family style Archives - The Urban Darling

5 Things To Do In San Diego

By Esperanza on June 5, 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.

We had the best time in San Diego during our California trip! Of all the destinations we visited, we spent the most time in San Diego, although we both agreed we could have used at least one more day because there is so much to do. Andrew had always wanted to go to San Diego, and I was eager to explore more of the city, especially since my previous visit with my parents only allowed for a quick day trip. We managed to check off so many things on our list, though there were still plenty of experiences we couldn’t fit in. We’ll definitely have to plan another trip there in the future! In this post, I’m sharing five things to do in San Diego based on our itinerary while we were there.

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Our Minimalist Must Haves For Traveling With A Baby

By Esperanza on

Baby travel essentials, travel essentials, baby must haves, travel essentials, family travel, family style, travel style, family travel must haves, baby style, must haves, essentials, travel, travel blogger, The Urban Darling.

We’ve been doing so much traveling together as a family this year, which we absolutely love, although traveling with a baby certainly comes with its challenges! We just got back from our trip to Detroit, which was our first flight this year, and we have another trip coming up to Colorado in June, which we’ll also be flying for. We drove to our other travel destinations earlier this year, so we were able to bring a bit more with us. But when you’re traveling through an airport, it’s definitely easier to pack lighter. This inspired me to share our minimalist travel essentials for flying with a baby. I hope this blog post is helpful for other jet-setting families!

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Malibu, California, USA | Travel

5 Things To Do In Malibu, CA

By Esperanza on May 29, 2025

Baby, beach, baby boy, Point Dume, El Matador, Malibu Pier, Malibu travel guide, Malibu, California, California trip, California travel, California beach, Malibu beach, family trip, family travel, family photography, dad style, mom style, family style, baby boy style, beach style, family blogger, travel blogger, The Urban Darling, travel guide, Malibu travel guide, Malibu Farm.

Malibu is popular beach town west of Los Angeles, known for it’s beautiful beach front properties, surfers, and world class dining and shopping. We visited Malibu for a few days during our California trip. It was my second time visiting, and I loved it so much that I really wanted Andrew to experience it as well. It was such a great trip for us because Sage got to go to the beach for the first time, and Andrew proposed to me there! In this blog post, I am sharing the things we did while visiting Malibu.

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Los Angeles, California, USA | Travel

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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San Diego, California, USA | Travel

5 Cute Restaurants To Eat At In San Diego

By Esperanza on May 13, 2025

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!

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”.

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!

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!