The Vibe

The warm and inviting dining room at Mita includes an elegant modern bar, spacious dining area, and open kitchen. The rustic earth tones, array of green plants, and floor-to-ceiling windows add to the ambiance and create a rustic but elegant scene for your dining experience.

The Food at Mita

Now, let’s get to the most important part: the food! Mita’s innovative 14-course menu, divided into four “acts,” opens with a fun surprise: sweet and savory tamarind and mango candies wrapped in edible paper. Chewy and crispy, the treat kicks off the meal in the most delightful fashion. From there, the meal only gets dreamier. The endless, enticing parade of dishes includes a Venezuelan beverage called papelón, made with a non-alcoholic rum and served with a piece of sugarcane. The bread course includes a variety of mini arepas, some made with potato, others with yucca, and others with plantains, and a trio of dips including a sinfully creamy avocado dip; and a soup course that features a fluffy arracacha soup, made with the starchy, slightly sweet Andean root vegetable, and drizzled with a woodsy mushroom dashi. The dish is brimming with gentle earth tones and just the right balance of sweet and savory.

Other highlights include a savory watermelon dish with fermented carrots; an open-faced tortilla topped with a heady concoction of squash, kale, piquant green mole, and meaty huitlacoche; a delightful asado negro made with mushrooms, served on a bed of creamy corn and adorned with crispy onions. The textures and colors play a vibrant role in each dish, and the Latin American flavors, ranging from cilantro to sweet plantains to coconut, are ever-present and dynamic.

The dessert courses are as sublime as the savory courses. The winner is the one called Salar Uyuni, which is designed to resemble the famous Bolivian salt flats. It features a yuca cake crowned with a crunchy white tuile.

The Drinks

Mita’s wine list features off-the-beaten-path natural and sustainable wines, and the full bar offers any cocktail your heart desires. Try one of Lou Bernard’s famed Singhani cocktails, formerly of Casa Kantuta.

The Verdict

Mita is an epic, unique dining experience. Make your reservation now.

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How to Get to the Rockies:

The best way to get to Rocky Mountain National park for your adventure in the Rockies is to rent a car in Denver, ideally at the airport. There is little transportation to the park; moreover, you will need a car to get from your hotel to the national park.

Where to Stay in the Rockies

The Estes Park Resort: The Estes Park Resort is a stunning property close to the national park and on Lake Estes. In fact, it is the only hotel that is actually located on the lake. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the hotel has its own restaurant so you don’t have to worry about where to get dinner after a long day of hiking.

What to Do

Visit Rocky Mountain National Park: A visit to the park will obviously be the highlight of your trip! The national park is huge, so I would recommend reviewing hike options with the outfitters at the resort in advance to decide which hike or hikes you want to do. Also, remember to reserve a ticket to enter the park in advance as well; if you wait until the day of it will likely be sold out. If for some reason you do forget, general entry is allowed after 3 pm. In addition, to enjoy the many hikes at the park, be sure to take a long drive through the winding roads of the park, there are so many stunning vistas you will want to stop 100 times for pictures! From alpine lakes to mountains to forests it is truly spectacular. In addition to the views, you could also get lucky enough to see some of the wildlife, which includes bighorn sheep, elks, and mountain lions. We saw a pair of moose swimming in a small lake and it was spectacular.

Visit Roosevelt National Forest: Adjacent to the national park is this gorgeous national forest that you should consider visiting. We hiked the Lily Mountain Trail, which was arduous but well worth it considering the views. Estes Park has lots of small cafes and shops where you can get sandwiches packed for a picnic at the top of the mountain.

Visit Estes Lake: If you are staying at Estes Park Resort a visit to the lake is essential. Wake up early, go for a run, bike ride, walk around the lake, or visit the marina and rent a kayak. The lake is so breathtaking with the mountains all around you won’t want to leave!

Where to Eat

Dunraven: Estes Park Resort has a restaurant with a great breakfast, including hearty fare like avocado toast, eggs benedict, and French toast with dulce de leche. They serve dinner as well. Grab a seat on their outdoor deck which overlooks Lake Estes and enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine before dinner!

The Barrel Beer: Colorado is well-known for its craft beers and the Barrel Beer is a great place in downtown Estes where you can sample some. We tried their beers and ciders and loved them all; they also have a food truck on site where you can get burgers and cheese fries.

The Rockies: The Verdict

An adventure in the Rockies is exactly what you need if you are looking for fresh air, beautiful views, and outdoor activities!

The post Escapes: Plan an Adventure in the Rockies! appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

Globetrotting Stiletto on Travel Blogger Fashion

Before I dish on the happenings at the third annual NY TRAV FEST, I must recognize my Globetrotting Stilettos who came out to support GTS at our very first public event. Whether we’re invested social media homies or have a personal relationship, we appreciate you. Yes, YOU! Globetrotting Stiletto, the brand, is less about me and more about the community of stylish jet-setters we serve—fresh folk who are committed to travel. The ones who go because they have to. They need to see, feel, taste, touch, immerse themselves in culture, scour the globe for inspiration, treasures that exist outside the confines of their everyday lives. They’re not afraid to splurge but prefer to save. When they do splurge, it’s on experiences, seldom ‘things,’ experiences matter more. Now that that’s off my heart, here’s what went down..

My girlfriend observed that I tend to gravitate towards the color orange for travel events. Acute observation. In no way was this intentional. The rich hue looks great on my complexion, I have a closet full of bright orange attire. I wore a perforated sunkist Vince dress to the NYT TRAVEL SHOW and rocked ZARA’S sleeveless linen waistcoat to the 2015 Travel Fest. I paired the tangerine shell with a white tank, ARMANI boyfriend jeans, a STATEMENT NECKLACE and nude SO KATE pumps. I am my brand. There was no way I was showing up to speak before travel industry professionals on a branding panel without stilettos. No way. I survived in my 5-inch Christian Louboutins far longer that I thought I would, strutting throughout the exhibition space networking with other attendees, standing before the GTS x Sydne’s Sweets table handing out cupcakes during our tasting, my dogs supported my stiletto commitment. The Kate Spade Taxi flats that I live in were on deck but I didn’t change into those until the panel and tasting wrapped. I am my brand. You are your brand. Always remember that. Appropriate travel business attire is imperative when participating in these types of events, come correct when representing yourself, people tend to take you more seriously.

“Come correct when representing yourself, people tend to take you more seriously.”  I could not say it better!  My look is more button downs paired with patterns for meetings and I live in DVF wrap dresses for events. One of things I’ve learned is that your brand has to meet your niche, especially when you’re meeting with potential clients. What are your travel blogger fashion tips?  What is the look of your brand?

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Fast forward to my recent trip to Taiwan.  I missed my flight back to Okinawa and had to purchase a last minute ticket to Tokyo in order to make my connecting flight back to Washington on time.  The most convenient and cost effective route from Taipei to Tokyo was EVA Air 198.  The only thought on my mind when booking my ticket was to make it home on time. Later that evening, I logged in to check-in online and noticed I was going to be on the “Hello Kitty Plane”.  I thought that perhaps it was a marketing ploy. Not the case.

As I checked in at the EVA Air counter, I began to witness all the Hello Kitty mania!  It was everywhere, to include the print on my boarding pass.  As I walked to customs, I spot a whole Hello Kitty Plane display to include a dedicated self-check in counter area.  I must admit I am not a big fan of pink and girly themes, however, there’s something about the whole scene that automatically makes you smile.  With young and old alike taking pictures and looking genuinely happy, the environment is quite festive at Taipei International Airport.  Long lines and inefficient check in are a thought of the past when you see the white cat with the big pink bow!

Walking through the airport, I was sucked into the world of Hello Kitty to include a large store with everything Hello Kitty, a whole boarding area with pink chairs with the iconic pink bows, and walls lined with scenes of the cartoon.  It was absolute cute overload.  I think the positive atmosphere and seeing people just thrilled to be part of the experience automatically put me in a great mood to fly.

I arrive to my gate and there it is: the Boeing 777-300 Hello Kitty Plane.  The airline has been flying with this theme since 2011.  This collection is the second generation of the collaboration with Sanrio Japan (the creator of Hello Kitty).  The current EVA Air Hello Kitty Plane fleet consists of six different aircrafts that travel all over the world.  Each model has a different theme. The model I boarded was the “Hello Kitty Speed Puff”.  According to EVA Air, this theme draws inspiration from East Asian folklore of the “somersault clouds”.  For more about the other designs, click here.

When you board the plane, you are completely drawn into Hello Kitty mode.  Each individual in-flight entertainment screen is playing the cartoon.  The business class section has huge embroidered theme pillows and the economy class has smaller pillows with the print with the head rest liner to match.  I’m nonchalant, thinking to myself “oh, this is cute, my friends SpicyCandyDC and A Loyal Love would love this”.  Now comes the part when I become a convert…..

My turning point of “Oh, this Hello Kitty Plane concept is kinda cute” to “Wow, this is pretty amazing” was the meal service.  The flight attendants don a pink Hello Kitty Plane apron and serve my meal. Every little detail of the meal is in line with the theme 100%.  From the plastic silverware with Hello Kitty heads to the carrots in my noodles cut in a bow shape, it is everywhere!  Sometimes when food comes together with a theme it loses its quality as the focus is on the theme.  Not the case on this flight.  The noodles with shrimp accompanied by fresh fruit was the best meal I’ve had in economy class in a while!

The verdict:  If you do plan to come to Taiwan, look into the experience!  If you don’t have plans to come to Taiwan, you need to add it to your list!  The city is pretty amazing, I left with the desire to return and explore the rest of the country.  The flight boarded very fast, the seats on the Economy plus are extremely comfortable with plenty of legroom.  The food was delicious and the attendants were very sweet and patient, especially with everyone wanting to take photos.  The only point for improvement was the check-in counter.  Being a Premier Star Alliance member, I am allowed to do priority check-in however, I was rerouted to the economy check-in which was pretty slow.  However, the representative at the counter did go out of his way to link my United flight to my EVA Air flight although on different reservations which saved me time. Time I used to write this post.  Stay tuned to my Instagram account as I will be giving away a special item I purchased on the flight.  Have you flown the EVA Air Hello Kitty Plane? What did you think?

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We arrived there around 9:30 am and the auditions began at 10 am. The line was already 20 deep but the weather was gorgeous and I had Carlis there to keep me company as well. At exactly 10 am the doors opened and I got my slot for my audition at 1:20 pm. I logged into my day job with the free wi-fi at the museum and knocked out some work for a little bit. We took a little drive in between to the Socrates Sculpture Park to take pictures for Carlis’ blog and also took the time to practice my audition piece.

The time to audition arrived. I stood there in a dark room with bright lights on me and a camera man and a producer. I was a bit nervous but once I started talking it felt natural to share my travel experiences. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to lunch at Tacuba Cantina, right across the museum. We loved the freshly made guacamole at the table and our fish and lobster tacos. We toasted to my future with a glass of cava and soon thereafter we were on our way back home.  I’m grateful I had the opportunity to audition and let’s see what the future brings! Which trip made you fall in love with travel?

In Thailand, 2007

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We’re with TBEX

3rd Lesson Learned:  Networking.  Although that is a default activity in my professional life, I am pretty new at developing relationships with brands and fellow bloggers. It is different feeling when you’re trying to sell a service or product at your day job versus trying to sell yourself.  I made sure to ask questions during the panels to get the best out of the experience.  Not only did I focus on connecting with brands, but also with other bloggers who I can collaborate with in the future. One of the things that helped me during this conference was my language skills. Thanks mom and dad for raising me in Puerto Rico!  I got to talk to so many Latin American bloggers and trade ideas with them. I even got to do an interview in Spanish with Best Day and engage with the management of Xcaret which hosted an amazing show for the opening night party of TBEX. 

Interview with Good Morning Riviera Maya

Opening Party at Xcaret

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