All posts filed under: Italy Vacation

Travel: List of Best New Hotels 2017

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I love a new hotel, or the experience of it. My hubs and I got to experience such a wonder in Madrid Spain a few years back – staying in a beautiful hotel that had opened for one a week. The service was amazing, the amenities over the top, and even complimentary drinks were offered on their rooftop bar. We loved the experience, and most of all, loved the fact, we paid half the price since the property was so new. In line with this topic, I am sharing a few of the hotels I plan to experience from a Conde Nast Traveller list of best new hotels 2017: {Featured: Taylor’s River Lodge, Crested Butte, Colorado}

What’s Got Me Interested This Morning

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This week feels like it’s dragging on – or – maybe I’m taking a break from being productive. Who knows – except that I am spending way too much time online letting my brain to simply escape. I mean we all need that once in a while right? So here’s what got me interested this morning over a bowl of cereal and a cup of jo.     1. This article about one of Venice’s finest hotels – which are three buildings that were constructed over several centuries? Now that’s what I call architectural character. 2. One of my favorite actress, Jessica Chastain got married over the weekend to a handsome and debonair Italian count, she’s been dating for five years. I love a romantic nuptial and this is probably the best since George and Amal.  But what got me most interested was the location they chose in Italy. 3. Then I got sidetracked about introducing color into your home. Something I am helping a friend to consider in her rental property with bland white …

Travel: Planning Stages Have Officially Begun

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I can’t believe it’s already Spring break and thoughts of graduation, weddings, and family vacations are in full swing. Now, although I did all my traveling in the month of March this year, I still yearn for another trip late September or early October. One of the biggest concern when I was in England was the effects Britexit would have on travelers, even the issues in the US were a concern to those abroad considering coming to America for their holidays. Although I listened to the news, read reports and discussed such concerns over coffee and dinner with those I met up with in Europe, I decided not to allow of it to discourage me – about traveling anyway. But just in case you are having these sort of discussions in your households, and/or having trouble pinpointing where to go, then perhaps these articles I’ve found here and there could help. If not, then pass them on to someone who it can:

Online Reads Worth A Click With A Good Cup of Coffee

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It’s been raining here in San Francisco, and I have to say I couldn’t be happier. Finally, we see lushness, and freshness to everything that’s been slowly deteriorating in the past decade from the drought.  I also love the fact that the rain forces me to stay indoors and focus more on my novel and all things I need to write. Class assignment, articles, and blogs. So, if the weather is bringing you down, then consider making yourself a fresh pot of coffee, and  escape for a few moments with these interesting finds online:

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 …

Lifestyle: In This Sort of Mood

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San Francisco is pretty dreary in the summer months, and because of it so is my mood. I don’t feel as inspired as I do when I see the sun.  The fact the days are longer, means we see the gloomy  thick layer of fog blanketing the coastline until almost nine at night, the cold forcing us to bundle up, and crave to up the heating system in the house. Oh the irony…or me just being over dramatic. Either way, I am craving for moments like this. which I’ve experienced while on the Island of Capri and Sorrento, or on a beach town somewhere in the French Riviera, simply sitting at a table along some waterfront, eating wonderful food and drinking a bottle of red, and taking it all in. Happy Monday!!!

Food: Embracing Gelato

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I am sure many of you will chuckle when I say, every person that’s ever been to Italy has certainly stopped at a Gelato stand or a shop or boutique gelato bar and downed a few scoops of gelato – my favorite, in case you ask, being pistachio, or espresso. So, since I’m researching at this moment about all things Italy, this article popped up, explaining why it is that I LOVE 🙂 Gelato.  Here’s the important points, the rest of the article you can read here: “First, traditional gelato has way less butterfat. About 4 to 8 percent of gelato is butterfat, compared to 14 percent for ice cream in the United States. That means gelato freezes less solidly than ice cream (and it’s actually served about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than ice cream), so it melts in your mouth faster.” “Second, gelato has a much higher density. To make ice cream, producers mix cream, milk, sugar — and then add air, which increases volume, and water, which increases weight. But all that …

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:

Travel: Planning Is Half the Battle

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I’ve paused all thoughts of travel lately because I’m very focused on novel 3 and all that go along with promoting my pride and joy.  But once in a while, you know on a sunny beautiful day in San Francisco, I get the urge, to just plan – because I do know what I want to do this year for our big trip to Europe. But finding a few good suggestions never hurts anyone – especially this girl. So, buckle up and take a tour of what I found pretty interesting – in travel that is: