Category Archives: Islands

Because this is where I want to be

February 12, 2015 julifazio 2 Comments

First things first. I took a little hiatus. Life got in the way. All good things of course and plenty of blogging material so now that I am back I am here to share.

Today I woke up thinking about the first part of my honeymoon in Crete this August. I was thinking about what the warm air and the glistening warm blue waters felt like. Longing for this feeling I decided today was the day to come back to my blog and share it with you.

We stayed at the Blue Palace Resort and Spa in Elounda for a week. Now when I say the Blue Palace Resort I should just say heaven, because this is what heaven must feel like. Its a honeymooners dream. Correction, its anyones dream. While there were plenty of couples at this hotel there were also families, mothers and daughters, friends, but if you are looking for a relaxing vacation this is your spot. First of all, you don’t need to leave the grounds. Of course you will want to because you are in Crete and there is plenty to explore but you really do have everything you need here. The hotel has indoor and outdoor bars facing the Mediterranean sea, three pools, a private beach, a super luxurious spa, and five restaurants, from elegant to casual dining. Our favorite was breakfast and the Blue Door. Let me break it down. I decided in Crete that breakfast was my favorite part of the day. While I noshed on everything from fresh fruit, omelettes, Greek salad and tzatziki while sipping my iced coffee and mimosas (all inclusive I might add), I realized not only was I overstimulating my taste buds and eating which I love but as I sat there all I could think of is, “this is just the beginning. We still have the entire day ahead of us”. Now while in Crete this consists of laying on the beach, swimming in the Mediterranean, enjoying more delicious food throughout the day and repeat for the next 7 days. So I ask this question … how can this not be a favorite part of the day? Aside from breakfast The Blue Door was absolutely fabulous, serving authentic Greek food where we feasted on more Greek salad, tzatzik, grilled pita bread, moussaka and freshly grilled meats just to name a few. Oh and how could I forget the local red wine. All of this while starring out into the blue Mediterranean waters. It just doesn’t get much better than that for a foodie who loves her sun and beach.

Efharisto
Thank you for visiting!

Europe, Islands

Santorini: A Real Life Postcard

October 7, 2014 julifazio Leave a comment

On this cold, rainy fall day my mind is wandering. It has wandered off on to the island of Santorini where I spent a week honeymooning with my husband. The island of Santorini makes you feel like you’re walking into a postcard. The white buildings beaming, the blue skies and waters that blend together can be seen for miles. There is nothing quite like it, giving you a sense of serenity while taking it all in.

We stayed at the Petit Palace, the perfect honeymoon hotel. Located just a few kilometers outside of Thira and away from the 100s of tourists in July it is the perfect spot if you are looking for some quiet and beautiful scenery. It’s nearly impossible to get tired of the view. In fact, the hotel is located at the top of a hill where tourists stop throughout the day to take it all in, snap some photos and then go along their way, not bothering anyone at all.

The Petit Palace

The trek to get to the pool, reception and hotel entrance from our room. There was an elevator but I chose not to use it every time. It’s too bad our hotel didn’t have their own private Santorinian donkey.

The pool where we spent most of our days.

View from the pool, reception area

The pool. Our happy place.

This hotel offers a breakfast package which is well worth it. You order the evening before and breakfast is brought to your room the next morning and set up on your patio. Lets just say I had my share of pasties and Greek yogurt and cheeses, the breakfast of champs.

Perissa Beach

Black pebble beach, known to be volcanic pebbles.

The Red Beach

The Red Beach is one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in Santorini. It is quite small and crowded so we decided to admire the red and black volcanic rocks and crystal clear waters from above.

Oia

Oia, the most famous village in Santorini, is known for their world famous sunsets. This is why I had previously dedicated an entire post to sunsets only. It deserved that. This picturesque village is filled with charming houses in narrow streets, blue domed churches and sun filled verandas. Oia is known to be the quieter of the villages, however, that is not the case before sunset. The narrow streets are jam packed with tourists making their way to the verandas overlooking the cliffs, getting a spot to see the beautiful sunsets.

Ammoudi, Oia’s small port, known for their famous taverns serving fresh seafood and fish

A Santornini donkey

Thira

Thira is the capital of Santorini. This is the busier of the villages, with an abundance of restaurants offering verndas to dine at, bars, cafes, shops, discos, and hotels with views of the Caldera and sea. If you are interested in being in the center of it all this is the place to stay.

Efharisto
Thank you for visiting!

Europe, Islands

Santorini: You’ve seen one sunset, you’ve seen them all…

Image August 19, 2014 julifazio Leave a comment

You’ve seen one sunset, you’ve seen them all…not quite. You never seem to get tired of seeing the sunsets in Thera and Oia. Maybe it’s because the colors are painting the sky with pinks, purples, reds and orange hues, as the sun drowns out into the horizon or the caldera, and you know you have a limited number of days to see this beautiful act of nature. Oia is known for the some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world and 1000s of tourists a day flock to this picturesque town that is carved out on a cliff. This was apparent when we we couldn’t make our way down the narrow, crowded streets of Oia as the tour buses were arriving and dropping off loads of people at 5:30pm for an 8:30pm sunset, to get the best spot. There is only one word that can be used for the views in Santorini and that is “breathtaking”. The endless sunsets, the caldera and the blue sea are unforgettable. I can honestly say that pictures don’t do it justice but you’ll get the idea.

Efharisto
Thank you for visiting!

Islands

Island Time

May 13, 2014 julifazio Leave a comment

It’s been a while since my last post and I blame it on “island time” and doing research for my blog. My head is still somewhere in Lanai while I am back in Denmark. Our journey took 24 hours and 4 flights but it was well worth it. I hadn’t realized that the travel time from Denmark to Lanai was one of the furthest points we could travel. Conveniently enough we didn’t need to change our watches since it was exactly 12 hours time difference.

Lanai is the 6th largest of the Hawaiian islands with only 3000 inhabitants. There are no traffic lights on the island, only stop signs, and this is the way the locals want to keep it. To explore the island you can rely on public transportation contracted by the hotels or renting a car for “off-roading”. The islanders make their way, via a 45 minute ferry ride to their neighbor island, Maui, which is only 9 miles away, for shopping outside of the daily necessities as Lanai has no shopping malls.

The island was owned by Mr. Dole and was once known as the pineapple island because it of its wide-spread plantations. Unfortunately because of the rise in cost of the production it was moved oversees and it is no longer home to the pineapple plantations. The island was recently sold to Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle. He now owns 98% of Lanai, leaving only 2% to Hawaii. According to the locals he plans to invest millions in agriculture and the islands infrastructure.

There are only two hotels on the island, both run by the Four Seasons. The Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Manele Bay and the Lodge at Ko’ele. The Resort Lanai is located on the southern coast, at Hulopoe Bay, and this was home for 5 days. The white sand beaches are so serene with the blue waters and even better a great place to see dolphins. We were fortunate enough to see them daily and some people with the group even swam with them. Hotel employees told us there was a hefty $10k fine if you were caught by “island officials” but fortunately enough for them the “officials” never came by.

A short hike up a rocky cliff from the Four Seasons Lanai lies Puu Pehe, Sweetheart Rock, a landmark between Manele Bay and Hulopoe Bay. Here you see will see majestic views of the sea and depending on what time you are there you can catch the sunset. Legend is a heartbroken warrior jumped from this 80-foot summit, as he was overcome with grief after he found his wife Pehe had drowned by the surge of the waves. Downer, I know, but whats a post on an Hawaiian Island without a warriors legend.

This place was paradise. A quiet island that offered true serenity.

Lanai – In flight view

Lanai airport

View from our room at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay

View from the beach watching the dolphins. You can see their little splash.

View of Hulopoe Bay and beach from the resort pool

Pool lounging

Gorgeous gardens at the Four Seasons Lanai Resort

Hike up to Puu Pehe, Sweetheart Rock

I realize now that I didn’t get a photo of Puu Pehe. Blogger faux pas.

Four Seasons Lanai

Beach time, cause it’s never enough.

Islands

Aloha

April 11, 2014 julifazio Leave a comment

Good Morning from the Four Seasons Lana’i at Manele Bay! Four flights and over 24 hours of travels later we finally made it to paradise. Looking forward to getting some great blog material this week!