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3 Days in Rome, The Ultimate Travel Guide.

Hey everyone, I’m back with my second post about Italy, this time all about Rome! I loved this city! Rome is an unbelievable beautiful city with so much history, it’s hard not to fall in love! We were greeted with perfect weather for the month of December and most everything worked out so easily, making the start of our Italian vacation super amazing.

+Getting to Rome- Rome is a large international hub for flights and getting in and out of Rome by plane is rather easy. The largest airport,
Leonardo da Vinci airport, in the town of Fiumicino is the most commonly used airport. You can easily request for an Uber to take you to your destination, or there are many cabs at hand charging a flat fee of $50 to and from the airport to most destinations in Rome. You can also get to Rome easily from any other Italian city by train. To read a little about using the train in Rome check out my first post about Italy, https://thecharmingjay.com/2019/01/17/48-hours-in-venice-italy/

+What to see in Rome-As I mentioned earlier, Rome is a a city full of attractions and history, be prepared, you will need plenty of time to see everything. So much so, I highly recommend staying 3-4 days in the city, when visiting Rome, to be able to see most all the attractions on your list. I usually like hoping around pretty quickly, but Rome needs your time to fit everything in. Here are a few of the must see sights in Rome. Depending on where you stay, you can easily walk to the majority of these sites. I could easily add 10 other places to my list, but in 3 or 4 days you can only see so much. Some attractions such as Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Plaza Navona are free and you can walk over to any of these attractions any time of day. They are however, very popular. I first visited Trevi Fountain in the afternoon, close to sunset. It was packed! Crazy packed. I kinda hate experiencing sites this way, so after a pasta making class we took a walk over to Trevi Fountain, on our way home, a little after midnight. It was beautiful, there were still people, but nothing like during the day and it was enjoyable enough to take our pictures and sit and enjoy some midnight gelato. Moral of the story, the earlier or later you visit sites the less populated they will be, whatever works best for you. You can purchase tickets to enter attractions such as the Colosseum and Vatican city. I found it easiest to to purchase our own skip the line pass, which usually comes in with a group guided tour. I think this is the best way to go. Cheapest, quickest and most informative.

  • Colosseum
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Roman Forum
  • Spanish Steps
  • Alter of the Father Land
  • Plaza Navono
  • Pantheon
  • Vatican City
  • Sistine Chapel
  • St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Ponte Sant’Angelo

+Where to stay in Rome-Rome is a large city and there are many hotels and AirBnb’s to stay throughout the city. To really stay among the attractions your best bet is an Airbnb. We were lucky enough to find a great place, with a terrace, 5 minutes from the Colosseum! It was amazing to see the Colosseum each day! Unreal, really. We met some friends staying with a view of Trevi fountain as well. It’s a great way to experience the city and stay among some of the most popular cites in the entire cite. There are also many hotels in Rome. On our last day, after touring Vatican City, we stayed in a hotel closer to the area and closer to the airport for our early morning flight. Do your research. Plan out what sites you really want to see and then look for a places to stay.

+What to eat in Rome-Rome has no shortage of delicious food and options. There are tons of places to eat in Rome. I love to followers food bloggers on social media and try out places I’ve noted they liked in cities, more authentic places. However, wandering into a random restaurant is always part of the traveling experience. Most restaurants have menus posted outside for you to browse before deciding, which is helpful. Be assured, there will be no shortage of pasta, pizza and gelato eating. More than eating at a restaurant, I recommend taking a pasta making class while in the city. This experience was one of the best throughout the entire event. I found a pasta making class from a recommendation from AirBnb. The class had great reviews and decided to give it a try. I was so happy we did! The entire experience felt straight out of a movie. The apartment outside of the city center was beautiful and cozy and truly gave you a feel of the Italian vibe. The chef was amazing and showed us how to make 3 different kinds of pasta and sauces from scratch. We ate and drank wine till we honestly could not handle another drop of food or drink. It was beyond amazing and one of the best experiences you can have in Italy. Nothing we ate at any restaurant could compare to the food we made and ate during this class.

All in all, Rome, is an amazing city to visit and I would visit again anytime. You could easily stay and visit for weeks. I hope some of these tips are helpful to you all when planning your trip to the city of Rome! See you guys again, soon.

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Travel

48 Hours in Venice, Italy

I’m still recovering from my holiday in Italy. It was better than I could have imagined. Traveling during the December holiday kicked off without a hitch on Christmas Day, and was way less stressful than I thought it would be. Venice was unbelievable to see in real life and I am still looking back at my photos surprised by everything we were able to see and just how beautiful the entire city is. If you’re planning a trip to or have always wanted to go, here’s a few things you should know before visiting.

+Getting to Venice

There are several different way to get to Venice. You can fly into Rome or Milan(largest airports) or easily take the train into Venice, which is what we did. Coming from Rome, the train ride to Venice was about 3 hours., from other cities such as Milan, it is a quick one and hour train ride. There are several train companies running out of the train stations in Italy daily, We chose Italotreno.it for all of our travel and were able to book our tickets easily online. Depending on your ticket, you can watch movies, enjoy some snacks or snooze on your train ride into the city. It is also a great way to see what the country side of Italy looks like. Trains leave throughout the day, so you can best schedule the time of day which works best for you. Normally, for me, the best time, is after breakfast, not too long after check out, so I don’t have to carry my luggage around and can make it to the next city before sun down. Once you arrive in Venice, you will have to take a water taxi to your hotel or Airbnb. Water taxi tickets cost about $7 an can be purchased at water station upon arrival.

+Where to stay in Venice

There are several hotels in Venice but we opted for an Airbnb as we wanted to stay close to the Rialto Bridge and have easy access to the attractions we were hoping to see. Looking back, I would have booked my top choice Airbnb, that seemed to be located a little farther from the attractions but was larger with newer features. After visiting the island, you realize it is quite small and you can walk or taxi to every end of the island easily and you do not necessarily have to stay by the main attractions. Venice is an old city, there not many “new” Airbnb’s or hotels, at best they are remodeled, so choose where you will be most comfortable and then walk or taxi to the locations you most to visit.

+What to see in Venice

My best advice when visiting Venice is to just get lost in the city! Honestly. The island is small, you will wander through streets and wind up at the attractions you were hoping to see. Make a list of your must see’s and as you wander you can look up areas you haven’t yet run into and are important to you. We walked from one side to the other, were able to see everything we set out to during the day. After a nice dinner we took a water taxi back to the stop closest to our Airbnb. Easy and much appreciated after a long day of walking and exploring. In one day of exploring we were able to see all we had set out to.

  • Rialto Bridge
  • Grand Canal
  • Ponte dell’Accademia
  • St. Mark’s Square
  • Palazzo Ducale
  • Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
  • Punta della Dogana

+What to eat and buy in Venice

Venice is known for it’s seafood and most every restaurant has a seafood special or fish of the day. If you love seafood this is the place to try it. It’s fresh and you are able to find it most any place you go. Also, the island closet to Venice, Murano, is know for it’s glass making and you can find beautiful glass trinkets and jewelry across the island. This is a great item to buy on the island, as there is lots of items to choose from and for the most part it are small enough to pack and bring back with you. There are many shops, from high end department stores to locally owned storefronts, for you to enjoy plenty of shopping while exploring for the day.

Truly, Venice is so different than any place I’ve ever been before! The water way system, was amazing to see and understand how it works. Although the island is small, it is dense and there is so much to see. You can easy see everything you need to in a little over 24 hours.

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Travel

Ensenada-Baja California Weekend Getaway

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I have to tell you all how surprised I was about our little weekend getaway to Ensenada! I had done my research, figured out how to get there, where to stay, things to do, but I was not prepared for what this little Mexican town had to offer. Let me start of by talking about the drive to Ensenada from San Diego. The entire drive, nearly 90 minutes, is entirely along the coast! It is beautiful, and something I did not expect. Driving along the coast line, seeing the waves crash up along the shoreline, took me by surprise and started our weekend getaway off right.

What I loved most about Ensenada, was the fact it felt like Mexico. It is hard to explain, but I have been to several Mexican cities, some more popular than others, and many more “Americanized” than others. Ensenada had an authentic Mexican feel, which I loved. The town is small, people were friendly, gave us recommendations on things to see, places to eat. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and attractions for travelers to visit. As almost all Mexican cities, Ensenada has a city sign for tourists to visit and take pictures at and enjoy a great look out point of the ocean.  Another popular attraction is the La Bufadora, a blow-hole spewing water up to 60 feet in the air. The city center is full of life, especially during the summer season, markets are open to buy fresh food, fish and any kind of good or trinket you can think of.

The food was outstanding, especially the sea food! There are many places to eat and drink in Ensenada, many locals and friends who have travel there before recommended Papas & Beers and Hussongs Cantina. However, of all the places we tried, Mariscos Bahia de Ensenada, by far had the best seafood we tried, not to mention the best mango margarita! I woke up the following morning contemplating if we should go back for more or try something new. The fish was fresh, especially the lobster, and delicious. A must do when traveling this area is indulge in some seafood, you will not be disappointed. Ensenada is lively town, there are many coffee shops and bars open into the evening to enjoy and get a feel of the town.

Another highlight of our trip was our stay at Hotel Lucerna. A new hotel to the area, Hotel Lucerna, is a great place to stay while traveling the area. The hotel itself is beautiful, with all the ammenities of  luxury hotel, including a heated pool. The staff was helpful, assisting us with finding a wine tour, places to eat, and attractions to see. The hotel provides a wonderful breakfast spread each morning and encourages the guests to sit and enjoy the hotel. It was a great places to relax and wind at after a busy day of traveling and sight seeing.

Lastly, if you are planning on visiting Ensenada you can not miss scheduling a wine tour  through the Valle de Guadalupe-Mexican Wine Country. The Valle de Guadalupe, located in Baja California, just a little more 30 miles from Ensenada, Mexico, you will find what people are calling “the new Napa” with miles and miles of beautiful landscape and more than 200+ wineries. We were lucky enough to book a private driver to take us to and from Ensenada to wine country, to several wineries and back to our hotel. It was such an amazing day and truly opened my eyes to the hidden treasures of Mexico.

 

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Travel

Valle de Guadalupe-Mexican Wine Country

I’ve been so excited to share this post about my wine tour through Mexican wine country with you all! Especially, my wine and travel lovers! The Valle de Guadalupe, located in Baja California, just a little more 30 miles from Ensenada, Mexico, you will find what people are calling “the new Napa” with miles and miles of beautiful landscape and more than 200+ wineries. You could spend weeks visiting each winery but I will highlight a few we loved on our visit.

If you are interested in a wine tour, there are several different ways you can book a tour for your liking. If you are not willing to venture down the coast to Ensenada, there are many tours willing to pick you up at your hotel in San Diego, drive you across the border and through the Valle de Guadalupe to and back to San Diego at the end of the tour. Other options are to rent a car, make sure you get insurance to cover you across international boarders and drive the wine route on your own. You will however, have to endure the very long line of vehicle’s attempting to cross back over to the United States upon your return. So pack your patience! Every day is different and you may be sitting in line for a few hours. Lastly, you can do as we did and take the San Diego trolly to the last, most southern stop and walk across the border on your own to the ABC bus stop, less than a mile from the crossing and purchase a bus ticket for $20 down the coast to Ensenada, about a 90 minute trip. We then, with the help of our concierge at Hotel Lucerna, booked a tour with a private driver to several wineries through the Valle of Guadalupe.

Our first stop, the oldest winery in The Valley, and in my opinion, with the best tasting wine was Santo Tomas Winery. Located on a beautiful estate tucked away in the rolling hills this is what wine country looks like. Vines as long as the eye can see, beautiful green rolling hills and a colorful, welcoming space to taste and enjoy wines. Each winery has their own cost for a tasting ranging from $10-$20 per person per tasting. Such a deal! Especially, if you have traveled to Napa, you know tasting can cost more than $50 per person. Santo Tomas, had the most wines of any other winery with a typical tasting including five different types of wine.

Our next stop was the Clos de Tres Cantos Winery along the wine route. This winery was chosen by our tour guide company we booked our tour with. Of the four wineries we visited, it was one of my favorites for the establishment and the scenery. It was very unique and rustic looking, with many places to sit and enjoy our rainy wine tasting day. Even the bathroom had cute details such as the neat window made out of bottles to swivel and open.

The wine was decent and was accompanied by a little wine and cheese, which was definitely appreciated as we still had two more winery to visit, and had started with a five wine tasted at the previous winery. The landscape overlooking the vineyards was beautiful, even on a rainy day, and they were kind enough of give me a small bag of wine corks to take home with me. They are expanding the building at this winery and there will soon be more to explore and see while on the property.

Our 3rd winery, the ATP Vinos y Familia, was the smallest and one of the best experiences of the day.  Family owned, ran by a husband and wife, this winery has won many awards for their wines. The wines available for tasting depend on the season and they it is well known they tend to run out of award-winning wines during the busy summer season. The wines were tasty, but more than anything, I loved the homey feel of this winery. We were allowed to walk through the vineyard, sample grapes still on the vines and see the cellar with the barrels of wine. It was spectacular and the most fun of the day! Getting to know the owners, learning about the history of the vineyard and entire Valle de Guadalupe was a great experience for the day.

The final winery on our stop is currently one of the most famous wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe, Bruma Winery. Bruma, known not only for thier wine but also for their modern casitas available and their beautiful structures and landscape. This is a great places to stay if you would like to stay in the valley and not have to travel back to Ensenada. It is a great way to travel to many more wineries during your visit! However, if you would like to stay at Bruma, you will need to email to make reservations as early as possible as the establishment is small, popular, and they book rooms quickly and months ahead. This is also one of the wineries you will need to have reservations ahead of time for a wine tasting. If you do not have a reservation you can wait up to an hour for the next available tasting. However, the wine is good and the grounds are beautiful and is worth checking out.

We finished up our day with a great dinner set up by our tour guide, lounging on hammocks, drinking more wine and enjoying the rain before our driver drove us back to Ensenada. It was a perfect end to the day.  Valle de Guadalupe wine country was such as great experience and so easy to access from San Diego, we will definitely be back to explore more wineries across the valley. If you love wine or have always wanted to check out Baja California, this is a great getaway for you!

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Travel

Puerto Rico Travel Guide

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I will forever love Puerto Rico! If you haven’t had the pleasure of traveling to the island, it should be on your bucket list of Caribbean Islands to visit. Not only is Puerto Rico beautiful with it’s show stopping beaches and aqua blue waters, but the food, people, and ambiance of the island will leave you with an experience you will never forget. Puerto Rico will go down as one the top islands I cannot wait to visit again, and a whole summer later I’m still craving the food!

There are many options in deciding where to stay when traveling to Puerto Rico. The capital, San Juan, is alive with attractions, music, food, shopping and sight-seeing throughout the day and night. It will not be difficult to find many things to do and attractions to see. A must see on anyone’s list when visiting San Juan, is touring El Morro. The World Heritage sight is a grand castle designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay and defend the Spanish colonial port city of San Juan from seaborne enemies. If you are a history buff you will love El Morro and if you are not, you will be amazed by the condition of this site and it breath-taking views.

Visiting San Juan you are surrounded by colorful buildings and outstanding murals throughout the downtown city. Pictures truly, do not do it justice. The buildings are so vibrant and full of life, the murals tell a story of the city and can be found on every street and around every corner. There are many shops open with souvenirs, jewelry, local products from Puerto Rico, art, and clothing, most anything you can think of. It is a great place to find a little bit of Puerto Rico to take home with you.

Downtown San Juan is a great place to try local restaurants, experience night life and try traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. I’m still talking about the food I ate in Puerto Rico! One dish you do not want to miss is Mofongo, made from plantains, picked green and fried, then mashed with salt, garlic, and oil in a wooden oven and usually accompanied by shrimp or pork and a rich sauce. Although, I had never been a fan of plantains, this dish changed my mind about plantain dishes forever. It’s delicious and can be ordered to your liking with the typle of meat and sauce you prefer and is available at almost every authentic Puerto Rican restaurant. Other food items to add to your list to try while visiting the Caribbean Island are arepas, tostones,  croquettes and flan. Puerto Rican food is outstanding and there is something savory or sweet for everyone.

Puerto Rico has beauty at every corner and it would be best to have a car or hire a driver to view popular attractions across the island or staying in different citiies during your stay to be able to experience the different attractions you are interested in. During our stay we stayed in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and hired a driver to take us to San Juan for the day to explore. Aside from the beautiful beaches, Puerto Rico is home to the El Yunque National Park. Located on northeastern region of Puerto Rico, El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System and the United States Forest Service. The forest is beyond gorgeous and one of my favorite attractions I visited while in Puerto Rico. You are surrounded by luscious green vegetation and can hike the paved trail throughout the forest. You will come across a large waterfall La Mina, where you can jump in and swim, as many do.  It is such an experience. There are several tables and places to stop along your hike to eat, rest and drink water if you have packed some with you. El Yunque is definitely worth seeing while visiting Puerto Rico and your chance to visit the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.

Lastly, as you might have guessed, there are many beaches and water activities on the Caribbean Island. If you can book a boat rental it will be well worth your trouble and you will be able to see some of the clearest, aqua blue water you have ever seen. There are many popular beach destinations across the island, Flamenco Beach, Fajardo, Culebra, and  Aguadilla to name a few. We were lucky enough to find a charter from Fajardo and experience the best snorkeling I have ever experienced, honest. The water was amazing, and not only do you get to see a variety of colorful fish but the coral reef is unbelievable.  I have never been able to snorkel so close to the reef you touch it (which you should not do in order to preserve the reef.) It was amazing!

Although, I was able explore much of Puerto Rico and some of it most popular attractions, there were so many things I was not able to do and want to go back for, like the entire other side of the island.  Not to mention the delicious food. Definitely, visit Puerto Rico if you are looking for a Caribbean Island full of beauty, adventure and culture.

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Travel

Traveling Sydney Australia

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Australia had long been on my bucket list and I was super excited to finally be able experience Sydney and all it’s magnificance. I traveled to Australia in mid June, summer in the United States, but the start of the Australian winter. The climate felt like fall in the Southwest, chill in the morning, warm during the day, chilly, needing a jacket or sweater in the evening.

I confirm, as you may have heard before, Australia is one of the friendliest countries you will ever visit! Seriously, Sydney is a city with a great vibe, people are friendly, active, the food is delicious and there is no shortage of things to do. Finding a hotel close to the Sydney Harbor is ideal if you are not renting a car. You’ll have many restaurant options and it will have you within walking distance of the most popular attractions, food and shopping.

Among the many things to do in Sydney you can’t miss the world-renowned Opera House. It is open each day for visitors to walk around and explore the building. They have a small history museum inside, as well as a gift shop to carry away a few souvenirs. I also could not pass up catching a show during the evening at the famous opera house. They have a variety of shows throughout the week, operas, musicals, and musical performances to choose from. You can easily research shows, dates, times and purchase tickets on their website.

Another great thing to do while visiting Sydney is to book a whale watching tour. Many tours are available for booking in and around the harbor and offer a variety of tours all throughout the day light hours. I must tell you, the whale watching tours do not disappoint. Not only do you get amazing views of the city as you sail off into the horizon but you’ll catch plenty of whales along your journey. And boy, do they put on a show! Calling out for each other, blowing water out of their blow holes, jumping out of the water and flopping back in, slapping the water as if they are “waving.” It is truly spectacular to watch and an experience you will not forget.

Sydney is also home to one of the world’s most amazing zoo’s, the Taronga Zoological Park. If staying close the harbor the zoo is only a short uber ride away and is located in a cute and different area of town where you might enjoy grabbing a bite and exploring the neighborhoods to get a sense of how Sydney natives live. The Taronga Zoo, unlike any other I’ve ever seen, allows you the opportunity to pet and visit with a Koala, as well as, joining animals, such as Kangaroos, in their cages, I might add,  as they hop around freely. It’s a zoo like I have never experienced. Sydney is also home to a great botanical garden with many plants and free roaming parrots. It also is a large major city and you will not be short-handed when it comes to shopping. Most all popular department stores can be found a mile or two from the harbor. This is also convenient if you forget to pack something for your trip, you will have no problem finding it easily in the city.

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Another attraction you should try to catch on your visit to Sydney is one of it amazing beaches and certainly Bondi Beach if possible. Regardless of the time of year, you will find people out at the beach enjoying the water. During the winter months the water is cold if you want to try to get it in but it did not stop me from enjoying a warm coffee and enjoying the waves one afternoon. 

Lastly, one of the best experiences during my trip to Syndey was the Vivid Light Tour (post to follow.) This amazing light festival is held during the winter each year in Syndey and is undescribable! The entire city lights up with images and lights projected onto building throughout the city, including the world famous Syndey Opera House. Not only is this an amazing site to see but it is free! You don’t need tickets but only have to visit the harbor in the evening during the festival to experience this amazing attraction.

Sydney is an amazing city and definetly goes on my list as one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited!