Tag: Beach

Lifestyle Tips /

Visit Pensacola Launches Experience Pensacola Destination App

Visit Pensacola announced the launch of its Experience Pensacola app. The app is designed to assist both locals and visitors in navigating Escambia County.

“This app makes exploring the destination easier than ever, “Visit Pensacola President Darien Schaefer said. “For our residents, I think they’ll find themselves discovering activities and restaurants they never knew existed and for visitors, they’ll find an easy tool to organize and share their vacation with family and friends.”

With a built-in location finder, app users can find experiences closest to them. Some of the core features include:

  • Travel deals for an affordable vacation (locals can indulge, too!)
  • Local restaurant listings
  • Trails and Interactive Tours
  • Custom itinerary builder
  • Happy Hours
  • Current events
  • Local transportation options
  • Museums and attractions

“One of the features I like most is the interactive trails,” Visit Pensacola Partner Relations Manager Kaya Man said. “When we’re stumped for something free and fun to do, it’s a great resource.”

The Experience Pensacola app is available for download on the Apple Store or on Google Play. To learn more about the Experience Pensacola app, or to download it, visit www.visitpensacola.com/app/.

Summer 2017 /

Looking For Florida’s Best, You’ll Find It In Pensacola

The Pensacola Bay Area continues to prove to be a destination vacation through recent accolades. Known most well for its sugar white beaches, voted to the 10 Best Beaches in Florida by Conde Nast to be exact, the coastal city has established itself as an all-encompassing travel and leisure spot for visitors around the country.

Trips to Discover, an online travel publication that reaches over 7 million people, named the area to the 14 Best Day Trips in the Florida Panhandle and to the 12 Best Florida Summer Vacations on a Budget. The Pensacola Bay Area offers a multitude of activities from exploring the Gulf Islands National Seashore and its majestic forts, learning where Don Tristan de Luna landed and established America’s First Settlement over 450 years ago or enjoying the vibrant cultural scene downtown.

The Pensacola Bay area is known for its fresh Gulf Coast seafood, so well-known that Food Networks “Great American Food Truck Race” and host Tyler Florence stopped in to experience it. Business Insider named Taqueria El Asador, a local taco stand, to the 50 best tacos joint in all of America and Southern Living awarded the Flora-Bama the best bar in the entire state of Florida! Speaking of cocktails, locals favorite and owned by one of Visit Pensacola’s celebrity chefs, Skopelos restaurant has been awarded the 2017 Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator magazine!

As Pensacola gears up for the Fall Festival season, it places a significant emphasis on the culinary scene. We encourage foodies to come and experience a vast variety of tastes including gulf coast seafood, Greek, American street food and so much more. Festival season is the prime time to plan a vacation to the area as the official tourism season has come to a close, rates have declined and the weather is mild. You can easily say this is a locals favorite time of year!

Only in your state again named The National Naval Aviation Museum to the Best Free Activities in Florida and the Historic PensacolaVillage to the 13 Unforgettable Tours in Florida. With over 450 years of rich history, Historic Pensacola is a living laboratory that guides guests through 28 properties that have been fully restored. The village is fully operable and includes daily colonial living history demonstrations. The National Naval Aviation Museum is the world’s largest Naval Aviation museum and features more than 150 restored aircraft’s representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation. Spanning 37-acres of ground space and 350,000 square feet of exhibit, the museum is open daily and offers free admission.

The US Navy Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow is currently in the running for USA Today’s Reader’s Choice award for top 10 Best Airshows. Be a part of our next accolade by voting daily, visit http://ow.ly/WNWj30dmkEa.

For more information about Visit Pensacola, call 1-800-874-1234 (toll-free) or go to http://ow.ly/Rga530dxikW.

About Visit Pensacola

Visit Pensacola leads the effort of economic development through tourism in Escambia County. Comprised of over 200-member businesses, VisitPensacola’s mission is to position the Pensacola Bay Area as a premier year-round travel destination through tourism marketing, communications, meetings and conventions, reunions and group tour initiatives. For more information about Visit Pensacola, call 1-800-874-1234 (toll-free) or go to VisitPensacola.com.

Lifestyle Tips /

Costa Baja Resort and Spa – Snorkeling with Sea Lions

Costa Baja, Mexico – This summer, give your kids the best vacation stories ever. Take them on an awe-inspiring adventure in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez, swimming and snorkeling with sea lions. This outing is a memory maker and the perfect bonding experience for inter-generational family trips and large groups. Professional guides host the excursion to the barrier island of Espiritu Santa Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Bio Reserve and it’s a highlight of a tour offered by the Costa Baja Resort and Spa. This all-inclusive resort is located just 10 minutes south of downtown La Paz, the capital of Mexico’s Baja California.

More About Swimming and Snorkeling with Sea Lions

Guests will treasure an hour and 20-minute boat ride, revealing deep blue turquoise waters while their professional guide provides an educational discussion of what to expect upon arriving to Espiritu Santo, a UNESCO world heritage bio reserve. This barrier island is rich in both sea and plant life. Soft beaches, secluded bays, and pristine eco-systems dotted with blue-footed boobies, playful sea lions, jumping dolphin, sea turtles and, in season, grey whales will delight and inspire. Guests will cherish the one of a kind experience of swimming and snorkeling with sea lions. Hungry swimmers will savor a freshly prepared lunch on the beach of Ensenada Grande Island that is surrounded by commanding red rocks and towering cacti. After lunch, a professional guide will lead a discussion about interesting facts about the natural history of the area. This outing includes:

Round trip transportation to the barrier island of Espiritu Santa (Departure in the lobby at 8:00am and return to the resort at 4:00pm)
Visiting and swimming at the sea lion colony
Snorkeling Equipment (mask, fins and snorkel)
Beverages
Boat and captain
-more-

Snorkeling with the Sea Lion Eco Retreat at Costa Baja Resort & Spa, page 2 of 2

The resort also recommends guest pack a camera, sun block, sunglasses, a hat, jacket, and comfortable

swimsuit.

About the Costa Baja Resort and Spa

This all-inclusive Costa Baja Resort and Spa is just 10 minutes south of downtown La Paz, the capital of Mexico’s Baja California. The resort, unmatched in the region, is set on the magnificent Sea of Cortez overlooking a 250-slip marina and a white sand beach. It is nestled like a jewel within 550 acres of environmentally protected costal lands. Just north of the hotel lies Isla Espiritu Santo, a designated UNESCO World Heritage bio reserve, and adjacent waters that offer the best sport fishing in Baja Sur. Costa Baja offers exclusive access and preferred rates at Mexico’s only Gary Player-designed golf course; the tranquil Espiritu Spa featuring locally-inspired treatments and full spa services; three pools and multiple dining options.

Don’t miss this opportunity for the ideal family vacation in a serene, tropical setting. Prices for families start out at $3,889 for a family of four, all inclusive of food and accommodations. This includes all tax and resort fees. Extra nights can also be added on.

This retreat is being offered by Retreats Unlimited. To make a reservation, review this itinerary or for additional information visit Retreats Unlimited or call 312-961-3280. Join Retreats Unlimited on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for upcoming retreat announcements, promotions and discount offers.

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Fashion /

Tampa Beach Dining and Shopping – Mini Vacation Recap

A wise woman once said, “Don’t wear your real studs to the beach.”  This wise woman’s my super feisty mother! (smile)

Last weekend, I took a mini “mommy” vacation and flew to Tampa, Florida.  The trip was long overdue because aside from this website my life has been pretty hectic.  Due to this perspective alone, I grabbed a flight and my cute bags for some pre-summer fun.

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I grew up visiting Florida and knew what to expect in terms of the beautiful scenery and coastal breeze.  My mind was swirling because this trip gave me the opportunity to put a lot of things into perspective and relax near the ocean.

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Aside from the meditation, I enjoyed delicious seafood from Oceancatchers Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay.  Leading up to the restaurant was a walk-way of Palm trees (that light up at night) and customers can dine inside or sit near the coast.

The next day we ventured to Clearwater Beach.  I grew up taking family trips to Pensacola, so this brought back several memories.  The sky was crystal clear and the ocean was radiate!   I’m not the one to shy away from the sun because I love a bronzed complexion.

I decided to wear a high-waist bikini which was totally out of my element. I wanted to show moms that you can be attractive and fashionable on the beach.

The reality is that giving birth is a beautiful process.  It’s also an opportunity for self-love and personal growth.  You may not look the exact same but internally you have been renewed in strength.

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Swimsuit from AMICLUBWEAR

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The trip concluded with a visit to International Plaza; walking around to view the local stores.  I’m always fascinated with how people dress in different regions.  Overall, I enjoyed my visit and looking forward to the next summer adventure!

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