Italy Part 1: Portofino & Cinque Terre - Visual Diary!

Weekend de Rêve!

B 24: Elegance away from the Buzz

The secret sophisticated jewel: The Wittmore!

Hidden in the mysterious gothic quarter, the Wittmore Hotel is a small luxury 5 star hotel. 
There are only 22 rooms so the service is very personalised and warm. Very quiet, the patio is the heart of the hotel with the tallest vertical garden in Barcelona. All rooms face to the patio, the interior is very British and welcoming.
The gastronomic offer of the restaurant is taken care by well known chef Albert Ventura ( of Coure restaurant). 

Love is in the air!

This is a post to celebrate love.
Two options for a romantic meal at Bardot, one of my all time favorite or at El Mercader Del Eixample, a new discovery. 
One option for great cocktails at a speakeasy bar : El Paradiso and a wonderful french café perfect for a cozy meal at Madeleine Mon Amour. 
And some gifts options: Yoga sessions at Strala Yoga, Spa treament at The Spa Kitchen, Accessories from Passage or a romantic night at a hotel at the Abac or a weekend escapade at The Consolación Hotel.  
Above picture: Personalised excellent Cava by Cava Mass. Surprise your guests with this special touch. 

Dream on the beach! Krabi...

Dream destination: Beach, sceneries and a cozy hotel. 
Krabi, Thailand,  is the perfect romantic destination and this small boutique hotel was just right. A beach front resort on the Tubkaek Beach: The Amari Vogue.
The pool wasn't too big and the elephants statues around gave a feel of peace. The views from our villa was just incredible. It also had a thai restaurant and a continental one where the chef was french. It had a very cosmopolitain clientèle. 
Sitting in the jacuzzi with a glass of champagne. music and views, walks on the beach while the sun is setting, what else do you need?

This is Not a Sunday Brunch at the W Barcelona!

New Sundays with the festive ritual at the W Barcelona: RETOX SUNDAYS,
Winter doesn't mean we can't have fun near the beach. Retox Sundays are weekly parties that combine  a creative and relaxed culinary proposal with electronic music.

Mr Kao, Chinese restaurant in a luxurious Hotel.

Mr Kao, recently opened in the luxury Claris Hotel, is a chic Chinese restaurant. Little sister of the famous & classic Chinese on c/Bisbe Sivilla: Shanghai. 
Few months back Kao Dim Sum opened near Shanghai, an informal dim sum restaurant and now here is Mr Kao. Shanghai was open by Kao Tzie Chen,the first Chinese chef in Barcelona who was able to introduce the Chinese cuisine to the Spanish palate. Now his son Jose Maria Kao is the chef at Shanghai and his daughters are taking charge of Mr Kao.

Some hotel dining options in Barcelona.

When I first came in Barcelona, going for a cup of tea or for a drink in a hotel wasn't really the thing.
I am glad that it has changed and we have quite a few trendy places to go to chill out in a sophisticated atmosphere.

A multi-sensory experience at the Hard Rock Ibiza.

 The Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, first Hard Rock hotel in Europe, is on Playa d’En Bossa, having this sandy beach at its doorstep. It has two huge pools, a stylish beach club, various restaurants as well as the most expensive restaurant in the world, Sublimotion by chef Paco Roncero. True to its hotel-entertainment concept, HRI offers a wide range of dining options from 7 trendy bars to 4 restaurants.The lobby as well as the interiors come with the  Hard Rock stamp from Elvis to Rihanna outfits on display.

Art & Luxury in the Majestic Hotel.

Standing majestically on Pg de Gracia, this hotel has an uniqueness that most of the luxury hotels in Barcelona don't have. The visit to this hotel was a very special visit, filled with history, art and emotions. Maybe because it has always been the 5 GL hotel since its opening, more than 100 years ago. It has always belonged to the same family and it has known to adapt to modern times. The hotel has 275 rooms including the suites and penthouses with butler services and other exclusive services. Many famous people have stayed here during the years, such as the Dalai Lama, Antonio Machado, Catherine Deneuve, Joan Miró or Ernst Hemingway among others. 

Sophiscated Casa Fuster!

Once upon a time it was the most luxurious house in Barcelona-  art nouveau building by Luis Domènech i Montaner. In 2004 it went under a huge renovation and here we have the splendid hotel Casa Fuster, belongs to Hotel Center and is a genuine gem. The furnitures has tried to follow the line of art nouveau and compliments  in perfection  the interiors of this wonderful place. It is elegant and cozy. 
Apart from the 96 rooms, & suites with some of the most wonderful views to Pg De Gracia, they have an excellent terrace, open to everyone; a great restaurant with different private corners to hold work meetings or special reunions; a ballroom for events and the Café Vienes to go anytime for a drink. The Café Vienes, offers Jazz sessions every Thursday night in an idyllic entourage.

Mandarin Oriental Barcelona.

I remember walking in at the opening of the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona, and I fell in love with it. It has been till date my favorite hotel in town. I love going to The Banker's Bar, where they have kept the original bank vault lockers as part of the decoration. It is intimate and has wonderful cocktails & snacks. They also have a good combo of gastronomic options with Moments by Carme Ruscadella & Raul Balam; BistrEau by Angel León& Ismael Alonso.

Living made easy @The Onsider!

Last week was the inauguration of The Onsider. It is a new concept in town: Home away from Home, these luxury extended stay apartments, combined with an excellent concierge service make your stay in Barcelona a memorable one. If you are coming for a few months, or planning to settle here and are looking for your definite residence, The Onsider will be the perfect temporary residence. This old building has been fully renovated into a chic and modern apartments building by the interior designer Jaime Beriestain.

Casual Bites in style!

On this post, I present you a potpourri of ideas for a casual bite in style. We don't always have to go to some high funda exclusive restaurant to have a glamorous time. 

The Cotton House, beautiful luxury hotel in the city center!

As it is the Terrace week here in Barcelona, many hotels around the city organizing special events for us to appreciate the magnificient terraces we have in the city, I am presenting you a new hotel from the Autograph Collection. 
The Cotton House surprised me in the best way possible, discovering this old city palace converted to a clubhouse for the cotton factory  directors and staff was incredible. The property still belongs to the same family but has been renovated and reinvented into a luxury hotel by the Autograph Collection. It has been designed by none other that the super famous Lázaro Rosa Violán.

Aiguablava, the paradisiac getaway!

Summer is almost here, the sky is blue and the sun shines most of the time. Costa Brava has always been my favorite destination and not long ago I discovered Begur. Begur is a little town with an incredible coast. Cliff, pine trees, hidden coves with cristal clear water makes this coast a magical one. Begur is small, it has its cute city center and eight different beaches: sucha as Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Fornells...We stayed at the Aigua Blava hotel on the Aigua Blava beach.

Breakfast in the 1898 or a drink in the Terrace!

Sometimes you can be on holidays in your own town and go for breakfast in a hotel. A couple of weeks back we went to the well known Hotel 1898 for breakfast. This elegant  hotel is very well situated in the well known Ramblas, perfect if you are visiting Barcelona and like the buzz and life of the city center. 

Peaceful romantic getaway with an unexpected gourmet experience!

The perfect getaway, quiet and unpretentious, chic and elegant here is Hostal Spa Empúries. Situated near the ruins of Empúries in front of the sea, 5 minutes away from L'Escala on the Costa Brava, 1h30 min from Barcelona;  I can't imagine a better setting for a relaxed weekend. This hostal has known to metamorphose itself from a modest hostal built to host the archeologists who had come to restore the Greek and Roman ruins to an exclusive ecological luxurious spa.

On fait un apéro? Some places to have a drink before or after a meal, a casual meeting with friends!

Apéritif is a french word for a starter drink that opens a meal. Here I am giving some options to meet for vermouth (Fem Vermut) or just a glass of wine and something to nib on. During our busy day between work and obligations we can always take sometime to meet a friend over a glass and spend some quality time.