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Finland’s Hotel Kakslauttanen | Thermal Glass Igloos Offer Views of the Northern Lights

February 15, 2012 0

This time of year in Florida is spectacular! I quite enjoy the 80° weather – however, once in a while I have a yearning for cozy slippers, snowflakes and weather that is so cold you have to snuggle up under a huge stack of blankets.

It’s this time of year that I would love to visit the Igloo Village of Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. This fantastic eco hotel boasts 20 thermal glass igloos that allow visitors to enjoy incredible views of the Aurora Borealis from the warmth and comfort of their own geodesic hut. The resort also features an ice bar and smoke sauna – sign me up!

Wouldn’t this be an amazing adventure?

via Inhabitat

A Pirate’s Life for Me?

January 30, 2012 0

Hello, Friends. How was your weekend? We spent the entire weekend looking at and discussing sailboats. Seriously, it has been the only thing that we have talked about for months. Ha! And I am happy to announce – we found our boat! After spending several hours with her and the owner, we decided to make an offer. The offer was accepted, all that is left is an inspection and closing. Hopefully, everything will happen quickly and we can set sail this weekend.

Initially, we had discussed purchasing a boat that we could live aboard. However, we decided that staying in a neighborhood while Eben is still young is a better option, especially since he is an only child. So, instead we purchased a boat that we can use for several days and eventually weeks at a time. We plan to begin by “camping” on it and eventually want to cruise to the Keys and Bahamas.

I don’t have any photos to share with you yet – silly me, I thought we were only “looking” at sailboats. I will share photos with you as soon as I get a chance to take some. I am so excited for this new adventure – I can’t think of anything better than jumping off the sailboat in the middle of the ocean to snorkel or paddleboard. And as an added bonus, my parents come to visit in two weeks – we look forward to sailing with them the entire time. 

How about you lovely readers, do you have experience in sailing? Do you have any tips that we should know or destinations that you think we should visit?

photo credit

Snorkeling + Paddleboarding | Bahia Honda, Florida Keys

January 23, 2012 0

We are back from our long weekend at Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys. We had a fantastic time – we were sad to have to leave! I thought it would be fun to share some of the photographs I took with you – you can also see more Instagr.am photos here. Don’t miss the Octopus below!

We spent the majority of our time at Bahia Honda paddleboarding and snorkeling. Our best day was Saturday – we woke up early and hit the water before breakfast. It turned out to be a fantastic day, the water was crystal clear and the weather was perfection. We paddled for a while admiring the soft corals, sponges and puffer fish – it was so quiet and lovely. Then, after about an hour of paddling we started to see juvenile Bonnethead Sharks. It was fantastic! If you aren’t familiar with Bonnetheads, they look like small hammerhead sharks. I wasn’t able to take any photographs of them since I am too nervous to take my iPhone or expensive camera onto the ocean. [I really need to pick up a waterproof camera!]

After a few hours, we headed back to camp for brunch. Then, we hit the Bahia Honda Channel to do some snorkeling. Eben had a blast finding bright orange starfish, seashells and baby lobsters. We came across a nurse shark hanging out on the bottom near the bridge’s pilings. Then, Mr. Sweet Greens spotted a beautiful octopus that was also super friendly. He wrapped himself around Mr. Sweet Greens hands and arms – it was spectacular! We have seen Octopuses before, but this one was larger and had the most beautiful eyes.

It was THE perfect weekend, I can’t wait to go back.

How was your weekend? How did you spend it?

Camping At Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys

January 17, 2012 0

Friday morning we are heading to the Florida Keys for a long weekend. We will be camping, paddle boarding and snorkeling at Bahia Honda State Park. I can not wait – it seems like forever since we went camping and Bahia Honda is one of my favorite camping destinations. The last time that we stayed at Bahia Honda was during hurricane season so the visibility in the water was very low. We have high hopes for great weather this trip!

Bahia Honda State Park encompasses over 500 acres including an offshore island. It is the perfect destination for beachcombing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and is usually very quiet. The best part, 12 miles offshore is Looe Key, a beautiful coral reef were we will be spending a lot of snorkeling. Fantastic.

What are your weekend plans?

Green Holiday Giveaway #20: Heys USA Britto Notebook Sleeve

December 2, 2011 69

Giveaway number twenty will make all of the techies on your holiday list swoon. It’s sponsored by Heys USA, they are offering a notebook sleeve from the Britto Collection.
As you are probably aware, Romero Britto’s vibrant creations are super popular in the art world and now on a carrying case for your laptop or notebook too. This notebook sleeve has a value of $250!
The eco-friendly collection from Heys USA is made using 100% recycled plastics. The Heys focus on innovation in travel goods expands beyond function, fashion and reliability, they continue to invest in manufacturing and design processes that give the traveling public the products they want and make it easier for them to select the most environmentally friendly luggage available.

Jump over to Heys USA and check out their EcoCase collection.  

How to Enter:

1. Sign up for my weekly newsletter (if you haven’t already). I will be announcing the winners in the newsletter, so you need to sign up to get the newsletter to see if you win!
2. Like Sweet Greens on Facebook.
3. Like Heys USA on Facebook.
3. Tweet: I hope I win one of the $2000 in eco-friendly prizes at @SweetGreens Holiday Giveaway Week 2011! http://tinyurl.com/7vq8xgo
4. Leave a comment on this post for each way that you enter.

Good luck, the winner will be announced on December 8th.  

** UPDATE: The winner is Sassy Greens.  

** NOTE: Some of the comments have the wrong date on them due to a system error – everyone who commented was entered into the giveaway – sorry for the confusion!

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