day 3 – travel journal – venice, italy

Day three of our holiday, we decided to venture out to Venice for the day. Even though I have been to Venice a dozen or so times, this time I wanted to go there for three specific reasons. First, to get a glimpse of the Venice Film Festival. Second, to buy an authentic carnival mask for a holiday party back home (San Francisco) and three to walk through the back roads to capture photographs of Venice very few get a chance to see.

The amazing thing about Venice is, you can easily get lost while exploring the back alley ways and I can guarantee you, that on my next visit, I will not even remember how to get to the places I ventured out to during this trip.

 

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{photos of the property of www.rawsilkandsaffron.wordpress.com and may not be borrowed without permission}

springtime in san francisco

On Sunday when I went for my usual walk, I realized that the reason I appreciate Springtime in San Francisco so much, is because we usually miss out on a traditional  Summer in the city due to the heavy fog and cold weather.

Springtime in the city, is the only time, we actually experience  warm weather while the days are getting longer. I know we also have, what is famously known as Indian Summer in the Fall, here , but since Fall is normally a prelude to Winter, the days are shorter, so the feeling is not the same psychologically, if you know what I mean?

Anyway,  yesterday with Camera in hand, I took some photos of  the first signs of Spring around the city by the bay. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Happy Monday everyone!

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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.

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{photos: courtesy google search cafe de flore – various artists}

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 the photos and who knows maybe I will see you there soon.

Have a great weekend!

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 hotel.

First of all, Lake Como is probably one of the most romantic and amazing places to visit if you plan to indulge in luxury and elegance. Most of the hotels surrounding the lake are breath taking and are either a palace or a villa built in the early 1900′s.  The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is no exception and the only way I can actually express my appreciation of this particular property is to share some photographs with you.  Enjoy and happy weekend!

 

christmas time in paris

Just some photos I came across and wanted to share them with you during this holiday season. Paris + Christmas = a must see for sure.

a nostalgic holiday experience in san francisco

I am a sucker for nostalgia and usually get very sentimental during the holiday season, like (I am sure) most people do. I miss the past and long for when life seemed a little simpler and less demanding, when families where closer and holidays really meant something and  Christmas shopping was truly a creative and rewarding experience rather than a search for the trends and holiday sales.

In light of this topic, I can honestly say that although I cannot change what has happened to family and tradition, I can suggest  finding a piece of a reminder from the past and escaping there, if only for a day.

I personally do this by taking a day  in San Francisco to go downtown and walk only through historic ( iconic)  retail stores  encompassing Union Square,  so that I can detox myself from the demands of modern-day shopping frenzy through  a “Westfield Mall”.

I walk through Macy (no 4) and then cross the street over to Neiman Marcus (no 6) . Afterwards,  I cut through Union Square towards Saks Fifth Avenue (no 7), in order to avoid anything modern and new along the way.

For lunch I  dine at  Scala’s Bistro on Powell Street (near no 7) and then walk down Post Street towards  Gump’s Department Store (no  9) to continue my escape into the past.   Avoiding Juicy Couture and Nike Department Stores along the way.

This is the place I always purchase small traditional gifts  for the most meaningful people in my life and head back towards  Union Square, while walking in and out of several small local boutiques from the past.  Again avoiding Juicy Couture at all cost.

Before heading home, I go into the  Westin St. Francis Hotel (no 2) and have myself a “traditional” cup of coffee with a seasonal dessert, while I watch the passers-bys hurrying about Union Square.

Believe it or not, this (insignificant to some)  escape from the modern-day holiday shopping craze, is  not only rewarding but also therapeutic in my opinion and should be considered by most anyone,longing to reconnect with the past.

christmas gift idea for her – romantic getaway

I can honestly say, by the time a woman reaches  her 40s, it becomes  less and less  important to get a gift for her kitchen as it is to get a gift for herself. Sometimes, some women  are even willing to forgo a pair of diamond earrings for a week’s  getaway from their daily lives.

So, just in case you have exhausted all your “gift idea” resources, consider surprising her with a romantic getaway (within your budget) to most anywhere in the world.

As you know or may not, off-season travel (depending on destination) is  more likely affordable than during the high season . However, planning a vacation “gift” within a budget is often times  very challenging.  Calling a travel agent to arrange such a trip is priceless.

The reason I suggest working with a travel agent to plan a “gift” vacation is so that you can actually put the plan on hold with a small deposit, while you surprise your significant other with a gift certificate and deal with the reaction. Should she not be happy with the destination , at least there is some $$$ recourse. If she loves the idea and approves the suggested dates of travel, then you simply proceed with full payment.

Now, planning the right destination is  very important. Going to Las Vegas to gamble and frequent nudy bars may not necessarily be her idea of vacation, unless she is into that sort of thing. The point is that you need to plan the vacation with her in mind. The destination should be romantic, the hotel ideal and at least one night of special dining a must. The focus should be her and only her in order for the gift to be worth while.

Another benefit of giving the “gift of travel” for Christmas is that you can actually suggest to take the trip around Valentine’s Day, her birthday or even an  anniversary celebration – all to off-season romantic destinations. That way it is even more meaningful.

Now, what is the best travel agency to work with. Well, if you don’t happen to have one you can count on, consider contacting my favorite travel agency here and ask to be transferred to the office capable of putting your special trip together. For example for the U.S. I have indicated below the offices which handle specific travel planning.

All Offices – Specialize in (soft) Adventure Travel, Budget vacations, airfare and European Rail travel.

San Diego office – Specializes in Cruises and Romantic getaways

Myself: I can help with Romantic getaways, so please feel free to contact me if you wish to brain storm about suggestions based on your budget.

Happy Planning

boutique hotel pick – Soho Grand Hotel – New York

There is nothing like visiting New York during the holiday season, in my opinion, to sort of reconnect with the past and do some good old fashion shopping and dining.

In the midst of this romantic destination (only during the holiday season, mind you), I have included one of my favorite boutique hotel picks to consider, just in case you are up to the adventure. It is none other than the classic and mostly unique Soho Grand Hotel Enjoy and have a great weekend!