I must admit when it comes to picking of hotels for our holidays, I’m not very good at selecting the right ones. You see, I once made the mistake of trusting the hotel’s website and booked a room for 120+ euros 6 years ago when we went on our holiday to Capri. I thought I scored a great deal. The rooms looked pretty decent on the website and I thought the Man was going to pleased with what a bargain I got for him.
Well, it definitely wasn’t the case! It was a dingy room that was located miles, miles, miles away from the city centre. The Man was obviously not a happy camper! Since that episode, I was pretty much banned from booking any hotels for our holidays. I only managed to redeem myself a little when we went to Hawaii and I was tasked with selecting a hotel for the first leg of the trip.
After doing extensive research on the hotel on Trip Advisor and ploughing through the various reviews, I eventually settled on one that the Man was happy with.
Our recent trip to Italy saw us going to many places. I was initially tasked with helping the Man secure some of the hotels but with the change of portfolio at work, I didn’t have the time to help with the planning. The Man, on the other hand, did a FANTASTIC job in selecting the hotels that we stayed in. Thought I’d share some of the lovely places we stayed in so that you can go ahead to book them if you are planning to head to these places yourself. 
Hotel Continentale in Florence
An elegant and beautiful boutique hotel located in the heart of Florence. I love hotel rooms with clean and white furniture. It’s simple and classic. The handmade leather trunks were specially customised for the hotel and they are a work of an art – cleverly disguised to unveil a working desk and storage unit. I almost wanted to order one for the home on a whim. That’s not all, the location was ideal too – within walking distance to many of the shops and nearby attractions. The awesome sky bar also boasts an amazing view of the Florence skyline while you sip those cocktails and munch on the complimentary chips. Now, tell me – what’s not to like?
[Photo credit: Hotel Continentale]
Hotel Romano House in Catania
Hotel Romano House sits in a restored 17th century building. I love the modern touches that comes with each room to give guests a feeling of comfort. Situated in the heart of baroque Catania, the address is ideal for exploring the city on foot while heading back for a restful sleep.
Antichemura Bed & Breakfast in Arezzo
This was a charming find-of-a-gem unveiled by our friends. Bed and breakfast places can be quite a fun stay if you are intending to just stop over the city for one or two days. I love that the rooms here at Antichemura were all themed. I would have selected this room called Holly (not sure why) over the Marilyn Monroe themed room. Not sure which room we stayed for it wasn’t featured on their website but it was quaint and pretty huge for just the two of us. Best part of staying at a B&B, breakfast is thrown inside the package. Never mind that they didn’t have a restaurant nor eating area to serve up the breakfast items for us, the free breakfast coupons that they provided at a local cafe was way better.
[Photo credit: Antichemura Bed & Breakfast]
But the most luxurious stay has gotta be this hotel that we stayed in Milan. Loved it from the start to the finish!
The candy jars are well-stocked every morning. Perfect pick-me-up to load up on sugar before we head out to town on foot.
And let’s not forget the wonderful breakfast that we get treated to every morning during our stay there. I loved the hearty granola with a generous serving of berries that go along with it.
There you have it.. some of our recommended picks for hotels stays when you next visit Italy. BIG SHOUT-OUT to the Man who handpicked 80% of the hotels for the trip. You set the bar so high that I’m afraid to disappoint you (again). @_@
Oh and if you have stayed in others and would like to share your picks, please feel free to do so as well!
Next up, planning a little weekend vacay to Phuket! Did my research and will share some of the hotels that we shortlisted. Till then, here’s to the next vacation!
Because the restaurant was a little more difficult to find, we kinda got a little lost and resulted in turning up at the restaurant way passed our scheduled slot. While they didn’t chase us away, we found the lunch menu rather limited in terms of food offerings. Having said that, what we ordered was still very good.
The drive up to La Bandita was slightly treacherous but all’s forgotten when we were treated to this gorgeous countryside view of greenery along with the rays from the setting sun.
And it was pretty much freezing up there but we still couldn’t resist sneaking in a couple of cam-whoring shots.
Then we sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful view as the sun sets while having our wine and light snacks.
The pals wanted to have their wedding party at this lovely place but unfortunately the place couldn’t accommodate the number of guests that they have planned for.
But we are glad that they decided to surprise the wedding crew at this place. It was a great way to wrap up the hols with the Man’s best friend.
After missing out the private museum tour because it was conducted primarily in French with no translation, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with a long leisure lunch before dressing up for the gala event.
For starters, I had the scallops served over mashed brocoli with cream of pumpkin and black truffle. As strange as it may sound, it the flavours surprisingly all blended in harmony. For the main, I chose a eel with seaweed pasta. Was really looking forward to the dish but it kinda disappointed. The freshwater eel was rather bland and the seaweed ended up looking like a mess on the plate of pasta. The Man’s duck fillet was a far better choice.
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