Going on vacation is dreamy…but going on a ‘babymoon’ is practically a necessity—especially when you’re expecting your 2nd bundle-of-joy, like Sara Riff, Director of Entertainment Relations for Jimmy Choo. The busy mom to toddler Tatiana Plum (we just love that name!), also has her hands full with The Hive, an uber popular blog she co-founded last year, which is a favorite of saavy moms around the globe. So when she headed down to Mexico for a little weekend escape she was looking forward to some serious “R&R, sunshine and alone time” with her husband. Here, the babe, with a babe on the way, shares details of her getaway including early morning swims, fresh coconuts on the beach, and days spent wearing nothing but a bikini (heaven!).

Destination you traveled to:

Punta Mita, Mexico.

How did you get there:

We took an Alaska Airlines flight from Los Angeles. The flight was a little over 2.5 hours, followed by an hour drive. When we were approaching the resort, there is a stretch where I was quite positive that the driver must be lost, but in fact we finally did come upon a jungle-like entrance that lead up to the main entrance.

Was this your first time there?

Yes!

Who did you go with:

My husband.

Any special reason you went:

We went for our babymoon as we are expecting baby #2 in April.  We were desperate for a few nights of R&R, sunshine, and alone time.

How long did you go for:

We stayed for three nights and considered extending for one more night but decided against it so we could rush back to our daughter, who ultimately seemed very non-plussed by our decision, since my mother had bought her a “Frozen” bed for her house….we probably should have just stayed!

Place where you stayed:

We stayed at the Imanta Resort in Punta Mita. Our intention was to go to Cabo, specifically to Esperanza, where we always stay and where we had our first babymoon, but unfortunately with the hurricane, Cabo had sustained alot of damage and wouldn’t reopen while I was still able to fly (and wear a bikini without scaring the other guests).

Places you ate:

We mostly just stayed at the hotel…but we went into the nearby town of Sayulita one night for dinner.

Local delicacy you feasted on:

We ate the fresh ‘catch-of-the-day’ fish tacos for lunch and enjoyed simply grilled fish at night.

Cocktail you sipped:

Sadly my cocktail sipping was limited to the fresh coconuts that they chopped down from a tree right in front of me (pretty cool!).  My husband however was able to sip on margaritas and Corona.

Books you read:

I finished Yes Please by Amy Poehler and loaded up on magazines.

Games you played:

We are not real game players but we actually did play a few rounds of blackjack during lunch on the beach one day.

Music you listened to:

We were in the jungle so we listed to the sounds of nature….the chirping of birds & crickets, the crashing of the waves…and the sounds of my own terror when I found a large crab in our bed one night!

My daily uniform there was:

A bikini.

Brand of luggage you traveled with:

We brought one black Rimowa hard-case that we shared, and a black Tumi carry-on.  Since I wasn’t traveling with my daughter I was able to simply carry a small Jimmy Choo “Rebel” cross-body bag on the plane.  I felt weightless!

Did you over-pack or under-pack:

It wasn’t terrible but I packed probably 3 really great ‘resort looks’ that went completely unworn.   We were truly in our bathing suits all day and didn’t really change until dinner time.  I did hand-carry 3 of my nicer hats, that went pretty much unworn as well, and am still hearing about it from my husband.

Items you packed in your suitcase:

Melissa Odabash bikini
Eres bikini
Hanne Bloch cover-up
HATCH jumper
A blue floral-print Natalie Martin dress
Isabel Marant pants, for the plane
Hats by Maison Michel & Marie Mercie
Jimmy Choo sandals
Thierry Lasry sunglasses—I’m beyond obsessed with all of Thierry’s sunglasses and firmly believe that they make an outfit!

Beauty-essentials you packed:

My routine is very minimal on trips like this so I just packed tons of sunscreen for day & body oil for night.  At 7 ½ months pregnant I oil myself up like a lunatic to avoid stretch marks and keep my skin hydrated.  Right now, I am using one from Shiffa and always also use my Honest Co. Organic Body Oil. My sunscreen is Neutrogena SPF 85—I wear it daily, regardless of whether I’m in Mexico or a movie theatre. For makeup I packed a tinted moisturizer from Hourglass in the Ivory shade, and lots of bright lipsticks, which is really all the makeup you need on holiday once you have a little bit of a tan.  I love Ilia lipsticks because they are all natural and don’t dry out my lips.  My favorite shades are Shell Shock and Crimson & Clover. I’m also very into my new mascara from Charlotte Tilbury! I didn’t bring a hairdryer—I’ve really tried to stop bringing one everywhere….plus, on a trip like this, I never blow dry my hair—it’s better when it dries naturally in the sun with a little salt water mixed in.  I did bring my own shampoo + conditioner from Davines, as well as a small bottle of Moroccan Oil for my hair. I also packed a little lavender oil to help me relax and sleep. Oh, and I brought some of my own q-tips because there is nothing worse than a thin q-tip when you want the OG ones that really swab out your ears!

In the day we:

We would wake up and go to the main pool so I could swim laps before enjoying a breakfast of fresh papaya with lime.  We’d get some sun up on the observation deck and then head down to the beach to relax and eat lunch.  After a few hours of taking it easy and walking on the beach, we’d go back to our room, hit our private pool and then change for dinner.  Tough Life!

And at night we: 

We ate dinner at the hotel and went into town one night, where I was almost seduced by all of the pharmacies offering Latisse, Xanax, etc. ‘sans prescriptions‘ and then remembered I was pregnant and got a frozen coconut instead.  The wildest part of our evening was when a local dog tried to jump into our suburban on the ride home—although I can’t say I really blamed him.

Was it all smooth-sailing or did you encounter any travel disasters:

We loved our time away but the location was a bit remote.  It was hard to get a signal to call my mom, who was watching my daughter, so even though she was perfectly fine, that wasn’t very comfortable.  Also, the crab we found in our bed on the first night was definitely NOT the exotic creature that one hopes to meet on a tropical vacation.

Best part of the trip:

Being able to disconnect and just relax.  Sleeping in is the biggest luxury once you have kids and our room was almost like a cave built into the side of a mountain.  Sleeping to the sounds of the ocean and having a delicious latte delivered to the room first thing in the morning was a serious treat.