Travel Horizons: tuscany

Showing posts with label tuscany. Show all posts

11.12.2019

a Grand Tour of Europe with Belmond

If you're traveling to Europe in 2020, Belmond's Grand Tour is probably the best combination of luxury and value that you can find. Here are three reasons why this is the promotion to go for...

(1) A selection of the world's finest hotels ...

in Italy

Belmond Hotel Cipriani (Venice)
Belmond Villa San Michele (Florence)
Belmond Hotel Splendido and Splendido Mare (Portofino)
Belmond Castello di Casole (Tuscany)
Belmond Hotel Caruso (Ravello)
Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo and Villa Sant'Andrea (Sicily)

on Mallorca

Belmond La Residencia (Mallorca)

on Madeira

Belmond Reid's Palace (Madeira)

(2) Seven nights at a flat rate

Low Season (March & April; October to January)

7 nights in a room — 4774€
7 nights in a Junior Suite — 8008€

High Season (May to September)

7 nights in a room — 6699€
7 nights in a Junior Suite — 11,704€

Extra nights are available at a pro-rated price.

(3) Full American Breakfast included daily. You'll receive the Virtuoso amenities and be blocked in the best available room on arrival.

P.S. — I've stayed at La Residencia in Mallorca, an absolutely gorgeous resort (click to read my article) ... and at the iconic Cipriani in Venice where you can wander the winding streets of Venice by day, then escape the crowds to your own private island each night.

Fine print: At least two Belmond properties must be booked, but stays can be non-consecutive within 45 days of first arrival. No deposit required; payment made at check-out. Cancellations within 14 days incur a 50% penalty, within 7 days a 100% penalty; travel insurance is highly recommended. Blackout dates ... Splendido, Caruso, La Residencia - not available July and August. Cipriani - not available June and September. Reid's Palace and Timeo - not available 28DEC-1JAN.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

4.24.2019

the magic of Tuscany

I leave for Italy in two days. Along with some colleagues from Brownell Travel, our first three nights will be spent exploring in Tuscany. We're spending Saturday night at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco (see the video above) and Monday and Tuesday nights at Monteverde Tuscany Resort. From Tuscany, we head to Rome where we'll join the rest of our colleagues on the trip.

Hotel Eden will be our home on Wednesday night, and I'm especially looking forward to see this new newly renovated Dorchester Collection hotel. Thursday afternoon will be quite special day with a tour of Rome by Vespa (with an experienced driver/guide actually driving the thing). Not sure how it will work lugging a Canon R camera while hanging on for dear life, but I'm anticipating this brand new way of seeing Rome. Click here if you'd like to experience Rome by Vespa.

I'll tell you about the four days after Rome in a future blog ... but — hint — it will be a moving experience worthy of an ovation.

12.27.2016

travel dreams of faraway places

An antique photograph ... where (and when) was it taken?

Not in Tuscany at all, Corso Trattoria is an Italian restaurant in Berkeley's "gourmet ghetto." This photo was shot a few years ago right on Shattuck Avenue, less than 10 minutes from home (assuming you can find nearby parking). This is a reminder that fabulous meals can be found right around the corner ... and that we can be reminded of places distant and exotic just by looking at the world with imagination.

So if you're at home this Festive Season, treat yourself to a night out to a local restaurant with a lot of character and authentic regional cuisine. While you're enjoying a glass of wine, absorb the experience and dream about where you'd like to go in 2017.

P.S. — this was an iPhone photo, and in the post-processing I applied a sepia tone and a very coarse grain.

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

9.14.2012

top 10 family activities in Europe

idea # 7: scavenger hunt through the Louvre

Continuing this series of top 10 recommendations from luxury travel provider Abercrombie and Kent, here are their ideas on the top 10 family activities in Europe.

Rome — Gladiator School

Amsterdam — bicycling

Croatia — sea kayaking

Bruges — chocolate workshop

Moscow — backstage tour and live performance at the Moscow State Circus

Tuscany — horseback riding

Paris — scavenger hunt through the Louvre

Florence — behind the scenes at Florence's best Gelateria

St. Petersburg — Matryoshka doll painting

Scotland — search for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, on your own chartered boat

A scavenger hunt through the Louvre sounds like fun, and what a creative way to bring a museum to life! When you're ready to plan your next family vacation to Europe, and want to create special memories that your children will carry throughout their lives, contact your Virtuoso luxury travel consultant. We've got the connections that can make these family activities possible.

top 10 family activities in Europe (search here on Google)

Links