playing tourist for ten days
Hello everyone! Can you guess where I am? Please stay tuned as I share with you some of my favorite travel moments and photographs.
All posts filed under: romantic getaways
boutique hotel pick – royal hotel – san remo, italy
As I organize my impending trip to Italy hopefully very soon, I can’t help but reminisce about some of the places I have visited and the boutique hotels I have stayed in. One particular hotel which comes to mind is the Royal Hotel in San Remo, Italy – just so you understand where it is, San Remo is about 64 kilometers from Nice, France. It’s a well know resort town located along the Italian Riviera between Genoa and the French border. San Remo is also known for its casinos and the beautiful harbor lined with cafes and shops. Considering I haven’t seen much sun this summer, I am longing to spend a week in San Remo and staying at the Royal Hotel for a much needed rest and relaxation.
boutique hotel pick – grand hotel de bordeaux – france
I suppose being busy is a good thing in one’s life, but not having the time to do the things you love is not so good. I have been experiencing this lately with too much to do and not enough time to do my writings and blog. So, you ask what does that have to do with today’s entry. It doesn’t, I just wanted to throw it out there for those who have asked why I haven’t posted on a daily basis. Anyway, the beauty of researching online for a hotel is the fact, the ultimate choice is in your hands. I say this because, in the past I have had a terrible time working with those in the travel industry, who have blindly reserved what they believed was the best hotel for me to stay, during my travels. I think one of those unmemorable hotel stays was in Bordeaux, France. During that experience, I realized how important a descent hotel was to making the trip worth while, because since our hotel was, not only …
romance with the island of santorini, greece
Having lived on almost an island (well a Peninsula) all my life, I have a certain appreciation for places around the globe which are either small towns or villages near water or an actual island. With that said, I can’t resist reflecting on my trip to Santorini, Greece a while back. Santorini is hop skip away from Athens Greece and can be accessed via air or sea. I chose air, because I figured I didn’t want to get seasick and a flight in my mind meant a shorter trip to my destination. Of course at the time, I didn’t factor in getting to the airport, waiting for the flight, dealing with weather delays and of course finding a means to get to the car rental agency on Santorini. But an adventure is always exciting, even if at times it is scary. So, with a small luggage in tow, my travel partner and I, after enduring the longest flight on the shortest distance ever, finally got to the island in the afternoon. The airport, being very small, …
romantic vacation recommend: isle of capri, italy
Most of my previous travels are to the main cities or towns within a country in Europe. But a few years back, when I ventured towards the Southern tip of Italy (the booth) I decided to take a ferry to the island of Capri. I must admit I wasn’t disappointed with the choice, even though the ferry schedule a bit unreliable and the frequency less than desirable, the trip was well worth it. The way it works is, after disembarking the ferry from Napoli, you have to take a taxi or a bus up to the top ( Alta Capri). This is where the main town square is and most of the civilization on the island. I did get a bit sick because of the altitude or maybe because of my fear of heights, but every where I looked there was the most beautiful view anyone can imagine. We stayed 3 nights 4 days and because the best way to see a place is by walking. We walked one entire day around the island, actually …
a villa in tuscany – vacation paradise
Between the condo renovation, work hiccups and other matters of family and home, I actually needed a break from the norm today by focusing on my vacation plans for the Fall. Although I love Paris and will consider spending every vacation day there, every single year, I have opted for a trip to Italy this year because I needed material for my second novel. This time, I am considering a villa stay in Tuscany just to “veg out” and get inspired to at least draft the outline for the novel, if not more. Since that is my plan, I turned to my favorite site here which I used to use during my travel planning days, to get information about villa rentals abroad. The problem is, most villas house 3 or more vacationers and only a handful are available for just 2 guests. But through my persistance, I found one villa just perfect for my needs. The problem now is I have to do alot of convincing to hopefully book the villa for our Tuscany portion of the …
as my mind travels to all good things paris
I have to tell you, I just can’t help myself no matter how hard I try. The worst is that the closer it gets to summer, the more I get restless about taking a trip to Paris. The worst part of it is that most any travel website I visit or go shopping anywhere, there is always a reminder of my favorite city via a photographer of the famous Eiffel Tower. I never realized how impressionable the darn thing is in most everyone’s lives? The only other icon most of us are touched by, one way or another, is a silouette of Mickey Mouse’s head. (I know you know what I mean) Anyway, back to Paris and some of my favorite reminders. Enjoy and happy weekend to you all.
boutique hotel pick – four seasons – florence, italy
One city I plan to include in my fall trip to Italy this year, is of course Florence. Although I have been there many times, it seems I can never get enough of this fascinating destination. Outside of the fact the city’s architectural and artistic makeup, it is to me one of the most romantic places to consider spending with a loved one. Now, although there are many hotel options to choose from while vacationing in Florence, my favorite recommend is the Palazzo della Gherardesca. Currently known as The Four Seasons Hotel here. Apparently the hotel is the first of it’s kind for Florence. It is a resort with a pool, a spa and various other amenities too many to list here. However, please click here to read about how the hotel came to be. Enjoy the photos and have a great weekend.
when the going gets tough – escape to greece
Right about this time of year, I get the vacation planning itch. Although I pretty much know where I want to go every year, at the beginning of the year, sometimes what life decades throughout the year, almost forces me to imagination of a place I can actually escape to, where I could just sit by the ocean or sea and think through my problems. Well, today was one of those days, as I wrote the train to work this morning, I put on my i-pod and closed my eyes and quickly escaped to Greece. So I decided to post this entry and share some of my favorite photos of Greece.
boutique hotel pick – hotel palazzo giovanelli – venice, italy
Venice, Italy fullfills every bit of my fasination with the renassance era. I just can’t get enough of this beautiful travel destination and no matter what season, the beauty of Venice is always overwhelming and more admiring, at least for me. Of course since this is the year I will be planning a trip to Italy, I must also include yet another favorite hotel of mine in Venice – Hotel Palazzo Giovanelli – as a highly recommend property for romance and elegance.
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