An 'All-Things-Beautiful'… Blog
I kicked off the year with a partnership I’ve been dreaming of for years! We just got back from a two week press trip with Dubai Tourism and it was such an amazing experience and a true blessing to be able to share it with my family. After over 2 years cooped up at home it was SO needed! I’ll break things out into separate posts but I wanted to start out with a travelgram – all my instagram posts from the trip but in their full uncropped glory haha.
Happy Fri-Yay!! Another long overdue 2016 travel diary today… Istanbul! Waseem & I traveled to Greece and Turkey last spring for our third wedding anniversary. All of my Greece posts went up in a somewhat timely fashion but I really dragged my feet with sorting through my photos from Istanbul. I feel like I’ve mentioned it so many times already but I got so sick in Greece that our few days in Turkey were such a delirious blur. I slept almost the entire time and barely got to sightsee so TBH looking at these photos makes me a little sad too! I’ve always wanted to visit Istanbul and while I’m so happy to have visited, I do really wish I was able to soak it up a little more! We did get to check off two of our top sights to see though – The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet was so generous in hosting us and we really couldn’t have picked a better location! Sultanahmet is the heart of old Istanbul and many of the major attractions are all here and in walking distance. The cobblestone roads were so charming and it must have been a little off season when we went (maybe?!) because nothing seemed to be crowded. It was very quiet & serene, we loved just strolling.
The Four Seasons is actually a century-old former jail! Who would think something like that would be converted into a luxury hotel?! The jailhouse was the first in Istanbul and was built in Turkish neoclassical style and underwent redevelopment in the 90s to preserve its history and architecture. The property now has 65 hotel rooms and suites with a gorgeous landscaped courtyard filled with flowers where we had breakfast every morning. The courtyard used to be the jail’s exercise yard, what a serious makeover! I love visiting places with tons of rich history, the property has so much character making our experience all the more unique.
We checked in at night and there was a yummy platter waiting for us (Waseem gobbled up all the Turkish delights!); we room service’d some tea for my throat and I went right to sleep. I woke up to such a lovely view of the Blue Mosque right from our balcony in the morning! You’ll see everything I’m describing in the photos below 🙂
Enjoy!
Good afternoon from LA!
My husband and I got home from South America yesterday and spent the day on the couch with our cats watching netflix and just recuperating from our busy two weeks away! I’m back to work today and ready to share with you some of our travels! As you may have noticed from my previous two posts – I will be breaking this trip down over several posts instead of one large travel diary. There is just too much to share!
We began our trip in Puerto Iguazú & then made our way to Buenos Aires where we spent 3 lovely days at the Four Seasons Hotel. This was my first Four Seasons experience and it was nothing short of luxurious! Located in the cultural center of the city in the affluent Recoleta neighborhood; the area was super safe and very close to historical landmarks, great restaurants, and shopping. All of Buenos Aires feels like different parts of Europe but Recoleta is all Paris!!!
I fell in love with everything about the hotel upon arriving. The hospitality and service were absolutely amazing, every recommendation the concierge made for our nights out were a slam dunk! An equestrian theme runs throughout the Four Seasons Buenos Aires beginning with a gorgeous sculpture on the front lawn which is even more beautiful at night. Splashes of blue are found throughout the lobby representing the sky of Buenos Aires as well as the Argentine flag – the lobby was my favorite place in the building because I loved the color palette so much. We stayed in a mansion-view junior suite where we had stunning views of the city as well as the largest avenue in the world: 9 de Julio. Our suite was super spacious with separate living and sleeping areas each with large balcony-like windows – directly above the hotel’s heated Roman-style pools.