Napa is known for its wonderful wine and for good reason; it boasts some of the best vino in the world and is a major destination for wine lovers.

Of the many towns we’ve visited throughout Napa and Sonoma Counties there’s always been a special place in our hearts for Yountville. You’ll find lovely shops, desert stands and tasting rooms (it’s Napa after all) peppered throughout the perfectly-manicured, little town but it’s the luxurious hotels and exquisite cuisine that draws us back each time.

Yountville is considered a culinary heart of Napa. Chef Thomas Keller has his foot print all over this town.

Best restaurants in Napa Valley :

Head over to Bouchon Bistro for lunch and enjoy your meal on their lovely patio. This french restaurant offers sea food options such as oysters, mussels , caviar and the seafood tower. They also offer chicken, lamb and steak along with other specials daily. The side bread is freshly made at Bouchon Bakery right next door which is another wonderful place to go if you want to grab a small sandwich and a coffee. Don’t be intimidated by their long line running out the door; it moves quickly and it’s worth the wait with fresh pastries and bread that are divine.

Ad Hoc is another staple in this beautiful town. It serves pre-fixed comfort food at $55 per person. The menu changes daily and you can check it out on their website. We have been going to Ad Hoc for several years and have not had the same exact meal twice! The ingredients are chosen based on the season and the preparation is always unique. Keep in mind that even though they have a set menu, they offer other options for allergies or for those who don’t eat a certain type of meat.

La Calenda, the newest addition to Thomas Keller restaurants recently opened a few doors away from Bouchon. This restaurant has a casual ambiance, kid friendly and serves authentic Mexican cuisine from Oxaca.

If you like to splurge, a must try restaurant in Napa is The French Laundry. This wonderful Michelin 3 restaurant is known to so many foodies as one of the best in the country and it’s visited by many from all over the world. The reservation is available via Tock.

Restoration Hardware has opened a new restaurant and a tasting room in Yountville . It’s one of the most beautiful tasting rooms in Napa and is attracting lots of visitors.

Morimoto and Kenzo are two of are other favorite places for dinner and are located in downtown Napa. They are both fantastic spots for sushi lovers.

Wine tasting spots in Napa:

We have a few usual wineries that we go to and make sure to take our friends there as well. For wonderful wine and elaborate scenery head over to Darioush. You can snack on some toasted pistachios while enjoying their delicious wine. Take pictures from the beautiful Persian columns and water fountain outside. If you see the torch in full flame, you should know that Darioush himself is present at the winery.

Joseph Phelps is another wonderful winery that gets booked pretty quickly especially during the weekends. Opus One, Chimney Rock and Silver Oak are also very high on our list. If you love great wine but would also like to have some beautiful photos for your instagram make sure to check out Alpha Omega, Artesa, Castello Di Amorosa or Domaine Carneros. The view from these wineries is exceptional.

If you are in the mood for bubbles pay a visit to Domaine Chandon. You can get a bottle of Rétoile Rosé and then lay on the grass while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. It’s a fabulous place for the groups as well.

Kenzo Estate offers food and wine pairing. They pair their fantastic wine with food from Bouchon. The scenery is breath taking and the service is outstanding.

Where to stay ?

We have a few favorite hotels in Napa that we keep going back to. Our all time favorite hotel is Bardessono, a five-star luxury resort with the friendliest staff. The hospitality of the hotel along with their farm-to-table restaurant, Lucy, is truly spectacular.

Hotel Yountville is another excellent hotel. You can spend hours sitting by their beautiful fireplace, sipping on wine paired with charcuterie and fine cheeses.

If you’d like to stay closer to downtown Napa, Carneros resort is wonderful place to be. This beautiful hotel is only 5 miles away from downtown Napa. Their hilltop pool along with the bocce ball court sets them apart from other hotels in the area. The hotel’s restaurant, Farm, is a wonderful place both for lunch and dinner.

Another favorite hotel of ours is Calistoga Ranch, located in upper Napa in a 157 acres of lush oak canyon. The resort offers so many activities to chose from such as outdoor yoga, a beautiful heated outdoor pool, hiking trail and a bocce court.

Get to Napa, grab a few glasses of wine, some amazing food and celebrate life! Cheers!

Bora Bora, this dreamy island famous for it’s over the water bungalows, is nothing short of paradise. It’s a luxury honeymoon destination for a very good reason. This island is easily accessible by plane or boat from it’s nearest islands. The major international airport is located in Tahiti which is a 50 min plane ride to Bora Bora.

Bora Bora is comprised of a set of smaller islands called Motu. Each hotel is built on their own Motu. Thus, getting to your hotel from the airport or transferring between properties will require travel by boat. This may sound complicated but each hotel has their own taxi boat and they offer pick-up and drop-off service to the airport or other hotels. However, you’ll need to keep in mind that there is a cost to these boat transfers and it varies per hotel. If you are looking to move around a lot, you’ll want to take the cost into consideration and plan for activities inside your hotel or near by

Where to stay?

Four Seasons, St. Regis and Intercontinental are the best hotels to stay on the islands while Le Meridien and Conrad are also popular amongst vacationers. The over-water bungalows often come with glass floors, which reveal the lagoon life underneath your feet. If this feature is very important to you, please note that Le Meridien has the largest glass floor compare to St. Regis and Four Seasons.

We stayed in the over the water bungalows at the Four Seasons. To read more about this amazing resort be sure to click here.

The resort is kid-friendly and if you are traveling with a large contingent your best option is to get a villa. The villas have three bedrooms and they have a private swimming pool making it a better choice for larger size families. Only 8 Villas are available on the resort so make sure to book it before it’s gone!

When to travel?

May to October is the dry season and the best season to hit the beaches. Temperature is around 83 degrees (28°C). The wet season (November to April) brings heavy downpours and humidity but has less tourists, which makes the accommodation more affordable. If you want to avoid the crowd but still visit Bora Bora in the dry season, May and September would probably be the best months to travel. We spend 4 days on the island and we felt that it was a perfect amount.

What’s to do?

• Kayaks and paddle boards:

Kayaks and paddle boards are among some of the most relaxing yet fun activities under the sun. While most hotels have them available for their guests, you can rent yours from various shops around the island. If you have never used paddle boards before, a calm lagoon is the best way to learn it.

• Jet-ski:

If you like more adventurous water sports, jet skis are available for rent at most hotels and beaches. It will be a great way to explore the lagoon and the surroundings.

• Snorkeling and Diving:

Bora Bora’s lagoon has beautiful corals, fish and sharks. Many hotels have their own private lagoons and provide snorkeling gear as a part of the resort experience. The underwater life is truly spectacular and will leave you speechless.

• Sailing and private sunset cruises

Grab your swimsuits and enjoy a half day/full day on a hobie cat or a racing catamaran. You can discover Bora Bora in a calm relaxing way while sipping on champgane and enjoying the sunset.

• Vavau Safari

If you are tired of water activities, you can plan for a Vavau Safari. You get to explore the island’s World War II sites, learn about the ancient temples and discover the history of fauna and flora of Bora Bora.

What to pack?

Obviously lots and lots of swim-wears, hats and sunglasses. But most importantly pack your sunscreen. The sun is harsh and it’ll burn you within the first hour. Since you’re likely to be participating in a lot of water activities you will need a lot of sun protection. Be prepared to apply liberally and frequently. A bug spray isn’t necessary but it’s also valuable, especially during the wet season. To avoid that, make sure to close all of your windows before you head out to dinner!

Flowy cotton clothes or breathable fabrics should be something to consider . Pack comfortable sandals, beach gear, your go-pro and you are ready to go! Happy traveling!

There’s no better place to vacation than along the Amalfi Coast. I always knew that I wanted to go to this magical town, Positano, and travel further along the coast of Amalfi. Amalfi coast is easily accessible via Naples. You can access the coast via bus, taxi or car which takes you about two hours. If you have time you can easily spend a few days in Sorrento which is half way between Naples and Amalfi coast.

While in Sorrento, we went to the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria bar called La Pergola bar à champagne. While they give you one free taste of the champagne, they also offer complimentary tapas (Cheese, Grapes and sushi tower) along with the drinks. The location is perfect as you get to enjoy the view of Piazza Tasso.

Sorrento is a larger city comparing to the other towns along the coast and so there’s more to do and see. It has a beautiful square with so many hotels, shops, restaurants and bars near by. We decided to spend four days in Sorrento before heading to the Amalfi Coast. This made most sense since traveling to Capri and the caves (blue and green grotto) are easier from this port. We dedicated one day to Capri and another day to travel throughout the coast.

When in Sorrento, we went to the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria bar called La Pergola bar à champagne. While they give you one free taste of the champagne, they also offer free tapas (Cheese, Grapes and sushi tower) along with the drinks. The location is perfect as you get to enjoy the view of Piazza Tasso.Another lovely bar we find ourselves every night at is called D’anton. The decor, drinks, service and ambience was so wonderful we kept going back!

On the third day of our stay in Sorrento, we took a rental car and traveled from Sorrento all the way to Ravello and stopped in most towns. Roads are narrow but easy to navigate. One of the advantages of renting a car is that you get to stop wherever you want to take a picture or get some fresh fruit from the vendors along the road.

We spent two days in the beautiful Positano. While there are so many amazing hotels in this town, we chose Le Sirenuse. (read my full review on the hotel here). It is one of the most talked about hotels and is known by celebrities and locals. Le Sirenuse gets visited by many tourists every day. The reason? It’s hospitality and the view! (The album cover was taken from the balcony of the hotel)

The hotel has complimentary activities and excursions everyday for it’s guests from Pilates and Megafromer workout to Sunset cruise or a visit of a Limoncello factory that make the trip worth the visit. Make sure to check the available upon booking.

The staff at Le Sirenuse go above and beyond to make sure you have a memorable stay. If you decide to have a particular spot reserved by the pool, they make sure to reserve those seats for you. You can expect complimentary ice cream or cold face towels delivered to you while you are enjoying the pool. We also received a generous welcome gift from the hotel in our room. There was a bottle of champagne, a bottle of their Limoncello and fresh fruit.

The hotel has a beautiful Champagne bar with the most amazing view of Positano. La Sponda, Once Micheline restaurant, is also located here. Their live band has been playing there for around 20 years! Feel free to request your favorite song while enjoying some of the most amazing risottos. Cheers!

 

We decided to stay in Bologna since our flight from Italy was out of this city. Although one day was enough to see many parts of this beautiful city, we wished we had more time there.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Majestic which is rights in the heart of Bologna. It’s located in the center of the town where most attractions, restaurants and bars are a few steps away from you. If you are into shopping, you can find majority of the shops right next to the hotel.

Bologna has so much charm that makes you gasp after a few minutes into the town. Unlike other Italian cities, it’s not as touristy which made it more appealing to us. You can walk with the locals, shop at their local flee market, walk over to the Medieval Center and head towards Via Pescherie, Vechchie 3 for some Cheese and Salami. Where we went? Salumeria Simoni.

Right in that alley way you can find so many other bars, Cheese and wine shops with outside seating. I could see going back there if we had more time in Bologna.

If you are craving some Bolognese, you are in the right city! The best we found was Bottega Portici. You can pick and chose the pasta you like along with the sauce you want! Pasta is made fresh daily and actually right in front of your own eyes!

This city is definitely our favorite and we can’t wait to go back! Are you planning to visit Florence? Make sure you visit Bologna as well.

Hvar, is known to be one of the most glamorous islands in the middle of Adriatic sea. It is known for it’s fresh sea food, water adventures and long fun nights. This beautiful island is easily accessible via Split. A few ferries depart from the port during the day, some with a stop in Bol. The ride is only around 1 hour and the tickets could be easily purchased at the port. If you decide to book your ferry ticket in advance, please make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the port as the traffic can be really bad depending on the time of the day.

There are multiple ferry companies to chose from. We used Jardolinja which was cleaner, roomier and fancier than others. The cost was 110 HRK per person ($17) and was easy to book online. We used Krilo on the way back for 90 HRK Per person ($14) and weren’t as impressed.

Hvar town is very small and can be explored in one day but there’s so much to do and see in the whole island that one day would not be enough. Also, if you plan on seeing some of the other islands, it makes sense for you to stay longer in Hvar instead of Split. You will save a lot of time going back and forth on the ferries plus you get to enjoy the Carpe Diem at night!

Hvar city has numerous bars, restaurants and cafes. If you stay away from the very touristy areas, I promise you that you will find amazing food. We asked the locals and we weren’t disappointed at all. Head over to Dalmatino for some amazing pasta, salad and octopus. Don’t worry if you are gluten free. Their home made Gluten Free gnocchi with shaved Truffle will make you go back a few times more! If you are tired of Italian food, make sure to visit Fig Cafe and Bar for some delicious Mexican food. You can continue the night by grabbing a few drinks at Ka’lavanda bar. In our opinion it was one of the most fun bar with the nicest vibes, awesome cocktail and great music. Service was amazing in all of the these places so make sure to give them a shot

Where to stay?

Well, apart from Airbnb, there are two nicer hotels (both 4 stars) on the island. Unfortunately there are no 5 stars at the moment but Amfora and Adriana are amongst the best rated ones. Since we did our booking a bit late, Adriana was fully sold out during our stay and we had to go with Amfora. Comparing the locations of the two hotels, Adriana is much closer to the main attractions, restaurants and bars but Amfora is still walking distance to the main city of Hvar.

While in Hvar, we decided to take advantage of visiting other islands nearby. Since ratings on Ilirios tour was high, I decided to book a tour with them. The communication wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be and even though I was in contact with them two months prior to our trip, it wasn’t until the day before our trip that I got an email from them saying that the boat was full. A bit sad from the outcome, we had to search for another reputable company with availability.

We decided to walk around the town and ask some of the local shops and kiosks if they had any last minute boat available. While some did, we noticed that majority of the shops had to search for an available boat and the skipper for us. The challenge can be that you may not be able to get a boat suitable for the type of adventure you are looking to have. Another thing to keep in mind is that some skippers don’t speak English and so if you are looking for a private tour, you can’t really count on them. It was then when we realized we have to take the matters in our own hands and search for the company online.

We found Adrian with Aduros Tour and decided to meet with him in person to discuss our travel plan with him. We gave him a small deposit and decided to meet him the following day at the port closer to Amfora.

We met around 10:00 a.m the next day, the sea was calm and it was a gorgeous day in Hvar. The experience was unlike anything we have ever had and we were quite happy that booking with the other company didn’t workout.

During our 1 day boat excursion, we visited so many secret beaches, caves and islands that we couldn’t believe. ( Cover photo is taken at a private beach in Biševo and the photo above is taken after leaving Vis island).

Adrian was amazing in timing everything. One of the places he timed perfectly was the visit to the blue cave. The blue cave gets around 1500 visitors per day. so during the rush hour, the wait to go to the gave can be as great as 2 hours. Instead of visiting the blue cave in the busy time, we went for lunch on the island of Vis. We visited the city of Komiža and went back to the blue cave when the crowd was gone. Our wait time was zero minutes long which gave us extra time to go to a secret cave close by and swim inside! what an amazing experience we wont ever be able to forget!

On our way back, we stopped by another island, Palmižana , we wished we had discovered earlier. The island had the most fun vibe, had the most amazing food and service that made us go back that same night for dinner!

Palmižana is a short boat ride from Hvar ( probably 30 minutes) and there are some small boats that go there during the day. Cost is 50 HKN ($8) which covers both ways.

The best bar there is Laganini. The cost for drinks and food (mainly sushi) is a bit high but worth every penny. We had to take another taxi boat to come back to this place for dinner. We were told that they fly the chef to Japan to show how to prepare fish to the Japanese! We just wished we had more time to come back to this place. what’s a must order? Smoked sea food Risotto. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever had!

 

“There may not be a Heaven, but there is San Francisco”
Ashleigh Brilliant

I can write a lot about this beautiful city I get to call home by now. From it’s ancient Victorian houses, to the it’s most beautiful bridges and fantastic food, San Francisco is the home to a little bit of everything. The City is only 7×7 miles which makes it easy to access by car, ride share (Uber, Lyft), Muni (underground system) or even by foot.

Although the size of the actual city seems small, there’s so much to do and see.

So, how many days is enough to spend in San Francisco?

Well, there’s never a good answer but depending on your time and budget 3 days is a good start. Some of the must see in the city is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Lombard street, Museum of Legion of honor, Ghirardelli Square, Exploratorium, Fishermen’s wharf and to ride the cable car.

San Francisco also has a few amazing beaches. Some of the popular beaches are Ocean beach, Baker beach and Marshall’s beach.

San Francisco has so many amazing sights but here are some of my favorites:

Ferry Building: This world class public food market is located on the Embarcadero and is accessible via Bart or Muni. Some of the greatest eateries such as Gott’s and Humphrey Solocombe famous ice creams are located inside of Ferry building.

Bay Bridge: South of the Ferry building, you can find the beautiful Bay Bridge. You can grab food or drinks at any of the restaurants by the bridge. One of our usual spots is Coqueta. A Spanish Taparia with amazing food and fabulous cocktails. Or if you are feeling for some amazing Mediterranean food, Kokkari never disappoints.

If you are into some casual dining and some fun bars, Fillmore district and Hayes valley are both amazing. Our usual spots? A mano for some Italian food or you can grab some yummy Greek food at Souvla! If you are a foodie and would like to try something different but tasty, make sure to try Le petit Crenn by chef Dominique Crenn for some amazing french food or you can try Rich Table for some fabulous American cuisine (one Micheline star). Angler, has become our new favorite. With it’s stunning view of the bay bridge and delicious food, it attracts both tourists and locals. Reservation at the latter three places are a must. The calendar for both of these restaurants open 30 days in advance.

Mission district has amazing food as well. Check out El techo for some casual Mexican food with a wonderful view of San Francisco or it’s sister restaurant, Lolinda for some yummy Argentinian bites. Right next door, Foreign Cinema is a place you don’t want to miss. Now if you are still thirsty, check out to try trick dog for a few drinks!

If you have extra time, Napa or Sonoma country are both great places for both food and wine. Be sure to read my post on Napa here.