I am back!

So I know it has been a few days since I have blogged.  I have been in catch up mode since coming back from my girls weekend get-a-way to Washington D.C.   About a year ago, two of my girlfriends and I said we would have to do a girls trip to Washington D.C. one day, so we figured the time was now.  Was the perfect city to visit and a beautiful time catching up with great friends. 

Well I figured it would be great time to share some reviews from where I stayed and places we ate while in D.C.,  in case you are ever visiting the city.   So that is what I am going to share today.  I was also excited to be able to go visit my friends shop in Northern Virginia (which I will do a entire blog on her shop and some great finds I purchased  in a few days). 

So to start the review, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza (The Hamilton) which is located downtown Washington D.C. (a couple blocks from the White House).   I would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Washington D.C.  The location was perfect, being in the heart of the city.  It is a luxury hotel with full amenities (even including a full-service onsite Starbucks), beautiful rooms and excellent customer service.  It also included one of Washington D.C. best restaurants "14K" which is regarded as "The place to meet" in Washington D.C.  Here are some pictures of the hotel:

Now you know we had to have a bar, and this hotel delivered.  Their bar was very cozy and chic. The perfect spot for my girlfriends and I to kick back, run up a hefty bar tab and laugh all night.   The drinks were well prepared and quite enjoyable :).   I only had two complaints.  The first complaint was to the bartender because he did not card me :).  I told him I would not report him this time, but to watch it :).  The second complaint was he was a bit slow getting my 4th or 5th mojito to me, but he resolved that by making it on the house :).   The bar is pictured below: 

So now on to the serious review...FOOD! :).  Saturday afternoon we had lunch at Cuba Libre downtown Washington D.C.   I love this place!  The atmosphere made you feel as if you were in sitting in Cuba.  They did a excellent job with the decor.  Here is a picture of one side of the restaurant.  It was huge and you could also dine outside. 

As for the food at Cuba Libre, it was YUMMY!  It was a tapas style menu, with a really good selection.  The only thing I would warn you against is the plantains.  They were a bit of a disappointment, but everything else was delicious.  One thing that impressed me, was their food presentation.  They did a great job with that.   I must say out of everything, my favorite was the guacamole.  It was infused with pineapples which gave it such a beautiful burst of flavor.  Here it is pictured below.  I highly recommend getting this if you are ever dining at Cuba Libre.   We also had our fair share of cocktails, which I had the tropical white sangria.   It had a nice and refreshing flavor and was the perfect afternoon cocktail.  The next time I am in D.C. I will definitely visit Cuba Libre again. 

For dinner Saturday night we ate at Chef Geoff's downtown Washington D.C.   This is a contemporary restaurant with a nice variety when it comes to their menu.  Of course I had to keep with my seafood, so I had a good healthy serving of mussels with sweet potato fries.   We also shared calamari as a appetizer which was YUMMY!  We then finished off our meal with a nice tequila shot, upon the recommendation of our waiter :).   I would dine at Chef Geoff's again.  Nice atmosphere, good food and excellent service.  On a side note, this is a great "date night" restaurant if you are ever visiting the city with your sweetie.

I have to also make another comment about Chef Geoff's.  If you have never tasted Saratoga sparkling water I highly recommend you try it.   Not only did it come in the most beautiful blue bottle, the water tasted exceptionally well!   I don't know what they put in it but I am sold!   I am going to have to start keeping some of that water at the house.  This is one of my new favorite things.    

So to sum it up, I really enjoyed the entire trip, and I can say that Washington D.C. is really a fun city to visit and I cannot wait to go back.  My girlfriends and I have already picked our next city that we are going to meet up in for another girlfriends get-a-way trip in January, which will be the great city of New York!  Can't wait!