What's hot in the Cayman Islands?

You're in for a treat today, we have a special guest post.  Kim's sister is our resident luxury-for-less travel blogger, and for anyone that has seen her Instagram - Jaxinthesun - you're well aware that she is a travel gypsy that LOVES to eat.   Coming to you live with her take on the food scene in the Cayman Islands, read it here first...

...well, by process of elimination, the weather has not been hot! The cold front that brought snow as far south as Texas, Louisiana and Georgia this past week, did bring some very cool breezes down to the island paradise of Grand Cayman as well.

But have no fear residents and tourists - the food scene is red hot in Cayman, no matter the weather! Where to find the heat?

Start with fire, the Kimpton Seafire that is. The beautiful new property boasts amazing vistas, a relaxing spa, and a plethora of food options.

We stopped in for lunch at Coccaloba Bar + Grill before taking advantage of the locals' discount in the spa. Check out the menu here: http://www.coccolobacaymanislands.com/menus/ 

Given the cool breezes, I found it apt to have the Shivering Burro cocktail, which is a refreshing vodka and fresh ginger creation, served frozen. I didn't shiver too much while drinking this, thanks to the array of hot sauces they have on offer to pair with the food. I reckon if my girlfriends were visiting, they'd go for the Sea Smoke or the Beachcomber. They've been keen for the smoky and the bourbon drinks ever since they visited the Kentucky bourbon trail.

We decided to try some small plates, better to snack on an array of tasty treats. The daily ceviche was wahoo, not to be missed, and we added on the spicy crab dip and the chilaquiles. I wouldn't say the dip is super spicy, but we availed of the homemade charred pineapple and scotch bonnet hot sauce to put some more heat in it. Nothing says Cayman Islands heat like the mighty scotch bonnet. Unfortunately the very same ingredient which made my Cayman Cookout Bon Vivant entry a scorcher in 2012, and cost me the semi-final! What can you do, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

The chilaquiles were a great dish - think Mexican nachos - and the waitress was spot on when she noted that they really aren't a "small plate." A great value if you're snacking with friends, a perfect dish to share with some cold drinks on the beach.

I would be remiss to mention the scotch bonnets, and the hot food scene, without letting you in on a locals' favorite. Dr. Joe's Gourmet Hot Pepper Sauce, available exclusively at Da Fish Shack and Grand Old House. It truly is the flavor of the Caymans in a bottle. Just be sure you can handle the heat before you put on too much!

It kept us warm from the inside over the weekend, given the crazy Northern breeze and the waves down by Da Fish Shack. Many of the Georgetown options would have been awash with the waves, but Da Fish Shack was bumping with folks enjoying the views and tasty eats. Being conch and lobster season, I couldn't resist a cheeky request to the chef for lobster tacos. Generally I go for the fish tacos, but lobster is the reason for the season ya'll! 

If you are keen for fish, I highly recommend the fish bites - which are big chunks of lightly fried fresh fish - you can request Mahi or Grouper. And other patrons were raving over the breadfruit fries, a specialty of our island paradise. All pair nicely with the hot sauce!

That's all from the Caymans for now, but stay tuned for other adventures in food from around the globe.

Ciao!

Jaxinthesun

Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email

I wish I traveled more before kids...

Jamaica 

Don’t get me wrong I love traveling with our kiddos as a family but it’s exhausting and hard and I wouldn’t always call it a vacation. 

Keith and I took a few trips before having kids but they came pretty quick after getting married so the trips were few. We made it to Jamaica, Disney, NYC, Key West, Punta Cana (honeymoon) and Grand Caymens (prego with Macie). I really wish we had done more trips out of the country.  Those are the ones that feel more impossible now. The length of the travel to and from with kids is one of our biggest deterrents for not going. I don’t have a problem packing and handling everything once we are there but the distance part makes things tough.

Punta Cana

Disney 50s Diner 

We just got home from Florida and the flights were tough especially with a 1 year old, and its less than a 3 hour flight. She cried for the first hour on the way down and was a crazy wiggle worm who wouldn't sleep on the way home.

The main two things I stress about traveling with kids is the travel part and the sleeping, arrangements and making it actually happen! 

Can you remember a time when you read a book on a plane, listened to your own music or god forbid took a nap?? My husband can because he still does that now on the plane with kids! But honestly can you remember falling asleep on the beach or sleeping in past 630? How about going shopping at any gift shop and not being begged for something, anything until the point of a tantrum?  

These are all things I miss about traveling and vacations. The actual relaxing part. Now when we get home from a vacation with kids we almost need an actual vacation to unwind, unpack, grocery shop, do laundry and relax. 

Another thing I miss about adult vacations are the excursions. There are some you can do with kids and they are fun but let’s face it the best ones are adults only. We actually tried doing a snorkeling boat trip with the kids in Aruba and even though they were old enough the captain refused to take our money or let us go. He said the wind off the coast is just too much the kids would be miserable and would want to come back.

Margaritaville 

Cancun

Of course you can still try and sneak away for an adults only vacation but let’s face it those are hard to come by once you make the arrangements the kids. And if you’re anything like me you’ll be worried sick the entire time about something happening to them or you.

I wish that we had been more willing to take the time off from work and spend the money to do those big trips before having kiddos....

Now we just have to learn how to plan, survive and pay for those trips as a family of five. Because what’s the alternative you either make it work or stay home! 

Booking Report #2 - Spring Break 2018 in Orlando

Last winter we had such a fun time in Orlando, FL that we decided to go back again.  Instead of December we decided to do Spring Break time in March.

Flights:

Southwest of course!  Southwest extended their schedule into March 2018 back in August.  The day the extension came out I went on and booked flights.  I wanted to book ASAP since I knew Orlando at spring break time would be a popular time to fly.  I booked 4 round trip, non-stop tickets at 19,200 points per piece.  This is higher than normal for a trip to Orlando but again it's spring break.  We expect everything to be more expensive and crowded.  I will continue to check the prices during upcoming Southwest sales.  I bought a ticket for Kim just in case something goes wrong with gaining my companion pass for 2018 & 2019.  You can read about our effort to get the pass here and here.  I fully expect to gain my pass and will cancel Kim's flight and receive the points back.

Emmy will be 1 and on the move at this point. I feel like this is the hardest age to fly with. They really don't want to hang out in their seats (aka your lap) and are hard to entertain. Hoping to find some good snacks and for no flight delays.

Hotel:

Happy hour at the resort bar

We are returning to Marriott's Harbour Lake Resort.  We stayed there in January of 2017.  You can read about it here.  We booked this resort back in May.  At the time they had great rates available,  especially during spring break.  We booked a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa for $250 per night.  This rate also came with a $50 food and beverage credit per night.  This was such a great deal I did not use points.  After taxes our total will be around $1400 for 5 nights.  This is by no means cheap but for spring break I think this is reasonable.  I will try and use points for all our other 2018 trips.

Car:

Again, cars are not cheap during spring break.  I have only searched for mini vans so far.  The best I could find for our 6 day trip was $408.  And the $408 does not guarantee us a mini van!  Through my Chase Sapphire Reserve we get National Car Rental Executive privileges.  If you've ever seen the commercials with the guy that played Puddy in Seinfeld, it's pretty accurate with what happens.  We walk right past the counter, pick a car in the emerald aisle,  drive to the booth and show our ID and off we go.  The cars in the emerald aisle can be anything from a Cadillac sedan to a mini van.  We have used this perk twice and each time we got a 3 row SUV such as a GMC Acadia or Buick Enclave.  I will continue to check rental prices to hopefully find something cheaper.

Activities:

So far we have only booked one activity - a Disney character breakfast.  It's called Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast.   We have had a great time at past character breakfasts, and it's also a great way to get more autographs for the kids' books.  Other than the breakfast we plan to visit Disney Hollywood Studios.  We have never been there with kids so if anyone has any tips please let us know.  We are excited to try the Star Wars activities.  I believe they also have a Star Wars themed fireworks as well.  From what we have heard the Star Sars activities and training can not be fast passed and book up quickly. We are planning this park for a day that the on Disney property hotels do not get early access. This way we hope to get a fair start and go straight to the star wars attractions.

We plan to spend most of our trip at the pools hopefully enjoying the warm weather.  I'm sure we will also visit Disney Springs once or twice for dinner as well.  Where is everyone else going for Spring Break?


Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email

Our Family Travel Bucket List

As 2017 comes to an end we look forward to 2018.  We like to plan our trips way ahead of time if possible.  This makes it easier to use points to cover hotels and flights.  In my experience the earlier you book the more options there are to use points.  So our planned 2018 trips include Orlando, Cancun, South Florida, Southern California, and most likely Ocean City.  Only Orlando is fully booked.  Cancun is mostly booked.  During our planning for 2018 we went ahead and formally wrote down our travel bucket list.  Here it is in no particular order:

Hawaii

St. John/St. Thomas USVI

Bora Bora*

San Diego

Destin, FL

Whale watching trip in the North West US

NYC in fall 

National Park Summer Road Trip - Minimum month long

Atlanta (Aquarium & World of Coke)

Disneyland

Mackinaw Island, MI

Figi*

Monaco for F1 race.

San Francisco

Greek Islands

Arizona

Spanish Islands

Germany

Nordic Countries

Australia 

Canadian Railroad Trip

Denver

Cancun 

Bahamas

European Disney Cruise

Cabo San Lucas

Puerto Rico

Turks and Caicos

Thialand

Belize

Italy

Sailboat Trip
Bali*

*Without kids

Where do you plan on going in 2018.

Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email

Update on my quest to renew the Southwest Companion Pass

It's been a month since I applied for two Southwest credit cards on the same day.  You can read my original post which goes through my strategy here.  I was not instantly approved for either card, which made me nervous.

Business Premier Card:

I applied for this card at the beginning of October.  I filled out the application honestly and stated I made revenue of a couple thousand dollars reselling things such as concert and football tickets.  Once I hit submit, the window start scrolling and then a screen came up that said you application is under further review and could take up to 30 days.  This has happened before so I wasn't worried.  In the past I would check my online Chase account once a day to see if the card popped up in my account list.  The following morning I did just that and what do you know the Southwest business premier card was listed under my business accounts!

I believe the day after the card showed up in my online account the email from Chase stating I was approved showed up in my inbox.

Personal Plus Card:

I applied for this second card right after I submitted my application for the business card.  After hitting submit I got the same response as the business card - your application is pending and you will receive a decision within 30 days.  I was surprised this card wasn't approved immediately since I only had 3 other Chase personal cards open.  I checked my personal online Chase account daily for the card to show up in my account.  After a week of nothing showing up I started to get nervous.  Roughly 7 days after applying I got a letter in the mail from Chase saying I was denied!!

Just below the line about being denied was a phone number to call for reconsideration.  The letter also stated I had too many accounts open which really surprised me.  Obviously, I immediately called the reconsideration line.  A woman answered and I politely asked why I was denied.  She said I did not have enough credit capacity available through Chase.  I was instantly relieved.  Basically this means I just need to shift around some credit from other Chase cards.  I never reach my credit limit on cards so this was a simple fix.  I quickly said please move 5k from one of my other accounts to the Southwest account.  She agreed that would work and put me on hold to make the switch.  A few minutes later she was back and said it went through approved!

Spending:

We are working our way through the spending requirement for the bonus (2k for personal and 3k for business).   I've been racking up the charges by buying Christmas presents early this year.  To be safe I will probably take the cards out of my once I get within $200 on either card.  Once January 1st gets here I will quickly meet the spending requirement.  Both my statement end dates occur before the 10th of the month.  I hope to have the bonus points deposited into my account by the 20th of January.

Did anyone else go after the Companion Pass?


Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email

We won't go to Disney trip #4 - Our best trip yet!

First Visit for Emmy!

We decided before having Emerson that we should do a trip to Florida/Disney while I was on maternity leave. I wanted to at least wait until I was cleared from my c section and maybe give Emmy a chance to be sleeping a little more at night. We decided to go when she was 9 weeks old in January. I was VERY concerned and stressed about this trip. I feel like the husbands/dads never think of all the stuff that bothers or worries moms about a trip. I was worried about flying with that young of a baby due to flu season. I was concerned with pumping and nursing during the trip and throughout the parks. I wondered how bad this would off set our sleep progress and how miserable we'll all be if we are all up all night. Soooo many things to consider.... but we went anyway!

Some how I always get talked into it...

It's funny because as concerned as I was, we actually did the most activities on this trip! My dad met us in Florida which was nice to have the extra set of hands. We stayed at Marriott's Harbour Lake Vacation Club Resort which we touched on in another post. We loved it! They had great kids activities and amazing pools! We are going back again in March because we loved it so much. We had a 2 bedroom suite as well which made everything possible. Emmy had her own room in one of the bathrooms so we could keep her place dark and quiet with her sound machine. It seemed to work pretty well, we got up one to two times a night not terrible for a nine week old. 

Babys first swim 

This trip was 5 days long. We spent one whole day just enjoying the pools at the hotel, a lesson we learned from previous Disney trips. The kids actually wanted more days just lounging at the pool. On our first night there we did a pirate dinner theater which was very neat and is described more in the post referenced above as well. Emmy slept through most of it and I nursed in the middle. 

On our first Disney day we did Magic Kingdom as always. We started this day with a pre-booked breakfast with the princesses at the castle. The only time we could get was 10am which was a bit late but still worth it. This breakfast was so great. The kids got swords and wands and the food was delicious. They really have it down to a science. It was also a great way to meet princesses and get signatures without having to wait in long lines. Believe it or not this day at magic kingdom is the first time we have ever made it until the fireworks! 

Princess Breakfast

Fireworks!

The weather was pretty hot and I nursed Emmy every 3 hours through the park while my dad, Keith and the kids rode rides. I couldn't believe we made it til close. We ended the day with hot dogs and fries sitting on the curb by the entrance watching the fireworks. A few tricks to help keep the kids going at the parks is to pack lots of snacks and drinks. I love my 31 products and they help save me a ton of money (insert picnic cooler) I also bring extra bags to toss changes of clothes and hats etc... (stroller bag)  What a great day!

This trip was also our favorite trip to sea world with our Shamu dining experience. (See  this post).  We saw all the shows and rode Manta our absolute new favorite roller coaster. We got to the park at opening and ran to this coaster. One adult stayed with the kids and we kept switching we probably all rode 3 times before people made it back to that area. Sadly the wind picked up and we were in able to ride the other coasters but honestly nothing could compare anyways! 

Later in the week we finally made it to Animal Kingdom. We had the Disney gird cards left over from our last trip when we were too tired to go. We choose this park on the day the Steelers played in the playoffs hoping to knock it out quickly and get  back by kick off. This day was supposed to rain so we were nervous but decided to go anyway. I'm so glad we did! Tons of people were dressed for the game and were yelling stuff throughout the park that's always so fun. Macie rode her biggest coaster yet, Everest! We also did the safari ride and A Bug's Life 4D which the kids cry at every time. We got back to the hotel in time to hit up their pool bar watch the game and have drinks while letting the kids swim right there at the pirate ship pool. Another awesome day!! 

Bugs Life

Hotel pool

Macie on Everest 

Sea world 

During this trip Emmy did a lot of sleeping which made things pretty easy and a lot of eating. I was just prepared to nurse every few hours and planned accordingly. I was definitely not the only mom nursing through out the parks. They have mom rooms where you can do all baby stuff and feed but they didn't really fit into where we were and when she wanted to eat. There were all kinds of moms feeding there. I even saw one mom completely exposed nursing as she walked down the middle of the main road in magic kingdom... she looked at me feeding Emmy under a cover and shrugged saying "oh it's my third kid". I didn't mention it was mine as well haha, to each their own. 

Some things I've learned to help me cope with traveling is to plan ahead and be prepared. I try and do my best to pack appropriately and plan out days so things are spread out.

One thing I am working on every time I travel is to relax and try and go with the flow. With young tired kids it's the only way to survive.

"The key to happiness is letting each situation be what it is instead of what you think it should be"

Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email

Trip Report #6 - Family fun in Chicago

This trip took place in June of 2016.  I had a work conference to attend in Chicago and the family flew in to meet me towards the end of the conference.  There is a ton of fun things to do in Chicago with kids!  This post will touch on a few of them. 

Flights:

As always we flew Southwest to Chicago.  I flew into Chicago (Midway) on Sunday for the Conference.  Kim and the kids flew in on Tuesday afternoon.  Since my departure flight was at a different time I couldn't have Kim fly free to Chicago using my companion pass.  I used points to purchase their 3 departure flights for 6,000 points each.  Now on the return flight on Thursday, Kim did fly free since I was on the same flight.  The two kids flights cost 6,750 points each.

Now in June of 2016 Kim was about 5 months pregnant.  I thought her and the kids could easily get from the airport to the hotel using public transportation.  It looked pretty easy, there was an "L" stop only a couple blocks from the hotel.  What I didn't realize was that some of the older stations do not have elevators.  The one Kim had to get off did have one but it was out of order!  I am just glad there are some nice people in Chicago that helped her get the stroller down the steps!  Imagine trying to get a sit and stand stroller, two kids, and luggage down these steps by yourself 5 months pregnant.

Stairs, stairs, stairs - credit to railroadcollection

Hotel:

I chose a partner hotel of the conference - the Fairmont Chicago at Millennium Park.  This is a beautiful hotel with great views of the park and Chicago. The room (double beds) was a nice size. We had a great view of the lake and park. The fact that there wasn't a pool for the kids was a downside. However, the location was awesome. We were able to walk to many parks and activities.  Since at the time of this trip I had a Chase Fairmont credit card(no longer available) we had some nice perks during this stay.  Each card member received $50 to spend at hotel restaurants or spas and I also received Fairmont Fit perks.  The Fit benefits included a pair of running shoes, shorts, and shirts available for your use during your stay.  I simply requested the perk before check in and the shoes and clothes were waiting for me on my bed!  What a great perk!.  We used our $50 credit for lunch at the at the onsite restaurant, Columbus Tap.  It was very good. The kids loved the mac and cheese.  

Activities:

Day 1:

After dropping the kids' bags at the hotel we headed out to find some good Chicago deep dish pizza.  We settled on Giordano's.  One thing we learned is that it takes a long time for the pizzas to cook.  Bring activities for the kids.  We ended up running around with the kids in a open green space just outside the restaurant.  The pizza was definitely yummy!

Following dinner we walked down to the Riverwalk.  At the time Chicago was not a very stroller friendly city. It seemed like the Riverwalk was adding elevators when we were there but it was tough to get around with a stroller.  We had to walk a few blocks away to find a ramp down to the river and then backtrack to where we wanted to go.  The Riverwalk is a very nice area though.  The kids loved getting ice cream and watching the boats go by.  We did not try any of the restaurants right on the water but they always looked busy and lively.  

Boat Tour:

We boarded the boat on the river walk near Trump Tower (again we had to take the stroller down a ton of stairs).  The boat went on the river towards the lake.  At the lake we waited to enter the lock and then proceeded out on the lake. It was mostly an Architectural tour but the kids still had a fun time and the boat had a full bar!!    Lincoln fell asleep on the boat which was a plus.  

Macie not so happy to take a picture on the boat.  

Day 2:

Shedd Aquarium - After eating Dunkin Donuts for breakfast we took a Lyft ride from the hotel over to the Aquarium.  We were one of the first ones in the door.  This is a fun interactive Aquarium.  The Beluga Whale trainers in the Oceanarium even asked Macie if she wanted to be a guest trainer but she was too scared to help out 😕.  

Beluga Whales

Awesome view from the Aquarium

Penguin exhibit fun

There is also a Polar Play Ground where the kids can slide around like penguins.  We spent a good amount of time in this area.  I believe overall we spent about 3 hours in the Aquarium.  It was definitely a worthwhile activity.

We took a Lyft back to the hotel for naps and lunch.  After lunch we started on a long walk to the Navy Pier.  

We wanted to go to the pier to ride the Ferris Wheel.  However, once we got there we found out it was really expensive - like $15 per adult!  I decided on a happy hour drink at the Margaritaville to-go bar instead.  We also thought there would be a bunch of fun kids stuff to do at the pier but it was mostly a tourist trap.  The kids were exhausted by this time so we decided to stop at the AMC movie theatre on the way back to the hotel to catch Finding Dory.  This was a nice break in the Air Condition.  

Day 3:

We had an early flight so we woke up and had breakfast at the nearby Wildberry pancakes.  It was awesome!  We definitely recommend it.   

Chicago was a fun, short trip.  We plan to go back again to explore more.  Have you been to Chicago with kids?  What did you do?

Subscribe to Travel Hacks for the Modern Family by Email