Split, Croatia + Puerto Rico
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Alison is obsessed with The Good Place, she loved the series finale and waxes poetic about her love for Kristen Bell. Apparently we are all about the tv marathon right now, as Lulu shares that she is obsessed with her current binges, Cheers and Star Trek Voyager.
Alison is really wishing for Laser Hair Removal, and this isn't the first time she’s made this wish. Our producer Ash also wished for this in her 10K Saturday, and is currently testing out one of those advertised-on-instagram at-home IPL hair removal systems, with some luck. Maybe she'll let Alison borrow her HappySkinCo handset to test it out. At $129-$164 depending on which model you buy, it's much less expensive then the $1,000+ treatments you'd get at a laser hair removal center, but there is some effort and more time involved, so all depends on your commitment level. Our guess is Alison will just keep on wishing for the in-center treatment. Lulu is feeling a bit more existential and reflective on her wishlist. She hurt somebody’s feelings without knowing, and wishes she hadn’t.
Split is the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia, which is a fun word to say. There are palaces everywhere you look. Beautiful, old, stone palaces, which now have restaurants in them, or hotels in them. So you might think she is staying at a hotel in a palace, but instead she decided to stay at this very centrally located apartment she found on Airbnb. It is described as comfortable, but with the bed taking up the entire bedroom - like, how do you even get to the other side of the bed - we're going to go with the word cozy. The location can't be beat, however, and she's still staying in an old building, it's just not a palace. Pricing for this area varies greatly depending on how far you book out, looking ahead to September, seven months from now, the price dropped to $299 a night plus fees from $995 for next week, making this an actually affordable option!
Lulu heads to the Golden Gate to see the ginormous statue of Gregory of Nin. He was a protector of Croatian culture, especially in regard to its language. According to Lulu's research he refused for the Catholic Church to have their services in Latin instead of Croatian...wait that doesn't sound right. Pretty sure all of the Catholic Church services at the time in the world were in Latin, with interpretation and guidance being given by the priests. Good ole' Gregory, the antiestablishment bishop, was an advocate for the people's own language to be what they heard in church. That sounds right based on the 10th century timeline. It's considered good luck to rub his big toe, which has turned gold from years of superstitious visitors. Ever the germaphobe - Lulu brings these travel sanitizing wipes to wipe down her hands, and maybe the toe too.
Next Lulu takes a private tour of Diocletian’s Palace. The major draw of this city is the Palace of Diocletian, a man who voluntarily gave up the throne of the Roman Empire and settled in this palace. The palace was built with the lower level of being water (picture Venice) so that one could get in and out on a ship. Pretty cool, huh? Of potentially even more interesteing note (for some of you anyways) is that many spots of the palace grounds were filming sites for Game of Thrones. Lulu wanders into Here Be Dragons fantasy shop which is located within the UNESCO-protected palace walls. The cool bit is that they created a covering for the door that matches the surrounding stone wall...so it's a bit of a treasure hunt to just find the store, and then once you get inside, well let's just say it is more than just your typical gift shop. Lulu imagines she'll buy a unique souvenir for Alison here...perhaps a dragon egg will do.
A little brunch sounds good, so Lulu heads to Bokeria Kitchen and Wine. Rather than stopping at a wine store, she's hoping the bar will sell her four bottles of wine to take with her to her next activity.
Lulu was perusing the experiences part of Airbnb, and found this farm-to-table dinner with a family. They pick you up in Split, you drive 1 hour out to a village where they give you a tour of how they grow and make different food and brandies and wines! They also take you on a boat ride along the nearby river. This sounds like an incredible way to get to know the locals and get a feel for authentic culture...or like the perfect set up for a horror film, especially once Lulu reveals she's booked out the whole experience to do by herself. Pretty sure Airbnb would cover any expatriation costs if it came to that. That joke got too dark, too fast! She'll be fine!
Especially because she decided to bring gifts for the host family. A LOT of gifts! These gifts may seem random and unrelated, until Lulu explains that she lives in New York and is from Florida…and is Filipino. And because she assumes all foreigners want American sport branded merchandise. This family is getting Greenhook Ginsmiths American dry gin, 101 Dalmations Blu-ray (Split is in the Dalmatia region of Croatia), a bevy of merchandise from Orlando City Soccer Club, and Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl commemorative zip jackets. They also get pink salt, rice, and she'll pick up some holy water at a cathedral somewhere on the way. This family is not even prepared for Lulu's appreciation for their hospitality.
She's thinking by the time she gets into Split, she's feeling like a second dinner, so she heads to Apetit, a restaurant located in a 15th century palace. The risotto with smoked seafood and cheese ice cream sounds just unique enough to try and love, especially when washed down with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
So Alison is actually going to Puerto Rico in a month from now. (If you have any recommendations - let her know!) If she was going with $10,000 in her pocket, she would definitely stay at the Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Just looking at the photos of this gorgeous spot will have you booking a plane ticket. She booked the West Beachfront Ground-Floor, one bedroom suite. The views are breathtaking, it's quite spacious, and there is an outdoor shower, so Alison is super happy. Alison rents a Jeep Wrangler from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and heads to breakfast at Cafeteria Mallorca - a very local spot that opens early with homemade pastries and coffee that has a was this a school lunchroom at some point vibe to it. She's gotta get her caffeine and go because she has an action-packed day!
While you could drive to Ceiba take the ferry to Culebra - which is what she will do on her actual trip - this is 10K so she is going take a quick flight to the snorkeling haven. She is bringing her own gear, including this panoramic view-providing full-face snorkeling mask, these quick drying slip-on water shoes that will also be good for hiking, and an inflatable life vest, 'cause, you know, safety first. A quick lunch at Dinghy Dock, where she may try a whole fish, but probably not.
Now she heads back to her Jeep to drive over to El Yunque National Forest, the only rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. This private group tour of El Yunque's rainforest takes care of everything! After being picked up from your hotel in a luxury vehicle, your guide takes through hikes gentle enough for most individials and families, including stops to swim under waterfalls! En route back to your hotel you stop at a local restaurant for authentic Puerto Rican food. Next is a Bioluminescent Bay Glass Bottom Kayak Tour she booked through Viator. Guides take you out to see the microscopic 'Pyrodinium Bahamense' plankton put on their surreal aquatic light show.
Alison heads back to the Ritz to freshen up at their Spa Botanico. She gets a massage in an open-air treehouse, and a bathing ritual in an outdoor stone tub. That sounds like an absolute dream. To end her evening she heads to Vianda, where gouda fritters, blood sausage ("morcilla") risotto, and two bottles of wine are calling her name.
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
Lin Manuel Miranda’s Flamboyan Arts Fund
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