Ultimate Barefoot Luxury!!

We are back in the Maldives and just reconfirming that this has got to be the most beautiful place on earth!! Our first resort we visited was Alila Villa http://www.alilahotels.com/hadahaa It takes so long to get to but it's ultimately worth it. Arriving in Male from Singapore we had to take another short domestic flight to a tiny little Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean where the resort picked us up from there for another transfer via speedboat to Alila. All of the resorts in the Maldives are on their own Island so each one has representatives that pick you up at the airport and handle all the logistics for you. Sitting in the speedboat on our way to Alila I couldn't get over how amazing the air smelled. It was like fresh cut flowers and we were in the middle of the Ocean? I wish I could bottle that scent!!

Upon arrival you are met at the Jetty by a team of representatives to grab your luggage and whisk you into a golf cart to transport you to your villa.

The Island is absolutely breathtaking and the villas were so beautiful! Island contemporary chic is the best way I can think to describe it. We had a beach villa right on the lagoon with a small infinity pool decked out with all the luxury amenities such as vaulted ceilings, canopy draped bed, ipod docking station, bose surround sound system, espresso machine, flat screen TV etc.

We were so tired that we just dropped into bed right away. It took us a few days to recuperate from all the travelling as we had major jet lag. It rained the first few days and we didn't mind one bit as we just took the time to relax. The tropical monsoon rain was really cozy and bounced off our pool. It was so warm we still walked to breakfast, lunch and dinner with bare feet. I think that was one of my favorite things is that we were literally barefoot all week!



What an incredible feeling walking in sand that is pristinely white and more like icing sugar than sand with the clear turquoise lagoon. It's an ultra sensory experience. The only time we put on shoes was to go to the gym...

Speaking of the gym, it was a necessity due to the amount of absolutely incredible food we were feasting on. Last year when we first came to the Maldives we were pleasantly surprised to find the quality of the food at the resorts was amazing! We have had some of the most incredible meals ever here and Alila was no exception. Chef was awesome and came to our table every night to make sure everything was perfect (and it was) and address any needs etc. He even gave me the recipe of the most amazing pasta dish ever!! Even rivals my Italian mother in laws amazing homemade pasta dishes!! Sorry Mom :) It was called Tagliatelle Prawn Thermidor and was to die for! I even took a picture. I haven't made it yet as we are still in the Maldives but if it turns out as incredible as it was there I will post the recipe later...

Indulging like this daily we were bursting at the seams in no time. Our amazing villa host Hussein shocked my husband and I one night as he asked if we would like a scale in our room to weight ourselves. Angelo had just said to me that morning that he wished we had one in the room so when Hussein asked us we thought he was either psychic or there was a bug in our room! In hindsight I realize our rapidly expanding girth may have prompted his question. When we finally stood on the scale we were shocked again and were at the gym every day after that :) We even brought the scale to the gym with us to see if it was correct by putting one of the free weights on it. LOL Unfortunately, it seemed to be right but it's a glowing testament to the food at Alila. We are huge foodies (read gluttons) and amazing food is majorly important to us on holidays.

The Island itself is very small (you can walk around the entire thing on the beach in about 1/2 an hour) and intimate. Basically the resort had everything covered. Incredible villas, awesome food, the spa was amazing as well and we indulged in several treatments that were heavenly. Also most resorts in the Maldives are as environmentally friendly as possible as they have to be but Alila Villas Hadahaa is the first resort in the Maldives to adhere to the standards for Green Globe certification in the construction stage and resort operations.

The house reef is one of the best we have ever seen!! We didn't even feel the need to go scuba diving as the snorkeling was so beautiful. I have never seen that many fish in my life and the colors were crazy!! The coral reef was stunningly gorgeous too and we went out everyday just in complete awe. I felt like I was in "Finding Nemo"...

The guys at the dive center said many guests see sharks, manta rays, dolphins & turtles but we didn't see any during our stay. The fish were so amazing though it didn't really matter as it was like being in a giant aquarium.

Another one of our favorite things was the service!! The General Manager Greg and his team made sure that we felt right at home and were pampered. From Kamal and everyone in the restaurants to Raj in the lounge where we would have an amazingly delicious concoction while swinging in the comfy lounges and watching the sunset with warm ocean breezes.

Our villa host Hussein was incredible and he absolutely made our stay. His courteous professionalism, warmth and positive happy, attitude was so nice and we felt so relaxed and taken care of. Hussein even performed a wedding ceremony on the beach that was beautiful for a couple from Germany with traditional dancers and drummers.

Everyone there really takes pride in their work and goes out of the way to make sure you are happy and blissed out!! Mission accomplished guys!

Wonderful Won Ton!!

Nothing says love like a huge bowl of won ton soup! In my quest for the perfect won ton soup I've started making it at home and it's been a huge hit with all who have tried it! I thought I would post the recipe as so many people ask for it. I make it so often my hubby is getting sick of it but I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and sometimes do :)

Broth

For the chicken broth I make it just like my normal chicken broth but add some pork too for extra flavor. You can substitute your favorite chicken broth recipe of course...

 I prefer to use pre-roasted chicken from the store to save time and use some of the meat for adding to soup later or sandwiches etc. You can use raw chicken as well but if just gives a more subtle less rich flavor.

1 roasted chicken 1/2 meat removed if desired 

1-2 lbs. pork bones with meat on them

1 onion peeled & quartered

3 carrots peeled and cut in half

2 celery stalks cut in half

2 bay leaves

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 beef bouillon cube

 3 or 4 canned Italian tomatoes (optional but adds nice flavor)

Always use cold water to make soup (and cook with in general) as it's fresh and hasn't been sitting in a water heater. Fill large stock pot with water and add roasting chicken & pork bones. Bring water to simmer as you don't want to boil the soup because it can make it cloudy. Simmer for approximately 1/2 an hour and remove foam as it comes to the top with a spoon. Once foam begins to subside and liquid is clear add vegetables and rest of ingredients. Simmer broth for several hours until desired intensity is achieved. I like making this 1 day ahead and letting sit overnight with meat and veggies and it tends to intensify the flavours as most soups & stews tend to taste better the next day. You can then strain the soup for immediate use or freeze it once it's cool for soup any time of the day or night. I like having frozen broth in my freezer all the time as you never know when you are going to want or need it for a recipe etc.

Wontons (aka pillows of perfection)

1 package of wonton wrappers

1 lb. ground turkey (preferably dark meat)

2 egg yolks

3-4 green onions chopped

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Take several wonton wrappers and lay them out on your surface. Using two spoons put approximately one level tsp. of meat in the middle of each wrapper. You don't want to put too much as when you are folding them the meat will come to the edge and won't allow for a proper seal. Have a small bowl of water ready and with your finger brush two edges with water. Bring two opposite corners together to make a triangle around the filling. Press the edges firmly together to form a seal and make sure the seal is good otherwise they will open when you are cooking them. Hold with the short side of the triangle facing down, moisten one of the long corners with the water and bring other long corner to meet and press together to make a seal gently pushing down on middle if necessary. There are several ways you can fold wontons and this is just one way. They look like little tortellinis this way. For other ways to fold them and video demonstrations search "folding wontons" on you tube. Continue on with rest of package and this recipe tends to be enough filling to do one whole package of wrappers. It's makes about 70 or so depending on the amount in the package and you can freeze whatever you don't use for future use. I place them in the freezer flat on a cutting board until they are frozen so they don't stick together and then put them in zip lock freezer bag in portions. You can also half the recipe if you like and just freeze whatever wrappers you don't use...

Boil fresh wontons for 4-5 minutes in salted water and frozen 7-8 minutes. You can remove one and cut it in half to make sure they are cooked through and there is no pinkness left. Add wontons to broth and enjoy! You can also add chopped green onions, spinach, broccoli, reserved chicken meat or whatever you desire to the soup. The best thing about this recipe is you can do whatever you want! You can substitute the ground turkey for ground pork if you like and sometimes I add shrimp too but our favorite variation is the turkey.

P.S. I've seen some recipes say to cook the wontons in the broth but the cornstarch from the wontons which keeps them from sticking together makes the broth cloudy so I don't recommend doing it this way...

recipe adapted from www.epicurios.com

Lazy dog on board!!!

So cute! I'm riding my bike to work this morning and I was following this guy for a bit. When I caught up I saw the sign on the back of his bike said "lazy dog on board" I had to take a picture it was so adorable.

Now I want to get one for my pooch! She is getting old our dog and is quite sick too. Going around the block is like a huge thing for her now so this would be so great to get her out and about. I'm just not sure I could convince her to stay inside. I should have asked this guy how he did it...

Recently when we were at our place in Palm Springs my hubby and I bought cruisers which I was so excited about. I can't have a cruiser in Vancouver because my commute is just too long and the hills are too steep so I was thrilled to get a pink electra for Palm Springs where it's more flat and cruiser friendly! Look how fun :) These bikes are a blast and I've been coveting one forever! http://www.electrabike.com/

When we were there I did see a similar cruiser at the bike store that the guy was riding this morning with the hitch on the back and right away I thought of our dog Dharma and how great it would be to get one of those for her as I just feel so bad she can't get around that great anymore. We do bring her to Palm Springs sometimes but we have to drive down as she can't fly so I'm not sure it would be worth it to purchase the bike for the one time a year we manage to get her down there. She loves it though and here is a cute pic of her in the dog friendly hotel room in Portland that was amazing and totally catered to her.

If you are looking for such a hotel in your travels I highly recommend it!  It's a luxury boutique hotel and it's beautiful...www.thenines.com

The things we do for our pets!!

Principessa in the movies!

What do Jennifer Aniston and Principessa have in common? Both are featured in the movie the Switch that is coming out this summer. Originally the movie was supposed to be called The Baster (as in turkey) but in all honesty I can see why they decided to change it :)



Last year when they were filming in NYC the producers of the show contacted us and wanted some products to put in the bathroom to make it pretty and feminine.

We were thrilled to send a bunch of goodies and now we can only cross our fingers and hope we didn't end up on the cutting room floor! I'm sure the movie will be awesome regardless as Jennifer is the quintessential Principessa and always amazing to watch...

Beat the heat!

So, we're here at our place in Palm Springs and it's SCORCHING hot! It's a little crazy to come in July as the temperature is about 115º! I honestly have no idea how everything doesn't just spontaneously combust. Usually when we are here, most activities are outdoor like biking, hiking, golfing, tennis etc. but all of those things are completely out of the question in this heat. Our wonderful neighbor (we are blessed with the most amazing neighbors) here suggested we hit the spa yesterday and she didn't need to ask us twice :)

We drove over in her electric car that is so much fun with no doors. She has named it her pimp mobile as it's all decked out... That's our neighbor Keiren driving, her friend Pam in the front and I'm peaking out from the back. My hubby is taking the picture of course...

We all piled in and headed over to the Spa Resort and Casino.http://www.sparesortcasino.com/ It's not super luxe but it's an institution down here and a must visit for it's spa treatments and their infamous "taking of the waters" where you arrive early and treat yourself to a relaxing pre or apres spa ritual of steam room, dry sauna, eucalyptus inhalation, private sunken tub with mineral waters and finally the visit to the tranquility room.

Palm Springs is famous of course for it's mineral springs that are very healing and relaxing. In fact we got the inspiration to add minerals to our bubble bath at Principessa (to add to the therapeutic benefits) from our frequent visits here and indulging in this wonderful treatment.

There are many local spas and resorts that cater to those wishing to indulge in the artesian waters that are supposed to have superior qualities in comparison to other mineral springs around the world. The grotto at Two Bunch Palms is one such place. http://www.twobunchpalms.com/  This place is truly magical. You can bring a book and spend the day lounging in the grotto which comes with any treatments they offer at the resort. On their website they say that the mineral springs feeding The Grotto is rich in lithium, which is a mood stabilizer. The lithium dissolves into a salt which is absorbed into your system through the skin. Time spent floating in The Grotto positively impacts your mood.

I can attest to this because one time we went and we booked a mud bath for after the grotto and it was terrible! However, we were so blissed out (I suppose from all the lithium?) that all we could do was laugh hysterically. It sounded so nice and we were really looking forward to it but in reality it was horrible.

Apparently the mud baths and the spa were featured in the movie "the player" which I haven't seen but I want to now after experiencing that treatment. I have no idea how the actors climbed into that goop without squirming. Let me set the scene for you. I have had mud baths before but none have been anything like this. The concoction was thick and warm and disgusting. It stunk so bad that they had incense in the room trying to hide the smell. My husband was incredulous! He wanted to know how much had we paid to bathe in something that so closely resembled poo?? It really smelled that bad and there were even flies!!

Now, you think no reasonable person would get in this stuff but we did and boy was it hard. Tears were pouring down our face we were laughing so hard. We kept expecting someone to come out and say we were on candid camera or something. It was truly awful and when the therapist came in we asked her what on earth we were sitting in. She said it was a mud/peat moss mixture but it really truly smelled like manure. The best part is we have a great story to tell and our neighbors here like to joke about the gullible Canadians who are willing to pay good money to bathe in poo. All kidding aside, the rest of the experience was phenomenal and the grotto is not to be missed but definitely take my word for it and stay away from the mud baths! :)

Here is another peak at the gorgeous grotto and more info about it from their website...

From the cradle of time, deep within the Coachella Valley desert, nature created one of the hottest artesian mineral wells in the world. These waters of health ascend through the geological fault of Miracle Hill at approximately 148 degrees Fahrenheit, and then flow downward to nurture the Palm Springs resort hotel oasis that is Two Bunch Palms. Native American Indian tribes have referred to it as sacred ground, for the natural elements that merge together here don’t exist in this form anywhere else on earth. It is truly unique – Nature’s Spa.

Here at this renowned Palm Springs resort, the mineral waters cascade into a temperature-controlled grotto with two carved pool areas – one at 104 degrees and the larger at 99 degrees. It is one of the few mineral springs with no sulfurous odor, simply a woodsy scent. A canopy of trees filters the desert sun, but opens to the shimmer of moonlight and the sparkle of stars. The Grotto experienced at midnight is a heavenly delight, a thoroughly romantic indulgence, whether with someone or by yourself.

Ciao for now!

Sipping Sangria

Sangria is the quintessential summer beverage! If you ever had an amazing sangria the you know exactly what I'm talking about and if you never have, trust me you don't know what you are missing!

I got this recipe years ago from a Spanish Tapas restaurant and unfortunately since then they no longer make amazing sangria but a watered down version of what was once the best sangria I've ever tasted. Thankfully, I have the original recipe and I"m happy to share :) The weather on the West Coast seems to finally (albeit slowly) getting warmer and my Sangria Recipe can finally be made for the first time this year but certainly not the last...

Sangria
1 Lemon
1 Orange
1 Apple
1 Bottle of Red Wine
1 1/2 oz brandy
1 1/2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz lemonade
2 oz orange juice
6 oz Soda or 7 UP

Peel orange and lemon carefully. You can start at the top and wind your way down so you get a large curl that you can dangle over the edge of the pitcher for decoration. Slice apple, orange and lemon and mix with all the liquids in a large pitcher. Stir gently and refrigerate until chilled. If you want to serve right away you can add plenty of ice but don't add the ice until you're ready to serve or it will water it down.

Of course you can add any other fruit you like such as peaches etc. and I prefer to use more orange juice and lemonade and eliminate the soda or 7 UP but adjust according to your taste and enjoy!

When I told the girls in the office about the Sangria, Lauren shared one that her and her girlfriends make that sounds awesome too. I haven't tried it but I'm sure it will be good and I've always wanted to try a white one. They call this the Lazy Man's Sangria :) She didn't give me amounts but I think they just eyeball it and put whatever amount they want?

White wine
Aranciata ( San Pellegrino's Sparkling Orange Beverage)
Pellegrino
Apples
Oranges
Strawberries
Grapes or whatever other fruits you like

Chill and serve with ice!!

Happy Weekend...

*photos taken from Tapas Oswaldo & Internet Therapy

Say Spaaaaah

Having just finished moving into our new house I dragged my weary body to the Spa on the weekend. I can honestly say it was one of the best spa experiences I have ever had! I'm continually trying to find the best of everything in life, the best recipes, restaurants, spas, vacations, experiences etc. My husband calls me his life concierge. My quest for the best beauty products led me to start my own company as I was in the industry and frustrated and knew I could create amazing stuff. Anyhow, I digress...

Always on the lookout for amazing spas all over the world I had yet to try a new one right in my own backyard. It's the Chi Spa at the Shangri La in Vancouver. Honestly, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I'm so picky when it comes to spas and I could find no fault with this one at all. I'm so happy as I have a new favorite and it's close! Just entering the lobby is incredible with stunning crystal chandeliers and you already know you are in for a treat. The elevator opens up to a cascading wall of water which is so beautiful (insert angels singing here).

You don't have to share a dressing room with anyone as you have your own gorgeous private treatment room. They are huge with a sitting area, fireplace, tub, massage area and a large bathroom to change in with amenities, separate toilet area and a really big steam shower so you can use the steam in private as well which is so nice. I opted not to do the steam as we have one in our house so I use it everyday but if you have never indulged I highly recommend it. When I wanted to put it in the last house we built my husband balked at first but now he is a huge fan as well and uses it daily too and I can't imagine not having it. We put the eucalyptus in it and its truly incredible. Check out some of the benefits of steam showers here. http://www.steam-sauna-benefits.com/steam_room_benefits.html

I suppose all of this would have been wonderful on it's own but to top it off my massage therapist was one of the best I have ever had. Her name is Marisa and she has magic hands! I have no idea what makes one therapist that much better than another but she was so incredible and my massage was simply to die for.

They explain in their brochure that in traditional Chinese philosophy "chi" is the universal life force that governs well being and personal vitality. For people to maintain good health, it is believed that chi must flow freely within the body, and when blocked health suffers and illness follows. There are Five Elements being metal, water, wood, fire & earth. You complete a short quiz to discover what element you are and then the treatment is customized for you based on that element. Click here to take their quiz and discover what element you are http://www.shangri-la.com/en/corporate/chiquiz

This place is exquisite and they knocked it out of the ball park on all levels!

Photos courtesy of http://www.shangri-la.com