All posts tagged: Romantic Destinations

day 3 – under the tuscan sun revisted

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}

boutique hotel pick – raphael roma – italy

There is always something to be said about a beautifully luxurious hotel and I can’t think of a better one to mention, on the eve of my holiday travel abroad than Hotel Raphael in Rome. My inspiration, my fantasy, my utmost admiration and appreciation for a gem of a hotel. This will make sense shortly to all my loyal blog followers. In the meantime I will let their website inspire and entice you, while I give you a glimpse of their amazing property with photographs I borrowed from their site.

boutique hotel pick – grand hotel quisisana – capri, italy

While travelling through Italy, I always make a point to take a ferry to the island of Capri. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful exotic destinations on this planet.  The charm and elegance of the island is a simple reminder of classic Hollywood. Don’t ask why, but the moment I step foot off the ferry, I feel as though I am back in the 1950s. To celebrate my love and appreciation of this amazing romantic destination, I have included one of my favorite hotels – Grand Hotel Quisisana :  Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.  

travel: – oahu, hawaii – day 1

I haven’t been to Hawaii for ten years. I think ever since I decided to stop sun tanning aggressively. I figured if I stayed away, I wouldn’t be tempted to lay in the sun for hours on end. The funny thing is, maybe the universe knew I was not going to sunbathe again this time around, so it’s been raining, cold and cloudy from day one, forcing me to stay mostly inside my hotel room. The wedding isn’t until Friday, with a few pre-parties scheduled two days before hand, so I could pretty much do what I want until Wednesday. The only thing I did forget was what day and time it was, so I also forgot to post anything: on my blog 🙂 Anyway, here are some photos I took, of course with my i-phone, since I also forgot my camera, from Saturday night. Enjoy.  

day 1 – travel journal – firenze, italy arrival

Day 1: We arrived in Florence city center late Sunday afternoon to torrential downpour and thunder storm and after checking into our hotel, decided to immediately tour the city on foot, just long enough to wean ourselves from the jet lag. Along the way and in between the downpour, we experienced the following: {Photos are the property of http://www.rawsilkandsaffron.wordpress.com and may not be used without permission}