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Rundāle Palace and Garden
Rundāle Palace is one of the two major baroque palaces built for the Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated at Pilsrundāle, 12 km west of Bauska. The palace and its garden are among the top 10 destinations to visit in Latvia. We have been heading to…
Guest House Old Wall in Lagodekhi
Offering a barbecue and children's playground, Guest House Old Wall is situated in Lagodekhi. Property is set within the historic walls of the old castle Lakuasti. Guests can enjoy the on-site bar. Free WiFi is available throughout the property and free private parking is available on site. This was our first stay in Lagodekhi, during a recent trip to the region (September 2019), we arrived here after a nice and comfy stay at Akhasheni…
Akhasheni Wine Resort
Akhasheni Wine Resort is located near the town of Gurjaani, Georgia. This 4-star resort offers a 24-hour front desk. Guests can chill out in the outdoor swimming pool. We booked this hotel at the start of September and paid about $95 for a one night stay. Top Gurjaani Hotels & Guest Houses Room at Akhaseni wine resort Simple and cozy. One of the main features of this hotel is it outdoor pool with…
Hotel 'San Francisco' Milan
Hotel San Francisco is a 5-minute walk from the Politecnico di Milano University. Rooms offer free Wi-Fi and a TV. Loreto Metro Station is just 300 m away. We booked this hotel for a one night stay during our trip to Italy, Switzerland back in November 2019. The price we paid was not very high (some $60 or $80 per night) The hotel is pretty much centrally located, as we arrived here wit a rental car we parked in on the nearby street…
Taverna in Bauska
Taverna is a restaurant, centrally located in the Bauska town, Latvia, serving traditional Latvian cuisine. I have been coming to this place once in a while (if in the area), so did happen last time, back in July 2019, while we were en route to the famous Rundale castle, we made a stop in Bauska, and Taverna time it was. Restaurant Taverna in Bauska In a busy season (Summer) order taking could take some time and meal…
Best Point Hotel Old City Istanbul (Sultanahmet)
Located in the Old City of Istanbul, this hotel is within walking distance to Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Best Point Hotel Old City offers air-conditioned rooms. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel. We booked here a one night stay at the end of February 2020, during a layover flight from Tbilisi via Istanbul to Riga. We booked a family room which included a really comfy bed…
National Library of Latvia
The National Library of Latvia, also known as Castle of Light is located on Mūkusalas iela 3, Riga - on the left side of river Daugava, opposite to Old Riga The current building was designed in 1989 by noted Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts (1925-2017), who emigrated to the United States and made his career there. It was constructed in the early 21st century and opened in 2014. Today the Library plays an important role…
Drunk Cherry Gudauri Restaurant
Drunk Cherry is a stylish restaurant located in Gudauri next to the GoodAura ski-left (New Gudauri ski resort) Discovered during a weekend trip to Gudauri. And I should say I was really impressed. The food, service, and even the prices are as if you were in some of the best Tbilisi restaurants. Warm and cosy even on the coldest days. We promise fast and friendly service and a unique atmosphere. We order here some hot-wine,…
Condohotel 'GVC 217' New Gudauri
GVC 217 is a condo/aparthotel located in the New Gudauri ski resort, some 120 km from the nation's capital Tbilisi. We booked here a weekend (2-night stay) in January 2019 and paid $138 for that. Despite we booked via Booking.com they accepted only cash. As I later learned owners of this condo have a travel company in Georgia, mostly specializing on incoming tours across Georgia for Russian speaking tourists - G-V-C or Georgian…
New Gudauri Ski Resort in Georgia
New Gudauri is a rapidly developing ski resort in Georgia developed by REDCO Real estate development company, the resort is located some 120km from the nation's capital Tbilisi in Gudauri. Surrounded by some of Europe’s most dramatic peaks, Gudauri represents one of the most picturesque winter destinations for both experienced skiers and amateurs. The resort offers fantastic skiing and snowboarding, as well as paragliding…
Lindt Factory Shop Induno Oluno
This Lindt factory shop is located in the town of Induno Oluno (Varese), Italy on Largo Edoardo Bulgheroni street 1. Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, more commonly known simply as Lindt, is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company founded in 1845 and known for its chocolate truffles and chocolate bars, among other sweets. We visited this factory shop in mid-November…
Villa Porro Pirelli, Induno Oluno, Italy
Villa Porro Pirelli is set in Induno Olona, 5 km from Varese and 8 km from the Swiss border. It features air-conditioned rooms and a free outdoor pool, gym and solarium. We booked here a one night stay in the mid-November 2019, and paid about $70 or $80 for our stay here. To get here, we arrived from Switzerland. Induno Oluno is a small Italian town quite close to Milan (some 60 km). With antique furnishings, elegant rooms at the Porro…
Resort Collina d'Oro - Hotel & Spa in Agra, Switzerland
Located in a scenic location in the Ticino countryside, a 15-minute drive from Lugano’s centre, this exclusive 5-star resort on 25 hectares of grounds offers panoramic views. We booked here a one night stay in early November 2019, for our stay here we paid ~ $234. The price included access to the SPA. Collina d’Oro’s 1,000 m² spa area includes various wellness facilities, as well as a fitness room. A wide range of…
Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate Georgia
Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate Georgia is situated in Tsinandali, 1.4 km from Tsinandali Palace Museum, and offers free WiFi. An infinity outdoor swimming pool with view and pool bar is available on site as well as spa facilities, steam rooms and fitness centre. Ok, I actually haven't stayed at this hotel for the night, though I have enjoyed a cup of cappuccino at the hotel's library bar. But let me say one more time - Georgia…
Amazon Fire Tablet 7 Review
I ordered Amazon Fire Tablet 7 at the end of 2019 as a Christmas gift to our almost 18-month old baby girl. It took some two weeks before the gadget was actually delivered to us here in Georgia. I wanted to have something cheap enough it wouldn't be sad if the baby would drop or broke and also something smart enough to use Alexa with. I've been a huge fan of the Amazon Echo device since August 2019. Amazon Alexa Echo Dot (3rd…
Odo's House in Tsinandali
Odo's house is a family-run bed&breakfast style guest house, located in Tsinandali, some 100 km from Tbilisi in Georgia. We booked Odo's house at the start of January 2020 for a two-night stay and paid about USD 40 for that (free parking and breakfast included) Odo's House features a garden. All rooms feature a kitchenette, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, and a private bathroom. Every room includes a…
Postcards from Lugano
We traveled to Lugano in Switzerland at the end of 2019. Visit to Lugano officially adds marks 18th country on my travel map I've visited (since 2013) We arrived here from Italy's Lecco town using our rental car (Sicily car), a quick border check (without a real inspection) and we were inside Switzerland. Lake Lugano Lugano is a town and a municipality in southern Switzerland in the Italian-…
Aparthotel Autosole Riga
Located opposite a park in the historical centre of Riga on Hospitāļu street. Aparthotel Autosole offers to its guests 10 comfortable apartments and studios. We have been staying at this hotel several times, with the first stay being back in 2017 while the latest stay was at the end of 2019. In total, we paid USD 86 for a 2-night stay. That's one of the cheapest stays you can find in Riga. There is one more Autosole Economy motel located in…
Ilia Lake
Ilia Lake is located near the town of Kvareli in the region of Kakheti, Georgia. First discovered back in 2014, while staying at Royal Batoni hotel next to the lake. Since then I've headed here several times. It was at the start of 2020 when I learned that this lake actually is manmade. Ilias lake was formed in a valley of the Duruji Rivier a few years ago, financed from the then Presidential fund (Mikheil Saakashvili) …
Tremezzina near Como Lake, Italy
Tremezzina is located on the western banks of Lake Como, right in front of Bellagio, and is the result of a recent merger of the comunes of Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, and Tremezzo. We discovered this picturesque Italian town during our about a week-long trip in Italy during the mid-November 2019. According to Lake Como Travel website a scene from Star Wars were shot here: Visiting Tremezzina means having the chance to…
Semarah Lielupe Hotel & SPA
Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences by Semarah is located in a calm area of Jurmala, surrounded by forest and 400 m from the Baltic Sea. It features a spacious kids club with different games and toys. We booked this hotel in mid-December 2019, for a two-night stay and paid in total $257 for two separate rooms (as my mom was traveling with us) Elegant rooms at Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences feature a safety deposit box and a balcony.…
Guest House 'Rivendell' in Borjomi
Rivendell, Eco-friendly hotel with wooden rooms and organic garden, is located in Borjomi. After discovering that we spend more and more time at luxury hotels across Georgia, we decided to return to the roots and instead of fancy 5-star hotels to choose a home away felling by choosing stay at guest houses/ family-run hotels. At guest house Rivendell we stayed for one night at the end of June 2019 for that we paid just $40. Free parking and…
Fabrika Tbilisi
Fabrika Tbilisi is a stylish hipster place located on Egnate Ninoshvili street 8 in a renovated Soviet Era factory building, Fabrika is the space for rebellious minds to create and share. Once a Soviet sewing factory has been revived and transformed into a multi-functional urban space bringing together enthusiastic individuals ready to stretch their minds with new exhilarating experiences. First discovered back in 2016, this place…
Keti's Bistro
Keti's Bistro is another stylish Tbilisi restaurant located on Tamar Chovelidze street 3 (opposite to hotel Stamba) My better part took me here just before the New Year 2020, and I found this place quite a chill. We agreed to order here some steaks before going to the Christmas market opposite the Radisson hotel. As we were out with our almost 18-month baby girl, we wanted to make sure we will go to a place with…