Our wonderful stay at Blue Haven Resort Turks and Caicos

Blue haven resort:

With a family of five it’s hard to stay in a normal hotel room.  The reason we chose this hotel was because it offered two bedroom suites and best of all it was all inclusive.  I found the hotel by searching citi cards travel portal.  I wanted to use the roughly $800 worth of points I had saved up.  

Location:

The hotel was only a 20 minute ride from the airport. We booked a shared transfer shuttle.  The resort isn’t located on a natural beach.  It’s a man made beach located next to a beautiful marina with lots of yachts.  We liked the beach because the water was calm and sand was very clean.  The calm water was also a plus when the kids wanted to snorkel or we wanted to go kayaking.  They offered kayaks and stand up paddle boards.  They had plenty of life jackets for the whole family.   The water sports hut was also where you could pick up clean towels.  Unlike many all inclusive a they didn’t require you to turn in towel cards to get towels.  

Food

There were four locations to eat at Blue Haven- the Market, Salt (Italian food), Jammin by the sea (pool bar food), and Fire and Ice (buffet).  

Each morning we woke up and walked across the parking lot to the market since that is where the coffee shop was.  They had lots of options- lattes, coffees, cappuccino, and frozen drinks.  The market also had good pastries - muffins, cookies, and crescents.  

After the market we headed over Fire and Ice for the full breakfast each morning.  Here they had the normal breakfast buffet option - omelet station, breads, fruit bar, potatoes, meats, pancakes, waffles, cereals etc.   

We ate lunch everyday at the pool bar.  The food was pretty good and the kids enjoyed the French fries.   They also set up a buffet table next to the bar everyday for lunch.  The fresh tortilla chips were a hit with my family.  

We ate at Salt twice, this was my favorite.  On the first night we got in late and ordered to go pizzas from Salt.   It was really good and only took 15 minutes to make.  The resort also has a shuttle that runs between their sister resorts (Beach House- adults only and Alexandra).  

One night we took the shuttle to Alexandra and had dinner at the fish deck.  It took a long time for the food to come out and the kids got restless.  The food was pretty good there as well.  We always over estimate how well the kids will do at dinner after long days outside.  

As If we didn’t learn our lesson the night before we decided to go to Salt for a sit down dinner on the 3rd night.  It took a long time as well as since the place was very busy.  The kids did better here and enjoyed the pizza and pazone they ordered.  Kim and I both ordered pasta which was pretty good.  

On the final night we attended the beach party  which was very impressive.  A Caribbean band played during the dinner buffet.  The buffet had tons of options- salads, soup, meats, crepe station, and other desserts.  

Overall the food was pretty good.  But let’s be honest we didn’t pick this resort for the food.  

Drinks:

There was never a shortage of drinks.   Mimosas were plentiful in the mornings if you wanted them.   The pool bar opened at 10:30 and had options galore.   The liquor choices were really good- Grey Goose, Stoli, Crown, Patron, Bombay sapphire etc.  Multiple red and white wines by the glass were also available as part of the all inclusive plan.  Our room fridge was filled with 6 beers, waters, and soda every day.  We were very happy with the beverage portion of the trip.  

Pool:

There was only one pool but since it was a small hotel the pool never felt crowded.  The kids could touch throughout the entire pool and it had a nice infinity edge feature at the area closest to the beach.  We loved the layout of the pool/beach.  We could sit at the beach umbrellas and still see and hear the kids.  Same way with the pool we could see them playing on the beach or trampoline.  

Room:

We had a two bedroom suite which was very spacious.  The beds were very comfortable and it had a nice dining table inside and also outside on the patio.   The patio had nice views of the marina even though it said garden view in our room description.  It wasn’t beach front but the view was still very good.  The kitchen was huge but unnecessary since it was an all inclusive.  I’m assuming the builders of the resort did not plan on it being an all inclusive.  

Kids club:

On two occasions it rained during our stay.  The kids club room did not have official hours.  Each time Kim had to go ask the front desk for someone to open it up.  Once asked, they quickly opened it and the two people who ran it on separate days were both great.  This kids enjoyed their time inside doing lots of crafts.  

Overall:

This was a great resort.  We don’t have any real complaints.   This is only a handful of vacations we would repeat again in the future.  We usually like to try new places but this one checked all the boxes.   

It’s time to renew our Southwest companion pass for 2020 and 2021

It’s time for free flights.  My southwest companion pass is set to expire at the end off the year.  Now it’s time for Kim to sign up for some credit cards and get us free flights for 2020 and 2021.  Here is the plan:

1. Apply for the chase southwest personal card(40k point bonus after $1k spend with tin 3 months)

1. Apply for the chase southwest business card(80k points bonus after $5k spend within 3 months)

1. Spend less than the minimum requirement until January 1st.  

1. On January 1st finish meeting the minimum spend requirements. 

In other words - to get the personal bonus we need to spend $1000 so we will spend $900 this year and spend the last $100 after January 1st 2020.  

The points usually post a few days after your monthly statement closes.  If you have early travel planned for Jan 2020 make sure you call chase to set your statement closing date for the first week of January.   

What does this plan get us:

If we get approved for both cards we will get a minimum of 120k southwest points just for meeting the spending requirements.   110k points is the requirement to get the companion pass so this will automatically get her the pass.   

In case you didn’t know; the companion pass allows you to assign one person who will fly free (taxes are required to be paid) anytime you buy a ticket.   Bonus - those purchased flights can be bought with points!   AND there’s more - you can purchase flights ahead of time and when the companion pass shows up in your account you can cancel the flight for your companion and get the money or points back.   This is an unbelievable deal.  Don’t pass it up.   

A Priority Pass membership can save you big money traveling.

Our Chase Sapphire Reserve saved us $90 at PF Chang’s and got us free snacks and drinks prior to our return flight from Honolulu. 

On our way to Hawaii we stopped in LA and flew through Los Angeles.  Doing some research I found out that our priority pass membership provided many options for free food at LAX.  For those of you that don’t know, Priority Pass is a lounge club membership.  This membership is a benefit of many credit cards.  For us having the Chase sapphire Reserve gains us access to the Priority Pass network.   

During our research we saw that LAX had two restaurant options and a few lounge options.  We love PF Chang’s so that was an easy decision.  Even better the fine print showed us that we could bring two guests.   AND we would get $30 dollars of credit for me and our two guests for a total of $90!!   

On our way from Honolulu we also utilized our Priority Pass membership to get free entrance into the Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge.  They had light snacks such as finger sandwiches, granola bars, snack mixes, fresh fruit, and kimchi Bowles.  They also had water, beer, wine, and juices.  

It’s always nice when you can get some time in a quiet lounge away from the hustle and bustle of the public terminals.  

Unfortunately not all airports have a Priority Pass lounge partner.   It’s hit or miss for me when I travel for work.  Overall I get some good value each year out of this Chase Sapphire reserve perk.  

My favorite stroller and why

 

 

One day last year I looked into my garage and I had four strollers! Omg the space they took up. I had an umbrella stroller, a jogger, a travel system and a sit and stand. I had to figure out how to get down to one and still have all these functions.

At the time the city mini was the hot stroller. One thing I desperately need in a stroller is under storage space. We travel a lot and some times our stroller is our shopping cart, bag carrier, multiple kid carrier you name it! I love the way the city mini looked. I liked everything about it except the storage.

This led me to the Britax be free!! This stroller is awesome!

Wheels:

The rubber wheels are great for all terrain. The front wheel locks which allows me to jog with it. It says not a jogging stroller but let’s be honest I’m not going that fast. I just kind of keep up with my kids on bikes.

Storage:

The be free has great storage space. Not only is the under carriage bigger than the city mini but it also has a bendable flap to help cram more stuff underneath. The front flap also lifts ups to access all the goodies under the stroller. On the back of this flap is a zipper pocket too. There are two little pockets with the kiddo to stick cups and snacks. 

 

 

The back of the stroller has a flap with pocket and a zipper too. And I got the additional mom cup holder and kid tray attachments. Because I need my space too! All the flaps and what not work with magnets, not Velcro so no more having a bunch of crap stuck in it.

Seat and Canopy:

I also needed the reclining seat for pool and beach naps. The canopy has two different shade levels too. And has UV protection!

 

Easy maneuver & Close:

I needed a stroller that is easy to push; I mean like one handed! With three kids and dodging through crowded places I needed to be able to maneuver easily. This things turns on a dime. It’s easy to close with a strap in the middle of the seat .

Comfort:

One thing I never thought about and I feel dumb saying this but is the comfort of the kiddo. Thankfully Britax thought of everything and put nice padding in the seat. My Emerson has had many naps in this great stroller.

Price:

The cost of the city mini and the be free with the extra attachments were pretty close to the same. I sold three strollers on the buy sell trade to help cover the cost of my new one. Plus I have tons of extra space in the garage.

All in all a perfect fit for our family!! And it allowed me to condense all my strollers into one. On the off chance my five year old needs a ride I make sure I have my ergo in the storage basket so Emmy goes on my back and Lincoln in the stroller. And honestly I’ve put my two and five year old in the stroller together haha.

Which sunscreen is safe???

As a family we’ve been looking at all the toxins we are putting into our bodies through food so I decided to start taking a look at the toxins we are putting on our bodies as well. We have an upcoming trip to Hawaii and hearing about the reef dying from the oxybenzone in our sunscreens it made me wonder what the heck it was doing to our kiddos growing minds and bodies.

I decided to take a look at this chart:

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/

And see what ingredients were the heavy hitters and which sunscreens I could use instead. My husband and I we will probably stay with the Banana boat ultra sport this has ingredients of a level 4 and below according to the above chart. Or maybe not! Let’s just say those are the only bottles I didn’t throw out! We will at least finish what we have. For my kids who are still developing I decided I can do better!!

Things I wanted in a sunscreen:

Zinc!

-main active ingredient in goddess garden and most other Organics however this brand does not include some of the other level 4-6 ingredients on that list in EWG. Some of the alba brands include some of these levels.

Low cost per Oz. In tube:

-lots of these tubes are 3oz be careful!! Look at the amount, some are expensive. The think sport is only 3oz. For some of the tubes. I also decided no more spray!!! Any wind and you’re basically throwing your money down the drain. We always go through our sprays way faster than our lotions.

Both 6oz price comparison

Easy to rub in (don’t need kids to look like Casper)

-I am shocked at how well this rubs in. Most zinc based sunscreens are impossible to get rid of the white appearance. This was barely even white for the face stick pre-rubbing in.

after application and no rubbing!

Water resistant (as long as possible)

-make sure this is listed I was surprised some sunscreens didn’t say this?? Goddess garden is 80 min.

SPF 30-50

-after reading I found that after 50 the spf doesn’t cover much more. There is discussion about not allowing companies to even label high than 50. The difference between 30-50 is also minimal but enough for me to care since my kids are out alllll day at the beach! We are the first ones out and they never seem to sit still. With this we also decided to get the long sleeve sun shirts. We’ve had short sleeve and have had some sun burns on our fore arms. With a two week vacation coming up I want to make sure we can last with all the sun. We are from Ohio of course and haven’t seen the sun much this year haha.

only spf 30 and 5oz

So far I have found everything I want in goddess garden and am so exited to see how it holds up to the sun this summer!