Tag: luxury

Ora D’Aria – Michelin star dining in Florence

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My husband and I went to Ora D’Aria on our honeymoon in October and we were really looking forward to our meal there based on reading about the chef and the place in general. However, we were a little disappointed with our meal and I think that, for the money, we had better meals elsewhere at a better price.

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THE FOOD

We did the Tuscan autumn tasting menu and each course was good, but not great.

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I think the amuse bouche was actually tastier than the actual courses, which was really unfortunate because I think it set us up for disappointment.  It consisted of a pint-sized portion of steak tartare with caviar and truffle oil, tempura fresh cherry tomato and prosciutto “sandwich”. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

Get Your Sleep On – The Surfcomber Hotel South Beach (Miami, Florida)

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My girlfriends and I stayed at The Surfcomber Hotel South Beach (a Kimpton Hotel) January 9-11, 2015 for my friend’s bachelorette party in Miami, Florida, and we were all very impressed and extremely pleased with the service and hotel in general. I’ve stayed at Kimpton hotels in NYC before (more than once) and this property blows them out of the water with its level of service.
I’ll just preface this that I didn’t take many photos because I didn’t have a camera with me, and only had my iPhone. Sorry.
Some of the folks who made our stay so great deserve special mention – Chase is a customer service dynamo and anyone can see that he is the perfect man for his job as Director of (Day)Life. Laz at the beach really took care of us and went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and had everything we needed, and even made sure that we transitioned seamlessly to a pool cabana from our VIP bed when it started pouring rain while we were at the beach. Andy at the beach did everything he could to remedy any issues we had with service or food/drinks. Gia at the pool was so sweet and provided great, prompt service. Tony at the door helped us store our bags and hail taxis when needed and was friendly, efficient and kind. And finally, Brad from concierge was a doll – and we saw a lot of him, because the bachelorette’s friends kept having champagne delivered to our rooms throughout the whole weekend.
With 4 girls sharing a room, yes, the room was a bit small and yes, the bathroom was small. But Continue reading →

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 →

Get Your Sleep On – Villa Tolomei Hotel & Resort (Florence, Italy)

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Let me preface this by saying that I don’t really like Florence. It’s not my favorite Italian city, by far. I didn’t like it before my husband and I stayed at Villa Tolomei and I still don’t really like it after. But I can’t wait to go back to Villa Tolomei Hotel & Resort… so that probably says more about this hotel than I ever could articulate in a detailed review.
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The driveway of the villa, looking out from the front door.

All dramatics aside, this hotel is the real deal. We’ve spent nights in various “luxury properties” on several continents and this place just has that “it” factor that some properties try to achieve, but never really do. It’s fancy enough, but the design is so subtly brilliant in mixing the classic, restored villa with the modern world in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard or going to be outdated in a decade. It’s just effortlessly cool, but Continue reading →