I feel like I don’t write enough personal blog posts.
Do you ever scroll through your photos mindlessly and then realize, “wow I’ve actually had a busy year”? That’s me. I’ve been so wrapped up in the behind-the-scenes work lately that I figured it was time for a life update!
I’ve been enjoying a busy but chill (not really, it’s hot as hell here) summer in Curacao lately. Between building up my Farahilde brand, social media presence, crafting blog posts, working with brand proposals, planning trips for clients, AND planning my own wedding I’ve had my hands quite full. It’s not all bad though! I love feeling productive and meeting the goals I’ve set for myself – it helps to counter the inevitable imposter syndrome I so often encounter.
It has been a daunting process going from a secure salaried travel planning job to a small business owner with my own travel brand this past year. There are some weeks where I’m asking myself what I’m doing and other weeks where things fall into place and I’m feeling super good. Is anyone else in the same boat?
I’ve been finding it helpful when I’m overwhelmed to stop and reflect on my accomplishments so far and remind myself that I live on a Caribbean island and need to enjoy it. Even though Curacao is insanely hot in the summer months, that hasn’t stopped me from going out and enjoying the island. Here’s a recap of everything I’ve been up to this summer so far!
- Stay up to date with the latest luxury travel trends!
- Staycation at Sandals Royal Curacao
- Showed My Parents Around the Island
- 4th of July Grill and Chill at Home
- Visited the Cinema… a lot
- Discovered Hiking Trails
- Enjoyed a Local Cooking Class
- Spending Time with Friends
- Focusing on Self-Care
- Work, Work, Work
- Wedding Planning From Afar
- Final Thoughts
Table of Contents
Staycation at Sandals Royal Curacao
Back in June, Jeremiah and I had a long weekend staycation at Sandals Royal Curacao. That had been our second visit, and we loved it both times! It’s not often you can get in a relaxing beach vacation at an all-inclusive so close to your house. On this particular visit we told ourselves that we’re not going to plan anything in advance and will just chill, eat, drink, and swim – and that’s exactly what we did.
Whenever I’m visiting or staying at properties, I can’t help but have my travel agent glasses on. This was definitely the case at my most recent Sandals visit. Despite coming in with full intentions to relax and gorge myself, I just had to take pictures and schedule a site visit with the sales manager.
I’m glad I ended up doing this because I got to meet the sales team in person who were so lovely. I learned way more about the property than I would’ve on my own, and I got to take videos of multiple room categories to better share with my clients. I ended up writing a full blog post about my most recent stay which you can check out here.
Other than that little bit of work, I managed to stick to my goal of relaxing that whole weekend. We swam at the big pool, participated in some drinking games, read books on the beach, played chess, listened to music, gazed at the stars, and ate two dinners each night. I came back from that weekend feeling more refreshed than I had been in a long time.
Showed My Parents Around the Island
Shortly after coming back from Sandals Royal Curacao, my parents came to visit! They had just finished up a cruise in Miami and thought they may as well take the American Airlines non-stop flight to Curacao to stay for a few days and visit the grandkids (our dogs).
Even though my parents had visited Curacao with me a few times before moving to the island, they really never got to see the island properly. So this time I made sure to come prepared and I put together an itinerary that had a good balance of touring and relaxing that we followed.
Some highlights from their stay include getting piña coladas at Zanzibar (nostalgic because it’s where we had lunch together on our first visit), getting massages at 8 the Experience, watching the sunset at Pirate Bay, and just catching up at home. We of course got Filipino food at Pan Asian Bistro and said hi to the Filipino staff and savored the taste of home. All in all, a solid visit from the parents!
4th of July Grill and Chill at Home
Jeremiah and I have a tradition of grilling on the 4th of July. We don’t go to parties or seek out where the fireworks are. We hit the supermarket, pick up some glizzies and burgers, and then spend the day firing up the grill listening to whatever Spotify recommends for all-American hits. A chill and grill day, I like to call it.
This 4th of July was no different and we ended up chilling and grilling our hearts out. Jeremiah made a delicious sangria and I made a berry trifle that ended up getting me obsessed with berries again. I’m not going to lie, I kind of missed being able to say hi to my neighbors grilling and saying “Happy Fourth” to everyone. Also the American flag bandanas we usually put on the dogs were collecting dust, sadly. Next year, we’ll definitely invite our friends over to celebrate with us and show them what the Fourth is all about!
Visited the Cinema… a lot
I mentioned before in my blog post recapping my 2023 that movie tickets are so cheap on the island. Compared to $20 per ticket at Regal in the US, a regular ticket here costs around $8 per ticket. Popcorn, drinks, and snacks are so reasonable compared to what we’re used to. The end result of this discovery is that we ended up seeing a new movie almost every week this summer.
Inside Out 2? Saw it. Despicable Me 4? Saw it in a full theater with tons of kids. Borderlands? Definitely saw. Garfield? Yep. Kinds of Kindess? Wow, don’t get me started on how weird that was, but we definitely saw it. Deadpool & Wolverine? Of course. Alien: Romulus? Loved and had me on the edge of my seat. Seriously, we’re there all the time and it’s one of our favorite past times.
Discovered Hiking Trails
Last year I think we were so busy trying to settle into our new home and trying to familiarize ourselves with our immediate area that we didn’t take advantage of many nature opportunities on the island. Now that we’ve been living here for over a year and a half, we decided it was time to venture out and try out some hiking trails!
One of the first hikes we did was from Jan Thiel Beach to Mambo Beach. This hike took us a couple of hours roundtrip and followed a rough and rocky trail following the coastline. It was beautiful and moderately challenging. We actually passed by a couple hiking this trail in Adidas sandals and laughed that we were so out of our element. The views at certain points were incredible and we had an energetic soundtrack almost the entire way as Zanzibar was playing music that echoed throughout the hike.
Another hike we did was from Fort Beekenburg to Kabrietenberg in the Jan Thiel area. This hiking trail was even less marked, but there were significant portions where you could clearly see the trail which helped. I liked the hike overall, but honestly it was heartbreaking to see both the skinny group of stray dogs at the Fort and the handful of deceased dogs that had clearly been dumped. I know I talk a lot about how much I love living on the island, but one of these days I’ll write a post about the unsavory aspects of Curacao that can be tough to deal with, mostly related to the treatment of animals here.
Back to the hike: the Fort to Kabrietenberg follows paved roads, dirt roads, and very spiky coral. You actually pass by the opposite side of Sandals Royal Curacao during this hike and can enjoy the reggae music from across the water. Climbing up Kabrietenberg is pretty straightforward and there is a clear trail but the very top was daunting for us amateurs! Basically we came across a loose pile of rocks just before the top that we had to get on our hands and knees to climb. Not to mention the trail and rocks were flanked by various sized cacti. We persevered, though, and the view from the top was worth it. Beautiful Spanish Bay and ocean views for miles.
Finally, we did another hike last month that was relatively easy: Jan Thiel Zoutpannen. We had actually been here before during rainy season but didn’t get very far as the water was too high. This time the water had receded so far that we were able to walk pretty far into the salt pans! We also took our chihuahua, Basil, with us this time as he is always craving an adventure. He had a blast and took occasional breaks laying in the water to cool down. It was so cute! The landscape during the summer looks like Mars (with water) and we loved being able to see the flamingos.
Enjoyed a Local Cooking Class
This summer I was so excited to receive my first collaboration with a tourist board, the Curacao Tourist Board, no less! We partnered to come up with a blog post focusing on sustainable luxury travel in Curacao, and it was a task that I was happy to work on. As part of my research on this topic, I participated in a local cooking class with Caribbean Chef Helmi Smeulders. You’ll have to read all about it when my blog post comes out on the Curacao Tourist Board website. 🙂
Spending Time with Friends
What’s a summer spent without friends? We’re so grateful for the friends we’ve made on the island who pull us out of our shells to do something fun (Ashley and Oscar – shoutout!). We’re definitely people who get stuck in routines and when weekends come around we end up just gardening and napping. Not this summer! Here’s a few of the things we did with our friends recently:
Sunset Cruise: We recently did a sunset cruise with All Boats Charter on their luxury Gold Seahorse catamaran. It was 3 hours long picking up near Jan Sofat and mostly stuck around the Spanish Waters with a short venture out into the open ocean to watch the sun set. The catamaran was nicely appointed, the bar service was popping, and the violinist on board was a nice touch. What I would improve was the frequency of food coming around on platters. We made the mistake of not eating beforehand and were hungry but there just wasn’t enough food to go around for everyone in my opinion. Otherwise, a lovely experience!
Go-Karting in Punda: A couple of times a year there is a go-kart track that gets laid out in the parking lot in front of the Punda movie theater. Whenever the go-karts open, we have to race our friends. The go-karts are ZIPPY. I mean, they go so fast my eyes water. There are solo go-karts and double go-karts. Each round lasts around 15 minutes and winds tightly in some areas. It’s very fun and I love to see kids speeding past me having a blast.
Nighttime E-Scooter Ride: When we first moved here, we would see scooters that crossed the swinging bridge downtown in the evening blasting loud vibey music. It seemed like a lot of fun and we put it on our mental list to look up which place does that. Well, we found it, and with our friends we embarked on a night time e-scooter ride. It wasn’t really a “tour” because our guide/leader didn’t really say much, but it was a fun night time ride around Saliña, Pietermaai, and Punda (couldn’t go on the bridge because it was open). This activity is definitely geared towards locals looking to have fun, not really tourists looking to learn about the island.
Enjoyed greasy burgers: I’ve already raved about how much I love Brgr Haus. Greasy American-style burgers that hit the spot any day. This time, we enjoyed a much needed catch up with our friends over said burgers. The vibe at Kura Hulanda is always chill and it’s a great place to have casual conversation.
Focusing on Self-Care
I’m definitely the type of person to put self-care on the back burner when things get busy. Bad habit, I know. I realized that I needed to work on my self-care when I started to get bad acne breakouts on both sides of my face. I hadn’t had acne that bad since I was a teenager, so I was pretty freaked out to see it pop up just mere months from my wedding day! There are a handful of things that I started to do in order to take me from stress-level 100 back down to baseline:
Cooked more at home: I love takeout as much as anyone, especially pizza, burgers, and tacos. While I’ll still treat myself to a cheat day once a week, the other days I have committed to cooking more at home. Even if it’s just roasted chicken with orzo and veg or making lean taco bowls at home, I find that eating home cooked food makes me feel more productive, accomplished, and healthy. Thank you to my husband-to-be for always cleaning up the insane mess I leave in the kitchen.
Prioritized reading books instead of looking at my phone: For the longest time I would doom scroll at the gym, during the day, and before bed. Especially being present on social media to nurture my brand meant that I was always on my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still on my phone, but when I have a chunk of time (after dinner or before bed) I’ll pick up a book to read instead of scrolling aimlessly on my phone. Lately I’ve been really into “romantasy” books (romance + fantasy) and have been reading at least a book a week. It’s been so good for my mental health!
Got massages: I am such a fan of massages. Ever since living in India as a kid and visiting Thailand during school breaks and getting Thai massages, I’ve been obsessed. There’s something so relaxing to me about the rhythms of being touched and getting the knots out of my muscles. So this summer I got a deep tissue massage at Feel in Kura Hulanda AND I had Jeremiah give me massages at home. I have to say, getting massages professionally done is always preferable, but bless my future spouse for trying.
Played video games in my down time: I have an on and off relationship with video games. I used to play them religiously when I was younger, but as time passed I found myself leaning towards watching brainless TV shows (a la Love is Blind) instead of playing an engaging game. Recently, I picked up Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6 for my Xbox and it reminded me how fun playing games can be. I finished Far Cry 5 in one week and I loved the story and environment. I’m still chipping away at Far Cry 6, but so far so good!
Took naps on the beach: Sometimes I kick myself that we live just 5 minutes from the beach but we don’t go there enough. This summer we made an effort to visit more beaches to relax. Just last weekend we visited Zest Beach Club and had a great time. Armed with a book and plenty of sunscreen, we were there from 9 AM until 4 PM and I think I napped for half that time. Taking in the sea breeze and floating in the ocean was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Work, Work, Work
In between all of this, I’ve been working like crazy! I’ve been updating my social media nearly every day making sure to engage with my community. I also answer visitor questions on Curacao’s Visitor Forum on Facebook trying to help travelers who plan to visit the island. I’ve been booking some trips for clients including a Virgin Voyages cruise, a couple of hotels in Curacao (yay!), a family-oriented Caribbean trip for next summer, and a luxe ladies trip in Europe for next spring.
Stay up to date with the latest luxury travel trends!
This summer I partnered with both the Curacao Tourist Board and Feel Curacao to create content for them. I absolutely loved it and am so excited for more partnerships in the future. I have plans to visit more local hotels on the island to write posts about them and share them in Curacao forums. I also have plans to partner with more tourism boards, especially in the Caribbean, to shed a light on what to do, what to expect, and why you should visit. Keep an eye out on my future projects!
Wedding Planning From Afar
Last but not least, I’ve been planning my own wedding for the past year. The big day is this month! Ahhh!!! I am really glad to have gotten the bulk of the planning done last year, but it’s still daunting to think about how the day is going to look. There are so many gears churning that some days I wish we did a simple court wedding. I know I’ll feel differently on the day though.
I may have mentioned previously that I bought my wedding dress off the rack during my last visit in Boston. I flew back to the island with it and recently got it hemmed so it’s now fun-sized like me! Jeremiah also got a custom suit made at a local tailor and it came out beautiful. I’m so thankful to live in a time when technology is embraced and reliable as having Facetime calls with vendors has been a game changer.
Less than a month until the wedding! I still need to put the finishing touches in the form of: arranging transportation, putting together smores kits, trying on which shoes I’m going to wear, and practicing the bride and groom’s first dance. The big day will be here before I know it, and you guys know I need to have everything planned to a T.
Final Thoughts
I think I’ve just about caught you all up to what I’ve been up to this summer. It’s been a busy summer, but one that I’ve been grateful for. Still to come: a luxury hotel review, my experience at Kaya Kaya festival on Curacao, and a list of my favorite beach clubs on the island. I’ll also write a blog post (with tons of pics, don’t worry) about the wedding day 🙂
How is your summer going? Have you found it busier or more relaxing this year? Comment down below!
Leave a Reply