Five Things for a Fun Time in Mexico City

iylanaAttraction, Destinations, MexicoLeave a Comment

Our route to Havana took us through Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the western world. Knowing it would be impossible to see everything this megaplex has to offer, we allowed just three days of our journey to see what we could of the capital city. We flew here for free (using points!) from San Antonio on Southwest Airlines. Unfortunately we didn’t get … Read More

Planning Your Trip to Cuba from the U.S.

shaneCuba, Destinations1 Comment

Many U.S. travelers have been excited about the prospect of visiting Cuba since President Obama announced that the two countries would seek to normalize relations after 50+ years of enmity. Cuba has been off-limits to U.S. tourists during the embargo, although that hasn’t stopped some enterprising travelers. We had this trip on our radar for a few years, so when the first … Read More

Street Photography from Havana

shaneCuba, DestinationsLeave a Comment

Havana is a charming city with tons of character, and the vibrantly colored architecture and smiling faces around every corner made it easy to get great photos. We’ve shared some pics in our other posts, but there were so many we loved that we decided to just make a post with some of our favorite shots from the streets of Havana, which you … Read More

Nightlife in Habana Vieja

iylanaCuba, Destinations2 Comments

Drinking mojitos is one of the top experiences in Havana, and there’s definitely no shortage of places to sample them! Here’s a list of the establishments we visited—click on the name for the tripadvisor page with ratings, menus and addresses. Looking for restaurant recommendations? Check out our other post, Dining in Havana. La Bodeguita del Medio Hemingway wrote here on a piece of … Read More

Dining in Havana

iylanaCuba, DestinationsLeave a Comment

When you go to Cuba, prepare to feast on Caribbean classics pulled straight from the sea. We dined on lobster, snapper, and tuna at great prices. In no particular order, here are the restaurants we enjoyed in Havana. Some of these places were so good, they already made an appearance in our Top 5 Things To Do in Havana post! Click … Read More

Airbnb Review: Casa Densil, Havana

iylanaCuba, Destinations, ReviewsLeave a Comment

When we started planning our Cuba adventure, we had no idea where we would stay. We booked the flights with the hope we’d be able to find suitable and affordable accommodations down the line. We wanted to stay in a Casa Particular (private home with rooms for rent) as opposed to a state-run hotel. Casas allow you to have a more personal … Read More

Top Five things to do in Havana, Cuba

shaneCuba, DestinationsLeave a Comment

Cuba has been on our destination map for awhile now, but plans to visit never materialized. When the changes between U.S.-Cuba relations were announced, we knew we had to make it happen before U.S. corporations began setting up shop and the allure of the “Old Havana” began to change. We’ve just returned from a long weekend in Havana and the first … Read More

Books and Mementos: Peru

iylanaDestinations, Peru2 Comments

I typically bring quite a few souvenirs home, but this trip was a little different since we really didn’t have time to shop. I’m not an impulse buyer, so even in another country it takes me a long time to select exactly what I want to buy. Though I would have loved a nice alpaca wool blanket, I have no regrets because the treasures … Read More

Machu Picchu: Picking a Trekking Company

iylanaDestinations, Peru2 Comments

When we began planning our trip to Machu Picchu, we were overwhelmed at the choices of treks and trekking companies to choose from. Like anyone would, we began with a lot of general Google research, then checked TripAdvisor to see which companies had the highest ratings. Deciding on the Salkantay trek instead of the classic Inca Trail helped narrow our options. The classic Inca … Read More