Tag: Europe

In Vino Veritas – Casa Bleve (Rome, Italy)

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If you find yourself in Rome doing the whole tourist thing near the Pantheon, and have some cash to burn and a hankerin’ for some vino, strut your fabulous butt over to Casa Bleve and enter perhaps the most luxurious wine bar and restaurant that you’ve ever been to.

I had Casa Bleve on my list of “must-sees” in Rome after scouring the boards over at Chowhound to find the best wine bars in Rome. After a careful selection process (which was pretty much just figuring out what was close to stuff that we wanted to do – and that people could agree was a good place), Casa Bleve was “it”.

And “it” did not disappoint.

A mini Versailles dedicated to the tasting of delicious, gourmet Italian food and appreciation of wine, the nectar of the gods, the downright opulent surroundings made Frank Sinatra look like a hobo. But, now that you’ve read this post, you’ll dress nicely before you go. Unlike us…We felt like Continue reading →

La Maltija

La Maltija (Paceville/St. Julian’s, Malta)

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My husband and I heard about La Maltija in Paceville/St. Julians, Malta, from our hotel concierge at the Hilton Malta, who recommended it to us when we asked for a traditional Maltese restaurant. We had expected something maybe a bit more provincial, and were pleasantly surprised by this rustic, but refined, yet cozy space only a few blocks down the road.

By the way, Paceville is pronounced more like “pacha-veal” than “pace ville”. Just in case you were wondering.

There is a good deal of outdoor dining space, but the weather being as beautiful as it was, we found that we could only eat without waiting for a table if we sat at an inside table.

It was sweltering hot for the first half of our meal, in the back room of the restaurant where we were seated, because this Russian/Eastern European family had complained before we arrived that they were cold so the air conditioning was turned off. However, as soon as they left, our server turned the air on and it became paradise. While it could be considered a minus, I admired the staff’s dedication to pleasing their customers (even if it meant we were not as comfortable at first…)
La Maltija

Awesome tablecloths.

Temperature concerns aside, our server (I don’t recall her name but she was blonde, on the tall side, and spoke several languages) was excellent and helped us decide on our entrees and even made a few suggestions to help us create our perfect meal. Continue reading →
Hilton Malta - Pool

Get Your Sleep On – Hilton Malta (St. Julian’s, Malta)

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My husband and I spent the first leg of our honeymoon at the Hilton Malta, a luxury property situated in St. Julian’s Bay, Malta, and I could not be more pleased with our decision to stay here! We had looked at several other hotels on Malta and, after reading reviews, decided to cancel another reservation and book here instead. While the other property we were looking at was very nice, I think it’s the best decision we could have made.
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Pro-Tip: Get a room in the newer part of the hotel and upgrade to Executive Level. It’s worth it.

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Apart from a beautiful Executive King room in the new part of the hotel (Room #1158), what made our stay so special was Continue reading →

In Vino Veritas – Enoteca Al Duomo (Orvieto, Italy)

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The Enoteca Al Duomo: My husband and I loved this place so much that we came here twice in one day during our honeymoon back in October.  Aptly named, this enoteca is literally next to the famous Duomo in Orvieto, Italy. Looking at the front of the amazing façade, it’s on the left-hand side, on the side of the building (facing the beautiful striped sides of the duomo). Can’t miss it.

It was truffle season so we opted for a full-on truffle lunch: bruschetta assortment including truffle bruschetta, tagliolini with fresh truffles, and then a prosciutto and truffle sandwich on fresh ciabatta.

Enoteca al Duomo in Orvieto, Italy
Bruschetta

 

Enoteca Al Duomo in Orvieto, Italy
Cheese plate…including truffled cheese

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Get Your Sleep On – Hotel Santa Margherita Palace (Santa Margherita di Ligure, Italy)

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My husband and I stayed here at the Hotel Santa Margherita Palace for 3 nights during our honeymoon in October 2014 and were very pleased with our decision.

I half-jokingly submit that one of the best things about this hotel is its proximity to the train station. After a long day of travel, taking trains from Florence, switching in Pisa and praying that we got off at the right stop, we found ourselves bleary-eyed and travel-tired on the platform of Santa Margherita di Ligure station as we watched the double-decker train chug away into the dusk.  We argued about taking a cab or not, and I checked my iPhone map and realized that the hotel was literally down the street. Downhill. Double points for convenience!

Lobby lounge, as seen from the front desk/reception

The hotel staff were fantastic – especially Paola, who gave us so much information and really took care of us throughout our stay. There was another really helpful guy at the front desk – his name started with an R, and he also helped us plan our day trip to Portofino. Santa Margherita di Ligure was the perfect home base for us as we explored the Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre. It had just enough going on to feel like a vibrant little town, without being so far away from the picturesque areas that you spent half the day traveling. The ferry is walking distance and you can take it to Portofino, San Fruttuoso and other coastal towns.

My husband surprised me and upgraded us to a honeymoon package which included Continue reading →

In Vino Veritas – Winterose Portofino (Portofino, Italy)

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A day in Portofino should never be complete without a visit to Winterose Portofino, a wine store and wine bar right on the edge of the marina, to sip champagne and fine Italian wines lazily at a little table or even sitting on the edge of the water, while you enjoy the Italian Riviera sunshine and rest your weary legs after a long day of shopping and being fabulous.
One of my absolute favorite things about Italy, and its wine bars and cafés in particular, is that when you order wine, it comes with a very nice plate of antipasti, gratis. In a world where nothing comes for free, it’s nice that this is still what I would say the “norm”.  So, it’s a good idea to wait until you’ve sat and ordered your drinks until you order a small bite – a snack might already be on the way.

We found Winterose after I connected to some local WiFi and was looking for a wine bar with good ratings on TripAdvisor. Winterose had the highest rating of any, and was right on the water. We headed over faster than I could close the browser on my iPhone, and lucked out, finding two seats at a cafe table right in front.

After a brief panic attack wondering if I had just accidentally spent all of our wedding gift money by sitting at a wine bar in the Italian Riviera without looking at a menu, Continue reading →