CHEER UP, SLOW DOWN, & CHILL OUT IN BYRON BAY

With sun and sand and plenty of soul, Byron Bay has more to offer than your typical surf town.

If you google Byron Bay or look up the hashtag #byronbay you will see pictures of crystal clear water, white sand beaches, cute cafes, epic waves, and of course Chris Hemsworth. hahaha no really Chris Hemsworth does come up. I was immediately drawn in by the allure of Byron Bay.

Since Ryan and I were already in Australia for the Moomba Masters Waterski Tournament, we decided to extend our trip and check out a few beach towns on our way home.

The first 24 hours in Byron Bay was not at all that I expected. Wet, dark, and gloomy skies are not what I envisioned when planning my beach vacation. And seriously where the heck was Chris Hemsworth. lol.

We decided that a little rain was not going to dull our vacation, so we headed out anyway in the rain to check out the waves. Then we hit up the local surf shop to rent boards. A little rain wouldn't hurt anyone. Right? However, blue bottle jellyfish will! OMG. The first ten minutes in the ocean were awful. Just awful! There were jellyfish everywhere. I kept getting stung and even worse some surfer decided to surf into me shooting his board straight into my head. Ugh.

Rain, jellyfish, and a minor concussion I thought to myself, "what the hell was I doing in Byron Bay."

Lucky for me things didn't get any worse. The next day the sun was shining and I decided to brave it out and get back in the ocean. I am so thankful I did. I caught lots of fun waves and there were no jellyfish — just dolphins playing in the surf. This was the Byron Bay I came for. A truly awe inspiring place.

If you are planning a beach vacation I would definitely add Byron Bay to your list of destinations to check out.

Here are my recommendations on what to do, where to stay, and the great places to eat while in Byron Bay.

What to do

Surf - I would recommend checking out the beach before you rent boards. If you see blue bottle jellyfish washed up on the beach I would recommend going site seeing that day.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

Yoga - There are lots of options. Hatha, Bikram, Restorative, beach yoga

Thai Massage - I'm obsessed with Thai massages. If you like deep tissue massage, you should try it. Don't freak out when they walk and crawl on your back. It's standard.

Shopping - There are so many cute boutiques and surf shops!