Travel Recommendations
A wrap up of some of my favourite travels inc notable places to eat and stay. I will update this sporadically with past trips when I get round to it and immediately regret trying to keep up with this.
Piedmont; Lake Maggiore & Cremolino
Piedmont is huge, and you can reach it via flying into a few different airports. I’d recommend mapping this out before you leave and looking at the distance between the airport and your chosen hotel. You can probably tell that I didn’t do this, I book flights to and from Turin and rented a car. This meant approx 2.5 hours of driving to each destination - actually not too bad when the views are so pretty! We stopped along the way at a pasticciere and a few local coffee shops.
Lake Maggiore:
For the first leg of this trip we ventured up to Lake Maggiore, mainly because everything at Como was booked up! It was absolutely breath taking and picturesque, and one of the huge benefits is that you can pop to 3 islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Isola del Pescatori) and explore them really quickly and easily. I would recommend a max of 2 full days here, one to explore the islands and the other to relax and enjoy the scenery. SADLY, I have no trusty food recommendations for this part of the trip. I tried HARD to research and find good places but I didn’t find anything worth noting - I even ended up at a Nonna’s house in the hope of a home cooked meal, instead we were served a lot of cheese and jam in various iterations (and charged a fortune for it!).
We stayed at Villa e Palazzo Aminta, it was really pretty and the pool and breakfast area overlooks all three islands - it’s totally beautiful. The breakfast and food at the hotel was good, the spa and pool good too! If you’re going, book a room in the main part of the hotel rather than the out building rooms, they’re much nicer.
Cremolino:
For the second part of our trip we drove to Cremolino to stay at Nordelaia . This place is unbelievable, there are only 12 rooms and it’s surrounded by greenery, like something out of a film. The hotel is peaceful and the staff incredibly attentive, I thought it’s the perfect place for maximum relaxation and serenity, somewhere you can go with your partner, on your own as a retreat or with your baby! The hotel boasts a pretty lux spa area, two different pools (both outdoors, one heated), a relaxation area, access to walking trails and really good restaurants.
The dining experience here is intimate, the food offering is headed up by talented chef Charles Pearce. LORTO is their fine dining restaurant (it’s very much Michelin worthy), and they have a casual bistro downstairs. Both Mattie and I are chefs, we were so impressed with the food across the board that we didn’t leave for the 3 days we were there! The fresh pasta was absolutely OBSCENE, the produce used is all local, fresh, seasonal - and you can really taste it.
If you like wine there are lots of vineyards in the area and local places to eat too, i’d recommend a car if you want to explore.
I would travel back here to stay put for a few days and to eat like a Queen (i’m already checking out dates for when I can return!).
Nordelaia was a press trip, but i’m raving about it because I would pay to go back again and again- a really great find. Check out my instagram for more videos & pictures of my time here.
Oaxaca & Tulum
A trip of a lifetime with Thomasina Myers & the Wahaca team exploring the food and learning about farming practices, culture and traditions.
Oaxaca places to eat:
Here is a fantastic blog on the food markets in Oaxaca
Tulum places to eat:
Taqueria Honorio (go early, before 12pm!)
Tips: Drive if you can in Tulum, car rental isn’t too expensive and it’s quite easy as the roads are big. (Except the dirt track roads that lead to some of the beaches).
Photo credit: Wahaca photography team
Mallorca
A huge shoutout to Kitty Coles & Lucy of Wild by Tart who sent me so many recommendations for this trip.
I stayed on the opposite side Island to Palma and drove around a lot. Driving was really easy as was parking. The other side of the island was worth it mostly for the hotel, it was gorgeous and came with a spa, gym, indoor pool & more. Very picturesque and secluded. The food in the hotel (apart from breakfast) wasn’t great so driving made it much easier to eat somewhere different each night and go on day trips.
Places to eat:
Patiki Beach - Soller
Luna 36 - Soller
Spot - Palma
Bar la sang - Palma
El Camino - Palma
Koa & Ombo - Palma
Badal Corner- Palma
Ca Na Toneta - Caimari
Ca’s Patró March - Deià
Places to stay:
Recommended by friends: Con Bordoy, Finca Serena, Casa Mana, Son bull
Beaches:
Cala san Vincente (blue sea, no beach)
Cap de formentor (beds on beach, white beach)
Cala Vaques (blue sea cove, 20 mins to walk down)
Oslo
I went to Oslo, purely because I saw an appetising food photo from Nud of Breddos tacos. It was of some tacos. I booked a flight to Oslo to go and eat some tacos, and I’m glad I did. Nud kindly sent me more recommendations listed below. There was so much to do and we walked A LOT, go for some fresh air & to jump in a Fjord.
Places to eat:
Going out (all from Nud!):
BLÅ - if you’re here on Sunday go here! Live New Orleans music right by the river in Oslo. Best vibe around for Sunday. Also open the other days too pretty late
Jaeger - if you fancy dancing
The Villa - if you feel like Clubbing!
Dangerous Club - tiny cocktail bar with great drinks and sound
Hammerhai - super cool bar by the sea
Papa Borracha - mezcal bar (my fav)
Bar Lardo - cured meats and natural wines
Puglia
I went to Puglia for a wedding, specifically to the town Otranto after flying to Brindisi. We hired a car and drove from the airport, which was very straightforward until we managed to puncture the tyre on the last day… oops.
There is so much of Puglia to still be explored, it’s vast and each area is slightly different. After staying in Otranto for the wedding we drove and ate in Lecce, wandered around Grottaglie before heading to Ostuni.
Places to eat:
Ristorante Terrazza San Pietro for the ricotta & honey -Otranto
LaltroBaffo for sea urchin pasta and fresh fish -Otranto
Alle due corti authentic Puglinese cuisine -Lecce
Tipozero Get a deep fried pizza for the table -Galatina
Tana del Lupo This was recommended by so many people, run by a couple with a small intimate menu. Both times I tried it was shut, if this happens walk round the corner to Tipozero for pizza -Galatina
Pasticceria Luca Capilungo an absolute MUST for any pastry lover, go for ice cream, cakes, pastries, coffee and sit outside or eat on the counter with the locals -Lecce
cremeria alla scala Outstanding gelato -Ostuni
Panza rotto gourmet For life changing sandwiches, trust me - Ostuni
Things to do:
Grottaglie go here to peruse gorgeous ceramics and wander around the area. If you love buying plates and looking through the history of ceramics you will be in heaven
Sul mare a Punta Prosciutto - picturesque beach in Salento
Alberobello everyone is Ostuni recommends you go here, it’s gorgeous
Bologna
A quick 3 days in Bologna with the intention of eating as much as possible and walking a lot. Worth the trip, the food was mostly absolutely sensational. I found a cute Airbnb by the University which was a lovely area, I would also recommend staying by Santo Stefano. There is b&b on that road and it’s within walking distance of some very delicious places, most notably one of the best gelato shops in the country.
Always check the opening times of places and try to book ahead for the restaurants if you can.
Places to eat:
Cremeria Santo Stefano - one of the best in the country, go early or you’ll need to queue. The fig & ricotta which was a seasonal special was particularly good
Drogheria della Rosa - *not open on Saturdays.* Recommended as a MUST try from Hugo Harrision. It was hands down the best meal I ate in Bologna, from the mortadella to the fresh pastas, ravioli all the way to dessert. Book ahead!
All’Osteria Bottega - Book ahead and if they say no on the phone I managed to get a table by visiting during the day and booking for the same evening. Go here for the extensive cold cuts & cheeses followed by fresh pastas. Beautiful
Banco 32 - In the fresh food market you’ll find really good quality fruit & veg, i’d recommend buying what’s best in season and cooking it or eating the fresh fruit then and there. There’s also a good fish restaurant attached to it where they change the menu daily depending on what they have. The chef will even cater to your vegetarian guests by whipping something up off menu.
La Sorbetteria Castiglione - very good for gelato
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Extra recommendations from friends that I didn’t get round to:
Osteria dell’Orsa
Grassilli
Osteria Broccaindosso
Tratoria del Tempo Buono
Trattoria Serghei
Pasta Fresca Naldi
Trattoria da Me
New York
NY has been on my list of ‘to-visit’ places for years, mostly to see for myself what all of the fuss is about AND because I really love pizza. Lucky for me, it seems like most esteemed food lovers I know have been and were therefore able to send me recommendations and must-eat lists. Lucky for you I complied all of these into a google map which you can find here.
I really did try my best to visit as many places I could which meant strategically plotting each day before I got there (something I rarely do) but by doing this I was able to get lots more done and turns out places get booked up FAST. So if you’re thinking of going, book the must-do meals in advance..
A thank you to the following people for all of the recommendations that you will see on the map and below; Shah Abdul-Wahid, Jules Loti, Charlotte Druckman, Mark Rosati.
For part of our trip we stayed at the Hoxton in Williamsburg, a really good spot to get around as there is so much to do in Brooklyn.
Pizza MUST eats:
L’industrie stunning, there was a huge queue when I went. Totally worthy of the queue with really interesting unique topping combos like the fig & bacon. Soft serve & donuts also
Joe’s pizza walk in for a slice, one of my favourite slices that I tried
Lucali please do me a favour and book here in advance, or order a takeaway and be prepared to wait for 2+ hours for it. Worth it
Restaurants for lunch/dinner:
Ugly baby hella spicy excellent thai
Wu’s Wonton King brilliant, BYOB, walk in tables
Cafe Spaghetti a gem that we managed to eat out courtesy of a last min rec from Charlotte Druckman. If it’s on the specials menu get the penne vodka
Lots more dinner places on the map! I was gutted to miss Lilia as quite a few friends I met in NY said it was their favourite
Sweet treats:
Milk bar we had a cereal milk shake and LOVED
Levain ordered cookies in bed at the hotel
In the daytime I would recommend hitting up the old school sandwich spots like Faccio’s or grabbing pizza. There is so much more to cover but i’m short on time so please check the map and my instagram for more intel/info X