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 offered 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 Travel Guide | Restaurants, Boutiques, & More

By Esperanza on

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.

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 of 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 much, but there was still so much 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 of the restaurants and boutiques we visited as well as the hotel we stayed at, and all of 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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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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Palm Springs, California, USA | Travel

Staying At The Ace Hotel & Swim Club In Palm Springs

By Esperanza on April 25, 2025

Palm Springs, Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel & Swim Club, hotel review, hotel stay, Palm Springs hotel, hotel vacation, family vacation, family trip, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

Palm Springs was one of the stops on our big California trip. Andrew had never been, which is why I wanted it to be one of our stops, and I had been years ago with my family. I have always loved retro, mid-century vibes and Palm Springs is known for that, of course! During our time there, we stayed at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, a hotel I have always wanted to go to. This hotel definitely had that retro feel to it! With two restaurants, a pool, and that iconic Palm Springs scenery, it was the perfect hotel. I will be highlighting more of our experience staying at the Ace Hotel in this blog post.

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Phoenix, Arizona, USA | Travel Style

Staycation At The JW Marriott Desert Ridge In Scottsdale

By Esperanza on April 8, 2025

Scottsdale, Desert Ridge, JW Marriot, JW Marriot Desert Ridge, hotel review, hotel stay, hotel vacation, staycation, hotel staycation, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

This past weekend, Andrew, Sage, and I did a “staycation” at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. It was a much-needed getaway for our little family with lots of fun activities in a beautiful desert setting! This was our first staycation together, and I have to say, it’s a super convenient way of “getting away”. We may have to do another in the future, maybe in the summer here in the Phoenix area, to take advantage of the pool! I’ll be sharing more about the hotel, its amenities, and what we did during our quick stay.

Family Style | Travel

Our Family Trip To Payson In Northern Arizona

By Esperanza on April 4, 2025

Northern Arizona, Arizona, family style, travel style, baby style, family trip, family travel, baby style, baby boy, Payson, winter style, outdoor style, hiking style, family blogger, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, men's style, women's style, first time mom, new mom, young family, family, Phoenix blogger, The Urban Darling.

My parent’s invited us to come with them to Payson in northern Arizona for a hiking trip! The cooler weather was super nice for a few days, and I’m glad we were able to do a few more hikes before it’s too hot here in the Phoenix area. One of the hikes we went on was a total of 8 miles with Andrew carrying Sage in our Ergobaby the whole time! We were both very tired after this trip and needed several days to recover when we got back home. My favorite part of the trip was the epic view from the rim where we shot these photos of our little family! It was nice spending some family time on this quick getaway.

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA | Travel

Flagstaff Travel Guide | Where To Eat, Stay, & Things To Do

By Esperanza on December 12, 2024

Flagstaff, Flagstaff travel guide, Flagstaff restaurants, Flagstaff coffee shops, Flagstaff breweries, brewery, coffee shops, restaurants, travel guide, Arizona, Arizona travel, family travel, family trip, family style, traveling with a baby, where to eat in Flagstaff, where to stay in Flagstaff, what to do in Flagstaff, family blogger, family travel, The Urban Darling.

In early November, we went on our first trip together as a couple, and as a family! Andrew, Sage, and I spent a few days in Flagstaff and boarded Arlo at a local dog boarder. During our time there, we stayed at an amazing hotel, High Country Motor Lodge (read more here), and ate at some incredible local restaurants. In this blog post, I am sharing those spots as well as fun things we did while touring the city! I actually visited Flagstaff with my parents last year (read that blog post here), while I was still pregnant and healing from my traumatic breakup, so it was very full circle to go back with my son and new boyfriend Andrew. It was such a great trip, and I can’t wait to see where we end up going next!

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA | Travel

Our Stay At High Country Motor Lodge In Flagstaff, AZ

By Esperanza on November 22, 2024

High Country Motor Lodge, hotel review, hotel, Flagstaff, Flagstaff hotel, hotel design, hotel lobby, hotel experience, lobby design, boutique hotel, family travel, travel blogger, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

We had the best time on our trip to Flagstaff and an amazing stay at High Country Motor Lodge! Formerly a roadside motel, the property has been renovated into a beautiful 4 star boutique hotel. It’s located minutes from downtown Flagstaff which made it really easy for us to sneak back for Sage’s naps in between exploring the city. It was the perfect hotel for our first family trip! With a unique nordic spa experience in a mountain setting, a cocktail bar & lounge, and it’s convenient location I couldn’t recommend this hotel more for your visit to this Arizona mountain town. In this blog post, I am sharing our experience at the hotel!