Back in June, I shared some of my favorite images from our trip to Mauritius, but here are a few more of my favourite shots + animated GIFS from this exceptional getaway that Simon and I took in May to the tropical paradise of Long Beach. Before I move on to blogging about the rest of our amazing summer, I wanted to share these images + a little round up of all my Mauritius posts just in case you want to read about every possible detail of our trip!

If I had to use only one word to describe Mauritius, it would be colourful. Or colorful. Either way you spell it, it sums up being in this corner of the world.

I think the best moments of a beach holiday might be the view of a beach umbrella or a palm tree that you have when you are lying on a beach lounger. These images remind me of being completely relaxed.

These boats were on our beach and we could check them out to use whenever we wanted as part of our resort package, which I included in my list of reasons to go all inclusive with kids.

I might have an alarming number of photos of beach loungers, but I was just smitten with all the lovely corners of the resort where you could relax with a view.

There were so many spots to choose from each day and we made a point of trying out as many as possible.

This outdoor setting was one of the restaurants in our resort. We ate here several times because of its proximity to both the beach and the pool.

Just this week I got to re-live our catamaran trip to the Ile Aux Cerfs by writing about it for First Choice. {Happy sighs.}

Also, I did a piece on this dreamy spa and I wrote A Story about Yoga on the Beach, because you know how I love yoga.

This is the sun hitting our room at our resort. I took this picture when walking back one morning from watching the sunrise and I loved how the sun was flooding all the porches.

This is the pile of shells and coral that Simon brought home from Mauritius. I love collecting these treasures on a beach holiday, but I’m never quite sure what to do with them when we get home.

I love how these little animated memories make me feel like I am still in the moment, watching these guys have the time of their lives! Watching Simon and his new friend, Flea, was one of the greatest delights of the week.

When I look at these pictures, I am incredibly grateful that Simon and I had this amazing escape this spring. It was the first time I was actually warm in a very long time, and we both caught the sun on our faces and in our hearts!

Simon and I went to Mauritius, along with Sally and Flea, as part of our role this year as First Choice Out of Office Bloggers. 

The post {More} Snapshots of Mauritius appeared first on Alison Chino.

“Hi, I’m Flea.” she said as she sat down next to me in the airport.

“Hi! I’ve been so excited to meet you! I’m Alison.”

“And this is Simon.”

“Simon, can you say hello?”

“Hi.” (small quiet voice)

I’ve mentioned before that Simon and I are introverts. In fact most of us Chinos fall on introverted side of the scale.

Sometimes when I meet someone who is truly extroverted, I think that they must be faking it. The notion of being truly comfortable talking to strangers is so foreign to me that I feel like it must be some sort of a show.

But then every once in a while I meet a truly extroverted child, and I’m reminded that some people are truly born this way. Some people really and truly, have never met a stranger.

Flea, who is nine years old, is one such child, and Simon and I had the sublime pleasure of her company on our recent journey to Mauritius. Watching Flea make friends with Simon will forever be one of the gifts of 2014 to me.

Like Harry and Hermione, Simon and Flea were fast friends, so inseparable after only a couple of days that Sally and I were scrambling to rearrange meals and excursions so that we could all be together.

Sally and I are both bloggers who love to write about travel. We were assigned to travel together as First Choice Holidays Out of Office Bloggers, and I was not at all worried about traveling with her. We met briefly in London at a pre-trip event, sans children and we both have experience with going on holidays with strangers as part of publicity campaigns. However, adding children to the mix is always a bit of a gamble. Simon and I were ecstatic about going on a sun-soaked holiday together, but I was not sure how he would get on with Sally’s little girl.

As soon as I met Flea at the airport, I knew we were going to be just fine. Sally warned me that she was chatty, and I was completely taken with her ten-minute-answer to the question, “What book are you reading?’

Simon watched me talk to Flea for a little while before he joined in, but it was not long before the two of them fell into their own little world, without any need for me.

Of course it helped that they had an awful lot in common. A mutual love for Lego and Doctor Who proved to be the breeding ground for what blossomed over the week into a sweet friendship.

They played together in the crystal blue swimming pool and on the long stretch of beach at our resort. Invented games and imaginary worlds ensued. And Sally and I relished the hours by the pool in our loungers. It was bliss.

On our excursions, they sat together on the bus rides, heads together over one of their devices, laughing at the Lego Movie or reading Big Nate. They chased monkeys around a Holy Lake, seeing who could get the closest to one.

Flea is a bit of an adventure addict, which turned out to be great for my little cautionary guy. When Simon was hesitant to come out on the deck for the catamaran ride, Flea persuaded him that the best place to drink a glass bottle of Lemon Fanta is directly underneath the sails. She also talked him into going tubing behind a speed boat. They confused the boat driver because Flea was signaling to go faster while Simon was signaling to go slower.

However, when Flea went parasailing, Simon was content to go along and just watch. But they celebrated together with fancy drinks at the pool bar afterwards.

At meals, they would head to the dessert case, tasting different offerings each night. Then they would go back to the ice cream bar to chase down their chocolate cake or macaroons with their favorite, vanilla ice cream.

Flea and Simon sat together on the flight back to London and after we parted ways, Simon told me that he was really going to miss her.

I absolutely loved watching them all week, and I was grateful that my older children were not around to taint it by teasing Simon about ‘having a girlfriend,’ which they most certainly did when we got home and Simon talked and talked about Flea.

I delight in the thought of their paths crossing again one day.

Simon and I went to Mauritius as part of my role as an Out of Office Bloggers for 2014. I’m super thankful to First Choice Holidays for such a lovely trip and for partnering us up with such fab folk! And I’m grateful to Sally and Flea for being extroverts and for jumping in and helping to make the week so much fun!

The post A Story about Making New Friends appeared first on Alison Chino.

A Story about Yoga {On the Beach}

It was that time of day when the light is so magical you can hardly bear to tear yourself away from staring at the horizon, except that there are young children with you who do not care about the color of the sky. They care about making it to the climbing wall before it closes.

And so we were walking towards the gym at the resort where we were staying in Mauritius, and we passed a gentleman who was carrying a roll of yoga mats under his arm.

I stopped him to ask about yoga and it was starting in ten minutes. On the beach. At sunset.

Sally graciously allowed me to leave our party and follow Roj back to the beach.

I have an up and down relationship with yoga, which is strange because I enjoy it immensely. If I charted my yoga frequency, I’m pretty certain it would look something like this:

Winter: Almost Zero
Summer: Lots

I know that my muscles need yoga (and exercise) in the winter but it just feels better in the summer.

Yoga clothes are summerish. Beachy.

Sun salutations work best for me when there’s a sun to salute.

So being in Mauritius where the breeze is warm and the air is soft opened my heart wide up for yoga. And for all that yoga on the beach in Mauritius has to offer:

Breathing in the sea air.

Balancing in the warm wind.

Walking barefoot on crushed seashells as a form of acupuncture for tired feet. (Yes, really)

Soft light and softer voices.

Kicking sand on your mat and brushing it off again.

Slower than slow sun salutations. Light, simple movements that remind you that you never want to be in a hurry again.

No rushing. Just being.

Receiving praise for doing something so simple. Taking time to stretch. To pull yourself wide and just be still.

Falling over from your tree pose into the sand and being put at ease by a new instructor’s soft guidance. A kind reminder to take your time.

I love to meet a good yoga teacher. I have done some yoga teacher training myself and I have so much awe for instructors who can lead a class and maintain an air of relaxation themselves. A good yoga instructor’s voice draws you in to their circle of peace, their good vibes are part of your experience.

Roj was definitely all good vibes. You would never know it, but by day he is a headmaster of an all boys’ school. Practicing and teaching yoga is an outlet from the stress of his daily life, and he teaches classes at Long Beach three evenings a week. They are free to attend for guests or private sessions can be arranged as well.

What a gift to get to practice yoga in such a magical setting!

Simon and I were sent to Mauritius, along with Sally and Flea, as part of our role this year as First Choice Out of Office Bloggers. First Choice has chosen five bloggers to visit their resorts in 2014 and blog about them. I’m feeling super thankful for the privilege and already looking forward to my next trip Out of Office!

The post A Story about Yoga on the Beach appeared first on Alison Chino.

For a couple of weeks my Instagram feed was filled with palm trees and beaches instead of mist and mountains.

So for Instagram Travel Thursday, I’m sharing my IG images from Mauritius!

Sigh. So beautiful!

We stayed at Long Beach Hotel with First Choice Holidays, and maybe my favourite thing about the resort, besides the location, was the creatively designed beach loungers tucked all around the pool and the beach.

We made good use of the happily situated sun beds.

Blue skies dominated our horizons most days!

We broke away from our resort to tour the beautiful island of Mauritius.

And we also spent a day out on the Indian Ocean in a catamaran.

Our resort had a sea spa and these loungers overlooking a lake served as the relaxation zone for the spa.

Our kids never tired of the main swimming pool and on our last day the pool was all decorated for a pre-wedding pool party.

The most magical times at the beach are always the sunset and sunrise hours. We tried to be down on the beach every night to see the sky painted pink.

Three nights a week at Long Beach, there is a sunset yoga class for guests. LOVE!

Happy Sunrise from Mauritius!

Simon and I were sent to Mauritius, along with Sally and Flea, as part of our role this year as First Choice Out of Office Bloggers. First Choice has chosen five bloggers to visit their resorts in 2014 and blog about them. I’m feeling super thankful for the privilege and already looking forward to my next trip Out of Office!

Stay tuned for more photos and stories from our time in Mauritius!

Do you travel + Instagram? Join in IG Travel Thursday!

More of my IG Travel Thursday posts.

PS I love participating in Instagram Travel Thursday with Skimbaco Lifestyle! Simon was even featured in this month’s eMagazine on family traveling!

The post Snapshots of Mauritius appeared first on Alison Chino.

How’s your week been? I spent the day timing hurdles at Sports Day (aka Field Day in the US). It was first time I can remember ever wearing Uggs, a scarf and mittens on Field Day. But I kept having to take my gloves off to push the timing button. I’ve been home now for an hour with a hot water bottle in my lap and my fingers have almost thawed.

Also, Simon hated the whole day because here’s the thing about Sports Day: It’s mostly for people who, you know, like sports. We’ve only got one Chino in the house who likes sports, the organized kind. The rest of us would rather just go for a walk.

But no worries because Y’all! Simon and I are leaving this weekend for Mauritius!!!

(Pinch me, please!)

Seriously, I am headed off to a place that a year ago I did not even know existed and that I still know very little about.

But here’s what I know. THEY HAVE SUNSHINE!

Is it possible to O.D. on Vitamin D? Because I am TOTALLY going to stay out in the hot sun for every possible minute of every day. And I understand if you need to unfollow me for the week on Instagram and Twitter because you know that every time I have internet, I will be all, “OH MY GOODNESS, THE SUN. AND THE BEACH. AND THE SUN!”

I cannot wait to wear a skirt. And short sleeves. And my chacos!! In Arkansas it already the season for being almost naked for most of the time and I’m sitting here with my chin barely showing in jeans and a fleece.

Anyways here are some links for your weekend! Quite a few of them are vacation-themed, which was just my subconscious working.

The lead photo for this post is from a fellow travel blogger’s recent post about Mauritius!

Swooning over these images of a long lost honeymoon in England (via skimbaco)

Y’all know what a sucker I am for a free trip contest! Here’s one I would LOVE to win.

Here’s another one for New Zealand (Ben’s dream destination. How great would it be to win this for his milestone trip!)

Let’s all go to Georgia, the country.

I already know I love long walks, but now I’m curious about long bike rides? Here’s a few tips from someone who biked all the way across the US.

A great essay on my very favorite book on writing by Anne Lamott. (I used quotes from this  essay in my story this week!)  And speaking of Anne, she left the best post ever on her FB page last week about letting go of what people think about you. One of many favorite excerpts:

Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart.

I PROMISE you I will be swimming in warm water next week without a second thought about my jiggly thighs!

Also from Brainpicker, a beautifully illustrated edition of Song of Myself. I should totally get this for my kids because we all just finished reading Paper Towns.

My husband currently inhabits a world full of mostly men in the divinity department at Kings College, so I appreciated this take from the brave woman who studies among them.

This stresses me out but I’m not sure what the solution is. Ditto this.

My friend Jacob Slaton has started a Behind the Scenes youtube series on how he edits his photos. Watching them has given a new mad respect for the art of photography, about which I actually know almost nothing. Seriously.

Happy Official First Weekend of SUMMERTIME!

PS Are you planning a fun holiday weekend camp out or cookout for Memorial Day?  Or perhaps someone just asked you to bring a side dish?  Might I suggest a few things?  Here are some past recipes and menus that would look great on your picnic table on this opening weekend of summer!

Camping Menus: A week’s worth of great food to make on the go.  Adaptable to picnics as well.

Tailgate Menu: I know it’s not football season, but hanging out at the lake and tailgating are VERY similar.  This menu would work for either.

Side Dishes: Cole Slaw, Colorful Summer Salad with Peppers and Edamame, Sesame Kale Salad, Crunchy Church Picnic Salad, Chop Chop Salad, Lemon Basil Garden Salad

Fancy Hot Dog Party or a Front Porch Hot Dog Picnic.

Oh and while you’re outside, you might want to fight off the bugs with your own Homemade Insect Repellent!

The post In The Pipeline appeared first on Alison Chino.