Let's have a Sunday Funday

Italy recap, croissants, walks, and Menorca. #65

A short intro this week as you have a little bit more reading down below and it’s getting late on Sunday.

Autumn is finally starting to show its colours. It’s my favourite season. I love the colder mornings, the soft light, the reds, oranges, yellows with some green still lingering.. And yes, I do also like the rainy days, which are a good excuse to cosy up at home and spend hours on the computer doing my bloggy stuff, looking at artificial intelligence coding or learning about some knowledge management new tech tool!

Today was a great Sunday: we got into this habit of once a month getting up early, driving to get a fresh croissant, pain au chocolat and hot drink from a French pâtissier London shop and then walking all around Hyde Park. By 10:30 we are back home, have easily done our 10,000 steps, bathed in nature and still have so much time to read the papers, potter in the garden (mostly Mr Bigg, I’m rubbish with plants and the likes), do admin, read or play “petits chevaux” or finish a puzzle.

I realise that the two paragraphs above make me look either like a real geek or an early retiree but it’s me! Lover of stylish travel, tech and indoor adventures! What weird combination are you?

I leave you below with a teaser about our stay at Reschio and a list of my recommendations for Menorca, another island I’d like to try one day and that maybe you can plan for your next summer.

Have a good week

Castello di Reschio - Our itinerary

I will write the full review this week but in the meantime, here are the daily updates that I posted in the chat. There were more photos every day but this is a flavour until you see more in the fulll post. If there is something specific you want me to cover in my review, let me know in the comments of by replying to this email.

Day one - Arezzo

Early drive through London Bridge on our way to City airport. Arrived in Tuscany and visited Arezzo on our way to Reschio

Beautiful Piazza Grande with its palazzio and loggia. It must be quite special to dine here in the evening. Look at those old massive shutters! We had a simple bruschetta in a cafe and it was perfect just sitting there and watching the piazza. So calm at that time of the year!

Day two - relaxing at the hotel

Delightful early morning swim in the one of kind pool at Reschio. The peace of the tuscan hills and songs of the birds was the perfect start of the day.

We went up to the tower and had superb views of the countryside. There are two nooks that you can privatise and have a romantic diner there. Although you have to pay and it’s expensive! But the walk up there is free!

Day three - Late Trasimeno and Isola Maggiore

Went to Lake Trasimeno which is only half an hour drive from the hotel and took a ferry to Isola Maggiore. Had read good things about it but it was a bit disappointing. The arrival is nice but the island has obviously suffered from extensive heat this summer and lack of investment to maintain it these past few years. There was a ruined massive villa which used to attract all the rich Italians. Basically a Reschio of the past. Makes me think of the passing of time and how things change so quickly…

But many Itallians came to have a local Sunday lunch so it was good to witness the local life.

In the evening we had a great meal at a local restaurant. No interior design, just great produce and great food.

Day four - a bike tour

We explored the beautiful scenery by bike. Highly recommend it. Obviously very hilly so we did appreciate the ebikes that you can rent at the hotel. 2 hours of going up and down, getting to flowery meadows, spotting some fabulous villas hidden in vegetation or getting to a olive tree field.

I recommend discovering the region this way. Wherever you end up staying I’m sure they can arrange bikes.

Day five - Cortona

Only 30 min drive from the hotel and a great town to explore by foot. Be ready to hike as the climb to various churches and the fortress is very steep! Lots of masterpieces in the churches including a relic of the Holly Cross. When you think they painted those more than 5 centuries ago...

Day six - departure

We left just as the rain started. We’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather. Reschio was as beautiful and enjoyable as I’d hoped. Fabulous five days resting, enjoying the beauty of the scenery and eating good Italian food of course.

Extra finds - 10 gems in Menorca

Four years ago, I had written about Menorca becoming more and more a destination island that would soon take over its more famous neighbours Mallorca and Ibiza.

These past couple of months, I noticed even more hotels opening there so this is my second alert to you to say: book there quickly before it becomes too crowded!

Petit Mao

From £290 - Check latest prices and availability

6 rooms in this nicely decorated old building in the centre of Mahon. There is no TV in the rooms or in the public spaces but there is a small outdoor pool. They can add a single bed for a child under 12 years. They also have a family suite overlooking the courtyard. It consists of an area with a double bed and another where you can place two extra beds.

Hotel Hevresac

From 120 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

from the same owners as Petit Mao. Brand new hotel in an end of the 18th century manorial house close to the Petit Maó at the corner of San Fernando/Anuncivay streets in its original state and for the very first time integrally renovated with its singular and evident singularity.

Amagatay Menorca

From 252 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

Located in Alaoir, the Amagatay Menorca agrotourism is a farm with more than 30 hectares, surrounded by olive trees. It has a large outdoor pool, a bar and a restaurant. New owners have updated the look and brought style to the property.

Son Blanc Farmhouse

From 200 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

Newly opened this year, this 19th-century farmhouse made of limestone, clay and wild olive wood has been transformed into a boutique hotel. The property is planted with hundreds of olive and almond trees, a medicinal garden and a fruit orchard. It’s also home to sheep, hens and bee hives. The 14 guest rooms are furnished with pieces by Spanish designers. There is an outdoor pool.

Cristina Bedfor, Mahon

From 280 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

Housed in a building in the historic centre of Mahón, Cristine Bedfor is a guesthouse with 21 rooms. Together with her friend, the interior designer Lorenzo Castillo, Cristine has spent several years trawling antique shops and fairs looking for special, unique pieces steeped in history that perfectly match the local architecture, materials and crafts of Menorca.There is a pool hidden in the secret garden and they can provide a beach kit!

Hotel Can Alberti

From 176 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

Located in the heart of the noble and historical neighbourhood of Maó, a short walk far from the Harbour and the Catedral in a quiet cobblestone street, It's been refurbished in 2015. Only six rooms so nice and intimate.There is no counter, there is no elevator and there is no TV (but an Ipad and a video-projector) . They have a family room.

Gallery Hotel Ses Sucreres

From 132 Euros - Check latest prices and availability

Small charming hotel in Minorca. A converted a 1844 manoir in the old neighborhood of Ferreries, a village right in the centre of Minorca. Big focus on sustainable food and using local produce. They added a small pool in 2023.

Es Bec d’Aguila

From £3200 per night for 24 people in high season- Check latest prices and availability

Only Ten kilometres from the nearest beach, Es Bec d'Aguila enjoys a very exclusive and private position nestled in its 60 hectares of land in the heart of Menorca. 11 bedrooms and an extra bedroom for 6 children, each with its own ensuite. Next to the 25 meters long swimming pool, sits an outside kitchen area, the ideal setting for barbecues and local specialities.

Son Vell, Menorca

From 750 euros - Check latest prices and availability

Located 20-minutes from Ciutadella, Menorca’s attractive second city, in the heart of the south Menorcan countryside, Son Vell rises as a symbol of Menorcan elegance, strength and beauty. The hotel, with its 34 rooms, is circled by 180 hectares of gardens, citrus trees, olive groves and an organic vegetable garden. Outdoor pool

S'Enclova Petit Hotel

From 88 euros - Check latest prices and availability

A historic home in the center of the enchanting city of Ciutadella de Menorca. The five bedrooms have been newly renovated, decorated in clean lines and muted colours,