No better time to glam up your swimwear than when traveling to an exotic island, like here in Santorini, Greece. Swimwear is a funny category-- sort of like makeup, where there's a time and a place to glam up, or tone down. Don't be caught missing the mark in either case-- nothing worse than an overachieving suit in a underachieving vibe. And visa versa!

But here, in fabulous island world, glam up is always a do. The gold jewelry, the bold lip, the designer suit that probably.shouldn't.get.wet. 

Then there's the "no shirt, no shoes, no problem" beach vibe, which would completely shun a look like this. I'd save the sporty triangle bikinis for those rare days. ;)

Riddle me this... What's white and Tiffany blue and chic all over?

Mykonos town brings it home with charming cobblestone streets that rival the it-life maze of Italy's Capri town. Only difference is Capri is stacked with couture, and Mykonos with local shops and mixed designer boutiques (très chic)!

Although nothing beats spending an afternoon at one of Mykonos' daytime party beach clubs (did someone say Nammos?), the "walk, shop, and eat around town" vibe comes in a close second.

I mean, these streets speak for themselves! Come get lost with me as I weave around, picking up local trinkets along the way... ;)

This weekend I threw all I could fit in my la petite valise (tiny little suitcase) and drove south one hour to The Inn at Laguna Beach. I'm a hotel snob-- so I'll drive 10 minutes or 10 hours if it means checking in to check out.

I love the feeling of checking into a luxe hotel. What's the lobby vibe? People-watching? How close am I to town? What bath products will be offered? What will the view be like? How silky are the sheets? How fabulous is the shower? 

I don't recommend becoming a hotel snob if you haven't already reached that status. The problem is, your "must visit" checklist only-gets-longer! But the best part? Thinking back to this weekend I just had...

So ahead I went, to a beach town that I've rarely explored, and checked myself in for a weekend staycation. 

The Inn at Laguna Beach delivered just that. Perched on top of the bluffs over Laguna Beach, I couldn't help but feel like I had just pulled up to the perfect boutique hotel. Surf boards-turned- benches and showers greeted my dog Homer with fabulous photo opps (dog-friendly hotels get a double check in my book), and "town" was a mere 2 minute walk down the road. 

We spent our days sitting on our oceanfront balcony, walking down to the beach, and having wine on the rooftop. Homer agrees, it was the perfect weekend getaway.

File under: best beach throw-on of the summer. A jumpsuit that both shows and hides in all of the right places, and goes where the wind leads? Don't mind if I wear this more than once...

These shots were taken on our private villa balcony at our hotel in Mykonos, called the Cavo Tagoo. They were kind enough to give us... the absolute best room in the 80-room hotel. They hooked a sister up!

Our infinity pool overlooking the Aegean Sea nightly sunsets was a plus. As was the mega hot tub in the center of our room, next to our bed. And then there was the shower built into a rock-cave formation. I hope you catched my live snapchatting of the room-- it was some do-not-miss footage. If you missed it, just remember that I'm always posting interesting footage on my snapchat so be sure to follow along daily @ElshanesWorld!

We rode our ATVs to the tip of the island of Santorini where a long stretch of black sand beaches occupy the coast. Due to the fact that Santorini is a volcanic island, it's no wonder that many of their beaches are made of black lava "sand". 

And walking on black lava "sand" barefoot? Well, I don't recommend it! I felt like I was on an as-seen-on-TV yoga retreat where you have to walk across a line of hot coals to complete your spiritual journey. Worth it for some photographs?

Anything for a great shot... ;)

My most famous, and consistently repeated words? "I am not a thrill seeker!" These are my 'get out of jail free' words for all types of adventures that people attempt to pressure me into... from level 1-- going to the beach without a spare change of clothes, to level 10-- not jumping out of an airplane, ever. 

So you could imagine my response when my husband tried to get me to rent an ATV today in Santorini to explore the island. 

I am not a thrill seeker!

Well... maybe now I am. It was the best day...e-v-e-r! Come take a tour of the island of Santorini with me...

Ok, maybe wearing denim cut-offs and a pseudo crop top wasn't the best idea for a day adventure around Jerusalem... but it also wasn't the worst! 

My favorite part of today was wandering inside the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem and observing the strong, distinct cultures. The Armenians, the Bedouins, the Orthodox Jews, the Arabs... it was like a cultural Cobb salad! {You know, the kind that is served on one plate, but completely sectioned off by ingredient?}

I bought a backgammon board from the Armenian section, a pair of killer drop crotch pants from the Bedouins, a Hamsa from the Jewish quarters, and spices from the Arabs. It was my very own Cobb salad-- the Elshane's World way! ;)

I had hiked the Snake Path (aka cardio-death) at Mt. Masada when I was in Israel 8 years ago. Now, venturing back to Israel with my husband for his first time, he begged me to hike it again. I was so pissed-- why did I have go to through the excruciating pain of getting to the mountain again at 3:45am, climbing a 1,300 ft tall pile of dust for over an hour, just to see the sun rise over the Dead Sea one more time?! But he insisted. So I played good wifey ;)

And I couldn't be happier that I did it...again! It was even better than the first time. 

When we traveled back down the mountain at around 8am, we stopped along the road to take these photographs. The desert is so vast in Israel, and it's easy to find yourself looking around to find nothing but sand. I'll never forget this day-- a favorite travel moment of my life.