Travel gems by Miss Sophie

Some travel gems, some luxury and some inspiration
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    • The unique Dalen Hotel in beautiful Telemark, Norway

      Posted at 11:19 am by mylifemyworldrg, on May 31, 2020

      The good thing about this summer, is that I have to travel and experience my own wonderful country. You are always looking for the unique and beautiful experiences in other countries, and forget to have a look at your own. This weekend I visited Telemark County, and stayed at the unique Dalen Hotel. The weather was excellent making the experience even more fantastic. Dalen Hotel, a member of the Historical Hotels of Norway Historical Hotels of Norway, have managed to preserve the original building and ambience from 1894. I love the architecture and the location.

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      I booked a package at Dalen ” Hike – In the footprints of the Rui girls”. It included both Afternoon Tea, 3-courses dinner and breakfast. When you arrive at Dalen Hotel, you sense that your are heading back in time. The hotel offers you quiet and a time to relax and recharge. And the surroundings both inside and outside the hotel encourage you to just take a deep breath, clear your mind, relax and enjoy. This is not a place to go if you are looking for a party..

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      Since the building is from 1894 some of the rooms are without bathroom, you have a common on in the hall. The rooms are well equipped with nice amenities. Bathrobe and slippers, sparkling water, antibac.. No TV, but you don’t have the time to miss it.

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      We arrived early, and started the stay with the afternoon tea as lunch. Since the weather was so nice, it was served on the terrace in front of the hotel. After the lunch we had a walk to Rui Gård, in the footprints of the Rui girls. The hike is mainly 700 hundred something  sherpa made stairs. Some nice viewpoints on the way up. It took us about 25 minutes in “normal” speed. Very nice view from Rui Gård, and a very nice place to rest with a cup of coffee.

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      You can either walk or drive to Vest-Telemark Museum, to have a look at Eidsborg Stave Church and the outdoor museum. The indoor museum was closed due to Corona Virus.

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      My recommendation is to not plan to much, but spend the time enjoying the wonderful Dalen Hotel and the scenery. The ambience, architecture and decor of the hotel. Learn about the history.

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      In the evening, the three courses dinner was served in the Bandak Restaurant. The staff team was very nice and the courses well presented. Personally the dinner did not meet my expectations in regards of taste and preparations.

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      In the bar there was live piano music after dinner

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      Breakfast next morning was a served on the table with some a la carte choices, as omelette and eggs in different options, due to corona. It was nice presented. You could also have a glass of champagne. The cup of tea outside afterwards was very nice, the bright sun and looking at MS Henrik Ibsen leaving.

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      A canal cruise I recommend as well, a very nice experience and a perfect way to explore Telemarkskanalen. This time I could not book tickets, but I have explored it once before.

      Dalen Hotel, a wonderful place to stay, a step back in time, as a fairytale. And the nature in Telemark is very nice, especially when the weather is a nice as it was these two days in May. Here are some last images… The Stave Church is in Heddal, 1,5 hours drive from Dalen

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      Posted in hospitality, Hotels, nature, norway, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged #dalen, #dalenhotel, #heritage, #telemark, architecture, beauty, food, history, hotel, Hotels, inspiration, Leisure, nature, norway, travel
    • Athens – heritage, architecture and charm

      Posted at 10:06 am by mylifemyworldrg, on July 25, 2019

      It is time to start to post some of my travels the past year. It has been a busy year, and time flies. When it slows down in the summertime, you get the time to reflect on what has passed and everything you have explored. And Athens is one of the beautiful cities I have had the pleasure to explore.

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      Athens has the beauty and charm of the heritage sites and buildings around the city, together with charming streets and wonderful views. All this makes it a wonderful city to visit. And for me that loves history and architecture – perfect.  The city center is not that big, and can be crowded as it is a popular city for tourists. I visited in August, and according to the locals it is not so crowded this month because the locals are out of town on vacations.

      Since I am not to happy in standing in line for the tourist attractions, I have found my own “way” of exploring the most without. The first day on my trips I usually get on one of the Hop On Hop Off busses to get to know the city and “identify what to explore more in detail”.

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      Acropolis

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      In Athens I loved to stroll around in the charming streets, were you still feel the heritage ambiance.

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      And then I am always looking for a nice place to dine.. preferably with a view and some charm and great food, wine and quality..

      Luckily I discovered this place in Athens on my first day, and came back again and again.. A warm recommendation to visit Tudor Hall at King Georges perfectly situated on the Syntagma square. Here you get everything, the wonderful view, ambiance, attention, food and drinks.

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      And in the evening I am hunting for the sunset. I enjoy to sit and relax and watch the beauty of the sunsets. I found the perfect setting for this at Hilton Athens..

       

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      And yes, we returned to enjoy it with our dinner several nights

       

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      As a Leading Hotels of the World traveler I stayed at the Divani Caravel Hotel in the beginning of my stay in Athens. I was upgraded to a suite with a very nice view to the Acropolis. The swimmingpool on the rooftop had also a nice view.

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      One morning I had a perfect room service breakfast in my room

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      After some days here, we moved to Syntagma Square area and stayed at NJV Athens Plaza.

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      Here we enjoyed most the location and were happy of having King George and Grand Bretagne as “neighbours”, with more wonderful views and great dining.

       

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      The last night I explored the beaches of Athens, staying at Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso. A wonderful gem, and I got this room with a great balcony and view..

       

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      Enjoying life 🙂

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      Sunset and evening ambiance by the pool area

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      Breakfast on the balcony with a perfect view in a quiet morning

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      So, do I want to go back and visit Athens again? Yes, I do!

      You know my blogspots are not so into details, so feel free to contact me if any questions on how, what, why’s.. 🙂

      Posted in Hotels, travel | 1 Comment | Tagged ancient, architecture, Athens, beauty, city, Colors, Dining, Greece, historical, history, Hotels, inspiration, Leisure, life, nature, restaurant, travel, travelling, View, World heritage
    • Cappadocia (Kapadokya), Turkey

      Posted at 12:48 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on April 21, 2019

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      Cappadocia or Kapadokya (in turkish) – This unique, UNESCO World Heritage area is just amazing, and a “must visit” if you are into both history and nature. You will just fall in love with the beautiful landscape, the views, the fairy chimneys, the sunset, the sunrise, the changing weather. I have to admit, this is one of the most unique places I have ever visited, and I just can’t wait to go back and explore and learn more about all of it.

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      In addition, Cappadocia is becoming famous of all the Instagram photos of the Hot Air balloons and the charming settings from all the different Cave Hotels in the different town Göreme, Uçhisar and Ürgüp. However, Cappadocia deserves much more attention than all the amazing photos posted on Instagram..

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      Even if it might be the Hot Air Balloons that is most featured from Cappadocia at the moment, just be aware that this is not a “everyday” happening. If the weather or wind is not favorable, the balloons are cancelled. Therefor my recommendations are to at least stay a 3-4 days while visiting Cappadocia, so you are sure experiencing the Hot Air Balloons as well, because it is truly a beautiful setting in the sunrise. Otherwise, there are so much to see, do and learn about while visiting the area, if not just relaxing in the amazing scenery of Cappadocia.

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      I stayed two days in Göreme, at Charming Cave Hotel. Charming Cave Hotel, has a wonderful setting, and here, you are staying with a family doing whatever they can to give you a pleasant stay. The room are nice, but the quality of the equipment’s could be better. The shower fell almost apart and the hotel amenities, was already been used. Otherwise, everything was fine and very authentic. The friendliness of the family, and their hospitality was great.

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      Breakfast View Charming Cave Hotel

      Make sure that you experience the Turkish food and wine. The food has a lot of flavor and colors. The local wine is getting quite good quality.

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      The last night I stayed at the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in Turkey, Museum Hotel. The hotel is actually a museum and there are so much history. As the Hot Air Balloons is getting Cappadocia famous, the view and settings are getting Museum Hotel famous, even if it is so much more to it. There will be a separate post from Museum Hotel

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      I have to admit my first visit to Turkey was truly wonderful, much more that I expected. And my prejudice to the travelling there due to feedback from others are completely gone and I will return and explore more.

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged beauty, Cappadocia, caves, history, Hot Air Balloon, inspiration, Kapadokya, life, nature, Turkey, UNESCO, View, World heritage
    • Giraffe Manor

      Posted at 6:48 am by mylifemyworldrg, on March 30, 2018

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      A perfect day, this is what we experienced when we stayed at the Giraffe Manor. If you have the opportunity to travel and visit this wonderful hotel with the beautiful and gentile giraffes – do it!

      We arrived at 11.00 am after being picked up at our hotel location in Nairobi. It was so quiet and beautiful to sit down outside the manor and just listen to the singing birds and surroundings. The welcome was very attentive and warm, and the staff team was very caring. We got served refreshments while filling out all formalities. It was no rush, and for me that was wonderful, just sit quietly and enjoy the surroundings.

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      Giraffe Manor from the parking entrance

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      We stayed in the beautiful room “Daisy”. The room was not so large, but had light and bright colors, and very charming bathroom and a wonderful terrace. I loved it.

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      A personal welcome note and fresh roses

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      From our terrace;

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      My recommendation is to arrive early so you have the chance to enjoy the property before the Afternoon Tea at 17.00 when we have the first interaction with the giraffes and get to feed them and get photos.

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      We got served this wonderful lunsj on the patio, the food was so tasteful and the ambiance perfect.

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      The manor have some beautiful common areas, I really loved the Living Room with the grammofon playing evocative music, so you kind of felt going back in time.

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      Dining room in the Manor

      At 17.00 the giraffes came for Afternoon Tea, and we got to feed them with pellets and got a lot of pictures and videos. A lot of fun

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      Later we had dinner together with some of the other guests at the Manor in the Main Dining Room, it was a candle light dinner.

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      Early the next morning at 6.00 am the first giraffe came to get fed by the guestroom windows and terrace. And later we eat breakfast together. It was a wonderful and fun experience.

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      And some videos at the end..

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged africa, architecture, beautiful places, beautifulhotels, beauty, bucketlist, Charming, decor, exploring, gem, giraffe manor, giraffes, holidays, hotel, Hotels, inspiration, kenya, Leisure, life, luxury, luxuryhotel, luxurytravel, nairobi, nature, travel, travelling, View
    • Exploring Beverly Hills & Hollywood

      Posted at 2:14 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on January 1, 2018

      This year we decided to visit and explore Los Angeles and California during the holidays. It was a good decision, we had a wonderful time.

      We stayed 4 nights in Beverly Hills, at Mr. C which is a member of The Leading Hotel of the World. The hotel was situated quite good in Beverwil Drive, not to far from Rodeo Drive.

      Rodeo Drive was dressed up for the holiday season, and I loved this area of the city. So clean and beautiful decorated. It felt safe to walk around alone, both in the shopping street of Rodeo Drive, and also the whole street while I one day walked all the way from Beverly Hills Hotel in Sunset Boulevard down to Wilshire Hotel.

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      Sunset at Rodeo Drive

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      Christmastree at Rodeo Drive

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      Beautiful signs

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      Rodeo Drive

      The visit in LA was very good, but not everything was as expected. For me Beverly Hills has been a very positive surprise, while Hollywood for me was a turn down. I had expected that Hollywood was more glamorous, but appeared to be a “tourist trap” with very little charm – from my perspective. I understand that people would like to see the Hollywood sign and the Stars on Walk of Fame, but there is nothing else to see or experience. The area appeared dirty and with a lot of people trying to force you to buy everything from a sightseeing trip to a CD. For me it was quite fussy.

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      Luckily we had this Best of Hollywood Food Tour the second day, were we had a private tour guide telling us a lot about the history of Hollywood. That added some value.

      Trisha, our private guide, had picked out some very nice places for us to visit and dine. First, she guided us around the Hollywood Boulevard area and taught us a lot about the history of Hollywood and the history of the different theaters.
      After a good hour, we started to drive to different restaurants. interesting places we would not have found or chosen by ourself. We had the best pizza ever from the Pizza Mozza 2go – try it if you are in the neighbourhood.

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      At Mr. C we enjoyed the accommodation and the balcony. One morning we had breakfast on the balcony after view the sunrise.

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      Bellini welcomedrink

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      The Bar

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      Christmastree

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      Breakfast with a view

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      Sunset

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      Mr. C – Hall

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      Lemons in the garden

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      Continental Breakfast

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      Restaurant

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      Sunrise – Looking at Los Angeles Downtown

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      Breakfast on the balcony

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      Sunrise

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      View Los Angeles Downtown

       

      One of the days I strolled around in Beverly Hills, and visited some of the beautiful hotels. Had tea at wonderful Peninsula Beverly Hills and had a very good lunch at Beverly Hills Hotel (Dorchester Collection).

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      Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection

      A very good dining option in Beverly Hills area, if you do not want to spend too much money on a meal is Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Drive. The driver who picked us up on the Airport recommended us Cheesecake Factory, and we are glad she did. They have a large selection of dishes, and even have their own “slim” menu. The portions are huge, and are ideal to share. We ordered one dish each, and it was way to much food. On our third visit we had enough experience to just order one dish each, and share instead.

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      Another restaurant we visited and were very pleased with was Il Pastaio in Canon Drive. An Italian restaurant with very good ambiance and good food.

      We visited Cheesecake Factory in Farmers Market (Grove) and in Macy’s in San Francisco too.

      Our total experience dining in California or the country as whole, is that the food mainly is quite heavy and unhealthy. A lot of fat, especially for Breakfast were they mainly serve A la Carte.

      If visiting Universal Studios, the recommendation is to buy First in Line tickets. It is a bit more expensive, but the time you save is worth it.

      We would love to go back to Los Angeles, a big city and we did not have enough time to explore everything. But we would minimize the time spent in Hollywood.

      We also had a wonderful time at Santa Monica, see the link below;

      Hotel Casa Del Mar at Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California

       

       

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, bar, beautiful, beauty, Beverly Hills, California, Christmas, city, decor, Dining, holidays, Hollywood, hotel, Hotels, inspiration, LA, Leisure, life, Los Angeles, restaurant, Rodeo Drive, travel, travelling, usa, View
    • Hotel Casa Del Mar at Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California

      Posted at 5:43 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on December 30, 2017

      Casa Del Mar – This is my new favorite hotel, everything was perfect from start to end. Hotel Casa Del Mar is perfectly situated at Santa Monica beach, by the Pier. Beautiful setting to look at both the sunset or the sunrise. The hotel itself is beautiful with classic interior and decor in maritime colors. The hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

      Even if we arrived early in the morning, they had the room ready for us for check-in. They had even upgraded our room, to sea view and view to the pier. A wonderful room with good size, with a large bathroom. A lot of amenities in the room, and the I loved the quality of the bathrobe and all the attention to details in the room.

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      Loved the decor in the room, felt more like a living room at home than a hotel room

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      View from the Room #1

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      View from the room #2

      After the turndown service in the afternoon, there were wine and snack awaiting for us in the room

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      One hour bike rental was included in the rate, and it was a wonderful ride from the Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach and back. Since we visited in December the temperature was a bit low for relaxing on the beach. But it was perfect to enjoy and explore the surroundings without a crowd of people.

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      The Beach side / Front side of the Hotel Casa Del Mar

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      Free bike rental handled by their sister hotel “Shutters” situated just a few meters from Casa Del Mar

       

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      From the Pier, were trail 66 ends.

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      The beach a sunny day in December..

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      The interior of the hotel, The Lobby and Restaurant

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      The beautiful entrance of the hotel

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      The Restaurant ready for Breakfast time

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      Wonderful Cabanas

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      The Lobby

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      Coffee available for early birds before breakfast

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      The Lounge with the restaurant in the back

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      The Bar

       

       

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      Breakfast

       

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      Beautiful sunrise view from the breakfast table

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      The Exterior of the hotel with the pool area, and some pictures of both sunset and sunrise..

       

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      Early morning

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      Soon sunrise

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      Quiet and wonderful

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      Sunrise

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      Sunrise at Santa Monica Beach

       

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      View at the Pier after sunset

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      Casa Del Mar in the dark

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      Sunset

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      Sunset at Santa Monica Beach and the Pier

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      The Pier at night

      If you want to learn more about this fabulous hotel visit their webpage Hotel Casa Del Mar or let me know if you have a ny questions.

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      Beautiful views and surroundings every hour of the day

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged architecture, beauty, California, casa del mar, casadelmar, Christmas, Colors, decor, Dining, gem, holidays, Hotel Casa Del Mar, hotelcasadelmar, Hotels, inspiration, Leading Hotels of the World, life, Los Angeles, LosAngeles, luxury, luxuryhotel, nature, restaurant, santa monica, santa monica hotel, santamonica, travel, travelling, usa, View
    • Apple Farm Inn – San Luis Obispo, California

      Posted at 11:10 am by mylifemyworldrg, on December 30, 2017

      When visiting California, and driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, we wanted to explore a genuine American Inn that would give us a specific ambiance and still a touch of high quality.

      It took a lot of time searching on the internet to try to find the perfect place, and also with a reasonable distance from both LA and San Francisco. Then Apple Farm Inn popped up, and it looked very charming on the website.

      We are so happy we discovered and explored this charming gem. As you see in the pictures below, the attention to the decor and details is great, and especially the Restaurant gave us the ambiance and feeling of an authentic American Inn.

      This is a gem that I have no doubt to recommend and is a perfect spot if you need a stay over when driving highway 101 or highway 1 between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

      The entrance from outside in both daylight and night;

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      Main building and Lobby – When checking in they served a glass of chardonnay from the Winery of the Month, they also had a wine tasting in the afternoon included in the rate. A non-alcoholic option was apple cider. Four fresh, homemade cookies we got at checkin as well. 

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      The entrance to the Restaurant and the Shop

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      We visited Apple Farm just a few days before Christmas

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      A beautiful car outside the main entrance, dressed up for the holidays

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      All the lights made the Restaurant look warm and inviting, it was so charming and beautiful during the blue hour and when the dark sneaked in.

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      The Room, a charming Queen Specialty room with both sitting area and fireplace. We stayed at room 328 in the Inn. Be aware that not all rooms are in the main inn, there are rooms in the Millhouse and Garden Rooms.

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      The Restaurant was traditional with fun decor. The team of waiters was friendly and helpfull.

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      Gingerhouses

       

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      Sidesalad to the Turkeypai

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      Turkeypai

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      Apple Farm red wine, a good Cabarnet Sauvignon. San Luis Obispo County is a growing wine county with some good quality wine

       

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      Breakfast..

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      Blueberries Pancake

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      The corridor to the rooms in the Inn and the Lobby;

       

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      Christmas tree in the Lobby

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      Decor in the hall

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      If you need to rest by the stairs..

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      Corridor at the 1st floor, to the Inn rooms in the main building

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      Happy Holidays

       

      The Shop and the Mill;

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      For further information, look at their webiste; Apple Farm Inn

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged applefarm, architecture, beauty, California, Christmas, decor, Dining, gem, holidays, hotel, Inn, inspiration, Leisure, life, restaurant, san luis obispo, sanluisobispo, slo, travelling, usa, wine, Wine county
    • Riga – Grand Palace Hotel

      Posted at 9:50 am by mylifemyworldrg, on October 22, 2017

      Do you want to have some recommendations on were to stay when visiting Riga? If you like to have a touch of Luxury but still at a favorable price I think Grand Palace Riga is a really great choice.

      From my perspective you get value for money. I guess it is a bit more expensive then many other hotels in Riga, but still compared to a many other capital cities the rates here are quite low. This is the city to try out a more luxury hotel without ending up “broke”. The hotel picked me up at the airport in a nice Mercedes E-class car at an affordable rate, convenient and safe.

      It is a wonderful hotel. It is a small, beautiful with both a historical and luxurious atmosphere. I think it is a gem. And I was really positively surprised. What I loved the most about this hotel was the Bar, were you could sit and relax, read, write, work (if you work in the sky), eat or drink. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, and the service on top.

      I have some nice pictures to share with you;

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      The hotel is situated in the Old Town of Riga, just next of  the “Three Brothers” and with a perfect walking distance to the rest of the Old Town. Just a few minutes walk to “everywhere”. I thought it was perfect.

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      The Checking In was more “relaxed” than on larger hotels. The reception invites to a “personal touch”, while you sit down in the chair and they introduce them self and make you feel welcome and ensure that they want to assist you to make your stay in Riga as comfortable and beneficial as possible.

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      I had breakfast in the restaurant the first morning. The breakfast buffet had a lot of choices, and was fresh and appealing. There were some healthy choices, and you could have freshly made eggs, omelets or pancakes if you wished.

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      The room was nice and comfortable. It contained all I needed. Since I booked through Leading Hotels of the World, I got a very nice welcome gift Black Balsam, fruit basket with flower, and both still and sparkling water. The bathroom had a lot of amenities, and was light and maintained.

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      As Mentioned before the Bar is the best place to be. Relaxed, very good atmosphere and nice decor. And not at least the staff, very attentive and professional.

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      The Restaurant is situated in connection with the Bar. I did not try out the Restaurant, only had a Club Sandwich served in the Bar the first night, since I had a late arrival. The Restaurant looked nice. Something to be aware of is that the bar is a smoking area, and the restaurant is non smooking. I am a non smoker, and I am not used to smooking in public areas inside anymore. I can understand if someone get dissatisfied with the smooking in the Bar, but for me it was not a problem, I was here to enjoy my weekend and travel, and not focus on “negatives”. I spent time in the Bar when it was not  so crowded, and then the issue was gone.

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      Here are some more pictures to try to shoe the “feel” and atmosphere of the hotel;

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      The second morning I had a “sleeping morning” and had breakfast in the room (in bed). They had prepared it acorrding to my request, delivered and served on time. Ensuring a very good start of the day.

      IMAG1970IMAG1995 – Kopi

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      I really enjoyed my stay, the staff team was very nice and caring, always assisting you in a professional behavior. Kind and smiling. Even if this was a solo travel I never felt alone.

      Today I am moving to another hotel, the newly opened Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga. Looking forward to get to know them as well, and later tonight visiting the Opera and listen to The Rose Of Turadia. New blog post on those experiences soon to come. Wishing you all a very nice day!

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, bar, beautiful, beautifulhotels, beauty, city, Colors, Dining, gem, grandpalaceriga, historical, history, Hotels, hunting, inspiration, Leadinghotelsoftheworld, lhw, life, luxury, luxuryhotel, Old Town, restaurant, Riga, travel, travelling
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