I finished up work on the cookbook in March and have been enjoying a few months of relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing lol. But now it’s time for blogging again, and I’m super excited to kick it off with a post about my recent trip to the Henderson Resort in Destin, Flordia!
What’s great about the Henderson Inn & Resort is that they’re in the middle of a great beach city, but they don’t have that crowded, overly-touristy beach feeling. There’s a wildlife preserve to one side of the property and no other high rises in site, so it’s the perfect place for a relaxing weekend.
friday
COCKTAIL HOUR AT HORIZONS
We started off the first night of our trip at the resort bar, Horizons, for appetizers and drinks! I got a super refreshing Elderflower Lemonade. My favorite of the appetizers was the crispy Asian cauliflower, but the sushi chef there is seriously an artist. I’m not really a sushi person, but it looked so amazing that I did try some!
My favorite restaurant from our previous trip, Brotula’s, has opened a second restaurant called Cuvée. It’s a little bit more upscale and fancier than Brotula’s, which is the one right on the water. I was surprised and not surprised in the slightest that it was just as amazing. Our server told us that the night before they’d been entertaining a winemaker who has a brand of wine called Honey Bubbles, which donates a portion of their proceeds to preserving habitats for honey bees. So they mixed up a cocktail with her wine (a bubbly moscato, yumm) and some local honey. We all immediately wanted this even though it wasn’t on the menu, and he made them for us! I was just struck by how passionate the staff was about their work and the service was fantastic. Definitely check this place out if you’re in Destin!
saturday
YOGA ON THE BEACH
We started out the morning with yoga on the beach! I haven’t done much yoga, so I was a little concerned I would be lost and have no idea how to do any of the poses. Thankfully our instructor took into consideration that we were exhausted and it was 8am on a Saturday. It ended up being a great way to start out the day. The beach was still pretty empty at that point and it wasn’t too hot!
For lunch we went back to Brotula’s! This place is seriously my favorite. We started out with Cherry Frosé ? and watermelon salad. Then, just like last time, the chef brought us this massive platter of different seafood dishes and sides. If I recall correctly my favorite was the fried amberjack with salsa, crema, and homemade chips. SERIOUSLY YUM. The bread pudding was amazing and you just can’t beat a slice of key lime pie on a hot summer day.
Later that afternoon we each had appointments at the spa! I was verrrry excited about this because I’ve never been to a spa or had a massage or anything. Aside from all the incredible food, this was the highlight for me! We got to relax in the spa lounge in giant comfy robes and then had Swedish massages. I had no idea what to expect, but lemme tell you, I will be getting more massages in the future! It was just very relaxing and definitely what I needed after all the excitement and stress that comes with working on a cookbook.
That night we had dinner at the restaurant at the resort, Primrose. Right off the bat, our server, Anastasia, was fantastic. She was so nice and accommodating and brought us a variety of things to try from the kitchen. Crab cakes, deviled eggs, more spectacular sushi. Champagne was consumed! We sat outside near the adult pool (ya, there’s an adults only pool), enjoyed our drinks, and talked super late until the sun went down and it was too dark for me to get decent pictures of our desserts!
sunday
bloggers who brunch
On our last day in Destin, we finally took some time to just lounge around the resort. I’ve been wanting to branch out and do some lifestyle + photography for other bloggers, so I followed the other girls around and practiced taking outfit photos! Molly, Mae, and Lacey seriously have this fashion blogger thing down. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it. They were all so prepared ahead of time with what they were going to wear and what all they needed to bring with them to get enough content for their blog posts. I personally don’t know that I could have my crap together enough to be a fashion blogger haha. I follow several fashion bloggers on instagram, but I have a renewed appreciation for them after this trip!
We ended our trip with a nice brunch at the restaurant. Obviously, we ordered mimosas. My favorite dishes were the chicken and waffles and the breakfast tacos! After that we lounged in a cabana by the adult pool until it was time for check out. The family pool is right nearby and is surrounded by a lazy river! I’m still kinda sad I didn’t have time for that.
The Henderson is great because they’re all about comfort and accommodation and helping you have the best experience. For me, this trip was about fun and relaxation. I wanted to decompress. I wanted to eat delicious food, hang out with friends, and sort of reset. I love blogging trips because they always remind me why I do this and get me excited to create content again. After a little break and this little weekend vacation, I hope to have some new posts up for you guys soon. Also cookbook updates! I’m supposed to finally get my hands on some physical copies within the next week or two. Stay tuned!
This place looks AMAZING!
Wow, the FOOD! And the resort in total looks fantastic. 🙂