Boating Around Lake Como

Trip date: September 2023 

As beautiful as Bellagio is, the entire lake beckens! One day a small group of us took the ferry from Bellagio to the town of Como. At the time we were going, only the "slow" ferry as it is called, was available. This ended up being perfect as we travelled down the southwest leg of the lake, stopping at some truly gorgeous towns. 

We sailed across to Tremezzo with its super pretty town center and belltower, and then south to the tiny village of Nesso, with just 1200 people! 

Then stopping at Carate Urio, you could see how the town was built right into the rock wall. And finally we came into Como, a large city of over 80k, with the big dome of the cathedral clearly in sight. 

It was such a gorgeous day and the scenery around the lake was truly breathtaking. Bonus, the ferry served Aperol spritz! I'd say this is a pretty great tour for €10.40! 

In Como we had lunch at Krudo pizza, which had been recommended to one of our friends. It was another good spot with lots of outdoor seating for our large party, the food was fine. It's also in the Old Town area which is really pretty to walk around. 

After lunch, the kids (13, 15, 16) wanted to go shopping so I snuck off on my own to head up the funicular for more great views of the city (I've got Sephora at home!). If I'm in a city and there is a funicular, chances are high that I will be going on it!

Unfortunately the queue was pretty long, residents always have priority, so by the time I got up I didn't have much time to walk around. It's quite pretty up there though and I think there are a few hiking trails, so if you have more time, I'd go for it!

I headed back down into town to meet the group for a drink at an outdoor cafe right across from the cathedral. Beautiful; they chose the perfect table.

We were on the "fast ferry" back to Bellagio, which is a hydrofoil. Unfortunately when we boarded only downstairs seats were available. It felt hot and muggy and the windows were covered with condensation. This hour was nowhere near as pleasant as the slow ferry had been! 

Opposite of a €10 tour, the next day Claudette organized 2 Vaporina wooden boats to take all of us on a private tour of the lake from Como Classic Boats. As the famous boat builder Ernesto Riva founded his shipyard on Lake Como in 1771 it seemed a fitting way to explore! 

This was such a fun day and the weather was absolutely fantastic for our 4-hour tour. They provided prosecco and we brought our sandwiches from a deli in town. 

We zipped past Tremezzo, slowed to view the beautiful private homes in Mezzegra, and crossed the water to see the Roman bridge of Nesso. We were traveling down the same section of the lake we took on the ferry the day before but this time we were able to stop and pull in close to see all those villas!

We weren't the only ones outside of Villa Oleandra (George and Amal’s)! Then our captain took us past Hotel Passalacqua in Moltrasio, which is one of the top hotels in the world. 

We crossed to the other side again to take a look at Villa Pliniana, a stunning 16th century estate now owned by the Sereno Hotels & used for events. It's got 17 bedrooms, a private boat dock, heli pad, and private spa!

We then made our way to Villa del Balbianello. I didn't know anything about the beautiful estate, but others recognized it right away from Star Wars and Casino Royale!

We got off our boats here as we were having a private tour. It was amazing! Before it became a rental place for private events, like films and weddings, the explorer Guido Monzino owned it. I hadn't heard of him before but he was a VERY interesting guy!

But he wasn't the first owner; it was originally built for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini in 1787 on the site of a 13th century Franciscan monastery. It passed hands over the years until an American bought it in 1919. After he passed it was sold to Monzino in 1973.

This was also the year that Monzino led the first Italian expedition to climb Mount Everest! But that was actually his 20th expedition (and his last). He had led explorations to places like West Africa, Kilimanjaro, and Greenland multiple times!

The home is a museum of his life, his travels, and his collections. I felt right at home!

Sadly he died in 1988 and is interred on the grounds. It was really great learning about him.

Our boats picked us up when we were done, and we headed back to Bellagio. Such an incredible and stylish day on the lake! 

On my last evening in Bellagio, the 13 of us who were left took the public water taxi over to Tremezzo. We strolled through Villa Carlotta and the gardens, which are absolutely beautiful!

Besides stunning scenery, the views of the alps and the lake are incredible! I highly recommend an afternoon or evening here. 

It was a short walk over to the Hotel Grand Tremezzo where we had dinner reservations for the evening. But as it is me, we first had cocktails on their terrace bar with more stunning views. Let me just say that it is not easy dealing with a party of 10 (we sat the kids inside and let them play cards) and the team here did a fab job. Little towers of appetizers were brought out with our drinks which was such a classy touch; no wonder JLo and Affleck had their honeymoon here!

We moved to La Terrazza for dinner, one long table of 13. It's not Michelin starred but they want one; it's obvious in the service, the menu, and the style of the dishes. As with most fine dining restaurants of this calibre they expect the entire table to order somewhat cohesively...not this group!

While some ordered a starter and a main, others ordered just a main and then wanted dessert right after. Some folks felt the wine wasn't refilled fast enough and asked the bottle to be passed around. Some ordered desserts that took a long time to bake even though we were on a tight schedule because we had a private boat taxi picking us up at the latest time possible! It was controlled chaos but the restaurant handled it with aplomb!

It was wonderful, it was delicious, it was hard to watch the staff trying their best to make everything work, it was awesome to see 3 teenagers get excited about the most "cheffy" dishes & ingredients they had tasted to date, it was funny to watch my friends who weren't experienced in this type of dining, and if you ask the kitchen they would probably say it was a shit show! LOL! 

As we left most everyone yelled "arrivederci!" and not in a friendly way! But we all had a blast, and tipped well, and I would recommend going to La Terrazza but maybe with a smaller group and all just go for the tasting menu! 😆

Our private wooden Riva was waiting at the hotel's dock and we sailed back to Bellagio under a bright, full moon- a supermoon in fact! Just like this trip had been, SUPER!

Cheers to the birthday girl Claudette who organized it all, may you always look back at this trip and remember how much your friends adore you (and Lago di Como!) 💖

All Lake Como photos here.

Other post from Lake Como:

Beautiful Bellagio, Lake Como

Beautiful Bellagio, Lake Como 🇮🇹

Trip date: September 2023

My friend Claudette decided to celebrate her big birthday in Lake Como and invited a bunch of us to join her. The party in Italy was set for Sept 26th making it a long month of travel for me; 26 days coincidentally! 

So after I visited Washington DC, Normandy, Paris, and finished traveling around Morocco, my friend Gail and I flew to Italy to join the festivities! We booked a direct 3-hour flight from Marrakech to Milan on EasyJet and then arranged thru the hotel for a private driver to pick us up and drive us the 1 ½ hours to Bellagio. 

Claudette had chosen the Hotel Belvedere and it was just the perfect spot! I booked a Double Comfort with Lake View (now called a Superior) which was a splurge but how often am I going to be in Lake Como? I wanted to gaze at the lake every day, all day!

When I checked in, one of the staff escorted me up to my 4th floor room where there was a bottle of chilled prosecco waiting. I had a big corner room with a private terrace overlooking the pool and the lake, as well as 2 Juliet balconies with views to the west and of the alps. Even my bathtub had a view of the lake! I was officially in heaven!

Lake Como is the shape of an inverted Y with Bellagio right in the intersection, it's literally in the middle of it all. Bellagio is very small; a village with about 3,820 locals and just 3 streets crossed by 7 lanes of stone staircases. Obviously it is very easy to walk around without a map!

The hotel is located about 3/4 of a mile from Bellagio center and just behind Pescallo, a tiny fishing village on the east side of the peninsula. This entire area looks like a postcard! It's all stunning!

It was a super relaxing week, which was absolutely perfect for me having been on the road for so long. Most afternoons were spent by the pool and in the jacuzzi which looks out to the lake. The hotel has a pool cafe and bar right there so snacks and drinks were never far. And the hotel had just opened an amazing spa and were letting guests use the facilities like sauna, vichy shower, salt rooms, etc for free. 

In Bellagio, along the waterfront, are the beautiful Gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril. A few of us went one morning and it was a really lovely stroll. The property was owned by Melzi who was the Duke of Lodi, VP of Napoleon’s Italian Republic, and Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy. He only lived in the villa from 1810 until his death in 1816 but it is still owned by direct descendants of Melzi, the Gallarati Scotti family, and is there private residence. 

You can visit a small museum about the life of the Duke, the family Chapel, and the greenhouses. And really just wandering the property and taking in the stunning views is worth the €10 entry fee!

The cobblestone lanes of Bellagio's borgo (old town) are great for wandering. There are lots of little shops selling wood worked items, wine, clothing, leather goods, deli & grocery, etc. And of course there are cute cafes, gelaterias, and restaurants. 

As there were 19 of us (from Australia, the UK, and the US) restaurants were generally chosen by who had room for our large group. On the first night we went to La Punta and sat out on the patio. We were all so excited to be seeing each other that there wasn't a lot of focus on the food, I didn't even take a photo! I remember very good pasta and fish dishes however.

Right in the center of town is a restaurant called Suisse, in a hotel of the same name. Some of us had lunch there one afternoon, outside on their terrace which is right in front of the ferry docks. They do a pasta dish inside of a hollowed out wheel of Parmigiano. Fun to watch, delicious to eat!

A couple of nights later a bunch of us had dinner back here for one of the kids who's 16th birthday it was. She decided the pasta was better the first day, but it was still a great spot for a big group as they set us up on 2 long tables nearest to the water. 

Some of us went to Antico Pozzo one afternoon and had a wonderful lunch on their patio. I had the traditional cotoletta di vitello alla Milanese which is made with bone-in veal chop. 

Dinner one evening at Bistrot Antichi Sapori was super solid. It's a popular choice, and doesn't take reservations, so we did wait a bit. But it was fun and really well priced. 

Aperitivo wine bar was the perfect spot for drinks after dinner one evening. They have an amazing selection and offer over 40 wines by the glass! I just wish I would have had time to visit more than once!

We also had pizza at a spot called Nando's; I'd skip this as there must be better pizza in town! It was very disappointing. 

And of course, one evening we celebrated Claudette! She hosted a fabulous cocktail party and dinner at the Hotel Belvedere complete with a huge antipasto spread outside on their big terrace, and then sit down dinner for 19 inside with views of the lake. What a night!

Bellagio is just so serene and charming, I really couldn't imagine staying in one of the bigger towns. I was so happy Claudette chose this sweet location!

All Lake Como photos here.

Next post from Bellagio, Boating Around Lake Como

Exploring Marrakesh, Morocco

Trip date: September 2023

On our first morning in Marrakesh we had booked a private walking tour of the medina with a local guide. This had worked out really well in all of the cities we had travelled through so we were excited. Jamal started by taking us by one of the local hammams; just like mosques, most neighborhoods have a hammam, or public bath. He explained that there were seperate hours for men and women, and that it was a very social place for everyone. Kinda like a coffee shop!

Then we arrived at the Madrasa Ben Youssef. The interior of the courtyard of this 14th century Islamic school is possibly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! The tile work is absolutely mesmerizing!

And just like the one we visited in Fes, the upstairs students' rooms were not fancy at all. 

From here Jamal took us through one of the many souk's in the medina. We didn't really have time to shop as this was just a morning tour, so we tried hard to remember where we were so that we could return another day. Didn't happen! The souks are just too confusing!! 

We stopped into one of the rug co-ops to see how the rugs are made. These shops are said to represent Berber women of different tribes around the country and sell their rugs to help them earn a living. Jamal assured us that we didn't have to buy anything, that this was just so that we had a better understanding of the craft. We were seated, and offered tea or water, and then a couple of men started unrolling rugs and showing us different Berber patterns and styles. 

It felt very salesy though. We let them show us everything, Gail was originally considering a rug anyway, and there were a couple I thought were nice but I hadn't planned on buying anything. We politely took the little scraps of paper that the manager wrote prices on for the few we inquired about and then we were back out into the busy streets of the medina. 

We walked through Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakesh's huge square. Jamal told us that at night this place is teeming with people and filled with hundreds of food and juice stands. This is also where you will find street musicians, performers, and the awful monkey handlers and snake charmers. Jamal warned that if you take a photo of them, they will come and demand money from you. And they are generally not polite about it. 

During the day there are just a few vendors and a couple of animal abusers under the shade of umbrellas. At the far corner of the square sits the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest mosque in the city. The mosque was closed due to damage from the earthquake, but as we aren't Muslim we wouldn't have been able to go in even if it was open. It's a striking symbol of the city and when the ladies and I walked past it that evening I thought it was even more beautiful!

We walked back thru the Jemaa el-Fnaa and Jamal led us to a spice shop/pharmacy where we again were given a little presentation this time on herbal remedies. Even though we all left with something, I would have preferred to be seeing more of what we had on our list, like the Jewish Quarter or Mellah.

We did walk thru some of the Hayel Mella, mainly just the market, but it would have been more interesting to see the synagogues. 

Our last stop was to one of the local bakeries. As in the other cities, the neighbors take their dough to the baker in their unique linen so they can identify it once cooked. This baker was also doing some open faced sandwiches for a local cafe.

We ended our tour just a short ways from Jemaa el-Fnaa square. Jamal showed us around a couple of the food stands and then was nice enough to walk us to Nomad where we wanted to have lunch. We discussed this tour while having our lovely meal on the terrace overlooking the medina. We also discussed the rug that I liked. I ran some numbers and went back to the shop after and negotiated hard. It took a while but I did end up buying a beautiful Berber rug!

I think we all felt that this was not the best tour & guide that we hired. Wasn't terrible but compared to our guide in Fez it was just really meh. Add to that the obvious kickback/commission spots that we were taken to (he even messaged me asking how much I paid for my rug!) it seemed he was more focused on earning vs. guiding. For those reasons I will not be recommending him here. But I still would recommend a walking tour of the medina.

It was quite hot when we were in the city so it was always really refreshing to come home in the afternoon, poor some cold wine, and have a little plunge in the cool pool. 

One of our favorite days in Marrakesh was spent at the incredible Majorelle Gardens. Originally designed in 1920 by French artist Jacques Majorelle, it was almost destroyed in the early 80's by a hotel developer, but Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent purchased it and restored it after years of neglect. 

The garden is a haven with so many hues of green from all the plants, and accents painted bright yellow and of course the patented Majorelle Blue. It's stunning! There are trees, cactus, fountains, ponds, etc. The garden crews work non-stop picking up any fallen leaf or petal! It's absolutely pristine!

And as gorgeous as the gardens are, the onsite Berber Museum was absolutely incredible! No pictures are allowed. I also loved the gift shop where I bought some tea that I haven't found to be available anywhere else! I'd say this is a definite do-not-miss. 

Next door is the YSL Museum, a wonderful collection of the designer's sketches, designs, and a film of his fashion shows. Unfortunately there are no photos allowed here either, you'll just have to go and see for yourself! We had bought our combo tickets online in advance as they sell out frequently. 

Wandering the area after, we found a super cute homewares shop called Chabi Chic!

Our last full day in Marrakesh was a dedicated shopping day! Caitlin had read about a small shop selling handwoven scarves, bags, etc called Fiber Trip. It took us a while to locate but it was worth the hunt and the owner was super nice helping us pick out styles.

When we passed The Secret Garden we decided to stop in; we had expected it to be on our tour on our first day but it wasn't. This is another amazing and beautiful garden!

An oasis in the middle of the city! 

Back to shopping! We stopped into Corinne Bensimon, a lovely design shop, and I splurged on some gorgeous table linens and had then shipped back home. Caitlin and I stopped in the shoe souk and tried on pretty much everything before buying leather sandals and slippers. Gail found some really fun straw lamps & we were all amazed at how the shop owner was able to fold them into really small packages! We also found a really nice little jewelry store and I bought some pretty earrings. By the time we were done, we had spent every bit of Moroccan dirham we had!  

And that worked out just perfectly because the next morning we were up and out early. Our Airbnb had arranged the guy with the wheelbarrow to load up our luggage and take it to the private taxi they had scheduled to be waiting for us. 

Traveling around Morocco had been a dream of mine for a long time, and this girls' trip was an absolutely fantastic realization of that!

All Marrakesh photos here.

Other posts from Morocco:

2 Nights in Tangier, Morocco 

Tétouan and the Blue City of Chefchaouen, Morocco

Riads and Restaurants in Fes, Morocco

A Food & Culture Tour in Fes

Berber Luxury Camp Overnight in the Sahara Desert

From the Sahara to Marrakesh in 10 Hours
Marrakesh Eats and Drinks

Marrakesh Eats and Drinks

 Trip date: September 2023

After a very long car ride from the Sahara Desert, our driver Madhi drove us through the streets of Marrakesh, even stopping the car outside of a shop and having them sell us a bag of ice, to the Riad Laarous area. We were met by the house-girl Mouna who also had an older gentleman with her. Madhi and the man loaded all of our luggage into the man's wheelbarrow, we said our goodbyes, and then Mouna led the way down a few alleys to our townhome.

We had rented a private riad thru Airbnb which had lots of space on its 3 floors, a great rooftop, and a small plunge pool. We immediately made a round of gin & tonics and took in our first sunset in Marrakesh!

Every morning, for a daily 150MAD ($15 USD), the house-girl would arrive and make us breakfast. There was coffee, juice, eggs, bread, bread, and more bread! And no matter how many times we said we didn't need five different types of bread, we still got it! Languages can be hard!

That first evening, being so exhausted, we only cared about 2 things for dinner: that they served alcohol and it was nearby. We had a short walk to Cafe Arabe and were able to sit up on their rooftop terrace with cocktails and Italian food. The terrace was great, the drinks were good, the food was fair.

We did much better the next day, having lunch at Nomad which was recommended by a friend of mine. We started with some delicious zucchini fritters served with a goat yogurt sauce and I had a refreshing cucumber, lemon, and mint juice (the restaurant is dry).

My main of Moroccan quinoa with grilled veggies and feta was excellent. And the views and sounds of the medina below us were perfect!

Another day we had lunch at Cafe Clock, which had been recommended to us in Fez. One of the things they are known for is their camel burger. When in Morocco...

It was good; the meat is quite lean and doesn't have a real distinct flavor. The cheese and the fries were very disappointing to this American however! 

Lunch on the rooftop at Kabana was probably our favorite. The terrace was beautiful, we were able to order a bottle of rosé, and our crispy feta & mint "cigares" as well as my falafel were delish! I was told they have great cocktails as well but we stuck to wine that afternoon. 

One evening we had dinner at the lovely Hotel les Jardins de la Koutoubia. They have a wonderful list of Moroccan wines and my chicken & preserved lemon tagine was excellent. However as we got the bill our waiter actually reminded us to tip him!!! We were shocked.

Our best dinner was at Al Fassia, this is pretty famous and since we went on Friday I ordered the Royal Couscous. It came with veggies, chicken & lamb brochettes, onions & raisins, along with some delicious jus. It was entirely too much for me to eat!

I will say that even though service was excellent we all felt a bit rushed. Still happy to recommend this exclusively female, family-run establishment though!

On our last night we hadn't made any reservations and didn't really have a set plan so we ended up at La Pergola, which had been recommended by another friend and had a very nice rooftop. I was happy to get to try tangia, which is beef cooked in red wine in a clay pot, and it was fine. But for the most part the restaurant caters to tourists and serves things like burgers and tapas. I think there are more interesting restaurants to find in the city.

If you are looking for a spot to watch the sunset and Jemaa el-Fnaa square come to life, go to Le Marrakchi. Their terrace faces right out onto the square which is a fascinating thing to watch while sipping on a cocktail or a glass of wine. This is an unbeatable view! And when you leave, and you walk through the crowded and crazy market, that will be a pretty cool experience too!

One night we went to Barometre after dinner. Part bar, part lab, part art installation; it was fun and quirky. This is a great spot if you are with a group also as they have quite a bit of space. I think they serve full dinner too.

And of course Marrakesh has some very posh hotels in which to drink at. Royal Mansour has a couple of bars on their incredibly beautiful property. We had cocktails one evening the Main Bar. We walked into the small room with its silver ceiling, rose gold leaves on the walls, and vintage Art Deco chairs and were immediately charmed.

They have a nice list of signature cocktails using syrups with fresh local ingredients and made in house, like fig and date, and of course they can make you your favorite classic. We had a couple of rounds, it was lovely!

Without a doubt, my favorite bar we visited was the Churchill Bar at the Mamounia. Another completely opulent hotel, but this one with a small jewel of a cocktail bar, meant to remind you of a luxury railroad car. 

There's a lovely menu of cocktails, both exclusives & classics, as well as a selection of champagne cocktails. You can even order caviar with your drink! And of course they have Sir Winston Churchill's favorite champagne, Pol Roger, by the bottle. The gentleman would be quite pleased with it all, as were we!

All photos from Marrakesh here.

Other posts from Morocco:
2 Nights in Tangier, Morocco 
Tétouan and the Blue City of Chefchaouen, Morocco
Riads and Restaurants in Fes, Morocco
A Food & Culture Tour in Fes
Berber Luxury Camp Overnight in the Sahara Desert

From the Sahara to Marrakesh in 10 Hours

Exploring Marrakesh, Morocco