All posts filed under: inspirational women over 40

Travel: All About Asia

I’ve never been. Although I’ve thought about it every year – a trip to Asia (if you must know) Thailand, Singapore and Japan mostly, but I am not too keen on vaccines, long-haul flights and a certain level of struggle here and there trying to adapt or immerse.  You call me spoiled. I call myself a chicken****. Anyway, in case you have the same fears of travelling to places that require a lot of planning and precautions, then consider this interesting podcast to put your mind at ease – since the best time to go to these destinations is coming up soon:  

Get Inspired For The Rest of 2017

Yes, it is August 1st and instead of focusing on the “I can’t believe its….(insert Month) already!” Kinda of thinking, I am gearing my attention to all the positive things that have happened in the past 7 months so that I stay inspired and focused on what I would like to achieve in the next coming four months leading to 2018. January 2017   February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 {featured photo source}

Decor: Ideas From Luxury Hotel

Let’s face it – you walk into a hotel room and your jaw drops – seeing the perfect decor just as the one you saw online, naturally setting the tone for your travels (hopefully in a good way) 🙂 When I was in my twenties, I often times chose a basic hotel, reasonably priced near the train stations since I was not only on a tight budget, but chose to stay only a day or two  in each city to maximize my month long vacation. Meaning, being near the train station help facilitate my crazy itinerary.  The interesting thing is, the more I travel throughout Europe,  the more I notice the hotels nearing the train stations have done an amazing job renovating their properties – not only their location most ideal still for me to this day, but the ambiance worth every penny. Okay, so with that little bit of intro, I love this article about stealing decorating ideas from hotels – which I do all the time.  

Boutique Hotel Pick – Belmond Hotel Splendido – Portofino, Italy

A decade ago my hubs and I embarked on a trip to Italy. One town in particular was to Genoa in hopes of finding Portofino. Instead we stumbled upon Rapallo and all other small beach towns in the area. Which wasn’t a bad thing, but I was sad that I didn’t see this beautiful waterfront setting I had first set my eyes on when I received a stack of travel brochures at the travel agency to promote. So, I vowed while at the airport waiting for my flight back to San Francisco, that I would return to Italy and find Portofino. Years later, When we decided to revisit Italy, I decided to do deep research and discovered that besides the train to Rapallo, we needed to take a bus to actually reach Portofino,  and so we did and found the gem of a place to this day I still can’t get enough of. And in honor of portofino and our wonderful walks about the small town and the best focaccia  ever, here’s a boutique hotel …

Travel: Picturesque Small Towns In Italy

My mother gives me a look every time I tell her I am going to Italy. She thinks I’ve explored the country way too much, not realizing that there is more, much more to this wonderful destination. And to prove it, I have listed some of the smaller towns I plan to explore the second I have enough guts to drive a car there:

Travel: The Most Romantic Restaurants In The World…and Mine

To me romantic restaurants can be anywhere you and a special person share the most intimate time together, eating, talking, laughing, flirting even and sometimes making even taking a milestone in your relationship. And while you think about that special place, here’s a list from Architectural Digest suggesting the most romantic restaurants in the world. And just in case you are wondering, here’s my favorite romantic restaurant which happens to be in Rome and it is where I based my first novel: 

Fashion: How To Look Expensive on A Budget

Just yesterday I had lunch with a friend and we were talking about fashion trends and how expensive it is to keep up with the ever changing look and the pressure we women put on ourselves to stay fresh and modern even while we take our dog out for a walk. Well, there is a list Who,What,Wear put out hoping to aid in search of that great buy or the trendy look at a budget – which – makes you look expensive.  SOLD!!!