Ana Silva O'Reilly
Spring has come and gone – and let me tell you, I loved every trip I took. Things started very well in the Maldives, Abu Dhabi was a lot more than I ever imagined, Cyprus had delicious food and Bordeaux was one of the best weekends I ever had. Puglia, in Italy, was breathtaking and I am simply lost for words. Mr. O also surprised me with a fab birthday weekend in Paris, and I adored every minute of it.
Summer is, without a doubt (or surprise), my favourite season of the year. And something tells me this wi
Source: http://mrsoaroundtheworld.com/reviews/plans/top-5-destinations-summer/
The fab beach club at Finca CortesinIn early July, I will return to what is possibly one of the most special hotels I have ever visited. I got in trouble with Mr. O when I didn’t take him to last year (I had a lovely girls weekend, which you can read all about here). So being the good wife that I strive to be, I shall be back for 5 days of luxury, incredible service and a very pretty hotel. And gambas, of course. You can read my review of my previous stay here.
I cannot wait to get on this train!You think that I am joking, but I literally mean ‘somewhere around the UK’. I will be on board the iconic Belmond British Pullman, for one of its signature UK journeys. Belmond is the new brand name of Orient-Express Hotels, Trains & Cruises and you can find out more about this epic travel brand, right here.I will join this train on July 12th for the ‘Dinner’ experience, which departs and arrives from London Victoria station. I am very excited as one of my favourite chefs, Tom Kerridge from the Hand & Flower will be hosting this very special pop-up dinner. There are a series of scheduled departures with pop-up UK chefs, which is a great idea.
Yes, the pool was all mine at Herdade do Vau. And the views…Later in the month, I will be back to my home country for 9 days, which will start with a return to Herdade do Vau, which I first visited last year and is officially one of my secret places. This is a place that did quite a bit for our souls – the peace and quiet were second to none and the wine was outstanding too.The stunning setting of the Hotel Quinta do Lago, in the Algarve.From here, I will make my way to one of my favourite parts of the Algarve: the Quinta do Lago. For as long as I can remember, we have visited this beach on each trip to the Algarve. Crossing the wooden bridge across the ‘Ria Formosa’ is always part of the experience. On this trip, I will be staying at the Quinta do Lago Hotel, one of the Algarve’s most iconic hotels and I am looking forward to the experience.For the rest of the week, I will be at the Sheraton Algarve, where we have been staying for 10 years if not more. It is part of our pre-nuptial agreement.
Oh yes, we are going back to California. Like the Algarve, it is a destination we cannot live without – I am a repeater, I am afraid. We will start our California road trip in San Francisco, which we haven’t visited in almost 4 years.I miss San FranciscoWe will be staying at the Mandarin Oriental, which promises amazing views and more. I cannot wait to go back. After 3 days in town, we will start going south.After the city, our first stop will be at the Westin Verasa Napa, in the… Napa Valley. I have visited this area over 7 years ago and I am delighted to be going back. I am sure it has changed a lot (hopefully for the better) in this time and I am looking forward to a glass of good Californian wine, or 4!I think that the pool at the Westin will be perfect after a bit of wine tasting!From here, we will move on to the stunning Rosewood Corde Valle, which is tucked away in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. I love discovering new places in California (because there is so much to see and do), and cannot wait. And keeping with the train theme, we will be going on one: The Wine Train!From here, we will continue our drive south and I am still deciding on the best route to take and stopovers. Any suggestions are most welcome!I have been to Palm Springs 12 times in the last 8 years. And I will continue forever.And then… we will get to one of my favourite places in the world. You know it by now: . We visited it by mistake 8 years ago (seriously, it was just a random stop on another California trip) and we have been going back every year, religiously. We will be staying at the villa we own at the Westin Mission Hills which makes for a very nice home away from home. There’s always something new happening every year, and I cannot wait to get there for almost a whole week.I adore the Four Seasons Los AngelesAnd our final stop, I am sure you can guess it. , a city that I truly adore. It is also home to one of my favourite hotels – the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, where we will return to after falling in love with it last year.
Venice, I am going to like you this time!And to end Summer in style (and celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary), Mr. O and yours truly will fly to Venice (an important detail, bear with me) and we will enjoy 2 glorious summer nights at the Gritti Palace, one of the city’s legendary hotels.And from Venice, we will board the Venice-Simplon Orient-Express, which will bring us back to London, on a 2-day journey. This will be my longest ever train journey, but, without a doubt, an unforgettable one. Senior Mrs. O, one of the most fabulous women I have ever met in my life (and the lucky lady I got as my mother in law), has been, and has been sharing her tales of her epic journey, which was the reverse one, starting from London. She is also trying to find some photographs, which won’t be easy – but I would love to see them and share them with you.Something tells me this is going to be the best summer ever. And I literally cannot wait.Where will this summer take you? Let me know all about it.xoMrs. O
