Greece and Italy Travels

I’m sharing the nooks of our travels to Greece and Italy that we genuinely loved and would go back to in a heartbeat. I’m leaving the rest out because, whilst they were still deeply incredible experiences, I don’t want you going somewhere purely because I said so. These are the places that really stood out to us.

Cordelia from La Trove deserves a mention. She organised absolutely everything for us within 3 weeks before we left. EVERYTHING. Things that we would have never thought about before stumbling upon the need for it. We felt like an actual Royal family with every driver organised for us at each stop!!

One thing I absolutely loved throughout so much of Greece and Italy was the way food was treated. In most places there was such a heavy focus on local produce, food grown with little to no spraying, seasonal ingredients and traditional preparation methods, and it was EASY to be gluten free. Food felt connected to the land, the people and the place we were in, rather than just something being served to us. 

A little warning... nothing was a bargain. I am sure you can have an equally incredible experience in each location without going wild on accommodation and restaurants, but we had been waiting for this holiday for what felt like our whole lives, so we invested, spoilt ourselves, and decided to realllllly embrace it and not hold back. 

Athens

We were only here for one night, however the food did not disappoint! We loved eating at Rhoē and Dopios, and our hotel breakfast was spectacular. The hotel had no additions other than the room and breakfast, but both were fabulous and helpful for when you need that speedy stopover, so it was called Xenodocheio Milos. 

Sifnos

We stayed at Elies Resorts and absolutely LOVED it. Their buffet breakfast was extremely fresh and beyond beautiful. The homemade Greek yogurt.... THE homemade Greek yogurt!!! We didn't want to leave the hotel, because it had everything. The beach was right there, a huge pool, playground, a great gym, and more, however we also loved eating at Pelicanos, Elies Restaurant for dinner and Ofelos.

One of the most special experiences was Loumidis Family Farm, where we did a tour and tasted food made by the family themselves. It felt incredibly wholesome and was such a beautiful way to experience the island.

Paros

We didn’t completely fall in love with Paros as it was slightly more touristy and/or commercialised, but one restaurant we absolutely loved was Rema Floga. Exploring the little streets around the restaurant was also incredible and one of my favourite parts of being there. Hiring a boat is worthwhile, as we LOVED the cliff jumping. A jaw dropping beach surrounded by giant, mountain sized rocks is Molos beach. Highly recommend! 

Dolomites

The Dolomites... unbelievable. My eyes became sore because they were so wide open on the drive there. It was like nothing we'd witnessed before.. just incredible. We stayed at Sonnwies Family Resort and, whilst it is a large investment, for a family I couldn’t recommend the experience enough... it had a waterpark inside the hotel, like what?! My children didn't want to leave the school sized child area. It had a sports hall for soccer, basketball and whatever you wish, archery, horse riding, arts and crafts, a few playgrounds, a mini home for them to play, dance parties every night and SO much more. We were taught how they make butter for the hotel from their own cows, too! 

It’s one of those places where everything has been thought about for the children and the parents, while somehow still feeling beautiful and enjoyable for the adults too.

Tuscany / Monte Argentario

Again, absolutely breathtaking. We stayed at Boutique Hotel Torre di Cala Piccola and this was a stunningggg part of the trip, purely because of where the hotel was located. By this time, we were ready to sink into 'nothingness' so we didn't leave the hotel area as there were transfers to the local rocky cove/swimming hole all day, everyday. The view from the hotel was beyond exceptional and we ended up eating breakfast, lunch and dinner there most days.

I loved how much of the food was sourced locally, mostly spray free, and how thoughtfully they catered for gluten free.

Let me know if you venture to any of these places, and pop any questions in the comments of my original instagram post so I don't miss them. 

Happy travels, happy eating xxx