There is simply one image that I was drawn to while searching for a boutique hotel to add to my collection of bucket list hotels. You know for that special occasion or to simply pamper myself. The very image below in one from my childhood summer vacation days, perched around a table with extended families, for hours over dinners somewhere in the Mediterranean in a setting exactly as this: Take the tour
Engrossed or immersed in the novel – One Italian Summer, of late, I find myself researching and compiling a list of boutique hotels. Hotel Poseidon – the main property in the story. La Sirenuse – one of my favorites Albergo Miramare Positano Positano Art Hotel Pasitea Hotel Punta Regina Covo Dei Saraceni Hotel Palazzo Murat Hotel Villa Franca Albergo California Il San Pietro di Positano Buca Di Bacco Suggested similar read by yours truly – currently available in e-book only – Piazza Navona. You’re welcome…
Two films I watched in the recent days which have whisked me away to locations and setting I am simply missing more than imaginable. House of Gucci filming location- Italy : Villa Balbiano, Ossuccio, Tremezzina, Como, Lombardy, ItalyLake Como, ItalyGressoney-Saint-Jean, Aosta Valley, ItalyFlorence, Tuscany, ItalyMilan, Lombardy, ItalyGressoney-La-Trinité, Aosta Valley, ItalyVia dei Condotti, Rome, Lazio, ItalyRome, Lazio, ItalyMilan Cathedral, Milan, Lombardia, ItalyGalleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Piazza del Duomo, Milan, Lombardia, Italy (Maurizio and Patrizia looking for a restaurant at the beginning)Ossuccio, Tremezzina, Como, Lombardy, ItalyAosta Valley, ItalyLazio, ItalyVilla Necchi Campiglio, Milan, Lombardia, Italy(Rodolfo’s house)Tremezzina, Como, Lombardy, ItalyTuscany, ItalyPiazza del Duomo, Milan, Lombardia, Italy(Maurizio and Patrizia eat a snack at the beginning) New York City, New York, USA Filming Dates8 March 2021 – 6 May 2021 {source}
Do you select a film to watch based on location? Let me clarify. I understand selecting a movie to watch is normally based upon genre, actors as well as the story line. But do you ever search for films based on location? I do and last night it was all about Ireland. You see, I haven’t been to Ireland and it is one destination that I put on my list of destinations to visit in 2020. And we know what happened to the world as we once knew it. So until I feel safe enough to travel, films on location will simply have to do. Finding You – based on a novel by Jenny B Jones is certainly worth seeing for a virtual tour of some of the most beautiful countryside in Ireland. I found myself swooning over the breathtaking scenery and the small towns along the way. The storyline was also interesting as it touched upon connections between generations and the ways of thinking and living. Shattered dreams, broken hearts, funny moments and some …
It’s only Thursday, but for my post time-change-over-the-weekend brain, it feels like it should be a Saturday or June for that matter. Nevertheless, my day is filled with meetings. To the point that sitting still during a video call with a poker face is becoming more and more challenging. As I find my mind drifting off to the winding and narrow back streets of Cannes. Yes the one in France. That’s where I am inside my head, while perched on a ergonomic chair, looking at the camera. Why Cannes, I don’t know. But 20 minutes into a meeting, and I am whisked away to those streets. When the meetings are done, I walk from my desk to my bed and lay there for a second or two in an effort to clear my head or plan dinner. That is until someone pings me for attention… So in case you feel the need to escape from all things mundane, read on. For the love of Downtown Abbey, you’ll be glad to know the sequel A New …
Normally we venture out of the city on day trips to satisfy our wanderlust. But as most of you know, we are battling fires all around northern California, which seems to be the norm in recent years, except this one adds to the already sad state of our new lifestyle. So, Saturday we did some chores, and ran errands, mostly shopping for essentials – to be out but to stay indoors if you will – and in the evening had cocktails and watched silly and surely entertaining films here and here. On Sunday we took a chance, venturing across the Golden Gate, and staying close by, in Sausalito to explore and yet be ready if need be to return home and be indoors. So, we walked as usual up the steep hills, and through the narrow streets, with me wanting to capture photographs of the smoke filled air mixed with the picturesque small town of Sausalito. The color contrast to my eye was the most fascinating. We decided this weekend, not to ponder over …
I do love the water, and I live by the ocean in San Francisco, and throughout all my travels I always include a destination connected to some body of water – but a hotel immersed in water is something I have yet to experience or even consider being submerged, for fear of tapping into my claustrophobia. But, would you if you could – stay in an underwater hotel? On another topic – to recline or not to recline- that is the latest question for when flying, especially on a long haul – Here’s what they say. Do you agree or disagree? Do you recline? I seldom do – too mindful of the travelers around me I suppose. {featured image source}
I haven’t been to Capri in 20 years, but I remember it fondly. So last night, my wanderlust had me searching Netflix and Amazon Prime for films based on the Island and naturally all of Italy. Which I found and listed below for your reference. But for the sake of this post, a boutique hotel pick in Capri was all I can think about for the planning stages of a trip this year to this romantic destination, brimming with breath-taking scenery, cuisine and nightlife, and some of the best beaches in the world. As for me, I crave smaller details and sometimes luxury in accommodations , because I spend a great deal of time in my room, penning from the inspiration I draw by my environment, whether here or the next novel. And this hotel will suit me just fine, while in Capri. Care to join? Here’s a list of films made in or about Capri, but my all time favorite classic – It Started in Naples – but really mostly in Capri {featured image …
Considering 2020 I’ve claimed as the year of travel – I’ve done much research on where I would stay during my travels. I’ve considered villas in Tuscany, Resorts along the Riviera, castles throughout U.K. and country estates in the French wine region. Now, I am adding this list of best European apartments to rent to my bucket list of places I would stay.
Keeping in line with my commitment to talk more travel in 2020, I am kicking off the topic with a list of the best hotels in Europe from here, and some of my top picks: {Featured image source, and a favorite hotel of mine – Le Meurice, Paris}
rawsilkandsaffron.com 