Borgo San Felice in the hills of Tuscany

Are you tired of winter?  You need to think about spring and maybe you should give Tuscany a thought.  Maybe this will help to brighten your spirits a bit.

To continue my review on beautiful hotels in Tuscany let me introduce you Borgo San Felice.  Felice in Italian means happy!  Who would not be happy here?  You are surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see with beautiful and scenic hills.  It is truly divine. A paradise right in the middle of Chianti country! Each, of the 46 rooms are beautifully decorated. A swimming pool which overlooks Tuscany, a billiard room with a full bar: a tennis court and bikes and vespas to rent.

The restaurant,  Il Poggio Rosso, offers extraordinary Tuscan cuisine prepared by their Michelin star chef, Francesco Bracali.  He uses only be the best local ingredients.  Compliment your dinner with a great selection of Italian wines.  You will not be disappointed.

 Want to have a wine tasting in the Cantina?  They would love to arrange that for you.  Also as of the spring they will be offering cooking classes.

This is an exceptional hotel in the heart of Tuscany that should be on your list of places to stay in Italy.

I cannot wait to go back!  Need I say any more!        

Villa Curina is a little gem in Tuscany.

Entrance to Villa Curina from the road.

Hidden within the hills of Tuscany in the Chianti region is a little gem of a resort, Villa Curina.  This property has an excellent location and offers beautiful views of the Chianti countryside.  What a discovery!  I would not hesitate to stay here myself!  Surrounded by olive trees this little hamlet offers all the comforts of home with a pool, bar, tennis courts and all rooms have satellite TV, air conditioning, minibar, and safe.  All are decorated with antique furniture.

The ristorante, Il Convito di Curina, prepares unique classic Italian cuisine. Many of the pasta dishes are home made as well as the desserts.  The winery offers a wide selections of wines from Italy.

This property is great for those on a budget, however you will feel like a king and queen staying at this charming 26 room resort in the heart of Tuscany.

Bella Toscana!

Part of the main building at Borgo Scopeto.

I now have a few more favorite hotels in this beautiful area of Italy:  Borgo Scopeto Relais.This is where they filmed the movie Letters to Juliet!  I can understand why!  Borgo Scopeto is a  Tuscan estate located in the Chianti hills that has been elegantly restored. Surrounded by vineyards and olive tree this place offers so much to those wishing to stay in the Tuscan countryside.  Those wishing to visit Siena, no problem!  You are only 10 miles from Siena.  You can rent mountain bikes, vespas, book a spa appointment, walk the hills, play tennis or enjoy the pool.

The spa at Borgo Scopeto

At the end of the day you can enjoy a fabulous dinner at the "La Tinaia" ristorante. Chef Angelo is really talented.  He specializes in local Tuscan cuisine.  Excellent wine offerings are available here!

Another building with beautiful rooms to offer its guests.

The start of a wonderful meal at Borgo Scopeto.

You will not be disappointed.

You must select a collection to display.

A Unique Tour of Northern Italy to Include Lake Garda and Lake Como

 Dates October 4-12 2014

Day 1:  Arrive at the Milan airport and we will be transferred by private bus to Verona.  On the way,  we will stop in Milan for a brief time to visit the Duomo. 

Everyone is free to grab a snack before going into to Verona.  Upon arrival in Verona and check in at our 5 star hotel.  Free time to explore Verona.  Dinner will be at the hotel in the evening.

Day 2: After breakfast we will explore the town and hills surrounding Verona  by bus. There will be an afternoon Taverns Tour of a winery in town with a wine tasting.  The tour will include the arena and Gardens in Verona.

 Rest of the afternoon is free.  Dinner will be on your own.

Day 3:  This day we will visit the town of Valpolicella , which  is famous for its Amarone wines.  We will have two wine tastings to include light snacks.  Later we will visit some of the beautiful romantic churches in the hills of this town.  At the end of the afternoon we will return to Verona.  Dinner on your own.

Day 4:  Depart early in the morning by private bus to Lake Garda.  We will have a private boat excursion to the Isola del Garda and then lunch in Sirmione which is a beautiful village on Lake Garda. (Lunch is included) In the afternoon you will have free time to stroll the streets.  Transfer back to Verona. Dinner on your own in Verona.

Day 5:  We will leave the town of Verona by private bus and begin our transfer to Lake Como.  On the way we will stop in Bergamo  for a 2 hour tour and then we will have a wine tasting at a wine cellar.   In the late afternoon we will arrive at our 5 star hotel on Lake Como.  Dinner on your own.

Day 6:  Today we will take the ferry to Bellagio and Varenna and have a private local guide with us for 3 hours.  We will visit a beautiful Villa while in Bellagio.  The next town of Varenna is a little village on the shore of Lake Como which is filled with old fishermen houses.  We will return to Tremezzo by ferry.  Dinner on your own.

 Day 7:  The morning we will visit two beautiful Villas and their gardens.  These are not to be missed.  One is next door to the hotel and the other is a quick ferry ride away.  The rest of the day is yours to do as you wish.

Farewell dinner that evening at the hotels' elegant dining room overlooking the lake.

Day 8:  Private transfer back to the Milan airport.

 For prices and other information  click here

London Part II

Being a travel agent I knew I had a lot of planning to do especially since this would be our first time to London. I needed to be very close to Hyde Park. That was my main criteria. I found a hotel and made the reservations for September 2013 in August 2012.

Now the logistics of planning this adventure were endless! It was not an easy task to plan an itinerary because the World Triathlon Championships were scheduled from September 12 - 15 and she did not get specific instructions until 6 weeks prior.

We needed to get a special box for the bike so that is could fly with us. She was not going to consider sending the bike by Fed Ex. Out of the question! So she borrowed the box from a friend, had the bike dismantled, found a car company with a van big enough that could transport us with the bike and we were off! We had to do the same when we arrived in London!

Thank goodness there was one around the corner as the bike store had to assemble the bike.

All went well except for the weather. It rained when we arrived and the next day and the next.

Sunday came and again so did the bad weather. She began the event at 10:30am and by 11:00 the clouds rolled in and the wind kicked in. Not the best conditions!

We were there to cheer her on as well as a few friends from California. Despite the cold, rain and wind we were all glad to be part of her cheering committee!

She finished and did very well. It was an exciting time for everyone!

After the race and picture taking we decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up and thaw out!

We though it best to celebrate at a pub so off went to the Pheonix in Covent Gardens.  Everyone was so hungry, especially Elana that we started eating about 4:30pm. They had a nice selections of beers and burgers.  For some reason we were all in need of a good burger. 

This was our beginning of our pub experience. I believe while in London we frequented four pubs in all and believe me the food at each one was quite different. So I am going to list them and let you know if I would return.

Ye Grapes - in the Shepard Market - I would return.

The Phoenix - I would return as the burgers were very good.

The Porter's Pub in Covent Gardens - definitely go back and their desserts were worth it.

Lamb and Flag - Not sure I would return although it is one of the oldest pubs in London

Just to let you know there are pubs everywhere in London. Sometimes, two within one block.

One favorite burger of the men was the burger with chorizo sausage! Try it - you may like it.

Of course we celebrated the entire week while in London.