Tag: travel blog

36.

maybe it is because i am putting finishing touches on my 37th birthday trip to bali or maybe it is because it truly was one of my favorite weekends of 2026 but i know one thing – my 36th birthday celebration deserved a post all of its own.

a theme each year around my birthday is gratitude. it is rare to have so many of my favorite people in one place so naturally, it felt extra special to have people who have known me since birth dancing alongside people who have entered my orbit in my 30s. one thing is for certain: vegas owes us nothing.

before recapping the weekend in its entirety, it has to be said that there is something extra amazing about feeling your best when ushering in a new year and part of that is looking your best. i was obsessed with my outfits, hair and grateful to have been experiencing a good skin week. it really is the little things.

my rules when planning a group trip are simple:

  1. have only one or two events that are mandatory and outside of that, allow people to opt in as it suits them
  2. be intentional about who is invited – it only takes one bad apple to fuck up the barrel
  3. have a balance of daytime and evening activities – not everyone is a morning person and not everyone can party until 3am
  4. give ample notice when extending invites – people need time to budget, schedule and prep
  5. scheduling in solo down time if you are an introvert like me (even if it is an extended soak in the tub each day) is absolutely crucial in order to show up as the best host possible

driving in from la is always easy when going to vegas and allows me to bring as many things as i want. this is especially important when hosting because I want everyone to have yummy things to snack on and delicious cocktails to enjoy at any point of the day or night. we arrived on friday which was my actual birthday. i was excited as this was the night roughly 20 of us were going to be celebrating with people traveling in from as far as atlanta (shout out to my girl, joss) and people ranging from 30s to 60s (shout out to my mom, godmother and cousin val who all were dropping it in the club as if meg the stallion birthed them).

we spent friday night at liv (located in fontainebleau) and got to see mario perform. he has PIPES. it was important to me that my mom and the aunties were present on a night where there would be r&b accompanying all the club bangers. a. time. was. had.

saturday, we did brunch at brewdog las vegas. it was important to me to do something casual, cost friendly and where people could pay separately as some people were going to be heading directly to the airport whereas others were going to be in town until monday or tuesday. the ambiance was great – it was airy, lively, good music (and at a volume where we could still hear one another), bomb food and lemon drops that i am still dreaming about. you can make a reservation on opentable for up to 20 people!

after brunch, a few of us hit chanel because michele had been eyeing a bag for years and decided this was the trip to bite the bullet. the store and entire shopping experience was an absolute vibe. when i am ready for my first chanel (manifesting that for 2027), this will be the location i choose for certain.

saturday night may have been a smaller group but trust me when i tell you that we partied as if there were still 20 of us. 10 of us circled back to liv. while i typically do not repeat the same club two nights in a row, once i saw the kehlani was the performer for valentine’s day, there is no other place i wanted to be. who was going to say “no” to seeing her serenade us with “folded” live?!

to say i was beat on sunday would be an understatement. that is when having an amazing hotel suite and even more amazing friends comes in handy. i did not leave my suite, stayed in pajamas all day and hosted those that wanted to socialize for a boozy game night in. uno feels elevated when on the las vegas strip. a sushi dinner on the couch with champagne was divine – shout out to my car business boo, leroy, for treating the entire group.

while the remainder of friends left monday, my mom and i stayed until tuesday. monday and tuesday were the ultimate mommy and me days. we shared meals, laughter, deep conversations, carpool karaoke sessions, blackjack hands and enough peach bellinis to fill a hot tub with.

each year, i pick a theme word or phrase. 35 was about surrendering while 34 focused on calm…you get the picture. for 36, the theme has been: flow.

flowing not forcing.

as a recovering control freak, it can be difficult to let things flow and not force square pegs into round holes. 36 has been about allowing things to flow, not punishing myself when things do not according to plan and being able to pivot as needed. it has allowed me to be more grateful for the life i am currently living, not just the one i am building.

i cannot wait to ring in 37 in bali with loved ones.

xoxo,

your favorite aquarius

35.

for years, i have selected a word as my personal theme. at 34, my word was calm. i think i nearly mastered it. for 35, i chose: surrender.

the art of surrender isn’t defeat, giving up or powerlessness. to surrender is choosing acceptance over resistance, appreciation over expectations and flexibility over foolishness.

as someone who has historically struggled with needing to be in control, i knew this wouldn’t be an easy feat. even still, i was also confident i could remain calm when things became turbulent. the universe has a funny way of testing us as my life more or less blew up at the start of february. luckily, i had a trip to the dominican republic with 20 of my favorite humans to planned. i highly recommend getting people together to celebrate your trips around the sun in big and small ways.

reuniting with the girls after check-in

when traveling with groups, i believe in a balance of planned fun and leisure time. i asked everyone to be at a cocktail party —> dinner one night and invited anyone interested on a boat for a sunday funday. any other time, i would send a broadcast via paperless post so people knew where to find me at the resort. it was honestly so easy and there is nothing i love more than having so many of my loved ones in one place. below are some photos of those in between moments.

for the cocktail party and dinner, i asked everyone to wear black and/or white (as most have that in their closet). this was the first time all of us had been in the same place and it was such a blast.

and for the sunday funday on the boat, to say a time was had would be a gross understatement. there are three things that are ALWAYS worth saying yes to: a day on the water in the sunshine, an open bar and the additional cost for a photographer.

while there were hiccups with our travel agent, the resort was top notch, the weather was beautiful, the people present to celebrate me were extraordinary and the love i felt is immeasurable. arriving to the dominican republic already having the mindset of surrendering made the trip exponentially more enjoyable. when i think of the rollercoaster that 35 has been so far, surrendering was the only way to not just make it, but enjoy it.

i am already brainstorming for 36.

xoxo,

k. tap

kauai 2024

last year, one of my supervisors sent an email to our team offering up her condo in kauai as a way to offer some self-care to all the clinicians. instead of paying thousands of dollars for a week in paradise, we would simply pay the cleaning fee for the week. i was flabbergasted and knew i needed to take action immediately. i thought about who could best benefit from a week away and knew i needed to invite my twin, anj. we invited two of our girlfriends but as the youth say, life was lifin’ – they had to cancel. anj and i didn’t let that stop us from having a beautiful week in paradise with her son, enzo. getting to hawaii was far from easy for me with multiple delays and plane issues that required trekking through the airport to a new terminal all together before takeoff but once i landed, reunited with anj and enzo and saw that this was my backyard for the week, any travel exhaustion no longer mattered.

there is something extra magical about seeing a beautiful place through the eyes of a child. enzo is more knowledgeable about flowers and wildlife than almost anyone i know. even just the simplest walk to the pool would morph into a special moment for me.

we were fortunate to have a lengthy list of recommendations as multiple friends of ours have family in kauai and frequent the island. a beach that was a must was po’ipu. we made sure to stop at puka dogs to enjoy their unique hot dogs and fresh lemonade on the beach.

to say we were fortunate to have hanalei beach be in such close proximity to the condo is an understatement. that is where we spent the next few days.

outside of our time spent at the beach, we certainly had some favorite spots for a quick and fresh bite. hanalei poke was to die for. i also still dream about the shaved ice from wishing well. the flavor options are next level and the fact that there are organic options versus processed syrups is a game changer.

when we wanted a more upscale dinner, we traveled across the island to beach house restaurant. i’d highly suggest it and a reservation can be made on open table. tap on the link to read the full blog post about our dining experience. it was the one day we took the time to get dressed in something outside of swimwear.

there was something incredibly special about getting a tattoo to honor my grammy while there with one of my best friends who not only loved her (and was loved by her) dearly but walked alongside me through every stage of grieving her. i truly cannot thank twin enough for that. the libra club was the best tattoo shop i have ever stepped inside of. i immediately felt not just safe but comfortable. it felt like i was sitting in the living room one of my girlfriends. i am so grateful to hilly for recommending it.

for our final night on the island, we had dessert before dinner at jojo’s shaved ice (because wishing well was closed) before heading to the terrace restaurant and bar for dinner. enzo got to try shaved ice for the first time and i thoroughly enjoyed my calamari and poke nachos from the terrace.

while leaving the island proved to be chaotic (both because of sadness and because my preordered lyft/uber cancelled and the next ones i requested continued to cancel on me), i would go back in a heartbeat. kauai officially has a piece of my heart.

if you have an opportunity to travel with one of your best friends, the answer is yes. happy birthday, twin. i would go anywhere with you.

xoxo,

k. tap

beach house restaurant – kauai

i am lucky enough to have multiple friends who grew up in kauai so figuring out where to go once on the island was a no brainer. from the views to the cocktails to the cuisine, one of the restaurants at the top of my list was beach house restaurant – kauai.

no ka oi Рocean vodka, thai basil, fresh lime, honey-lilikoi pur̩e
fresh focaccia
poke tacos

the no ka oi was light and subtly sweet with a little punch at the end. i am going to try my hand at recreating it at home. while anj is gluten free, enzo and i aren’t so we enjoyed the focaccia without her. there was no way i was going to be in hawaii and not have fresh fish everywhere we went – the poke tacos were to die for. the wonton shells were light and flaky and the ahi melted like butter.

fish and lobster pasta

for my main course, i had the fish and lobster pasta. i thoroughly enjoyed the freshness of the fish, the buttery lobster, the saltiness of the capers and the delightful sauce. i pretty much never say no to a savory dish. the meal was substantial without me feeling stuffed. there is something great about knowing how the meal we were eating was locally sourced. after dinner, we took a moment to take on the water and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

damn, this view is hard to beat. if you find yourself in kauai, be sure to make a reservation at beach house restaurant – kauai via opentable.

xoxo,

k. tap

the libra club

there were many parts of my trip to kauai that i loved but one that stood out most was my tattoo session with mckenzie. welcome to the libra club.

the libra club magazine
chess + checkers
one of the tattoo stations

hillary, one of my dear friends (and fellow aquarians), knew that i was in the market for a couple of new tattoos. when we were at dinner earlier this summer, she couldn’t rave more about the libra club. the moment i walked in, i understood why. so many tattoo shops i have been to have a vibe that isn’t inviting or comfortable. many of them just seem like they are missing a little something. once inside of the libra club, i realized what was missing – feminine energy.

the libra club is owned by a woman and filled with amazing female artists. the space felt light and safe. it was an added bonus that there was great natural light, a/c on full blast (necessary when battling the hawaii humidity) and plenty of cute things to buy. when it was time to get started, i felt completely at ease. mckenzie, the owner, was my artist. i had sent her some ideas ahead of time but also told her i was open to her putting her own spin on it. i truly couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.

compass tattoo with flowers

for anyone that knows me, it is no secret that i view connie (my late grandmother aka grammy) as my compass. i cannot even tell you how many times per week i think about what grammy would say when making a decision – whether it is what throw pillows to get to what advice to give a friend to how to handle conflict at work, she always knew just what to do. with grammy in my heart, my sense of direction is exactly where it needs to be. i cannot thank mckenzie enough for creating something so beautiful to honor the most beautiful person i’ve ever known. if you find yourself in kauai, be sure to visit the libra club.

xoxo,

k. tap