by Helen | Nov 28, 2023 | France, Travel
As a child I was really mesmerised by the Camargue. It seemed like a magical, fairy tale place, with white horses frollicking freely on the beach and pink flamingoes, standing serenely in calm waters. Even on the map of France, the Camargue looked like it existed in another-wordly place, almost falling off the edge of the southern coast of France. Into adulthood, it’s been the kind of place I never thought I’d get to see, because, I mean, why on earth would we be holidaying in the south of France?
Fast forward to September 2023, and we were indeed heading off to the South of France. Not to lie on the beaches of Nice or St Tropez, but to check out potential areas for a relocation. Long story, and will be covered elsewhere, but we had an itch we needed to scratch, and so we packed the car, and one Sunday in September, we headed off, via Trieste and Padova before crossing the border into France and doing a week of exploring. One of our stop offs for a night was in Arles, and on checking next morning, we saw that the Camargue area was only 45 minutes away via the D570. So, it had to be done. I was coming for the white horses and pink flamingoes!
The D570 reminded me very much, if you are familiar with it, like the road from Formby to Southport. Once the edges of town are left behind, the road is surrounded by inlets and dunes and tall, towering reeds. And, every now and again – although this bit isn’t like Formby or Southport – glimpses of white horses, in fields, and flamingoes, standing in groups, each on one leg, some upright, some with heads in the water. Because of time constraints, this was as close as we got to horses or flamingoes, but it still gave me goosebumps, to see them pretty up close.
I suppose I hadn’t really expected to find actual towns in this area – I always imagined it was all dunes and marshlands and expansive beaches with rolling waves – but we saw on Google Maps, a church, right on the edge of a headland and decided to explore further, discovering the town of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. This beautiful French town owes its name to Saint Mary of Jacob and Saint Mary Salome who, with their servant Sara, are believed to have crossed the sea from Palestine on a boat with no sails or oars. After landing here, the three close followers of Jesus then started spreading the Christian faith, and every year in May, a great pilgrimage of Romani people from all over Europe leads them here to pay homage to their patron saint Sara. We had absolutely no idea that this town existed, but it’s clearly a destination, not only for pilgrims, for tourists, judging by the number of restaurants, bars, independent shops, gorgeous houses converted into accommodation and an arena. Where the bulls are kings, and some are specifically bred for the course camarguaise – Camargue style of bull-fighting. Only here, the bulls are never killed. These bulls are confronted with raseteurs – Camargue bullfighters – who try to remove the ribbon that has been attached between its horns with strings. The bulls are considered so important, that when they die (not from the fights, as they are not killed in the ring), they are often buried in the marshes, and villages erect statues to them. Every self-respecting Camargue village has its bull statue. Just like Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
The town is a perfect seaside town – lots of winding alley ways and roads, packed with the most stylish and elegant eateries and shops, all within walking distance of the imposing church. Horses and flamingoes aren’t in evidence here, but swanky yachts and fishing boats and smaller yachts jostle for space in the harbour. It’s a shame that we couldn’t stay overnight, as we were on a tight schedule, but if we are ever in the South of France again – and we’ve decided that relocating here isn’t an option for us, but holidays most definitely are – we’ll certainly bookmark this wonderful town and explore the Camargue properly.
by Helen | Nov 28, 2023 | Lifestyle
Summer this year, seemed to last way into October. We had two lots of friends stay with us over this month, and both times, we were able to sit out in the garden and soak up the sun, as well as eat outdoors. Even into November, it’s been mild – and we can evidence this by the fact that the log store, filled up about a month ago, is still full. However, a chill has now started to creep in. The summer duvet has finally been washed and put away until next year, replaced by a goose feather and down duvet. The underfloor heating has gone back on in the bathroom and kitchen. We’re lighting more candles, earlier, to get that gorgeous evening glow. And, the log baskets in the two living rooms have been filled, as we light the first fires of the season.
The garden furniture has now all been cleaned and packed away, wrapped up tightly in waterproof covers, until the spring. The garden has been cleared of leaves, all added to the compost pile. Terracotta pots, which aren’t being used, have been cleaned out and stored, to keep them free from the frosts, which we know will come soon. But this winter, even with things being stored away, the gardens at the front and rear of the house. are going be very different from previous years.
Previously, once winter has set in, the door would be closed and we wouldn’t really venture into the garden. We only had one, until recently, because the rear of the house was still un-renovated. But, after all of our work this year, we now have two beautiful gardens, both covered in white stones and both with plants which won’t drop over the winter – bay trees, olive trees and bamboos. So, we’re going to do things a little differently this winter. We’re going to enjoy the great outdoors – however cold it is!
Luckily, it’s not quite this cold, just yet. But when it is, we’re going to be prepared – and this weekend, we gave the new fire-bowl, its first run out. We bought it over the summer, imagining we’d be lighting it on chilly evenings. Fat chance of that, as most of the summer was so hot, the thought of a fire in the garden, was just ridiculous. So, we think it’ll come into its own over the winter. Now that the Well Room cupboard is also winter-ready, filled with warm coats, scarves, hats and boots and we have a big basket by the door, full of soft, furry throws, we think we might be well set up.
Camping chairs came out on Sunday afternoon, when the sun had disappeared from the rear garden and the fire lit. We spent a good two or three hours, in the garden, building up the fire – and very decadently, drinking home made Prosecco, given to us by our Italian neighbour. It just seemed right to christen the winter garden, with a bit of a fizz. We also chose a day when the sky was so clear, and so we could see the massive, almost-full moon, rise up behind the campanile in the village. It was really, really lovely to do this – and we will most definitely be getting out in the garden again, when we have crisp and sunny conditions.
by Helen | Nov 19, 2023 | France, Travel
We’d never been to Arles before, a city on the Rhône River in the Provence region of southern France. It’s famed for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh, and was once a provincial capital of ancient Rome, known for many remains from that era, including Arles Amphitheatre. On our recent road trip, to south eastern France, we decided to stop off in the city and have a night’s stay. But, as so often happens when you’re booking on the go, and having to make quick decisions, what we booked was a little further out, than we had wanted. However, we were captivated by the photos online of B&B Maison d’Hôte Mas d’Emyard and the reviews, so even though it was about 5kms outside of the city, we booked it.
The road to the Chambre d’Hôte runs through very pretty countryside, with a little village just before the turn off for the B&B, with a couple of boulangeries and bars, with balconied and shuttered rustic houses. We found out that the B&B does not currently offer evening meals, so we had taken snacks enough to see us through an evening, but this village might present an option or two, if you didn’t fancy going into Arles in the evening. The B&B itself, is part of a working farm estate and so feels quite deep in the countryside. A very narrow bridge takes you over a small culvert and onto the estate – something to be aware of if you’re travelling in a wide vehicle, as our Honda CRV just about got through.
There are lots of outbuildings, which are in differing states of repair and renovation, with tractors and farm machinery. This could look awful, but because the rest of the estate is so well maintained and pretty, it just adds to its French charm. A large car-park is available, at no charge, and judging by its size, I guess this place an get quite busy in high season, but as we were there early mid-September, it was pretty much empty. In fact, even though the weather was still lovely and warm, there was definitely an end-of-season feel. However, we weren’t the only guests, the grounds are lovely to walk around, we had wine and we had a beautiful sunset.
Our room was exactly what you’d expect from a French B&B – rustic, vintage style furniture, chalk paint, and lots of prettiness. The en-suite bathroom was small but perfectly equipped with a powerful walk-in shower and a stone basin. Perhaps the highlight of this room, was the arched windows with views across the terrace to the fields beyond.
Breakfast was a very French affair, which could be taken outdoors on the terrace or indoors, in the large dining/living room with an open kitchen, French doors, very squishy looking sofas and an elegant wood burner. Even though we stayed in September, it was definitely warm enough to eat outdoors, but it was that time of year when the wasps were on thir last look out for sweet treats on a table, so we did retreat indoors. A small buffet selection was available – French bread, croissants, jams and coffee, but also by request, you could have ham, scrambled eggs and cheese, at no additional cost.
Before we left, we investigated the grounds a little more. Away from the B&B, and the main house (where the owners live), is a fenced off swimming pool and sun loungers, set in the middle of a lawn, surrounded by weeping willow trees. Again, we were there right at the end of the season, and although the pool was still open the morning air was just a bit too chilly to even think about taking a dip. However, in the summer, this would be the perfect place for a dip.
With lots of greenery, including very tall. bamboos and weeping willows, the gardens very private. The actual B&B is a renovated stone property, set away from the main house, with a large sun terrace, and with only five or six rooms, it has a very private feel – even when fully booked I can’t imagine you’d feel you were sharing the space with lots of people. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, and although it’s unlikely we’ll ever revisit, it’s somewhere, in the French countryside, that we will remember.
by Helen | Nov 19, 2023 | Lifestyle
I am not a baker. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I can cook. I can follow a recipe, sometimes go a bit off-piste, and I’m definitely OK with one-pot stews and soups and casseroles. But baking. As in cakes that go in the oven – I prefer to leave these to these experts, as they always just seem so complicated and so full of ingredients, which, in their raw state, leave me a bit puzzled. Too many kinds of flour and sugar and too many ways to mix mixtures. Especially when you are trying to buy in either an Italian or a Croatian supermarket and re reliant on translation apps for the ingredients.
But that was until we were given this as a present…
…a book, full of recipes, all of which are done in one tin. One roasting tin. Utterly genius! A fair few have been tried and tested but I’ve tended to avoid the back section – the cakes and desserts. These pages in any recipe book I own, rarely have splogdes of cooking evidence on them as I don’t venture near the back of the books. But I decided to be brave and tackle what looked looked like a fairly easy recipe – an apple crumble. With all ingredients sourced – and not easy, I can tell you, when buying in a Croatian or an Italian supermarket – I set about Operation Crumble.
what you’ll need : cake
3 apples core and sliced
Juice of half a lemon
225g softened, unsalted butter
225g soft, light brown sugar
4 free range eggs
225g self-raising flour
half teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground all-spice
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon (or, if you’re like me, a very heaped tsp)
what you’ll need : crumble
25g demerera sugar (soft brown sugar can be used as an alternative)
25g unsalted softened butter
25g plain flour
25g oats
what you’ll need to do
Pre-heat oven to 180 (fan) / 200 / gas mark 6.
I find it easier to get all of the ingredients measured out first, so that I’m not continually stopping and starting and so that I can keep the work top – which isn’t massive in size – as clutter free as possible. The process is pretty simple and straightforward – I use an electric whisk too, to mix everything, as even with softened butter, it is a bit tedious doing it all by hand. So, whisk the butter and sugar until smooth and then whisk in the eggs one by one. Gradually stir in the flour, spices and baking powder until all combined.
Line the tin with grease proof baking paper and spoon in the mixture. I leave coring and slicing the apples until this point so that they don’t start to turn to brown and overlap them on top of the mixture, adding the dash of lemon juice to again prevent browning.
Now beat the demerera (or soft light brown) sugar and butter together, then stir in the flour and oats and work together with your fingertips into a rough crumble. Scatter over the apples.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave it to cool on a wire rack and the serve as you prefer – with a cup of tea, a dollop of cream or creme fraiche, or as we did because we had it in the freezer, a nice big spoonful of Bailey’s ice-cream.
by Helen | Nov 17, 2023 | Lifestyle
We’ve come a long way since we moved to Istria, in being able to satisfy our spice cravings. There’s still nothing – quite – on our doorstep, as we used to have on Burton Road in West Didsbury, but compared to the early days, we’re practically living on Spice Island now!
We now place regular post-Brexit orders with British Cornershop, who now have a Netherlands distribution centre, meaning we’re not subject to UK taxes, and that means we can easily stock up on store cupboard spices that we can’t easily get here. However, even the spice search has become easier as we extend our shopping trips to Italy – and recently, even France. So making curries at home has been a regular thing, and we are becoming a bit of a dab hand at them, so we can satisfy our cravings much more easily. We’ve also started to discover restaurants where we can get our takeaways from – when we’re in Trieste, we have a good few options for Indian/Nepalese food and every time we visit Ljubljana we bring a takeaway back from Namaste, our favourite Nepalese restaurant. But just recently, we’ve made two FANTASTIC discoveries, very close to home – one which we can only do over the summer months, the other – a real game changer – we can do ALL YEAR ROUND.
artegnana 1798 : grožnjan : istria
This refurbished boutique hotel in the pretty town of Grožnjan, about 8kms away, took us by surprise over the summer. We visited the town to go the antiques market and decided to have a bite to eat on the terrace of the little hotel. As well as Istrian and Italian inspired charcuterie and pasta dishes, we spotted a few Thai influenced dishes, including Chicken Satay. Which we’ve not had for a very long time. The waiter explained that he and his colleagues are from Indonesia, working for the season, across the hotel – and bringing with them Indonesian inspired dishes. We were sold and immediately ordered the satay skewers. The kitchen, for non-diners is only to 5pm, which was a bit gutting as we had friends arriving from Manchester the following week and we knew they would love the additions to the new. However, we were told we could order the food as takeaways and heat up at home – which is exactly what we did when our guests came to stay.
The lovely staff have returned to Indonesia for the winter, and the hotel has closed – and they will all be back in the spring, so we are told. But we were gutted, having only just found this, to realise we wouldn’t have this over the winter.
chada thai restaurant : koper
Until I discovered Chada Thai restaurant in Koper. The town, in Slovenia, we go to at least two or three times a months, had a Thai restaurant, which obviously we had to investigate! And, having done so, on a couple of occasions now, we feel that another piece of the jigsaw has been added and our lives are becoming more and more normal…
Even before eating the food, we were impressed, as nearly all of the packaging was recyclable – a big plus point. Only the lids for the curries were plastic, and we could forgive this as otherwise, they’d have been a bit of a mess by the time we got them home. So, the taste test…
Very fresh, very tasty and very spicy. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the name of my dish, but it was packed full of the leanest chicken, with crunchy vegetables and a very fragrant, coconut broth. The other dish was a Green Thai Curry, with extra spice – and yes. It was very spicy! Definitely blew away the cobwebs. The starters were all delicious – vegetable spring rolls, fish cakes and chicken satay skewers.
With Thai/Slovenian owners, this restaurant is the real deal, making authentic dishes – not dishes which are a bit westernised. Utterly gorgeous – and I think we’ll be revisiting Chada quite a lot, especially over the winter.
by Helen | Nov 8, 2023 | Lifestyle
We’ve missed sourdough bread since we moved to Istria. We did find it once, in a Konzum supermarket in Rovinj, but have never found it again. Italy, so far, hasn’t turned it up either for us. We used to buy it from a very cute shop on Burton Rd in West Didsbury called And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon, which was literally twenty steps from our house, so very convenient. We’ve taken to making our own bread, because if we run out of shop/bakery bought, we don’t have a shop on our doorstep, but it’s soda bread we make, not sourdough. As unfortunately that’s just far too complicated and time consuming for novice bakers like us. Fortunately for us, and we think many other people judging by the reviews, Bread Point Bakery has arrived in Poreĉ, a bakery/patisserie which specialises in sourdough. And the most sublime sweet treats.
It’s a small shop in Porec, but with bread and rolls and foccacia, all baked fresh and displayed clearly and neatly. Cakes are displayed in a glass cabinet and are very easy to be tempted by. Believe me. I am tempted – and succumb – every time I visit. All of the bread is sourdough but there are plenty of varieties – although I have to say the traditional recipe simply cannot be beaten. Because the shop is not on our doorstep, I tend to bulk buy the bread and freeze – wrapped in cling film, it’s as good as fresh, once defrosted. The pieces of the Istria jigsaw are coming together, as we find things we have craved, or which we thought just simply didn’t exist here. A bit of googling and patience tends to work, and we’re finding that life is so much easier and so much closer to what we used to have in West Didsbury. And, if Bread Point could open a second shop, as close as And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon was to us back in Manchester, we’d be getting close to finishing that jigsaw.
The croissants are absolutely delicious. Very generously sized, and between the doughy, stretchy layers, and crispy outer crust, the fillings go all the way through. Unlike other croissants where you might discover a pocket filling, these fillings ooze out between the layers. The chocolate croissant is as good as you’d expect, but the vanilla and pistachio cream is off the scale. Just off the scale…
And then we have the cheesecake. The Basque Cheesecake. According to Google, this cheesecake “…isn’t smooth or dense; instead, the dessert—baked at a high temperature—is light and scorched and caramelized on the top with a rich, gooey interior. Made with cream cheese, sugar, and eggs, Basque cheesecakes don’t have a crust, giving it a similar feel to a mousse. Its outer edges are typically wrinkled and nonuniform, thanks to cooking the cheesecake in parchment paper. The dessert originates from La Viña, a cafe in the resort town of San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain. In 1990, Chef Santiago Rivera embarked on an experiment to make a new type of cake every day. Eventually, he developed the Basque cheesecake recipe…”
I had absolutely no intention of buying a slice of cheesecake, let alone a WHOLE cheesecake, when I last visited, but I was so taken by the enthusiasm of the person doing the selling – I know! – that I gave in. And before I knew it, I also had a boxed cheesecake, to take home with me and my sourdough loaves and pistachio croissants.
To be fair, it did sit in the box, in a cool place, for a couple of days, as it just felt far too indulgent to be cutting into it. It felt it should be being served at a dinner party, not snaffled on a Tuesday night, in front of the TV. But then we reasoned we’d be waiting a long time to serve it at a dinner party, and perhaps we should just tuck in. It lasted two nights, which was good, considering we could easily have eaten the whole lot in one go. And safe to say, the guy from Bread Point was not boasting – or lying – when he sold me on the Basque Cheesecake. I will honestly not be able to eat any other kind, going forward..
Internal Bread Point Photo : https://plavakamenica.hr
All Other Photos : We Are Life Photos
Basque Cheesecake Info
by Helen | Nov 2, 2023 | Lifestyle
This meal is definitely one of our favourite go-to recipes, especially when the nights are getting darker earlier and you just need a bit of comfort food. It’s so easy and you will definitely have all of these ingredients in your cupboard and fridge, and there’s nothing unusual in it. I prefer it with a filled pasta – spinach & ricotta is a good one – but have used ordinary pasta if there’s no filled to hand. Although it can obviously be fancied up with other ingredients, this basic one is done in no time and only uses up one oven proof pan. That’s a win, for me!
Chop a few garlic gloves and cook on the hob, in olive oil. Then the tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are better here – and for extra flavour you could roast them first, in lots of olive oil, salt & pepper and chilli flakes, then mash them into a pulp as the basis for your sauce. Otherwise, just chop them up, add some water or wine – I don’t think it matters whether it’s red or white, just whatever’s open and season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes for a bit of a kick, and add to the garlic. The pasta goes in now – make sure there’s sufficient liquid for it to start to cook, and so that it doesn’t dry out. Not too much though, as the pasta will be swimming in the sauce and it’ll take forever to reduce. Give the pasta about five minutes to simmer, then sprinkle the mixture with cheese. Parmesan is an obvious choice, but we love extra mature cheddar, as it burns beautifully and is wonderfully tangy. Sprinkled with a bit of parmesan, of course, because you can never have enough cheese.
Cook, in the oven proof pan, in the oven, heated up to 180°C for about thirty minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and you know the pasta is cooked through, and then serve. Crusty bread and a bottle of wine works perfectly with this super tasty, super easy pasta dish.
ingredients you could add :
- red lentils to the sauce to make it thicker
- chopped olives
- canned tuna – we get smoked tuna from Lidl (from the Greek range when it’s stocked) and it’s so tasty
- anchovies
- mushrooms
- peppers
- onions
- halloumi cheese instead of parmesan
- basically, anything you fancy and have to hand…
by Helen | Oct 31, 2023 | Croatia, Travel
When we book hotel accommodation, top of the list of our priorities is always to find somewhere on the quirky, more unusual and individual side, rather than a chain. Sometimes, circumstances mean the chain option is the most convenient – late night check in, for instance, or somewhere close to an airport for a very early flight. But generally, chain hotels are not on our radar.
But a couple of years ago, we started to see a very unusual building going up, right on the sea front, between Rijeka and Opatija, in the north of Croatia, on Kvarner Bay. Turns out it was a brand new Hilton Hotel – the Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort and Spa. The building itself was enough to pique our interest and get us thinking we’d like to try this hotel. When you drive past it, along the coast road, you see the corridors on each floor, through floor to ceiling glass walls, making it clear that ALL of the rooms and suites have views on the other side – as in, out to sea. The design of the hotel is super sleek – glass, sexy curves, white panels, lush landscaping. We loved its design and OK, it’s part of a chain, but we think that the Hilton chain probably gets it right.
We recently found ourselves coming back through Rijeka, from Zagreb, having taken friends back to the airport. Summer was coming to an end, so we decided to check out the prices for the Hilton and maybe grab a last bit of warm weather and relaxation. Via booking.com, we booked a King Room with a balcony and sea view, for €219 – quite pricey for a Sunday evening, but wow. When we arrived and checked in – and experienced what the hotel had to offer – we realised that actually this was a very good price indeed.
The hotel entrance is large, light and opulent. A huge chandelier of glass baubles hangs down from an atrium, complemented by the many hanging glass baubles in tones of gold and copper and honey. Floor to ceiling windows and glass doors curve around the space, which also includes a bar area and the main reception, and there is access to a wrap around sun terrace, where meals, including breakfast, are served. Check-in was a very slick and professional – staff training here is obviously very high up on the agenda. Informative and polite and efficient, without being over the top.
As we already knew, our room had a balcony and a sea view – because, by design, they all have – but we were pretty blown away by just how amazing the view was. Having had rooms previously, with a “sea view”, but in reality nothing more than a sliver in the distance, this was stunning. A completely uninterrupted panoramic sea view – the sea being less than a 100 metres away.
Our King Room was one of the least expensive categories in the hotel – rooms range from King through to suites and duplex seafront villas – but we felt in no way short-changed, or that we had been allocated an inferior accommodation. The room itself was huge, with a very large bed, a mini kitchen with a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities and a cupboard – often overlooked in hotel rooms, but always welcome, as everyone always has a packet of crisps or two, they want to stash away. Don’t they? A desk and chairs, and a small chaise lounge at the foot of the bed, provided for ample seating and a large area, just inside the door was equipped with shelving, a luggage store and a large wardrobe. Hues of blue, mirroring the sea view outside, added beautiful accents to the room – especially the glass lamp shades at each side of the bed.
The bathroom was large – a sumptuous walk-in shower, large sink and vanity unit, excellent lighting (again, sometimes an after thought in hotel bathrooms) and delectable Crabtree & Evelyn products. The room was also off-the-scale gleaming, so again, another massive plus point as the house-keeping team are clearly a very tight ship who maintain extremely high standards. And, we saw this throughout the hotel, not just in our room.
However, without a doubt, the star of the show with this hotel, is the view that is afforded. Some rooms have better views than others, simply because top floor suites, for instance, have wrap around windows and balconies and the bungalows and villas are right on the seafront. Ours, though, wasn’t that bad a view either…
Breakfast at this hotel is definitely a grand affair. Again, on our visit, the attention to detail in terms of hygiene, is really notable. Crockery and cutlery are cleared away swiftly and tables and chairs cleaned down. The areas where food is served are meticulous and constantly cleaned down. The range of breakfast products is astonishing and I think that one sitting is definitely not sufficient to experience everything on offer. As well as food stations stacked (and regularly replenished) with fresh breads, croissants, eggs, salads, salmon, pastries, cakes, fruits, yogurts, hams and cheeses – plus, a huge prosciutto leg for guests to carve – there are various hot food counters, with chefs baking, making and grilling in front of you. Omelettes, fried eggs, pancakes, sausages, potato products, mushrooms, bacon. You order, they make. Drinks are plentiful – juices (freshly pressed as well as in regularly refilled carafes), tea, coffee and wines, if you fancy a morning tipple. Everything is well spaced out, so there’s no sense of queuing or waiting for people to fill their plates and move on. Tables, too, are well spaced out, giving the feeling of privacy. Indoor tables are beautifully laid and set out, and had we had to eat indoors, this would have been fine, but we secured a table out on the terrace, overlooking the bay. Monday morning bliss! Plus, breakfast is served until the civilised hour of 11am and so everything was very relaxed. Just perfect.
The external areas of the hotel are just exquisite. Billowing white cabana beds on a platform, sitting out in the bay. An infinity pool, clearly the place to be for posed photographs. We spent a good hour on our balcony, with a bottle of vino, watching a couple in the pool. He must have taken hundreds of photos of her, in various poses, in the pool, accompanied by much hair swishing and extension of arms and arching of back – before the ritual checking of the photos and the retaking if deemed probably unfit for Instagram. And, these weren’t the only couple! Very tasteful villa/bungalows, underneath the hotel room balconies – and all with green roofs, so when these have taken hold (the hotel is less than a couple of years old), the view down will be beautiful.
As well as the infinity pool, there is an indoor pool and a gym, and areas specifically for children. There are also lots of sun beds and hanging egg chairs, in various locations, around the site, close to the sea, and towels can be hired from the hotel. Check out is up until midday, which was really appreciated as we didn’t need to rush off, but after check out you can store your luggage and still use the communal hotel facilities all day. Parking is on-site – although not free, it is reasonable and there is an underground car park, as well as parking bays directly outside the reception area.
There are a number of number of restaurants on site, including the Michelin starred Nebo. We booked an 8pm table at the Jedro Restaurant, located on the beach, but this was the only tiny blip in our stay. There was no record of our reservation and even though it was still early – although probably right at the end of the season – the restaurant did have a feeling of being on the cusp of closing for the evening. However, we were warmly accommodated and offered the full menu, including the selection of fresh fish which was still available and brought to our table for inspection. Despite being the only couple dining – another couple had finished and left soon after we arrived – it wasn’t an issue, as none of the staff made us feel us rushed or hurried, and we did have an amazing table, right on the beach as the lapped just below us. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant and I guess in the summer, booking is essential as its fantastic.
From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, we were super impressed. It is a hotel chain, and you can’t away from that, but it’s a class act. And definitely somewhere worth investigating if you want a short stay – I don’t think we could do more than a couple of nights as we’d start to feel cooped up – which is really easy, really comfortable and with stand out facilities.
PS This is not a sponsored post in any way. We found our room on booking.com, paid the advertised price and paid the full price for our evening meal.
by Helen | Oct 26, 2023 | Interiors
We’ve spent so long focusing on other areas of the house, and in particular this summer, the garden, that we’ve neglected a couple of rooms. One being the upstairs bathroom. We rarely use it these days, preferring the walk in shower in the downstairs renovated bathroom. But the bathroom upstairs has just really needed a bit of TLC to get it back on its feet, and we decided that this could be a quick big tick on the to-do list, as it didn’t involve ripping anything out or completely redecorating.
It was refurbished a couple of years back, when the tiny bath was taken out and a full sized one fitted in its place. A new, bigger capacity boiler, made this possible as the previous boiler barely filled more than few centimetres, even in the tiny bath. The cheapo sink and sanitary ware were also replaced, and walls and floor and woodwork painted. We used a vintage wooden ladder across the painted beams to suspend faux foliage, reducing the feeling height, so everything really has been in place for it to be a nice room. We just needed to add a few finishing touches to make it more comfortable and therefore more useable. And, we think it’s now a bathroom that we’ll get a whole lot more use out of, over the coming winter months.
What we’ve done has cost very little, as it’s largely been an exercise in accessorising, but it has made a huge difference. Firstly – and we can’t believe this has actually take us so long! – we put up a shower rail. We’ve always had a shower head extension, but felt that a shower curtain would make the room make feel smaller, so have never had one. Therefore making the shower head completely redundant as water just went everywhere. A single rail, suspended from the beams, has made all the difference, as contrary to what we thought, having a curtain doesn’t make any difference, as when it’s not in use, it’s hung over a big silver hook on the wall behind the bath.
For relatively little expense, the towels were also replaced – what we had were clashing with the bolder shower curtain and these fluffy IKEA bath sheets and hand towels were just the perfect match. The wooden ladder rail was brought back into the bathroom and towels now sit neatly, right beside the sink, as the gap between sink & wall is just right for the rail. Another IKEA bargain – at just €4 – was the little sage green storage rack, with two very strong suction pads. Perfect for shampoos and conditioners and right beside the shower, so no more fumbling about to find them. Sage green candles and reed diffusers just add a little bit of luxury, as well as a big silver lantern under the sink – providing a gorgeous glow when relaxing in the bath. Perhaps the best thing about this bathroom, is that it’s tucked away, at the top of the house and so is completely private as it’s too high to be overlooked. We do have a roller blind at the recessed window, just in case any visitors want real privacy, but we’re OK with the fact that absolutely no-one can see in, so most of the time it’s rolled up. In the summer, it’s great to lie in the bath and only see the tops of the trees and the sky – and now it’s darker much earlier, if conditions are right, you can shower or bathe and just have the stars for company.
by Helen | Oct 25, 2023 | Italy, Travel
Trieste is now a city we’re getting to know well, as it’s so close to home. Now that Croatia has joined the Schengen Zone, travelling through the small corridor of Slovenia between us and Italy, means no more border stops and so we can be in Trieste in just over half an hour. This makes supermarket shopping, for instance, more of a joy than a chore – especially as Italian supermarkets are so, so good. But sometimes we want to stay a bit longer and so we’re also getting to know some lovely accommodation – and, as we tend to stay over out of season, we can sometimes stay in places we wouldn’t normally consider because of price. One such place is the stunning Seven Historial Suites, right in the city centre, a couple of blocks away from the Grand canal. Yes, Trieste also has one of these. James Joyce, cast in bronze, and one of Trieste’s most famous expats, stands overlooking the canal. And he doesn’t do that in Venice.
The hotel is housed inside one of the imposing city’s stately commercial buildings in the graceful 18th-century grid of the Borgo Teresiana, an example of Habsburg town planning. (Most of these statuesque buildings are commercial on the ground floor, with the upper floors being either residential or hotels). The entrance, at ground level is discreet, but once inside, the absolute splendour of the building reveals itself. A grand sweeping staircase, chandeliers, dark wood, muted lighting, frescoes, tiled floors and beams. Very theatrical, very over the top, very beautiful – and totally Italian. A beautiful communal library area also added to the feeling of luxury and opulence.
Our apartment – living room/kitchen, large bedroom and bathroom was spacious and with everything we needed for a short stay. The kitchen was really equipped, and it was nice to have a full size under the counter fridge, to store wine, rather than the hotel sized mini fridges, where bottles just roll out when you open the door. The living room was comfortable with a big squishy sofa and chairs and a table – and lots of eclectic additions to add interest.
The bedroom was spacious, with a vaulted ceiling and a very large, very comfortable bed, with beautiful linen. Slippers and dressing gowns and big, fluffy towels added to a feeling of opulence, as did the complimentary Acqua di Parma toiletries. And these weren’t your usual dinky sized bottles – they were substantial tubes of bath and shower gel cream, body cream and shampoo and conditioner.
A very nice touch on arrival was a complimentary bottle of prosecco. Always appreciated.
Trieste is a city full of hotels and apartments, some so grand they are eye-watering prices. But I think we found a happy medium with The Seven Historical Suites – not cheap as chips (although, to be fair, they’re not that cheap these days), but definitely affordable as a treat. And, especially out of season. Top tip, right there.
