Sunny getaway

An extreme cold weather alert is on here in Toronto. Sounds like an ideal time to look back on vacation photos! Didn't take too many pics, but had a nice relaxing getaway to Punta Cana a few weeks ago. We didn't expect that "adults only" resort meant a mostly age 75 plus population, so it was very quiet and sleepy at our resort, but we really got to relax and the weather was a perfect 28 degrees and sunny. It was an ideal way to wind down after a busy Fall and hectic Holiday Season and it felt so good to give my calloused hands a proper break from the jewellery pliers! It will probably be some time before I get to dip my toes in turquoise waters again! Now that it is so cold here, I really wish I could teleport back to the beach!

Postcards from Jamaica

My friend S. and I went to Negril in December.  Turned out to be a bit of a crazy idea to sneak away at such a busy time of year... I know I was missing out on serving MoonRox customers to my fullest when I wasn't in Toronto to ship out orders quickly, and I apologize, but it was still good to escape the city!

It turned out to rain torrentially every day for our entire trip!  We got a few decent hours every day and then a little bit of sunshine on a couple of the days!  Had to make the best of it and take lots of naps to catch up on sleep!

I loved the tree above... seemed to have so much going on!

Santa was feeling the Jamaican vibes.  It was definitely odd to be away in a warm climate over the Holiday Season... haven't been able to swing that in all these MoonRox-y years!

The beach was not ideal where we were... too may shed snake skins floating along the shoreline and sea urchins and debris for my liking! Looks okay in this photo but we confirmed we are sorta beach snobs after she had lived in Bermuda and I had visited Bermuda several times.  The beaches in most places just don't compare to the pink sand beaches of Bermuda.

We had to wait a few days for a decent afternoon weather-wise.  We brought along some travellers and headed down the beach to vendors, or the "boutiques" as our new friend called them.  We picked a nice spot called Office of Nature and met a couple friendly dudes serving up barbecue lobster.  We got to pick out our lobsters from the cage and they grilled up some delectable meals.  The lobster was served up with rice and peas and some nice garlic toast.  The weather was ideal for 2 hours in a row for the only time on our whole trip!  We were in heaven!

As soon as we got back to our room with plans to head to Rick's Café for some drinks and to watch some cliff jumping, the skies clouded over again and the rain moved in.  Bummed out, we retired to our room for a rest.

On our last morning, the forecast was looking good and we got up early to take advantage before we had to catch our plane back to Toronto for the Holidays.  Now that we have had two months of absolute frigid temps here at home, I'll take another rainy day in Jamaica!

Fun in the sun!

At the end of June, my friend SF and I jaunted down to Varadero, Cuba for a long overdue getaway.  We had been talking of a warm weather trip since October... Then we endured the most grueling Winter ever in Toronto and finally escaped as the weather turned nicer at home.  Still, it was so great to have a vacation and relax and unplug.  Unplugging was forced due to no wifi access cards for sale, but we didn't mind.  I loved not being able to check in on e-mails, social media, random apps on the phone.  Really lets your mind and body fall into relaxation mode.  

We stayed at the Iberostar Laguna Azul, which was ohhhkaaay.  Don't think either of us will be going back, but we had fun as we had great weather, good company and new friends.  Every day, we spent some time at the beach and at the pool.  Spent a lot of time in the water as it was super hot out with temps feeling like 49C at times.  Took one morning to go into town and poke around the markets, but came back empty handed.

The beach was lovely.  The water was great... very calm and clear, but we had both been spoiled by nicer beaches elsewhere, so it didn't quite live up to our expectations.  I am not at all complaining though!  I love the aqua blue ocean water and simply bobbing around for hours staring at the horizon!

Evenings after our as expected mediocre dinners, we would sit near the theatre and enjoy some drinks and chat with other resort patrons and watch the cast of characters pass by.  It was fun to meet people from different parts of the world and learn a bit about them even for a few days.  

A week of fun in the sun flew by so quickly.  Then it was back to Toronto and back to work!  I'm already itching for another vacation...

Currently, we are gearing up to launch the Fall/Winter Collection next month!  Getting excited to debut new things!  Hope you will like the new jewels!