Travel

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We’ve just returned from a wedding at a villa in Umbria, and the desire to return is real! We spent a week lounging in the sun, drinking wine and eating delicious local food, swimming, playing with nieces and nephews, and making new friends.

My husband’s family is scattered all over, so this destination wedding was a way to bring us all together in an absolutely stunning part of Italy.

Villa Baroncino is in Umbria, just minutes from the border of Tuscany, down a long driveway and  atop a hill, minutes from the local town, but secluded from any sort of noise or traffic.

Italian Villa

Due to flights from Ireland and the two hour drive from Rome, we arrived at almost midnight. The next morning I couldn’t wait to open my eyes to explore the villa.

The drive up the gated driveway got me every time. It was just so beautiful and grand.

Villa in Italy

Views of nearby Lake Trasimeno greeted us every morning. The lake is great spot for swimming, kayaking, running, or having an aperitivo. More on that later!

Lake Trasimeno

Villa Baroncino sleeps 50 people, which makes it perfect for a wedding. Large families can all stay in the same spot, and its privacy and distance from any roads meant the kids in the family could run free.

We were in Villa #7, a studio-type room which included a small kitchen. The main villa building also has a kitchen that is stocked with all of the dishes, glasses, etc. you could need.

travel to Italy

The view to the right as we exited our room was of the pool and the eternally blue, cloudless sky.

villa in Italy

Our room was beautiful and comfortable. It came with air conditioning, but due to the stone structure, ceiling fan, and window covers, it was always naturally cool. There were times when I was a little cold in the mornings, despite it being hot and sunny outside.

Italian Wedding Villas. The bedroom of Suite villa 7.

Photo via Villa Baroncino

Villa Baroncino

Two saltwater pools kept us busy all day and into the night, and plenty of lounge chairs made it easy to find a spot to soak up the sunshine. . . and there was so much of it! The weather in Italy was truly perfect when we were there.

Villa pool

Umbria

The villa grounds were like something out of a movie. Grape vines, beautiful flowers, and plenty of green everywhere added to the feeling that we were far away from the rest of the world. It was a place to truly connect with nature while also being surrounded by rustic luxury.

vineyard   

Staying in the villa meant that we could cook our own meals, and two fire pit barbeques were perfect for grilling for our big group. I know a ton of planning went into all of us getting to the villa to enjoy the week and a beautiful wedding reception on the property, and I would say we all found it well worth it.

I can’t wait to share our day trips in Tuscany, the wineries we visited, and the food we ate along the way. Stay tuned!

Tags: Italy, Travel, travel blog, Umbria, villa

Camden, Maine has become an annual April excursion for us and a group of friends. While the weather can be a bit iffy, Camden is beautiful year-round, and we all enjoy good food, cocktails, wine, and laughs, making it easy for us to have a good time anywhere.

In 2016 we stayed at the beautiful Hartstone Inn, and for 2017 we decided to mix it up and stay at 16 Bay View, a new waterfront boutique hotel in Camden.

16 Bay View Camden Maine

16 Bay View is located in the heart of Camden, and while brand new, features an “old school with a twist” kind of a feel, especially in the lobby and The Vintage Room, the hotel’s restaurant and lounge.

16 Bay View

Our room was chic and luxurious with a working gas fireplace, balcony, and big fluffy bed.

boutique hotel   luxury boutique hotel

The gigantic soaking tub, however, was my favorite feature of the room. This bath was positively dreamy!

soaking tub

16 Bay View has an incredible roof deck with views of Camden Harbor, and took a quick peek of the views while we opened a magnum of Drappier Carte d’Or Champagne that we picked up for the weekend.

Drappier Champagne

I love Champagne so, and this was an excellent choice.

Camden Maine

Quintessential New England views plus sunshine plus Champagne basically equals my dream life.

Camden Maine

When the temperatures cooled off and the sun went down, The Vintage Room was the perfect place to cozy up with a cocktail and snacks like charcuterie. The food and drinks are great, and the service is even better. We love Marcus!

charcuterie

Manhattan cocktail

We managed to visit The Vintage Room a few times and even started a dance party on our last night, making for an even more memorable trip to Maine than last year. 16 Bay View was an incredible place to stay; I am still craving the fun and relaxation that the weekend brought! It’s definitely a hotel I would stay in again and again!

Tags: Camden, champagne, cocktails, hotels, Maine, Travel, travel blog

Welcome to paradise! We made our now annual visit to Luquillo, Puerto Rico last month, and it was as perfect as we remembered.

Read all about last year’s trip to Puerto Rico here:

Colorful Old San Juan

Luquillo’s Kiosks

Outdoor Adventures in Puerto Rico

Luquillo, Puerto Rico, A Tropical Paradise

Luquillo Sunrise Beach Inn We had a shorter amount of time for travel this year, so we decided to stay in Luquillo, with no plans other than sitting on the beach and swimming. The Luquillo Sunrise Beach Inn was a perfect, beachy home base. I didn’t take many photos, but we loved our incredibly clean and comfy room, especially the balcony and the sound of the crashing waves.

Breakfast was free and delicious (coconut cream stuffed French toast!), as was WiFi, and the location really couldn’t be beat for our purposes. The staff was friendly and warm, and the office had beach towels, boogie boards for rent, as well as stuff like beers and snacks for sale. They provided us with a ton of information and recommendations on the area and generally made us feel right at home.

Luquillo Sunrise Views on views on views

Luquillo

Despite the comfy-ness of our bed, I slept as poorly as I always do, which meant I got to capture that famous Luquillo sunrise. Just me, the waves, and the rising sun at 5:50 am. . .

Luquillo Sunrise

Being up early meant I had time to get work done before our day truly started. Try as I might to take days off, I just can’t seem to.  It was nice to get out of the way and to mostly have the whole day ahead for relaxing. Luquillo Beach

Our days in Luquillo basically looked like this. We sunbathed (with loads of SPF), drank cheap local beers and fresh coconut water, swam, rode waves on our rented boogie boards, and that’s about it.


Medalla Light

 

Luquillo Beach

Luquillo surfing

Boardriders Luquillo

 Boardriders

We spent the rest of our time primarily at Boardriders, which was one of our favorite places on our last trip. Between the great cocktails, delicious food, and stunning views, plus laid back music and a bohemian vibe, Boardriders is right up my alley, and I miss it a ton!

banana pancakes

Banana pancakes and a BLT Benedict for brunch, accompanied by just a few passionfruit mimosas. .  . brunch We also chowed down on some of the best ribs we’ve ever had, along with tuna bites and multiple tuna poke bowls. Every bite we have eaten in Boardriders has been phenomenal.

poke bowl

We also enjoyed plenty of rum drinks, live music, beautiful sunsets, people-watching in this sleepy seaside community, and of course, the below gorgeousness.

La Pared Beach

Luquillo Puerto Rico

I love Puerto Rico!

 

Terruno

We ventured out of our little neighborhood briefly one evening to go to the kiosks, where we had great food and terrible service at Terruno. It was one of our favorites last year, and we actually kind of regretted not going to Boardriders instead!

Degree 18 Juice Bar

We didn’t plan on going to El Yunque Rainforest again, but after a few days of a ton of sun, heading into a dense, dark forest was just the thing we needed. We stopped at a beautiful new juice bar, Degree 18, which was near the road to the rainforest, and we hydrated with fresh fruit and veggie smoothies. . . with maybe just a touch of Don Q rum. . .

We absolutely loved this little gem, cats and dog and great music making it a lovely place to spend a sunny Monday morning!

El Yunque

El Yunque El Yunque was cool and fresh and dim, quenching our sun-baked skin and leaving us once again in awe of its beauty. What a beautiful world we live in!

El Yunque

El Yunque

We had the best time in Luquillo. It’s an easy JetBlue flight from Boston to San Juan, with a 45 minute drive after, all on quick main highways. For us, it’s the perfect place to relax and reconnect, but with all of the activities in the area and some calm beaches, it’s also great for families.

sunset

Until next time, Puerto Rico. . . we love you!

Tags: blogger, Food, hotels, island time, Luquillo, Puerto Rico, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger

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