All posts filed under: romantic getaways

trends for 2011 – reversible tote bag from tiffany and co

Tiffany & Co has a selection of  reversible tote bag with suede on one side and metallic leather on the other  available through their website here. They range between $395 to $595 and come in a variation of colors and styles. It’s an interesting concept with one possible downside, in my opinion. When you flip the bag inside out, you probably will expose the dirty inside of the bag on the outside, either way you flip the bag. Hope I didn’t confuse you with this. So in order to avoid exposing soiled suede or vice versa as a result of the junk women tend to keep inside their tote bags, I suggest putting “your stuff” inside several large plastic ziploc bags or smaller carry all pouches before placing them inside the tote bag, that way when you want to flip the bag inside out, it hopefully looks clean. Anyway, tell me what you think of the bag?

eiffel tower in home decor

Oh what I would give to have a place with a view of the real Eiffel Tower (above photo) but since I haven’t figured out a way to do just that, I decided to include photos of  decorating ideas which may just help.  Let me know what you think?

inspiration: cafe de flore – paris, france

After a long week, I needed some inspirational photos to help escape “mentally” at least from the every day norms. My favorite place to hang out – Cafe De Flore in Paris (of course), France. I have a strange appreciation for cafe photos and here are some of my favorites Cafe de Flore to share with you. Have a great weekend and remember think happy thoughts no matter how hard life can be. 🙂 {photos: courtesy google search cafe de flore – various artists}

boutique hotel pick – il sogno di giulietta – verona, italy

Keeping in line with the  Valentine’s Day theme and also with my Italy obsession  for 2011, I decided to include a boutique luxury hotel, (which I recommend by the way),  located in the heart of Verona, Italy. In case there are a handful of people who are wondering  what Verona has to do with Valentine’s Day theme, well I am here to tell you that Verona is not only one of the most romantic cities in the world, but it is also the hometown of Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet  (just in case I wasn’t clear enough). Of course their story goes without saying, but just in case I need to clarify, it is the most famous love story ever told  by William Shakespeare and many tourist go to Verona just to pay homage to that fact. What’s so interesting is that this particular property shares a courtyard with Juliet’s  house. In fact, it has a view of  the famous balcony where Romeo expressed his undying love and devotion to Juliet. The hotel is called  Il …

valentine’s day romance – suggestion 4 – dinner and a movie

Now, I saved the best for last, well at least from where I am sitting. Dinner and a movie suggestion for a romantic evening at home is ideal in every sense of the word, if done right. This suggestions would be best if, those with children, are able to find a sitter away from home and if one partner can surprise the other with it. Rent a couple of the movies I have suggested above or others that you think are in line with a love story/romantic theme. Contact your local purveyor of fine foods or a restaurant to order a steak or seafood dinner for two.  I prefer  Dean and DeLuca’s Valentine’s Day Meal  from their menu here . They also carry a large selection of champagne as well as  sparkling wine or wines in general so it makes the planning easier. Organize the living room or family room (wherever the television is) for the setting. Setting up the center coffee table with candles, flowers and fine china is ideal place to eat, while …

valentine’s day romance – suggestion 3 – spa day

Cliche you might say, but couples over 40 tend to mostly dream or talk about a spa day, more so than actually do something about it. Either because, they are too busy or just, don’t consider to include it in their budget. So don’t laugh when I suggest a couples spa day as a  Valentine’s Day gift for one another. Either the weekend before or on the actual day – again depending on work and kids. For example, just outside of San Francisco, in Napa and Sonoma county we have dozens of spas ranging in price and techniques to consider.  And although we  have them all over the bay area,  for some reason I feel on this special occasion, it is more romantic to go to the wine country and have a spa day then just around the corner from where I live. However, planning for this day takes alot of work. A partner has to be willing to take the time to research and organize it in order to surprise their loved ones properly. …

valentines day romance – suggestion 2 – date day

Most people in their 40s have children or teenagers and since February 14th falls on a school and a work day, the fun of celebrating the holiday usually takes a back seat to soccer practice and piano lessons and work. So, I suggest celebrating it on Saturday or Sunday the 12th or the 13th instead just to get the most out of the holiday. Again, these suggestions can be considered for birthdays and anniversaries as well. First:  Make arrangements for a reliable sitter on either day you want to surprise your spouse or loved one with children. Second: Clear your partner’s calendar for the day – make sure you pick the day with the least pre-arranged appointments for the children and their school events. Third: Organize a slew of events or activities for the two of you to do for the entire day – this could be an entire day spent in the country or a metropolitan city, depending on where you reside – do the opposite. For example for those living in the bay …

boutique hotel pick – parco dei principi – roma

As promised I am including some of my favorite luxury and also boutique hotels for Italy. This particular five-star property, the Parco Dei Principi,  is located in the heart  of  Rome, near the Villa Borghese park and in my opinion a wonderful place to stay in order to detox from the realities of every day life. To me, as I have stated before, hotels must be romantic or charming in order for me to feel like I am truly on vacation or holiday (as some would say) and although some of these properties are a bit pricy, the experience of staying in this particular one will be  most memorable – take my word for it. Have a great weekend!

boutique hotel pick – chateau de mirambeau – bordeaux

There are two quotes from Ernest Hemingway which I truly appreciate and probably live by, as I am an avid wine drinker and an “amateur” connesieur (if there is such a thing). Anyway the quotes are as follows: “Wine improves with age, the older I get the better I like it” “Wine is the most civilized thing in the world” With that said, I figured I better  include one of my favorite properties located in one of the greatest wine regions of the world, Bordeaux, France. Now although my hotel pick – Chateau De Mirambeau isn’t really a boutique hotel and more like a luxury hotel, I am still catagorizing as such because of the ambiance and the romantic feel of  the property. Chateau de Mirambeau, is located in the Mirambeau village between Bordeaux and Cognac and with it’s  14 rooms and 9 suites, you can only imagine how challenging it is to book a room, if not planned well in advance. Anyway, I will let their website do the talking, in the meantime enjoy …

boutique hotel pick – grand hotel tremezzo – lake como, italy

Every year, I pick a destination (mostly in Europe) and run with it. This year it is Italy, so you will be hearing alot about Italy in the upcoming months from travel to fashion to food and wine and photos of where I have been and where I have yet to discover.  In addition, I will share with you, hotels throughout Italy which I love, or have stayed at and some I wish to stay in the very near future. So, here we go 😉 Second hotel pick for 2011, is the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Lake Como (area) Italy. I first heard about this property through a professor at San Francisco State University, long, long time ago and of course I jotted it down in my journal for future use. Later on when I developed a crush on George Clooney and discovered he purchased a villa in Lake Como, I decided it was time for me to go there and check out the destination and while I was at it, to check out the …