anniversary Archives - Shared Adventures

UK Anniversary Adventure

October 9, 2023 by Liz Picurro Leave a Comment

Alicia and Jay wanted to celebrate their anniversary in style with great food and beautiful castles and luxury palaces. We knew a UK trip to Edinburgh and London would be perfect. Here’s their trip report detailing their fabulous adventure:

We had an amazing time in the UK. The trip was absolute perfection – we can’t thank you enough! Our hotels and tours were incredible, and the transfers were seamless. We made use of the Underground a lot in London, and taxis and Ubers were also easy to find.

Edinburgh Hotel

We found the Scottish people to be so incredibly friendly – they were always offering to assist if we looked lost or going out of their way to help any way they could. This made the trip extra special. We loved Edinburgh – the city itself is beautiful and we loved how walkable it is. We also had some great meals!

On Friday, when we arrived at The Glasshouse Hotel, our room wasn’t ready, so we set out for some breakfast, explored the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. We returned to the hotel for check-in time where we were escorted to our room passing through a cozy bar and lounge, which we of course made good use of! The room itself was amazing – spacious, modern, and complete with heated floors and a heated towel rack in the bathroom. We truly loved this hotel and ate breakfast there each morning, which was great.

We set off for our Whisky Tour & Tasting that evening which was so much fun! Then we had dinner at Tollhouse.

Edinburgh Tours

On Saturday, we set out on the hop-on hop-off bus. We got off at the Royal Yacht Britannia and spent the day walking the footsteps of the Royals as we toured the entire Yacht. This was so much fun, and in one of the rooms that had a bar, they had sparkling wine and cookies set up in honor of the coronation. We had a coronation lunch in the Royal Deck Tea Room. And finally, we got back on the bus — unfortunately, Holyrood Palace was closed because of the coronation. We got off near the Royal Mile and went back for some shopping and a drink. Later that evening, we had dinner at Cafe Andaluz.

On Sunday, we set off on our Outlander Tour. This was incredible, and our tour guide was wonderful. We had so much fun exploring the castles and villages where the show is filmed. That night, we had dinner at Ting Thai Caravan which was a recommendation from our tour guide and it was amazing!

London Hotel

On Monday, we took the train from Waverly to London Kings Cross – the train was great. Food and snacks were plentiful!

We found London to be beautifully decorated for the Coronation and still so much celebrating going on but not overwhelmed with crowds. We checked into St. Ermin’s Hotel – what a beautiful hotel! The location being so close to a tube stop was ideal, and we really liked the Westminster area. I upgraded us to a junior suite and our room was spacious and had two huge closets. The hotel houses bees and makes their own honey as well as honey-infused gin. The cocktails at the bar were top-notch! We went to Duke’s Bar for martinis – such a cool experience and presentation. Then we went to Fallow for dinner.

London Tours

On Tuesday, we made our way to the Tower of London for our tour. We got beautiful photos of the tower bridge, observed the daily opening ceremony, and saw the crown jewels. Then we got on a boat towards Buckingham Palace – unfortunately, the boat was all enclosed and we felt like we couldn’t see much on the way – we would’ve loved outside space as it was a nice day!

We saw the changing of the horse guard, which was so great, and then strolled to Buckingham Palace. When the tour ended, we had lunch at Bon Gusto, and then went to Westminster Abbey – it was amazing to see where William and Kate were married, where the Queen’s funeral service was, and where the Coronation had taken place just days before. We walked around Westminster, saw Big Ben, Westminster Palace, Parliament Square, Whitehall and Downing Street. We had drinks at Gordon’s Wine Bar (the oldest wine bar in London!) and then dinner at Dishoom – maybe our favorite meal of the entire trip!

On Wednesday, we did our Warner Brothers Studio Harry Potter Tour. This was so much fun! As huge fans of HP, it was amazing to see all of the REAL sets and actual items/clothes/props used in the movies. I was also honored to be selected to open the door to Hogwarts at the beginning of our tour! When we returned to the city, we went for drinks at The Red Lion Pub and had dinner at The Mayfair Chippy.

London Sightseeing DIY

On Thursday, we explored The British Museum (saw the Rosetta Stone!) and The National Gallery. We then headed to Borough Market and explored and had lunch at Roast. Then, walked by the Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and then hopped on the London Eye for great views of the city – we got lucky with a clear day! We had drinks at The Savoy and dinner at Ave Mario (an incredible Italian restaurant).

On Friday, we went to Kensington Palace – unfortunately couldn’t get tickets to go inside because the times that would have worked were sold out, but we were able to see the outside and explore the beautiful gardens dedicated to Princess Diana.

We then walked to the Victoria and Albert Museum and explored the incredible Donatello exhibit. We then met our tour to Windsor Castle. This tour was also incredible and our guide was great. It was lovely to explore Windsor, and so moving to see where the Queen and Prince Philip are buried in St. George’s Chapel. We loved touring the state rooms where so many historical events took place.

Later that night, we had dinner at Nobu Portman Square and then went to Sketch for drinks – this place is incredible with artwork everywhere and so many different bars/lounges/dining rooms to go to. We spent most of our time at the Eastbar, which was such a vibe!

London Shopping

On Saturday, we set out to shop! We hit Regent, New Bond, and Oxford. The highlight was the Burberry flagship store where I bought a coveted trench coat. I always said when I went to London I would buy one!

We had Afternoon Tea at The Goring Hotel, which was absolutely excellent! The hotel itself has so much Royal history – it’s said to be one of the family’s favorite hotels, and Kate Middleton stayed there the night before her wedding to Prince William. We had a special Coronation Afternoon Tea complete with champagne in the beautiful veranda. After that, we got lost in Harrods – so fun! Then we had drinks at The Ritz and dinner at Brasserie Zedel.

Overall

Overall, this trip was incredible! The amount of time we had in each place was perfect. We were constantly on the go, and were able to see so much. London is huge – and while I feel like we saw a lot of it, I can’t wait to go back and see more! Thank you again for planning the perfect anniversary trip for us!

Alicia & Jay

Paris Anniversary Adventure

June 27, 2023 by Liz Picurro Leave a Comment

Nicole and Paul wanted to celebrate their 10th anniversary somewhere romantic, iconic and international. With amazing architecture, food, and one of Paul’s favorite soccer teams playing- Paris was the perfect destination! We sent them on a week long adventure in the city of light. Here’s how it went:

We absolutely LOVED our trip – the weather was gorgeous with the exception of one afternoon we got rained on. Everything was GORGEOUS – in awe of the history and architecture.

Here are some quick notes:

Flight

So awesome to travel internationally again. They give you food, don’t charge for alcohol, and have plenty of in-flight entertainment to keep you busy. The first-class area looked really nice too (if anyone wanted to pay for that).

Transportation

The car service that picked us up was decent. The driver said he almost left bc it took us almost an hour to get our bags and go through customs. He said he tried to call me but I didn’t have international calling or decent wifi to accept calls. Luckily he waited but they should know that it can take over an hour to get through everything.

Paris Food & Drink Tour

It was the perfect tour to “ease” us into Paris. Due to the timing of our flights, we did not feel much jet lag which was nice.

Joshua, our tour guide was AWESOME! He gave us the right info at each place and was personable with everyone. The small group was nice. It was nice to visit local shops and to learn about how the different cheeses and wines are made. Paul is now a Chablis fan! The tour ended at an Absinthe bar which made Paul very happy. 🙂

At the end of the tour, Joshua gave some recommendations on where to eat for dinner. We took his recommendation and went to Chez Nicos for crepes!

Hotel

We really loved the boutique hotel. [Hotel Pont Royal] The staff was very nice and spoke English! We were thrilled breakfast was included as it was one less meal we had to worry about. We absolutely LOVED our balcony – it was perfect.

The room itself was nice (a bit small) and there was nowhere to put our luggage but we made do. The bathroom didn’t have much shelving for our stuff so we just had it on the floor…maybe that’s a Euro thing.

Friday – Walking Everywhere in Paris

We walked an INSANE amount of steps: 26K and walked all over the place. We saw Moulin Rouge, Paul found the cafe from the movie Amelie that we really liked, we went to the I Love You wall, took some cool photos of the metro signs, and ended with the catacombs

Saturday – Photo Shoot, Notre Dame & the Louvre

I was able to find a last-minute photographer through a referral from another photographer and made Paul get up at 5 AM so we could meet the photographer at 7:15 and take photos with the least amount of people in the background. Now THAT is love. The photos came out really well and the photographer was great!

[Photo Credit: Jordan with The Parisian Photographers]

Afterward, we enjoyed a croissant and cappuccino at Patisserie where we met the photographer (it was delish) and headed back to the hotel to change. From there we walked to Notre Dame which was breathtaking even though we could not go inside. They had these cool exhibits showcasing different photographers and how they documented the fire and showed the plans to put everything back together.

a couple celebrating their anniversary with the Mona Lisa in Paris

That afternoon we toured the Louvre which was really cool and HUGE. Seeing the Mona Lisa was neat after seeing it in so many art history books. Our tour guide was really passionate about art history so we lucked out.

Soccer Sunday

Sunday was our Paris Saint-Germain soccer game. THAT WAS EPIC – Paul was in soccer heaven. Such a cool experience, so glad we splurged on the seats – we were about 7 rows from the field and the players were RIGHT THERE. PSG didn’t play well and lost but we were thrilled with our experience.

a couple celebrating their anniversary at a PSG football/soccer match in Paris

Monday- Eiffel Tower and Shopping

Monday was our Eiffel Tower and shopping day. Eiffel Tower was VERY BUSY. Cool views but very crowded. We witnessed a proposal! Afterward we walked to the Arc de Triomphe. You could not go up because it was their Labor Day in Paris and was closed. All the shops on Avenue des Champs-Elysees were also closed for Labor Day. We did find an Italian place to eat lunch and that’s when it poured on and off.

We continued to stroll to Alexander III Bridge and luckily no one was on it due to the heavy rains so we captured some nice shots.

Tuesday – Giverny Day Trip

Giverny was sooo pretty and it was nice to see the France Countryside. Our tour guide was very nice. Lunch was really good and Chateau de Versailles was beautiful. Could see where Newport got its inspiration from. Versaille was VERY CROWDED and we did not have much time to explore the grounds. Inside was fairly quick but VERY crowded. Like navigating through a crowded concert.

While we were sad to leave, if we stayed I am not sure where else we would have walked bc we confidently walked everywhere in Paris! LOL

How Do We Top This?

June 1, 2018 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Is there anything more gratifying for a travel planner than to have a client come back from an anniversary trip and say “we have no idea how we’ll possibly top this next year“?? Dana and Kevin clearly loved their anniversary “escape” to Rome and the Amalfi Coast, and I better start thinking NOW about what to suggest next 🙂

Thanks, Ann! We had the most INCREDIBLE trip and definitely feel like we’re having Italy withdrawals now that we’re back at home. We absolutely loved the country, the culture and the scenery, and our itinerary was amazing. All of our transfers, trains, hotel check-ins, etc, went perfectly to plan and helped to make our trip care-free.

When we arrived in Rome the first morning, we were excited but exhausted. Neither of us can really sleep on planes, so we had tried to wake up really early the day of our flight so we’d be tired on the plane. Turns out, we still couldn’t sleep no matter how tired we were. So now we know when we take our next trip to Europe that we’ll just get as good a night of sleep before we leave as possible! We took your advice, though, and powered through / caffeinated ourselves so we could stay up and get on the time zone. We were very happy to not have any specific tours or plans that day so we could just explore and get a feel for the city.

The River Palace was such a great hotel! The rooms and elevators were very small, but we were prepared for that. Everything was beautifully appointed, classy and comfortable. We really liked that our hotel felt like a Roman hotel, and not just any hotel we’d find at home. The complimentary breakfast put those we’re used to at American hotels to shame! It was delicious. They had all sorts of pastries, cheeses, meats, eggs and fruits, made us delicious cappuccinos, and even had a juice bar with complimentary make-your-own mimosas. Definitely a great way to start the day! We found the breakfast at our other hotels to be equally as impressive.

We did TONS of walking and exploring in Rome. We explored the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, shops, side streets, countless churches and monuments, and of course ate as often as we possibly could. The food and wine were beyond amazing – definitely lived up to and surpassed the hype. I was just in disbelief that we were actually experiencing such a beautiful city that I’d only seen in pictures before. The only downside to Rome were the flower guys who were overly aggressive in trying to get you to take a flower and popping up from everywhere. But we learned to deal with them and certainly didn’t let them put a damper on our fun 🙂

The Colosseum and Roman Forum tour we took was so amazing! Before the tour, we sat at a little cafe overlooking the Colosseum to enjoy cheese and wine. It was unreal! Our tour guide was interesting, entertaining and funny, and the 3 hours flew by. Going in through the Gladiator Gate was a really cool experience, and I would definitely recommend it! The Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour we took the following morning wasn’t our favorite, although the city, museums and churches were absolutely breathtaking! We found the 3 hour tour here to be longer than we would have preferred, just because there was such an overwhelming number of people at the Vatican, and the tour dove more into Art History than we were really interested in. That said, we are still really glad we got to experience it! If we did it again, we would probably want to do either fully private (so we could customize the tour more), or self-guided.

After the Vatican tour, we headed for the train station to begin the Amalfi Coast portion of our trip. We completely fell in love with the region; so much so that we started looking up real estate! The Hotel Mediterraneo Sorrento was the perfect hotel, and the sea view room was 100% worth it. The hotel itself was gorgeous, the staff was the best I’ve ever seen, and the room was amazing. We had panoramic views of the sea without even having to get out of bed! We really enjoyed the pool, hot tub and pool bar, and the Vesuvio Roof Restaurant was delicious and absolutely perfect for dinner on our anniversary evening. While in Sorrento, we explored the downtown area, which was probably the most charming city I’ve ever seen. The shopping, restaurants and cafes kept us entertained for hours. Our third day there, we took the Circumvesviano Train to Pompeii, where we did a self-guided tour. The city was incredible, and we really enjoyed the self-guided aspect here as everything was really well labeled, so we got to go at our own pace & avoid the largest crowds of the tours while not feeling like we missed out on information.

For the day of our actual anniversary, we decided to have the hotel book us on a semi-private day trip to Capri. This ended up being one of our favorite days on our trip (which is saying something!). We were on a gorgeous, mid-sized boat with 8 people and a captain. We went to the Blue Grotto first which, even though the cost was steep (28 euro for the 2 of us for about 10 minutes total), we are so happy we got to experience it! We got off our boat and into a small rowboat which held 4 of us and a captain. The entrance into the grotto is only about a meter high, so we had to lay in the bottom of the boat while the captain guided us safely into the grotto. Once inside, the height and characteristics of the rocks and the unreal, glowing blue of the water was absolutely breathtaking. Once back on our boat, we were taken on a tour of Capri, which included the Green Grotto, White Grotto, sailing under the Faraglioni arch, and the most amazing coastline we’ve ever seen. We had about 4 hours to explore Capri, which involved a LOT of stairs and a workout, but the views were beyond worth it. The island itself is beautiful, but also unassuming in its own way while being mega glamorous. On the designer shop-lined streets, it felt like we were on a more exclusive Rodeo Drive that, at the same time, managed to be more welcoming and down to earth. Back on the boat, we enjoyed wine and limoncello while we got a tour of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and got back to port around 6:15 pm – just in time to enjoy happy hour and dinner at our hotel. I’m not sure how we’re going to out-do that day for our 5th anniversary!

Back in Rome for our last day, it was fun staying in a different part of town than our first stint in Rome. The Hotel Britannia was lovely and very charming, and was located super close to the train station. The room itself unfortunately didn’t have very good A/C, but the windows opened so it worked out. The room was tiny, but the bathroom was HUGE, so it balanced out and we had all the space we needed for just a one night stay. We spent the last day seeing some more sites, doing some great shopping, and eating as much as possible before we would have to leave the delicious Italian food behind.

All in all, it felt like we were living a dream on our trip. It’s always been #1 on my travel bucket list, and it didn’t disappoint! We can’t wait to go back and explore more of this incredible country. Thank you so much for planning our dream trip! Can’t wait to see what you help us with next!

Dana

A true “gem” on the Riviera Maya

September 12, 2017 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Paige and David were celebrating their 10th anniversary and — with three small children at home — they really needed someplace they could relax and unwind. When they described their ideal all-inclusive resort as small, non-touristy, authentic and with great food, the Blue Diamond Riviera Maya jumped to the top of the list.

Hi Ann,

We are delighted to provide a review of our trip to Mexico. Our experience was so ideal we can’t imagine how it could even have been improved.

As you know, for this trip we were looking for a quiet, unhurried escape from our busy lives as parents of little children. Blue Diamond was absolutely perfect. We were greeted at the entry with cold juice and truffles while we waited to check in. Because we arrived in the morning, our room wasn’t quite ready, so the bellboy took us by golf cart to the oceanfront restaurant where we had an incredible made-to order lunch brought to us by kind, personable staff we’d continue to see all week. Here are the features we most loved about Blue Diamond:

The size. Blue Diamond has about 125 suites, so even at full capacity not too many guests are around. The resort itself is not large, but its design makes every part feel uncrowded, quiet, and serene. The pool and beach areas are not expansive, but the spaces are comfortable and welcoming.

The design. The resort is built into a jungle with a long, winding stone boardwalk providing one route from the lobby to the beach. Rooms are tucked off to the side of the boardwalk all along the way. Suites overlook either a cenote, which boasts native crocodiles, or a laguna. No ocean views except for the fanciest suites, but we didn’t mind as we actually didn’t spend a ton of time lounging in our room. The style is simple, calm, and elegant – no faux-thatched roofing or bright Mexican decor – it looks classic and minimalist, while still being very comfortable.

The service. One of our favorite things about the resort is that we got to know the staff throughout the week because we saw the same people working in their areas. Almost daily we had the same breakfast and lunch waiter (Pedro), the same dinner waiter (Juan David), and the same pool waiter (Jorge). We also worked with one concierge and enjoyed getting to know the water sports director throughout the week. It was really enjoyable to chat with the same staff throughout the week and to be remembered by them. As the week progressed the staff knew how we like our coffee, whether to bring lime for our water, the answer to ‘more champagne?’ is always yes, and that we love sailing even when it’s windy.

The extra touches. We loved having bicycles to ride from our room down to the beachfront and back; we also were offered rides in the patrolling golf carts anytime we were walking. The concierge was extremely helpful when we told him we couldn’t sleep at night because our room was too warm – we eventually problem-solved this with a few extra fans in our room, and for our troubles they brought us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne one evening. Alex, the water sports director, took us sailing a couple times and connected us with the parasailing crew. We tried out the temezcal, the Mayan ritual sauna, which was an amazing experience. They also had wine tasting and cocktail making classes and a free snorkeling trip in a group of only four guests, so it was personally guided by Alex. We loved playing ping pong next to the beach, and whenever we asked for cocktails they were unfamiliar with, they spent quite a bit of time looking up the recipe and trying to capture what we had in mind.

The food. One of the things that appealed to us about Blue Diamond was that all the food is cooked to order so we would not be eating any buffet meals. We were not disappointed by the quality of the meals! The only limiting factor was that we got full too fast. Our favorite meal was usually lunch because we loved their sushi offerings and their seafood soup. We were also lucky to get seats at the Friday night barbecue, which they only do occasionally, where we enjoyed grilled scallops, lobster tail, crab, salmon, and more delicious seafood I can’t even remember. Breakfast for us was usually an omelet, fresh fruit juice, and a side of smoked salmon – not to mention the roving tray of pastries. And dinner was always delicious – steak and seafood were our top choices, and we always started with an order of the steamed mussels. I could go on and on about the food …. Another draw for us was that the restaurants do not require reservations, and we never had to wait for a table. I loved the freedom to eat whenever the mood struck!

The room. We loved the comfortable king bed, the huge closet, the double shower, and the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything was beautiful, wonderfully cleaned by housekeeping each day, and so serene.

In summary, I would highly recommend Blue Diamond for anyone seeking a peaceful, restorative vacation. It has a few evenings of entertainment, but is not a resort for those looking to mingle, dance, and party. This is a great couples resort, an excellent place to escape from hurried life and to be pampered. We would return in a heartbeat! Thank you so much for helping us find Blue Diamond.

Thanks,

Paige