September 2019 - Travel & Experiences at Boutique Hotels and Restaurants Around the World

Florida West Coast Beach and Culture

(Florida West Coast Beach includes Tampa, Clearwater, Saint Petersburg)

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tampa florida west coast beach map — West Coast Florida Tampa map

Who says you can’t find culture in the Tampa area?

The Florida west coast beach side has that.. Besides beautiful beaches with sugar fine sand and aqua color ocean that goes on for miles, the Tampa area is filled with museums.

If you appreciate art, you’ll be intrigued with the Dali Museum located in Saint Petersburg (Salvador Dali was one interesting surreal painter).

And the Chihuhly Museum known for the inspiring colorful glass art pieces you’ve probably seen all over the world (like the famous glass flowered ceilings in the Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel).

Treasure Island – Saint Petersburg, FL or St. Pete Beach

treasure island florida west coast beach culture

In that area, I recommend a boutique hotel, Treasure Island, just footsteps from the Florida west coast beach. It’s perfect for a romantic or solo getaway. The room is modern and has a convenient kitchenette and turndown service (with chocolates 🙂

Tampa area is known for fresh grouper and this hotel serves a delicious grouper meal.

florida west coast beach food — Fresh grouper salad at Treasure Island

The Sandpearl Resort – Clearwater Beach

If you want to be closer to Clearwater, known for its clear waters and awarded beaches (where you can almost go as far out as far as the eye can see), there are 2 hotels I love.

If you are looking for opulence or a hotel with a nice spa, the Sandpearl is recommended.

Opal Sands – Clearwater

florida west coast beach mocktail pina colada pool drink — Poolside drinks like a virgin pina colada

Opal Sands Hotel is a modern hotel with matching kitchen in the suites. It has a nice pool with pool drinks. And has free bikes you can check out to ride to the market or along the pedestrian/bike path to the pier with beautiful sunsets.

Paris Neighborhoods 101 (Perfect for a Solo or First Visit)

…and Paris neighborhoods you don’t want to miss out on!

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The Eiffel Tower is one of the most sought out Paris neighborhoods for obvious reasons

If you are like me, you’re not afraid of going to exciting places with cultures where they don’t speak your native language. And as a solo person or a first-time visit. It’s the vibe of the modern traveler who enjoys trying, tasting, and seeing new places. 👀

Paris is one of these great exploring cities. It’s a great walking city, and flooded with tourists and visitors who don’t speak french. Walking from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower is exciting.

My favorite is walking through posh neighborhoods like Saint Germain du Pres, and having a cafe.

One of the nicest neighborhoods is St. Germain du Pres in the 6th arondissment

And then visiting Ile Saint Louis, Sacre Coeur, and walking through the Tuileries Gardens (not necessarily in that order ;-). And you’ll want to know how to get an inside look at best food options with no reservations (great if you don’t like to plan!).

And of course, with so many Paris neighborhoods (arrondissements), you want to know where in stay…

If you want to save money, near the Latin Quarter (close by to Sorbonne University and Luxembourg Gardens), you can achieve that. I stayed at the coolest vibe boutique hotel, The Five Hotel. The shower had different lights. Each of the rooms were painted different colors, like this teal color room…

I was kinda intrigued by the black painted room and actually moved out of the beige room (too boring for me!). I like the cuh-lahs! And I had a beautiful view of the courtyard.

The best feature of the hotel is that they will hold your bags for you for FREE. This is convenient if you’ve checked out and still want to explore the city before you have to leave. Wifi worked great in the room and I could Facetime without hiccup 😊

Their service was exemplary and I left a tip for the maid as I felt the room was cared for. When I got back home and realized I left my small personal pillow behind, I wrote them and they wrote back that they found the white pillow and could ship it back to me. Most short-stay venues wouldn’t be that thoughtful.

Latin Quarter is one of the Paris neighborhoods you should check out and maybe stay at

each room is unique and exciting to enter…

The Best of Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, and Hillside Towns

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I got the best of Spain working in event management in a “foodie” Spanish restaurant chain in DC, and that inspired my vacation to Spain.

Also, the idea that Spain had such a big historical influence on Europe and the rest of the world, like northern Africa.

My suggestion is if you’re going to Spain, do it right and visit the big cities (Madrid and Barcelona) and the hillside towns (Granada, Sevilla, and Cordoba) so you can get a full flavor of the architecture and styles that influenced the world.

Seeing Christopher Columbus’ tomb is a memorable event. I’d seen photos of the Alhambra in Granada as a child (since my architect dad owns hundreds of travel books).

In Barcelona, the freshest fish can be caught right off the Mediterranean Sea. Port Vell is the area where most of the restaurants are that you shouldn’t miss. Skip the tourist traps and go for the real deal seafood if you like fresh Mediterranean salmon.

You’ll taste what fresh really means! Tapas and paella for the most part is like fast food in Spain (that’s popular and delicious in the US).

In Madrid I found memorable the solomillo (tenderloin) with patatas bravas (fried potatoes). In Cordoba, I had salmorejo (gazpacho specialty) that was very unique. Jambon (ham) is famous there, especially the bellota (acorn) ham.

This menu I worked with in the States, is a food and language lesson all in one.

There is so much to see in Spain, that I wouldn’t go for the most expensive hotel. I’d go for a great value hotel that’s city center in Agumar Madrid and Abba Sants Barcelona.

These are the ones I stayed at that were nice and I was happy at.

best of Spain in a warm hotel room — Abba Sants Hotel, Barcelona

At Agumar, even a pleasant hotel chatbot named Velma pops up on the site. While that may be good or bad in some cases, for hotels that are often decades behind in tech, this is a futuristic move up.

If you’re checking out all of Spain, you may not remember the hotels, but you will remember the best of what Spain has to offer, and finding a nice stay will help you enjoy your vacation.

These are some that I would come back to:

Agumar Hotel Madrid

Abba Sants Hotel, Barcelona

Melia Lebreros Hotel (heart of Sevilla or Seville 😊)

cool vibes to enjoy the best of Spain — Melia Lebreros Hotel, Sevilla

If you are charmed by the hillside towns of Spain like Granada, you’ll probably love rooftop views and architecture finds in Bologna, Italy.