Tahoe Winter Family Travel Guide // Cedar Crest Cottages

Juniper had never seen snow before, and since we have been having a wonderfully wet winter here in California, we decided to seize upon the opportunity to visit Tahoe, blanketed in over ten feet of fluff. Cedar Crest Cottages, in West Lake Tahoe, invited us to stay with them, and put us up in their gorgeous, newly renovated, Eagle Cottage for three nights. The cottage had three bedrooms, heated floors, a cozy fireplace and beautiful natural details throughout, like natural wood coat racks and custom block prints, with the namesake cottage bird printed on it. It had everything we needed for a luxurious home base from the cold, but was also wonderful for a toddler because there was so much to explore and enjoy. With a fully equipped kitchen to get midnight "nummies", a laundry room to make wet sweaters all cozy again, and gas fire to sit next to and read children's books - it had all the amenities you could want. In addition to window views of sunsets over Lake Tahoe, Sam and Babo spent considerable time just walking through the place and oohing and aahing over the superior craftsmanship.

Once we got settled in, we were able to really enjoy the snow with two nearby hikes (as in a 5 to 7 minute drive!) to Eagle Rock Hiking Trail and also Sugar Pine Point State Park. Juniper rode in the carrier, and we strapped on our snowshoes to venture out into the forest. It was magical. Babo (what Juniper calls her grandfather) joined us for the trip. He likes to say he was born for the cold, especially since his mom gave birth to him in a blizzard. We had been prepping Juniper for the trip for several weeks, and read countless stories that take place in the snow. Nevertheless, when the time came to venture out, she just as rather ride along in the carrier than walk on the snow. We recently asked if she liked visiting the snow, and she responded that she liked to "eat it!" Such the gourmand. She did enjoy sticking her finger out and taking a sample here and there. We even brought some inside and made homemade, fresh squeezed snow cones, that were delish! 

We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather and for a more fantastic place to stay on this trip! Thanks for having us Cedar Crest Cottages!

A big thanks to our great fashion partners included in this blog post!

Juniper's Outfits: La Lovie

Ariel's Outfits: Greenmoss, designer Joanne Jiain

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam + Juniper

Taiwan Family Travel Guide to Hualien City and Taroko Gorge // 台湾家庭旅行指南花莲市和太鲁阁峡谷

The last leg of our loop around the island was a two night stop in Hualien City. The lovely Star and Mist B&B invited us to be their guests. This bed and breakfast is so sweet. It is outside the bustle of the busy downtown, with a gigantic green mountain behind it and cozy rooms, with big comfortable beds and a balcony looking out over the garden. After checking in, we took a quick ten minute taxi ride into town and began a culinary adventure. First -- awesome wonton soup, followed by an exotic smorgasbord vegetarian meal in a quirky tchotchke-packed dining room.

The next day, backpack stuffed with steam buns and fruit, we caught a bus to the gorgeous Taroko Gorge, one of the most beautiful places in all of Taiwan. There are several trails in the park and we decided to take the Shakadang Trail, which goes along the river and has incredible ledge cave trails carved into the side of the mountain. Juniper loved it and actually hiked a large portion of it on her own :) Before catching the bus back to Hualien, we indulged in a much needed ice cream cone at the visitor center. You're never far from some delicious treat when you're traveling in Taiwan, even when you're off and away in a national park!

We hope you enjoyed this travel diary from our trip to Taiwan and found it useful in planning your trip to this beautiful island with your family! We're already starting to plan several trips for 2017, so stay in touch :)

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我们在岛上的最后一圈是在花莲市的两个晚上停止。可爱的星星和雾M＆B邀请我们成为他们的客人。这床和早餐是如此甜蜜。它在繁忙的市中心的喧嚣之外，一个巨大的绿色山在它后面和舒适的客房，有舒适的床和一个阳台，俯瞰花园。登记入住后，我们乘了十分钟的出租车进入城市，开始了一个烹饪的冒险。首先 - 真棒馄饨汤，然后在一个古怪的tchotchke包装的餐厅，一个异国情调的smorgasbord素食餐。

第二天，背包里充满了蒸汽馒头和水果，我们乘坐了一辆公共汽车到华丽的太鲁阁峡谷，这是台湾最美丽的地方之一。在公园里有几条小径，我们决定采取Shakadang小径，沿着河，有令人难以置信的壁架洞穴小径雕刻入山的一侧。 Juniper喜欢它，实际上是在她自己的大部分徒步旅行:)在赶上公共汽车回到花莲，我们沉浸在一个急需的冰淇淋锥在游客中心。当您在台湾旅行时，即使您在国家公园外出旅行，您也不会远离某些美味的食物！

我们希望你喜欢这次旅行日记从我们的台湾旅行，并发现它有用的规划您的旅行与这个美丽的岛屿与您的家人！我们已经开始计划2017年的几次旅行，所以保持联系:)

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam + Juniper

Taiwan Family Travel Guide to Rui Shui, Hualien // 台湾家庭旅行指南瑞宝地花莲

One of our favorite places to visit in Taiwan is a small town in Hualien called Rui Shui. It's an important spot for us because Sam's mom grew up near there, in an even smaller village called Rui Mei. Since she's no longer with us, it's a way for us to feel connected with her and imagine what it was like to grow up in such a beautiful place. Rui Shui really is paradise. It smells like Hawaii, it's surrounded by lush farmland and everyone is crazy friendly. 

The Duckling House invited us to stay with them for two nights while we were in town and omg -- it was the cutest place we've ever stayed!! The owners are obviously artists and the hotel is just filled with adorable decorations and carefully thought through details. And talk about kid friendly! Our room was mermaid themed and there was a koi pond filled with a hundred fish and food to feed them, and they even had a mini family farm, that had bunnies, chickens and a sweet pig on the premises. It was baby bliss!  

They also had a fleet of bikes for guests, which is a perfect way to explore the little town of Rui Shui. Sam strapped Juniper into her carrier and off we whizzed. First we visited a temple near Sam's mom's old house, an ornately decorated building filled with bright yellow lanterns and fragrant incense, which visitors light at different stations in the temple and ask for blessings and make prayers. It's a lovely spot and a good place to cool off from the scorching heat. Next we headed down to the river, where Juniper played along the silty shore and skipped stones. So much fun! 

Tired and hungry, we found a little noodle shack along the main road and got steaming bowls of homemade pho. Juniper had fallen asleep on the ride up from the river and the noodle shop owners kindly found us a folding chair for her to take a long nap. Back at the Duckling House, we all cooled off in our private pool. It was dreamy.

For the second part of our stay, the Sunshine Hot Spring B&B invited us for two nights, a deliciously modern hotel, nestled next to a river and at the base of a beautiful jungle trail, which we got a chance to hike up. Juniper once again had a private hot spring pool to practice her swim strokes and kicks in -- one afternoon we spent almost three hours splashing around in the water.

Relaxed, with pruney water-soaked skin, we headed north to Hualien City for our final stop. More photos coming soon! 

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我们最喜欢在台湾访问的地方是花莲的一个小镇叫瑞水。这是我们的一个重要的地方，因为Sam的妈妈在这里长大。由于她不再与我们在一起，这是一种让我们感觉到与她的联系，想象在一个美丽的地方长大的感觉。瑞水真是天堂。它闻起来像夏威夷，它被郁郁葱葱的农田包围，每个人都疯狂友好。

鸭子屋邀请我们住两个晚上，当我们在城里和omg - 这是我们住过的最可爱的地方！业主显然是艺术家，酒店充满可爱的装饰，仔细思考细节。和谈论孩子友好！我们的房间是美人鱼主题，有一个锦鲤池充满了一百条鱼和食物喂养他们，他们甚至有一个迷你家庭农场，有兔子，鸡，甚至一只甜猪在前提。这是宝贝的幸福！

他们还有一队自行车，欢迎客人使用，这是探索瑞水小镇的一个完美的方式。山姆绑着杜松进入她的运输车，我们whizzed。首先，我们参观了山姆的妈妈的寺庙，一个华丽的装饰建筑充满了明亮的黄色灯笼和香火，访客在寺庙的不同车站点亮，祈求祝福和祈祷。这是一个可爱的地方，一个很好的地方，从焦灼的热量冷却。接下来，我们向下走到河边，瞻博沿着泥泞的海岸玩耍，跳过石头。玩得很尽兴！

疲惫和饿了，我们发现了一个小面条小屋沿主要道路，得到了蒸煮碗自制的pho。杜松从河上爬下来睡着了，面店店主亲切地找到了我们一把折叠椅，让她长时间打盹。回到鸭子屋，我们都在我们的私人游泳池冷静下来。这是梦幻。

在我们入住的第二部分，阳光温泉B＆B邀请我们两个晚上，一个美味的现代化酒店，坐落在一条河旁边，一个美丽的丛林步道的基地，我们有机会远足。瞻博网络再次有一个私人温泉游泳池练习她的游泳冲程和踢 - 一个下午，我们花了几乎三个小时在水中飞溅。

放松，用水浸湿的皮肤，我们朝北到花莲市，我们的最后一站。更多照片即将推出！

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xoxo,

Ariel + Sam + Juniper

Taiwan Family Travel Guide at Kenting National Park // 家庭旅行指南台湾垦丁国家公园

Family travel is about navigating choices. We always try to anticipate Juniper's needs before heading out the door. Preparation is everything, but remaining flexible is also important. We created checklists, packed our bags, and were ready to go a whole week before our flight. All set. However, the night before we left for Taiwan, we had decided to make a super important last-minute decision. Juni has been obsessed with her perpetually smiling, red, Elmo doll, ever since we succumbed to Sesame Street on YouTube to help us through a cranky night. Two days prior to leaving, Juni developed a passionate interest in dancing and the Angelina Ballerina children's book series. She would insist on wearing her tutu over whatever she was wearing, including her puff coat. The morning of our trip, we made a gut decision, replacing the Elmo doll with Angelina.

We got lucky with that choice. Juni couldn't wait to pull out “Nini” at each hotel we arrived at. No tears were shed for Elmo. Whew!

When planning this trip to Taiwan, we wanted it to be fun for Juniper. If she had a good time, so would we. Place her in a box of sand, and she's happy. We decided to head to the beach after Sun Moon Lake.

We worried that we made a poor planning choice, spending an entire day taking various modes of transportation: a bus to the train station in Taichung, then catching the high speed rail to the end of the line, where we got on a bus for a two hour ride to Kenting, and finally waiting for our hotel to pick us up in the howling wind, a welcome reprieve from the heat. We were fueled by steam buns, fish balls, fruit, and milk from the ever-present 7-Eleven convenience stores along the way. What made this choice pay-off was that we could spend 4 days relaxing in a beautiful seaside setting, without an agenda, getting accustomed to the 16 hour time difference.

Sam's parents honeymooned in Kenting decades ago, and it remains a tropical beach bum paradise. The little town around the beach and national park is pretty touristy (and there are only 7-Elevens and other convenience stores – no grocery store). We opted to stay about 10 minutes outside of the town and found it perfectly peaceful and quiet.

The South Border Design Hotel invited us to stay and we weren't sure if we were still in Taiwan or had landed in a remote Greek Island! We were so happy to relax there for a few days. The architecture is creative and modern and we just loved our room, especially the super deep tub that was perfect for baby-and-me bath time. Getting breakfast served in our room was also a luxury that we appreciated as parents, who occasionally have a hard time getting out of the door with a squirmy kiddo.

On our second day in Kenting, the wind was relentless! Not quite the right weather for a beach outing, but perfect for a beautiful hike in Kenting National Park. The park is perfect for little kids, with easy to walk, paved trails, and caves formed from ancient coral reefs (Juni LOVES caves). Best of all, there were wild macaque monkeys, that made a racket in the canopy above us before we spotted them. Also, heed the signs warning of poisonous snakes. We admired a big, sinuous sun-bather, stretched out on a tree beside the trail, and were happy that we had been carrying Juni in the carrier at that point.

Fun Space Inn invited us to stay with them for the second part of our visit in Kenting. Fun Space has a great French bistro vibe, with a chill lobby, filled with things to read and coffee to sip. The rooms have stunning views of the ocean, which is right across the street. We loved staying here and would highly recommend it! Do keep in mind that the sandy beach across the street is protected for ecological research, so no kid-friendly swimming here. There's a section of rocky beach that is beautiful, and snorkelers access the ocean from there, but it's tricky to walk over with a baby. Luckily, it's an easy 10 minute bus ride (and the buses run perfectly on time!) up the coast to plenty of sandy beaches.

After a swimming breakthrough with Juniper, learning to kick and float in bath-temperature waters, we packed our bags and headed up the east coast of the island via train, toward the province of Hualien, Sam's mom's birthplace.

More photos and travel stories coming next week.

A big thanks to our great Taiwan fashion partners included in this blog post!

Headbands: Ms. How Fan

Sandals: Aika Handmade Shoes

Cloth Baby Shoes: Polovio

Men's Shoes: Dogyball

Baby shoes + matching bags: Boingboing

Baby necklace: Ciaowo

Backpack: OGG

Organic Baby Clothes: Gujui

Choker necklace: W&Y Atelier

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家庭旅行是关于导航选择。我们总是试图预测瞻博网络的需要，然后出门。准备是一切，但保持灵活性也很重要。我们创建了清单，包装我们的行李，并准备在我们的航班前一整个星期。可以了，好了。然而，在我们离开台湾前一天晚上，我们决定作出一个非常重要的最后决定。自从我们在YouTube上屈服于芝麻街，帮助我们度过一个奇怪的夜晚，Juni一直痴迷于永远微笑，红色，Elmo娃娃。离开前两天，Juni发展了对舞蹈和Angelina Ballerina儿童书系列的热情兴趣。她坚持要穿她的芭蕾舞短裙，不管她穿什么，包括她的羽绒服。在我们的旅行的早晨，我们做了一个胆量的决定，用安吉丽娜替换Elmo娃娃。

我们很幸运有这个选择。 Juni不能等待在我们到达的每个酒店拉出“Nini”。 Elmo没有流泪。哇！

当计划去台湾旅行时，我们希望它对瞻博网络很有趣。如果她有一个好时间，我们会。把她放在一盒沙子里，她很高兴。我们决定在日月潭之后去海滩。

我们担心我们作出不好的计划选择，花一整天的时间采取各种交通工具：一辆公共汽车到台中火车站，然后赶上高速铁路到线的终点，我们在公共汽车上两个小时骑到垦丁，最后等待我们的酒店接我们在嚎叫的风，欢迎从热量缓解。我们受到来自7-Eleven便利店的蒸汽包，鱼丸，水果和牛奶的推动。这个选择的回报是，我们可以花四天放松在美丽的海滨环境，没有议程，习惯了16小时的时差。

山姆的父母几十年前在垦丁度蜜月，它仍然是一个热带海滩天堂。在海滩和国家公园周围的小镇是相当旅游（和只有7高架和其他便利店 - 没有杂货店）。我们选择留在城外约10分钟，发现它完全平和和安静。

南边界设计酒店邀请我们留下来，我们不知道我们是否仍然在台湾或登陆在一个遥远的希腊岛！我们很高兴在那里放松几天。建筑是创意和现代，我们只是喜欢我们的房间，特别是超级深的浴缸，是完美的婴儿和我洗澡时间。在我们的房间吃早餐也是一个奢侈品，我们赞赏作为父母，谁偶尔有一个很难走出门，一个squammy kiddo。

在我们在垦丁的第二天，风是无情的！不适合天气的海滩郊游，但完美的美丽的远足在垦丁国家公园。公园是完美的小孩子，容易走，铺好的小道和从古老的珊瑚礁形成的洞穴（Juni LOVES洞穴）。最重要的是，有野生猴子，在我们之前的树冠上做了一个球拍，我们发现他们之前。还注意到有毒蛇的警告标志。我们欣赏一个大，蜿蜒的阳光浴，在树旁边的小径上延伸，并且很高兴，我们已经在运载的Juni在那一点。

Fun Space Inn邀请我们与他们一起留在我们参观垦丁的第二部分。 Fun Space有一个伟大的法国小酒馆氛围，一个寒意的大堂，充满了东西阅读和咖啡喝。客房享有海洋的壮丽景色，位于街对面。我们喜欢住在这里，强烈推荐！请记住，街对面的沙滩是保护生态研究，所以没有孩子友好的游泳在这里。有一段美丽的岩石海滩，而浮潜者从那里进入海洋，但它是一个棘手的婴儿走过。幸运的是，这是一个容易的10分钟公共汽车（和公共汽车准时运行完美！）海岸到大量的沙滩。

在瞻博网络游泳突破后，学习沐浴在浴温水域，我们包装了我们的包，并通过火车到岛上东海岸，朝着花莲省，山姆的妈妈的出生地省。

更多照片和下周的旅行故事。

非常感谢我们伟大的台湾时尚合作伙伴包括在这个博客！

头带：How Fan女士

凉鞋：Aika手工鞋

布婴儿鞋：Polovio

男士鞋子：Dogyball

婴儿鞋+配套包包：Boingboing

婴儿项链：Ciaowo

背包：OGG

有机婴儿衣服：Gujui

项链：W＆Y Atelier

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam + Juniper

Taiwan Family Travel Guide at Sun Moon Lake // 家庭旅游在台湾日月潭

One of the first books our baby, Juniper, received, was her passport book. We've been itching to get her some stamps in it! Taiwan was at the top of our list for a family-friendly retreat from our cold November, to the hot tropics. Compared to other hot-spot travel destinations it is comparatively untraveled by Westerners. Every other person we talked to about our trip at home would send us off with a, "Have a nice trip in Thailand!" Except for the rare Westerner we would spot in Taipei, almost all the tourists we met around the island were vacationing Chinese or Taiwanese. Even the tourism from China has been ebbing due to the nations' recent stare-down. That has meant we haven't needed to wait in lines at restaurants, book train tickets days in advance, or even share a hotel swimming pool with a stranger. Of course, this will all change once the secret about this little paradise gets out. For now, we are glad to luxuriate under the shadow of confusion that Thailand's reputation casts, and visit a country that feels like a cultural getaway in the tropics, but where it is not only safe, but one is encouraged to wander the streets at night jabbing a spoon at an icy slurry of sweet beans and soft tofu. Also, malaria vaccines are unneeded.  And did we mention the beautiful sunshine and endless hot springs?

After landing in Taipei, we started our loop around the island with a stop at Sun Moon Lake.

Quiz: Sun Moon Lake's biggest draw is its: (a) stunning natural beauty, (b) traditional pagodas and temples, (c) famous boiled tea eggs, or (e) all of the above.

If you picked an answer with tea eggs, surprisingly, you would not be alone. Every time we've visited Sun Moon Lake, the first thing my family wants to do is to go buy some famous tea eggs made by an equally famous grandma. They are a wonderful travel snack -- boiled in spicy cauldrons of black tea, mushrooms, and secrets, creating a treat that is salty and creamy, with a beautiful marbled exterior. Juniper enjoyed sitting on the dock, munching away on her yummy morsel! 

After a long afternoon exploring the lake, we checked into our hotel, Fuli Hot Spring Resort. (This brand new hotel invited us to stay with them, knowing we would broadcast our thoughts from a family travel point of view.) Taiwan is famous for their hot springs, in addition to pretty much every major destination around the island, you can now get a good soak at Sun Moon Lake, and it is highly recommended. They have gorgeous outdoor pools, with different temperatures and depths (great for baby exploration and play!). Our room also had a luxurious private hot spring bath, so you can soak and rest for as long as you please... and then roll straight into bed! Fuli also really looks out for guests with little ones -- there was a crib in our room, baby bath, and bottle warmer. Downstairs there's even a playroom, with structures to play on and endless Legos to build with. The dinner and breakfast buffet was endless, with Western and Taiwanese options. While definitely a splurge, Fuli makes traveling with a baby simple and luxurious. 

Next up -- we continue our trip to the very southern tip of Taiwan to Kenting National Park! Stay tuned for photos and stories. A highlight? Wild monkeys! 

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我们的孩子，Juniper，收到的第一本书之一，是她的护照簿。我们一直在瘙痒得到她的一些邮票！台湾是我们名单的首要之一，为了从11月的寒冷到热带热带地区的家庭友好的撤退。与其他热点旅游目的地相比，西方人相对来说没有旅行。每一个我们谈论我们的旅行在家里的其他人会送我们一个，“在泰国有一个愉快的旅行！除了罕见的西方人，我们会在台北发现，几乎所有的游客，我们在岛上遇到的假期中国或台湾。即使来自中国的旅游业由于国家最近的盯着，一直在衰落。这意味着我们不需要在餐厅排队等候，提前几天预订火车票，甚至与陌生人共用一个酒店游泳池。当然，这一切都将改变，一旦这个小天堂的秘密出来了。现在，我们很高兴在泰国的名声所造成的混乱的影子之下，在热带地区参观一个感觉像一个文化遗迹的国家，但是它不仅是安全的，而且鼓励他们在晚上嘲笑街道勺子在甜豆和软的豆腐冰冷的浆糊。此外，疟疾疫苗是不需要的。我们提到了美丽的阳光和无尽的温泉游泳吗？

在台北登陆后，我们开始绕着岛上的日落，停在日月潭。

测验：日月潭最大的景点是：（a）惊人的自然美景，（b）传统的佛塔和寺庙，（c）着名的煮茶蛋，或（e）上述所有。

如果你选择茶蛋，令人惊讶的是，你不会孤独。每次我们访问日月潭，我家人要做的第一件事是去买一些着名的茶蛋由一个同样着名的奶奶。他们是一个美妙的旅行小吃 - 煮在辣的大锅的红茶，创造一个咸和奶油，美丽的大理石外观的治疗。瞻博网络真的很喜欢坐在码头上，嚼着她的美味小菜！

经过漫长的下午探索湖泊后，我们进入了我们的酒店福丽温泉度假村。 （这家全新的酒店邀请我们与他们在一起，知道我们将从家庭旅行的角度广播我们的想法。）台湾以其温泉而闻名，除了几乎每个主要目的地在岛上，你现在可以在日月潭很好的浸泡，强烈推荐。他们有华丽的室外游泳池，不同的温度和深度（伟大的婴儿探索和玩！）。我们的房间也有一个豪华的私人温泉浴，所以你可以浸泡和休息，只要你请...，然后直接滚进床！富利也真的看到小的客人 - 有一个在我们的房间，婴儿浴室和瓶暖和的婴儿床。楼下甚至有一个游戏室，结构上玩和无尽的乐高建立。晚餐和自助早餐是无止境的，与西方和台湾的选择。虽然绝对是一个爆炸，福利让与宝宝旅行简单和豪华。

接下来 - 我们继续我们的旅行到台湾的南端到垦丁国家公园！请关注照片和故事。一个亮点？野生猴子！

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam + Juniper