Mexico City - Exciting & Vibrant & More....

Just returned from this large metropolis (larger and cleaner than New York City) for a New Year's Eve Celebration. Stayed at the Marquis Reforma in a wonderful location, right next to the Palanco district, with it's many museums and large parks, great restaurants and bars.  The hotel is located on a boulevard where there were many tent vendors selling their wares, handmade and authentic. . The Street tacos and burritos were a treat to be enjoyed everywhere we went. 

Mexico City is a city of Districts within itself.  Whether you visit the Palanco, San Angel, the Hildalgo or the Famous Zocolo Historical area you will never get bored!  Great Night life and Wonderful walking, Except for the cracks in the sidewalks probably caused by the many Earthquakes.  As large as it is, it's surprisingly clean compared to other major cities of less population. It is family oriented and everywhere you look there are families out enjoying with each other.  Lots of Large parks afford a respite to the busyness of life in this city. 

A Myriad of activities and things to do. The Art & Cultural side with all of the vast museums make it impossible to be bored. You only have to walk around to find different and interesting aspects to this diverse city. There are several tourist areas with nice hotels and restaurants that make a visit that you will not be disappointed in. 

Did I mention Our Lady of Guadalupe (right outside of the city) and the Ruins - a short drive and worth a day trip. 

Scott - December / January 2023

Travel dates: August 31st - September 8th, 2019 

Milan, Lake Como, Portofino, Santa Margherita

We started off our week long trip with a quick layover in Milan, before departing to our first destination, Lake Como. After the 11 hour flight from Chicago to Milan, upon our landing in the city of fashion, the first thing we did was hop in a taxi for a quick shopping trip! Full disclosure, Eric accidentally left his suit for our friend's wedding in the airport lounge so we literally had no time to waste. Jet lag was not going to stop us from exploring one of the world's most important fashion capitals (or find him a new suit) in the little time we had before our train to Lake Como was scheduled to take off!

The train to Lake Como allowed us to take a much needed nap. We were very jet lagged but once we arrived it didn’t matter because we were blown away by the lake's beauty and got a boost of energy! We hopped in a taxi and headed to Hotel Metropole and Suisse to drop off our luggage. The hotel was right near the water which gave us a fantastic view of the houses on the hills. It was also conveniently located near the ferry. We were in a central area of the lake where it was easily walkable to all restaurants and shopping. Our hotel location was perfect! 

While in Italy we treated ourselves to a significant amount of pasta, wine, and gelato for every meal and had no regrets (Side note: I did develop an allergy to wine after this trip….). One of our most memorable lunches in Lake Como included the soundtrack of Madonna on repeat playing in the background, as the waiter told us he was a big fan, and pointed to the top of the hill that Madonna lived on. He suggested that we take the ferry across the way to see the little shops, so we hopped on board, and ended up exploring. We took one of the last ferry rides of the day so we had little time to galavant. However, we found a small jewelry shop that was owned by the sweetest woman and ended up walking away with a couple souvenirs. Our time in Lake Como was short, as we only spent two days there before heading off to our friend’s wedding in Portofino, but we had the best time. It was breathtaking and very romantic. 

For our friend’s wedding the majority of the guests ended up staying in Santa Margherita which is right outside of Portofino. We stayed at Laurin Hotel which was a quick walk or cab ride from the main train station. It was a super cute hotel with a nice rooftop pool and had a great view of the sea. If you are traveling to Santa Margherita or Portofino they are very expensive areas so I would definitely expect to be paying a pretty penny on cab rides and meals. A 5 minute cab ride cost us $20. With that being said, it was probably the most beautiful place I have ever traveled, so I feel like it is justified. 

The rehearsal dinner and wedding took place in Portofino. We have never experienced anything quite like it before! The bride and groom arrived to the rehearsal dinner party in a speedboat as we cheered them on during their entrance. The background view was stunning and a sight that I will never forget. The restaurant had a backdrop of boats along the shore and stunning houses along the water. The wedding was dream like and located on top of the hill overlooking the water. We were so lucky to be there and experience the beauty of Portofino. 

We wish we would have been able to extend our trip because it was so beautiful but our wallets would not allow for it! We can’t wait to go back and visit Italy.