If you’ve been reading my weekly emails for a while, you know I’ve got a thing for Québec City.  As part of my visit to Club Med Québec-Charlevoix two weeks ago, I was treated to a night in Québec City, as well as an excursion to Baie-Saint-Paul which is very close to the resort.  The same gondola system that takes you up the mountain to the ski slopes also can take you down to the seaside to take the scenic train to Baie-Saint-Paul.

It was such an easy way to have an adventure without taking away from a stay at the resort.  This trip was easily done after lunch and before the evening entertainment at the resort starts.  Baie-St-Paul was named the culture capital of Canada in 2007.  Many artists have come to the town to find inspiration in its colors, mountains, sea, and wide open spaces.  These wide open spaces are also the source for the culinary products featured at the resort.  There is no doubt that this town is a source of inspiration for many as you wander through the streets.

As much as I enjoyed my short visit to Baie-St-Paul, Québec City was the highlight of my non-Club Med time in Québec (surprise, surprise).  It seems as if it is the setting for a fairy tell which was made even more magical by the sprinkle of snow on the ground and the Christmas lights and decorations.

Québec City is the only North American walled city north of Mexico.  The walled citadel was built after Americans attacked British Quebec in 1775-1776 during the American Revolution (which turned out to be a bad idea for the Americans).  The Upper Town (Haute-Ville) is perched on cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River with the focal point being the grand hotel Château Frontenac which now operates as a Fairmont property (shameless plug that my agency is part of their elite agency program which means extra perks and amenities for my clients)

I was limited on time during my one evening in QC so I did not visit Château Frontenac this trip, but I did visit during my last visit in 2016.  This time I stayed in the lower town, also known as Basse-Ville, the original neighborhood of the city around the harbor.  The upper town is accessible to the lower town via funicular car or steep stairs known as the ‘break neck’ stairs.

Here are a few more pics of me enjoying one of my favorite cities!

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is not the only game in town.  Club Med put us up at Hotel 71 which was quite lovely.  Although the hotel is part of an older building, it felt very modern yet cozy inside.  

The rooms were much larger than I expected, and I really loved the high ceilings and large windows that looked upon Old Québec.

Needless to say, I had an amazing time in Québec.  I really appreciate that Club Med went to the effort to ensure that we knew about everything the area has to offer those who visit their resort.  I truly believe Club Med is an all-inclusive brand that wants you to connect to the area you are visiting.

 

For those looking for the ultimate winter experience, I would recommend going during Québec’s Winter Carnival in February which coincides with the best ski conditions as well. 

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Oh my goodness, last week attending the grand opening of Club Med Québec was fantastic!  Somehow I made it to Québec with only a carry-on bag!  I still don’t know how I did it (although it did involve sitting on the suitcase while zipping it).  I had to reenter security in Toronto and even made it past their fancy machines that sense the size of your bag to determine if it is a true carry-on!  I was sweating it (literally, because I had to sit on my suitcase again to zip the extra zipper that allows it to be in expanded mode).  I was packed for both skiing and schmoozing since it was a grand opening event.  I honestly did not know what to expect when I got there, but I was prepared for anything.  

 

I thought there would be more travel advisors at the event, but it was actually more press than anything else.  This made me feel even more honored to be included!  The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was full of dignitaries and the entire event was in French, but I still felt the excitement, it was contagious.  I think this photo sums up the grand opening ceremony at Club Med Québec pretty well!

Club Med Québec - The Food

The first night, I was invited to eat at the a la carte restaurant at Club Med Québec, La Chalet, which is completely sourced from surrounding farms and producers. It is a farm-to-table concept and very well executed. Everybody was raving about the food, even a Parisian who now lives in San Francisco could not stop talking about it, so you know it was good!

The buffet was also well done with unique stations serving international fare but also local must-try foods like poutine. This may sound crazy (especially since I have been to Italy multiple times), but I had the best pizza I have ever eaten at the resort.  The worst part is that I did not even try it until my last meal there because I felt like eating pizza was a waste when there was so much quality food at the buffet.  There is also a family restaurant within the buffet area for fondue and cookie-making classes which I think would be such a great experience for families!

Top 2 photos – Farm to Table Restaurant (La Chalet) & Bottom 2 from Buffet

The Rooms

Club Med Québec’s setting along the St. Lawrence Seaway is spectacular. 

I actually met with some of the architects and interior design team and learned about their process. They took full advantage of the water views at every opportunity. The design was cozy and alpine chic. My meeting with them was in the Executive Collection lounge which is a separate area where those in the elevated rooms can relax. The family Executive Collection suites have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a living area while the normal family rooms have 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. I really appreciate the spacious offerings that Club Med has for families.

The Kids Club

The kids club at Club Med Québec is the cutest I have ever seen. There was a section for babies, toddlers, and then the mini club for 5-10 year olds – there was a music room with a stage, an art room, and a game room complete with a foosball table. There was a ski room inside the kids club because the lessons are given as part of the daily programming. I love this because my kids are much more likely to learn to ski by a kids club ski instructor if I am nowhere around!

Activities

Ski lessons and ski passes are included with your stay at Club Med Québec. There is a small charge for those who do not bring their own equipment.  The Club Med ski room helps you pick out the right sizes and ensures your boots fit your skis. 

After you ski, you can go to the heated indoor pool which is very zen with beautiful alpine views and surrounded by comfy loungers and hammocks. Or head outside to the hot tub to soak sore muscles!  There is even a kiddie section.

Do you know what else helps with sore muscles? Yoga! There is an entire yoga room with floor-to-ceiling windows where multiple types of experiential yoga take place including chroma, hot, and sound healing in which the instructor plays a set of “singing bowls” during Savasana. The yoga room is right outside the Spa and features all the typical services and hot-cold therapy pools which are included with any treatment. Combined with the seasonal outdoor activities, it does feel like they are going for a wellness vibe at this resort.  

I am particularly excited to come back and try the winter activities like sledding, ice skating, snow shoe hiking and dog sledding!

The Entertainment

The entertainment is one of the highlights of Club Med resorts.  Quebec-Charlevoix was no exception.  The evenings were so much fun and what was really impressive is that the theater is indoors at the center of the resort, yet I could hear nothing in the next building.The circus team performed like they do at other resorts, similar style as Cirque du Soleil.  Club Med brings in bands to play in exchange for staying at their resorts, so the entertainment is always fresh.

Sustainability

80% of Club Med resorts are Green Globe Certified and all new builds are BREEAM certified (It is the oldest method of assessing, rating and certifying a building’s environmental sustainability).  A big issue at All-Inclusive resorts is food waste, and Club Med has used different methods to combat it at all of their resorts.  In Quebec, they have partnered with a company called Soulcycle which converts food waste into biogas.

 

You will not see any single use plastic at a Club Med resort.  At the Quebec resort, they have water (with and without gas/bubbles) and Lavazza coffee stations spread throughout the property.  You can use a paper cup or bring your own water bottle. This may seem like a small thing to mention, but it really adds up quickly to reduce plastic consumption.

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Staying at a Thailand Elephant Resort is a must while traveling in this extraordinary country.   It is important to find one that is ethical and certified for its animal welfare practices.  It is also important that those traveling with young children have an environment  at their Thailand Elephant Resort to feel comfortable with their family.   Elephant Hills ticked both of these boxes for us and provided us with a unforgettable Thailand elephant resort experience.

Elephant Hills is located in the Suratthani region of Thailand.  The glamping elephant resort has been audited multiple times by Global Spirit, an independent UK-based company, assessing animal welfare standards for the travel industry, and has been found to exceed requirements.

The luxury glamping tents in this resort are reminiscent of African safari tents.  All comforts of a resort are found in the glamping tents, but the tents and layout of the resort connects guests with nature.  Our twin six year olds thought the entire property was fascinating, and it was very easy to entertain them here even without televisions in the tent!

Planning Our Thailand Family Vacation

My goal as both a parent and a travel advisor is to create unforgettable travel memories.  My kids certainly probably do not remember what we gave them for their last birthday, and certainly will not remember it in several years.  However, I am certain they will never forget the time they fed and bathed elephants during our stay at a Thailand elephant resort.

Before I started my travel business, I thought I knew everything I needed to know about planning vacations.  I have visited over 40 countries, several of those multiple times, and knew how to get around a new destination.  What has really enlightened me since starting my business is how much spending a little more money can enhance the entire trip. 

That was my mindset when I made the arrangements for our family to stay at Elephant Hills during our Thailand family vacation.  Our family loves beaches, which are all located in southern Thailand. However, I seriously considered adding a leg to our trip to visit northern Thailand, a big reason being to see the elephants. 

After much searching for an ethical elephant camp in southern Thailand that did not involve riding the elephants or the elephants performing tricks, I found Elephant Hills. It is about 3 hours from Phuket and 2 hours from Krabi, which are both beaches we wanted to visit.  So we scheduled a pick up from Phuket and drop off at Krabi, which was the perfect way to bookend the elephant experience during our Thailand family vacation.

Elephant Experience At Our Thailand Elephant Resort

I knew going into the elephant experience that it would be the highlight of our trip.  It would be the thing that the boys would mention when forced to answer all of the excited people when we returned and asked, “What was your favorite part of your Thailand vacation?”.  Nothing shuts my boys down like being asked a direct question! Sure enough, the boys have answered those who have asked with the answer I expected “feeding and bathing the elephants”. Honestly, I am really not sure which I liked more.

Bathing The Elephants

Our poor elephant was so covered in dirt that no matter how much water we used or how hard we scrubbed him with a coconut husk, he was not much cleaner after his bath. His dirtiness meant our guy had to participate in his bath, so he nudged us to fill up his trunk which he sprayed all over his body. We could not avoid his spraying, so by the end of the bath, we were almost as wet as the elephant. Lucky us, we would not have it any other way!  How many people can say that they have been hosed down by an elephant?

Some Elephant Facts and History

After bathing the elephants, we returned to the shady spot where fruit had been placed out for us to prepare for the elephants.  These mounds of food were simply snacks for these gargantuan animals.   

Yes, this was just one of many snacks that the elephants devour each day.  Elephants consume 10% of their body weight each day. This is actually why there are so many elephants in camps like Elephant Hills.  For hundreds of years, elephants in Thailand were used for manual labor.

Elephants were domesticated and owned by mahouts, the keeper of the elephant.  The mahouts cared for the elephants but also controlled them as they worked for many years, particularly in the logging industry in Thailand. In 1989, logging was banned in Thailand and mahouts could no longer feed their animals.  This meant they were forced to beg in the streets or used as entertainment for tourists to earn money to feed the elephants.

As tourism in Thailand boomed, ecotourism was a much better alternative for elephants and manhouts than begging and illegal logging.  However, there was little regulation in place, so the industry was a prime target for exploitation. That is why it is of the utmost importance to properly research the type of establishment that you visit for your elephant experience in Thailand.  Click here for more information on the efforts made by Elephant Hills to ensure that elephant welfare is the top priority for the camp.

Feeding The Elephants

Feeding the elephants was much more challenging than you may think!  Every time we tried to feed one elephant, a rogue elephant trunk would attempt to steal the fruit out of our hands.  I am a very jumpy person, and every time an elephant’s trunk attempted to steal fruit from my hands, I shrieked!

Often times, I would drop the piece of fruit in the process and would naturally bend over to pick it up.  Guess who else tried to pick it up? Yep, the elephant that caused me to drop if in the first place. This naturally shocked me, so I would shriek again. After each shriek was follow up laughing at myself for being so jumpy.  The whole process was very entertaining!

Taking It All In

As much as we enjoyed bathing and feeding the elephants, our elephant experience was not just about interacting with the elephants.  It was about being privileged enough to be so close to them and observe them simply being elephants.

Our first activity after arrival and a quick lunch at Elephant Hills was our time with the elephants. I was worried that everything would be downhill from there.  It could have been a big let down staying two nights at Elephant Hills after interacting with the elephants within the first few hours of arrival, especially since we were in the middle of a national park staying in a tent with no television or air conditioner!  Luckily, Elephant Hills had plenty planned to keep us entertained for the remainder of our stay.

Glamping At Our Thailand Elephant Resort

At this point, I should probably backtrack to our arrival at Elephant Hills.  The hub of the camp is a covered meeting and dining area with an attached patio.  As soon as we stepped from the covered area to the patio, we were immediately wowed.  The surrounding area is covered in dramatic limestone karst formations, but we seemed to be adjacent to one and the scene was stunning.  

As we peered over the edge of the patio, we got our first peek at the small yet adequate pool for the number of guests at the camp. 

We were soon assigned our luxury tent so we went to unpack our bags and get organized before a quick lunch and heading off to see the elephants.  

The beds were very comfy and the linens soft.   For families, they add cots to the tents.

While some may worry about the size for a family, it was not a problem for us at all with two six year olds.  If they were older, we would have likely needed two tents.  We really utilized the space outside of our tent.

The tent had a full bathroom with a shower and toilet. 

The tents did have electricity, but no television.  When one of my sons told his class about this, the teacher relayed that the children gasped in horror and asked, “but what did you do without tv???” to which he replied “we swam and ate cake” which is pretty accurate! Not only did we eat cake, but we ate copious amounts of food, both western and Thai style.

More Than Just Elephants

While elephants are the big attraction at Elephant Hills, there are plenty of other activities to keep your family engaged during your stay.

River Canoeing

After lunch and our time with the elephants, we took a short walk to a river where we were assigned to inflatable canoes with someone to paddle it so we could sit back and marvel at the towerlike limestone karst formations.  Occasionally, he would point out a snake or a monkey, but mostly, it was a relaxing trip in the shade as the sun descended behind the limestone formations.

Evenings At Elephant Hills

After a dip in the pool and getting ready for dinner, we headed to the communal area before dinner.  Each evening we were treated to a documentary that the boys were surprisingly entertained by.

After the documentary each night, Thai children from various local schools came in to perform traditional dances.  Elephant Hills works closely with these local schools.

After the dancers finished, the dinner gong sounded and we could go ahead and join the buffet line or watch a traditional Thai dish be made by one of the chefs.

There were many options for those who like Thai food or Western food.  I did hear two vegans mention that most of the food was vegetarian and not vegan, so if you are vegan, I would try to sort that out ahead of time.  Things can definitely get lost in translation in Thailand.

Day Two Morning Excursion

After completing our breakfast on Day 2, we were loaded into the safari jeep bus that Elephant Hills uses …

and stopped by a local market …

on our way to man-made Cheow Lan Lake at Khao Sok National Park.

The Journey To Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp

We took longtail boats to the floating jungle lodge owned by Elephant Hills which they call the Rainforest Camp.  Here are a few photos of those peaceful moments on the lake …

Some people opt to stay here for a night, but the boys were not old enough to stay.  I also think the elephant camp was a better fit for our family, although we thoroughly enjoyed our two and a half-hour visit to the rainforest camp.

Afternoon At The Rainforest Camp

First things first, we ate the lunch that was served.  Despite the remoteness of the location, the food was on point.  We were given reusable water bottles for our entire 3-day stay and enjoyed unlimited “fresh” water as the boys like to call it. 

Since you can not drink the tap water in Thailand, I was so happy to see these reusable water bottles after every other hotel provided us with single-use plastic water bottles. I also love that they use metal straws. 

After lunch, Rob took the boys on a kayak ride.  Then, we all went swimming with the fishies.  

Literally.  The fish were swarming around the camp, but luckily they did not bite!  Below the boys are feeding the fish their “leftovers” which was actually them going to the buffet just to grab food so they could exclaim they were full, then feed to the fish!

The time went by quickly, and soon it was time to take the 45-minute trip via longtail boat to the port where our bus was waiting.  It really was a beautiful area, and it reminded me so much of my trip to Halong Bay in Vietnam several years ago.

“Unplugging” At Elephant Hills

Despite the lack of television at the camp, the boys managed to keep themselves entertained by swimming, drawing, and being taught to play thumb war which I felt pretty clever teaching them.  The boys were nearing the breaking point in their technology detox, and we were on one of the longtail boat rides which I found fascinating. They were starting to complain about being bored, but shortly after, we caught a break because our tour guide spotted very active monkeys which put on a very entertaining show for us. 

The monkeys allowed the boys to forget they were “bored” for a bit, but then they started asking for our phones. I was resolute that they would be technology-free on this particular day because I knew we had let them get away with too much screen time on previous days of our Thailand family vacation. I had to come up with something and remembered the timeless game of thumb war!  

We admittedly rely on screens too much in the boring moments of travel, when traveling from point A to point B.  It would be much easier to give the kids my phone and be able to enjoy the last few minutes of that boat ride, but I will never forget those minutes on longtail boat in southern Thailand surrounded by limestone formations playing nonstop thumb war.  This is what I mean in the Explore More tag line, engage with each other, connect with the world.  Travel is not just about what you see, it is about creating memories as you wander the globe.  Thumb war will forever be synonymous with our Thailand vacation.

Our Last Morning At Elephant Hills

On our last morning at Elephant Hills,  we opted to skip the morning activity which was a  jungle trek. We felt like we did not get enough downtime at the camp.  Not only was Elephant Hills our first official glamping experience, but it was also unlike any place we have ever experienced.  Therefore, we wanted to optimize our last few moments there and opted for hammocks, relaxing, and a little extra pool time on our last day prior to departure. 

It was the perfect ending to our perfect stay. Thank you Elephant Hills for helping us create such memorable moments during our Thailand family vacation.

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Naxos is the best Greek island for families 

As I watched the wake caused by the ferry and the island of Naxos grow smaller in the distance, I suddenly became very emotional. Never in my travels had I felt so connected to a place after such a short period of time. The year was 2010. Rob and I spent only three days of our Greek island vacation there, but we knew we would be back. We knew we wanted to take our future children there. The water was so blue, shallow and calm. Add to that a thriving beach area only steps away from a quintessential Greek town with white buildings and blue accents, and you know you have found the absolute perfect place to holiday with young children

I am not even quite sure how I decided we should go to Naxos during our Greek Island vacation. At the time, I did not know of anyone who had ever been there. Americans seemed to always go to Mykonos and Santorini, so I guess I was looking for somewhere off the beaten track. Or at least off the beaten track for Americans. We met many Europeans during our travels, most of which declared Naxos to be their favorite Greek island. It is easy to see why.

Many of the Greek islands are busy and overrun with tourists. That is not to say that those islands should not be seen and enjoyed. However, Naxos has a more relaxed vibe. I think this has a lot to do with the beach culture of the island. There are no large hills that must be descended to access the blue Mediterranean waters. The beach is flat and sandy with plenty of room for everyone.

Greek Food

We decided it was time to revisit Naxos during our Greek island vacation in May of 2019. Our boys were almost six, and we were so excited to share our favorite Greek island with them. The first couple of days were cloudy, so we spend some time at the beach, but more time eating and drinking. This was fine by us because our whole family could eat Greek food the rest of our lives and be happy. The boys became big fans of chicken souvlaki during this trip, or as they call it “chicken sticks”. I became a big fan of all of the passion fruit cocktails. For me, passion fruit equals vacation!

One of our favorite Greek delicacies is saganaki which is cheese fried in a small frying pan. Naxos has their only special twist on this dish. They smother saganaki in honey and sesame seeds and trust me when I say, it is mind blowing!

Another thing that stands out in my mind about Naxos are the tablecloths. The people are very proud of their island and display their large island on every disposable tablecloth at practically every restaurant.

 

Renting A Car To See The Island

You really do not need a car in Naxos. Everything is within walking distance if you are fit. However, we did rent a car one day to see if the restaurant we had stumbled up on nine years later was still in the sleepy little village where we had found it.

Greece Travel Tip:  Bring an international drivers permit with you.  Many car rental agencies in Greece now require this document.  Luckily, my dad one or we would have missed our amazing meals at Matina’s Tavern in Koronos.

Matina's Taverna

Stumbling upon Matina's in 2010

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades Islands, and we like to explore more whenever possible, so we rented a car in 2010 to see as much as we could in one day. We were getting hungry by the time we made it to the village of Koronos. We parked at the top of the sleepy village and started walking down endless steps. I am not really sure why we kept walking because we did not see another person, so why we thought there would be food in a town with nobody in it is beyond me. Luckily, we kept walking until we began to hear clanking dishes. Suddenly, we were at tables and a patio.

There was no menu. There was no one who spoke English. Matina lead us into her kitchen where we pointed to what we wanted for lunch. We watched donkeys delivering lamb to the village for later consumption. Our water was delivered directly from a fresh spring.  And the food.  Oh, the food.  We will never have another meal like that one. The whole experience was splendid! One of those travel memories you will never, ever forget.

Returning to Matina's in 2019

This time, we again were not sure if there would be food to eat as we walked further down into the village because it was just as quiet as our first visit. Again, we finally began to here dishes clanking together, so we followed the noise. This time, there were more tables and more people at these tables. We no longer were able to enter the kitchen to point at what we would like to eat. There was a set menu. There was a waiter (assumedly Matina’s son based on their antics) who spoke English. However, the food was just as good as we remembered it.

The desert we received at the end of our lunch will never be replicated. We looked for a similar cake for the remainder of our trip, but we were not that lucky. It is probably for the best since it probably would not compare. As the boys enjoyed their dessert, they asked if they could serve it at their upcoming birthday party. I had to break the bad news that this would not happen, but we consider ourselves lucky that we were able to enjoy it once in our lifetime.

We did not realize that the name of the restaurant was Matina’s Taverna during our 2010 trip (despite it being in one the photos!) .  If we had known that, we could have checked TripAdvisor and seen that it has many reviews and was voted as a Traveler’s Choice!  Click here for more reviews.  I must admit that I am glad we did not know because it make the adventure more suspenseful!

Korono's Village

Koronos is so quiet that it is hard to believe that anyone lives there, but there are signs of life behind the closed doors, many of which I photographed as we made our way back to our car. We were not quite sure which path we had taken to find Matina’s Tavern, but we did manage to make it back to our car eventually!

Naxos Town

I have written so much already and have not even mentioned Naxos Town. You can stay at St. George’s (
aka Agios Georgios) Beach and be only steps away from Naxos Town. Naxos gives you the best of both worlds, beach and the town you expect to see while visiting a Greek Island. While the beach and area leading to Naxos town is flat, the actual town is very steep. There is a castle at the very top which is where we opted to take family photos with a photographer we hired during our trip.

Read More: Having Professional Photos Taken While On Vacation

Our favorite thing to do in Naxos town was to wonder aimlessly. There are so many nooks and crannies to discover.

This trip, we had fun doing some side by side comparisons to our first trip. We have changed, Naxos has changed, but we enjoyed this trip just as much as our first. Naxos is clearly a dependable vacation destination, one that you can rely on to give you special vacation memories time and time again.

When to go?

One of the reasons we were most excited to visit Naxos with our boys was the shallow water, but our trip was cooler than our previous May trips to Greece. Thus, the boys did not swim much, but I do not think they minded. 

Until next time ...

Our bellies and hearts were full as we departed, as you can see by this last photo we took as we waited for our ferry to Crete.  Like last time, I know we will be back to Naxos. This time, I vow that it will not take nine years to return.

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Undoubtedly, one of the most quintessential British experiences is afternoon tea.  While many people may scoff at the idea of attending afternoon tea with kids, it really can be an enjoyable experience with your children.  My family is proof that afternoon tea with kids can and should be done while visiting in London.

I feel very strongly about introducing my children to the customs of other people.  I try to show them life outside their bubble as often as possible. That does not necessarily mean taking them abroad, although we are fortunate enough to be able to do that on a regular basis.  It also means taking them to festivals celebrating distance lands and reading books about people with backgrounds other than ours. In England, many of the customs are similar to the lifestyle we live at home.  The one idea to experience British culture that I kept coming back to was that of afternoon tea.

Yes, afternoon tea is cultured and civilized.  Many times, my twin boys are not cultured and civilized, but I had to give afternoon tea with kids a try.  One reason for this is that my kids love food. They love trying new foods. They love eating familiar foods. They love sweets.  Celebrating culture through food is right up their alley.

The biggest risk we took in planning our afternoon tea with kids is that we planned it on our arrival day.  Our trip to London only totaled 48 hours en route to the Greek Islands, so we did not have much of a choice as to when afternoon tea would fit into our schedule.  We basically planned to leave the airport, drop off our bags at our hotel, quickly freshen up, then head to tea.

Of course, we did not get out of the airport as quickly as we had planned.  A bag was lost along the way, so we had to deal with that at the airport. We had planned to take the direct train into London, but somehow ended up on the regular metro with lots of stops. Hindsight is 50/50, but  I should have booked us private transport.

As I have started planning travel for clients, I highly recommend this option as it keeps you from wasting precious vacation hours dragging your luggage around looking for transportation.  Even the five minute walk from the metro station to our hotel ended up taking much longer because we left the station through the exit furthest from our hotel.

We had purchased a day pass on the metro, so my jet-lagged mind thought this would be the best option for making our way to the St. Ermin’s Hotel.  The traffic appeared to be backed up near Westminster, so I thought the metro would be faster than a taxi.  It may have been if we had not gotten off at the wrong metro stop. Our jetlagged family of four was then forced to walk ten minutes in a light drizzle. 

All in all, this meant that we arrived an hour late for our reservation. I had emailed my contact to let her know, but I was not sure she had seen the email and hoped for the best!  The best did occur and there was still a table available for a 5:00 PM seating at The Tea Lounge at St Ermin’s.

It could only get better, right?  Luckily it did! Approaching the hotel, we knew we were in for a treat.  It had so much British charm and character down to the doorman in the bowler hat.

https://youtu.be/XW5PtvquDkk

Not to say that our five year old boys were angels.  Sitting still on a normal day is a challenge, but after sleeping less than normal on a red-eye flight and sitting on the metro, the boys were antsier than usual.  This is where my research into the best choice for enjoying British afternoon tea with kids paid off.

There are more choices for British afternoon tea with kids than I thought there would be.  There are also many options that were definitely not suited for kids. I looked at several of the kid friendly teas and determined that The Tea Lounge at St Ermin’s would be the best option for us based on its location and their current offerings for kids.

The Mini Gardner Tea was the perfect fit for our family as my husband has a green thumb and you can often find our boys out in the yard helping him in the garden.  Not only is the menu kid friendly, their treats are served in a small gardening crate which includes a herb garden growing pack to “encourage little fingers to become green fingers”.

St. Ermin’s Hotel efforts at sustainability do not end at its inclusion of garden seeds in its Mini Gardner Tea.  The hotel is part of London’s urban beekeeping and gardening movements and currently features a rooftop that grows bee-friendly plants, a rooftop greenhouse used to grow fresh produce for the hotel’s restaurants, and London’s only ‘Bee & Bee’ hotel.  You and your family can even peer through the glass on the third-floor walkway corridor to visit the bees.

A visit to The Tea Lounge at St Ermin’s not only allows you to give your children a lesson in British culture, but also a lesson in sustainability and the importance of bees.

From the moment we entered The Tea Lounge at St Ermin’s, we were charmed by our surroundings.  The interior allowed us to feel at ease with our children while still feeling the charm of an authentic tea room.  We were seated at a well-appointed table where our menus allowed us a sneak peek into what was to come. 

Now, back to the kid friendly afternoon tea menu.  Being that we had more or less skipped lunch in our effort to get to the afternoon tea, the boys were very appreciative of the little sandwiches that accompanied the sweets. Let’s be clear, the sandwiches only accompanied the sweets, the sweets were the main attraction. 

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Only one of our boys appreciated the tea, the other appreciated the bottomless glass of juice that he received instead of tea.

https://youtu.be/slk44OawxTw

We clearly throw the rules out the window when we travel. Bottomless cups of juice and tea and staggering amounts of sweets are not a norm in our household, but we needed the goodies to keep the boys seated during tea and needed the extra sugar rush to help us push through the initial bouts of jetlag that we were experiencing.

The kids were not the only ones enjoying afternoon tea.  The presentation of Rob and my afternoon tea was as beautiful as it was delectable.

And pouring the tea was as delightful as tasting it.

The tea lounge employees were lovely to our boys despite more clanking and shushing at our table versus the surrounding tables with no kids.  We visited on a Friday afternoon, so more children would most likely be present on a weekend day. Every effort was made to ensure the boys were included in the entire experience. 

While we initially felt like the afternoon of arrival was our only chance to do an afternoon tea with kids in London, in hindsight, I believe it was our best option.  Our second day in London was very rushed, trying to fit in as much as possible in a short amount of time. We were too tired to take on much that first day, so slowing down to enjoy a proper British afternoon tea allowed us to feel like we accomplished something without too much effort on day one.  It was the perfect beginning to our short, but sweet (literally), trip to London.

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Why haven’t I thought of this before?   I truly can not believe it took becoming a travel advisor to realize that I could have family photos taken on vacation.  

When I kicked off my travel career earlier this year, I marveled at some of the photos on fellow travel entrepreneur’s websites.  While at a workshop for travel advisors, I heard the website flytographer.com mentioned several times.

Flytographer brings together travelers and local photographers.  When you do not live in a location, it is harder to do the legwork associated with finding a quality photographer.  It is also a little nerve-wracking to pay cash directly to a photographer and hope that they actually send you the photos.  The easy of paying with a credit card with a Square device has not made its way to many places, so cash is the only option. With flytographer.com, everything is regulated.  Prices are the same no matter your destination. You are protected from a rogue photographer by using their services.

That being said, there was no flytographer.com photographer registered for our destinations in Greece. Thus, my only choice was to reach out to a local photographer and hope for the best! We arranged everything via email weeks before the trip.  However, there were some anxious moments as the date for photos neared. There were a couple of unreturned emails leading up to the day we had scheduled to take photos.  The day of the shoot, I still did not have a time confirmed. I started to wonder if the photos would still happen. I went to the photographer’s website and found a phone number.  I used WhatsApp to contact the phone number, and luckily, the photographer responded immediately. Whew!

The anxiousness returned when I had not received the photos by the date she had promised them.  Again, my emails went unreturned. However, as soon as I used WhatsApp, I had an immediate answer.  The photos arrived six days after they were promised, but I honestly did not mind as I did not have time to go through them before then.  Returning from a vacation is hard work!

Another thing to consider is that it is not as easy to primp for photos as when you are at home.  I did not have all the products I would usually have to ensure my hair was behaving. We all traveled with just carry-ons for this trip, so all my hair products had to be in containers less than 3.4 oz.  I wanted to go with a wavy look for my hair, so I brought my curling wand and also a small travel size straightener. I did not consider how dry the air in Greece is! I am used to a humidity in the air, so my hair would not curl!  I ended up with one crimped looking strand that I tried to straighten with the small, barely effective straightener.  It really was not a big deal, but it is something to consider if you are considering professional vacation photos.

Despite these small hiccups, the overall experience was everything I had hoped for. This trip deserved more than selfies! Selfies are usually the only way I make it into a photo, so it is so nice to see some quality photos of me on vacation with my family.

I was also able to have some much-needed headshots taken.  Now, I feel like a real professional!

What I did not even think about before the experience was that the local photographer also acted as a guide. She showed me a part of the town that I would have never ventured to on my own and taught me about what I was seeing. This was my second trip to Naxos Town, but I had never climbed past the main part of the castle. The castle continues to the highest point of the town which is where many of these photos were taken.

The magic of Greece is forever captured in these photos.  They are truly the best souvenir I have ever brought back from my travels.

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There is something special about Greece.  I can say emphatically that I find the country absolutely spellbinding.  

Sadly, Athens is the only place we have been able to visit on the mainland, but this is a mistake I hope to remedy soon.  Every time there is a sale fare to Athens, I research various routes throughout the Peloponnese Peninsula, but unfortunately, the timing of the sale fares has never been right for us.  Rob and I are embarking on our fourth trip and the boys their second trip to the Greek Islands in May 2019. Our last trip was four years ago, and we have been longing to return ever since.

Our original itinerary for our Mediterranean Adventure in Spring 2015 did not even include Greece.  The best flight deal I could find to Italy was for a 12-day itinerary, and I thought that trying to squeeze in time in Greece with only twelve days would be too difficult with our young boys.   It was a fateful trip to a Greek restaurant near Charlotte, NC while visiting my sister in early 2015 that altered the course of our Mediterranean Adventure. We were not even eating Greek food, the restaurant had a really good breakfast so as we ate our American breakfast, I noticed that they had televisions projecting a slide show of their trip to Greece.  I watched longingly at the photos and sighed “I wish we were going to Greece during our Italy trip” to which my sister replied, “Is it too late?”. She got my wheels turning, and soon my mind was in overdrive. I thought about the fact that I booked our flights so early that the airline kept changing the flight schedule and we ended up with some less than favorable connections.   I called the airlines to see about pushing back our return flight a few days since they had altered our plans. The first airline representative I spoke to said no, but I was not going to take that for an answer! I called back and this time a representative informed me that the price to make these changes would be $250, but I thought I could do better.  The next time I called I reached a representative who felt like the changes made to our original itinerary warranted changing our tickets at no charge. We were going to Greece!

My next task was finding an affordable flight from Milan to a Greek Island, but we were traveling in early May which is the beginning of the shoulder season.  Many islands are not even “open for business” this early, so the airlines do not fly to many islands in early May. We really had one island choice for our available dates and it was Mykonos.  I had no desire to go to Mykonos, I had always heard it was a party island, and I did not think that would be a good fit for us, even before we had kids. I could not have been more wrong.  Yiannaki Hotel made our stay so very special.  

As soon as we arrived, I knew we belonged there. We had flown on an early morning flight out of Milan, so when we arrived at the hotel, they still were serving breakfast.  They told us to sit and eat while they tended to our room. The breakfast buffet had everything you could possibly want to eat: eggs, meats, cheese, pastries, fruit, and of course Greek yogurt and honey.  It was not just the food that was enjoyable, but the staff. They were so gracious the entire stay. Every time our boys would drop a piece of food, utensil, or toy, they were picking it up before I could even get out of my chair and delivering it with a smile on their face.  This stellar service continued throughout our stay. As we dined poolside, I was hypnotized by the combination of the crisp air, stark white building, bright blue shutters, and gleaming pool water. I was already in love with this place, and I had not even seen our room.

The pre-dawn start to our day was starting to take a toll on us.  Once our family room was ready, we decided a late morning nap was in order.  The set up of the room was perfect for us, there was a large bathroom with a tub and a sitting area where a sofa bed and television were located, which is where our baby cots were set up.  The extra space was very nice to have, but the terrace outside our door was even better to have! It was two steps up from the pool and allowed us to enjoy the sun and pool on the other days when the boys napped and we did not. The bright blue shutters were not just for show, they blocked out the unyielding sunlight and allowed us all to peacefully nap for a couple of hours.  We were now well rested to do a lot of nothing!

Doing nothing was exactly what we needed after our tiring, yet fulfilling, trip through northern Italy. Greece provided us with much-needed rest and relaxation. One of the most important travel tips for traveling with kids is to make sure that you arrange for some sort of beach or pool fun as often as possible.  Children need to be given the opportunity to act like children and not forced to sit in a stroller for an entire trip. We can not expect them to be well behaved when we are not considering their needs as well.  My boys were not even two years old during this trip, so as long as we allowed them to run around every so often, they were fine. Not only did Yiannaki Hotel provide the perfect pool area, but also a playground where the boys could run around and have fun which made it easier for us to relax.

These looks of sheer joy show how much they appreciated their special little play area.

As Bryson and Connor have gotten older, I have realized that I can not fit them into a version of the trip I would take if they were not with us.  I have to take them into account when planning a trip. Greece is a perfect destination for family travel. There are many family-friendly beach destinations throughout the United States, Carribean, and Mexico that are easier to get to, but Greece has its own vibe that just needs to be experienced to truly understand.  The people, the food, the music, the architecture, and the sea are all part of the charm.

Ornos Beach was an easy five-minute walk from the hotel.  It was a flat, calm beach perfect for small children.

Also a five-minute walk from the hotel was a taverna serving quick and affordable gyros which we ate every day of our stay, beginning this first day after naptime.  I can not even find the name of the taverna now, but that is the thing about Greece, all the food is so good that even a restaurant that is not on any of the popular review sites is worthy of mentioning.  My mouth is just watering thinking of it … I can not wait to return to the land of tzatziki later this spring!

There were plenty of markets and restaurants lining Ornos Beach.  We purchased snacks, sunscreen, beach toys, and hats as we chose not to pack these items and cart around Italy.  

The remainder of the day was a mixture of beach time and pool time ending with dinner at the same restaurant where we had started the day.  Once again, the food was enjoyable and the staff was so patient with our little travelers. After putting the boys to bed, we found our way to our terrace which is where we would spend all of our evenings.  The pool was lit up in the evening and complimented the moonlight perfectly.

The next two days were very similar to the first:  breakfast, beach, gyros, pool, then dinner, but this time the boys napped during the afternoon while Rob and I enjoyed our terrace and pool.  

Make sure you bring your monitor from home when traveling so you are not forced to remain in your room during the extra hours of sleep that small children require.  The pool was closer to our hotel room than our master room was to the boys’ room at home, and the only entrance to the room was in plain sight so we were able to enjoy the pool area while they slept, checking on them often.  

The only difference in our three days was dinner, we ventured into Mykonos Town for dinner on the middle night of our three-night stay.  I was a little wary of the party town, but we were visiting before the partying season supposedly started. We knew the thing we had to do in Mykonos Town was watch the sunset at Little Venice, where the sea meets the edge of the buildings in Mykonos Town.

This is also the best time to visit the iconic windmills of Mykonos as they glow in the rays of the setting sun.  The lower windmills called ‘Kato’ Myloi’ are only steps from Little Venice where the sunset is most spectacular.

 

 

We found our way to Pepper Mykonos which I had found on TripAdvisor.  The restaurant was small and all the four-seat tables were taken, so we decided to sit in at a small bistro table with two chairs set out front along the street.  

 

We enjoyed interacting with the twin brothers who ran the restaurant with their father.  They kept laughing at us balancing the boys on our laps and made quite a production of setting our adult beverages far out of the boys reach so that they would not spill them!  

Our chicken souvlaki was very enjoyable, but what our family with twin brothers enjoyed most that night was the interaction with the twin brothers of Pepper.  We finished off our evening in town enjoying gelato as we were suffering withdrawals after our two weeks of nonstop gelato eating in Italy! We slowly walked through the town and enjoyed the culture that is felt simply by being in Greece’s presence – the people, the food, the music, the architecture, and the energy are truly like nothing else I have experienced in all my travels.

 

On our final night, we were meant to eat at a restaurant on Ornos Beach, but we just could not tear ourselves away from our hotel.  

We ate our final meal at Aleka’s Restaurant and was once again impressed by our meals and the service.  The girls who worked at the restaurant also worked the pool bar and made fantastic drinks as well. In fact, I dare say that the mojitos I enjoyed by the pool rivaled the ones I later tasted in Havana.  

Aleka’s is open to the public, so I would recommend it if you ever find yourself in Ornos even if you do not stay at Yiannaki, although I do not know why you would not!  Our stay was sublime, and I did not want to leave. It was the perfect ending to our Meditteranean holiday. As the lights of the hotel reflected in the pool on that final evening, I sat on our terrace and reflected on how grateful I was that a simple question posed by my sister had allowed for the magic of Greece to be back into our lives.

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Our drive to Lake Como was fairly uneventful until we began winding our way up the curvy roads towards Bellagio.  Driving these narrow roads as you stare down at the lake directly below you is something you never forget! We actually stayed a little past Bellagio at Hotel Il Perlo Panorama, but not being in town was absolutely worth our view, it was breathtaking.  

We booked the spacious family suite which was a standalone unit separate from the hotel.  When we entered, there was a bed, couch, and table and stairs leading down to another bedroom with a set of twin beds and a bathroom. There were panoramic windows both upstairs and downstairs, but the view from the terrace was on a whole other level.  

There was a flat grassy area where the boys could run around, so we thought letting them run around would be better than loading them back into the car and forcing them to sit down for a meal.  Instead, Rob made the short drive to Bellagio and grabbed some takeaway pasta from Gastronomia Mini Market Antichi Sapori. The servings were American sized, but we were eating a late lunch so we managed to put it all down. We were feeling quite lethargic after our meal.  The dreary weather coupled with our full bellies led to a lazy afternoon waiting for my friend Petra to arrive.

Petra warrants a blog post dedicated to her, and that will happen in the near future.  I will explain in depth our trans-Atlantic friendship spanning the last 25+ years, but the short story is that she was an exchange student from Germany at my high school during the 1993-1994 school year.  If she can meet me while I am visiting anywhere in Europe, she makes it happen. Lake Como was no exception. Even though we had not spent time together since my twins were born, she was undaunted by the prospect of vacationing with them. That is true friendship!

As evening approached, Petra arrived and after catching up for a bit, Petra squeezed in between the rear-facing car seats in our rental Ford Focus hatchback.  She is a good sport and we had some good laughs as she maneuvered herself between the car seats that did not leave much room for anything or anyone else!  Since it was a dreary day, it was easy to park near Bellagio. The town is basically a flat area along the lake with storefronts, but from there, the rest of the shops and restaurants are up steep stairs.  Basically, you would walk along the lakefront then there would be a gap in the buildings and a sign listing all the shops and restaurants up that flight of stairs. Yes, we had done it once again, we had chosen one of Italy’s hilliest destinations!

Being that Bellagio is more village and less city, I thought it would be easy enough to seek out a restaurant with good reviews on TripAdvisor, and it was.  We chose La Lanterna based on the fact that the food was well reviewed and it was supposed to be good for families. Our boys were on their worst behavior that night, probably due to the addition of Petra, they wanted to show off a bit.  Bryson and Connor did not want to stay seated, so we spent most of the meal wrangling with them to keep them from roaming the restaurant. Not only did Petra handle it well, so did the staff at the restaurant. I can definitely recommend this restaurant for families visiting Bellagio.  

An added bonus was the cozy atmosphere on the cool, dreary night.  Hand-painted bottles adorned the walls of the restaurant and were for sale along with other items. We ended up with a souvenir of our own – a ceramic decorated spout for a vinegar bottle.  It reminds me of the fresh salad we enjoyed there with nothing but olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I needed something light after our late, heavy lunch but I also enjoyed some of Rob’s pasta, he just loves it when I take food off his plate!

We were able to put the boys to bed in the baby cots that the hotel provided, while we stayed up too late catching up with Petra.  We finally made our way downstairs to our twin beds. We did not think Petra would enjoy sleeping in the same room as the boys in case they woke up, which they luckily did not. When we awoke the next day, we made our way to the top of the stairs, and I was in awe of the stunning view in front of me.

The clouds from the previous day had camouflaged much of the mountains, hills, and trees.  No wonder our hotel was named Il Perlo Panorama, the view was indeed panoramic. We made our way up the hill to the main hotel for breakfast where the terrace afforded an even grander view.  It is amazing to me that this hotel was so affordable in such a glamorous part of Italy. A generous breakfast was included and dinner was even offered. We booked dinner for that evening so we could continue to enjoy the view after our day exploring.  

Even though we had a car, the hotel offered a shuttle to get you to Bellagio if needed so you did not have to worry about parking on a weekend day as glorious as this day because parking would certainly be a problem.  It was more than a problem, we had trouble getting into the town because of the crowds, probably many of them making a day trip from Milan. Once we arrived in town, we quickly made our way to the ferry so we could start our day exploring the other Lake Como villages near us, Mennagio and Varena.  We actually were not sure where we were headed when we got on the boat, we knew it would go to one village or the other so we just hopped on and let the route decide our first destination of the day.

Even though the boat was crowded and there were no seats left outside, there was room for us to park the strollers and enjoy the wind in our faces.  Since the boys were “contained” in their strollers and were entertained by all of the action around them, I was able to relax and enjoy the sunlight dancing on the water as the boat darted across the lake.

As it turns out, the boat was en route to Mennagio first so that is where our day started.  

We obtained the ferry schedule, then more or less wandered around the village, stopping in a few shops, but mostly just enjoyed the flatness of the town.   

While the boys enjoyed climbing and meeting new friends.

We were concerned with visiting too long and not being able to get on a later ferry to Varena, so we opted for a quick trip to Menaggio since it was on the other side of the lake from where we were staying.  

Since Varena was on the same side of the lake as Bellagio, we knew we could more easily get a taxi to our hotel if the ferries were too crowded later in the day.  Fortunately, this was not the case, and we were able to enjoy the enitire day on the water. Unfortunately, Varena was the hardest village to visit with strollers.  

Varena was steeper than Bellagio and the shops and restaurants seemed to be more spread out. Upon departing the ferry, we walked alongside the main road to the top of the village because that seemed easier than making our way up the stairs. We partially made our way down the stairs into the village, but our stomachs were beginning to rumble. There had been some restaurants with nice views near the port, so we decided it would probably be safest to go back the way we came.  

I honestly do not remember much about that meal itself, but I do remember the view and the fact that there was a playground almost directly in front of it where the boys could play while we waited for our meal.  A view and a playground made for a very happy mommy who was able to easily visit with her dear friend while her children were occupied by their doting father.

Soon we were on the ferry back to Bellagio where we consumed our required gelato for the day, then made our way back to the spectacular terrace at our hotel for late afternoon drinks.  They actually had a waiter outside taking drink orders, which we thought was a nice touch. The drink prices were very reasonable, so even if you ever find yourself in Bellagio and do not stay here, I highly recommend you go for a drink so you too can enjoy the panorama.  There is plenty of room for children to run around without any fear of them teetering off the side.

Dinner was served in the dining room that also boasted a panoramic view of course!  The owners were so accommodating to our family and very patient with our boys, even when they were not on their best behavior.  

After dinner, we enjoyed the last few minutes of daylight on the veranda.  It was the perfect ending to our short stay.

Even though the next day was cloudy and the view was not what it was the day before, we really did not want to leave.

We felt very comfortable and at home with the owners, and they allowed us a late checkout.  We made one more trip into Bellagio so Petra could finally pick out a piece of Murano glass vase after debating options all weekend!  

Back at the hotel, the waiter that served us drinks on the veranda the previous day offered to make us lunch, and we were all impressed with the salads and pizza he prepared.  We finally forced ourselves to leave so that our room could be cleaned for the next guests and made our way to our hotel at Milan’s Malpensa Airport.  The next day, Petra would fly back to Germany and we would fly to Greece, but our reunion had been fantastic.  The best part was that my boys were introduced to their travel partner for years to come.  Perhaps even George Clooney would appreciate the part he played in the special memories we created at Lake Como in the spring of 2015.

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As we tired of the hills of Italy, I cheerfully informed Rob that he should look forward to Venice because it is flat!  Except that I forgot about the bridges. I mean, I guess I did not really forget about the bridges. I remembered them in all of their glory, spanning even the smallest canals in the never-ending maze of waterways that forms the most fascinating city I have ever visited.  Some people hate Venice, but I can not fathom that. I absolutely adore Venice, even while carrying a stroller up and back down the bridges at every turn. The hardest part about navigating the passageways of Venice was when we first arrived and left the Vaporetto (water bus) stop trying to find our way to our hotel.  Not only were we hoisting our babies up and down the endless bridges, but we were also hauling our luggage and had no idea where we were going. Luckily, we did not have all of our luggage as we had packed just what we needed for two nights and left the rest in our rental car which was parked at the Venice Airport.

We got lost.  Really lost. The directions seemed easy enough, quite clear really.  According to our map, the route was quite short and only involved a few turns.  The problem is that the actual passageways of Venice look nothing like they do on a map.   Last time I was in Venice, this was precisely what I loved about the place, getting lost on purpose to discover the parts of Venice that few tourists ever see.  However, with bags and babies in tow, getting lost was not fun. We stopped many times for directions and finally arrived on a cool spring day in a full sweat.

Fortunately, we recovered quickly from our debacle.  Our journey from San Gimignano was 3.5 hours and somehow we kept the boys awake the whole time which meant the boys would be taking a nap while mommy and daddy enjoyed our complimentary bottle of prosecco from Hotel Palazzo Vitturi.  We had an oversized room overlooking the square with the boys’ baby cots winning the prize for best view.

Directly outside our room was a large sitting area with open windows to a small balcony overlooking the square.  Here we relaxed as we sipped prosecco while listening to the few remaining singing gondoliers who seemed to fancy the small strip of canal that passed close to our hotel.  

We watched Venetian life from above – people rushing home from work, walking their dogs, and shopping the stall full of vegetables right below our balcony.  

Once naptime was over, we enjoyed the view with the boys for a few moment before joining the buzz of activity below our window.  

It was in this piazza that people stopped to take in a little slice of openness in such a crowded city.  While in Italy, our little gemelli received a lot of attention from Italians, but nowhere as much as in this piazza.  The boys chased the little dogs walking by, played with new Italian friends, and tasted the fresh vegetables for sale at the stall.  Away from the throngs of tourists and surrounded by Italians, I felt like we were staying in the real Venice, and I was so in love.

Even though our location felt authentic, it was not too far from tourist central, Piazza San Marco.  We found the route with the fewest bridges and committed it to memory. The locals had all-terrain strollers and were able to get over the bridges quite easily with a few backward pulls up the stairs then bouncing down the other side.  I am not sure how those strollers made it through the narrow doorways of Venice, but I guess when you are a local, you know where and where not to go.

When in a place as confusing as Venice, I try to not make too many plans regarding meals, which is really hard because I am a planner and eating is my favorite part of being in a distant land.  I am a huge fan of TripAdvisor when planning my excursions, but when a place is overwhelming, I rely on the ‘Nearby’ option on TripAdvisor to find sustenance. Before arriving in Venice, I had read about Baci & Pasta and it sounded like the perfect quick stop for us since all the reviews raved about the quality of the pasta, but I had no idea where it was exactly.  Low and behold, when I clicked the ‘Nearby’ button while still at our hotel, Baci & Pasta popped up and away we went. Again, we were greeted by the friendliness that seemed to exude from every Venetian we met. I cannot remember which pastas we ordered, but I do remember enjoying them immensely as we sat on the door threshold of a nearby closed shop because there were no available seats in the small eatery.  Just as well since it was best to keep moving with our kiddos. We made our way to Piazza San Marco and while far more touristy than the piazza outside our hotel, the boys enjoyed running around while we listened to the nighttime entertainment emitting from all of the overpriced cafes lining the square.

As we walked back to our hotel, we were able to take in the lit up exterior of Palazzo Ducale and the Bridge of Signs under the moonlight as we listened to waves lap up against the boats and to accordions beckoning tourists for tips.

The next morning, on our way back to tourist central, we passed this vegetable market that caught our eye.  

We purchased some veggie snacks, and I still remember the taste of these bright cherry tomatoes.

We made our way back to Piazza San Marco and actually enjoyed the more crowded, daylight version, although I must say that it was not as crowded as I had feared.  This is a huge benefit of visiting touristy spots in the shoulder season which is much easier to accomplish with young children before school schedules become a factor.  Bryson and Connor had so much fun chasing the pigeons.  So many pigeons! The scene was the typical pigeon covered piazza from all of the Venice travel photos you have ever seen, but somehow it was so much cuter when there were two matching little boys chasing these pigeons while their giggles filled the air.  

Apparently, it was not just my biased mom opinion that they were adorable because we soon had a tourist asking if she could take a photo with them.  The boys did not want to cooperate with that request (which is illustrated by the stroller in the below photo), so the tourist ended up of with an added bonus in her photo – Rob!  He helped settle the boys long enough to take some photos, then they were off chasing pigeons once again.

We knew from the start that we would not be able to enjoy a gondola ride since we were traveling with our two little wiggle worms.  Of course, this is the one thing you should not miss while in Venice. I had ridden a gondola during my previous visit to Venice, so it was not as sad for me, but I am sure we will make it back there one day so Rob can experience the ride.  To make up for missing this required activity, we decided to visit Palazzo Ducale which I had not done on my previous trip. It was quite impressive, but the boys did not seem to think the same so we rushed through the palace since they were getting restless.  

Because our hotel offered a large spread at breakfast, we did not need lunch until after our visit to Palazzo Ducale.  After making our way up and over the most daunting bridge of all, The Rialto Bridge, without much of a game plan, we realized we were getting a bit peckish.  Soon we were passing Antico Forno which I had read about on TripAdvisor but had not sought out despite it sounding like a perfect fit for us.  

What luck for us to stumble across it because it ended up being the best pizza we ate in all of Italy. We nibbled on it as we sat al fresco on a bench alongside the Grand Canal – a slice with a view!

The rest of our day was spent wandering aimlessly in Venice taking it all in.  It was an enjoyable afternoon although Rob and I were quite jealous of those sitting at cafes enjoying Aperol spritz without a care in the world!  

We so wanted to join the fun but did not want to ruin the serenity of the cafe patrons, so we opted for a bottle of wine from a wine shop near our hotel and another nap for the boys.  

Since we were a little more rested this evening, we decided to actually search for a dinner restaurant instead of opting for something close and easy.  I am so glad we did this. I had read about Trattoria San Basilio and even though it was off the beaten path on the edge of Venice, it was the perfect opportunity to ride the Vaporetto which was the closest thing we were going to get to a gondola ride during this trip.  The “bus” ride gave us an economical tour of the Grand Canale, and we disembarked at the San Basilio stop where a few steps later, we were at our destination, a family run establishment in every sense of the word.  

By the end of the meal, we also felt like part of the family.  The owners took it upon themselves to keep our boys entertained throughout the meal.  I do not recall ordering here, it was as if we were at our family’s house and they just brought things out of the kitchen that they thought we would like, and we liked all of it, especially Bryson as you can see!

By the time we were done visiting our “family”, it was dark which made the ride back on the Vaporetto a new experience.  It was the perfect ending to our short stay in Venice, a place we will surely visit again … and again … and again …

The post Ah … Venice appeared first on Explore More Travel Co.| Lake Norman and Charlotte area's premier luxury travel agency.

This trip marked my fourth time in Italy and Rob’s second time, yet neither of us had ever seen The Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It was more or less on the way to San Gimignano, so clearly we had to stop. I had always heard it was a little underwhelming, but how could I pass up the chance for a cheesy photo of me holding up the tower?!?  It had to be done.

From what I could tell, Pisa is just worth a stop en route to somewhere else.  The area surrounding the tower was there simply to support the hordes of tourists constantly arriving via tour buses.  As you approach the tower, you are overwhelmed with the number of souvenir stands lining the roads. How many tourists there must be in high season to support the sheer number of trinkets being offered to us as we passed?  We avoided eye contact and made our way to the tower. Knowing that climbing the tower with the boys was off the table, we quickly toured the Pisa Cathedral then let the boys blow off some steam running aimlessly around the pathways surrounding the cathedral and tower.  

The dark grey clouds loomed overhead as we captured our required photos, but somehow we avoided rain once again.  

By this point in our trip, we had developed a steadfast rule to eat lunch on the go and to allow ourselves a sit-down dinner.  Lucky for us, the #1 restaurant on TripAdvisor for all of Pisa is a panini shop called “I Porci Comodi”. We were unfamiliar with most of the deli meats displayed, so I am not really sure what we ended up eating, but it was good.  There were only three small tables inside, so we took our chances with the rain and walked back towards the tower. It was starting to sprinkle ever so slightly, so we ducked into a doorway of the cathedral facing The Leaning Tower of Pisa and scored the best lunch spot in town.  

As we left and tried to make our way quickly through the souvenir stalls, a child-sized bright blue shirt caught my eye.  Displayed proudly on the front was none other than Lightning Mcqueen and Mater directly in front of The Leaning Tower of Pisa and the word “Italia”.   It was so tacky and perfect at the same time. Right then and there, I had an epiphany – all of the tacky souvenirs I would never buy for myself could now be purchased for my children.  After haggling with two different souvenir vendors, I had my two Lightning McQueen & Mater Pisa shirts for just 15 euros. Trust me, we definitely got our money’s worth, yet I can only find this one photo of my kids in their favorite shirt.  Here it is in all of its tacky souvenir shirt glory!

After acquiring our treasures, we were soon on our way to San Gimignano – a well preserved medieval town perched atop the hills of Tuscany.  You would think it would be easy to spot a hilltop town, but alas, this was not the case. Apparently, everyone arrives in San Gimignano from Florence, but we were coming from Pisa which is apparently off the beaten path.  We roamed the Tuscan countryside, sometimes in the wrong direction. There were no signs to San Gimignano until we were a couple of miles away. International mobile plans were not in our budget back in 2015 and the google maps turn-by-directions I had printed on multiple pieces of paper were not cutting it.  We ended up stopping every so often, trying to find somebody who could give us directions in broken English or in arrows scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. After much trial and tribulation, we finally made it to the town which is not meant for cars.

We had directions to get to our accommodations, Hotel Leon Bianco, directly on the central piazza, but we could not for the life of us, figure out the maze of one-way streets that surrounded the piazza, so we eventually decided to park where we could, despite it not being a legal parking spot, because we could tell from the map that we were close to the hotel even if we were not directly in front of it.  We unloaded all of our stuff and made the steep walk to the hotel. After checking in, Rob was directed where to park our car permanently. The parking lot was at the bottom of the hill that the town is perched atop and then a bit further. I had no concept for how far it was away, so as I waited for him in our hotel room with the boys, I wondered if he had taken this opportunity for some alone time at a bar.  Apparently, that was not the case, it really was that far. I just hoped we had not forgotten anything in the car!

We chose Hotel Leon Bianco for its Tuscan feel and central location.  The location ended up being extremely important on our first night as shortly after Rob returned from the car, it began to rain.  We tried to wait it out but eventually decided to eat a quick meal at Bar Le Torri which was more or less attached to our hotel. It was not bad, but I would not recommend it unless you were staying at Hotel Leon Bianco and were trying to avoid a rainstorm.  But why worry about a mediocre meal when you are staying across the piazza from the gelato world champion and the rain ends right as you are finishing your dinner? In a matter of seconds, we were staring at the endless array of flavors at Gelateria Dondoli unable to decide which one to choose.  One of the things I love about gelato is the smaller scoops that allow you to try multiple flavors without consuming too much.  I am a taster, I love to try as much as possible and apparently when it comes to gelato, as often as possible. We enjoyed at least one gelato stop each day we were in Italy but nowhere did we enjoy gelato more than at Gelateria Dondoli.  The flavors here were so unique, and we did not taste any that we did not enjoy!  

Overnight, the rain clouds passed, and we were blessed with a perfect spring day.  We took advantage of the weather by spending the entire morning and early afternoon walking the town.  San Gimignano is a walled medieval town, and most of the walls are still intact. I had read that when visiting San Gimignano, one must walk the path along the medieval walls.  It is the only way to truly appreciate the rolling hills of Tuscany dotted with iconic Tuscan cypress trees as far as the eye could see. We were prepared for an initial struggle to get atop the walls, but we were not prepared for the endless cycle of up and down that walking the walls entails.  

While we did not make it the entire route along the walls, we explored enough to appreciate the beauty of the surrounding countryside.  

We reached a commerce area along the route where one of the restaurants I had read about on TripAdvisor was located.  Caffe Giardino offered the view we were seeking of the Tuscan countryside without walking up and down the town’s medieval walls.  It also allowed us to grab a quick bite without a long, involved sit-down meal. We ordered at a counter and soon had our meal.  Unfortunately, the boys were not cooperating with sitting down for this meal so we stepped outside and sat on a bench where we were afforded the same view.  The silver lining is that this area also happened to be near where our car was parked, so we were able to get a few items that were of course forgotten in our rush to find our hotel the day before.

After finishing our lunch, we were at an entrance to the town along the wall, so we chose to walk the far less steep route through the town along the shopping streets.  I can not stress enough how important it is to bring umbrella strollers when traveling with young children in foreign lands.  In America, everything is ADA compliant, but that is impossible in places as antique as San Gimignano or in other places without funding for these types of endeavors.  Although it would have been nice to have the sturdiness and comfort of our double stroller, there is no way we would have been able to get through the doorways of many of the stores we popped into that afternoon.  

Every so often, we would let the boys out of their strollers to run throughout piazzas and climb the steps leading to the many historic buildings and cathedrals.  

Throughout the afternoon, we acquired wine, bread, cheeses, as well as a couple of trinkets for the boys. Shopping in San Gimignano proved to be quite entertaining, even if we did have to carefully navigate the shops with two strollers!

By the end of the day, my feet were begging me for a break.  What better place to take that break than the jacuzzi on the hotel rooftop.  Not only did we book Hotel Leon Bianco for its central location, but for the fact that our room had a separate living area that housed the boys baby cots – the jacuzzi was the icing on the cake.  The boys needed a proper nap, so Rob stayed with them while I enjoyed the rooftop jacuzzi, a rare moment alone. At this phase in the twins’ lives, I would rarely spend time alone because of “mom guilt”.  Rob and I did things together while somebody watched them for a quick date or I would leave them with Rob so I could do something with others. However, I never allowed for “me time”, I would use that time to do something that needed to be done in the house.  I am convinced that I would not have enjoyed these memorable, relaxing moments if we were not in a distant land where I wanted to take full advantage of every opportunity presented to me, and this is one of the reasons I encourage you to travel with children.  

We were all rested and relaxed as we made our way to dinner at Il Trovatore, a short walk to the outskirts of town.  After a few wrong turns, we finally made our way.  It was too cool to sit outside, so we were not really able to appreciate the view from the restaurant but definitely appreciated it before we entered.  

It had a very family friendly vibe, and the staff was very sweet to our boys and entertained us as we watched them cook our meals on their open fire indoor grill.  Rob opted for one of their big steaks that you could choose from a case, while I had pasta and ordered lasagna for the boys. It was hands down the best lasagna we had in Italy, so we ended up eating most of theirs!  See my TripAdvisor review here:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187901-d1405799-r270621685-Il_Trovatore-San_Gimignano_Tuscany.html

We did not dare try dessert at Il Trovatore, as we had a date with the gelato at Gelateria Dondoli, and we do not cheat on those we love. Eating our gelato in the middle of the central piazza while the night was winding down was the perfect ending to our stay.  Some people complain that San Gimignano is too crowded and touristy, but for us, the hordes of tourists making day trips from Florence allowed us to better appreciate the evenings when we had the town to ourselves and could enjoy the calm after the storm.  If you worry about the crowds here, my sister and brother in law enjoyed their visit to Volterra, a less touristy version of San Gimignano nearby. I can personally recommend Siena and Pienza as other Tuscan towns that can be used as a base to explore the area, although I have never visited these places with my children.  There is a good chance that I take them there one day though, and I will definitely let my readers know how it goes! In spite of our literal ups and downs along the wall and some initial issues finding our hotel by automobile, San Gimignano was a perfectly paced visit to Tuscany for The Explore More Family!

The post The Tour of Italy’s Hilliest Towns Continues appeared first on Explore More Travel Co.| Lake Norman and Charlotte area's premier luxury travel agency.