A Pink Night In A Beautiful Castle In Stockholm

10 Saturday Jun 2017

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city break in stockholm, görvälns slott, hotel, stockholm

Yesterday I have had a very surprising fancy experience in a place I’ve never been to in Stockholm, which I probably wasn’t going to discover if it wasn’t for Justin Bieber.

I had to travel to Stockholm for the weekend and when I looked for a room in the usual places we stay in when we travel to Stockholm, I was surprised to see they were fully booked. So I looked on Booking.com and at my surprise, 98% of the hotels in and around Stockholm were fully booked. After a short googling I understood why, Justin Bieber will have a concert in Stockholm this weekend.

But, Jonathan had an idea to expand our search and finally, after a while more we found a castle/hotel that looked incredible in the photos and seemed to have great reviews! So we booked a deluxe room in what I might call a very glam design boutique hotel. Yes, that’s it! That’s a good description.

Görvälns Slott is a castle located in the North of Stockholm, in Järfalla more precisely. The castle have been successfully transformed and adapted to a boutique hotel with amazing rooms, each category of room offering a different story and design. I really liked the concept and most of all, I really liked the quality of everything in the hotel, from decorational pieces and the original furniture, to the amenities and fabulous Mille Notti bed sheets. And the views and surroundings of the place…breathtaking! Since it’s located quite in the middle of the nature, near to a lake, you can imagine the quietness and relaxation I have experienced. To me, this was the perfect opportunity to take a hot bath in the big bath tub with views over the nature with a glass of wine and chill music. After which I have slept like a baby in the super comfortable bed. Yes, I want there again. To sleep and relax.

The Slow Life in the Only Luxury Multi-Concept Resort in UAE: Rixos The Palm Dubai

28 Sunday May 2017

Posted by Lorellay in Dubai, Travel

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dubai trip, holiday, luxury hotel, luxxury resort, rixos dubai, rixos moments, rixos style, rixos the palm, slow life, uae, vacation

Last month, just a few days before Easter I have been returning from what I may call, one of the most luxurious vacations of my life. It was a week in Dubai, however that’s not the only reason my vacation was oh so glamorous, but also the stay in the magnificent hotel Rixos The Palm Dubai.

About Dubai, you’ll read more in the next article. Shortly, I can confirm that Dubai is the best warm weather location that is close to us in Europe, perfect to visit during winter, spring and autumn, for shopping, beach and fun.

The main reason I’ve visited Dubai has been the STEP Conference 2017, but also for pleasure. Jonathan and I decided to celebrate our birthdays earlier in a warm destination, and defeat the cold that has awaited us in Sweden all April and May.

The 360° panoramic view spans of the turquoise waters, the white beaches, the iconic Burj Khalifa & Burj Al Arab and the Dubai Marina view with its incredible glittering lights from the giant sky scrapers – simply wonderful!

When I chose the hotel, I looked for a place to be relaxing, far away from the noise, crowd and agitation of the city. If you’ve been to Dubai, then you know that the city is very much alive and crowded, the traffic is absolutely insane at rush hours. Therefore, to live for 7 days in a hotel situated on the end of The Palm Jumeirah’s crescent, where I could enjoy the 360° panoramic view spans of the turquoise waters, the white beaches, the iconic Burj Khalifa & Burj Al Arab and the Dubai Marina view with its incredible glittering lights from the giant sky scrapers – simply wonderful!

You stay at Rixos The Palm when you want to have a relaxing vacation.

Rixos The Palm Dubai is located at the end of the right branch of The Palm, which is one of Dubai’s most interesting creations. An artificial island, which simply beats many natural islands, full of luxury hotels and residences. To reach the hotel, your taxi, or rental car has to drive through The Palm, which is ok as it’s only a 15 – 20 minutes drive and you have much to enjoy on the window. The hotel offers a free shuttle several times a day to the Dubai Marina and Mall of Emirates, and a water taxi which takes you directly to the Dubai Marina pretty fast. Most times we took a taxi, as it’s so cheap in Dubai. So the location is not a problem, but actually a benefit because you get a real vacation by staying on the beach, skip the noise and see the whole beauty of Dubai from the comfort of your room’s balcony, no matter if you travel with business, for shopping or you’re in vacation. I managed to actually combine a bit of work with my vacation in the hotel, as the Wifi connection was so good. Working on the terrace of our Junior Suite was an eye-opening experience, which made me want more and more to make my dream come true, working remotely in places like this.

The Rixos Experience

When was the last time you woke up early and made yoga on the beach surrounded by palms, turquoise water and giant skyscrapers? Think about it, we always live in a hurry, even during vacations. We want to explore as much as we can in the time we have. Well, I have discovered during my days in Dubai, that time is irrelevant for the body. I have never felt more relaxed, happy and accomplished than the day I skipped breakfast and went to yoga on the beach. After which I have jumped in the water to wake up the senses. AMAZING! The yoga class is organised by the hotel, but it’s not the only activity offered. If you are a more active person there are numerous things you can do. Water gym, beach volley, I’ve even seen they have water sports, but I’m not so into that. Also, for families with kids, I’ve seen all kinds of interesting and creative activities, such as sand art which I found hilariously funny.

The Hotel

You usually know if you’re going to live in a good hotel and your vacation will be a success from the entrance in the hotel. Depending on how our arrival will be, our first impression, the appearance and the hospitality we have been received with, will stamp the rest of the days we’ll spend in that hotel. At least, that’s the case for me. In Rixos The Palm, the stamping started already at the airport when we have been awaited by a clean Lexus car belonging to the hotel and a very respectable and nice driver.

I loved the entrance in the hotel, and every time we returned from the town I would stand a few minutes just to enjoy and admire the beautiful plants and flowers at the entrance, which by the way, were changed every now and then! Like I said, the hotel breaths luxury, and so does its rooms.

To speak about impeccable services is not needed, as Rixos never let me down on that. I have been staying in several Rixos resorts around the world and never, ever, had I anything to complain about on that level. Upon arrival, we have been surprised in the room with a delicious plate of fruits and cakes from the hotel’s own patisserie, fresh flowers, cold champagne and a handwritten letter from the management, and you know how much I love handwritten personal letters!

The Suite

We had a magnificent suite, with a huge marble bathroom, ceiling to floor windows with (again) breathtaking views and an even more amazing terrace and two sun chairs facing the sea and views. The suite was a wonderful experience and I must say everything in it was top class. The furniture, design, art works, the modern electricity system, the bed and the pillows were extremely comfy and the amenities….Bulgari. Yes, you heard right. After all, luxury stands in the details.

The apartment was very spacious, and there’s a great air conditioner in both the living room and bedroom. Considering the temperatures in Dubai in April, it was very well used by us.

The Beach

The thing I enjoyed the most at Rixos The Palm was the landscape. Breathtaking, fabulous and unique views! From the balcony, from the restaurant, from everywhere in the hotel. But what Rixos has that I personally haven’t experienced before is a beach view. I admired Dubai Marina’s skyline every day from my sun chair. It’s something you don’t really experience everywhere in the world. Look for yourself:

When lemonade with ice won’t do in the 40 degrees Celsius, take a Cabana!

The beach in Rixos The Palm is as any beach in front of a respectable 5 star hotel chain. Clean, beautiful, fun, safe, as they have safeguards watching over. The water is magnificent, crystal clear and very still in the mornings. The music in the mornings is so relaxing, indulging you to sleep more or read a book, which is exactly what I like to do at the beach. The sun chairs are super comfy, and we always got a spot near the water as we always came to the beach early around 10:00. As everywhere in the world, there are people leaving their towels on the chairs to make sure they have a place when they come back from breakfast, but the beach is so large that it didn’t create any problems to us. The hotel made sure they have room for everyone.

I loved the beach so much, that I didn’t spend any time at the pool during the trip.

The best part are the Cabanas! So delightful spacious and comfy cabanas, perfect for when the sun burns so strong as it does in Dubai. The cabanas have an extra cost of 500 AED, compared to the free of charge sun chairs, but if you have a suite in the hotel, you’ll have it for free.

The Shisha Lounge

NuAir Lounge is where you can smoke shisha in Rixos and I must say I loved the experience. Most times after the beach I would go to the lounge and just drink a delicious fresh lemonade and enjoy the quietness in one of the cabanas.

El Chringuito

The hotel hosts three nice restaurants, pool bar and you can serve food at the beach, which is pretty comfortable! Near Rixos is El Chiringuito, a fabulous beach and beach bar that belongs to the hotel, with amazing food, drinks and music! However, you need some kind of access to it, I’m not sure they let all hotel guests inside, and it’s definitely a younger crowd. We loved the ambiance and we were lucky to catch a nice party one of the evenings which was pretty fun! All classy people, delicious drinks and fine music!

With such an amazing time spent in this place, it’s going to be hard not miss it. My only regret is not having time to visit the SPA, which looked so fabulous as I saw a hammam bath in the images on one of the catalogues in our room, but I’ll save that for my next trip there, probably during an autumn.

How To Make A Flower Crown – Swedish Midsummer Celebration – Video

23 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Sweden

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celebrations, dyi crown, flower crown, holidays in sweden, krans, midsommar, midsummer, summer holiday, swedish holidays, swedish summer, video

This weekend it’s a big one in Sweden, probably the most loved holiday of the year is happening on Saturday: Midsummer (Midsommar – sv)

This holiday is a very serious celebration for the Swedish people, shops and everything else are closing the day before, everyone leaves town and visits the countryside, supplies of food and drinks are made in time; in a few words, it’s like a summer Christmas.

Midsummer is the announcement of summer – even though the name suggests the middle of it – and the beginning of vacation for almost everyone in Sweden. As I noted when I moved here, a majority of Sweden takes 5 weeks of full vacation during July.

How is Midsommar celebrated?

Most of the people are gathering with the family on the countryside, but many also take the opportunity of free time to travel outside the country. Hence the price of the flights gets higher than usual during this period.

The 2 most representative celebration tools for this holiday is the DIY Midsommar flower crown and the Maypole, a symbol of fertility, around which people dance during the daytime. But check this funny video which explains more than I could and is very entertaining.

How to create your own flower crown?

The thing is, the Midsummer holiday in Sweden is very similar to the Romanian holiday Sânzienele which is celebrated at the same time. Around the villages, girls are dressing in white, pick flowers which they’ll later use to make a beautiful crown, dance around the bonfire by night. Pretty similar to the Swedish tradition. Except here in Sweden is a very popular moment of the summer. If you want to know more about the Romanian holiday, read Mircea Eliade’s “The Forbidden Forest” which brings reference to it and it’s a breathtaking novel.

So, I looked all over the internet to find an inspirational DIY flower crown video and here you have one created by the girls from LEAF. Why use the Snapchat filter, when you can create your own crown? Even if you don’t celebrate this holiday, this piece is really fashionable for the summer, so go ahead and watch the video and let me know if you’ve tried making it. I might, this year, actually.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpBS4QyEsQ

Glad Midsommar!

L.

Guide to Marbella – Where to Eat, What to Do & What to See

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Marbella

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about marbella, beach, blog review, bull fight arena, eat in marbella, europe, european travel, malaga, marbella beach, marbella trip, marbella vacation, oceans club, old town, puerto banus, restaurants, review marbella, ronda town, spain, spanish style, travel, traveling girl, trip to marbella, villa tiberio, where to eat, where to party

The weather in Sweden in the beginning of May was absolutely terrifying, so we’ve decided to leave this place for a short (but still long enough to explore) trip somewhere warm in Europe. Jonathan, my boyfriend, hates long flights, and so South Europe in spring is the best we can get to warm weather.

Said and done: we looked on temperatures in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain. In Cyprus we’ve been last spring (How didn’t I write about it?), Greece and Italy looked cold, so Marbella was the only option! Not the wisest one, though! What a surprise we was going to have…70% of our trip was followed by clouds and rain.

Enough with the whining, here comes my guide to the best in Marbella – after exploring it well in and out!

Where to beach

Purobeach Marbella (Estepona)

If you want to go safe, go Puro. Purobeach is a Swedish concept beach club in many places around the world, including Marbella. It’s exotic, ZEN, beautiful, I adore their comfortable sunbeds and umbrellas, it’s classy and it’s fun! It’s not cheap indeed, but it’s price-worthy when you only have a few days of sun to enjoy a glass off rose at the beach. The service is impeccable, the pool is big and fancy, and the restaurant in which you can eat lunch, is very cool! All food was amazing and fresh, and the views over the sea are fabulous! There is music, but not that loud as in the weekends, chill or fun. Watch that space when in Marbella!

La Cabane (Hotel Los Monteros)

The beach club of the hotel we’ve stayed in. Breathtaking view over the sea and very relaxing environment. If you’re searching for quiet, cleanness and nice drinks, here’s the place for you! La Cabane is only open Friday to Monday.

Ocean Club (Puerto Banus)

There are many beach clubs in Marbella, but this one…is special! It’s the type where champagne falls and the party is going on till the sunset! Ocean Club is open weekends, and the weekend we were, the RAIN was falling out the sky, so we couldn’t go. But my friends tell me it’s the best beach club to party in Marbella. If you’ve been there, write me your impressions!

What to see

Ronda Town

It’s definitely the best adventure we’ve had in Marbella. Ronda is located on top of the mountain and the way there is awesome! Go up with car or cycling – if you’re healthy enough 🙂 – enjoy the road, it takes on hour, you’ll be able to drive the serpentines and enjoy the breathtaking views, including nature and REALLY luxury residences. Once you’re in the town, find the new bridge (Puento Nuevo) which is the heart of the town, connecting the old medieval town with the new modern days one. Go see the bull fights arena, the oldest and largest in Spain, where even in today’s times are taking place bull fight shows. Exciting? Or not? I wasn’t so excited thinking on the poor animals, but it’s a Spanish tradition and as I understood, it’s not as “cruel as the old times”.

Marbella Old Town

As in almost every city, there is a charming old town in Marbella that expresses the sweetness and tradition of the town. Take a day walk through the cute labirinth, eat some nice tapas and enjoy the live music that surrounds the place.

Puerto Banus

The port is beautiful, not as beautiful as Cannes, Saint Tropez or Mykonos port, but still nice. And worth of your visit. Here you’ll find restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs facing the marina and fabulous shops on the daytime.

Where to eat

Villa Tiberio

Perfect spot for a delicious dinner, elegant atmosphere, live piano music and amazing service! We’ve got the recommendation from my boyfriend’s cousin, a real authority in delicious food – chef and owner at Stockholm’s best Lebanese restaurants chain: Tabbouli Restaurang

La Pappardelle

If you’re in the mood for some good pizza, go here. You can find it while walking down the Puerto Banus on the sea side.

La Piada

This is not the typical place I search for, we ended up there by chance and hunger, but once we entered and received our food we were stunned! They serve delicious Piada which is some kind of pizza, apparently. Very original food, in a touristic area – check their Tripadvisor and you’ll see how loved they are.

La Moraga Bistro

Delicious contemporary tapas cuisine and really fun atmosphere. We chose to sit and eat and the bar facing the open kitchen so we had a cooking show in front of us basically. Watch the video:

Where to stay

I would like to say you should stay in the center of Marbella, but not this time. You should definitely book a place outside, in resorts that offer all kinds of facilities.

Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Golf Resort

Here is where we stayed and spent a wonderful time! This place is a great vacation choice if you need a little bit of everything, quietness, great environment, relax, golf, beach and good food. And not to mention the cleanness and beauty of the facility and the rooms! More about Hotel Los Monteros and amazing pictures: A fresh look inside Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Resort

Per stay, it was a great time we had in Marbella, too bad for the rainy weather we had most of our stay, but the hotel and the restaurants compensated for it.

If you find this article useful, share it with your friends! They’ll thank you.

Be generous,

A Fresh Look Inside Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Golf Resort

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Marbella

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aristocratic, elegant hotel, girl travelling, hotel los monteros, hotel review, luxury hotel, luxury rooms, luxury travel, marbella hotel, marbella vacation, monteros hotel, spa and golf resort, spanish hotel, stylish hotel, travel in style, travel to marbella

Just the other day I was talking to my friend Paula about the luxury feeling some hotel resorts offer. She travelled to Dubai where everyone knows that luxury is one of the main attractions. I remembered that in many parts in Europe we lose much at this chapter. So you can imagine how big my surprise was to see that an European 5 star resort can compete with UAE: the hotel we’ve stayed in Marbella, Spain. And that’s why I decided to give an overview of it, from the eyes of a traveller that spent there quite some time. Mostly in pictures, since they speak more than any of my words can.

Meet Hotel Los Monteros Spa & Golf Resort

Marbella, Spain

The Hotel

The moment I stepped inside the hotel I noticed the elegance and grace that fills the building. A charming building with history dated from 1962, renovated and brought to our century, keeping at the same time the class and elegance of those times. An extremely clean hotel, with every corner shinning and sparkling.

The Garden

Hotel Los Monteros has an amazing garden with small rivers all around, flowers, plants and of course, palms! The interesting part is that from the reception, you can walk through the corridors to get to your room, or you can choose a little bit longer road but much more fascinating, through the hotel’s cute Spanish patio and the giant garden. Every day for us it was a lovely walk, and in the evenings it’s very nice illuminated, so it makes for a very romantic promenade. Just as an Alice in Wonderland kind of garden – and that says all.

The Room

We had a Junior Suite on the ground level, facing a little private patio or garden, how you prefer. It was fabulous! Very classy and sophisticated, the furniture was in great shape, even though was a classical one, and the best part of it, we had a bathroom as large as the room itself. I don’t know about you, but I personally adore large bathrooms!

The bathroom featured a huge jacuzzi facing the room due to the Italian sunscreen window which you could open to connect with the room, and except the normal shower, it featured a stonemade steam sauna room. Pretty cool for a hotel room, right?

The King size bed is huge and extremely comfortable, so are the linens, and the garden was really fantastic to sit in during the breakfast sometimes.

The Beach Club

I wrote about it here, but I think it deserves a mention in this article too. Very quiet, relaxing and stylish. La Cabane beach club belongs to the hotel but it’s located near the beach side, just a few minutes away. The hotel offers free rides with a mini golf car. Absolutely the best choice for when you want to have a dip in the sea, as well as a nice time at the pool.

The Spa

During our stay, we tried the Thermal Circuit in the hotel’s spa, which is a program meant for relaxation, by going through the whole circuit of activities such as hammam, steam & dry sauna, ice bucket, different kinds of showers with aroma therapy, walking on the stones (reflexology), and pool, continuing with treatments of your choice and enjoying a good organic tea on the hot seating. Very nice experience, indeed!

The Restaurants

The hotel features two restaurants, a bar and the beach club’s (La Cabane) restaurant as well. I wish we could have tried La Cabane’s brunch when we were there, which looked absolutely delicious, filled with fresh seafood and fish. The other two restaurants and the bar are located close to the main pool, which is really nice cause you get to have a very nice view both at the breakfast, on the day time or in the evening.

My best food experience at Los Monteros was the vegetarian sandwhich club! Oh my god, I studied the ingredients so closely that I made my own when I arrived home in Sweden.

The Surroundings

Of course, the vicinity of the hotel matters. Sometimes after beach days I don’t feel like making up and prepare to go in the town for a walk, so I’d rather take a walk close to the hotel. The hotel is located in such a beautiful own golf area. It’s also surrounded by walls of hanging plants and flowers, palms and luxury residences, a very exclusive wonder-walk for the eye.

The Service

This was the best part. We’ve got extremely pampered and well taken care of, and from a traveler perspective, this is such an important feature a 5 star hotel should focus on. Every little detail of the service, the serving, the orders, the housekeeping, was so professional and detailed. The room was, of course, cleaned two times a day, with all the evening ritual, and always smelling fantastic. I have no idea what they use for the smell, but I totally appreciate it.

So yes, I can describe the hotel in one sentence as being luxury, comfortable and elegant, with great service and memorable eye experiences. But don’t take my word for it, celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Hugh Laurie and Jason Statham actually stayed there too.

Hotel Los Monteros honestly made up for the rainy weather we had the bad luck to catch in our vacation and this was my way of thanking them!

With love, back to a rainy Sweden,

Do your friends a favour and share this article, maybe they search for a great spot in #Marbella

Where to Eat in Mykonos?

25 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Mykonos

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best food, best restaurant, best souvlaki, blue myth restaurant, eat in mykonos, food, greece, greece travel, greek food, greek islands, jackie o, jackie O pool, lia beach, liasti, liasti restaurant, little venice, mykonos, mykonos restaurants, mykonos tips, pasta fresca barkia, peppers souvlaki, petinos hotel, petinos restaurant, remezzo restaurant, traditional food, traditional greek, travel tips, travel to mykonos, trip, trip to mykonos, vacation, vacay, where to eat

If you’ve decided to go to Mykonos, then you’ve already Googled around for places to eat, party and beach, and by luck (hopefully) you got here! But you must have read other things about this incredibly multi-tasking island and you’d know by now that it’s the most fun island in Greece! Moreover, the food is so diverse, but anyway delicious!

Depending what you’d like to do on the daytime, you have many choices in finding great places around the island. On the streets of Chora, the labyrinth town, you have a restaurant or tavern every 5 meters. Cheap, stylish, expensive, fast, cozy, sweet, luxurious or bodega, there is a place for every taste. But if you only have a few days to explore the town, you’ll want to know where to and where to not eat in Mykonos. I’ll only name our favourites, the places I still dream about day and night when I think of food and atmosphere and I’ll also tell you what makes them special.

For a romantic and elegant escape:

Remezzo Restaurant & Cocktail Bar

It-place for eating & enjoying delicious cocktails while the elegant atmosphere and fine views are all around the place. As much as I enjoyed our time there, I couldn’t take any pictures of the place due to the strong wind that evening. But just google Remezzo Mykonos, and you’ll find lots of amazing pictures on their site.

For a delicious Italian treat:

Pasta Fresca Barkia

Pasta Fresca is one of those places you wish to discover when in Italy, deep hidden around the streets of Rome. Definitely the best Italian experience in Mykonos, the food is absolutely delicious, the gnocchi, the homemade pasta, the pizza, the wine, and the atmosphere, are things that make me nostalgic and to almost fly to Mykonos right now and eat their delicious gnocchi!

I loved:

All their food and winelist
Fresh homemade pasta – available for buying too
The setting – they have 2 levels, terrace and a lovely spot at the windows upstairs

For the traditional Greek food, show, dances & zorba:

Blue Myth Restaurant (Petinos Hotel)

The closest to the greek experience we got while in Mykonos, it was here. This place is located in the Platys Gialos area of Mykonos and is facing the beautiful beach and boats that are stationing in the area.

Highlights:

You’ll get a nice traditional greek dance show, with a wine glass over the head, plates and all that fuzz;
The place has some nice views if you’re sitting on the terrace and not INSIDE, where is also little bit too warm in July month, but if you want to see the dances, aim for the inside.
They are mentioned by everyone in Mykonos for the REAL traditional Greek food. I, personally, loved it!
It’s owned by a warm Greek family, which you might even get to know 🙂

For the famous Souvlaki:

Peppers

Located just across the street of Pasta Fresca Barkia in the middle of Chora town, the little restaurant is almost like a fast food experience, except it’s not one. Chora is full of souvlaki places, but we personally enjoyed this one most.

For a day at the beach combined with fun, cocktails and awesome food:

Jackie O Pool

This place is definitely exclusive! Jackie O is a pool, bar and restaurant in the Super Paradise Bay. Near the beautifully designed location, they have a beach place as well. Though I didn’t really enjoy passing the beach, because I must admit, I don’t like seeing naked people, the pool is fantastic for a full day of sun tanning, cocktails and lunch. The restaurant is fabulous, and even if you don’t want to sit at the sun, you should pass by for an eat.

Highlights:

The food in the restaurant is exquisite! Amazing appetisers!
The Pool and The Restaurant are facing fabulous views over the sea, the pictures below will speak for themselves…
In the day time is quiet, but you can hear really good lounge music in the background. The volume grows during the daytime, evoking your party mood step by step.
The pool features a small stage where they have drag shows in the afternoons, followed by people dancing and partying until the sunset.
The music! Oh, I used my Shazam app every 5 minutes 🙂

For the quiet seekers and the wild dreamers:

Liasti in Lia Beach

This is the quietest spot on the island. Lia Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Mykonos, with crystal clear water, soft sand and incredible views. Liasti, the only restaurant I’ve seen there, became our favourite one on the island, after tasting the delicious mouthwatering dishes. Plus, the atmosphere was very relaxed, exactly what we needed at that point in our vacation. We were surprised to find this place, as it’s the last point on the map in Mykonos, therefore I advised you here to rent a car and go find your favourite spot.

Let me tell you about Liasti:

They have a garden behind the restaurant where they grow their own vegetables
Their food is fresh and generously tasty
It’s calm and quiet, letting you breath in the sound of the waves
It’s untouched, but classy
It’s my favourite restaurant in Mykonos!
And still, I didn’t get any pictures, since all my devices were dead

Of course, these spots are only a few from many, many, many choices you have in Mykonos. This island is a food and party paradise, therefore is no need to take an all inclusive or half board hotel. Just go out of your hotel and you’ll find something amazing to eat everywhere.

Don’t forget to have an eat in Little Venice while watching the amazing Mykonos sunset. You’ll love it!

P.S. Another favourite spot to eat, beach and party on the daytime is Nammos Beach – their restaurant is so much fun and the food is amazing: they serve incredibly delicious and fresh seafood and fish. Go for the beach day, make sure you book a table for the lunch time and after you ate, prepare to see beautiful and stylish people dancing on the tables. Sounds fun? More in the next article about Where to Party in Mykonos.

See my whole Mykonos vacation, tips & tricks and fabulous pictures.

Ask me anything in the comments below 🙂 And please, share this article with your friends. #SharingIsCaring

Love,

Annecy, France – My European Car Trip #3

10 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by Lorellay in France

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a day in annecy, annecy, annecy town, annecy village, car trip, chateau d'annecy, cheese fondue, driving through france, european car trip, fabulous cities, france, french town, french village, le picket annecy, MyEuropeanCartrip, pictures of annecy, places in annecy, road trip, the old town, travel to france, trip to annecy, trip to france

This story continues from here: Best of Switzerland

Before going forward to our next destination, France, I looked the map and my Pinterest Places To Go board and pointed to some of France’s most beautiful cities. As France is filled with amazing places, small and charming villages, and unique things to do and see, we had to choose a road that connects Switzerland and the Italian Riviera, that passes some important destinations and that is easy to handle and fun on the way. As you can imagine, or might know, a long driving trip is not fun if you only see the highway on both sides.

So I had to make a choice and cut some places from the list, add others and so on. And it became:

[bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-pushpin”] Annecy [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Grenoble [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Saint Tropez [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Cannes [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Nice [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Eze [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-share-alt”] Monaco [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-flag”]

After leaving Zurich, made some amazing stops in Switzerland’s Marche Restaurant & Gas Stations and finally got to Annecy after 4 hours. We only stayed a few hours there and headed to Grenoble, where we got very late and went directly to sleep, so we can rest for our next day’s trip to South of France.

To be honest, I’ve never even heard about Grenoble, but since it was on our way down, we chose to stop after a few hours spent in Annecy.

All right, now the important facts. But first, the pictures:

Marche in switzerland. eats on the highway on swiss roads. european car trip on the way to annecy

EATS ON THE SWISS ROADS – MEET Marché: THE NICEST ROAD STOP IN EUROPE

Mountain view in annecy, france. people sitting at the beach

PICNIC IN ANNECY WITH A FABULOUS VIEW OVER THE MOUNTAINS

THE OLD TOWN

CHATEAU D’ANNECY IN THE OLD TOWN – SURROUNDED BY THE WATER CHANNEL, CHARMING AND UNIQUE LOCAL SHOPS, DELICIOUS SMALL RESTAURANTS, BAKERIES AND COFFEE SHOPS

EVERY WINDOW IS HIDING A FRENCH STORY – THE THING I LIKE MOST IN ITALY AND FRANCE ARE THE WINDOWS. SMALL, CHARMING, OLD FASHIONED, AND OF COURSE, FLOWERS AT EVERY ONE OF THEM

ONE OF THE COZY RESTAURANTS WHERE WE CHOSE TO SIT, ENJOY THE VIEW AND EAT GOOD FOOD

Cheese fondue in Le Picket restaurant annecy

REAL CHEESE FONDUE IN LE PICKET- YUMM!

Château d’Annecy in the Old Town

Such a romantic landscape, perfect place to take a break

Annecy – France’s Little Venice

I saw it on Pinterest, I followed the hashtag on Instagram, I added it on my travel wishlist in a moment.

Annecy is a small alpine town in southeastern France, very well-known for its old center, home of Chateau d’Annecy, once home to the counts of Geneva. Hmm, you know those medieval movies such as Robin Hood, First Knights and lovely Game of Thrones? The castle in the old town is even more charming than that, due to its position – surrounded by water, french restaurants, coffee shops and pâtisseries (french for bakery). The sidewalk around the water is something of a magnificent beauty.

This fairytale town needs more time to be explored. As a highlight, I would recommend you eat in one of the small restaurants in the old town, located near the waterside or the Chateau, and definitely try their cheese fondue! It’s absolutely fantastic! Even though it was summertime and I would die of warm, I had to simply enjoy this course as I am a huge fan of cheese bites.

Ah and don’t skip the walk inside the old town. You’ll find really interesting shops for bargains and cool concept stores.

If you’ve ever been to Annecy, let me know in the comments what else you’d add. I might make a short visit again soon to explore it more.

Until the next adventure in My European Car Trip

Don’t forget to spread the love 🙂

Be lovely,

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What I wish I knew before travelling to Mykonos – Tips & Tricks

26 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Mykonos

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car rental tips in mykonos, july weather in mykonos, mykonos, mykonos is windy, mykonos review, mykonos series, mykonos tips, mykonos vacation, sleep under the sky in mykonos, sleeping on the beach, staying in all inclusive in mykonos, summer in mykonos, the island of the wind, tips in mykonos, travelling to mykonos, what to do in mykonos, wind in mykonos

This gallery contains 12 photos.

Long time ago, I decided to make a few late posts about my summer adventure travelling to Mykonos, to help you plan …

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Spend the Holidays in Scandinavia

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Lorellay in Travel

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copenhagen, december in scandinavia, holidays in scandinavia, holidays in sweden, last minute trip, liseberg holidays, new year in gothenburg, new year in sweden, oslo, scandinavian holidays, stockholm, tips in scandinavia, tjuvholmen, travel to sweden, trip to scandinavia

Just a few days left until New Year. Cards are done, food is planned, tickets are bought, hotels are reserved, invites are sent, dresses are bought. But not everybody had made up a plan already, I have friends that wrote me asking if they can come visit during the New Year, cause they woke up too late to book a vacation. So did we this year. And 2 and 3 years ago 🙂

For those of you who haven’t planned where to spend the night between the years, or you are searching for a little inspiration, let me give you 4 ideas in the magical Scandinavia. It’s not too late to book a flight!

Copenhagen

This stunning Danish city is perfect to visit during the holidays! The town is alive, lights are simply amazing, and there are plenty activities to do. Tips: Walk around the city center, all the way to Illum shopping center. Visit the Christmas Market there and take a coffee at Cafe Europa -it’s worth staying in line for. Eat at Restaurant Ford in the evening – book table on the terrace.

Oslo

Oslo is beautiful mostly in the summers, but a few years ago I was suprised to have such a nice time during the New Year spent there. We chose to spend the night in Radisson Blu’s 34th-level SkyBar, and it was amazing! We got to dance, mingle and count down to the new year while watching the fireworks from the so high-up windows. Tips: Walk around Tjuvholmen to admire this beautiful adition to the town with fabulous architecture. Eat in Olivia Tjuvholmen. Oslo has plenty of activities and sports, you’ll have plenty museums to visit, winter sports and the amazing Artesia Spa Majorstuen for a relaxing day after ski. The only thing that might be a little hard on you, is the wind. Oslo is very windy during the winter, and much more colder than usual.

Is also good for you to know that, at least when I was there, the town was VERY empty, many places and restaurants were closed during the New Year weekend, which made our stay a bit sour. But if you have your days organised and you don’t mind a quiet vacation, than go for it.

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the third largest town in Sweden, and just because of that it doesn’t mean it’s not competing with Stockholm. I personally adore this town. 3 words: Class, Vintage, Art. During the holidays, the town is beautifully decorated and lightened, and plenty of activities are taking place. One to mention is the re-opening of Liseberg, Gothenburg’s amusement park, that runs until late autumn, but re-opens especially for the holidays with many seasonal spectacles, shows and activities. It’s the Disneyland of Sweden, and I can promise you’ll feel as in fairytales while there.

Check here: http://liseberg.com/en/home/Amusement-Park/Christmas-areas/

Liseberg – Photo credits: Göran Assnerimagebank.sweden.se

Stockholm

My absolutely favorite town, the capital and heart of Scandinavia, where dozens of activities are organised during the season. From markets, plays, restaurants, to fireworks and the warm spirit of winter holidays, Stockholm is a great choice for those who want a bit of everything. The city is alive and sparkling and there are many choices of places where to celebrate the New Year.

Stockholm – Photo credits: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se

Or if you are in the mood for the real Scandinavian feeling, go for the north of Sweden or Norway. I haven’t been there yet, but it’s on my wishlist!

No matter what you choose, you’ll be having a great time in Scandinavia. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get some snow for the holidays!

I’m gonna spend mine home this year, and I couldn’t be more happy!

Count on me if you need any tips!

Happy Holidays and see you next year! 🙂

My European Car Trip #2 – Best of Switzerland

10 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by Lorellay in Lorellay TV, Switzerland

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best in switzerland, best of switzerland, goldeneye bungee jump, james bond 007, james bond bungee jumping, la gelateria di lugano, lugano top, monte san salvatore, my european car trip, MyEuropeanCartrip, one month vacation, rhine fall, road trip in europe, rustici della verzasca, sweden to switzerland, switzerland car trip, ticino, top of lugano, travel by car, travel europe, trip by car, valle verzasca, where to travel in summer

Have you ever been in a place that has everything? Like, literally everything! And all very close to each other? Beautiful mountain views, with the sea just across the corner, classic charming streets but also futuristic endless tunnels, historical architecture, incredible food and cultures, and the people…oh the people, beautiful, classy and so relaxed! Ladies, meet Switzerland! I made a video to make sure you get to see as much as possible, in case you ever plan to visit the country, but don’t skip the pictures below, either!

Since I was here for a few days on our #cartrip, we had the chance to explore much, and our dear friends that live there were really great hosts, but not everyone has friends in Switzerland to carry them around, so I will make a list with what we did, and what could you do, if you’d like, on your trip there.

I have a gallery with amazing photos to share from Switzerland & Co. I also have a few recommendations that I cannot leave behind, because I’m sure you will appreciate it if you ever visit any of the places!

Visit the Rhine Fall in Schaffhausen!

It’s a must, and do not hesitate to take the boat over there and make a tour. I skipped that and I still regret it…

Gotthard Tunnel

The tunnel is located under the Alps mountains, but if you have a little bit extra time, go for the mountain drive! You’ll see amazing places, make stops and just enjoy! This is one of them:

Lugano

Just a 2 hours drive from Zurich is Lugano city which is such a lovely town to get an ice cream in, take a boat tour or just walk along the beautiful promenade. Lugano has many parks and lakesides, you can just google around and find many of them, or just ask the locals, they’ll guide you through.

Monte San Salvatore

Once you get to Lugano, don’t hesitate to visit this place. It’s basically the top of Lugano, from where you can see the aquatic border between Switzerland and Italy. You can climb the mountain, or of course, you can choose the 10-minutes ride with the red funicular, which for me was an incredible experience, because I got to see how high up we got second by second, while watching the beautiful views around. Once you get up, you have a restaurant over there, but don’t settle for it, since you’ll want to go even more up stair by stair (a few hundreds of them, damn!), where you’ll find a small church. A few more stairs here (YES, take your COMFORTABLE shoes) and you’ll really be on the top of Lugano, where you’ll experience the most incredible views! Breathless panorama! I promise you, you won’t regret it!

Ticino

It’s an amazing little town or maybe village, I haven’t memorised that part, very close to Lugano, or maybe part of it, where you can get a nice swim in this beautiful place almost everywhere, but a very, very special place, which is like a hidden gem for locals, is Valle Verzasca. You’ll see that the pictures don’t serve it’s real beauty, when you get there. A great, great plus is Rustici della Verzasca (I don’t even really know what it is!) – it offers accommodation in really cozy rooms, with breathless views and an incredible restaurant/oysteria. Ticino is more Italian than Swiss, so you should expect the whole La Dolce Vita experience, because, my friends, it has never been more real! Here’s a few of my pictures, which I believe are better than any of the ones I found online:

Valle Verzasca

Valle Verzasca mountain view

Rustici della Verzasca restaurant and accommodation

best of switzerland valle verzasca rooms

View from the rooms in Rustici della Verzasca

James Bond 007 GoldenEye Bungee Jump

Extremely high, incredibly beautiful – pay it a visit, and if you don’t dare jumping, just go see it, enjoy the fabulous views from the 220 meters high dam and watch others jumping, it’s really, really worthy!

Lucerne

A beautiful town very close to Zurich – I only got to visit it in the evening, so I haven’t gotten the opportunity to take many pictures, but visit their official site and see this national treasure.

And of course, the center of Zurich, which is absolutely fabulous, and there I have 2 tips that I am not sure you’ll find by yourself: Sprungli – best macarons ever!!! and Salvator Dali gallery.

I definitely decided I want to live here someday, for three main special reasons:

Its location in Europe is so perfect, so convenient, you can practically take breakfast in France, dinner in Italy, and be back home by night in Switzerland just so you can wake up in the morning and close a deal in Germany 🙂
Because of the numerous jazz festivals they host in places as Lugano, on the seaside, which I find extremelly romantic and perfect food for the soul.
The weather! The Swiss have it all, compared to us in Scandinavia! It can be cold, or warm, or very warm, or just right, but never so dramatic weather changes as in Sweden…

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A ONE DAY TRIP: Take a day tour from Zurich to Lugano, drive over the mountain instead of the tunnel, so you can experience the wonderful views, visit Lugano’s lakeside park and take a gelatto at La Gelateria di Lugano, then drive to Ticino, see Valle Verzasca and take two jumps: one in the beautiful blue water from the bridge in the Valley, and one from the world famous James Bond Verzasca dam.

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Have you ever visited any of this places or have any more tips for my next visit? Let me know in the comments!

Until next article in…..France!

Love,