holiday
4 July 2019
16 October 2018
We stayed at Hotel Bahama, a little dated in decor but we couldn’t fault the hospitality of the staff. I don’t like to make a fuss with dietary needs but they clearly had their eye on me, eventually asking if I was Vegetarian. I explained I was in fact Vegan (for ease of communication) and next morning at breakfast was presented with a carton of soya milk and vegan croissants. The only downside to our location was we hadn’t realised that some areas of the resort closed down for winter, this meant we had to go slightly further afield to find restaurants open for dinner.
Rimini city centre is typically Italian with narrow cobbled streets and piazzas. The town’s Roman past is still visible with the Tiberius Bridge and Arch of Augustus. Soaking in the Italian architecture is lovely but I’ll openly admit I’m here for the food. If you’ve been following our Italian adventures over the years you’ll know that I can usually sniff out Vegan food relatively easy. In Rimini old town we had an evening meal at Loving Hut (a vegan cafe) and I grabbed Vegan gelato at La Scintilla and Cuor di Cioccolato. Near to the beach the restaurant called Newport had a small vegan menu but I will say my vegan burger wasn’t quite to my taste. We ate twice at Chi Sburoun but by far the best Marinara pizza of the holiday was at Rossopomodoro, although the service was a little patchy, our waiter seemed bored of work, not that I blame him having to deal with tourists.From Rimini we took day trips to San Marino (by bus) and Bologna (by train). San Marino is situated up on a mountain top, is the world's oldest republic and Europe's third smallest state. It’s a beautiful place to amble around the steep streets, taking in spectacular views the higher you climb. We stopped for lunch in Palazzo Pubblico after I spotted the magic word “vegan” on a menu and I had a delicious meal of chickpeas with vegetable gratin and swiss chard.
Rimini city centre is typically Italian with narrow cobbled streets and piazzas. The town’s Roman past is still visible with the Tiberius Bridge and Arch of Augustus. Soaking in the Italian architecture is lovely but I’ll openly admit I’m here for the food. If you’ve been following our Italian adventures over the years you’ll know that I can usually sniff out Vegan food relatively easy. In Rimini old town we had an evening meal at Loving Hut (a vegan cafe) and I grabbed Vegan gelato at La Scintilla and Cuor di Cioccolato. Near to the beach the restaurant called Newport had a small vegan menu but I will say my vegan burger wasn’t quite to my taste. We ate twice at Chi Sburoun but by far the best Marinara pizza of the holiday was at Rossopomodoro, although the service was a little patchy, our waiter seemed bored of work, not that I blame him having to deal with tourists.From Rimini we took day trips to San Marino (by bus) and Bologna (by train). San Marino is situated up on a mountain top, is the world's oldest republic and Europe's third smallest state. It’s a beautiful place to amble around the steep streets, taking in spectacular views the higher you climb. We stopped for lunch in Palazzo Pubblico after I spotted the magic word “vegan” on a menu and I had a delicious meal of chickpeas with vegetable gratin and swiss chard.
If you image search Rimini you'll see images of miles of beach jam packed with sun loungers and umbrellas. I’m not sure that would be my idea of heaven in the height of summer but for a cheap last minute autumn getaway it was pretty perfect. We still have so much more of Italy we’d like to see so maybe we will be back next year. If you'd like to catch up on our Italian road trip that we took earlier in the year, then follow this link - Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Cinque Terre and Genoa
Sarah x
Sarah x
3 July 2018
Italy is one of my favourite countries; good food and warm weather are a combination I crave for my summer holidays. My husband and I have previously visited Rome and Venice and knew that we had to return for our next adventure. This time we look a bit of a road trip using the railway. We flew into Bologna and caught the train to Florence, Pisa, Lucca (day trip), La Speiza (our base for visiting Cinque Terre) and flew home from Genoa (Genova). We used Airbnb for most of our accommodation which was a first for us.
Florence is a beautiful city but it was jam packed with tourists making sightseeing crowded and not much fun. We discovered quickly that visiting the attractions is made easier if you book in advance but our stop was short and didn’t work with availability. Truth be told my husband and I decided a while back that sometimes dragging ourselves around art galleries and museums isn’t much fun for us and often a waste of our money. We chose to wander the city, take in the architecture, eat gelato and enjoy the views from a different prospective. The heat was intense and the mosquitoes were viscous.
After a couple of days we moved on to Pisa. Train travel was easy and inexpensive considering how much we pay to get into London. Most people day trip to Pisa but we stayed 3 nights and it was an absolute delight. By day it was a little crazy with crowds but when the tour buses left we practically had the city to ourselves. Pisa is a student town so we did have revellers outside our window at all hours but our apartment was a five minute walk to the Field of Miracles where the famous Leaning Tower is situated. Staying so close meant when we bought our day ticket for the attractions we could come and go as we pleased across the day. We joked how it was quicker to walk to our accommodation for the toilet than queue for the ones at the attractions. From Pisa we took a day trip to Lucca, a delightful old town with tiny lanes and piazzas. We meandered around grabbing lunch and gelato on our way. I attempted to climb one of the towers (Torre Guinigi) but the open stair case at the top was too much for my vertigo. The Leaning Tower had been easier because of the enclosed stone steps although I did have jelly legs at the top.
Our next stop was La Spezia, a lovely town in its own right but a convenient base for visiting the Cinque Terre a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of five coastal villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) each with their own unique ambience. It’s easily one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever visited; it took my breath away on more than one occasion. You can access the area by boat or train so we did a mix of the two (Corniglia is the only town you can’t visit by boat). There are hiking trails between the towns but the easier walks are currently closed because of past landslides. You have to be prepared for the crowds, it can be overwhelming and June isn’t regarded as peak season. You can find moments of solitude in the lanes away from the harbours and we only bumped into a few people on our walk through the vineyards in Manarola. My favourite memory on that walk was hearing the thunder rolling in over the mountains across the distant villages, it was magical.
Genoa (Genova is the Italian spelling) was our final destination because it has an airport and made sense in terms of the direction we had travelled. We were unsure what to expect because it turns out despite the history and size of the town it’s relatively quiet with tourism in comparison to other Italian cities. We even noticed our guidebook (Rick Steves Italy 2018) didn’t give coverage. We quickly learnt through error that it is rough around the edges and it was the first time we had felt uncomfortable. Unlike Venice I would not recommend taking yourself off the beaten track and getting lost. We preferred to stick to central areas with tourist attractions and keep away from the old town. Genoa is a vertical city and there are lifts and funiculars to help save your legs from epic uphill climbs. I recommend the Ascensore Castello d'Albertis-Montegalletto as a unique experience. You ride in a compact blue box (sadly not the tardis!) which travels through a tunnel before turning into a lift to take you to street level above. The Funicolare Belvedere Righi was a steeper climb than I recall in comparison to Lisbon. There is a viewing platform at the top, a few trees get in the way but you still get a decent view across Genoa. There isn’t much else to do but the simple pleasure of riding this mode of transport was enough for us.
With the exception of Genoa I didn’t have any issues managing my dietary requirements. It was clear that the Vegan movement was making waves through tourist areas with most places boldly mentioning Vegano alongside Gluten Free options. I found vegan gelato with little effort even in the Cinque Terre. There are several Italian dishes which can be Vegan by default as long as you love tomatoes (Pomodoro) you’ll be good with spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce (opt for dried pasta as fresh often contains egg), Marinara pizza (doesn’t have cheese), focaccia (with olives or potato & rosemary are my favourites) and bruschetta. I also discovered Farinata, a flat pancake made from chickpea flour, water and olive oil. If you want to move away from the traditional, it was relatively easy. In Florence I found a Vegan burger and Vegan cafe for Gnocchi, in Pisa we found an adorable tiny counter/shop front where I had a tofu sausage sandwich. Genoa wasn't entirely without Vegan options as the staples were available but I wasn't stumbling across options in the same way I had other places. When travelling I recommend using Happy Cow it's an excellent resources for Vegetarian and Vegan options.
Italy steals my heart every time so I’m sure our next adventure will be just around the corner.
Sarah x
Vegan Gelato
Il Procopio (Florence), Amorino (Florence), Gelateria Artigianale Rufus (Pisa), Il Gelato Di Toto (Pisa), Grelia Cremeria (Lucca), 5Terre Gelateria (Manarola), Il Gelateria Del Prione (La Speiza)
Italy steals my heart every time so I’m sure our next adventure will be just around the corner.
Sarah x
Vegan Gelato
Il Procopio (Florence), Amorino (Florence), Gelateria Artigianale Rufus (Pisa), Il Gelato Di Toto (Pisa), Grelia Cremeria (Lucca), 5Terre Gelateria (Manarola), Il Gelateria Del Prione (La Speiza)
Noteworthy for Vegan food
Vegan Come Koala (Pisa), Universo Vegano (Florence), Il vegetariano e vegano di Marcella Bianchi (Florence, upstairs in the Mercato Centrale), Soup in Town (Lucca), the Vegan platter pictured was possibly from Ristoro Pecorino, I can't remember but it was not far from leaning tower on Via Santa Maria.
23 September 2017
Left to Right - Top Row: Our Hotel, Middle Row: Breakfast & Dinner I created from buffet in Hotel & Playa de Alcudia beach , Bottom Row: Puerto Alcudia & Old Town Alcudia |
I've been a little under the weather this week, I return from a restful week in Majorca to find myself taken down by a cold. It totally sucks and I can't seem to get rid of it. Anyway this article isn't about my germs instead I wanted to talk about our recent holiday as I enjoy documenting our travels.
My husband and I are usually independent travellers in the sense that we arrange everything ourselves but this time around we were both feeling worn out from life and took the easy option. We booked 7 nights at the Hotel Delfin Azul through Thomson. Package holidays are a means to an end. I enjoy the laziness of hotel pick ups and drop off, a full suitcase is a perk rather than an extra charge but the resort reps with their chipper attitudes just grate on me. Sorry but I don't want to go to the Waterpark or Pirate Shows! We ignore this element of the holiday package and prefer a little more independence once we reach our destination.
I can't fault our hotel. It was clean, modern and a comfortable room. The entertainment was not to our taste and the pool view room had its disadvantages being situated above the loud music. Yes I am an old fart, late nights are not my thing but we got on with it and accepted we could make up lost sleep with afternoon naps on the sunbed. We were half board which was a bit of a gamble considering my dietary needs. On the whole I managed fairly well as it was a buffet style set up. Food wasn't labelled for allergies so you needed to advise staff so that someone could explain what options were suitable. I admit I never bothered, being a non meat eater most hot foods were ruled out anyway. I ate a lot of salad and chips but topped this up with some treats from Lidl (5 mins away where I found soya yoghurts & fake Oreos). I did spot a corner of the restaurant (away from all other food) dedicated to gluten free staples like bread and biscuits. For breakfast I was impressed that every day I had the choice of soya, rice and oat milk. There was a lack of cereal options but since I don't drink fruit juices (it's an OAS thing!) I enjoyed a glass of plant milk each morning.
Playa de Alcudia is a large resort with miles of beach. I was slightly disappointed that Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut were all within easy reach simply because I wanted Spanish foods, you can't beat good tapas but it wasn't obvious where we'd get some. We ended up getting away from the area by exploring on foot or using a local bus. From our hotel it was about a half hour walk to the original old town of Alcudia which had a lovely authentic feel but a little tourist driven. On Tuesdays and Sundays there is a huge market which we had a wander around but if you don't enjoy crowds you'd be best to avoid the area. As you'd expect there were lots of little shops and cafes so you can easily sit down and people watch. I love patatas bravas but we got ripped off in one place as it wasn't authentic, we were served potato and ketchup which was disappointing.
Puerto Pollensa, Majorca |
We caught the local bus to Puerto Pollensa which turned out to be a stunning area of natural beauty with a laid back and quiet way of life. There were few large hotels and we got the impression many places were private apartment rentals. We enjoyed strolling around the bay and then sat down for lunch and ice cream (sorbet for me). Only downside was it lacked a good beach, there were small patches of sand but a lovely marina.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't always kind to us and we had several large rain storms during our stay. It was a little tricky to get out and about however come the afternoon the sun came out. One lunchtime we sat down outside a restaurant, ordered food and the heavens opened. Sheltering under the awnings and eating soggy sandwiches wasn't ideal but we laughed about it. We failed at being British, no umbrellas or rain coats, flip flops and short for us.
Reading this back to myself it possibly sounds a little negative but we did have a nice time. I was feeling relaxed and I enjoyed not having a schedule. I read three books on my Kindle which is totally unheard of for me. Our one regret was leaving our driving licenses at home because in hindsight hiring a car might have been a good option for exploring. If I recall correctly this is my third time to Majorca having visited Sa Coma as a child with my family and returning as an adult. I think that childhood holiday might have been the first time I'd ever been on an airplane. Majorca (Mallorca) is a lovely island so don't be put off by the package holiday reputations. Just seek out the parts that are still authentic and away from the nightclubs and Burger King (who don't even serve a veggie burger how rude!).
Sarah x
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