If you want to become an entrepreneur – meeting Richard Branson and getting his thoughts on the world can be life changing!
It is easy to forget how pleasurable the simple things in life are when we’re always on the move. Don’t get me wrong, I love being on the move and living in the moment, but sometimes we all feel so rushed that we forget how great just staying still can be. So when some friends of ours in Miami invited us to stay at their cabin in North Carolina, I was excited to discover a part of America I had not seen yet. We flew into Atlanta and drove three hours into the beautiful Nantahala National Forest, watching the big city fade away as the straight highways became curved and twisty mountain roads, and buildings gave way to trees and mountains. I found I was actually relieved to not have any cell phone service! I love my phone, but I was ready for a vacation from technology and the daily hustle and bustle.
Here is our friends beautiful cabin we stayed at, affectionately known as “Camp Weil”, right on the shore of Nantahala Lake. Nantahala is a Cherokee word that means “Land of the noon-day sun” and when the sun rose overhead it lit up the forest, turning everything amazing shades of green and gold.
The porch with two comfortable rocking chairs looking out onto the lake was a great place to sit and relax, but my favorite place was probably the couch! I spent lots of time in my comfy pajamas being a couch potato and enjoying the warm wood-burning fireplace that emanated the smoky pine scent that you can only really smell when you’re in the wilderness far from home.
There were a lot of water toys to play with during the day which included jet skis, kayaking, floating rafts, wake-boarding, and inter-tubing. Normally, I am not a huge fan of inter-tubing, but this time I had so much fun laughing (and screaming) as we zipped through the water at high speeds. I can’t wait to do it again!
At night, we’d enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal and gaze at all the stars. The stars seemed like you can just reach out and grab them, they were so bright. Big-city living is great, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t get dark there the way it does in the woods. It was so peaceful and quiet in the evening, with a light breeze blowing through the trees and a galaxy of stars overhead.
The whole experience was a perfect way to recharge and reconnect with nature, which is something I think we all should try to do more often. It makes you appreciate both the woods AND your cell phone just a little bit more!
Scuba diving is a great way to experience all the sights that the ocean has to offer, but you can always count on Sir Richard Branson to take something amazing and find a way to take it up a notch! In this case, it is the Necker Nymph, an amazing vehicle from Virgin Limited Edition that is basically an underwater airplane. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind machine that uses propulsion and hydrodynamics (like aerodynamics, but with water) to glide through the water up to speeds of 6 knots and dive as deep as 100 feet.
When you sit inside of it, you feel a little bit like you’re in a flying car, complete with windshields. The Nymph lets you cruise through the seascape with as much ease as a fish, and because of that, you get a much better look at all the coral and sea creatures. This is especially true when you’re off the coast of Necker Island, which has pristine waters for diving. Check out my video for a look at what the Necker Nymph can do!
Hidden in the hills of Barbados is the enchanted Hunte’s Garden. Lush, full of color and the sounds of wildlife, I couldn’t wait to go inside.
As soon as we arrived, I noticed a sign out front that said “The most enchanting place on earth!” I had no idea what to expect, but as soon as I entered the garden I knew that I entered a tropical paradise, full of the most beautiful flowers and plants I have ever seen.
The garden is a carefully cultivated plant utopia, full of smiling Buddha statues and Greek figures. I started heading down the staircase and quickly found myself exploring different pathways and relaxing on the benches that were tucked in different corners of the garden.
It is so dense with plants that everywhere feels like its own perfect little garden of your own. Part of the reason it is so lush is that it is actually inside a sinkhole, so plants can climb up the steep natural walls that are all around you.
After 15 minutes of exploring, I ran into Anthony Hunte, who is the man that created the gardens. He is very welcoming and invited us up to his for ginger lemonade and talked about how it took him over 2 years to develop the garden.
I only got to spend about 30 minutes there because I was on a time crunch to visit some other parts of Barbados….. so next time I am planning to stay much longer. A taste of paradise was definitely not enough! I highly recommend bringing a book, wandering down a path and finding a sunny bench to relax on.
Below are some more images of the garden!
Coachella, one of my all time favorite music festivals, takes place in Indio, California. Coachella is all about being free to dance to good music, spend time with friends, and have plenty of fun!
Camping on the polo grounds is the most popular way of staying at Coachella. However, if camping isn’t your thing, try something a little more upscale. Stay at one of the hotels or rent a house. Our group decided to rent the ultimate, luxurious desert estate.
We drove up on Thursday night, and as soon as we arrived, we easily made ourselves at home. The magnificent property felt more like a hotel than a house. The sparkling olympic size pool and soothing jacuzzi was delightfully handy at all hours of the day and night.
Our Pool 
Tennis court 
The living room
Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom
We had amazing Chef Keven Lee cook for us during our stay. I highly recommend him to anyone in the Los Angeles area wanting one of the worlds best chefs. Chef Kevin is not only a great chef, who cooks some of the most delicious dishes I have ever had, but he also has an amazing heart.
This year, big brand names like Guess, Chevy, H&M, Lacoste, and Neon Carnival produced major events that definitely topped last year.
On Friday night, my boyfriend put together a fantastic after party. It was definitely one for the books. The music was bumping, the drinks were flowing, and people were dancing. A great time was had by all!
My highlights from this year were the astronaut that roamed about the festival, Neon Carnival, Yuma tent, Pharrell Williams, Alesso, Calvin Harris, and Disclosure.
Coachella gear 
After the long weekend of partying, my boyfriend and I decided to skip the traffic and jet home! I miss Coachella already!
One night after dinner, we decided that we wanted to explore Aspen at night, and started to walk down the street when up ahead of me was a taxi parked with neon lights flashing inside. As soon as I got close I realized that this wasn’t just a regular old Taxi… this was a mini nightclub on wheels, this was a little taste of Burning Man-style weirdness in the normal world…this was the ULTIMATE TAXI
How could we say no? We decided to hop in the car and go for a ride around town. The taxi has LED lights on the inside of the car as well as the outside.
Jon Barnes, the driver, handed us some 3D glasses and started driving while he bumped up the music!
During the ride Jon dazzled us by playing the electric drums and keyboard. There is a laser show and smog machines and he gave us giant foam glow sticks. He even whipped out the electric clarinet and played some classic tunes so we could really get our groove on.
Typically, the taxi ride costs $200 for 40 minutes but Jon said if we sang and looked like wild animals (while he filmed us) then we would ride for free.. and that is just what we did.
I sang my heart out and I am surprised the glass windows of the taxi didn’t break. After all, “Lifes not about the destination…. it’s about the journey.”
This was definitely the Ultimate Taxi ride to say the least. So much fun and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Aspen!
As the planes starts to descend into Aspen, the majestic white-capped Colorado mountain range reflects with the beautiful midnight sky. The plane taxis along the snow filled runway and as the door opens I await my first Christmas vacation in Aspen, Colorado. I walk down the stairs onto the runway and I cannot believe the amount of snow on the ground. Over the last 72 hours Aspen has had over two feet of fresh new snow. I felt like I stepped foot into a winter wonderland!
I am continuously struck by the beauty of the mountain landscape. There are four ski resorts in the Aspen area, Buttermilk, Snowmass, Highlands and Aspen Mountain. We turn onto Main Street, and I realize how charming Aspen is. The town is filled with top designer stores, galleries and amazing restaurants, but it still has that cozy feel, especially at Christmas time.
We pull into the Little Nell Residences where we have rented one of their three large homes. The VIP concierge service is impeccable, taking care of all our needs, including preparing our Christmas tree before we arrived. Little Nell Residences are attached to the Little Nell hotel, which I highly recommend to stay at as well as the St. Regis hotel. We did a spa night at the St. Regis and it is definitely now one of my favorite spas. I absolutely enjoyed their oxygen lounge, which is fantastic when you are at such high altitudes, along with the hot tubs, steam caves and a cold plunge pool.
During our trip we dined at many different restaurants, including Matsuhisa, Casa Tua, AJAX Tavern, and Kenichi.
One day it was so cold I thought my fingers were going to freeze off. I took the gondola ride up Ajax Mountain and had drinks at the summit, which is for more advanced skiers. The gondola was much higher than I realized, but surprisingly, I wasn’t scared. It was fun to go to the top of mountain so I could get a birds eye perspective on the town. It’s a gorgeous view! My boyfriend skied down and says it’s definitely one of his favorite runs.
Aspen is so beautiful. It is a great place to celebrate the holidays! I definitely hope I can visit Aspen in again, except this time I want to check it out in the summer.
