Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis + Gisborne, New Zealand
It's the first episode of the year! We talk about resolutions, reflections, and when it's the best time to restart your Keto diet. We are aiming to become more flexible (physically) and remembering to use the 1 Second Everyday app. Also Lulu's theme for 2020 is "Gather Fulfillment", feel free to borrow it if you want, or come up with your own! Lulu likes to come up with a theme instead of goals, the year seems to come together in a more balanced way then ticking off a checklist. Goals, resolutions, themes, what have you...what do you do at the end of the year, heading in to the next one? Tell us all about it on the Bae page!
Alison is obsessed with the tumbling mat she got her 5-year old for Christmas. She's been using it to do some yoga stretches and breathing exercises, and is already feeling the shift that even a tiny bit of a mindfulness practice can bring. This mat is also good for a 5-year old learning to do a handstand, which was its original intent. Lulu's obsession is the NYE party she goes to every year. It has been going on for 20 years, and is attended by any and all performing artists in the Orlando area. She never misses it!
Alison really wants a body firming cream, and is willing to try a bunch of different ones at the same time, to do a sort of trial comparison, if anyone has any recommendations? She's thinking she'll try Neora's (formerly known as Nerium) Firm Body Contour Cream for one, and our producer Ash recommends Sol De Janeiro's Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, so there are two for her to try! Lulu may need to also wish for body firming cream, as her wish is for a Cheese of the Month club subscription. It's keto, and delicious, so that's a win-win for her.
Alison heads to Nevis, of which she knows nothing about its location or to what country it belongs to. She stays in the right place the whole time, so there's that. So YOU know, Nevis is the smaller of the two islands that comprise the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. "Limin'" is the MO of the locals, which means "hanging out, drinking and talking". Sounds like the perfect place to be. Even if you don't know where exactly you are. *cough* Alison *cough*.
She is staying at Golden Rock Inn, a spot with cool, colorful furniture and decor set against breathtaking grounds, and offers amenities galore. Every room comes with complimentary breakfast, tea and french press coffee in-room, and a beach bag and beach towels! She stays in the Sugar Mill Suite, which is a two story 19th century structure surrounded by gardens, with two full baths, a King bed in one room and two twins in the other. The outdoor terrace adds the feeling of even more space, making it the perfect spot for families! Or for a solo travel that likes to spread out.
As she is in the Caribbean, she decides to explore the waters, sans pirates, however. Alison chartered a sailboat through GetMyBoat.com, which offers a hands-on learn-how-to-sail experience, or lets you "sit back, suck a beer, and soak in the atmosphere"! Alison obviously chooses the latter. Pricing includes the boat, a captain, an assistant crew and a cooler with some beers/sodas/juices/water, and you can bring other beverages as well. Definitely bringing some sparkling rosé on board.
Next she heads to the Bath Hotel and Spring House, which is thought to be the first tourist hotel in all of the Caribbean. It is now a bit run down, but it is free to go and experience the on-site volcanic hot springs. There are often attendants offering towels for a fee, or you could just bring your own!
Relaxed from her soak in the springs, she heads to Oualie Beach to do their Beginner Yoga Scuba Experience. No previous Yoga or Scuba experience is necessary, which seems incorrect, because don't you have to be certified in order to scuba? It is shallow water at the dive site they take you to, and they claim it is safe. Safe or not trying to do yoga with flippers on sounds like such a blast aka will make for some funny pictures (bring your underwater camera).
Now, Alison really wanted to find unique things to do on an island, rather than the resort—>food—>excursion—>repeat cycle. So Alison flies her husband Chris out to Nevis to join her at Nisbet Plantation Beach Club. You see, they offer a Deluxe Wedding Ceremony Package which includes license, registration and Minister’s fee, choice of location, bridal bouquet and boutonniere, fresh flowers from the garden for decoration, a two-tiered wedding cake, a chilled bottle of champagne for a wedding toast, one hour of photography services, one hour of flutist (flautist?) or steel pan player, one hour couples massage, and an after ceremony choice of a in-room champagne breakfast or a romantic candle lit dinner on the beach. All of this is coordinated for you by one of the hotel's planners, and costs just $2500. Say what?! Alison spends a little over that, $2900 to be exact, on this dream lilac wedding dress from Etsy. She gave Chris some shopping money to get a suit, but left that up to him. All dressed up and all married up (again), they head to The Rocks, Golden Rock Inn's on-site restaurant that serves up lively Caribbean cuisine paired with global flair. Seared Wahoo, Lobster Tail, and Champagne makes for a lovely third-husband-fourth-wedding meal, don't you think?
This 10K day will be afternoon to afternoon, because Lulu wants to ring in NYE in NZ. This is the easternmost city on earth, so she will be the first of everyone she knows to be in 2020! Lulu books the Portside Hotel Gisborne, where she stays in their 2-bedroom penthouse. It has a huge kitchen, dining room, and living room in addition to the two bedrooms, but can you really call something a penthouse when it's only on the second floor? There are only two floors to this hotel, so it is technically true? Her suite does have its own washer and dryer, so this space would be very ideal for longer term stays. Once settled in, Lulu finds the driver she's hired for the day/night/day. She's paying him $3,000 to drive her around for 24 hours, but hey, it's over New Years and he has to be working, so she counts this sizable compensation as holiday pay.
Lulu is going to visit the Rhythm and Vines festival, and yes to the word visit being appropriate, because with only 24 hours, she is going to spend just a few at this celebration of House music. It's too bad she's not going for the whole time, because the bars, the music, the wellness space, glamping sites, this looks like it would be a lot of fun. But she'll live it up for the hour or so that she is there, rocking some festival wear, which for Lulu is going to be this t-shirt that reads "It's way too people-y outside". She heads over to The Works for local cheeses, and local wine, and what we can assume at this farm-to-table-esque spot is a local duck.
Now she heads to the beach, where it is 18 hours ahead of EST back home in New York. She is going to stay until the sun rises, being one of, if not the, first person to welcome in 2020! To accomplish this she’s got to wait a bit, so she's going to set up a little lounge spot. She also picks a place not too far away (but not too close), to set up a space for her driver to watch over her while she likely dozes. He gets set up with the YETI Hondo base camp chair - “The most durable and comfortable piece of outdoor furniture on the market.”
Now for her hangout, Lulu has brought along The Swell Towel for two, which with its super absorbent, sand-resistant fabric, may just make a beach-lover out of Lulu yet. With that spread out, Lulu cozy ups the space with four of these luxury saffron ikat indoor/outdoor throw pillows, and a king-size herringbone cotton blanket. She gets some supplies to stay awake for her sunrise stake out - the Stanley coffee thermos, the Moccamaster coffee maker, Nido dry milk, and the Crazy Cooler to get everything from the hotel to the beach. This cooler is motorized...you can ride the thing on all terrain!
Lulu welcomes in 2020 in comfort and style, holding her "Gather Fulfillment" theme in her mind for a moment or ten, and then heads back to the hotel to take a nap. A little room service lunch and she is ready for the rest of her day, which involves collecting the coin she left in the window, to bring luck in the New Year. For this 10K NYE celebration, she used a 1 oz Gold American Eagle coin she bought for $1700. She thinks it’s a Filipino tradition, leaving coins at entryways into your home that is, not the exorbitantly expensive coin part. You could follow suit or there are many new years traditions and superstitions followed worldwide, take your pick and good luck to you!
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