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7 Amazing Swimming Pools Around the World

July 21, 2015 By 0

Summer is here, and you know what that means – POOL TIME! One of our favorite things to do whenever we are visiting a new place is to see where there is a pool! Even when my family road tripped across Greece last month, it didn’t matter what time we arrived at St. George Lycabettus Boutique Hotel, as long as there was still some time to use the pool. We quickly checked in, and the kids changed into their swimsuits at record speed for some pool time. Our obsession with pools reached even new heights where despite living across the beach on the Adriatic Sea, we actually drove an hour away just for the infinity pool at Porto Montenegro! (It may cost to drive and utilize, but it was soooo worth it!) Oh, and we still talk about our time poolside during the Spark.Me conference at Hotel Splendid, which lived up to its name. Who said the coast is not also a great place to enjoy a pool?! 😉

Anyway, as our thoughts remember all the great pools we have visited, it is time to pull you into our obsession with splashing, cooling off and laying by the pool this summer, here are 7 amazing swimming pools around the world that will leave you reaching for swimsuit and a plane ticket to one of these amazing destinations across the world.

1. Lido Pool, Porto Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro. It sits in Montenegro’s dramatic Bay of Kotor.LidoPool
2. St. George’s Rooftop Pool, Athens, Greece.stgeorgepool
3. Arena Badeschiff Pool, Berlin, Germany.ArenaBadeschiff
4. Berkeley Rooftop Pool, London, England. Beyond the green leaves and scented blooms of The Berkeley’s secret garden is a pool tiled in iridescent white and gold mosaic that sits beneath a sliding roof, retractable when outside temperatures permit.TheBerkeleyPool
5. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona.HyattRegencyPools
6. Giola Lagoon, Thassos, Greece. This is a natural pool in the Greek Islands.GiolaLagoon
7. River Bluff Water Experience, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa River, San Antonio, Texas. It has a Cyprus tree-lined 1,200-foot lazy river, zero-entry pool with its animal-shaped fountains and five water slides.jwmarriottpool
We cannot think of a better way to spend the summer than being poolside with a good book. What do you enjoy to do in the summer? What pool amazed you around the world?

Hotel ZaZa’s Annual Spring Soiree

April 24, 2015 By 0

Hotel ZaZaAs the spring party circuit continues to forge ahead, what’s another happy social that lauds the philanthropy and business scene that keeps Dallas on the international map? The stylish, storied Hotel ZaZa in Dallas has played host to many affairs — including conferences, luncheons, fundraising galas and private events — so Hotel Zaza wanted to show their appreciation at their annual Spring Soiree held on Thursday, April 23rd.

The spirit of “Living the Sweet Life” descended upon the poolside of hotel for this retro-themed springtime fete, despite the threat of rain. The beautiful and interesting people of Dallas were out in full force wearing their most sophisticated Spring attire.  Waiters served delicious appetizer bites by Hotel ZaZa’s Dragonfly restaurant and the beat was provided by DJ Sober and DSQ Electric.

Much of the attention went to the models floating in the pool on inflatable swans (yes, I said swans).  At the height of the evening girls wearing polka dot dresses paraded into the pool area holding sparklers! Many guests were striking a pose in front of their signature Z for photo opps, like my husband and me did for a fun date night.
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Hotel ZaZa5Hotel ZaZa 3

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Hotel ZaZa is located in the heart of Uptown Dallas where it’s all happening.  The Hotel and Dragonfly Restaurant has a very stylish, upscale and funky vibe.  If you haven’t been, you have to go and experience it for yourself.

Hotel Zaza
2332 Leonard St, Dallas, TX 75201
214.468.8399

Dallas Summer Musicals brings The King and I to Dallas

March 26, 2015 By 1

thekingandiDallas Summer Musicals continues their 75 anniversary season with their current production of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I.  Like last year’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, DSM is producing the show themselves.  This exciting new production features a revamped script, timeless songs, and a new physical production with an entirely fresh interpretation of the musical.  This is a great musical for both adults and kids.

If you’re not familiar with the story of the musical here’s a short summary: East meets West in 1862 in the country of Siam when a very proper English widow, Anna and her young son arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok to tutor the king’s many children and wives. The King, is considered to be backward and a barbarian by Westerner standards and wants Anna’s assistance in changing his image. Through Anna’s teachings and devotion to the King’s family the two grow to understand and respect each other in a unique and touching love story. The quizzical king and the English tutor develop a bond that transcends their cultural differences.thekingandimusicalBroadway veteran Rachel York, stars as Anna. If you shut your eyes you would swear that Julie Andrews herself is on stage, she’s that good. She has an incredible voice and has a delightful chemistry with the King who is played by Alan Ariano. The classic songs were a delight to hear again and made me want to sing along with them. The two actors who played the forbidden lovers were showstoppers when they sang “We Kiss in a Shadow”. The sets were fresh and colorful as were the beautiful costumes. One of my favorite parts of the musical is the extremely creative Jerome Robbins ballet, “The Small House of Uncle Thomas”. It encompasses the humor of the story and the exotic nature of a country that most of us Westerners can’t understand but appreciate. I would go see the musical again just to experience this performance again.

Did you know? In 1895, the second revival of The King and I opened at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 191 performances. It won Yul Brynner a special Tony Award for his 4,525th performance in the role of King.

The King and I continues through April 5th at Fair Park Music Hall, 909 First Avenue, Dallas, $98-$108.  214-346-3300, dallassummermusicals.org

The King and I JackieAs a former season DSM ticket holder, I am very excited about this year’s 75th anniversary line up of shows because it bring to town several new and classic shows that we haven’t seen in Dallas.  Tune in for Real Posh Mom Reviews for the upcoming shows at DSM:

Coming up next is The Illusionists, April 7-19, 2015.  This bestselling touring magic show is a mind blowing spectacular showcasing the jaw-dropping talents of seven of the most incredible illusionists on earth.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, June 9-21, 2015

Dirty Dancing, June 23-July 5, 2015

Pippin, July 7-19, 2015

Dallas CityScape Visits Galleria Dallas

December 12, 2014 By 0

DallasCityScapeAACThe annual Dallas CityScape exhibit features over 20 models of Dallas’ famous landmarks, all crafted out of Lego bricks, perfect for fans of The Lego Movie or future architects and creative types. There will also be an interactive kids construction zone for anyone to try their hand at building a masterpiece and test their college enrollment process skills with a “College Knowledge IQ” game.DallasCityScapeGalleriaThe goal of Dallas CityScape is to bring together families during the holidays at this unique and interactive exhibit, as well as to showcase the Dallas community and build the foundation for sustainable change in education. This kid and family-friendly exhibit is all for a good cause: All proceeds from the exhibit benefit Education Opens Doors, a local nonprofit that empowers students to purposefully navigate through high school to college using the Roadmap to Success Program.DallasCityScapeReunionAdmission to the exhibit is $5 until January 4, 2015, and each child receives a free toy car with their ticket purchase.

Education Opens Doors from Jayda Batchelder on Vimeo.

Live Nation Will Open The Music Factory in 2016

December 4, 2014 By 0

Last night at the House of Blues, Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, announced that it will open an all-new, state-of-the-art concert venue in Irving, Texas.the-pavilion-at-the-music-factory-indoor-theaterThe Pavilion at The Music Factory lifestyle center, will open in Spring 2016 and will play host to world-class artists! The Pavilion will be the perfect anchor for Irving’s highly anticipated new entertainment and restaurant complex known as The Music Factory. It was Irving that decided it needed to have an entertainment-destination development such as The Music Factory. Live Nation looked throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth before landing in Irving as a regional destination. The 17-acre site sits adjacent to the Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas has proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, State Highway 114, State Highway 183, Interstate 35E and Interstate 635. The proximity to roadways wasn’t the only appealing aspect, he added. The Pavilion at The Music Factory also will be located near rail stations on the newly completed DART Orange Line, include 4,200 dedicated parking spaces and 15 valet stands.Irving Music FactoryThe innovative new venue in Las Colinas will convert from a 4,000-seat indoor theatre to an 8,000-person capacity boutique open-air pavilion! Can’t wait until it opens – live music just got bigger and better in DFW! The convertible concert venue gives Live Nation the ability to bring in a wide variety of concerts ranging from A-list headliners to growing artists by using electronic doors that fold up horizontally before being lifted vertically at the back of the venue to open up in a panoramic view to the grassy lawn.
the-pavilion-at-the-music-factory-outdoor-open-air-pavilionThe live entertainment company plans to hold 60 to 70 concert events at The Pavilion at The Music Factory each year. The Pavilion gives Live Nation the ability to round out its venue portfolio in the region, which is the fourth largest metro area in the United States. The Pavilion at The Music Factory is scheduled to open on April 1, 2016. Live Nation plans to begin marketing shows at the concert venue in fall 2015.