The Urban Darling -

Our Stay At The Gjelina Hotel In Venice Beach

By Esperanza on May 14, 2025

Venice Beach, Los Angeles, Gjelina Hotel, Los Angeles hotels, Venice Beach hotels, hotel review, hotel stay, travel blogger, family travel, family style, hotel style, hotel design, hotel lobby, modern hotel, modern design, Southern California travel, boutique hotel, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

Andrew and I loved this boutique hotel in Venice beach, Gjelina Hotel. The eclectic interiors felt like art deco style meets French countryside, and we were obsessed! With beautiful courtyard areas, a balcony with an ocean view, and a gorgeous lobby, it felt like we were stepping into a different world. It was such a dreamy hotel, and we had an amazing time during our stay there. We wished we could have stayed for at least a week! I will be sharing more of our experience at Gjelina in this blog post.

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5 Cute Restaurants To Eat At In San Diego

By Esperanza on May 13, 2025

San Diego, San Diego hotels, San Diego restaurants, San Diego boutiques, San Diego coffee shops, things to do in San Diego, where to eat in San Diego, where to shop in San Diego, travel guide, travel blogger, family travel, family style, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

During our trip to San Diego, we ate at some fabulous restaurants! Andrew is a chef, and I have always been a foodie, so we really enjoy trying new things together. Sage loves to eat too, so it’s super fun for us to experience it together. I love visiting restaurants that have amazing interiors. It makes the atmosphere and experience so much more enjoyable. We are both Italian, so we had to dine at some Italian restaurants, and I am a sucker for a cute coffee shop. In this blog post, I am highlighting the 5 restaurants that we ate at in San Diego!

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Family Style | Travel Style

Sage’s First Time At The Beach In Malibu, CA

By Esperanza on

Baby, beach, Baby boy, Point Dume, Point Dume Beach, Malibu, California, California trip, California travel, California beach, Malibu beach, family trip, family travel, family photo shoot, family photography, dad style, mom style, family style, baby boy style, beach style, family blogger, travel blogger, The Urban Darling.

Sage got to visit the beach for the first time in Malibu! He had just started walking a few days before we left for our California trip, so it was really sweet watching him try to walk with a little help from Andrew. He loved the beach, and it was so cute seeing his little toes in the sand! He was a little scared of the water, but he thought it was funny when I would pretend to run away from the waves while holding him. It was a gloomy day at Point Dume, but the scenery was still so beautiful. It was such a happy moment for our little family, and I’m so glad we took these photos.These are the days we will always remember!

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Malibu, California, USA | Travel

Our Stay At The Malibu Beach Inn In Malibu, CA

By Esperanza on May 6, 2025

Malibu, Malibu Beach Inn, Malibu Pier, Surfrider Beach, Malibu hotels, hotel review, hotel stay, travel blogger, family travel, family style, hotel style, hotel design, hotel lobby, modern hotel, modern design, Southern California travel, boutique hotel, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

While visiting Malibu, we stayed at the incredible Malibu Beach Inn! Located right next to Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Pier, this beachfront hotel offers incredible views of the ocean. We had a stunning ocean view room, and it was very relaxing being that close to the water. The sound of the ocean was so peaceful, especially for Andrew, who loves the water. The hotel interiors were incredible, every detail was amazing. My sister, who lives in Los Angeles, joined us for the night, and we had so much fun hanging out in our beautiful room. I’ll be sharing more of our stay at this boutique hotel in this blog post!

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San Diego, California, USA | Travel

San Diego Travel Guide | Restaurants, Boutiques, & More

By Esperanza on

We had such an amazing time in San Diego during our big trip to California! We spent the most time in San Diego out of all the destinations on our trip. Andrew had always wanted to visit San Diego, and I wanted to explore it more since I only had a day there the last time I visited with my parents. We were able to see and do so much, but there were a lot of things we weren’t able to squeeze in. Hopefully, we will be able to visit this beautiful city again in the future because we both loved it! In this blog post, I am sharing all the restaurants and boutiques we visited as well as the hotel we stayed at, and all the sight seeing we did in “America’s Finest City”.

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San Diego, California, USA | Travel

Our Stay At The Andaz Hotel In San Diego

By Esperanza on May 2, 2025

Andaz San Diego, Andaz, San Diego, downtown San Diego, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego hotels, hotel review, hotel stay, travel blogger, family travel, family style, hotel style, hotel design, hotel lobby, modern hotel, modern design, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

On the second day of our California trip, we left Palm Springs in the early afternoon and drove down to San Diego! After exploring Little Italy, we drove over to the Andaz in downtown to check in. We relaxed in our room for a little while and then headed up to North Park for dinner at trattoria Cori. Our room was beautiful, and it was the perfect space to unwind after our day of touring the city. The location was amazing because we were only about a 10-20 min drive away from everything we wanted to do. In this blog post, I will be sharing more about our stay at the Andaz!

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Palm Springs, California, USA | Travel

A Mini Travel Guide To Palm Springs

By Esperanza on

Palm Springs, Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs travel guide, travel guide, what to do in Palm Springs, Palm Springs hotel, Palm Springs restaurants, Palm Springs boutiques, family vacation, family trip, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

On the first day of our California trip, we stayed in Palm Springs. Andrew had never been, which is why I wanted it to be one of our stops. I have always loved retro, mid-century vibes and Palm Springs is known for that, of course! We only had about a day and a half to explore, but we were able to see and do quite a few things that I wanted to share in this blog post. Both Andrew and I agreed we wished we had more time to explore the town, so we will definitely have to plan another trip there sometime! I hope you guys enjoy this blog post.

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My Life | Travel Style

My Surprise Beach Picnic Proposal In Malibu

By Esperanza on April 30, 2025

Proposal, surprise proposal, beach proposal, engaged, engagement, engagement photos, engaged couples, El Matador, Malibu, California, family travel, family style, family blogger, beach picnic, The Urban Darling, engagement ring.

We are ENGAGED!! Andrew proposed to me on our second day in Malibu on El Matador beach with a surprise picnic that he planned with my sister. They had been designing the ring & planning the proposal since the beginning of January! We have been talking about getting engaged/married since we started dating, but because Andrew is from Colorado, I thought he would propose on our upcoming trip there, so I wasn’t expecting it. He and Sage “popped” the question together which was so sweet and special! After all the heartbreak I went through in my previous relationship, I’m so lucky to have found this man, and for a “second chance” at love. I can’t wait for the future for our little family!

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Joshua Tree, California, USA | Travel

A Mini Travel Guide To Joshua Tree, CA

By Esperanza on April 29, 2025

Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree Travel guide, travel guide, mini travel guide, Joshua Tree coffee shops, Joshua Tree boutiques, Joshua Tree, family travel, family style, family trip, family vacation, travel style, California, California style, national parks, family blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, dad style, men's style, mom style, women's style, boho style, The Urban Darling.

I have always wanted to check out the town of Joshua Tree after seeing some of the cool local boutiques the town had to offer on social media. When Andrew and I started talking about doing a California trip, I knew I wanted to squeeze Joshua Tree in! The itinerary for our week long trip was going to be super packed, so we only had a day to explore. Even so, we were able to stop by some really cute boutiques, and see some fun sights. I’m sharing all of these spots in this mini Joshua Tree travel guide!

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Baby | Baby Style

Sage Wylder’s Eleven & Twelve Month Baby Update

By Esperanza on April 25, 2025

Baby, baby update, baby boy, baby must haves, mommy must haves, first baby, new mom, first time mom, baby style, neutral style, neutral baby style, baby milestones, baby photography, boho style, sustainable style, neutral nursery, desert style, desert vibes, lifestyle blogger, fashion photography, lifestyle photography, The Urban Darling.

This post is long overdue as Sage is now almost 15 months old! The past several months have been so busy with family travel, work, and life with a baby in general. This post has been on my to-do list for so long, and I decided that today was the day I would finally sit down and write it. The monthly photo updates were such a challenge, for a few reasons! The first reason was the dark lighting during the winter months and the second reason was this little wiggle worm who refused to lie still for these photos anymore! I would always shoot these on the bed, but at this point he was such a big boy that it was hard to get all of him in the frame. I had to recruit Andrew to help me get these shots from eight months on to keep him entertained while I snapped away. It was tricky, but I am so glad we did it, and have these photos to look back on!

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