All posts filed under: romantic getaways

boutique hotel pick – carlton hotel – st. moritz, switzerland

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Winter time, my hotel picks are always in a  romantic ski-resort destinations. St. Moritz of course is one of those places I adore, and wish I could spend every Christmas there, or even just New Year’s Eve, and with that I have to choose the Carlton Hotel St. Moritz. I usually don’t mention too much about the hotel’s amenities, I simply suggest you click here for that. My appreciation and admiration of the property is the location, and how enchanting it is. A wonderful destination and a thoughtful gift indeed: {photo source}  

boutique hotel pick – relais and chateaux hotel heritage – bruges, belgium

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It’s been a while since I’ve suggested a boutique hotel – a blog entry I’ve put aside for a while, focusing on other topics instead. But since I am an avid traveler, always longing to get on a plane to go somewhere, at times more or less on a whim, I decided to bring this popular entry back, even throughout the off-season in travel. The city of Bruges, in Belgium came to mind recently since I normally crave to be in a storybook type of place in the winter months, hibernating in a room with character, a fireplace if possible, hot tea at my disposal, the ambiance exuding enough energy to inspire me to write at the very least, the romance portion of my novels. In Bruges, I would stay in Relais and Chateaux Hotel Heritage, and although there isn’t a fireplace in the rooms, the character and charm of each space make it a wonderful destination for romance I could go on forever, detailing bits and pieces of information about this romantic town, but …

happy autumn 2014

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For decades, I’ve only welcomed Summer. I suppose it had something to do with being young, and looking forward to not being in school. Then in later years, I considered Summer time the only time for vacations, loving the chaos of it all anywhere I traveled. In the last five years however, I’ve started to notice Fall, and decided to travel off season (being Fall) to avoid the crowds, the chaos, quickly realizing it’s the best time of the year to admire your surroundings while on holiday/vacation. At the same time, I’ve grown to appreciate Autumn in a different way, preferring the season even more now, the older I get. It’s a slower pace, a warm and glowy season, a time between brisk mornings and chilly nights, and bright sunny days – all bundled together enticing you. {Photo source}

boutique hotel pick – shutters on the beach – santa monica, california

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I just realized, I share with all of you boutique hotel picks everywhere but my home state  – California. Well, in light of the fact I will be down in Los Angeles very shortly, to spend an entire week of promoting my books and research for my next book :), I decided to include one of my favorite spots to stay while in the Santa Monica area. In fact, you might just run into to me if you are in Los Angeles – details to follow shortly. In the meantime, Shutters is a uniquely fun property to stay. A place some may consider overpriced, but it is definitely worth every penny.  There are also some amazing deals on every travel site possible for the property, and also some on the hotel’s own website here, so consider the hotel for sure – especially for a romantic weekend getaway and who knows, you may very well run into some celebrity while you are there.  I also love the fact 3rd street is walking distance as well as the …

a quick stop in solvang, california

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On my way to Santa Barbara, I stopped off in Solvang for some good old-fashioned Dutch waffles breakfast, temporarily thinking I was in Europe. It was a perfect few hours, strolling through the quant town, almost Disney-like for all tourists, listening to conversations in German, Dutch and French among locals and tourists. Of course I stocked up on pastry, admitting to my followers shamelessly of course.        

boutique hotel pick – the bonham – edinburgh, scotland

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Spring break going forward into Summer vacations is right around the corner and I’ve decided since I am still on a high from my trip abroad, to bring back my boutique hotel pick blog entry for those who enjoy traveling like I do. Here’s a hotel in Edinburgh, I stumbled upon while touring the city, located in New Town – a district a hop skip away from the main center of the town, a place I decided to stay as well. I found hotels in Edinburgh charming to say the least and full of modern amenities and friendly staff, making staying in the city most ideal. for The Bonham, is one of those properties, with cheerful decor, incorporating the old with the new.

day 7 – french riviera in a nutshell

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I always make a pit stop in the French Riviera, particularly Cannes and spend about 3 nights at the least in a part of the world I would like to retire to someday. Usually or in the past, the weather had cooperated in early September, my annual visit to the region and I normally left for Paris on the TGV with a wonderful tan. Not so much this year. Although sunny, it’s been unusually cold and windy or perhaps usual from the locals point of view. I just have never experienced it. What I also found interesting is that this is actually the first time, there was only a handful of people at the beach. I know it was because of the weather, but still, it all seemed unreal. I did my touring, shopping, sunbathing a little, wonderful dining and a stroll along the promenade – even though I was freezing my buns off – it mattered not – I was in the French Riviera for only three days.

day 3 – under the tuscan sun revisted

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I’ve wanted to see Cortona for years, even before the book/film Under The Tuscan Sun put the quant destination on the map. But the reason I haven’t done so, is because I Had a list of places I wanted to visit in a particular order. Well, this year, after finishing my novel (waiting for the publishing company to finalize), I felt the need to include Cortona in my annual trip to Italy, just to pay homage to a story which inspired me to write mine. I wasn’t disappointed, but I do have to say I was surprised to discover, how beautifully small the town was and how breathtaking the view. It is certainly worth adding to your list of places to see, if you haven’t already. {I apologize the internet is very slow in the hotels and thus, cannot seem to connect with everyone through my blogs}