Instagram Spots Las Vegas: Get The Best Pics On Your Trip!
Las Vegas may get a bad rep as a party-centric destination, but it’s actually a great place to have a foodie frenzy, relax, and get GREAT Instagram photos. Just skip the clubs if it’s not your thing, wake up early (while all the party-goers are still hungover and asleep), and snap a bunch of awesome pics at the unique Vegas hotels, flashy neon signs, and drool-worthy restaurants. There’s no shortage of awesome photo spots on the strip, off the strip, and short drives into the desert—you just need to know where to look.
1. Fake a European Vacation At The Paris Hotel + Venetian
Want a euro-trip aesthetic but don’t have the $ or time to go to Italy? You can snap equally cute, wanderlust-worthy shots at some of Vegas’ hotels modeled to look like famous European cities. The Paris Hotel has a model of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe, which both make excellent photo locations. The Venetian Hotel is inspired by Venice, with great photo spots in and out of the property—plus gondola rides for extra special snaps.
2. Pose With All The Kitschy, Flashy Signs
The “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign is one of the most obvious photo spots in Vegas, but if you love posing with cute signs, you’re in luck—because there are so many more! You can find a retro Vegas sign off the strip on East Fremont Street (next to Corduroy’s), or pose in all-white next to the Little White Chapel sign (which features Elvis on it). If that’s not enough, head to The Neon Museum for a bunch of old neon signs artfully placed in the middle of the desert.
3. Eat The Most IG-Worthy Foods
While Vegas’ famous buffets aren’t always the most Instagrammable, there are plenty of restaurants (and menu items) that are. Head to Black Tap for epic milkshakes (some that arrive with a whole slice of cake on top) or get Hello Kitty-shaped donuts at the Hello Kitty Truck outside of New York Hotel. Pose at the iconic entrances for Catch Las Vegas and The Mayfair Supper Club. For a pretty-in-pink afternoon tea, head to Mrs. Coco Cafe.
4. Befriend Some Florals
Vegas may not be known for its natural wildlife, but the Wynn Hotel makes up for it with an epic array of giant floral arrangements throughout the property (don’t miss their gardens). The Bellagio typically has great floral displays as well—both make great photo backdrops for your going-out outfits.
I hope this blog on Instagram Spots in Las Vegas helped inspire your Vegas photo journey! And don’t feel like you can’t get fab photos if you’re traveling solo—there are so many great tripods and remote-controlled photo tools on Amazon (some even move with you!).
Are you looking to hire movers? Specifically, are you looking to hire Clutter Moving & Storage company? If so, you might want to know these 5 things…
If you peeked into my bedroom and saw the 50+ shoeboxes, you’d be shocked that I’d never hired movers before. To be honest, I’m shocked too. But, up until I moved to Los Angeles three years ago, I was moving once a year, so I didn’t accumulate that much. I bought cheap furniture that I left behind, and I didn’t really make my former places “my own,” ya know?
But, my LA apartment was my first solo apartment that I really took time to decorate—so there’s a lot of stuff I planned to keep. Not to mention, my new home is a four-story townhouse, so I knew I’d need all my stuff (and then some) to fill it up properly.
I knew it was time to bite the bullet and hire some movers for the first time for a stress-free experience. Thankfully, I got in touch with Clutter and was able to utilize their moving services in exchange for an honest review and recap of my experience with them, so here we are!
Here are some things I wish I knew before hiring movers for the first time…
1. They will literally pack all your stuff for you (if you want them to)
There were so many little knickknacks in my old apartment that I had no idea how to pack. Not to mention I only had about five suitcases to put everything in. My boyfriend assured me that the movers would pack my stuff for me (since I chose that option when booking them), but somehow I still worried they wouldn’t and felt guilty about giving them all this work to do. Up until the last second I was worrying I should pack more. But, as moving day came and I saw that Clutter’s moving experts were trained in-house and accustomed to packing everything away, a mountain of stress lifted from my shoulders. I still helped with some packing to speed things along, but I definitely took quite a few breaks (and even went down the street to have lunch while they finished packing things up).
That being said, if there are things you know you’re going to want right when you move in (think phone chargers, face wash, toilet paper, etc.) you might want to pack all the essentials in your own box (they’ll provide you with the boxing materials if you need them). The thing I struggled with slightly was not knowing where things were when I started unpacking, because the movers had done pretty much all the packing for me!
2. You should definitely tip your movers
I thankfully got this tip from one of my Instagram followers beforehand, because I’d never hired movers before so I didn’t really think about it. That being said, I still forgot to get cash. But I live right by an ATM, so while the movers were packing our stuff we ran down there and got cash. The appropriate amount to tip varies based on who you consult, but websites say 15 to 20% of the total amount is good. Of course, you may not know the total amount until you’re done with your move, so take out extra cash in case. If you’d prefer not to tip in cash (or just don’t wanna run to an ATM), you can even tip the movers through the Clutter app after your move!
3. You have to be wary of sketchy moving companies
I’ve never hired movers, so thankfully I’ve never had any run-ins with sketchy moving companies, but I’ve heard horror stories. One of the cool things about Clutter is they have in-app tracking so you can track your movers to see when they’ll be arriving (so you know you’re letting the right people into your home) and when your stuff will be arriving at your new place.
4. Timing can be flexible—it’s hard to know how long a move will take!
My moving date kept changing because I accidentally scheduled my move on the same day as the Super Bowl (whoops), and then my boyfriend got booked to travel for work. Thankfully, it was super easy to change our move date on the Clutter site—basically as easy as changing a reservation on OpenTable. And when it came to the actual move, there wasn’t an “end time” for the movers. They finished when they finished. Although, with the amount of stuff I had, it took about eight hours.
5. They can disassemble and reassemble furniture for you—but notify them in advance if you have Ikea furniture
While booking my movers, I was very excited to notice that Clutter offered the option of having their movers disassemble and reassemble furniture for you. I paid someone to build my Ikea bed when I first got it, so I was definitely planning on having someone else build it again. Knowing that the movers could do it for me was a huge plus.
When the movers arrived and I let them know that my Ikea bed needed to be disassembled, they got a little nervous. They said that Ikea furniture can be a bit complicated. Thankfully, I have the most basic Ikea bed model (the Malm, AKA the one every 20-something guy with a bed frame has), so one of my movers, Hulland, said he could totally take it on.
When I got into my new place and everything was in boxes, it was really nice seeing that my bed was already all set up (aside from the sheets needing to be put on the bed, of course), so I would definitely recommend utilizing this additional service if you can!
Should you hire movers?
At the end of the day, even though there’s some stuff I wished I knew before hiring movers, I literally am never moving without movers again. I have way too much stuff, way too little packing materials, and way too little patience. I work hard so I can hire people to help me with these things, and I’m so glad Clutter (specifically Cory and Hulland) were there to help me with my big move!
Looking for the best things to do in Waikiki Beach (along with great photo ops)? I had the amazing opportunity to stay at Aston Waikiki Beach while visiting Hawaii in early November, and I wanted to share my absolutely MUST DO’s while staying on site!
Must-Do’s at Aston Waikiki Beach
Get
Lei’d
Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking about getting a Hawaiian Lei — a traditionally gifted flower necklace that you’ve probably only seen in plastic form at a beach themed frat party. A local friend sent leis to the front desk at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel to welcome our arrival, but you can also buy fresh leis from shops around town. Something about wearing fresh flowers around your neck really gets you into vacation mode, and they make a beautiful photo prop and outfit accessory — especially if you get a great view from your 21st floor balcony like I did.
Taste the Fruits (&
Fish) Of the Island
Food in Hawaii is fabulous if you love fresh
seafood and tropical flavors. Just around the corner from the hotel is a cute
little “picnic food” spot called Tucker & Bevvy that has delicious
smoothies and sandwiches. The Aston has its own Dole Whip station right by the
pool, but also a gelato shop downstairs with delicious passionfruit sorbet and
a sweet spot called “Cookie Corner.” For fish, locals swear by Ono Seafood for
classic poke (it’s about a mile walk from the hotel), and there are tons of sushi
spots and food trucks you can try in the area as well. You can pretty much just
walk in one direction from the hotel and chances are you’ll stumble upon
something yummy, like we did when we found the yummy Cuban café pictured above
called Castro’s.
Explore Oahu On Your Own
Time
You may assume that Hawaii is all about R&R. That’s not untrue, but there’s much more to Oahu than laying by the resort pool or booking a couple’s massage. My boyfriend and I spent our entire first day walking around Waikiki and exploring all the shops, restaurants, and sweet views. The Aston’s location is super walkable, and there’s stuff to explore (and eat) in both directions for miles. My friend said her favorite part of Oahu was driving around the entire island, so we booked a rental (a red convertible, naturally) for a day and did a road trip. If you’re looking for a rental, check out Discover Cars. They have a ton of affordable options around the island and you can book online! It was a blast driving around the beautiful island and stopping off at all the pretty beaches, smoothie shacks, and hiking summits we wanted to — and of course taking photos along the way (I packed multiple outfits because I’m extra like that).
Snag Some Sweet
Souvenirs
If monogrammed keychains and tropical magnets aren’t your thing, there are two unique and slightly more useful souvenirs to grab while in Oahu (because unfortunately you can’t bring home a piña colada). First, snag some Maui Babe Browning Lotion, a heavenly coffee-scented lotion to lather yourself in while getting your bronze on. The small size is 4 ounces, but I had no trouble getting it through Airport Security. They sell the larger size in the hotel gift shop! The second souvenir you might want to try: fresh honey! Hawaii’s bees produce more honey per hive than nearly anywhere else in the US, and many of the shops and restaurants sell their own mini bear bottles in fun flavors like coffee honey and coconut honey. One of the rarest honeys in the world, kiawe honey, is grown on the Big Island—but you can probably find some while in Oahu.
I hope this quick list was helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram with any other questions you have about visiting Oahu!
I saw a meme on the internet (below) that made a joke about how everyone is in Dubai or Tulum right now. If you follow me, you probably are on the side of the world that is looking at Tulum as their next escape.
Traveling to Tulum during COVIDf2020: here’s everything you need to know. Or, at least the answers to questions that a lot of you had.
Was it annoying to get there from the airport?
There is no airport in Tulum, you have to fly to the Cancun (CUN) airport. Then, you can take a bus or cab to Tulum, which should take about 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic (and there is a good chance there will be traffic).
Personally, when I heard it was going to be a 4 hour flight, plus a potentially two hour drive, I was like, “can’t we just go to Cabo?” But it wasn’t actually that bad. We ended up getting a really nice cab driver who stopped at a grocery store so we could get food (they made me throw out my sandwich at customs—tip: make sure to eat all your food on the plane) and take pesos out from an ATM.
How are they handling COVID?
I would say that Mexico, or at least Tulum, is handling COVID at about the same level that the US is (or at least in LA, where I’ve spent most of my time since last March). You have to wear masks inside taxis, while walking to your table at restaurants, and many people wear them while walking down the street (but some people don’t, or don’t wear them properly, just like in the US). However, nightlife is open in Tulum, and the one night I did go out to a party, nobody was wearing masks and people were dancing together instead of congregating at tables (again, this is no different than what I experienced in Miami last fall).
The one thing that Mexico seems to be doing better than the US is testing, which brings me to the next section regarding traveling to Tulum during COVID.
Did you have to take a COVID test to fly to mexico?
You don’t have to take a COVID test to fly to Mexico, although I did just to be responsible. And also, because I didn’t want to get to Mexico and then come down with COVID, that would’ve sucked.
However, you do have to take a COVID test to fly back to the US. You have to take your test (and obtain a negative result, of course) no more than three days before your flight.
Taking a test in Tulum was super easy. There are walk-up testing centers all around, and there generally isn’t a long line because they make the process very simple. Mine cost about $40, it was the traditional nose test (the one that hurts), and I got my results within a day.
I took mine exactly three days before departure, just in case it took long for the results to get back to me, and the woman at the airport who checked my digital results noted that if I had taken it any earlier, it wouldn’t have been valid. However, there appeared to be testing centers at the airport as well, which I imagine you could use in a pinch and just pay more money for a rapid test.
Best food?
The food in Tulum was hit or miss, so definitely do your research! Once I settled down and looked into what spots to check out, I had a bunch of great, veg-friendly meals and some great fresh seafood as well.
I’m going to do a separate blog post on my favorite spots, but here’s a quick list:
Norita (super inventive menu with lots of veg options, my favorite food in Tulum)
Azulik (expensive treehouse restaurant, but the food was as good as the atmosphere)
Kitchen Table (more expensive, but really inventive menu + yummy)
Burrito Amor (cute, trendy, and cheap with lots of vegan options)
Although there are resorts in and around Tulum, and I do love resorts, I don’t recommend staying in one on your trip to Tulum because there’s so much to see and do in town. If, like me, you’re boujie, I recommend staying in a hotel on the beach in what is commonly referred to as the hotel district. Everyone recommended Be Tulum, but it was unfortunately a bit out of my current budget.
Instead, my friends and I went the cheaper route and stayed in two nice, but affordable Airbnbs.
The first place we stayed was in a neighborhood called Aldea Zama, which is a quick bike ride or cab to the hotel district/beach area, and it’s a sort of gentrified, up and coming neighborhood.
The apartment itself was one bedroom with a pull-out couch in the living room, which worked for three of us (but was definitely a little crowded IMO). It had a really nice rooftop pool area that was usually empty and great for tanning. It was also in a gated community so you can feel extra safe.
The second place we stayed was in a neighborhood called La Veleta, which is more in the center of town (and less tourist-y). But, this building was literally in the middle of the jungle. When we first took a cab to get there, he drove so damn slow on the dirt roads that a 5 minute drive turned into a 15 minute drive.
Even though I wouldn’t normally choose to stay in the wilderness, I actually loved this building because the one bedroom apartment was so nice and the pool area was so nice too. It was also super quiet and the pool was usually empty. We ended up renting bikes so we didn’t have to deal with annoying Taxi drivers who couldn’t navigate the dirt roads with their cars.
Of course, Mexico is a developing country, so even in the nice-ish Airbnbs, there were hiccups. Neither Airbnb seemed to give us enough towels—the first one didn’t even give us any pool/beach towels. In the second Airbnb, there was a sign to tell us that we couldn’t flush anything in the toilet (this was common at a lot of restaurants too). The second Airbnb also has a lockbox out front with the key to get into the complex in case the door man wasn’t there, and it kept breaking and there were times we worried it wouldn’t open for us (thankfully we always found a way). I never really felt unsafe while staying at either property, or in Tulum in general, but I’ve also traveled a lot and lived in a lot of cities, so I would understand if someone else may feel nervous.
At the end of the day, if I could have my dream Tulum trip (or dream anywhere trip), I’d choose a hotel, but sometimes you have to work within you and your friends’ budgets.
How to get around?
While staying in our first Airbnb, we walked or took Taxis everywhere. Taxis weren’t very expensive, but you needed to negotiate every time (don’t take the first price they give you). The most expensive one we took was probably $20 (split between three of us). But, sometimes it was hard to get a taxi, and of course if you’re a female traveling alone you want to be careful of taking them late at night.
What my friend Brandy did is she got the numbers of the drivers that we liked so we could call them personally when we needed rides. She made friends with one from her last trip who ended up taking us out to a Cenote excursion and waiting with us all day.
At the second Airbnb, we rented bikes, which was an amazing way to get to know the city and feel a bit more independent (I personally hate having to rely on drivers and spend money every time I want to go somewhere). Again, you want to be careful about biking too late at night and you want to make sure to always lock your bike as they get stolen regularly. We rented our bikes from Ola Bikes for about $8/day. They’ll even deliver it to your hotel/Airbnb if you’d like!
You can also rent a car, which one of our friends did toward the end of our trip. Driving in Tulum is a little crazy (we ended up getting pulled over by the police because we were on the wrong side of the road once, oops), but it made things easier for the longer excursions we wanted to do like Chichen Itza. Parking was pretty easy too in most places.
Anything you didn’t expect?
Mexico is still a developing country, no matter how boujie your favorite Instagrammer’s trip looks. Unless you’re staying on a resort (and I didn’t), you will probably have to deal with toilets that can’t handle toilet paper, reservationists that don’t seem to respect anyone’s time, and restaurants that are randomly out of half the menu items. By the end of our trip, anytime anything “bad” happened, we would just sigh and say, “Mexico,” because we were used to it at this point. The US is shitty at a lot of things, but they are pretty good at service, and most other countries are not on our level (especially because they don’t live off of tips).
Other things to know about traveling to Tulum during COVID (or whenever)
Don’t bother bringing your heels (or bring a change of shoes)
Tulum really has the rustic chic vibe through and through. Even the most expensive restaurants tend to have sand, pebble, or dirt floors where heels aren’t the best idea. What I ended up doing was bringing sandals in a bag so that I could do a quick change if the terrain looked questionable.
Bring cash!
A lot of ATMs didn’t work in Tulum, which was a pain in the ass because taxis only accepted cash, and you typically got charged more if you used a card or USD. That being said, most places will accept USD because it’s so touristy, so better to at least bring a good bit of USD with you so you have something to work with.
On & off season
Tulum’s most popular season is October to January, which means it’ll be a little cheaper outside of that season (but also, hotter). However, traveling to Tulum during COVID is probably a little different because everyone’s just trying to get away and they have less options. It was still very crowded and relatively more expensive in February than it was when my friend visited the previous summer.
My final verdict on traveling to Tulum during COVID?
Like I said above, I’m a boujie beach vacationer. I tend to stay at resorts and lounge by the pool with a good book and a waiter that brings me food. My trip to Tulum was not that at all. It probably could have been if I had gone alone and had a bigger budget, but I’m glad it wasn’t. Instead, visiting Tulum was more like visiting a cool new city that you want to explore. I tried tons of restaurants, co-worked in lots of cute coffee shops, biked around to explore, saw one of the wonders of the world, and found some pool and beach time in between. I also didn’t go out and party, which is why a lot of people go to Tulum, so I can’t really comment on that.
By my second week in Tulum, I felt like I was really getting to know the city, and there was still so much to explore that I didn’t want to leave! There were parts of Tulum that just felt like LA, which was weird, but made it kind of feel like home. If someone had paid me to stay in Tulum for longer (or just paid for another week of my Airbnb), I totally would have considered staying. Although, I found a new appreciation for the LA-pace of life once I returned home.