Travel Girl Favorites

Bonjour world, and happy Friday! In celebration of the weekend I’ve decided to share my all-time travel favorites with you. What kind of gal pal would I be if I didn’t hook you up with some sweet places to hit on your travels around the world? So, here are Travel Girl’s All Time Travel Favorites (in no particular order). 1.)Favorite Place to Stay. It’s no secret that a fabulous trip to a killer destination can easily be ruined by a crappy accommodation. So, let me provide you with my very favorite place to stay: Senhora da Guia Boutique Hotel in Cascais, Portugal. This is a must hit if you ever find yourself wandering about Portugal in search of a place to stay. What’s the best part? It’s tough to say. The saltwater pool overlooking the ocean provides a gorgeous view of the Atlantic and the Jacuzzi just inside will warm you up if you get chilly swimming. Their buffet breakfast is literally the best I’ve ever had. We are talking grilled vegetables, scrambled eggs, homemade pastries, rolls, yogurt, fresh fruit, granola, cereal, endless smoked salmon, fresh orange juice, coffee, desserts, and even heated milk. You can enjoy this savory breakfast at a table with magnificent water views on the balcony out back. The staff was friendly and considerate while not being intrusive and our room was spotless. Another bonus? This town is a fast 40 minute train ride to Lisbon, and a quick bus trip to Sintra. You can still experience the capitol while avoiding staying somewhere super busy and loud and also take a day trip to explore the remains of the Portuguese Empire in Sintra. As for Cascais, the town offers numerous restaurants, a beautiful beach, and some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever encountered. All in all staying at Senhora da Guia was a dream come true. Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself, I dare you.

2.)Favorite Place to Grab a Drink. So, on holiday nothing is better than an amazing cocktail or two. Maybe you’re a beer snob or into flashy mixed drinks but at the end of the day Travel Girl loves a good glass of wine. I’ve tasted wine everywhere from Bordeaux to Cape Town and if you want a chic ambiance and an outstanding selection of reds, whites, and everything in between hit The Kensington Wine Rooms in London. Not only is the service fantastic, the dark wood elegantly homey, and the wine worth swooning over, they have a selection of forty wines by the glass to choose from. If you like wine, this is definitely somewhere to hit on your next trip to England. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there…

3.)Favorite Place to go for Dinner. Who doesn’t love to eat? Travel Girl does, and it’s even better when you can enjoy a meal abroad that consists of local food that is fresh, high quality, and thought up by some of the greatest chefs in the world. Are you hungry yet? The most delectable meal I’ve ever eaten was in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district at Manfreds & Vin. Known for creative combinations, organic produce, a wine list of four-hundred plus natural wines, and a hipster feel that allows you to enjoy amazing food in a casual way, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the presentation and a bill that does not break the bank. Go with a group and try their 7-course sharing menu. You can tell them if you have diet restrictions or food allergies, but trust the people in the kitchen to surprise and wow your taste buds with seven courses chosen by the season, availability of fresh ingredients, and the Chef’s mood. Some of our dishes included steak tartar served over boiled potatoes, roasted shallots and onions with a goat-cheese dipping sauce, cabbage salad with a light yogurt dressing, grilled eggplant, a soft boiled egg with spring peas and raw mushroom on a bed of warm grains, roasted cauliflower with anchovy sauce, and braised beef which melted in your mouth. I’m honestly still trying to figure out what would be more fulfilling, sex with my celebrity crush or dinner at this place. I know it’s a stretch, but I’d put my money on the braised beef. 4.)Favorite Place to watch the Sunset. When I’m not sampling wine or contemplating unanswerable food versus sex hypotheticals, Travel Girl does enjoy the natural beauty that comes with diverse locations on varying trips. One of the humblest ways to appreciate a place and reflect is to take time out of your day and lose yourself in the lusciously warm hues of a good old fashioned sunset. The best part of this favorite is that it can be done anywhere in the world, and even better it’s free! While this is a simplistic pleasure that I appreciate everywhere, I’ve got to say one sunset in particular has always stuck in my mind as a sort of a pseudo five minutes in heaven. If you want to have your socks knocked off and your breath taken away, sit beside the Niger River in Segou, Mali at the end of the day. Not only did the sky turn miraculous colors as I watched the sun sink beneath the horizon, but you can see fishermen coming in for the day with their catch, and the outline of banana boats against the sky as they float by. If you ever make it to Segou, take it from me, you don’t want to miss a sunset on the Niger.

5.)Favorite Place to go to the Beach. Now, this was a really difficult choice. As you will come to realize, there’s only one thing Travel Girl loves more than the big city, and that’s a beautiful beach. If you’ve got both, like Cape Town, Honolulu, and Los Angeles- to name a few, that’s even better! I’ll take any beach any day of the week. But if I had to choose one beach out of all the sandy paradises I’ve visited, I’d go with St. James Beach in South Africa. This beach is consistently named as one of the world’s most beautiful and it’s easy to see why. Nestled between Muizenberg and Simon’s Town this beach boasts picturesque views of the ocean, a lovely tidal pool carved out for the kiddies, and the iconic colorful huts for which it’s known. The walk from Muizenberg Beach to St. James beside the sea with the waves crashing into large rocks is probably one of the most idyllic strolls I’ve ever taken. Want to spice it up a bit? Do this walk at high tide when the swells are big and race down the sidewalk dodging the water as it crashes in. As far as beaches go, St. James is tip-top.

Well, that’s it for now, but I promise to share more of my favorite locales with you in the very near future. May your weekend be full of adventure, fun travels, or even some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Thanks for reading and we’ll catch up next week. Ciao for Now. XOXO Travel Girl