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Lorellay

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Tag Archives: vacation

Vacation time is here!

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by Lorellay in Ideas & Nonsense

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capri, design school, jönköping, plans, positano, school, vacation

I really can’t express how disappointed I am on my ability to stay on track with writing on the blog constantly. I post so much on Instagram and it feels like everyone is watching my Instastories, so I basically say everything there. Which is wrong of me, of course, cause I only post my visual daily bits.

But I promise for the 10th zillion time to get better!

Anyways, I have to put up in the agenda the plans for the future, and probably the most important decision of this year: in August I’ll be going back to the benches of the University! As I wrote here, I have applied for a spot into the 3 years Bachelor Program for Graphic Design & Web Development of Jönköping’s School of Engineering. Proud and happy that I got in, although there was a limited number of students! When I got my letter of acceptance at first, I was a little bit confused if I can really do this at this point in my life, but after some meditation I figured it’s what I want to do, to improve my design skills and be a better marketer and developer. I’m confident it’s going to be a fun time in my life, and no, not because of #studentlife (I’ve had that once back home in Romania, so a second one at 29 yo would seriously be creepy).

But before that, guess what?

VACAY time is here! Not that I’ve been too home stable the last year, but this vacation I’ve been looking forward for so much! It’s my favourite destination in the whole world: Amalfi Coast! Positano & Capri for almost 2 weeks! Such a dream, it took us 2 days of search to find and book the whole trip, and if there wouldn’t exist Airbnb, we’d probably not be able to travel there, as every nice hotel at a human price was fully booked. And seriously, if you go to Positano, you need a room with a view, and for that you pay a super extravagant price. We’ve got a beautiful villa from a lovely Italian lady which I can’t wait to meet, that has an amazing huge terrace with a view over Positano and a private beach.

After Amalfi, we’re going to our family house in Alicante, and spend 2 weeks of calmness, beach and relaxation just right before returning home back to reality and a new full time school. Wow how weird that sounds: back to school!

Thankfully, now with the free roaming in Europe, I’m gonna post all the time from my La Dolce Vita trip! Stay in touch on Instagram!

[instagram-feed]

What are your summer plans? I’m so curious to know what is everyone doing this summer!

Ciao,

L

 

 

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.

Rixos The Palm Dubai view, best hotel in The Palm

 

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!

 

Burj al arab view from Rixos hotel in Dubai the palm

 

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.

Balcony view in Rixos the palm dubai, working on the terrace of our Junior suite roomterrace-view-rixos-the-palmBeach-rixos-the-palm

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.

activities for kids in rixos the palm dubaiactivities for children in rixos the palm dubaiyoga activities in dubai yoga-rixos-the.palm-dubai

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!

rixos-the-palm-entrance rixos-arrival rixos-surroundingsme-in-dubainight activity in rixos the palm dubaipool-night-rixosbreakfast-rixos-dubai

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.

rixos the palm junior suitebulgari-products-rixos-the-palm junior-suite-bedroom-rixos-dubai junior-suite-night-view-rixos-the-palmbeautiful-view-rixos-dubai view-work-rixos-the--palm

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:

beach-rixosrixos-dubai-beachBeach-Rixos-Hotel-Dubai beach-view-rixos-the-palm-dubai

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.

cabanas-rixos-thepalm-dubai cabanas-rixos-dubai garden-dubai-rixos-thepalm

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.

shisha-lounge shisha-lounge-nuair

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!

el chiringuito dubai

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.

rixos-style-spa

Design Studies Planning, Dubai Trip and Easter With My Lovely Family

31 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by Lorellay in Ideas & Nonsense

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design studies, dubai trip, easter, easter in sweden, family, holiday, travel, vacation

A fully busy period comes ahead and I can’t be more happy for it! First of all, I’ve got a crazy idea for a long time, which I finally dared to make a first step for. I applied for a new Bachelor program in Jönköping’s University of Engineering, a 3 years program called New Media Design, which is basically graphic design & web development. Cannot express how anxious, nervous and emotional I am about it,  and I have to make myself forget until I get an answer if I got in or not, which will be in the summer… So fingers crossed,  please! [bs_icon name=”glyphicon glyphicon-education”]

Writing from Stockholm in the lounge of the hotel we are staying in for the next two days, just before travelling to Dubai! Before I left home, I had a lot of cleaning and preparing for Easter, not because I need to, or because my home is dirty, but because my mother is coming to visit!

And you know moms, or at least mine, comes and checks ever little corner of dust and other stories. That is, in fact, something I wish I would have inherited from her. Anyway, I’m really excited that I get to celebrate Easter with my family in Sweden! My sister and niece haven’t been here in 2 years so it was quite the time for them to visit. Plus, they love Jönköping!

On Sunday we’ll travel to Dubai for both work and pleasure. Work, cause I will visit the largest tech conference in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa), STEP Conference 2017; pleasure, cause I’ll be staying at Rixos The Palm Hotel, and I’ll be at the beach all the rest of the time!

I’ll probably post non-stop from Dubai on my Instagram and surely on my Insta-story, so make sure to follow me there, cause I’ve heard Dubai is fabulous!

Fab weekend to you all!

L.

Where to Eat in Mykonos?

25 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by Lorellay in Mykonos

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

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

 

Pasta Fresca Barkia Restaurant Eat in Mykonos Where to Eat in Mykonos Pasta Fresca Barkia Mykonos Where to Eat in Mykonos Pasta Fresca Barkia Eat in Mykonos Best Pasta Best pasta gnocchi mykonos

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.

Eat In Mykonos Pepper Souvlaki Mykonos Eat Best Souvlaki Peppers Souvlaki Mykonos

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 🙂

 

Mykonos 231 JackieOBeachPool JackieOMykonos Restaurant Eat in mykonos best food eat in mykonos JackieOFoodRestaurant Eat in mykonos Jackie O Mykonos restaurant Eat in Mykonos JackieO Mykonos Food Best Entrecote JackieO Mykonos Pool

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,

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