Travel gems by Miss Sophie

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    • What a view at Lissiya Hotel _ Turkey

      Posted at 12:55 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on March 26, 2022

      I had the pleasure to be able to stay two nights at Lissiya Hotel in October. This gem only have 12 rooms (or small houses) in different sizes, and these rooms, the restaurant and the pool are situated in a peaceful oasis with a wonderful view. The two nights I stayed was wonderful and relaxing. The view is just amazing, and the colours at sunrise and sunset stunning.

      The hotel is located in Kabak / Faralya not far from Ölüdeniz and Fethiye. The drive from Ölüdeniz is about 20 minutes, but it is on small and curvy roads making it an experience on its own.

      The breakfast was the most amazing ever when you add the wonderful view.

      The most amazing breakfast with a view so far!

      I had a standard room, and the room was a little house with a terrace. In the morning I had my morning coffee while the sun rise and the day begun. So quiet and relaxing. The only bad thing was the mosquitos, not so many of them but they made their marks.. My legs was not so happy after two mornings with mosquitos..

      My room
      Cosy room with wonderful view

      The pool and bar area was very charming. I travelled alone, but all other guests were couples enjoying the romantic atmosphere.

      The Restaurant served both wonderful breakfast and dinner. Attentive and kind staff. But it is the view that makes the wonderful ambience in the restaurant.

      Beautiful evening view from the restaurant
      Lunch in the pool bar
      Traditional Köfte
      Me enjoying my time at Lissiya
      Posted in hospitality, Hotels, nature, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged #gem, #kabak, #lissiya, #lissiyahotel, #türkiye, #turkey, hotel, Hotels, restaurant, travel, travelling, View
    • Cappadocia – part two..

      Posted at 6:35 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on January 5, 2020

      When I lost my heart to Cappadocia..

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      Before I visited Cappadocia in April, I was thinking this is a one time visit – I had no intention to go back, and from my perspective Cappadocia was situated in the middle of “nowhere” and not a place it was naturally or easy to travel to.

      Well – that was in April. After my first visit I have learned plenty about Turkey – and travel in Turkey, and it is easy and cheap. I visit Cappadocia one more time in November, and this experience was 10 times better then the first time, and I can admit I lost my heart to Cappadocia.. The wonderful, unique nature, with beautiful sunrise and sunsets. When all the balloons are up in the air early in the morning… This time the weather was better, and also I had more time to explore the area. The pictures have different colors, but it is not filter, it is one of the exciting things with Cappadocia, the light, and not at least the change of light and colors. The colors in Cappadocia, at least when I visited in November, was magic. 

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      The first two nights I stayed at the Sultan Cave Suite. I loved the location of the property, with amazing views. The terrace and bar/restaurant area was charming and cozy. The Breakfast here was very good, and I dinner one night and the food and service was very good. The room I was not so impressed by, I had a reservation for a junior suite, and compared with the same room category at Artemis Cave Suite, the room was small and especially the bathroom. 

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      But the setting in the morning, the staff serving çay on the terrace, the breakfast setup for foto shoots was very nice. I would love to go back because of the view, location and restaurant. 

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      The second hotel I stayed at was Artemis Cave Suite. Here I stayed in a Cave room, the size was good, and the bathroom great. The location is very good here as well, nearby the Sunset Point, just a few steps for “down town” Göerme. You don’t have the same view as at Sultan Cave Suite, but here you can come more close to the balloons. The outdoor terraces was very cozy, and there was a breakfast fotoshoot setup as well. Breakfastbuffet was large and good. 

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      The last night I stayed at Museum Hotel for the second time, the weather was much better this time, and the light was very nice so it felt even more magic. The sunrise in the morning was amazing.. The view to Erciyes mountain.. stunning, I fell in love with this beautiful mountain.. This Vulcano is kind of the “mother” of Cappadocia. 

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      This time I had time to explore the outdoor museum and I also enjoyed a ATV sunset tour. 

      The ATV tour gave me opportunity to discover more of the small villages of Cappadocia.

      A walk to the open air museum is very nice in itself. The museum is not so big, and you use maximum one hour there.

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      So many beautiful sceneries in Cappadocia. Still so much to explore, and for me – this is a very great place to recharge, relax and just enjoy life. There is no night life in Cappadocia, but early mornings and evenings. And these mornings are the best, they are magical, you have to visit..

      Where to stay? So many good places, with different qualities, it depends on what is important for you. I loved all three hotels at this visit, and can recommend all.. If you prefer view then I recommend Museum Hotel or Sultan Cave suite. Museum Hotel a bit more expensive, but both room, amenities, breakfast buffet and service is better at Museum Hotel. 

      If any questions please feel free to contact me and ask!

       

      Posted in Hotels, travel | 0 Comments | Tagged Artemis Cave Suite, Cappadocia, Colors, Erciyes, history, holidays, hotairballoons, Hotels, inspiration, Museum Hotel, nature, Sultan Cave Suite, travel, Turkey, View
    • Istanbul – vibrant and loads of history

      Posted at 2:12 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on October 17, 2019

      Istanbul is a “must visit”. I didn’t know before I actually did visit.. and I had to come back again and again..

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      View to Hagia Sofia from Seven Hills Restaurant
      View to Hagia Sofia from Seven Hills Restaurant

      This wonderful, vibrant city, with all its history, and being part of both Europe and Asia making it even more interesting. It is a colorful city with a lot of charm. The city have several districts being quite different from each other. You cannot be bored in Istanbul. There are so much to see, experience and learn about. There are a lot of wonderful places in the world, but if you just have to chose one – chose Istanbul and you get a taste and experience of “everything”.

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      Sultanahmet is the Old Town of Istanbul were the famous Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya) and Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii) is situated. Sultanahmet is the district in Istanbul with most tourist, and can be very crowded. But still a very nice, colorful and vibrant place, with different bazars, a lot of restaurants and some shops. And of course a lot of hotels and other accommodation. It is a very nice place to stay, and easy to use the tram to move around in Istanbul. If you are staying for a longer stay or more than one visit, the Istanbul Card is recommendable.

      When starting to write on this blog, I realized it is to much to write about for just one post, but I will try to..

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      View to Hagia Sofia from Seven Hills Restaurant

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      Hagia Sofia

      Hagia Sofia is a former cathedral, which became a mosque, but is now a museum. The history, and the beautiful inside of Hagia Sofia is worth a visit. The architecture is wonderful and so many unique Mosaics.

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      Gülhane Park is situated in connection to Sultanahmet , a nice park were you can have a short walk in relaxing surrandings, if you want to get away from the crowd.

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      Nearby you also find Yerebatan Sarnici or Basilica Cistern, with the Medusas. An interesting story, and this attraction is both cheap and do not have this long queues as many of the others.

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      On the other side of Bosphorus you find Karaköy with Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) and the Taksim shopping street. A visit on the top of Galata Tower gives you the best view of Istanbul, but here again – there is a lot of people and you have to stand in line for a while to get the opportunity to explore this view..

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      In Taksim shopping street you find all kinds of shops, expensive to cheap, and Istanbul is a good place to shop. You can find very cheap alternatives to whatever you would like to shop.

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      In Taksim you also find nice cafés and bars, as you find all over Istanbul. You can always find some good food here, their food is inspired from both continents, and every country and culture around Turkey, and “added” their own traditions. The food is tasty and with flavors and colors 🙂 .

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      A very good option to dine is one of the restaurants situated by the Bosphorus

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      Desserts and sweets
      Desserts and sweets
      Turkish tea
      Turkish tea
      Mado Café
      Mado Café

      Mado is of Turkish origin and their ice creams are made of goat milk. It is very tasty, and the goatmilk taste is not strong. Mado have a history of more than 100 years. And you can choose between plenty of tasty desserts and ice cream flavors.

      A daytrip to Price Island (or Kızıl Adalar in Turkish) is absolute to recommend. The ferry takes about an hour, and there are different island to choose between. The largest island Büyükada, is a really nice and charming island. I recommend to rent some bicycles and bike around the island to get to know ot and see all the charming Ottoman Mansions and beautiful views, a wonderful experience.

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      Beautiful scenery with Istanbul and the beginning of the sunset in behind, when the ferry is bringing you back from Adalar / Prince Islands.

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      The Ortaköy area of Istanbul is also very nice. More quiet, but still very vibrant. A very good option to were to stay, and very nice view as well. The Ortaköy Mosque is the “landmark” of this area.

      There are also many different cruises to join at Bosphorus, both daytime and night. If you choose to go, I recommend you to do good research to find one that will suit you. There are different dining options, music and entertainment. The pricerange and the quality varies a lot. For me, I don’t think it was value for money. Even if you have nice views, the total experience was not worth the money, but then I probably should have choose another cruise supplier.

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      Views of Istanbul..

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      Since I have been in Istanbul a couple of times I have tried different hotels as well. My favorite is Kempinski Ciragan Palace, but Swissotel The Bosphorus was a very pleasant surprise. Both are in Besiktas area, with some distance from Sultanahmet. In Sultanahmet area I can recommend Hotel Yasmak Sultan. It is located just a few minutes walk from Hagia Sofia, and only 2 minutes from the Tram Station. The restaurant is situated on the top and have very nice views on both sides of the city. The room and bathroom was delicate and fresh. And they have both pool and gym.

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      Another option is Celine Hotel situated on the other side of Hagia Sofia. This is a Ottoman Mansion with only 14 rooms, so breakfast and facilities are limited. Nice, but don’t think I will stay there again.

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      On the Galata Tower side, Karaköy, you find 10 Karaköy Istanbul a sbe hotel. Not a favorite either if you are looking for value for money. The rooms are small, and breakfast average. But interior are nice and delicate.

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      Then we have Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, i really liked this one, it was large but not too large. It was vibrant and modern. The room had a very nice view to the Bosphorus, and had plenty of amenities.

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      And I loved of course the rooftop bar and the view..

      Kempinski has another price range, but it is my favourite, and I have stayed there three times, so it have to have it’s own blog post..

      I will have different recommendations for different people, because Istanbul have everything, and it depends on what you want to experience and prefer of accommodation and surroundings. Please let me know if you have some questions, I will be happy to assist!

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      Posted in travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Adalar, architecture, Bosphorus, city, Colors, Dining, Galata Tower, Hagia Sofia, historical, history, holidays, Hotels, inspiration, Istanbul, Karaköy, Leisure, life, Museum, Ortaköy, Ottoman, Prince Islands, shopping, Sultanahmet, Taksim, travel, travelling, Turkey, View
    • 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
    • Museum Hotel, Cappadocia, Turkey

      Posted at 2:09 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on April 21, 2019

      Museum Hotel – is a gem. Unique, in wonderful settings. Just to sit and enjoy the views, and all the historical items you can find all around you. Be sure not to pack the day with to many other things to visit in Cappadocia when you are staying at Museum Hotel, because you have to spend the time at the property..

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      The room was very nice, with good size. And there was a lot of amenities. Even in the room a lot of historical items, making the ambiance great.

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      Since there was changing weather while I was visiting, it was very nice to dine in the warm and cozy Restaurant Lil’a.

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      The outside area was the best, scenery changing with weather and lighting trough the day. Could never get enough pictures of the views..

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      In the morning, the two peacocks will be awaking you.. Or at least they was walking outside my window, giving me this joyful morning view..

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      The breakfast buffet was large, with plenty of turkish and local products. Have to go back to get some pictures from it..

      The Museum Hotel experience was very good due to the setting, but many of the team members seemed a bit unexperienced and there was quite a few details missing to make it to the top of the 5 star hotels.

      But still, I hope to be able to revisit and it is on my recommended list for you to visit.

       

       

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      Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged architecture, Cappadocia, Colors, Dining, historical, inspiration, Kapadokya, life, Museum, nature, restaurant, travel, travelling, Turkey, View
    • 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