Hello my friends- I’m finally back with a new post after a whirlwind of who even knows how long. November- early January are always hectic and tightly scheduled, and this year was all the more so, with lots of added obstacles and heartache. All that to say: I’m happy to be sharing a fun and bright post with you all today 🙂

By now, you are more than familiar with the fact that I love the sunshine! Any opportunity to sit by the pool, enjoy a cocktail, lounge around with a good read, and get some fresh air has my name all over it. This nonstop SoCal rain has been insane, and has me dreaming of last month when the sun was out, and my sister and I headed to the Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel to spend a few hours by poolside. I partnered with DayAxe, which is a site that offers the opportunity to book day passes to various (participating) hotel pools. Kind of amazing. As a total sun-baby, and a constant seeker of new environments- this is basically a dream come true for me.

I wanted to share my experience and overall thoughts with you all, because once this rain lets up, I know we’re all going to want to run outside and soak up the sun!The hotel lobby was decorated so festively (it was just before Christmas), which I obviously adored. It felt so cozy- like coming home for the holidays (kinda sorta). The check-in process was smooth and straight forward; I pulled out the ticket confirmation on my phone, and the lady at the front desk gave us a couple of wristbands, signifying we weren’t total intruders 😉

My sister and I headed up to the pool, ready to snack (duh) and swim. We made ourselves at home in a cabana (there were endless options, as there was only one other family present), and prepared to use the call button to order nachos and a pitcher to share. After 10 minutes of waiting, we realized there was no one working at the pool- which was super strange, since there were menus and call buttons by every chair/ cabana! My sister- the brave soul that she it – headed to the lobby in an attempt to sort out some of the confusion we were experiencing.

When we arrived at the bar adjacent to the lobby, we were told conflicting stories about the menus/ service/ offerings, etc., but what we gathered was that there is only service at the pool during the summer. SO: if interested in ordering food or beverages, you have to order at the bar downstairs and lug it back up with you. (I know… a hassle — and what we ended up doing.) We also learned that the menus displayed at the pool are only valid during June-August, so we weren’t able to order the drinks we had our sights set on *tears*; We did, however, enjoy catching up and having some girl time in the jacuzzi.To be honest, we were both frustrated at the lack of ease; we were looking to relax in the cabana, but ended up going back and forth between the pool and the lobby, carrying our bags/ food/ drinks, and asking each other “why are these menus still out if they can’t be ordered from?!”

I have to say: I LOVE the concept of Day Axe, and there are actually a couple different pools I’m interested in lounging by, come warmer days, but I don’t know that I would make my way back to the Renaissance Newport Beach.Have you ever booked a day pass to spend the day at a local pool? I want to hear about your experience(s)!

A big THANK YOU to DayAxe for sponsoring this post!