All posts tagged: food

FINDING THE BEST RENDANG IN PADANG, INDONESIA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Padang is a city in Indonesia often overlooked by tourists, but along with its stunning sunset beaches, it’s a culinary hub for traditional Indonesian food and the origin of the country’s national dishes…and in Indonesia, rendang is king. When I took my first bite of Rendang on the island of Siberut, little did I know that my life would never be the same. I had found my favorite chicken dish in the world. The complex and rich flavor of rendang had me speechless. Rendang is a spicy meat dish that is most similar to curry. The dish can be made with chicken or beef, and because the beef rendang is cooked longer for the meat to get extra tender, the sauce tastes a bit richer than the sauce for the chicken rendang. Lucky for me, I had a local and friend of mine, Erú take me to one of the best places to eat rendang in Padang! We ventured to Sari Reso for a great authentic Indonesian meal. Eating rendang is a “hands-on experience”, and …

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE GUIDE

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I have traveled to so many different parts of Mexico my entire life, but never had been to San Miguel De Allende. This colorful local town is a few hour drive from Mexico City, and when I got invited to experience it for the first time with Azaria Travel, I was excited for the opportunity. On another note, I am DYING to go to Mexico City and can’t believe I have never been! It’s such an amazing culinary city, and the foodie in me has been itching to go for years. It has an incredible street food scene as well which is very much my vibe. I was going to try and squeeze in a few days to Mexico City when I went to San Miguel, but I thought being in a big city during the pandemic might be risky so I ended up opting out. San Miguel had little to no cases when I went January of this year, and the small town went above and beyond safety measures to keep it that way. The …

VIDEO: MY GUIDE TO THE COOK ISLANDS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

  BEST things to do in Rarotonga & Aitutaki! This was my 2nd experience in the Cook Islands and I visited the islands of Rarotonga & Aitutaki. If you’re looking for things to do in Rarotonga Cook Islands, then you’ve come to the right place! I’ll share some info on snorkeling in the Cook Islands, (snorkeling in Rarotonga) and you’ll also learn about Aitutaki Cook Islands! When it comes to “what to do in Cook Islands,” we did it all! We got to try some snorkeling, whale watching, island/sandbar hopping, and tried the best local foods on the islands. :::: Connect With Me: www.nicoleisaacs.com www.instagram.com/NicoleIsaacs www.twitter.com/NicoleIsaacs

MONTEVERDI TUSCANY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

As I’m sure you already know, Italy is my favorite place in the world. There is just so much to see and  the country has it all. As much as I am in love with the Amalfi Coast, I love Tuscany just as much in a different way. I’ve been to Florence and Tuscany a few times, but this time was extra special because I had my mom and sister with me- girl’s trip!  I was so excited to be in my favorite place in the world and bring my mom this time because I never get to travel with her. She landed in Florence and went straight to meet my sister and I at the train station to take the train to Chiusi, a town in the Siena region of Tuscany. From the train station in Chiusi, we took a 20-minute taxi ride to a tiny village called Castiglioncello del Trinoro, where we pulled up to one of the most magical places in the world-Monteverdi Tuscany.    Monteverdi is a beautiful boutique hotel perched on …

MY TULUM GUIDE

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Just got back from Tulum, and already getting so many questions on recommendations on what to do there, where to go and obviously where to eat 🙂 Thought I’d share my favorite spots with you guys. I highly suggest renting a car when arriving in Cancun. You can rent a car for super cheap, and it gives you the flexibility and freedom to do whatever you want on your own time and not have to rely on finding taxi’s everywhere you go. Tulum is a 1.5 hour drive from the Cancun airport and it’s a straight shot on the highway basically. It’s an easy drive. Tip: Check to see if your credit card provides rental car insurance benefits. You can decline their insurance and use your CC’s- I would print a copy of the insurance terms your CC offers and give to them in a hard copy form. Good way to save money, and most of the time you can get crazy cheap deals at any rental car company at the Cancun airport. THE REAL …

8 DAYS IN TUNISIA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Everybody goes to Morocco- at lease everyone in my world of travel blogging. I’ve never been to Morocco and I’m DYING to go,  its on the top of my list.  I was planning a trip to Morocco this past October and changed my mind…I chose to travel to Tunisia instead. I hadn’t seen anyone I know travel there before, therefore I was interested in it. I was in Italy for two weeks and ended my trip in Sicily, which  is just a short one hour flight into Tunis. I decided to spend 3 nights in Tunis, and 5 nights in Hammamet, Tunisia. I really didn’t know what to expect but I was curious about the culture and excited to learn about it. I found the people to be warm and genuine, and overall I felt good vibes everywhere I went. Tunisia is a Muslim country in Northern Africa bordering the Mediterranean sea and the Sahara Desert. They speak Arabic and French. I recently got the new EOS R camera from Canon and was eager to …

COOKING PAELLA IN BARCELONA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

The last time I visited Barcelona I cooked authentic Spanish paella at a local’s house. I knew I wanted to do something with food while I was there, and what better way than learning how to make one of the most traditional Spanish dishes. The program was called La Salsamenta, and you can book through their website or find them on Air B n’ B experiences for Barcelona. I learned a lot about Paella and it was such a fun and interactive experience. Watch the video below of the highlights, and a big thank you to La Salsamenta for having me!

A CURATED GUIDE TO MALTA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Malta has always been a fascinating place to me and has been on my radar for years. I finally had the opportunity to visit through a trip with the Malta Tourism Authority for six days this past October. I tried to squeeze in a visit over the summer, but I couldn’t make it work with my travel schedule. When the opportunity came around for an October visit, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I flew into Malta from Tunisia which was a quick one-hour flight on Air Malta. I flew back to Los Angeles from Malta on British Airways business class with a layover in London. I was blown away by the impeccable service on both British Airways flights, and how friendly and attentive the flight attendants were. It made it a real pleasure to fly. The business class was spacious and super comfortable with a full flat lay bed from London to LA. The food served on flight was also good. I would definitely recommend British Airways to anyone, and I can’t wait to …