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The WhitePod hotel: perfect romantic getaway in the Swiss Alps
What is the most romantic hotel in the world? If you ask me, I have no doubts: it is the Whitepod Hotel in Switzerland, where white powdery snow and breathtaking peaks meet the cozy embrace of eco-luxury sleeping pods. You may say that I am biased: the Whitepod hotel is indeed the place where my now husband surprised me with a marriage proposal (wasn’t he great? He really surpassed himself with this!) but I dare anyone not to fall in love with this place. Here is our Whitepod hotel review and what makes it so special. What is the Whitepod hotel: fast facts I first heard of Whitepod in 2007:…
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Treasure hunt for kids in Venice: our day with Macaco Tours (review)
I have been to Venice many times, over the course of the years, but it has taken me a while to warm up to it. While stunning, my first few times in the city only brought me to overcrowded tourists sites and it was only after visiting it with locals that I felt I saw its soul and fell in love with it. So when the opportunity arose to take a trip to Venice with the kids, I wanted to plan something special that would ensure that Mr M and Little Ms E would see the city for what it really is and not just an open air museum. Our…
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Learning to make pizza in Rome with the kids (review)
Looking for a family-friendly pizza class in Rome you can take with your kids? Don’t miss our full review of the Rome4kids pizza class, one of the highlights of our time in Rome. Pizza is one of the many reasons our children love to go to Italy, so when I discovered you could take a kids’ pizza-making class in Rome I knew it would be the perfect family activity. I spent a good bit of time comparing the various providers offering pizza classes for kids in Rome and I quickly decided to book with Rome4Kids There were several reasons for my choice: Rome tours 4 kids specialized in kids activities…
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Tuscany for families: a review of Paradu resort
When all you hear from your kids is screams of joy, you know you have picked the right vacation place. And squeals of delight is exactly what we got when we arrived in Paradu, a family beach resort in Tuscany that recently hosted us for a couple of nights of relaxation and fun. Paradu is an eco resort and holiday village located on the beautiful Etruscan Coast, in Southern Tuscany, and is the perfect spot for families with young children looking for a beach gateway in Italy. Everything about the resort seems to be designed to accommodate families and our kids adored it: the private beach great to build sandcastles and learn…
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The day we listened to the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India
Our trip to India was the most incredible of all our travels and if I were to pinpoint its highlight I would most definitely identify it in our memorable week in Dharamsala. Located in the north of the subcontinent, in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala owns most of its notoriety to the fact that it hosts the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Organisation (the Tibetan Government in exile). Its most famous inhabitant is the Dalai Lama, who moved to the nearby village of McLeod Ganj in 1959 along with many Tibetan refugees who fled prosecution, and it’s now a thriving center of Tibetan culture in an otherwise fully Indian state. We…
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Our best exotic pretend honeymoon in India (plus authentic chicken curry recipe)
When the hotel receptionist kept staring at her screen, my heart dropped: it was 5.30 am in Delhi, we had gotten off an overnight train journey from the north of the country that I had spent worrying about our early morning arrival in a massive Indian city and had just finished arguing with the cab driver who wanted to bring us to his friend’s hotel because ours ‘didn’t exist anymore’. Exhausted, I looked around me, at the luxurious 5-star hotel lobby filled with elaborate flower arrangements, and I just knew it: it was our very first time in a luxury hotel and we would be refused entry. Staying there would have been…
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When family fun causes harm: the dolphin show I wish I didn’t see
I remember well the first time we brought the kids to a marine zoo. We were on holiday and spent the day at a sea-themed park, seduced by the colorful flyers from the tourist office with photos of friendly, happy dolphins, seals and laughing kids. We went there on a beautiful sunny morning and, along with a big crowd of happy families, made the most of the visit. The kids loved the water slides and really enjoyed the show of seals and dolphins ‘playing’ with their ‘human friends’ on upbeat songs. The open air, the music, the colorful balls, the jumps of the dolphins… what was not to love? The…
