by Helen | Jan 6, 2015 | Italy, Travel
We love Bergamo in Northern Italy. It’s often overlooked as a gateway to its more showy neighbour, Milan, as lots of flights land here with easy transport links to the bigger city. But, you are really missing a trick if you just land in Bergamo and hop on a transfer, without ever experiencing this beautiful medieval, fortified city. As well as being crammed with historical treasures around every corner, the eating and drinking scene is pretty spectacular, too. In Citta Alta, the higher, and older, part of the city, the choices for dining are extensive.
Vineria Cozzi, on via Bartolomeo Colleoni, the beautiful cobbled thoroughfare off Piazza Vecchia in the old, upper town, is just stunning. It’s a family run restaurant, that is just an utter delight, decor-wise. And that’s before you’ve seen the menu…
The menu is innovative, and like the decor, sometimes a bit on the eccentric side – although not pretentious, so you do feel as if you actually being served a proper hearty meal. Given the standard (and quantity) of it, it’s also pretty inexpensive.
Christmas does seem to be a favourite time of year for us to be in Bergamo, and Vineria Cozzi is always way ahead of the festive game. Sometimes quirky, sometimes traditional but always super gorgeous, in the attention to detail.
This restaurant is most definitely a magical experience – and when visited on a cold, crisp December night, it’s even more magical. As is Bergamo, itself.
by Helen | Dec 3, 2014 | Spain, Travel
On a drive from the white washed hill top town of Frigiliana, down to Torrox on the coast, we noticed some strange shaped buildings looming up on a hill ahead of us – and were totally bemused, as we drove past them, to see that they looked like hobbit style dwellings, looking out to sea.
As soon as we got back to where we staying in Nerja, I looked up these strange buildings and found out that they were actually pods, part of a rural hotel and restaurant, called Los Coracoles – snails, in Spanish! So, of course, we had to make a booking and a couple of days later, were checking in.
The reception was housed in a cave-like building, with the restaurant to the rear of the check in area. If you don’t like rustic touches, this may not be for you, but we loved it immediately. Very Moorish, with lanterns strung across the low, arched of the ceiling. Dark wood, white washed walls, tiled floor. Just very different and very pretty.
It was quite a long and winding road up to Los Coracoles – you definitely need transport – but wow, was it worth it for the views down the sea. A small pool was perfectly placed for drinking in those views, and an outdoor terrace looked very tempting, for outdoor dining. However, as we were staying very late in the season, both were closed.
So, to our apartment. Again, another wow! It was a proper cave-like dwelling, with a balcony with a magnificent view.
Luckily, even though out of high season, the restaurant was still open, showing its popularity. People apparently travel from some distance to dine here, and we found the food to be pretty amazing.
In fact, we loved it so much here, and prices in November were so affordable, that we returned a few days later and tried out a suite, with more facilities and a larger bathroom. That woodburner was needed too, as the weather took a real turn and being on the top of the mountain, it was drizzly and misty and quite cold. Very atmospheric though.
We got to experience the restaurant again – for dinner and breakfast – and were as impressed as on our previous visit. Both with the food and the decor.
We also got to know Blass, the hotel “puppy”. His size suggested he was way beyond puppy years, but his personality and boundless energy definitely marked him out as a puppy. Although a large one, it has to be said…
by Helen | Oct 5, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Having driven around much of Italy, I think we can safely say that this guy – Padre Pio – is very definitely a superstar saint. You can hardly escape him – statues, images, grafitti, even a whole TV channel dedicated to him. I had heard of him before & had been mildly fascinated by the tales of his stigmata, and when were staying in Peschici & found out (via said TV channel!) that the town of San Giovanni Rotondo was a mere 30kms away, we had to investigate…
I’m sure that many people find this place deeply moving, but to be honest, I found it a bit nuts. Padre Pio’s image looms large, especially from the hospital, up on the hill. Tour buses spill religious tourists out. Stalls, peddling religious paraphenalia, can’t be missed. Priest and nuns mingle with the visitors in bars and restaurants. Everywhere trades on the Padre Pio story – and it’s quite clear that it’s a vibrant economy.
However, the real wealth is all too clear in the actual shrine of Padre Pio, inside Santa Maria della Grazie, the church which was built to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims – and the 50+ new hotels, which have sprung up in the town. As well as the actual tomb of Padre Pio, where he lies, his body well preserved, but without any signs of the stigmata (hmmm…), the walls and ceilings are elaborately mosaiced. Devout pilgrims, some in wheelchairs, many clearly unwell, file past the open casket, praying, and usually stuffing paper money into the collection boxes. There’s definitely a whiff of a charade going on here. But, in a mad way, that I just cannot understand, it clearly gives comfort to the devotees who file past his tomb. And spend money in the gift shop…
Leaving the town, which remains one of the craziest places I’ve ever visited, we turned on the car radio. And of course, which station was picked up? Only Radio Padre Pio! There’s no escaping this superstar saint dude in Italy…
by Helen | Sep 30, 2014 | Morocco, Travel
This is riad is quite simply, stunning. Located right on the sea walls, and converted from a very grand 19th century residence, you just could not have a better place to stay in Essaouira. The entrance to the riad is breath-taking – hand carved thuya wooden ceilings, stained glass windows, mosaic tiled walls and floors, a central fountain, winding stone stairs, an open fireplace. Just jaw-dropping!
We stayed in January so the hotel was probably much quieter than in spring/summer months, and we were actually upgraded from the booking we made – and were thrilled to be allocated a suite on the third floor, which had real wow factor. It was huge, with the biggest bed we have ever slept in, an amazing bathroom – and then the highlight. Floor to ceiling (sound-proofed) windows which overlooked the Atlantic, and the waves crashing against the medina walls directly below. Everything in the room was spec’d to the highest standard – you could not find fault with anything. (Wi-fi is not available in the rooms, but is great in the entrance/reception, which is a huge space, full of comfortable sofas, so not having it in the room was not an issue).
The hotel is atmospherically lit – no top, overhead lights here, so the quality of the photos is a little bit grainy, as it didn’t feel right to be snapping away and using the flash.
Breakfast is served in the roof-top restaurant, which has views on all sides across Essaouira and the Atlantic coast. What a way to start the day, as the sun rises! It was very windy when we were there, and the glass windows were closed – which made it even better to watch the seagulls swooping & circling outside, knowing that they weren’t going to snatch your breakfast!
There’s also a sun terrace with loungers, and up a little flight of steps, the highest point of the riad, with a few more loungers – perfect. But, it’s the interiors which do steal the show. The whole riad has a sense of history – it is large and imposing and feels very, very grand. Many of the original features have been retained and where accessories have been added, they are totally in keeping and help to produce an overall feeling of quiet opulence.
We had six nights at Riad Mimouna, and spending a little extra than we would normally have done, was the best decision we could have made – our flights from the UK were booked in advance, so were very affordable & Essaouira is not an expensive place for eating out/shopping so we felt we could justify a little more luxury. And, we cannot recommend doing the same, highly enough. You will NOT regret it!
(A word of warning – don’t be alarmed by the route to the riad. Essaouira is an ancient town, full of narrow, dark, cobbled alleyways, and this is how you get to Mimouna. However, it is also a very safe town, and once we got our bearings, and realised that as long we were just aware, there is really nothing to be alarmed about. It’s all part of the magic of Essaouira).
We flew, return, to Marrakech from Manchester by Easyjet for just under £300 (for two of us). After staying two nights in Marrakech, we travelled by coach to Essaouira, with Supratours, a four hour journey west (plus a 30 min comfort stop). Riad Mimouna was booked online (via Booking.com) and for a seven night stay (we booked a superior room but were upgraded, at no additional cost, to a suite) we paid 763 euros. This was definitely one of the pricier riads in Essaouira – we checked out a number of others which were less expensive, but just as beautiful – and we return in Jan 2015, now that we know the quality of accommodation generally in the town, we’ll be looking into one of the others, simply so that we have a different experience. On our return to Marrakech, to fly home, we actually took a taxi – this worked out at approx £40, but the plus side of this, was door to door, in less than three hours.
by Helen | Sep 27, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Tropea is an absolute jewel on the Calabrian coast and we couldn’t recommend highly enough, a stay in this beautiful town. However, if you are looking for accommodation, we couldn’t recommend highly enough that you steer completely clear of Hotel Residence Valemare. We made the error of arriving in Tropea & making a booking over the internet for 4 nights. The hotel we had wanted – Rocca Della Sena – was fully booked and we had seen good reviews for Valemare so we booked there & then. Had we not been on the road for a week, we might have investigated a little more, but we were just glad to be settled for four days.
We were greeted by Francesco – very pleasant guy, but with hindsight, the ONLY pleasant experience we had. We were shown to our apartment, having been advised by Francesco we’d been given an upgrade. I shudder to think what the original room must have been like.
We had a sea view – plus point. We had a balcony. Sort of a plus point but dirty plastic furniture and plastic foliage separating us from people on either side. Still, we weren’t so unhappy at this point. Francesco led us in, so it was only later, that we realised how utterly disgusting the door handle was – a sticky, black substance had been painted over the knackered door handle. The apartment was large – a good size kitchen/diner, a small bathroom and quite a large double bedroom. So, if size is your only criteria, you might like this kind of apartment. However, a cursory glance around showed how utterly filthy and decrepit this accommodation actually was. The only lighting on the living/kitchen area was an overhead light, so you were either in darkness or fully illuminated. The bed settee had a blue cover which was covered in white stains. See photo & make up your mind as to origin of stains.
The hob did not appear to be working – not such a problem as the greasy, dirty, filthy condition had made any kind of cooking a complete non-starter. The sink was filthy, as were the cupboard doors – greasy finger/hand prints. Door handles were missing & the cutlery drawers had clearly not been cleaned in a long while. There was a remote for the air-con, but this did not appear to be working, as we later discovered.
The bathroom was very small – don’t have a problem at all with this. But I do have a problem with a small, filthy bathroom. See photos of shower, taps etc. It was so dirty, I would not use the shower. There was gunk engrained in the folding shower door and the base of the shower had not been cleaned for some time.
The bedroom furniture was very functional. Again, not a problem with this – as long as the furniture is clean and does what it should do. One of the bedside lamps wasn’t working, meaning that in the whole apartment we had one working lamp. The bed cover was taken off immediately as again, it was stained, very old and looked distinctly beyond its best.
The walls are literally paper thin – the occupants next door were playing some kind of computer game and we could literally hear every beep. The flushing toilet was very audible, as was any moving of furniture – ie pulling a chair in & out.
Because we had booked this late, we did get a cheaper rate through Booking.com, but the overall dirtiness was horrible. I asked at reception if we could see another room as we weren’t very happy -Francesco advised that they were fully booked. It was past 9pm so we decided to stay for the evening and leave in the morning. We spoke to the receptionist the next morning, advising we would be leaving. We acknowledged that Booking.com have a no refund policy, but we requested that given the circumstances, we would pay for one night and would be obliged to have a refund on the three subsequent nights. By this time, we had already looked into other accommodation options in Tropea – both internet searches & walking into town and having a look around – and we were v fortunate that one room at Rocco della Sena was available. We booked it immediately.
The receptionist was GENUINELY perplexed by us stating we were leaving. She came up to the apartment – we showed her what we felt was lacking. She did show us that the air con was indeed working. We had not been told the previous evening that you first of all had to locate the switch behind the curtains before using the remote. Not a huge problem, and one that out of necessity we would have worked out as it was very hot, but quite a fundamental thing not to tell guests. The same with the hob – the ignition switch wasn’t working, so you had to use one of the lighters in the cutlery drawer. Again, we could have worked that out but possibly having a working ignition might have been the best solution. Upon seeing how dirty the bathroom was, and the bedding, she offered us a complimentary breakfast. We refused. She insisted. We refused. She insisted. She also offered to speak to her director to see what could be done. We decided to check out the dining area. The cracked plates and lack of food covers (therefore flies on the food) was enough for me and we walked out. (The dining area does have a lovely view over the sea – plus point). We took our already packed luggage to reception to check out. We weren’t holding out much hope for a refund, but we thought we’d try.
The receptionist was nothing if not very keen to get us to stay – I had to explain that we were so dissatisfied, we had actually made a booking elsewhere. She offered to show us another room. We refused. She said if she had been working on the previous evening, things would have been different and would we look at another room and stay? Again, NO. We asked to speak to the manager to register our complaint – unfortunately, we couldn’t as the director was at hospital with a “bad head”. There is an office, just outside of the main reception area, and this is clearly where the “director” was – the receptionist had frequent audible, animated conversations with someone who despite language barriers, was refusing to budge. Booking.com was called by the receptionist – although they wouldn’t budge in terms of a refund, they were extremely helpful. The receptionist kept reiterating the offer of another room – eventually we had to show her the photos we had taken. She was on the phone immediately, to her director, and we understood her to be mentioning photos/publicity etc etc. Booking.com were called again & we were put on to them – knowing that the “director” was in the office next to reception, we conducted our conversation with the booking company right outside the office & knocked on the door when the call was finished to return the phone. A call came through to reception as we were knocking – from the person inside. The Director…As we were going to get nowhere with speaking to anyone with any kind of authority we left, thankful we were going to another hotel. At the car we realised we still had the room keys and I returned them to reception – just at the right time to meet the “Director” coming out of the office.
This hotel still has our money. In the grand scheme of things, if we don’t get it back, we’ll get over it. But, we would like to advise people that if you want to stay in accommodation that is, at the very least clean, please do NOT make a booking here. It is truly the most awful place and clearly run by someone who is utterly inflexible and yet prepared to have their reception staff face guests who are very unhappy.
We have since spent three idyllic nights since in Hotel Rocca della Sena – if you can, spend a little bit extra here. We cannot tell you how different our experience has been here. Stunning. As is Tropea. And soon, Hotel Valemare, will be put down to a very bad decision.
by Helen | Sep 26, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Villa Mercede is a bit different to many of the hotels we choose to stay in on our travels. Personal choice, but we prefer quirky, boutique style (although not those with silly prices), old, traditional etc to modern and quite functional. Which is what Villa Mercede, set on the slopes of the Castelli Romani area in Frascati, is. However, we were only staying one night before embarking on a long drive south to Sicily and so wanted something that would enable us to have a guaranteed good night’s sleep and a big, hot shower. With a pool. And, within walking distance of Frascati.
The hotel, about 1km down the hill from Frascati historical centre, ticked all the boxes – and more. If you want something with a bit of character, first impressions as you pull into the car park. might be a bit disappointing. It looks very new (a plus point of you want modern) & does look as if it might lack character. However, once we checked in, we were delighted. Perfect for an overnight stay. Everything we had wanted was there – including a very big shower. The bed definitely stands out as one of the most comfortable on our current trip – and having travelled a lot in Italy over the last few weeks, we’ve slept in a lot of Italian beds.The hotel has a pool and an outside terrace – it was a hot afternoon in late September & we took advantage of the pool still being open, followed by an ice-cream & a vino from the bar located right next to the hotel. The gelateri had an extensive choice and is clearly a destination for locals, because as we sat relaxing, there was a steady stream of families & couples arriving, buying ice-cream & driving off. The hotel is about 1km from the centre of town – although it is uphill on the way there, it’s not steep and the compensation is that it’s downhill on the way back. All in all, a great find for a short stop over in a beautiful city in the hills above Rome.
Our stay in Frascati was made all the more special by a spectacular sunset over Rome. The centre of the town was packed with locals and holiday-makers, clearly making the most of the late summer, Sunday evening sunshine.
We found a very cool restaurant, with views down and across to Rome, which by the time we ate, was twinkling in the distance.
And then, as we were having a drink – frascati, obviously – out of nowhere, appeared a religious procession, followed by a fireworks. We’re not religious in any way, but somehow when you’re in Italy, the spectacle and theatre of religion, is just so *right*…
by Helen | Sep 25, 2014 | Italy, Travel
When we were in Italy, last year, we had an awful experience with a hotel in the beautiful Calabrian town of Tropea. We’d booked into Hotel Valemare for four nights, but it was so terrible, we left the next morning, not knowing if we’d get a refund*. We’d heard of Hotel Rocca della Sena and reviews suggested it was amazing, but as were doing a lot of travelling we thought it might be a bit too much above budget. However, lady luck was on our side, and through Booking.com we secured a room, packed our bags, left Valemare and checked into Rocca della Sena. And what a difference…
We were offered coffee on the terrace, over looking the sea as we were checked in – and then told we’d been upgraded. And, this was a real upgrade, as there’s no way we would have booked the honeymoon suite! For three days and three nights we lived in the lap of luxury – and because we’d booked last minute, bagged ourselves the most amazing deal. And after nearly two weeks on the road, this unexpected treat was much appreciated! As well as an en-suite bathroom, we had the added bonus of a huge walk-in shower, with mood lighting. (Well, it was the honeymoon suite, after all!) Plus, a beautiful balcony, with a hammock, sun-loungers and a jacuzzi. Fresh fruit was delivered each afternoon, but because the breakfasts were so generous, to be honest, this was an unnecessary luxury!
Hotel Rocca della Sena is located about 10 minutes from the centre of Tropea, which is a perfect stop-over point if you’re travelling onwards to Sicily as it’s only about 40 minutes away from the port of Reggio Calabria.The whole experience can only be described as “understated elegance” – every need is clearly catered for in this hotel, but in a way that is effortlessly unobtrusive. This was a real experience and a stay that we’ll certainly remember for a long time to come.
Tropea itself is described as a jewel, and this description isn’t an exaggeration, especially as it hugs the south west of Italy and so also benefits from glorious sunsets. Perfect to watch from your jacuzzi on the balcony.
We stayed here in September 2013 and booked through booking.com, receiving a very unexpected upgrade upon arrival.
* We did get a refund, some weeks later, but only through sheer persistence – the refund came from Booking.com, rather than the hotel who steadfastly refused to acknowledge that their accommodation was NOT as described on their website.
by Helen | Sep 21, 2014 | Italy, Travel
On our travels through Italy last year, we made the decision to explore the eastern coast of Sicily and having done some online research, decided that Ortigia (in the region of Syracuse), sounded like our kind of place. We took the car ferry from Reggio Calabria to Messina (about 45 mins) – tickets are bought at the port and a one way crossing was 41 euros for a car & 2 passengers.
Ortigia is approx 170km south – factor in driving near Catania as it’s very busy, and does add to your travel time. The drive south along the coast isn’t the most scenic (we took in the very pretty – and expensive! -Taormina, on the way back north), so we headed straight to Ortigia – which is actually a tiny peninsula, connected to Syracuse by a road bridge. You get to get quite close to Mount Etna though, and this is quite a spectacular sight – especially, if as it was when we were there, it is belching out plumes of white volcanic gases & smoke.
It’s an ancient city, packed full of antiquities, beautiful historic buildings and narrow, winding alleyways. It has a completely different feel to the Italian mainland – I can only describe it as “Sicilian”. It’s a real city of contrasts – monuments, fountains, frescoes mixed in with the daily working life of the locals. It’s loud and fast and busy in places, then tranquil in others. One not to be missed spectacle is the morning market – pure theatre…
The historical centre is absolutely beautiful – the Duomo was adapted by the Byzantines (and later the Normans) from a 5th century BC temple, the Temple of Athena. You can actually still see the original ancient Doric columns on the outside of the cathedral. The cathedral is open 8am-noon and 4.00pm-7.00pm and is free entry. It’s situated in a beautiful piazza, fringed with restaurants and with cobbled streets leading off and away from the Duomo.
Piazza Duomo is a great place for people watching as it’s lined with excellent restaurants and chic bars – and given their location, the ones we visited, weren’t at all expensive. Day or night, you’ll definitely find someone or something interesting to observe.
We stayed in a fabulous mezzanine apartment – Casa Marta – right in the heart of the old town, which we booked through Owners Direct. It was a beautiful mezzanine apartment, in a traditional Sicilian building right in the heart of Ortiga, which we stayed in for a week. This apartment was perfect for us. It is well equipped with everything you would need for a self-catering break, including wi-fi – although we were also trying to work whilst out in Sicily and found that the internet access wasn’t as good/reliable as back home. But hey, we were on holiday too, so got over it quite easily.
If you have children or mobility issues, it is worth knowing that the entrance to the apartment is on the first floor, up some external stone stairs, and that the bedroom is on the mezzanine level with an open staircase. Casa Marta is perfectly located for exploring & discovering Ortiga. It is literally 2 mins from the sea, although sunbathing options are limited as there isn’t a beach as such – there is a rocky outcrop, very popular with locals, but takes a bit of getting used to if you like to sunbathe on a beach. Piazza Duomo, the heart of Ortigia where the stunning cathedral is located, is a 5 minute walk away. The morning market is also just a 5 min stroll away.
Just around the corner from the apartment (which also had a lovely little flower filled balcony), was an amazing bar we discovered, called Clandestino – not only did it become our “office” when apartment wi-fi was weak, but it also has the best Spotify playlist. It was a super cool, laid back “office” sometimes the day, and a chilled out hang-out pre-dinner, in the evening. One of those bars that you remember for a long time.
If you’re a sun-worshipper, Ortigia isn’t abundant with beautiful beaches – in fact, there’s only really a bathing platform. Very inventive though! And, so totally, Italian. I’ve never a nation of people so comfortable with rocking up to a piece of concrete, rolling out a towel and stripping off. To lie on the hardest surface imaginable. And still look unfeasibly cool…
However, Fonte Bianchi beach is just a short drive away, and if it’s white sand and turquoise waters you’re after, this is the one for you…
We had a car for the duration of our time in Ortigia, which meant we could get out & about and explore beyond the city. (Just make sure you’re aware of parking regulations – part of the centre is closed to traffic between certain hours and if you are parking on the street, it’s as follows… yellow bays = residents only, blue bays = metered parking, white bays = free).
Being mobile meant we could get out to nearby beaches and we also took in Noto, a fabulous baroque styled town, to the west – and if you like visiting cemeteries, the one here is well worth a visit! We were also lucky enough to catch the annual Buskers’ Festival in Ragusa – a real highlight of our trip!
Having spent some of this year’s trip visiting part of the west coast, we can heartily recommend the east coast of Sicily. And, as an aside, I think Ortigia still holds the title for the best pizza, I have ever had. The simplest of simple – bufala mozzarella and cherry tomatoes – in a small. family run trattoria, on a Sunday afternoon. And, if hadn’t been raining, we’d probably have walked on by to look for something a little more trendy looking. So, thanks to having no umbrella, the memory of the Sicilian pizza lives on.
by Helen | Sep 13, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Trapani (or Birgi Airport, located about 19 km south of the city) is accessible by Ryanair from the UK. Once in Trapani, the Egadi Islands – Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo – to the west, are as easily accessible by ferry. We chose to spend six days on Favignana – the butterfly shaped island. Were we right, and would we recommend that you do the same?
Ferry tickets, with Ustica Lines, can be bought from Egatours, located on the Trapani port road, right opposite the ferries to the islands. One way is approximately 10 euros. If you’ve checked out of your hotel and need to store your luggage before crossing, they also have a secure baggage storage room (3 euros per item) – worth knowing as it hot in this part of the world and dragging around all of your worldly belongings is not good! The crossing is about 45 mins on a hydrofoil – all inside seating, so again, worth knowing so that you can bag a window seat.
FAVIGNANA PORT
It’s very small, so can get very crowded, in peak season. Like the port, the island is very small (about 33kms all round the coastline), so the main form of transport is either bicycle or scooter, although a jeep is handy for less accessible beaches. We hired a jeep for two days from Noleggio Plaia, just out of the port road to your right – the guide prices suggested 70 euros per day, be we got it for 100 for 2 days, so worth asking. Turn right out of the road from the port & this will take you into Favignana “town” – although, all told, the parts you’d want to visit are no bigger than Didsbury village. Turn left, and you’ll still end up in town, it’ll just take a couple more minutes to get there.
When you leave Favignana, you buy your ferry ticket from the port – last office on the right hand side. Might be an idea not to turn up as the ferry is there – they tend to off load & onload pretty quickly, and the ticket office people do like chatting as they sell you your ticket…
THE TOWN
Favignana has the feel of a town that is just emerging as a destination. Although it can get very busy, with people coming over from Trapani & people staying, as we did, it still feels a very authentic Sicilian town – so, don’t go if you’re expecting full on amenities and a wide variety of upmarket bars and restaurants. Because it is a very traditional Sicilian, it also beautiful and very charming. The town is “T” shaped, with most located on the main road up from the port (although none are located in the port area) and then in the square the top of the “T”. If you’re there for any more than a night, there’s a large(ish) supermarket on the fringes of town, and a mini market on the main strip. Again, fairly basic – and you’ll definitely need a fridge wherever you’re staying, as we never found any white wine/beer that had been pre-cooled.
EATING & DRINKING
Being an island, as you’d expect, fish dishes are king, closely followed by pizzas. Food was generally good, but quite pricey – and no meal was a stand-out. Just under a week was probably enough time to discover the ones we wanted to discover – any longer & you’d be making a few return visits. If you wanted to cut down on costs, a tip would be to have a drink in one of the more trendy looking bars – they usually offered a “complimentary buffet” (drinks priced around 7 euro mark), & so you could quite easily fill up on small buffet plates. This food again was OK, but nothing remarkable. The one that was consistently pleasant was the Sicilian white wine (dry) – often the house wine, but we didn’t have one that disappointed. However, the fact that most of our food & drink photos, feature drinks, says quite a lot about the lack of restaurants, when we last visited…
ACCOMMODATION
I struggled finding somewhere that I liked the look of when booking online. I always find that putting in “boutique” as a search term will bring up something, and I did find what I was looking for, but there was no availability. We tried this cute fisherman’s cottage, found online, but sadly, and with hindsight, unsurprisingly – all booked. In self-catering terms this was a stand-out property – check for yourself. Not many properties seem to have had an overhaul and many are really dated, decor wise – but definitely very authentic. The island does boast one boutique hotel – Cave Bianchi Hotel – although full when we were there. We found it when out driving – you would definitely need transport as it is in the middle of nowhere, but looks beautiful.
We finally plumped for Hotel Aegusa – just be aware that there is an annexe, about 50 metres away from the main hotel. We were allocated a “triple room” here. Whilst it could be a lovely, it just seemed a bit, well – unloved. The room was big but again, very basic. The bathroom, whilst not awful, had seen better days and at just over £100 per night, I wanted something nicer. Reception were extremely helpful – and not at all surprised that we were requesting a room change. Unfortunately, they were fully booked too, but it turned out that they do have a sister hotel, Insula, a short distance away and a room would be available for three nights. Upon viewing it we swapped. Hotels are in short supply in Favignana, so we’d recommend this one – not amazing, but more than adequate. Breakfast in both hotels was good – staple Italian choices of bread, cheese, ham, eggs, croissants and cakes with good coffee. We did spot a hotel right by the port – perhaps not the best location, but it did look as if it might be setting a new trend in contemporary styling. Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten its name…
THE ISLAND
Having a jeep for two days meant we covered most of it. The town beach was right under our noses – to the left of the port as you stand facing out to sea. The entrance to the beach is interesting, to say the least – a huge pile of abandoned wooden fishing boats and anchors, looking like an Antony Gormley sculpture. However, the beach over towards the old tuna canning factory – an absolutely beautiful building – is sandy and slopes down to very shallow, azure blue waters. Perfect that a little lone fishing boat, in the colours of the Italian flag, was bobbing on the water…
Sandy beaches are in short supply around the island. In fact, beaches are in short supply. Many “beaches” are actually rocky outcrops – so do like the Italians do & take a beach towel and claim your rock! However, there are some stunning coves – notably Cala Rossa & Cala Azzurra to the south east of the island and Cala Rotondo to the west. The colours are spectacular – but be warned, these are very popular destinations!
So, would we go back to Favignana? On balance, probably no – but glad we’ve done it. For me, the east coast of Sicily has the magic, but each to their own. And, you can’t knock the sunsets on the west coast…
by Helen | Aug 7, 2014 | Italy, Travel
On our travels in Italy last year, we were so lucky to find some real off-the-beaten-track places. We’d hired a car and had no real plan, apart from having a couple of weeks to get from Rome to Ortigia in Sicily on the first part of the trip. So, with trusty road map – I like paper maps, not satnav – off we set after a stay in Frascati. The idea was to meander down the west coast, stopping off wherever took our fancy. If the truth be told, I wasn’t really enamoured by this route. Industrial in lots of place, down-at-heel in others and for long stretches, the really sad sight of prostitutes hanging around, clearly wishing they were somewhere else. It’s not the prettiest of routes which really disappointed me, as I thought that the whole journey would be sort of Amalfi coast-like. However, we did drive right through Naples on a Friday afternoon – and lived to tell the tale…
So, when we did find places we loved, we really loved them. Stand-out stays were in Sperlonga and Castellabate and then probably our favourite, Tropea. Apart from the first night, spent in the utterly appalling Hotel Valemare (still shudder about this place, but if you scroll down to my review on Trip Advisor you’ll get the picture), Tropea absolutely lived up to its reputation as the “jewel in the Calabrian crown”.
And, if you’re a fan of red onions – cipolle di tropea – this is the place for you. These Cipolle Rosse di Tropea are often dubbed “Calabria’s red gold” and are said to have more health benefits than regular onions – and are often eaten raw, because of their amazing sweetness. They can be seen strung outside shops, adorning doorways and piled high on market stalls and produce trucks by the side of the road. And, in every restaurant, you can be absolutely sure that the Tropea red onions will be in abundance…
