Coming home after Europe felt great. I was more than excited to see Scott again and sleep in my own bed. But something happened when I got home. I started to feel agitated and unsettled — like something was off within myself, but I just couldn’t figure out what.

In a previous post, I mentioned how solo trips are always life changing for me — and this trip was no exception.

I proved to myself (again) that I’m very capable of doing things on my own, even when things get tough. That’s all well and good when it comes to traveling, but how do I incorporate this new self confidence into my daily life?

The other day, I finally admitted to myself that ever since my stingray incident, I’m constantly finding excuses and reasons why I don’t need to go surfing. Even when I motivate myself to actually get in the water, I just don’t feel confident anymore. I think back and marvel at the days when I was fearless in the water — which wasn’t even that long ago. I was always the motivator for friends who felt uneasy about weird ocean creatures, undertows or big, scary waves.

Now that I need to be my own motivator, I am realizing it’s not that easy.

It’s not just surfing. I feel stuck in other aspects of my life. I’m putting off things that I used to love doing — like editing photos from my trip — because I’m finding reasons why I’m not good enough.

I know this recent trip changed me and I guess I just wanted to be this new person as soon as I got home — but all of the confidence I gained while I was traveling, seemed to disappear once I got back. So today — after a week of not knowing which way is up — I began thinking of this time as a transition period and a necessary step to prepare myself for a big change.

You have to endure the dark before you can see the light.

If I hadn’t forced myself to notice these things I’ve been ignoring, then I would probably stay stuck in these patterns and eventually feel extremely unhappy.

I’m ready for a change.

I’m still not exactly clear on what has been missing from my life, but I do know that I want to take steps to find out what will make me happy.

I thought travel blogging would make me happy, but after three years of it consuming my life, I’ve noticed it becoming a chore. I know I don’t want to give it up completely, but it’s time to rethink how much of my time I want to give to it. Sometimes it feels like I’m on a hamster wheel, just barely making enough money to support this lifestyle.

I love my freedom, but I can have this freedom with freelance bookkeeping jobs and make more money than I do blogging — while taking trips for me instead of feeling obligated to write or post updates.

I’m not giving up on the blog, by any means, but I want to enjoy travel again. I want to focus more on photography and possibly even start branching out from architectural to portrait photography. Before I left for Europe, I was working hard towards building a new photography website with a store to purchase prints and other items. After I got home, I lost the desire to finish the site.

Last night, I received an email from someone asking to purchase two prints from our photography page. This email couldn’t have come at a better time. Sometimes the universe provides exactly what you need.

I’m not sure what the future holds, but I felt compelled to write this post because I know I’m not the only person who has ever felt stuck.

Maybe if you are feeling stuck right now, it will give you a little comfort to know that you are not alone.

Try to use this time to figure out what you want and start taking steps to make that happen. I’m not saying I have all of the answers, but realizing this transition period is necessary has made me excited for the future again — instead of feeling uninspired about the things that once made me happy.

How do you approach periods in your life where you feel stuck or when you’re just not sure what you want? Tell us in the comments.

Since we normally visit warm or tropical destinations for one week or less, I had to do a little more planning for this two-week trip to France and Scotland in regards to what to pack. In France, I wore dresses (with leggings underneath on the colder days) but I needed warm clothes and layers for Scotland.

Not to mention, I didn’t know how much time I would have to do laundry considering I traveled to a new hotel almost every single night of the trip. I also had to stay aware of the weight of my checked luggage and carry on because I took a couple of flights with Ryan Air — who is notoriously strict about their baggage weight limits.

We used to travel with backpacks (you can see our packing tips for backpackers post if you are interested) but our travel style has changed over the years and the last thing I want to do is lug around a heavy backpack anymore — my camera/laptop bag alone weighs almost twenty pounds.

About a year ago, we bought a new set of hardside luggage that we have been very happy with. So far, we have only used the small carry on size — it’s the perfect size for a one-week trip to a warm destination — but I took the medium-sized luggage for this trip.

Here is what my packing list for Europe looked like:

Clothing

• 7 Tops – 3 Short Sleeved, 4 Long Sleeved

• 2 Pairs of Pants

• 2 Dresses

• Black Leggings To Go Under Skirt / Dresses

• Boots to Wear with Pants and Dresses

• 1 Pair of Sneakers

• 1 Pair of Flats (I brought ballet flats this time, but I usually bring a pair of flip flops.)

• 1 Skirt that Goes with All of My Shirts

• 1 Button Up Sweater

• 1 Heavy Coat

• 2 Scarves (One heavy and One Light)

• 1 Pair of Gloves

• 15 Pairs of Underwear (These are small and I would rather not run out if I don’t have time to do laundry.)

• 15 Pairs of Socks
  

Other Items

• Sunglasses

• Chewable Acidophilus and Activated Charcoal Tablets

• Travel Umbrella

• Bathroom Bag with small toothpaste, small floss, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, small sunblock, toothbrush, small face wash, deodorant and makeup.

• 1 Book (I brought Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and it was a hard book to put down!)

• Plug Adapters

• 1 Cloth Purse that Folds Up Easily
  

Camera Gear & Electronics

• Camera / Laptop Backpack

• Canon 5D Mark II

• Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II Camera Lens

• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS Zoom Lens

• Tripod

• Flash Cards

• Extra Camera Batteries

• Iphone 4s & Charger

• Macbook Pro & Charger

How does this compare to your packing list for colder climates?

Right about this time last year, Scott and I roamed around Sicily, Cinque Terre and Tuscany for ten days — and it was one of our most memorable trips to date.

On Saturday, I’m heading back to Europe, embarking on a two-week solo adventure through rural France and the Scottish islands! This is a dream trip for me and both destinations will be extremely unique experiences. The focus of this trip will be to explore the natural wonders, delve into the history and savor the cuisine of each place — but instead of traveling to all of the well-known spots, I’ve decided to research and expose the more undiscovered areas of each country.

Road Trip Through Rural France (The Lot Valley)!

The only place I have visited in France so far is Paris, but there is so much more to France than just romantic cities. During this trip, I’ll be exploring the small villages from Bergerac to Rodez in Southwest France. I can hardly contain my excitement at the idea of visiting all of these medieval villages with castles, vineyards, prehistoric caves and stunning landscapes.

I’ll be traveling by car, praying my GPS works (since I’m horrible at reading maps) photographing these tiny villages and tasting as much French cheese and wine as I can get my hands on.

I’ll be making stops in Penne d’Agenais, Puy l’Eveque, Cahors, St Cirq Lapopie, Bouzies, Conques and Estaing — just to name a few.

Island Hopping in Scotland!

If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, you probably already know we are both obsessed with islands. Most of the islands we visit are tropical, but that doesn’t mean those are the only islands worth visiting!

I have always been intrigued by Scotland, but as soon as I learned this country has over 790 islands, I knew it was somewhere I HAD to visit. During my time in Scotland, I will be visiting islands in both the Inner and Outer Hebrides and using Glasgow and Oban as a taking off point.

I’ll be sharing the ins and outs of travel to these islands that way you can use my itinerary as a rough guide for planning your own trip. At first glance, it can be daunting with so many islands to research. I didn’t even know where to start! Luckily, I’m working with the experts at Visit Scotland to get insider information — which I will be passing on to you.

I’ll be sharing my full itinerary soon, but one of the highlights of my Scotland trip includes visiting the Isle of Mull to hopefully photograph some Puffins! Aren’t they adorable?!

I’ll be updating our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds during the trip, so make sure to follow along!

Is there anything that I shouldn’t miss in either of these countries? Let us know in the comments.

This trip will be partially hosted by Visit Scotland (who is celebrating the Year of Natural Scotland in all of 2013!) and The Lot Valley. A special thanks to both of these tourism boards for helping me put together unique itineraries catered to fit my travel style. As always, all opinions are my own.

Even though I adore traveling with Scott, I still go on my fair share of solo trips. In fact, I’m embarking on a two-week solo trip on April 27th (destination to be revealed next week!) and despite the fact that I’ll be sad to leave Scott for two weeks, these types of trips are always life changing for me.

Part of the reason I travel solo is because Scott doesn’t have as much vacation time as I do, but I also believe in throwing myself outside of my comfort zone every once in a while.

I could easily get used to traveling with a partner and the thought of traveling alone starts to feel scary again. I don’t want to feel helpless and in need of someone to either keep me company or most importantly, keep me from getting lost (which I often do when I travel solo).

So, with my Google Maps in hand, I give you three benefits of traveling solo:

Creating Your Own Schedule

I love Scott to death, but we can really butt heads when it comes to how we spend our free time when traveling. I like to take my time, wake up at my leisure and not rush out the door. On the other hand, he wants to get up early and see everything! I’m all about exploring while traveling, but I find that I have to change what comes naturally when I travel with him.

When I travel alone, I don’t feel pressure to rush myself and I’m able to embrace my lackadaisical nature.

Challenging Yourself

Traveling solo feels scary sometimes, but once I overcome a few challenges (such as finding my way in a crowded city) it gives me confidence and the world starts to feel less daunting. These challenges provide self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. It’s times like these that I tend to get my best ideas on where I want my life to take me next, without all those detrimental fears getting in the way.

Alone Time

Many of us don’t get enough alone time. Life’s demands pull us in different directions and we forget to take time to just sit and think. Traveling alone forces us to be alone with our thoughts. Sure, nowadays we have technology to keep us entertained, but wifi is not always available and why would you want to be on a computer while you are traveling anyway?

Giving yourself alone time can help you get to know yourself better and give you insight into your true desires without all the outside noise and other people’s expectations to consider.

Can you add to these benefits of traveling solo? Tell us in the comments.

Our annual Baja trip got a whole lot bigger this year. Instead of ten people, we rented two houses for a total of fifteen people. That may not sound like a lot, but imagine trying to coordinate group meals and outings with fifteen (mostly drunk) people.

Two of our friends came up with a brilliant idea of combining meals during trips like these and while I was hesitant at first, it really is a fun way to travel with friends. Before the trip, we plan out a few people who will be responsible to cook for each dinner or breakfast.

That way, each person only has to be responsible for one meal and they can relax the rest of the time. Since most of our families live far away, our friends are our family in San Diego, so this makes it feel like we are one big happy family. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s true.

The rest of our time in Baja is spent surfing, lazing around the pool, drinking in the hot tub and eating lobster in Puerto Nuevo. I don’t usually get very excited about lobster, but this was GOOD lobster — and you get a large portion for $15. I already want to go back.

In between all the drinking and relaxing, I did manage to take a few photos with my iPhone.

Have you been to Baja?

A few weeks ago, we made an announcement on our Facebook page that we are heading back to Hawaii and asked our readers to guess which island. Nobody guessed it — and I’m not surprised.

Well, the flights are booked and we can officially announce which island! We are traveling to Lana’i in just a few days! Have you heard of it?

For those of you who haven’t; Lana’i is a small island (141 square miles) off Maui’s western shore and with one gas station, secluded beaches and just three hotels, it is the epitome of tropical tranquility.

Can you guess what we will be doing on the island?? Our plan (as usual) is to spend as much time as possible in and near the water. We upgraded our underwater camera and our biggest goal is to get some turtle footage! We saw a few turtles on our last trip to Hawaii, but we could never get close enough to capture them on camera. This time I want to swim with these sea creatures!

Our Itinerary for Lana’i

Day 1:

Our flight arrives in Maui and we will take a 45-minute ferry over to Lana’i via Expeditions Ferry. Since this is a small island, we will be staying at all three of the accommodation options on the island, starting with Hotel Lana’i. This gives us a chance to make more informed recommendations to readers planning on taking a trip to Lana’i.

Day 2:

After enjoying a relaxing morning, we depart for an exciting Ride and Shoot UTV Ride with Lanaʹi Grand Adventures which is described as: “Traveling through Ironwood forests, upland to a ridge with views of Maui & Molokai and ending at the sporting clays is one blissful experience.” Once we arrive, we will each get a chance to test our aim at one of the most challenging sporting clay sites in the world.

We are really excited at all of the hiking opportunities on Lana’i and we get our first taste of hiking through Kaunolu Village this afternoon and end our day with dinner at Lanaʹi City Grille.

Day 3:

We get our first exposure to the water by taking a snorkel and sail tour departing from Manele Harbor with Trilogy’s Lana’i Snorkel & Sail. After our morning in the sun, we depart for our next hotel, Four Seasons Resort Lana‘i Lodge at Koʹele. From the Lodge, we will explore the Kolo’iki Ridge hike with breathtaking views all around.

Day 4:

Today, we rent a jeep to explore the island — making stops at Lanaʹi Animal Rescue Center, Garden of the Gods, Polihua Beach, and Kaiolohia (Shipwreck Beach). We end our day with dinner at the Terrace, Lodge at Koʹele.

Day 5:

We check into the Four Seasons Resort Lana‘i at Mānele Bay and enjoy the afternoon playing on the beach before our Couples Ocean Hale Massage and dinner at Kailani, Manele Bay Hotel.

Day 6:

Another day at the beach! You can find us SUP boarding and getting another glimpse of the underwater world with SNUBA. I’m hoping for turtles, turtles and more turtles! Afterward, we will take in the ocean beauty from land with a couple of coastal hikes, followed by dinner at One-Forty, Manele Bay Hotel.

Day 7:

We depart the island by plane this time, making a stop in Honolulu, before our flight back to San Diego!

Have you ever heard of Lana’i?

A special thanks to Lana’i Visitors Bureau for hosting this trip and helping us put together a unique itinerary that fits our travel style.

We’ve had a few requests from readers to shine a little light on how we manage to juggle working full-time (at least one of us) traveling often, our daily life at home and running an online business.

If someone had told me five years ago that I didn’t need to quit my job to see the world, I wouldn’t have believed them. Now I’m extremely thankful I have a grounded partner who convinced me to stay in San Diego, a place we love dearly, and travel as often as possible.

I couldn’t be happier with my life right now. We have both the security of a home base and the uncertainty of life on the road. Here is what a typical day at home looks like for us.

6:00 am: Scott’s alarm goes off and he immediately jumps out of bed (I never understood how he doesn’t just push the snooze button a few times like I do).

6:30 am: Scott heads off to work while I snooze in bed a little longer. (I’m not a morning person.)

7:30 am: This time MY alarm goes off and I curse at it because I’m usually not ready to get up. I then check emails from bed for an hour or so, before I head downstairs to make coffee and breakfast. This is a bad habit, I know. The first thing in my day should not be checking emails. My new goal has been to do something creative or work on a new project first thing in the morning.

For the next few hours I try to focus on writing and photo editing, while I still have most of my brain power.

10:30 am: On Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days I work as a bookkeeper) I usually head off to work by this time. The other three days a week, I continue pecking away at my keyboard — like I’m doing right now (at 11:15 am on a Friday).

Throughout the day — while Scott is working at his full-time job — I usually bother him via chat with questions regarding one of our websites. However, we have just started outsourcing some of our web work to take the load off of him. I’m not really that mean, I promise.

2:00 pm: By this time, my stomach starts growling and I realize I haven’t had lunch yet. Time for a short break to eat and catch some rays if it’s sunny out.

4:00 pm: This is usually about the time I’ll decide to take a shower and get out of my pajamas, so I look somewhat presentable when Scott gets home at 4:30. After he gets home, we try to get some exercise – surfing if the waves are good, yoga or walking on the beach.

7:00 pm: One of us makes dinner while the other person gets more work done.

10:00 pm: Scott goes to bed while I stay up until midnight or later, writing some more or messing around on social media.

Sounds exciting, right?! The good news is that we usually have some fun on the weekends. We will have barbecues with friends, spend the day at the beach, surf with friends or go on weekend trips. When we travel, we rarely work, so even though we work 12+ hours per day, 5+ days a week while we are home, we make up for it with how often we travel.

This is a typical day, but not every day looks like this at home. Often, there are afternoon appointments and some weeks we spend at least one evening sampling a new restaurant to review for our San Diego restaurant guide, Flavor of San Diego, which we have been slacking on the past couple of months. If we have an architectural photography job, we usually photograph those on the weekends or after Scott gets off work.

It’s a good balance, I think, and the long days are well worth it because it allows us to live the lifestyle we want.

What do you think? Does it seem like we work too much while we are at home? How does your schedule compare to this?

It’s no secret that we love creating surreal photos, so when Lensbaby offered us a chance to try out their Creative Effects Kit, we jumped at the chance to see what the Composer Pro lens could do.

When I received the package in the mail, I admit I was a little intimidated. I set it aside until Scott and I visited family in Northern California over the holidays — when I knew I would have more time to play around with the kit.

The Creative Effects Kit comes with four interchangeable optics – Double Glass, Single Glass, Plastic and Pinhole / Zone Plate. Each optic produces a different creative effect and you can bend the lens to make each effect more dramatic or move the focal point to a different area of an image.

It was a cold and rainy day in Northern California, so Scott and I threw a couple of umbrellas in the car and headed north toward the apple orchards that I so fondly remember photographing for my high school black-and-white photography classes.

While staying dry in the car, it took about thirty minutes of watching a few Lensbaby instructional videos online before we felt ready to test this baby out.

The following are three of our favorite optics in this kit and some examples of what they can do.

Double Glass Optic

I’m glad we decided to start with the Double Glass Optic because I think it’s the easiest one to get the hang of using. We inserted a f5.6 aperture ring and started playing around with the bend of the lens.

Finding the focal point and focusing when the lens is straight was fairly easy, but once we started bending the lens, it took some getting used to. When you bend the lens, it changes the focal point. For example, if you bend the lens to the left, your area of focus will be closer to the left-hand side of the photo.

Or to the right…

The Double Glass optic is great for portraits and I can already tell we will use it quite often.

Plastic Optic

I wasn’t sure if I liked the Plastic Optic at first. It just looked like everything was out of focus and getting your subject in focus has always been so firmly ingrained in my brain after years of practice and photography classes.

I tried it again on a foggy day in San Diego and this time I used a larger aperture ring (f4). I noticed I could get a portion of the photo somewhat in focus, but once I started to let go and not be too picky about it, I began to have a little fun with this optic.

I really like taking flower shots with the Plastic Optic. They look like paintings and I bet if I had them printed on canvas, not many people would know it’s a photograph. It makes me think of the movie, ‘What Dreams May Come.’

The Plastic Optic seems to do well in overcast and foggy conditions and creates a very dreamlike look to your images.

Pinhole / Zone Plate Optic

The Zone Plate Optic is another one that took a bit of practice before I liked any of the results. The purpose of this optic is to create soft focus images. Sunny days or a tripod is suggested when using either the Pinhole or Zone Plate settings since you are shooting at f19 (Zone Plate) and f177 (Pinhole) apertures.

The Lensbaby is a unique addition to any photographer’s kit and I can’t believe we waited so long to try it. Have you tried any of the Lensbaby lenses?

We received a complimentary Creative Effects Kit from Lensbaby — to test and review. As always, all opinions are our own.

During a recent search for places to stay near Santa Barbara, the town of Oxnard fell into our lap and the first thing I imagined (when I heard the name) was an over-populated residential area in Ventura County — but as it turns out, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.

The town of Oxnard lies on the coast of Southern California, just a few miles away from Channel Islands National Park — also known as “the Galápagos of North America.” Even holding the title of the 19th most populous city in California, Oxnard feels extremely spread out.

During the 70’s and 80’s, developers tried to build houses on every inch of this land, but thanks to a grassroots effort, much of this area was saved from cookie cutter homes with tiny yards. It is now California’s largest strawberry producer and the town hosts the California Strawberry Festival each summer.

We initially came to Oxnard because of its close proximity to the Channel Islands, but this agricultural town captured us with its charm and has quickly become one of our favorite Southern California travel destinations.

Where to Stay in Oxnard

We wanted to stay within walking distance to the Channel Islands Harbor since that’s where we planned to spend most of our time.

Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort is in an ideal location and it took us about fifteen minutes to walk to the harbor. It’s in a safe area too, so we didn’t feel uncomfortable walking late at night after a few glasses of wine.

This is the first resort I have ever heard of offering free happy hour drinks. The guy standing in line ahead of us told us to get two drinks per person to avoid a long wait the next time around. The bartender didn’t ask questions and we took our drinks to the hot tub, which we had all to ourselves.

The suites are huge, extremely clean and tastefully decorated. Our ocean view suite had a bedroom, living room and two bathrooms. These suites have plenty of space for at least four people and would be perfect for a couple with kids.

The breakfast buffet was more than we expected considering it’s included in the room price. They have hot food, pastries, coffee, tea and juice. We got in and got out quickly which is the ideal breakfast before a day of sightseeing. All in all, this resort is a great little getaway.

A Day Trip to the Channel Islands

Island Packers was the only company we could find who offered trips to the Channel Islands, so we booked a tour to Anacapa Island (the closest island to the mainland).

The boat ride to Anacapa took about an hour and we saw tons of dolphins along the way. They rode along the bow and side of the boat. The Island Packers crew were very informative about the wildlife in the area and they made sure to slow down so we could get some good photos and video footage.

A National Park volunteer was offering a guided tour once we arrived to Anacapa, so we tagged along to get some information and history about the island. Since they don’t offer any services on Anacapa, it is advised to pack a lunch and plenty of water. Locals highly recommend visiting these islands in the spring, when the flowers are in full bloom. We traveled here in January and the first bit of color was just starting to show.

The boat picked us up at 3:30pm and we headed for the mainland. Little did we know, we were in for a surprise. You can read about our unexpected boat ride back at Our Once-In-A-Lifetime Whale Watching Experience in the Channel Islands.

Our Favorite Restaurant in Oxnard

The Hollywood Beach Wine Company is located in the harbor and this is where we spent our Saturday night.

We were blown away by the service at this restaurant. The staff, owner and sommelier made it feel like we were out to dinner with a group of friends. We were impressed with how the chef and owner are focused on buying their produce locally and it seems they are making an effort to contribute to the community.

There was a live band inside the restaurant, playing cover tunes. In addition to laid back seating indoors, they have outdoor tables with heaters and a gorgeous view of the harbor.

Our favorite dishes include; the Jalepeno Apricot Tort, Shrimp Swimming in English Cheddar and Chives with Biscuits, Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon and Banana Nut Bread Pudding for dessert.

Oxnard was the relaxing getaway that we desperately needed and we have every intention of returning soon. There is plenty more for us to discover!

Have you ever traveled to a place that ended up surprising you?

A special thanks to the Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau for hosting our trip to Oxnard and the Channel Islands. As always, all opinions are our own.

I was excited to visit Puerto Rico, not just for the delicious food and colorful buildings, but also because I had the opportunity to stay at one of the best resorts on the island — conveniently located right along the beach and in the heart of Condado.

My red-eye flight from the west coast and frustrating delay on the runway left me a little — shall I say — grumpy. That all melted away as soon as I was greeted at the reception desk of the San Juan Marriott with a complimentary and tasty rum punch. It was a nice touch and, honestly, more hotels should take note.

The Room and View

With my second rum punch in hand, I made my way to my room and soaked up this view. From that point on, I was completely sold. The room was spacious with a sliding glass door which led to my own private balcony where I could eat breakfast (or sip on an afternoon drink!) while watching the waves crash.

The Food

Upon arrival to the resort, I was famished. The casual La Isla Beach Bar — just downstairs — offered a few healthy salads, appetizers and burgers, but the coconut shrimp was calling my name.

I brought my meal back to my room and enjoyed it on my balcony and afterward, I collapsed onto my comfy bed for a well-deserved nap.

On our second evening in Puerto Rico, we dined at La Vista Latin Grill, on the bottom floor of the hotel. With unique Puerto Rican-inspired cuisine on the menu, it was by far one of my favorite meals of the trip.

The Nightlife

One of the coolest things about the San Juan Marriott is the Red Coral Lounge. I found it fascinating that 95% of the bar’s revenue comes from the locals. Puerto Ricans dance the night away to live music and (not surprisingly) many of them know how to dance! If you want to see true Puerto Rican culture, come here.

The Stellaris Casino is located on the bottom floor of the hotel, near the Red Coral Lounge. This was the first time I have ever enjoyed a game of Blackjack and that is a result of actually learning how to play! The casino offers complimentary Blackjack lessons to their guests. We had the best time learning the strategy of this game and I finally had the option to ask the dealer all the questions I held myself back from asking in a real game.

Afterwards, you can take this valuable knowledge and play for real money at one of the tables. The best part? You can order complimentary burgers and drinks from your server. Not too shabby.

The Location

Beach or pool? This is always a tough decision for me, but luckily I didn’t have to choose this time. The pools are located just steps away from a breathtaking beach.

The San Juan Marriott is located in Condado, a popular area of San Juan with beautiful beaches and a variety of restaurants, bars and shops. If you want to explore the other restaurant options besides La Vista Latin Grill, you can easily walk to many fine dining and casual restaurants.

To learn about our favorite restaurant picks in the area, see our post with 5 Restaurants to Try in San Juan.

The Sunsets

Just in case I didn’t give you enough reasons to love the San Juan Marriott, I’ll leave you with this vision…

What amenities do you look for in a hotel before you book?

Many thanks to the San Juan Marriott & Stellaris Casino for hosting this trip and for showing me around San Juan. As always, all opinions are my own.