Club Med Punta Cana

Did you know that Club Med is the company that started the all-inclusive concept? That was news to me for sure! I have a pretty big place in my heart for all-inclusives because Ever and I work like crazy all-year long and sometimes it's really nice to be able to have a vacation that is worry-free. This time around I got to try the Club Med Punta Cana resort in the Dominicain Republic. It was my first time at a Club Med all-inclusives. Over the years, I had heard such good things about this chain and I was super curious to see for myself. We had an amazing 4 days planned with the Club Med team to discover the huge property that runs on 75 acres of land. 

The location

The Club Med Punta Cana is literally 10 mins away from the Punta Cana airport. I know some people really look into this factor before booking an all-inclusive resort because they want to avoid the long bus ride, so this one is really for you. Right when you step foot in the lobby you can automatically feel the extent of the property and the hospitality. 

• Club Med Punta Cana has 631 rooms
• Family oriented resort with amazing services for kids
• New Zen Oasis adult only section with 78 rooms, a private bar, pool and beach

The rooms

We had the pleasure of staying in the new Zen Oasis section which is adults only and was built only a couple of years ago. The rooms looked amazing. Each of them were like small private cabanas. What I liked the most is that the main door opened to a private garden which was the main entry to the room, which my own private sun bed and little chilling area. It really felt like I had my own little house for the weekend. I loved the layout of the room, with a huge bath and a nice shower, everything to make couples feel right at home. The Zen Oasis area honestly looked amazing, with it's own private pool and private bar. We would get smoothies as an afternoon break and what was amazing were all the snacks the bar served around 4-5 pm, which is the time you usually get super hungry but it's too early for supper. I absolutely loved that! 

The beach

This is one thing that is an absolute must for me when I book a vacation, the beach must be long, for nice long walks and nice. The Club Med Punta Cana is such a huge property that you really get a gorgeous 2,000 foot private beach (with no vendors bothering you). The beach is very clean and you can lounge on some comfy chairs in the adult area or take a nap after your lunch right next to the beach restaurant. I honestly felt like it's was not overcrowded which is an absolute must for me. 

The activities

Wow, so many sports and activities to choose from at Club Med Punta Cana, we managed to try so many of them. When in an all-inclusive, lounging on a beach chair, eating and drinking can seem redundant to some, having a resort with a huge variety of activities makes it totally worth your money:

• Kayaking: this was a first for me. Most of the resorts offer water sports but it always seems so complicated. At the Club Med, everything was so easy, you can kayak for 30 mins, come back, go have lunch and go kayaking again or try something else. I found it was well organized. Kayaking was so special, the water was absolutely beautiful around the resort and it made it such a relaxing morning. Perfect for a post breakfast activity.

• The circus activity with Club Med CREACTIVE by Cirque du Soleil, which was super fun but super hard. Sometimes, it's nice to try something new on vacation and this was very new for me. Instructors are present on site to help you through everything.

• Archery: I also tried archery for the first time and it was awesome. Situated close to the lobby, you can reserve and try to hit the bullseye on your first go.

The food

Club Med is well known for their white chocolate bread and let me tell you that it became very dangerous for all of us after a couple of hours in the vacation. Someone had to stop us, it's sooo good. The resort has 3 main restaurants:

• Hispaniola: a waterfront restaurant that serves a sumptuous international buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner. This place was so delish, the setting on the outside terrasse for a nice dinner is really gorgeous, especially at sunset.

• Samana: a large restaurant near the main swimming pool serving a variety of international and local favorites. This is the perfect place to go grab breakfast.

• Indigo Beach Lounge: the place-to-be during lunch. It's an all-day dining oceanfront restaurant with table service and what I loved is that at lunch, you could order your food with the Maitre'D and grab it to-go to eat on the beach, quesadillas and guacamole galore! At night, this restaurant transforms into an adult-exclusive dinner. 

What was super interesting to me was the fact that absolutely everyone on the resorts speaks french and I loved that! Honestly, Club Med is a really good destination for couples and especially amazing for families, sooo many things to do for the kids, it's crazy! If you want to learn more, visit the Club Med website or don't hesitate to send me a message. 

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4 things to do in Portugal with Air Transat

Portugal is definitely one of my favorite destinations. It just has the perfect dosage between city life and beach life. When looking to book a destination, the first thing the boyfriend and I ask ourselves is ''do we want a beach vacation or a exploring and getting lost in a city vacation?''. We usually go back-and-forth for a couple of days and end up deciding for a ''beach + getting lost in a city vacation''. We mostly reserve the full beach all-inclusive types for the winter, where all you need is a little vitamin D and relaxation. Portugal is the best of both worlds. One day you can lay on the most gorgeous beaches and another day you can get lost trying to find the best pastel de natas Portugal has to offer. I just found out that Air Transat flies from Montreal to Lisbon 6 days a week this summer, including 5 direct flights! The airline also offers 4 weekly flights to Porto. We went to Portugal 7 years ago and these are 4 things we did during our last visit and we would do again in a heartbeat next time we visit this beautiful country.

Le Portugal est définitivement l'une de mes destinations préférées. Ce pays est vraiment le dosage parfait entre la vie en ville et la vie de plage. Dès qu'Ever et moi cherchons à réserver une destination pour nos vacances, la première question qu'on se pose est: «voulons-nous des vacances à la plage ou une exploration et se perdre dans des vacances en ville?». Nous en discutons pendant plusieurs jours et finissons par décider qu'un mélange des deux est vraiment le meilleur des deux mondes. Nous réservons la plupart de nos vacances de type plage/tout compris en hiver, où tout ce dont on a besoin est un peu de vitamine D et de détente. Le Portugal est vraiment le meilleur des deux mondes. Un jour, vous pouvez vous allonger sur les plages les plus magnifiques et un autre jour, vous pouvez vous perdre en essayant de trouver le meilleur pastel de natas du Portugal. Je viens de découvrir qu'Air Transat vole de Montréal à Lisbonne 6 jours par semaine cet été, incluant 5 vols directs! La compagnie aérienne propose également 4 vols hebdomadaires vers Porto. Nous sommes allés au Portugal il y a 7 ans et voici les 4 choses que nous avons faites lors de notre dernière visite. Une chose est sûr, nous planifions notre retour depuis des années ;) 

1 - Eating your way through Lisbon - Lisbon is a city that is filled with amazing little restaurants. We all know that Portugal is known for their amazing fish, seafood, chicken and pastel de natas. Always make sure that you ask your hotel or your AirBnB host which local restaurants are the best, because trust me they know. If locals eat at these restaurants, it's because they are really good. During our last visit, we had stumbled upon this amazing chicken rotisserie, where we had an absolute feast and actually returned the next day. After supper comes the search for the best pastel de natas. I mean it's very hard to find a pastel de natas that is not good, walk around the main

1 - Manger votre chemin à travers Lisbonne - Lisbonne est une ville qui est remplie de petits restaurants incroyables. Nous savons tous que le Portugal est connu pour la fraîcheur du poisson et des fruits de mer, le poulet portugais et bien sûr, les pastel de natas. Dès le début de votre séjour, assurez-vous de toujours demander des conseils restaurants aux employés de votre hôtel ou à votre hôte AirBnB. Ces gens sont locaux, donc, ils connaissent vraiment les meilleurs endroits ils savent. Lors de notre dernière visite, nous sommes tombés sur un restaurant spécialisé en poulet portugais et nous avons mangé un festin. Ce restaurant était tellement bon que nous y sommes retourner le lendemain. Après le souper, il faut débuter la recherche du meilleur pastel de natas. Entre vous et moi, ce n'est pas très difficile, on retrouve plein de différents marchands un peu partout dans le centre-ville de Lisonne. 

2 - Ride an historic tram in Lisbon - One of the coolest things in Lisbon are their trams, they are part of the city's transportation system and make the perfect way of getting around the city and up those crazy hills. You can also find some hop-on hop-off trams that are guided to discover the city.

2 - Montez à bord d'un tramway historique à Lisbonne - Les trams sont l'une des choses les plus cool de Lisbonne. Ils font partie du système de transport de la ville et constituent le moyen idéal de déplacement dans la ville et les rues en collines. Vous pouvez également trouver des trams à différents endroits qui vous offrent des services de tours guidés pour découvrir la ville. 

3 - Walk around the Baixa district of Lisbon - This is Lisbon's heart, it's an area of plazas filled with restaurants, small cafés and boutiques and is where you should start your tour of Lisbon. You can walk from the Praca do Comercio em Baixa to Rua Augusta which is a gorgeous pedestrian street that will bring you all the way down to the Comércio Plaza. 

3 - Promenade dans le quartier de Baixa à Lisbonne - Ce quartier est vraiment le coeur de Lisbonne, c'est un endroit rempli de restaurants, de petits cafés et de boutiques et c'est vraiment là que vous devriez commencer votre visite de Lisbonne. Vous pouvez marcher de la Praça do Comercio à Baixa à Rua Augusta, qui est une magnifique rue piétonne qui vous mènera jusqu'à la Plaza Comércio.

4 - Porto tasting in Porto - This is an absolute must in this city. Porto is a port city that is known for its exportation of porto wine. The city is filled with multiple winecellar that you can visit. One porto winery we loved is Sandeman Porto, where you get a guided tour of port cellars and you learn all about the history of porto and how it's made. Make sure you eat something before going to these porto tastings, because we all know what can happen if you don't ;) 

4 - Dégustation de porto à Porto - Cette activité est un must lorsque vous visitez Porto. Porto est une ville portuaire connue pour ses exportations de porto. La ville est remplie de plusieurs caves à vin que vous pouvez visiter. Sandeman Porto est l'une de ces caves à porto que nous avons adoré. Vous pouvez faire une visite guidée des caves à porto, y découvrir tout sur l'histoire du porto et comment ce vin est fabriqué. Assurez-vous de manger quelque chose avant d'aller à ces dégustations de porto, car nous savons tous ce qui peut arriver si vous ne le faites pas;)

*This post was created in partnership with Air Transat. All opinions are my own.

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Where to find swimsuits for the busty girls

Let's not kid ourselves, having a larger cleavage is not always a gift. I'm not here to complain about it but mostly to give all you girls some information on where I shop all my swimsuits. On the beach, I embrace my body, my curves and my bust but I want to make sure everything stays in place. After a couple of months of traveling and ending up on a beach (can't stop, won't stop), I've gathered my my favorite places to find a swimsuit for busty girls. Sooo many of you have sent me a DM, commented or even emailed me asking where I find my swimsuits, so here is my list: 

N'inventons pas des histoires, avoir une plus grande poitrine n'est pas toujours un cadeau. Je ne suis pas ici pour m'en plaindre mais surtout pour répondre à vos questions et informer les femmes sur les endroits où je retrouve facilement des maillots pour les filles avec des grandes poitrines. Je me sens super bien sur la plage, j'apprivoise mon corps, mes courbes et plus spécialement mon buste, mais je veux m'assurer que tout reste bien en place. Après quelques mois de voyage et finissant toujours un peu sur une plage (je ne peux pas m'arrêter, je n'arrêterai pas), j'ai rassemblé mes maillots de bain préférés et mes endroits préférés où trouver un maillot de bain pour les filles avec une plus grande poitrine.

1. Old Navy & Gap

2. La Vie en Rose

3. Bikini Village

I've gathered many other swimsuits that are either already in my shopping cart or on my wish list:

If you have any other good retailers that sell amazing and stylish swimwear for us busty ladies, do share, because I am clearly already planning another trip in the sun ;) 

Si vous connaissez d'autres magasins qui vendent des maillots pour les femmes avec de bonnes poitrines, n'hésitez pas à partager, car vous savez que j'organise déjà mon prochain voyage au soleil ;) 

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How to spend 4 days in Tulum - City Guide

This year, I had a very very special birthday for my big 3-0. I got woken up at 1am by my sister and my boyfriend and they told me I had an hour to pack my suitcase because we were leaving to the airport to a special destination. Until I stepped foot in the airport, I had no idea where I was going. Little did I know I was going to cross off a city from my bucket list: Tulum. I've been dying to go to Tulum for years and my sister, my boyfriend and my amazing family made it all happen. They booked an Airbnb and a car and the rest was planned an hour before our flight by yours truly ;) I told you, I've been holding on to a list for Tulum for years. I received soooo many direct messages on Instagram that I decided to share with you exactly how to spend 4 days in Tulum. 

Firstly, the best way to discover Tulum in my opinion is by living in the pueblo (the village) and renting a car. You can then have access to everything on your own schedule and not depend on anybody. When you are 2 or more this way of discovering Tulum is honestly the best. Tulum is a small city in Mexico that consists of a paradisiac beach, a small little town, ruins, amazing restaurants, cenotes and so much more. We rented an amazing Airbnb owned by french couple that have been living in Tulum for years. When I travel, I really love to discover the local markets and restaurants and that they pointed us exactly in the right direction. Here is exactly how we spend our 5 day trip: 

Day 1

The drive from Cancun to Tulum is super easy and approximately 1h30 min. For those of you wondering about parking in Tulum when you rent a car, no worries, we found parking absolutely everywhere from the pubic beach, to the hotels, to the restaurants, you usually end up on the side of road and sometimes pay a dollar. Everyone is so chill and relax, no parking tickets ;) We arrived at our Airbnb and went straight to lunch at the corner street restaurant called Los Aguachilles, a recommendation from our hosts. Next stop, we had to hit the beach. Since it was almost sunset, we decided to visit the local beach in Tulum called Las Palmas. We finally ended our night as one of the many cool restaurants in Tulum called Gitano, really good food, a bit more pricey, the food was ok, you mostly go enjoy the decor and the whole vibe of the restaurant.

Day 2

Living at an Airbnb means you could hit the local grocery store and have a calm breakfast and coffee in the morning before starting your day! Then, we drove to the Coba Ruins, which is a 45 mins drive. During the drive to the ruins, you pass through small villages and these are the best spots to shop. From hamac stores, to leather bags and shoes, everything is made by the locals and most of the time you visit their studios directly. Arrived at the Coba Ruins, the area is huge, make sure you rent bikes to ride to the ruins and climb to the top for an amazing view of the jungle. Another 45 mins drive back to Tulum and straight to Coco Tulum, probably the most Instagrammed spot in Tulum. One thing you need to know, you can access the hotels for a full day, some of them ask you for a minimum of consommation, like Coco Tulum $25US or other others just ask you to buy something with no minimum required. Honestly, $25US for a full day at a breathtaking beach, lounge chairs, access to everything is pretty amazing in my opinion. We arrived there perfectly on time for lunch. Suppertime, we wanted to try a local restaurant, La Querida was on the list and it honestly was soooo good. Tacos, Quesadillas, Guacamole, tasty Margaritas, you name it! After walking for a couple of minutes in the Pueblo, you quickly realize that the locals in Tulum are mostly expats, Germans, Italians, Americans, who packed their bags and move to Tulum. 

Day 3

My love for brunch is so strong and Tulum is filled with amazing spots. We made our way to Raw Love Café which is situated in a hotel and I had the absolute best açai bowl. The restaurant is vegan and gluten free. On top of my Tulum list was Casa Maca, Pablo Escobar's old estate. Situated at the end of the hotel strip on the main road, it is very hard to find, but once you step foot in this house, you've stepped foot in Paradise. This hotel has the absolute best part of the beach, so calm, gorgeous and you only need to purchase drinks but we decided to have lunch and spend the whole day at this gorgeous hotel. At night, we discovered the prettiest restaurant called Mamasan, the decor and food in this place are amazing. We ended the night at Batey Bar which is known for the best mojitos in all of South America and they were SO so good. 

Day 4

Another day, another brunch, this time at Tunich, a Canadian owned little restaurant on the main road. We followed with a visit to the Grand Cenote, which is breathtaking. Make sure you bring your towels, flip flops and water bottle. It's one of the main Cenotes in Tulum so it can get crowded, try to arrive their early. We followed by spending our last day at Hotel La Zebra which has a really nice beach area and really good food. Once again, another hotel where you only need to purchase food and drinks to spend the day and have access to the day beds. We loved La Querida so much that we had supper there for our last night. 

Tulum is an absolutely amazing city, most tourists visit the city while staying at hotels, however, I truly believe you get the full experience if you stay at an Airbnb in the Pueblo and just hotel hop during your trip. It is so easy to drive around, find parking and you don't need to depend on anybody, you create your own schedule and discover Tulum freely. Don't hesitate if you have any questions, I would recommend you add Tulum on TOP of your travel list!!! We are already planning our return for this year :)  

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Discovering Punta Cana with Air Transat

Who doesn't want some sun in their life? Especially in November when the evenings start earlier. At the beginning of the month, Transat invited me to discover Punta Cana through their top luxury hotels and of course I said yes! I've always loved going on all inclusive vacations once a year, its just the perfect amount of time off to reset your mind, take advantage of the sun, spend some quality time listening to the waves and treat yourself.

For this trip, Air Transat brought together 7 amazing real women who happen to be all bloggers to discover Punta Cana, the Transat way...which made this trip even more special. What was even more amazing is that at every hotel, we did not receive any special treatment but we were treated exactly how a guest would be treated which is: AMAZING! Air Transat flies to Punta Cana everyday from December to April, which means so much time to discover amazing Punta Cana :) 

Our journey started at 6am at the airport. Little did we know that the Transat team had a special treat for us, flying in the Classe Club which means extra leg room, 2x 25kg worth of luggage (winning points for me), priority check-in & much more. Let's not forget the amazing food served on the plane from renowned chef Daniel Vézina, which you can preselect on airtransat.com before your flight, talk about good planning & service! So let me now breakdown each feature of the 5 hotels we visited, why I would go back in a heartbeat & why it was so totally worth it!

Excellence El Carmen

We made our first stop at this breathtaking hotel and I was amazed by the style of this hotel. I absolute adore modern hotels and it is quite rare when travelling down south but Air Transat sure knows how to choose their partners because the Excellence El Carmen is a interior design fanatics dream. We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights and let me tell you why I would go back tomorrow:

• Modern design
• Food is always #1 on my priority list: 12 restaurants, 16 bars & a food truck, the food was beyond amazing
• Loved the layout of the resort, the lobby, the beach, the restaurants, everything was close and it made going from one place to another so easy
• The rooms were super spacious and the turn down service with a chocolate on the bed was just wow 
• Excellence El Carmen had their own coffee shop (already resort goals with this one).
• The Beach was gorgeous, super important for me
• So many pools so little time, you get a more central pool for the party scene and relaxation time with the other pools lounging the room buildings
• Breathtaking spa experience
• Starting at 2 179$ per person

Paradisus Punta Cana

We had the pleasure of spending the day at the Paradisus Punta Cana and I was quite impressed. First and foremost, the resort is huge. Let me tell you more:

• Eco-friendly culture, the resort is surrounded by gardens & lakes which creates a serene and tranquil environment
• Amazing property, so many palapas and place to relax on the beach
• Being greeted by a flash mob was most probably the funnest thing ever, the staff were amazing
• Garden beds, always a winning choice when you want to be outside but still in your room
• Starting at 2 269$ per person

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Bavaro

I can just say that greeting is clearly the Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro speciality. Upon arriving at the resort, we felt right at home. First things first, when you book your stay at this hotel, you can a personal butler. The butler's role is to accommodate your every need from having wine in your room at 7pm, to having a specific pillow or fruits in the morning, he makes sure that you are not taking care of anything during your vacation and that you relaxing.

• Adults only resort
• Butler service 24/7
• Huge boat in the middle of the resort where cocktail hour is hosted and it transforms into a bar at night
• Very nice beach area
• The layout of the resort is very simple and accessible which is super important for me
• Starting at 2 689$ per person

Paradisus Palma Real

We visited the Paradisus Palma real for a day and but even though we did not get to spend a night here, I was amazed by how grandiose this hotel was and how nice the staff was.

• Smoothie Bar at the beach = Resort goals
• Gorgeous beach, white sand and crystal clear water
• Amazing service and the staff were beyond nice
• Beyond amazing selection of restaurants
•  Starting at 2 259$ per person

Secrets Cap Cana

Last but not least, we spent our last 2 nights at the Secrets Cap Cana. Oh boy oh boy was I impressed. I'm not going to lie, I'm already looking at going back to this resort, here is why:

• Adults only resort
• Modern chic decor and attention to every detail, the resort is absolutely beautiful
• Best buffet breakfast I've had on a resort (and I've been to many many resorts across the Caribbean)
• The restaurant next to the pool is simply delicious
• The rooms are gorgeous and spacious; your family name is written at the door and you can have a party in the shower (so big)
• Hot tub on the balcony
• The beach is so wide, you have so much space in between the beds which I adore in a resort (I don't want to fight for a spot and be scrammed next to other people)
• This hotel is very mature and posh and has everything I would want and more...
• Starting at 2 389$ per person

Honestly, this was my very first time visiting Punta Cana and it certainly won't be the last. Transat has such an amazing selection of hotels in Punta Cana that it would be hard not to go back and experience what this amazing destination has to offer. Every time I want to book a vacation these are the factors I take into consideration when booking a resort: food, beach, resort layout & service and these 5 hotels offer all of this and more. Coming back to winter in Montreal was hard to say the least, hence I'm already looking for a new destination for our December holidays ;)

*This post was created in partnership with Air Transat. All opinions are my own.

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