2023 Black Friday sales to shop

November 23, 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Here’s a comprehensive list of the best Cyber Week sales of 2023.

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Easy, everyday outfits: no. 1

September 25, 2023

I’m back on the blog with easy outfits for early fall!

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What I Wore: Oct. 11 – 18

October 19, 2022

The weather is cooling down and the outfits are heating up. Here’s what I wore last week.

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Travel – Skirt The Rules | NYC Style Blogger http://skirttherulesblog.com NYC Style Blogger Tue, 27 Apr 2021 02:41:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Where to Eat on the Big Island of Hawaii http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/04/28/where-to-eat-on-the-big-island-of-hawaii/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/04/28/where-to-eat-on-the-big-island-of-hawaii/#respond Wed, 28 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=20696

Sharing all of our favorite places to eat on the Big Island of Hawaii!

When we travel, our itinerary typically revolves around food and drinks – maybe the occasional activity or landmark. In fact, after we figure out where we’re staying, I immediately dive into researching the local cuisines, the best restaurants, where to grab coffee and of course must have dessert joints.

For reference, we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. While being able to relax at a spacious resort was a big priority for us, the tradeoff was distance to really delicious food. Kona is about a 30-minute drive from Waikoloa, where we found tons of restaurants. We also headed north to Waimea for yummy coffee and breakfast – and even further north for fresh pastries. And of course, Hilo is about an hour east. If you’re on the Big Island and on the hunt for good food, make sure you have a car to get you places!

Hungry yet? Here are our favorite places to eat on the Big Island!

Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm (south of Kona): Kona is known for their coffee and there are actually a bunch of coffee farms sprinkled across the west coast of the island. We headed here for a free 45-minute tour of their operation, and were treated to a sampling of coffee and coffee chocolates! After the tour, you can buy coffee beans from their gift shop or order a speciality drink from their cafe!

Shaka Tacoz (south of Kona): After the coffee farm, we drove another 10-15 minutes south to swing by this no frills taco joint on the side of the road. The meat was juicy, the flavors packed a punch and the guac is free – need I say more? The al pastor tacos with shaka sauce is a must!

Basik Cafe (Kona): Did you even go to Hawaii if you didn’t get an açaí bowl? This cute cafe sits on the second story of what feels like a treehouse. They offer a bunch of different topics and mix ins – this one is the Forager with granola, bananas, berries, almonds, cacao nibs and honey.

Umeke’s Fish Market (Kona): Umeke’s has a decent sized patio, which made it a nice spot to eat outside, enjoy a cocktail/mocktail and fish and chips. James had the poke and it was very fresh!

One Aloha Shave Ice: We came here for shave ice – they have a ton of different flavors, and will happily walk you through all of the options if you’ve never had shave ice before. We ended up getting the Ube ice cream instead (I’m such a sucker for ice cream) and it was delicious!

Kuleana Rum Works (Waikoloa): One of the few decent restaurants near our resort – we actually at there twice (takeout on our first night in town, and then dine-in for our last night). This restaurant gave me easy, fun date night vibes. I had the vegan coconut curry and James had the local catch. Virgin piña colada was good, but I bet it’s even better with the rum they distilled themselves!

Waimea Coffee Company (Waimea): We ventured north of our resort to the town of Waimea before heading on a quick hike to Pololu Valley Lookout. Their dirty chai is the bomb – so good, that we came back after our hike for another round. We also loved their breakfast burrito and their avocado toast on seeded bread (which I think might have been a special for the day).

Tex Drive Inn: About 20 minutes east of Waimea is a very unassuming spot that has a full menu that you’d find at any old diner. But the main draw are their malasadas, which is a Portuguese fried dough treat. James got mango filling and I got Bavarian creme, and let’s just say I wish we had picked up a whole dozen!

Vibe Cafe (Hilo): I’m avoiding raw fish while pregnant, so watching James eat poke every day we were in Hawaii was torture! Enter beet poke bowls from this vegetarian cafe in Hilo – they nailed the texture and taste! It tasted as incredible as it looks! If we had more time in Hilo, I would have definitely come back for dinner and drinks!

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen (Hilo): This was actually our first meal on the Big Island – after a very long travel day from the mainland, I was craving Thai food and found this mom and pop shop with legit flavors. Their red curry and Thai coffee were both super flavorful and delicious!

Makani’s Magic Pineapple Shack (Hilo): If you’re looking for a highly Instagrammable dessert, swing by this sweet joint in downtown Hilo. We got the Ube açaí bowl (yes, Ube again!), and as pretty as this one was, it pales in comparison to some of their more elaborate concoctions!

Have you been to the Big Island? Did I miss anything? Drop your recommendations in the comments section!

]]> http://skirttherulesblog.com/2021/04/28/where-to-eat-on-the-big-island-of-hawaii/feed/ 0 Dubai Travel Guide: What To Do, See and Eat in 36 Hours http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/01/27/dubai-travel-guide-what-to-do-see-and-eat-in-36-hours/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/01/27/dubai-travel-guide-what-to-do-see-and-eat-in-36-hours/#comments Mon, 27 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=18683

If you’re in Dubai for a quick trip or a long layover, this guide is for you!

Day One

In case you missed it, we were flying standby (I work for an airline) to Hong Kong, but every flight was full so we ended up in Dubai instead. We arrived at DXB in the morning and after deciding to spontaneously spend a few days in Dubai, we spent the morning figuring out our game plan and booking our hotel via HotelTonight.

Breakfast at 21 Grams: After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we decided to pop into the cute Balkan restaurant/coffee shop connected in the lobby for a bit to eat. We shared the Balkan breakfast (scrambled eggs in tomato, pepper and onion relish with beef sausages and crumbled feta cheese) and sipped on Turkish coffee before figuring out our next move.

Never Have I Ever: Gin Mare, fresh watermelon, lemon, basil,
tonic water simple syrup & feta cheese spume

Drinks at Shimmers: We still had some time to kill before we could check into our hotel, so we walked along the Jumeirah Beach to Shimmers, a restaurant located on the private beach of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel. During peak times, you may need a reservation, but we arrived around 2:00 PM on Sunday and we managed to score a table on the beach. Drinks were quite pricey (76 AED or 20 USD), but totally worth it for the killer view of the Burj Al Arab. I can only imagine how stunning it would be for sunset drinks!

Book HotelTonight with code JEDANG for 20% off

Check in at Park Regis Boutique Hotel: As I mentioned, we booked our hotel last minute via HotelTonight, a travel app that I’ve been using ever since I started working in the airline industry. This hotel was pretty affordable (about 93 USD per night including taxes), was right next to the public beach and had a pretty fresh, modern interior. If we stayed longer, I would have definitely enjoyed the proximity to the beach a little more, but since we wanted to do as much as we possible could in our short time there, we ended ordering a lot of Ubers to the attractions we wanted to see. Loved the hotel – and the staff is super friendly – but in retrospect, I wish we had stayed closer to the Dubai Mall / Burj Khalifa area.

Dubai Mall: After taking a nap, we went to the second largest mall in the world. With 1,000 retailers, an aquarium, a movie theater, 250 hotel rooms, grocery stores, currency exchanges, and more than a hundred restaurants, there’s something for everyone there. It’s also connected to the Burj Khalifa and home to the Dubai Fountain.

Watermelon feta salad, Logma fries and chicken tikka parthas

Dinner at Logma: Located in the Dubai Mall, Logma is a great way to try affordable Emirati fusion fare and also take in an amazing view of the Dubai Fountain (more on that below). Food and service was great, and it doesn’t break the bank like the rest of the city. There are a few locations in Dubai, but the Dubai Mall one is the way to go. If you can score a seat on the balcony, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the Dubai Fountain show, which runs every 30 minutes.

Shows run every 30 minutes in the evening

Dubai Fountain: What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good fountain show. Imagine the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas (they share the same designers), but even bigger! Performances take place at 1:00 and 1:30 PM every day, every 30 minutes between 6:00 and 10:00 PM on weekdays, and every 30 minutes between 6:00 and 11:00 PM on weekends. I love the we caught the show from a higher vantage point instead of fighting the crowds down below.

Day Two

This was our only full day in Dubai, so we had to make it count! We ended up getting around via Uber, but if we had more time, we probably would have rented a car because everything is so spread out. You probably wouldn’t want to pack this much into one day, but if you only have a long layover in town, you might want to!

Shakshuka and french toast from Cafe Rider

Breakfast at Cafe Rider: We fueled up with breakfast and coffee at this motorcycle-themed cafe. It’s in a bit of an industry area, but has a spacious dining / social / working area that brings the industrial vibes inside. I had the shakshuka and James had the French toast.

Visit the Dubai Miracle as soon as it opens if you want to enjoy this photogenic spot to yourself!

Wearing: Floral Off the Shoulder Dress (only $25 and comes in a few different colors and prints) / White Straw Circle Bag / Brown Leather Mules / Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in ‘Pillow Talk’

Dubai Miracle Garden: This was the one thing I was most excited about seeing during our short time in Dubai. It’s home to five million flowers, including an Emirates Airbus 380 covered in florals, and of course – the most Instagrammable spot in all of Dubai. We arrived within minutes of the place opening and had it entirely to ourselves for at least 15 minutes or so. By the time we find the heart arch and snapped photos, a crowd was already building in the area. You probably don’t need more than an hour there. By the time we left, it was starting to get quite crowded!

Avocado toast and a raspberry sour from Nightjar

Alserkal Art District: In the past decade, this industrial area has become a pretty noteworthy home to Emirati arts and culture. The district is made up of 39 warehouses, each containing art galleries, coffee shops, a chocolate shop, a perfumery and more. Our favorite was a photography gallery that showcased “street photography” from around the world. We popped into the Nightjar for avocado toast and some creative libations (I had the raspberry sour – raspberry iced tea, lime juice, egg white and coffee preserved cherry). I also heard a local next to us talking about the local roast chicken!

View of Dubai from the 124th Floor of the Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa: Personally, I’m not easily impressed when it comes to views from skyscrapers. I’d much rather enjoy the view of the iconic building. But we were in Dubai, home to the tallest building in the world, so why not! We booked a visit to the 125th floor for a pretty penny (149 AED or about 40 USD) each. You could go even higher to the 148th floor, but I could justify the 380 AED/105 USD price. I imagine it’s a less crowded at the very top.

Stroll around the Al Faihi historical neighborhood for a glimpse of Old Dubai

Wearing: Floral Maxi Dress (only $29 and comes in three colors) / Straw Circle Bag / White Slide Sandals / Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in ‘Pillow Talk’

Arabian Tea House: We then headed over to the Al Fahidi historical neighborhood to get a vastly different perspective of Dubai. Here, you’ll find a taste of Old Dubai, with a beautiful mosque and this wonderfully lively tea house. We enjoyed some Arabian tea, kabobs and samosas and some amazing Emirati hospitality.

The Old Souk: Afterwards, we took the ferry (which was super affordable) across to the Old Souk and the nearby Gold Souk. It’s what you would imagine a traditional market to be – lively, bustling and shopkeepers trying to get you to come into their store and buy something. If you’re looking to pick up a souvenir, this would be the place to do it. But just be prepared for some very charismatic shopkeepers!

So that’s it – a quick 36 hours in Dubai. In the end, I’m glad that fate brought us unexpectedly here. Dubai is one of the mysterious, faraway destinations that I thought would be cool to visit, but never had immediate plans to do so. Everyone is so incredibly nice, and like NYC, most people that live in Dubai aren’t from there. If you can swing a few days – or even a long layover – Dubai is definitely worth checking out!

Leave a comment below to let me know if you’ve ever been to Dubai or if it’s on your list!

]]> http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/01/27/dubai-travel-guide-what-to-do-see-and-eat-in-36-hours/feed/ 1 The Most Instagrammable Place in Dubai http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/01/22/the-most-instagrammable-place-in-dubai/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/01/22/the-most-instagrammable-place-in-dubai/#comments Wed, 22 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=18666

Just casually strolling through the most Instagrammable place in Dubai.

Floral Off the Shoulder Dress (only $25 and comes in a few different colors and prints) / White Straw Circle Bag / Brown Leather Mules / Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in ‘Pillow Talk’

I hope you’re ready for a ton of travel photos, because James and I just got back from a two-week trip to Asia and we have so many to share!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know our trip was off to an unexpected start. We were flying standby (I work for an airline) to Hong Kong, but every flight was full so we ended up in Dubai instead. Flying standby is not for the weary, but I love the adrenaline rush it brings. Sometimes you get to where you’re going, but sometimes you have the take a detour.

And sometimes, it brings you to one of the most insanely beautiful places in the world: the Dubai Miracle Garden.

After we realized we’d be staying in Dubai for two days, we quickly researched the must see spots in this Middle Eastern city. Just one look at the Miracle Garden and there was no question about it – we had to go!

It’s a beautifully bizarre attraction – a garden that has more than five million flowers, including an Emirates Airbus 380 covered in florals. Every inch of this place is Instagrammable, but the pièce de résistance is the heart arches. To beat the crowds, we came here right when the garden opened and we’re so glad we did. Just 15-30 minutes later, and tourists were buzzing about trying to snap the perfect pic.

There’s nothing quite like this place – and Dubai in general – so if you have the option of making an overnight layover here, I’d highly recommend it!

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