All posts tagged: anniversary celebration

boutique hotel picks – royal hotel san remo – sanremo, italy

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I can usually tell it’s time to plan my annual vacation, when all I can think about is, romantic destinations and the luxury accommodations that should go with it, especially for those of us over 40. I mean I’ve done my share of hostels in my youth, budget properties throughout my thirties. But now I seek luxury and romance, with an attached bathroom to my suite. In light of this fact, I have included my favorite property in Sanremo, Italy. A place I never considered vacationing until I saw the place in the film, The Talented Mr. Ripley.  So, I’ll let the photos do the talking and if you need to know more about the property, click here:

romance with the island of santorini, greece

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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, …

when the going gets tough – escape to greece

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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 splendido – portofino, italy

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Ahh, the wonder of Portofino, Italy. As if I need to sell the idea of Italy to anyone. The most amazing thing about Italy is that no matter what part you visit, it is a must see for sure and so if you ask me to add a part of Italy that is a must see, just in case you haven’t been, I would have to say Portofino here. As you know I leave the tourist information details to someone else to talk about, but I do suggest a boutique hotel in most places I have visited often and love dearly. So, with my own personal blog tradition, I have included yet one of my favorite hotels, Hotel Splendido to consider to make your trip to Portofino a dream vacation for sure.

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

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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

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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 …

valentines day romance – suggestion 2 – date day

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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 …

friday travel picks – le meurice hotel, paris

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I love to travel and probably can do so six to ten months out of a year, if I had the chance. Having also had the wonderful opportunity of being a travel agent, I was fortunate enough to have access to most anything related to travel I can possibly imagine in order to plan other’s dream holiday or just fantasize about mine. So, in light of my love for travel,  I have decided to set aside  Fridays to include my vacation picks, whether hotels, spa’s or destination around the globe. For my first choice of quality hotel, I have included here the website to Le Meurice Paris (***** hotel) for that special anniversary, birthday celebration or honeymoon. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!