Tag: #travelblogger

Dinner at Grande Hotel do Porto restaurant in Porto, Portugal

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A few weeks ago, I was with my husband in Porto, Portugal. During our stay we visited lots of different bars and restaurants and today I would like to tell you about our dinner at the Grande Hotel’s D. Pedro II Restaurant.

Location:

Grande Hotel do Porto is located on a famous shopping street- Rua de Santa Catarina. The restaurant is located at the quiet area of the hotel-away from all the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Atmosphere:

The D. Pedro II Restaurant offers its dinner a space where guests cross daily with local clients and passing tourists that when strolling by Santa Catarina Street can’t resist the temptation to come inside

The hotel has an exclusive décor and some beautiful pieces of art are visible throughout the communal areas. Many famous guests have stayed in this property. The restaurant is named after D. Pedro II – the former emperor of Brazil, who found refuge here during the fall of the Monarchy in that country. At the time, the royal entourage took up the entire first floor of the Hotel and stayed here for a while.

The menu:

Antonio-our waiter brought us our menus in no time and that’s when we discovered that the restaurant offers a great selection of dishes. Both myself and my husband are a massive foodies so we were looking forward to our meal.

To start with, we received a complimentary amouse brioche – a glass with some smoked haddock.

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I then ordered a stuffed Portobello mushroom with truffle and vegetables cream and quail egg. It was really tasty.

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My husband ordered some smoked ham cantelloni with arugula in pesto sauce, gratinated brie croutons with honey. He enjoyed it and finished it in no time.

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For our mains we both decided to have a fish. I ordered some bream fillet with olive cream and roasted peppers composition. It was mouth watering!

My husband had some braised salmon with bread crust and chard sautéed in garlic sauce. Not only his main was presented nicely, it tasted even better.

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Dessert is always my favorite part of any meal and I had some beautiful creamy coconut cake and fruit composition. It was delicious!

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My husband ordered a cheese board with a nice selection of cheeses and finish his meal with a glass of traditional port.

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Overall experience:

We both had a nice time at the D. Pedro II Restaurant. The restaurant serves tasty food and offers a great, friendly service. It is also very conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.grandehotelporto.com/en/restaurant-bar/d-pedro-ii-restaurant/

Address:

Rua de Santa Catarina 197,

4000-450 Porto, Portugal

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

 

Dinner at The Artist Bistro in Porto, Portugal

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Last week, I was with my husband in Porto in Portugal. On our last evening, we booked a table at the popular local restaurant – The Artist Bistro. It was definitely the best meal we had whilst in Portugal.

Location:

The Artist Bistro is located inside The Artist Hotel. The hotel is based in a former art school and provides a contemporary and comfortable environment, inspiring and developing the skills of the current students of the Hotel and Tourism school who work there. It is just around a corner from a famous shopping street and commercial area of Rua de Santa Catarina. The metro closest station (Campo de Agosto) is just a few minutes away.

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Atmosphere:

The Artist Bistro is inspired by the artistic heritage of the building which has previously hosted an Art School. The decoration of the restaurant is classy and elegant.

All art visible in the restaurant is made up of pieces from previous students of the old school Soares dos Reis.

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The dinning experience at The Artist Bistro is designed to socialise with the art one can see, smell, taste and feel. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting. We were welcomed by Katia who was attending our table through the night. She was really friendly and professional. Quiet jazz music was playing in the background…

The menu:

Do you like surprises and trying new things? If you are quite open to the new experiences and you like being surprised then you will love The Artist Bistro. The key aim of the Head Chef – Hugo Dias is to surprise his dinners with a unique experience of sampling some great locally sourced food.

You can now be surprised by selecting one of 3 sampling menus:

  • Myth 5 experiences
  • Musa 7 experiences
  • Bistro 9 experiences

What all of these menus have in common is that they change on a daily basis and they offer dinners a combination of unforgettable flavours. At the beginning of the meal, we were asked if we had any allergies and whether there were any ingredients we really didn’t like. Our waitress took notes and explained that every course we’ll  receive will be a surprise-we could only choose what type of main dish we wanted to receive (fish/ meat / vegetarian). The really unique think about this restaurant was that we didn’t know what we will have for any of the courses!

We decided to try a Musa – 7 course dinning experience. Each dish was beautifully presented and made from fresh seasonal foods.

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While sipping some crispy white wine, our first course arrived- oysters with some red onions.

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We finished them in no time and the waitress brought us some mouth-watering mushroom soup with some olive oil, croutons and chives. It was delicious.

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From the next course onward we were surprised with different dish each. We received ‘Samosas de Artist’. We decided to play a game and identify the ingredients of our samosas-a great way of having fun whilst enjoying your meal. My samosa was with goats cheese with pumpkin and my husband received a samosa with a chicken and chorizo filling.

Next, we received some vegetable brioche with some potatoes, carrots, peppers, balsamic vinegar, courgettes which were all baked with egg. It was really enjoyable.

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Moving on, I received caramelized scallops with a cauliflower mouse-they were divine.

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My husband, on the other hand, got an octopus with a lime foam with breadcrumbs and site salad. It crackled like a sea because of the foam popping up.

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Following on from our great seafood dishes, I received some green beans stew based on a traditional Portuguese sausage and bread in a rich tomatoes sauce.

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My husband got some pork belly, crackling with balsamic vinegar.

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Before our main dishes were served, our waitress brought us some lemon & vodka sorbet to clean the palette. It was really refreshing.

At the begging of our meal I decided to have a fish main and I received some beautifully cooked sea bass paired up with an appetizing vegetable puree.

My husband decided to have a meat main and he received some quail with roasted carrots, potatoes pure in a port sauce with some figs and rosemary. It was the best quail he has ever eaten-extremely tender and cooked to perfection.

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If you read my reviews regularly then you will know that a dessert is always my favorite part of any meal. I received a delectable chocolate brownie with large pieces of nuts and some vanilla ice-cream.

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To finish off his meal my husband received a pear that was boiled in port and paired up with some raspberry ice-creams.

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Overall experience:

We both had an amazing time at The Artist Bistro. As I like surprises and trying new food, I was delighted with the concept of discovery. The restaurant serves delicious food with a twist. In addition to food, the service was great and the restaurant is conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again.

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Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.shotels.pt/restaurantetheartistbistrot/en/home

Address:

 Rua da Firmeza 49,

4000-099 Porto, Portugal

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

 

Dinner at Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant in Fishmore Hall Hotel

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During our recent stay at Fishmore Hall Hotel we decided to book a table at hotel’s Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant. As we are both massive foodies and the restaurant is among the best places to eat in Ludlow, we decided to check it out.

Location:

Forelles Fine Dining Restaurant is located in Fishomore Hall Hotel that is only a mile away from Ludlow.

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 7:00 p.m. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who took us to our table and made us feel welcomed.

The restaurant has a welcoming decor featuring simple beige chairs. Each table displayed a candle and a rose to add a bit of romantic atmosphere for its dinners. There was lots of natural light coming through the large French windows giving dinners opportunity to relax whilst admiring the beautiful countryside. The relaxing music was playing in the background.

The menu:

Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant offers classically based, modern British cuisine and welcomes both residents and non-residents who can choose from two menus; a three course A la Carte menu, as well as a six course tasting menu with the option of pairing each dish with an accompanying wine.

The menu at Forelles Restaurant offers a nice selection of dishes that are all built around the best produce from the area. The Head Chef-Andrew Birch provides his diners with a high quality, traditional cuisine with a twist that is based on a fresh and locally sourced ingredients from producers from all over the Shropshire Marshes.

We started our evening with some wine and we  some complimentary bread, olives and nuts.

We decided to try a six course tasting menu. As we weren’t sure which wine to go for, we decided to go for the accompanying wines.

To start with we received some signature Orkney hand dived scallops with some cauliflower, apple and ham hock croquette. They were divine. Our sommelier brought us a glass of unoaked Chardonnay Australian (2016) white wine. It offered a rich and creamy mouth feel that lead to soft tropical fruits and orange zest on the palate.

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Secondly we received some Isle of Wight tomato with black olive crumb and some goats curd. It was mouth watering and accompanied by some Pinot Noir, Whitehaven (2016) wine. This delicate petal rose brimmed with refreshing crushed strawberry, cherry, watermelon notes that lingered.

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Thirdly, some Gigha Halibut was served. It was definitely my favorite course. It was cooked to perfection and accompanied with some sea vegetables and spiced seafood bisque. Absolutely perfect combination! Our sommelier presented us with a glass of Gavi di Gavi Italian wine (2015) that had aromatic, zesty notes with apple, lime and kiwi. It was juicy with a citric and mouthwatering feel creating a refreshing, satisfying finish.

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Next, we had some corn fed duck breast with some smoked potato puree, carmelised shallots and hispi cabbage. It was flavorsome. For this course we received some Saumur Champigny Vielles Vignes French wine (2014) – a medium bodied red with a winning combination of plump black fruits and a refreshing dryness on the palate.

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Moving on, it was time for two sweet courses. As I have a bad sweet tooth, I was looking forward to trying them. First of all, we received some lavender cremeaux with raspberry meringues and raspberry sorbet. It was delicious. Our sommelier brought us some Chardonnay Navarra (2012) dessert wine of intense gold colour. It was deeply complex with notes of tinned pineapple, apricot, quince, orange peel and rosemary honey.

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The last course was ‘chocolate delice’. A rich dark chocolate dessert accompanied with some sorbet based on black cherries and ice cream, which was scrumptious. Our sommelier brought along some Black Muscat, Quady Elisim wine (2014) with a rose-like aroma. It was very intense on the palate and full of fantastic rich velvety fruit.

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Overall experience:

We both really enjoyed our fine dinning experience offered by Forelles Restaurant. If you wish to try some superb Shropshire’s cuisine then I would recommend trying one of the Tasting Menus with the accompanying wines. All dishes were delectable and presented beautifully, in addition to service which was flawless so we couldn’t have asked for more. We cleared the plates in no time which is always a good sight.

Address:

Forelles Restaurant at Fishmore Hall, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 3DP England

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Another summer ball with my family

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A few weeks ago, we was invited by my father-in-law to attend a summer ball at Porters Park Golf Club which is located in Hertfordshire.

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As I was attending a different event during the day we arrived just in time for a champagne reception. It was nice catching up to my in-laws and shortly after we were invited to take our seats in the beautifully decorated marquee.

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There were around 180 golf club members and their guests present during the evening.

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The event begun with some speeches. Soon after, whilst sipping some white wine, we were listening to the awards granted to the best players. Subsequently, we were served a 3-courses dinner. There was a live entertainment provided by performers from the Déjà vu band. We all had the opportunity to show our best moves on the dance floor while enjoying the iconic songs from 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Even my husband who doesn’t like dancing, joined me on a dance-floor.

Summer Ball Menu included:

Starter – Sea Trout & Asparagus

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The starter was delicious and the sea trout was roasted until crisp with lemon thyme. It was served with some steamed buttered asparagus, warmed new potatoes and grilled baby tomatoes.

Main – Rosemary Roast Lamp Rump

I really enjoyed the main -a prime rump of lamb cooked with fresh rosemary till just pink. It was served alongside a rich cream & garlic dauphinouse, baby summer vegetables, a mint and some red wine sauce.

Dessert – Trio of Desserts

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Desserts are always my favorite part of any meal. During the summer ball we received 3 mini desserts – blackcurrant & vanilla cheesecake, mini chocolate pot and summer berries with a sweet coulis.

Dress Code:

Dress Code for the event was black tie so I decided to wear one of my ball-gowns from COAST paired with some Jenny Peckham’s hills.

To sum up, we both had a great evening of fine dining and dancing. Where shall we go next?

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

De Vere Wokefield Estate, UK

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I travel on business a lot and a couple of weeks ago, I stayed at De Vere Wokefield Estate.

Location:

De Vere Wokefield Estate is located 25 minutes drive from the Reading train station or 40 minutes drive from Heathrow Airport. It is set inside of a golf course in 250 acres of Berkshire parkland.

DE VERE WOKEFIELD ESTATE entrance

Facilities:

De Vere Wokefield Estate has a 24-hours reception and a Business Centre.

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Wi-Fi is available at no extra charge. The hotel caters for both business and personal events from weddings to meetings and team-building exercises. The hotel has a restaurant, bar and a room service.

The restaurant serves a nice selection of buffet items for breakfast and dinner. The bar offers a nice selection of gourmet food but I wouldn’t advise to eat in there. Firstly, the service was extremely slow-I was waiting for my steak for 2 hours… Secondly, I was disappointed with the bar staff as they should have at least warned me and my colleague about the waiting time before we ordered. Food was reasonably priced but my steak was really solid and I ended up only having half of it.

In addition, if you like playing golf then De Vere Wokefield Estate is surrounded by an 18-hole championship golf course with 9 lakes. You can also buy some professional golf merchandise on-site.

Room:

De Vere Wokefield Estate offers rooms in either the sleek Executive Centre or in the elegant Mansion House. I stayed at the Executive Centre. My room had a  modern, stylish decor. My king-size bed was comfortable and room also had a study desk and a large TV.

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The bathroom had a simple décor – bath, shower, hairdryer and toiletries were available.

Overall:

De Vere Wokefield Estate is a great place to unwind after a day of work or during the weekend. If you travel to Reading on business then I would definitely recommend it as it is much nicer then most hotels based in the city centre. 

Address:

Goodboys Lane, Reading
RG7 3AE

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Bristol, UK

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Last month, my mum came to stay with me for a few days and we decided to go to Bristol for a couple of days. We stayed at Hilton Garden Inn Bristol City Centre.

Location:

Hilton Garden Inn Bristol hotel is located 15 minutes walk from the Bristol train station in a quiet business area. In addition, it is only 5 minutes from Temple Meads Station and 10-minutes train ride from Bath Spa. The shopping centre is located barely 5 min away so if you are planning a bit of retail therapy then look no further. 

Facilities:

Hilton Garden Inn Hotel has a 24-hours reception, baggage storage room, restaurant and a room service. Wi-Fi is available at no extra charge. The fitness center is open 24 hours a day. The Races reception serves a nice breakfast to start your day with. During the evening you can choose from a range of International and British dishes but I wasn’t impressed with their quality.

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The hotel has 2 meeting rooms that can host a conference or private event for up to 60 guests and if you wish to make your stay extra special then you can request to stay in one of the rooms with a picturesque view of Temple Gardens.

Room:

We stayed in a Queen Guest Room had a nice, contemporary décor.

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Our room had a mini-fridge, work desk and a chair. I addition, there was a large 32-inch LCD TV. The bed which was comfortable and easy to fell asleep in.

The bathroom was small and had some basic toiletries were provided.

Overall:

Hilton Garden Inn Bristol hotel has simple yet comfortable facilities in addition to great location. I would recommend it to anyone who travels to Bristol on business or for pleasure.

Address:

Temple Way, Bristol, BS1 6BF, United Kingdom

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Mangia DC Italian Food Tour – Dupont Circle

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As some of you probably remember, I was in Washington a few weeks ago. As I am a massive foodie, on one of the evenings I decided to go for a foodie Italian walking tour.

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The tour was organised by Mangia DC.  “Mangia” is Italian for “Eat! Enjoy!” Mangia DC motto is to help locals and tourists alike enjoy Washington D.C. and show them all it has to offer.

The food tour takes place around the Dupont Circle neighborhood which is around 15 minutes walk from the White House. I was welcomed by a friendly and knowledgeable guide who introduced me to the other tour attendees. He described our tour as an informal historic sightseeing tour—with the added bonus of stops in some local Italian restaurants for tastings.

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Our tour started at the ‘Darlington House’.

The staff in this establishment were extremely friendly. Charlie-the Chef and Ernesto-the Manager welcomed us and served us a traditional tomato and mozzarella starter and a delicious mushroom risotto.

I really enjoyed them and would definitely return to this restaurant when I am back in Washington D.C.

Secondly, we walked to ‘Tomate’.

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We sat down and tasted some duck ragu. It was nice but as I don’t really eat pasta it wouldn’t be my normal choice of main.

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After our main we walked around the Dupont Circle and learned about the history of this area. It was fascinating to listen to our guide and I really enjoyed wandering down picturesque streets of this area.

Lastly, we went to Pasha for a dessert and after having some traditional Cannoli the tour ended.

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Final thoughts:

Mangia DC walking food tour will take you on a unique, interactive journey of the Italian wines and foods. I had an unforgettable evening with a progressive dinner at 3 different establishments and I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to discover Washington whilst at the same time having some great Italian food. The tour costs $65 and is definitely worth it.

X

Pauline

J W Marriott hotel, Washington D.C.

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Last week, I was in Washington D.C. and stayed at the 4* J W Marriott Hotel.

Location:

J W Marriott Hotel is perfectly situated just a couple of minutes walk from the White House in the heart of downtown Washington D.C. . It has a perfect location as it is close to all the major sights and museums of Washington, steps from the U.S. Capitol and a short 5-minutes walk from the National Mall.

Service:

The reception desk is open 24 hours. The service was friendly, attentive and always happy to suggest the places to visit or restaurants to dine in.

Rooms:

I stayed on the 2th floor in room 225 which features some breath-taking views of downtown. The room was chic, comfortable and it was furnished with a spacious desk, modern armchair to rest on and a comfortable king-size bed.

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The room was also equipped with Air Conditioning, flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a minibar.

There is Wi-Fi connection to Internet available throughout the Hotel at an extra charge of $12.95 per night.

Bathroom:

Our marble bathroom had a beautiful modern décor, a bathtub and a shower.

There was a selection of natural bath toiletries provided.

Facilities:

Breakfast is offered for a surcharge and provides a selection of cold and warm dishes to choose from and costs $26 per person per night.

All hotel guests have a complimentary access to the heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and fitness area. There are 2 restaurants available to dine in-Avenue Grill and 1331 Lounge. In addition, all guests can grab a coffee at Sturbucks located on a ground floor past reception to recharge their energy levels.

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Overall experience:

J W Marriott Hotel offers everything you need for a wonderful visit to Washington- a great location, friendly staff and comfortable rooms.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/wasjw-jw-marriott-washington-dc/

Address:

1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington  District Of Columbia

20004  USA

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Croatia

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A few weeks ago, I visited Zagreb in Croatia with my husband. We decided to stay at the 5* Esplanade Zagreb Hotel.

Location:

Esplanade Zagreb Hotel is situated just few minutes away from the heart of historic Old Town center of Zagreb. It has a good location for anyone wishing to do a bit of sightseeing as it is close to all its major sights.

Service:

The reception desk is open 24 hours. When we arrived we went straight to the receptionist to check in. We were welcomed by quite a grumpy receptionist… Throughout our stay, we were disappointed with the friendliness of the staff and none of them smiled. I was surprised as most of the exclusive hotels I stay in have extremely friendly staff which wasn’t a case in Esplanade.

Rooms:

Esplanade Hotel dates back to 1925 and is one of the most famous buildings in Zagreb.

It is famous for welcoming many distinguished gusts such as presidents, politicians, film stars and musicians. Esplanade Zagreb Hotel has 208 rooms and suites. We stayed on the 4th floor in room 404.

Our room was elegant, spacious and offered traditional art deco suroundings. It was furnished with soft carpets, spacious desk, modern armchairs and a comfortable king-size bed. The walls were decorated with some basic paintings.

Our room was also equipped with Air Conditioning, flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a minibar. There was a free Wi-Fi connection to Internet available.

Bathroom:

Our marble bathroom had a classic décor, a bathtub and a shower.

There was a selection of natural bath toiletries from L’Occitaine collection.

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Facilities:

Breakfast is offered for a surcharge and provides a selection of cold and warm dishes to choose from. As my husband doesn’t normally eat breakfasts, we decided to skip it as it was around £20 per person per night.

All guests have access o the health club and the use of sauna and fitness area is free to all guests staying at the hotel. The Hotel doesn’t have a swimming pool.

Overall experience:

Esplanade Zagreb Hotel has a great location, comfortable rooms and nice small relaxation area. There is also a couple of restaurants on site if you are too lazy to walk to the city centre. The only negative aspect of our stay was the service we received and I hope that it will improve as other than that the hotel has the facilities to enable anyone to have an enjoyable stay.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.esplanade.hr/

Address:

Mihanovićeva ul. 1,

10000, Zagreb,

Croatia

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Dinner at Vinodol restaurant in Zagreb, Croatia

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A couple of weeks ago, I was with my husband in Zagreb in Croatia. On our last evening, we booked a table at the popular local restaurant – Vinodol.

Location:

Vinodol Restaurant is located in the city’s center on Nikole Tesle’s street.

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Atmosphere:

Vinodol Restaurant serves meals that are prepared according to traditional recipes, with a modern approach.  The restaurant has a large inside area that can hold up to 180 guest in addition to a green and spacious outdoor terrace that sits 100.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting. We were welcomed by Lucy who was attending our table through the night. She was really friendly and professional.

The menu:

All guests can choose from A La Carte as well as great daily menus made from selected fresh seasonal foods. They both looked great. We decided to have a glass of Prosecco to start with while considering what we should have.

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Starters:

While sipping our Prosecco, we decided to order some asparagus, shrimp and wild mushroom risotto from a daily menu. It was delectable and I wish I could recreate it at home.

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Mains:

There was a great choice of mains on the menu. We asked our friendly waitress for a recommendation as we couldn’t decide and agreed to share some lamb prepared on spit from Cres island.

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It was really tasty and tender. It also came with a couple of sides and some potatoes.

Desserts:

We were full after having our starters and mains but we still decided to try some desserts: some hazelnut fantasy cake and a creme carmel. They were both delicious but the hazelnut cake was simply amazing! It was definitely the best cake I’ve tried so far this year and you should definitely try it if you visit Vinodol.

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Overall experience:

We both had a lovely time Vinodol as the restaurant serves delicious food based on fresh, seasonal ingredients. I loved my hazelnut cake and will definitely reccommend it to anyone with a sweet tooth. The service was really friendly, restaurant is located in a city center and it serves great quality, traditional and Mediterranean food with a modern influence so I would definitely visit it again.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.vinodol-zg.hr/en/

Address:

Ul. Nikole Tesle 10,

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline