velvet cupcake with sprinkles on top

LITTLE DAMAGE

• Location: Downtown LA - 700 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

• Website: littledamage.com

• Pricing: Great price for soft serve. Take a free picture in the photo booth!

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-free ice cream options available

• Take-out: take-out is available

This family-owned soft-serve ice cream shop is located in the heart of DTLA, known for its signature charcoal cones with an impressive rotating list of unique flavors. My favorite combo: Coffee caramel and red velvet cupcake with sprinkles on top. The cookies and cream flavor is really good too!

Their trendy ice cream is prepared daily in small batches, using local ingredients supplied by organic dairy farmers. The signature black ice cream cones are naturally colored with activated charcoal, and hand-rolled minutes before you get one.

See our full review here: LITTLE DAMAGE ICE CREAM REVIEW

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McConnell’s Ice Cream - Silver Lake

McCONNELLS FINE ICE CREAMS

• Locations: Downtown LA, Silver Lake, Studio City

• Website: mcconnells.com

• Pricing: Fair pricing for good flavors! I’ll get a pint now and again!

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-free Ice Cream Options Available

• Take-out: Pints are available for take-out and delivery. You can also find them in select grocery stores! See their site for more info! Join their Pint of the Month Club! You can get 3 of their best-flavored pints 3 months a year delivered right to your door!

McConnell’s has been serving creative fun flavors to LA since 1949! To this day, it is still family-owned, as the third generation is still scooping divine ice cream. So many great options here: Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Double Peanut Butter Chip, Salted Caramel Chip, Sprinkle Cake, Sea Salt Cream and Cookies, and my absolute favorite: Whiskey Pralines and Cream!

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Supercool Creamery - Entertaining and delicious!

SUPERCOOL CREAMERY

• Location: 4469 Sunset Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027 - CURRENTLY CLOSED!!!!!!!!

• Website: supercoolcreamery.com

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-free Options Available

• Take-out: Use a local delivery service or they deliver certain items nationwide!

With a name like SuperCool, I wasn’t sure what to expect! I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in and the ice cream artists were dressed like performers and put on quite a show! With the magic of liquid nitrogen, the cream I chose turned into ice cream. They have great flavor options such as Key lime with dark rum, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Coffee Toffee, and Berry Sorbet (dairy-free). I loved every moment of my visit here! They also cater events and spike their ice cream! Keep these cool scoops in mind for your next party!

See our full review here: SUPERCOOL CREAMERY REVIEW

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MANHATTAN BEACH CREAMERY

• Location: 1120 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

• Website: mbcreamery.com

• Pricing: Their Sundae has the best value!

• Dietary Restrictions: Gluten Free Options Available

• Take-out: Use a local delivery service or they deliver certain items nationwide!

Ice cream and ocean views? What could be better during summer in LA?! Check out why Manhattan Beach Creamery is one of the best places for ice cream in Los Angeles! Home of the artisan ice cream sandwich, the Cream'wich ice cream sandwich is a combination of artisan cookies from Katella Bakery, and their signature ice cream. Try the Super Sonic ice cream, a sweet cream taste, filled with lots of sprinkles!

See the full review here: Manhattan Beach Creamery

Manhattan Beach Creamery - Super Sonic Ice Cream

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Cookie Monster Ice Cream Sandwiches

THE BAKED BEAR

• Locations: Hermosa, Burbank, La Canada, USC

• Website: BakedBear.com

• Price and Value: Great price for 2 cookies and a LARGE scoop of ice cream!

• Take-out: Have your sweets delivered from a local delivery service, and make sure you get a dozen cookies!

Love cookies and ice cream? Get the best ice cream sandwiches at the Baked Bear, made fresh to your favorite combination! See my favorite concoction and where to pick up one of these bad boys!

Read the full review here: The Baked Bear

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MOTHERMOO CREAMERY

• Location: Sierra Madre - 17 Kersting Ct, Sierra Madre, CA 91024

• Website: mothermoo.com

• Value: Great value for a scoop!

• Dietary Restrictions: Dairy Free Ice Cream Options Available

• Take-out: Get pies, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and more, delivered to your door (through Postmates). Or you can do a contactless pickup in the alley behind them - it’s not as shady as it sounds!

MotherMoo’s ice cream is made in-store as small-batch, homemade ice cream using locally sourced ingredients, many grown within miles from the scoop shop. Favorite flavors include Salty Chocolate, Dutch Apple Pie Crumble, Pretzel and Caramel, Peppermint Stick, Fresh Coffee, House-made Peppermint Patty. Most interesting flavors: Roasted Fig Leaf, Organic Celery, Fresh Basil, Orange Peel & Szechuan Pepper. See all flavors here: Mothermoo Flavors

Not only do they have phenomenal ice cream, but they also have cookies, pies, and cakes!

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AFTERS ICE CREAM

• Locations: All over Southern California - find one near you!

• Website: aftersicecream.com

• Menu: Afters Flavors

• Value: Ice cream is priced a little higher than most shops (2 scoops for $6.50) however handcrafted ice cream usually is! They also have very pretty colored sprinkles! Worth every penny to me! 

• Take-out: Postmates delivers!

Afters is very trendy ice cream scoop shop with relatable quotes. Afters offers many unique flavors including Cookie Butter and Cookie Monster (it’s blue), also home of the Milky bun, which is a warm glazed bun (donut like) stuffed with ice cream! As they say, “Less talk, more ice cream!” My favorite location is the Venice creamery - ice cream on the beach, how cool is that?

Read the full review here: Afters Ice Cream

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Thanks Give Me a Cookie and Graham Central Station

HANDEL’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

• Locations: Northridge, Long Beach

• Website: handelsicecream.com

• Value: SO MANY SCOOPS IN ONE CONE!

• Take-out: Handel’s delivers ice cream anywhere (limited for now), but use Postmates for now!

Great options here - cones, pops, ice cream sandwiches, smoothies, and pints! They even have a Hurricane which is similar to a McFlurry, ice cream blended with mix-in candies!

Lots of fun flavors that differ from store to store and many seasonal options. Huge fan of their Graham Central Station and Thanksgiving flavors! Thanks Give Me a Cookie is basically ice cream with a ton of different kinds of cookies!

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Dark Chocolate and Cookies & Cream

SAFFRON AND ROSE

• Location: West LA - 1387 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

• Website: saffronroseicecream.com

• Value: Great, a small comes with 2 scoops

• Dietary Restrictions: Vegan Ice Cream Options

• Take-out: Take out and contactless delivery available!

Saffron and Rose serve up Persian style ice cream in Westwood! It’s lower on my list because it has all of those weird flavors like lavender and rose... things that smell amazing but not fragrances I prefer in my ice cream. See all the florals, nutty, and chocolate flavors here: Saffron and Rose flavors

You get 2 scoops even for their smallest size, so I played it safe and went for the dark chocolate (that had brownie bites and walnuts in it) and cookies n cream! The guy at the register judged me for taking my picture and said “Nice picture” in a move out of the way tone. Judge away, I’m doing it for the gram, dude! Oh well, the ice cream was good, though!

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CREAMISTRY

• Locations: Downtown, Hollywood, Woodland Hills, Glendale

  There are many locations throughout California, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas. Find one near you: Creamistry Locations

• Website/Menu: Creamistry Menu

• Price/Value: I thought it was a little pricy but you get a pretty good-sized serving!

• Dietary Restrictions: Non-dairy ice cream and Gluten-Free items

Creamistry ice cream makes you smarter! Well, you learn a little science lesson about liquid Nitrogen and how to make ice cream with it! Super creamy dense ice cream will fill you up and last a while! They have so many options, everyone will walk away happy!

See our full review here: Creamisty Ice Cream Review

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GO FORTH AND ENJOY NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! TRY ALL THE ICE CREAMS!

Thanks for reading, please leave any thoughts in the comments section below!

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Need more ice cream?

Guide to Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii: Where to stay, things to do, and best restaurants

Sheraton Maui Kaanapali Beach Resort

Everything you need to know about Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii: best hotels, what to do, and great restaurants

If you’ve booked your trip to Maui, I’m jealous already! We got engaged, married, and have celebrated our anniversary there every year since 2014! Maui is our favorite place and we ALWAYS stay on Ka’anapali Beach. If it’s your first time or sixth time, this guide will help you navigate the beach to make sure you have the best trip possible!

RELATED POST: How much does it cost to go to Maui? - Itinerary, budget, and more!

Not sure which area is right for you? Our Maui Travel Guide compares Kaanapali, Wailea, and other regions.

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How to get to Kaanapali Beach - Map, Airport Transfers, and Parking Information

The best way to get to Kaanapali Beach from the airport is to rent a car. You’ll probably want to drive around the island at some point, it’s best to have your own vehicle. If you are planning on spending all of your time at the beach, check with your hotel to set up airport transfers. Uber and Lyft are available as well, it’s about $50-ish each way.

We ALWAYS find THE BEST rates through Booking.com. See deals of up to 50% off! You can save a bunch of money if you book a bundle flight+room+rental car! They even have apartments, lodges, and houses you can rent, just like AirBnB or VRBO! By booking through this link, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you! PLEASE support our blog and bookmark this link!

You can always park at a hotel but if you’re just coming for the day, there are a few lots but they are pretty pricy. There are 2 free parking lots but you have to get to them early - one is just before the Sheraton on Kaanapali Pkwy and the other is on Nohea Kai Drive before the Hyatt. See our Google Map for more info!

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Where to Stay on Kaanapali Beach

Here are some of the best resorts on Kaanapali beach! All resorts are literally located right on the beach and walking distance from each other. We often use our travel credit card rewards for FREE nights! Check out this helpful article from Money Magazine to see which card would be best for your needs. 

Sheraton Maui Room Views

Budget-Friendly:

Royal Lahaina Resort - great for your wallet and NO RESORT FEES! Rooms are spacious and a quick trot to the beach. This hotel is located north of Black Rock, so it is typically less crowded, but a bit of a walk to the other hotels.

Kaanapali Beach Club - might need an update, but the rooms are clean and the pool is huge! Located closer to Black Rock.

Mid-Range:

Flamingos and swans at the Hyatt Regency Maui on Kaanapali Beach

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa - our favorite resort on Maui Kaanapali Beach! Located right in front of Black Rock, which is the best place on the island for snorkeling. See our full review: Sheraton Maui Hotel Review

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa - recently renovated rooms and an adult pool to have some quiet time! One of the best Kaanapali accommodations! There are multiple pools that families can enjoy as well, there’s even a waterslide! Their spa is the ultimate relaxation destination.

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa - lovely resort with penguins and flamingos (yes, I mean it). The Hyatt also has the best Lu’au on Kaanapali Beach. Their pool is pretty great too.

Condos and club hotels are also available in the area if you are looking to house more people! See booking.com for more options in Kaanapali, HI!

Need help packing? See our Hawaii Packing List for everything you’ll need! Check the weather before you go!

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Top 10 things to do on Maui Kaanapali Beach

Black ROck Jumping

1. Snorkeling at Black Rock Beach

   Black Rock is our FAVORITE place to snorkel! We’ve seen turtles, octopus, rays, and tons of tropical fish! See more snorkel info and our video here: Best Snorkel Spots in Maui 

2. Jump off Black Rock!

   Jump from the top of Black Rock to the plunge into the depths below! Do this at your own risk as it is hard to climb up Black Rock and it is, well, rocky.

3. Go Shopping at Whalers Village

   My favorite shop in Whaler’s Village is Sand People that is like Etsy in person, loaded with coastal decor, souvenirs, clothes, and jewelry. Other shops include Sephora, Honolua, Quiksilver, Kate Spade, and other designers.

Need a snack, beer or wine, souvenirs, macadamia nuts? The ABC Store is the best for all of those things!

Penguins at the Hyatt Regency Maui

4. Visit the Penguins and Flamingos

Yup, you heard that right! At the Hyatt Regency Maui, they have a menagerie of birds all over the resort. In the morning they have a penguin feeding and it’s just the cutest thing! You can hang out with the one-legged pink friends on the other side of the resort.

5. Go to a Lu’au

Drums of the Pacific Lu’au at the Hyatt Regency puts on a great show on Kaanapali Beach! With traditional Polynesian dances and a feast, you’ll be sure to have a great night! The Royal Lahaina Luau, Myths of Maui, will also have you dancing in your seat - it could be the music or the free drinks! Get a great deal on luau tickets with Activity Authority.

6. Have a drink at the pool bar (and maybe even whale watch)

We love to sit at the bar, have a drink, and enjoy the view! If you come between December and March, you are likely to see whales! If you look hard enough, you can usually see the whales come up and spout water. Keep a close eye because after they spout, they usually breach out of the water or you can catch a glimpse of their tales. There are tours you can take to get closer to them, and if you scuba dive or snorkel, you can often hear them!

7. Spa Day at Black Rock Spa

The massages at Black Rock Spa are my favorite. Get hot stones, and enjoy some relaxation! We usually get a basic full body massage for 50 mins (about $130 each), but this last time we went for the 80 mins (about $180) and it was worth every penny. The spa rooms are patio like with natural sunlight peaking from the top, complete with soothing Hawaiian tunes.

Water Activities on Kaanapali BEach

8. Water Activities - Go parasailing, take a surf lesson, rent a jet ski, or go paddle boarding!

You can arrange with your hotel or go to a stand on the beach to get your adventure on! Fly high in the sky and enjoy looking over Kaanapali Beach while parasailing, or skim the water with a surf board! Learn how to surf like a pro with Maui Surfer Girls. You can even learn how to scuba dive right on Kaanapali beach! See related post for scuba: Best Scuba Spots Maui

9. Golf at Kaanapali Golf Courses

You’ll pass this golf course as you arrive and want to take a swing with your club. I don’t know which one but Josh does. You can see the ocean from most holes!

10. Zipline with Skyline Hawaii - Kaanapali Zipline Tours

Just up the hill from the golf course is Kaanapali Zipline Tours! Check-in at the shop, then they will drive you up to the zipline course with breathtaking views - high in the sky! See related post, Best Maui Ziplines, for more!

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Best Restaurants on Kaanapali Beach

Here are a few of our favorites right on the beach that are fan favorites! See our full list here: Best Restaurants near Kaanapali and Lahaina

Monkeypod Kitchen - Kaanapali Beach

1. Monkeypod Kitchen ($$$)

Kaanapali Location: Whalers Village - 2435 Kaanapali Pkwy, Bldg I-1, Lahaina, HI 96761

See our full review: Best Restaurant in Maui: Monkeypod Kitchen

We first discovered Monkeypod in Wailea and were overjoyed when they opened a second location in Whalers Village, Kaanapali! We’ve found that it is the perfect spot for drinks and dinner. Get a Monkeypod Mai Tai with their fabulous honey foam! We love the Wood Roasted Chicken Wings (kiawe-roasted free range chicken, garlic, kula farm rosemary, tzatziki sauce) and the Bulgogi Pork Tacos (handcrafted kimchee, jalapeño, asian pear, sriracha aioli, locally-made corn tortilla). Jalapeño mashed potatoes ARE A MUST. They are green, but don’t let that scare you!

Dessert is a must! We loved the rich Chocolate Cream Pie, but they have other cream pies, such as Banana, available as well. Make a reservation in advance; we used Opentable.

Ice Cream Sandwich at Barefoot Bar

2. Hula Grill/Barefoot Bar ($$$/$$)

Location: Whalers Village - 2435 Kaanapali Pkwy, Lahaina, HI 96761

Located in Whalers Village with outstanding ocean views, these two restaurants are not only owned by the same company, they are connected to each other. Hula Grill is a little more pricey with delicious traditional Hawaiian entrees including many fish dishes (crab, snapper, shrimp) and land dishes (chicken, steak, short rib, emu).

The barefoot bar is more casual ($$) serving burgers, fish and chips, pizza. The fun part about the bar, your feet are in the sand. Usually, they have live music and entertainment. Regardless of which restaurant you try, I love their Mai Tai's which are served in tiki glasses topped with the umbrella!

Also, you MUST have dessert! Try the Hula pie - vanilla or macadamia nut ice cream with an Oreo crumble pie crust, with whipped cream and fudge on top (served at both restaurants)! OR get the ice cream sandwich (pictured). No words on that one other than YUM!

3. Cliff Dive Bar and Grill

Location: Sheraton Maui Resort

Located by the pool, great for lunch or an afternoon snack. Can’t go wrong with their burger or chicken sandwich. At sunset, the cliff diver lights all the torches around the pool and along the top of black rock, then jumps into the water. 

3. Ono Gelato Company ($)

Location: Whalers Village

Try some handmade artisan gelato by the beach! When in Rome… err, or Maui!

More restaurants can be found in our post: Best Restaurants in Maui

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We hope you enjoy Kaanapali Beach as much as we do! It’s the perfect vacation destination for families, couples, or a group of friends. Kaanapali vacations are the best vacations! Hope you didn’t miss our Maui Hotel Map Kaanapali Beach

RELATED POST: How much does it cost to go to Maui in 2021? - Itinerary, budget, and more!

Black Rock Snorkeling with a Turtle

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More Maui posts to help plan your trip:

10 Travel Bloggers & Influencers you should be following on Instagram 2021

I tried a few of those follow for follow groups and now I have a bunch of people I don’t know on my feed! I was looking for those amazing accounts with phenomenal travel photos to help add places to my bucket list. I lean towards accounts with bright colors, with influencers wearing clothes that I want in my wardrobe! That’s the point of being an influencer, right? I’ll give them some fun superlatives too!

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@spiritedpursuit

Followers: 226k

Lee Litumbe started her lifestyle travel blog, Spirited Pursuit, which is filled with guides and information on travel as well as creating content. She’ll teach you her secrets to influencer success!

Follow @Spiritedpursuit to find her on a giant swing in Bali or swimming with turtles in Tanzania!

Superlative: Most Authentic!

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@TheBlondeAbroad

Followers: 557k

Kiki is a beautiful blonde who travels the world managing to find fabulous seaside scapes! She left her corporate job for a life of travel and now has a successful travel blog with travel tips, or even advice on how to be a travel blogger.

Follow @TheBlondeAbroad for far off places and her pup, @goodbaileyboy!

Superlative: Most Popular!

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@thesweetwanderlust

Followers: 13.2k

Brittany is my spirit animal! Her wanderlust is inspiring and her desserts are drool-worthy! Her captions are hilarious and have the best puns!

Follow @thesweetwanderlust for pops of color and sweet treats in your feed!

Superlative: The Sweetest!

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@ticija

Followers: 69k

“That Ginger in a Dress” is her motto and she has a knack for finding the most colorful places in London!

Follow @ticija for her red hair, gorgeous floral dresses, and bright spots in London - It was so gloomy when I went!

Superlative: Best dressed!

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@TravelwithKwen

Followers: 11.8k

Kwen travels the world, but we share the same love for Disney Parks! Most of her destinations are tropical and warm!

Follow @travelwithkwen for dreamy vacations and for a Disney geek out here and there!

Superlative: Most likely to be found with Mickey

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@walltraveled

Followers: 36K+

This is a collection of travelers against - you guessed it - WALLS! Beautiful creative, colorful, street art walls can be seen from around the world on this feed.

Superlative: Best Sense of Street Art

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@icecreamsaroundtheworld_

Followers: 4400

I post ice cream almost every third post, but you can find ice cream from around the world in almost every single post! Sharing is caring, you might even have a chance to be featured using the hashtag #IceCreamAroundTheWorld.

Superlative: Most Likely to have Ice Cream

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@splendid_rags

HOLY BRIGHT COLORS, BATMAN! Leslie only posts the most vibrant backdrops and outfits from around the globe!

Superlative: Most likely to wear bright colors!

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@thecarryonchronicles

Followers: 13.4k

I LOVE Elena’s beautiful dresses and photos! Her preset is beautiful and the pops of color add instant joy to my feed! Her bio literally sums up her feed: Endlessly in search of storybook villages & fairytale moments

Superlative: Most like to find Prince Charming

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@emilyincolors

Followers: 10.8k

Emily is always traveling fabulous places and finding great eats! She has gorgeous clothes and an amazing appetite, sharing just the right amount of sweets! How do you stay so tiny!?

Superlative: Most likely to be a foodie!

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I have a lot to live up to following these ladies! I hope my posts bring light and color into your feed!

Follow us @thesweetestescapes:

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