travel

A Twenty Something Tour of the Town – Florence

With summer officially knocking on the door, a trip I took from two summers ago has me wishing I was back in Florence.  During this summer abroad six of my close friends and I had the privilege of soaking up the best in Italian cuisine, cocktails, and of course you can’t leave Italy without some fine Italian leather!  Can someone PLEASE take me back! Here is a look at some of my favorite spots in one of my favorite places on earth: Florence, Italy.

Il Latini – A lovely family style Italian restaurant.  There are two seatings at the restaurant and expect massive lines to get in the door for both!

La Giostra – best pear ravioli in the world

Grom – I highly recommend the Creme de Grom

The Secret Bakery – This hole in the wall is a true treasure of Florence.  Opening up after hours you are lucky if you can find the bakery and snag a chocolate croissant!

Acqua al 2 – the pasta sampler is a must!

Procacci – best specialty foods made with truffles!

Art Bar – Here you will find the most thoughtful and artfully created drinks in the world.  Try the passion fruit caprioska!

Infinity – beautifully crafted leather goods

Ponte Vecchio – Notorious for high prices and gorgeous jewelry; great for window shopping!

Bobboli Gardens and Pitti Palace

Piazzale Michelangelo – The views walking up and from the piazzale are stunning.

San Lorenzo Market – a great spot for weekly shopping, people watching or to grab a bite to eat.

This brief list doesn’t begin to touch the surface of what Florence has to offer.

If you haven’t been, it is a must!

A Twenty-Something Tour of the Town [Atlanta]

[Atlanta, GA]

I often find myself fantasizing of the perfect weekend; ditching apartment life for how I (theoretically) would love to live. Sleeping in a luxurious hotel, dining at the finest of restaurants and checking off my to-do lists along the way. I guess this is what happens when you work in an art gallery and surround yourself with inspiration on a day-to-day basis. Realistically I can only afford one of these “luxurious” events a month through Scoutmob or another deal of the week … but this is my fantasy, right?

Enjoy a brief preview of the pit stops on my tour of Atlanta!

Hotel:  The Mansion on Peachtree

Dinner and Drinks (take your pick): Ecco, Rathbuns, Bacchanalia, Sotto Sotto,
Rosebud, Tomo, Antica Posta

Lunch:  Nuevo Loredo

Though Mexican is not “luxurious” it’s at the center of my heart and soul and any week would be incomplete without queso and a marg!

Brunch :  West Egg

Bar:  Ormsby’s

Music venue:  Variety Playhouse, The Loft, The Earl

Park: Winn Park in Ansley Park

Chocolatier:  Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co.

Coffee house:  Dancing Goats

Spa:  29 at the mansion
or  Ana Placeres’s Sojourn Day Spa – the preferred skin care specialist for Bill Lowe

Shopping: Bungalow , Bella Cucina, Dora Rae

Nail Spa:  SugarCoat

Yoga Studio: Atlanta Hot Yoga

And the list goes on… trust me!

Travel Virgin

Mashable recently ran a list of the 6 best private sale sites for travel deals. Most of these sites call themselves private and are beautifully designed to look like uber-exclusive online destinations. However, the term “private” is thrown around rather casually and most of these sites are a breeze to join. After which you will receive the coveted exclusive travel discounts to the world’s most luxurious locations.

But one group of luxurious locations that will not be on sale are those owned and operated by Branson…Richard Branson.

 

Virgin Limited is Branson’s personal collection of stunning retreats and luxury hotels. While you won’t find these on sale sites, no matter how “private”, they are definitely exclusive and surely worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would cost to stay at any one of these dreamy destinations.