All posts filed under: boutique hotels

Lake Como – In Two Days

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After my Rome-Florence-Venice portion of the perfect travel I think I have organized for my group is a stop in Como, Italy. We arrived mid-day on Saturday last, and checked into our hotel – only for a few minutes to freshen up and change into our walking shoes. We had to take the funicular up to the highest point in Como to see the spectacular views for only 5.50euro roundtrip. This can’t be missed no matter how long the lines. Dinner followed after that, along with a bottle of wine and the perfect conversations before we turned in. The next day we would spend on the lake, with an all-day pass to visit some of the small towns or villages perched along the heavenly lake. Since we were pressed for time I selected three stops. Menaggio, Varrena and Bellagio. I fell in love with Menagio and considered for the three hours I was there to live in the quant town. Varrena was a stop for lunch and a stroll through the cobblestone village and then a 15 …

Vacation So Far…Rain and More Rain

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I’ve never been on vacation in October. Well, maybe a destination wedding. But really that doesn’t count like a genuine two week planned trip to a far away destination. This is truly the first. And it seems the world is going to hell in a hand basket as far as the weather is concerned, and naturally it is all going down while I am travelling through Italy this week. First stop was Rome, landing through the blackened clouds and touching ground to a stormy day in the eternal city. But the hubs and I persevered as we had a schedule to follow. Walking leisurely through a town we love so much. Snapping photographs and then touching them up over an espresso at an outdoor cafe, sitting under heat lamps. Day two was Vatican City, and more rain, and day three some sort of shopping, which is what I planned but ended up just sitting on the Spanish steps for most of the day and enjoyed the freshly cleaned work of art while people watching. It rained …

Boutique Hotel Pick – Castel Fragsburg – Close to Heaven On Earth

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I love the wording on the front page of hotel Castel Fragsburg: The wild romanticism of the South Tyrolean Alps and the sensuous charm of the Mediterranean – the Fragsburg is the meeting point of two seemingly opposite worlds that blend to create an unforgettable style of life. Once I read those words, I was in. I had to click my way to finding what is considered to be as close to heaven on Earth destination wonderfully detailed on the hotel’s website. If you don’t believe me, read on: Nestled on a sun-drenched mountainside high above Merano is South Tyrol’s smallest five-star hotel. Crisp alpine air flows down from above, mingling with the glorious Mediterranean sunshine: This historic hunting lodge combines two apparently incompatible worlds into an art of fine living. And there is much more, you’ll just have to click here to read. To top it off, there are naturally photos which have certainly sealed the deal for me.  Believe me when I say, this one is on my list of luxury destinations bucket …

Travel: London Eats While On Vacation or Anytime

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A good friend of mine moved to the UK a few months ago, and ever since I’ve been trying to recruit her to become a guest writer on this very site of mine that I love so much. She’s thinking – she’s told me, and after 3 months I realize I am not going to hold my breath. Now although she lives a few hours outside of London, she frequents one of my favorite metropolitan cities quite often – on weekends – and with my recommendations has been testing out the following eateries (which I cannot wait to try when I visit her). In the meantime I am taking her word for the fact that what I think would be worth a try, she is liking every bite of it (nudge nudge). So, just in case you happen to be visiting this fair city, in a country on the brink of making some of the most drastic changes since the EU was  originally formed decades or a century ago depending on how you look at …

Travel: Bypassing Paris and Going For The Small Towns In France

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My last stop in Europe is always Paris. Where I spend a week simply taking it all in, pretending to be a local. What I discovered recently was the following small town destinations in France, I heard about but have never seen.  I added them to my list for a late Spring trip in 2017 with a good friend of mine:

Europe On My Mind…In Every Way

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Finally I am back in the city, and even though driving into town I rolled my eyes the second I got a glimpse of the fog and the dreariness, I have to say I couldn’t be happier to be back to some normality. I don’t mind the getaways, but lately I’ve found myself restless while I am away too long, missing the home cooked meals, and the order of things, and even how my skin and hair feels when I make an effort in my daily life, never mind all things writing I do best when I am in my comfort zone at home. Anyway, to cheer my up (I smile) I got online and searched for all things Europe. And here’s what I found interesting:

Travel: A Collection of Hotels I am Taking Into Consideration

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I have a handful of hotels throughout your Europe, I have built a friendship upon, with the staff. Meaning to say, I email them directly, get my rates and dates locked in and just show up, without having to worry much about if we’ll like the place, safety, and all other concerns while travelling: Except, this list came out and I am truly torn…about what I am familiar with, or these wonderful places I’d love to stay. Isn’t travelling supposed to be an adventure anyway?  Check out the one’s I am thinking for this year’s trip:  

Travel: A Week To Relax by Poolside and Some European Football

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Lots was going on last week. I was on vacation, and I mean vacation. The vegging out, not doing much of anything except laying by the pool and well, eating and drinking, and of course working out. It was the best week I’ve had in a long while, and wished I could extend my stay for a month, believe it or not down south, at a resort type hotel. The thing I like about relaxing vacations is that it gives me time to think about the  direction I intend to go or follow in the upcoming months. Whether it be for the blog, or the next novel or even regarding my trip to Europe in a few months. The fact I lounge around, and I am away from the normal stress, I can focus on the creative side of me and my hectic life. So, with that said I am excited to report, there will be changes coming your way with my blog of course, and the outline for the fourth novel has been created. …

Boutique Hotel Pick – Gran Hotel A Villa Feltrinelli – Lake Garda, Italy

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My head is always in the clouds, in a good way, when planning a trip to Europe.  And while I work on a draft of where I want to go this year, I stumbled upon this gem since I’ve always wanted to add Lake Garda to my trips to Italy but haven’t had the time. Since this year’s trip is more of a relaxation type rather than sight seeing, 2 nights, three days at the Gran Hotel A Villa Feltrinelli is going to be a must. I’ll let their beautiful online marketing do the talking: