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Keir Alexa Summer Aspen

Top Summer Activities In Aspen

Top Summer Activities In Aspen 1024 683 Keir Alexa

Aspen is a gorgeous town, usually associated with images of glistening snow-capped mountains and luxurious ski resorts. The red-brick downtown oozes comfort on chilly nights. However, many locals will tell you they came for the winter, but stayed for the summer.

Summer in Aspen is gorgeous. With greenery and wildflowers in every direction, the town booms with outdoor activities — hikes and rock climbing, paragliding, golfing, kayaking, whitewater rafting and horseback riding, just to throw out a few of the multitudes of options. For more low-key days, visitors can always hit the shops! Downtown offers wonderful shopping, including Boogies, a personal favorite, with the largest collection of jeans I’ve ever seen! As you walk down the brick sidewalks, passing from shop to shop, symphony music echoes down the street. Live musicians gather and play for everyone to hear, really topping off the relaxing downtown experience.

The people of Aspen only add to the welcoming atmosphere. Neighbors look out for each other like family. Doors are rarely locked. The safety of such a tight-knit community is truly inspirational. You feel right at home, no matter how far you’ve traveled.

Summer in Aspen

Keir Alexa Travel Blogger Summer Aspen Travel

Keir Alexa Summer Aspen

Keir Alexa Summer Aspen

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

As fun as downtown Aspen can be, the real draw is the town’s scenery. There’s no better way to enjoy the surrounding nature than to jump right in and explore.

HIKING — During my stay, we started our exploration with the Maroon Bells — two peaks around 14,000 feet tall, separated by a third of a mile, Maroon creek accumulating at the basin between the two mountains. The hike was awe-inspiring, filled with wildflowers and gorgeous pines. The view of the creek between the two peaks is known as one of the most photographed sites in Colorado, and once you stand at the basin, you can easily see why.

Summer Aspen Travel

Summer Aspen Colorado

GOLFING — With such green and sprawling terrain, Aspen has quite a few golf courses. Though I had rarely golfed before my trip, Aspen’s adventurous nature was getting to me. I was ready to try something new and had the great opportunity to learn from the best. Susie Berning, three-time U.S. Open champion, taught me how to play golf during my week in Aspen! I am so thankful for her thoughtful and skilled teaching. Susie had me hitting balls like a champion… well, at least it felt that way to me! I definitely improved exponentially and I am so thankful for the experience.

Golf Summer Aspen Travel

Golf Summer Aspen Travel Blog

Golf Summer Aspen

PARAGLIDING — For me the most nerve-wracking, exciting and exhilarating of all the activities had to be paragliding off Aspen Mountain. It left me wanting to go again and again, and definitely warrants its own post.

FOOD AND SLEEP — That’s an activity, right? Aspen has great food, and all that adventuring can really work up an appetite. Down times were spent eating and hanging out at our hotel, The Residences at The Little Nell. I’ve stayed there multiple times and would recommend the luxurious hotel to anyone heading to Aspen, any time of year.

Keir Alexa Santorini Greece

Santorini Getaway

Santorini Getaway 1024 683 Keir Alexa

In Santorini, the sea is all aquamarine and the traditional Greek architecture is all white stone, but the sunsets are every color you could imagine. Birthed from a volcano millions of years ago, the Greek island of Santorini floats in the southern tip of the Aegean Sea. Volcanic activity has left the majestic island with black and red sand beaches and a mountainous terrain.  The terrain adds so much romance to the already charming, cosmopolitan island. The perfect location for romantic strolls, intimate outdoor dining, and smooth sailing!

Santorini Greece Getaway

Keir Alexa Santorini Greece

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece

Santorini Greece Getaway

Keir Alexa Santorini Greece Getaway

 

THE HOTEL CANVASES OIA SUITES

White from the walls to the furniture, our suite at the Canvases in the village of Oia could be compared to fresh air — simple and clean and great for relaxing, deep breaths.

The suites are built right into the cliff side overlooking the Aegean Sea, where the buildings have stood since the 1600’s. Originally built as wineries, all the suites have been impeccably refurbished and decorated with much sophistication. The layout includes a King Size bed in the open plan bedroom, a spacious living room and the option of private jacuzzi and/or plunge pool.

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece

Keir Alexa Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Getaway

The calming atmosphere definitely cools off even the driest of hot of summer days. As the temperature lingered in the high 80’s the majority of our stay, the pool became part of our daily routine. Nothing like a big umbrella and some smoothies to kill the heat!

Santorini Greece Getaway

Topping of our three night, four day stay, we stopped by the spa for a soothing massage. The massage rooms were indoor/outdoor with an incredible view of the sea. The ocean breeze added a whole other level of serenity to our relaxation, recharging us as we said our goodbyes to Santorini.

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Getaway

Keir Alexa Santorini Greece

THE LAND

Santorini is the most famous of its neighboring islands for a reason. Apart from its magical landscape, Santorini is busting with bustling villages, a variety of unique shops and exquisite dining.

As we stayed in Oia, we spent most of our days perusing the maze of the cliffside town. Time flew browsing down cobblestone streets, stopping in almost every storefront we passed — clothing shops, souvenir shops, storefronts packed with paintings of Santorini, even fish spas! We let the fish nibble off and exfoliate our feet for a good ten minutes, before returning to our travels. Overall, the shops were great for strolling and window shopping, though I did walk away with two sun hats for some much needed sun protection, and a couple postcards to send out to my brothers.

Needless to say, all the walking certainly built up an appetite! By the end of the day we were always ready for some nourishment, which Oia had plenty to offer.

My favorite spot — Ambrosia. With two gorgeous terraces overlooking the sea and amazing Modern Greek Cuisine, Ambrosia found a special place in my heart and my stomach. Our first night in Santorini, we dined underneath the stars, which I highly recommend. It may have been the 20-hour flight from Los Angeles, but I was starving upon arrival at Ambrosia. I ordered a bread basket with homemade dips, a warm tomato soup, rocket salad with spinach, slices of parmesan and walnuts with a pomegranate dressing, and Tagliatelle with cherry tomatoes and shrimp to finish. I was definitely more than satisfied.

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece Travel

THE SEA

What’s an island with out the sea, and what better way to explore than an afternoon cruise?

We chartered a boat from Sunset Oia and spent the day sailing the Aegean Sea, lounging and admiring the soothing waters as well as the spectacular view of the island. We plugged in our own music and let the songs sway with us on the sea, visiting Santorini’s neighboring islands. The red sand beach most vividly stands out in my mind — the setting, the deep, alluring red against the aquamarine water, was more dream than reality.

Santorini Greece Getaway

Santorini Greece

The food, the shops, the cliffs, the suite, the stars and the sunset — Santorini was truly a picture-perfect fairytale getaway!

5400 3600 Keir Alexa
belvedere ice room canada travel

Belvedere Ice Room

Belvedere Ice Room 1024 683 Keir Alexa

One of the highlights of my trip to Whistler, Canada was the Belvedere Ice Room.

Hidden, in a separate room of the Bearfoot Bistro restaurant, is a cave-like ice room. It is known to be the world’s coldest vodka tasting room in the world.

Before entering, a vodka expert took us to a hall where we donned a parka worthy of an Arctic explorer. As soon as I put my Canada Goose jacket on, I felt comfy and cozy. It was much needed before entering a room with temperatures at -32C (-25F). After we were all zipped up and were ready to go, our host led us to a blue, glowing glass door that opened into the tasting room.

belvedere ice room canada travel

belvedere ice room canada travel

All along the luminous ice walls is a collection of over 50 world-class vodkas from which to choose. In the center of the room sits a table made of ice. Shot glasses line up on the top, waiting to be filled with the luscious liquors.

belvedere ice room canada travel

belvedere ice room canada travel

The vodka’s we tasted 

The whole experience takes about 20 minutes and includes four shots. The ice was remarkable and my fingers were freezing. But, my insides were warm and toasty after that delicious vodka! 

If you are in Whistler, DON’T miss this experience!

necker island adventure travel blog

12 Incredible Things To Do on Necker Island

12 Incredible Things To Do on Necker Island 1024 683 Keir Alexa

Necker Island is not only breathtakingly beautiful but there is an array of fun activities to take part in. Here is a list of my favorite things to do on Necker Island!

12  Things To Do on Necker Island

1. Feed the Lemurs 

 

necker island adventure travel lemurs

 

2. Sail on a Hobie Cat to other islands 

 

necker island adventure travel blog beach

 

3. Indulge in a spa treatment overlooking the sea

 

necker island adventure travel blog

 

 4. Inner-tubing 

 

necker island adventure

 

5. Zip-line to Turtle Beach  

 

necker island adventure travel

 

6. Dress up in costumes 

 

Necker Island adventure

 

7. Kite surf

 

necker island adventure travel blog beach kite surf

 

8. Visit the flamingos 

 

necker island

 

9. Eat delicious food 

 

necker island adventure travel food sushi

 

10. Dive on the Necker Nymph

 

necker island adventure travel

 

11. Take tennis lessons 

 

necker island adventure

 

12. Relax and read a book 

necker island adventure relax

 

Which activity would you like to do?

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel Blog

Sparkling St. Barths

Sparkling St. Barths 1024 682 Keir Alexa

A sparkling jewel among the already considerable beauty of tropical islands, St. Barthelemy is synonymous with leisure and luxury. Uncrowded by the typical Caribbean tourist, St. Barts caters to the luxury traveler who loves fine dining and fine diving.

 

St. Barths Travel

Starting from St. Martin island, we flew in a small chartered plane and circled over St. Barts for a moment, enough time to see brilliant white sand beaches circled by a sapphire ocean, before landing at the island’s tiny airport. The short, mountaintop runway will rattle all but the most experienced of world-travelers.

 

St. Barths Travel

Our Arrow Marine Villa, located on Mount Jean’s private estate, had a spectacular view of the lush Margiot Bay.

St. Barths Travel

Views from our bedroom

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel Blog

St Barths Travel

St Barths Travel

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel

The living room 

St Barths Travel Vacation

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel

St Barths Keir Alexa After settling in, we went to dinner at one of St Barth’s most popular restaurants

called Le Ti. After a delicious dinner and of course one too many drinks, people dress up in costumes and dance on tables.

Our days were spent walking around the elite shopping areas of Gustavia and visiting the island’s many beaches.

St Barths Travel

St Barths Keir Alexa Travel Blogger

St Barths Travel

St Barths Travel

Flower-strewn Cemetery 

St Barths Flowers

After a superb lunch at Eden Rock, we checked out Nikki Beach, and found that it’s a party unto itself, complete with champagne showers raining down every few minutes thanks to the raucous revelers.

St Barths Travel

St Barths Travel

 

St Barths Travel

You can check out the best times to visit St. Barths HERE

South Africa Meets South Beach

South Africa Meets South Beach 923 441 Keir Alexa

Three years ago my boyfriend, Bob, decided that he wanted to build a house in Miami, which is whole new kind of adventure for him. He asked for my help so I did a bunch of research, looking for the best architect for the project. My standards for this search were pretty high, and I scoured the web (and the world) to find the right fit.

Luckily, I found SAOTA, a distinguished and award winning firm based in Cape Town, South Africa. They build beautiful homes all over the world. As opposed to other firms who seek to copy contemporary trends, Saota works with their clients to create the vision that they truly want—a house that tells the story of the people who live there.

As you might have guessed, Bob and I love to travel! As we thought about it, the designs of the places we love most all have water as a main element, which is good for us, because the house will be built right on the water in South Beach. Places like the Setai Hotel in South Beach, The Bulgari Hotel in Bali, and One and Only in the Maldives all give us a feeling of beauty and serenity whenever we’re there, and that is how we want to feel at home, too.

So, feeling inspired by the work we saw from Saota, off we went to South Africa, to meet with the architects and bring this vision to life!

Meeting Stefan, Phillip, and Mark of Saota was a great experience. You can tell that they really “get” it. Watching the three of them collaborate with Bob on a vision, especially one as personal as a home, was great to be a part of.

Cape3

After looking at the beautiful homes and spaces that they have designed over the years, I realized that architecture is truly an art form like no other.  Their homes are like paintings that you can walk through. I could envision being inside one of their homes and the feelings it would bring out in me—what a thrill!

 

Here is what Bob’s Mac Daddy crib is going to look like in 19-21 months!!!

US_Miami_1_9200_entrance_04_121126_01_gz s_SAOTA

The main entrance of the house

US_Miami_1_9200_bar_121126_01_gz s_SAOTA

160 feet on the water

US_Miami_1_9300_lounge_01_121128_03_gz s_SAOTA

Indoor/Outdoor living

 

Below are some more of Saota’s designs:

Nettleton199_1a Int_103_BalconyTerrace_001_al_SAOTA_0

Dakar- West Africa

UAE_PalmJumeirah_1-Ext04b_9200_PJ_9300_spaout_110221_gz_SAOTA_0

Palm Jumeirah- Dubai

DSow_1 Ext04_Pool001_sa_SAOTA_0

Cape Town- South Africa

HK_BBQGardens_9200_Pool_002_121214_01_ts_SAOTA_0

Siu Lam- Hong Kong

Zilwa_1_1049 view-01-rev3_SAOTA_1

St Anne Seychelles

TH_CapeSawanVilla2_9200_Terrace_005_111018_01_ts_SAOTA_1

Phuket Thailand

 

 

 

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