My cruise on the Norwegian Star was my sixth cruise in the past three years.  This was my first cruise with Norwegian Cruise lines.   I had previously cruised with Holland America three times and Royal Caribbean two times.  I was pleasantly surprised with Norwegian as a company and the Norwegian Star cruise ship which has been renovated recently.  I thought the entertainment was excellent, the food was good, and there was a big variety of excursions offered at the ports we stopped at and the prices were reasonable.  I think this is a great Cruise line for families with children which I will discuss later on.

This post is just a look back at my travels during 2015.  I chose my top five trips and a few of my personal favorite photos.  I do believe that Oahu and Vermont made the list only partially because I have friends there and that tends to make vacations more fun!  I will say that Bora Bora / French Polynesia were at the top of my bucket list and I finally made it in February and March 2015.

Lake Garda,  Italy

Ko Olina Oahu Hawaii

Curacao

Burlington, Vermont

Bora Bora - French Polynesia

 Sorry this is a photo only post.  If you've been following along you've probably seen these photos already.  Thank you for the visit.  Happy new year to all and I hope 2016 is your best year yet! 

~Michelle

Perhaps it seems a little silly that I would visit the same city in Italy in just a little more than a year I actually almost stayed in the exact hotel I had in 2014.  At the last minute I decided to stay in a different location that was closer to the train station as I knew that I would be taking several day trips. 

When I visited Florence last summer it was very crowded on the streets.  It was wall-to-wall people on some days in some areas.  I was told that November was a very slow time there.  I noticed a slight difference in the amount of people but it was very slight. 

The good thing about my trip was November the weather is quite unpredictable in northern Italy and it did not rain a single day of the ten days I was there.  There were many days that I walked around with short sleeves on as it was close to 70°F.  When you're doing a lot of walking as I do in Italy you warm up pretty quickly, 

I took day trips to Cinque Terre, Rome  as Tuscany .  I left a couple of days open to visit Venice .  The weather, however, in that area of the country looked quite chilly and rainy so I decided not to go.   Although I am glad I saw Rome I would never go on a day trip to such a large area again the same goes for Tuscany.

  If you have been following my blog you know that I have visited Italy a lot and been to several areas.  I would have to say that Tuscany is on the top of my list for places I want to revisit.   I felt my trip to Rome was quite rushed. I did not get to see much of anything.  I did learn that it is a place I would like to visit for a longer period of time and spend at least five days there.  I was afraid of going to Rome as it is such a big city, but I won't be in the future.

   Florence also has pretty easy access to areas such as Tuscany and Cinque Terre.  There are several museums and offers everything a very big city does, but is not nearly as big as Rome.  Here are some of the photos I captured during this visit it is tough to go wrong with the Arno River as the architecture is so beautiful and interesting on each side of it and the sunsets are lovely. 

The Arno River is such a beautiful scene and a great place to have dinner or coffee:

At sunset:

Here is the Duomo which is way, way too big to capture in one shot, but it literally took my breath away the first time I saw it!
My hotel had a great view of the Duomo.  Below is a self portrait otherwise known as a selfie:

Below is a carousel in the middle of town and I was lucky enough to see a couple of princesses riding it!

Below is a photo of the Santa Maria Novella Cathedral.  I was lucky enough to witness another lovely wedding.

The interior of the cathedral:

Here is the ceiling of the breakfast room at my hotel.  No wonder I love eating breakfast in Italy which is something I never do at home!
My hotel had a lot of lovely antiques (another self portrait)
Here is a lovely coffee shop I stopped in on my last day for a cappuccino.  I was sitting there relaxing after walking for miles when the owner brought me these yummy confections:

The hospitality never fails to surprise me in Italy!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog.  Have you ever visited a far away city two times in a short period of time?  I love hearing and reading your comments!  Have a great week. 

~Michelle 

I have stayed at every star level hotel there is.  I even stayed at some guest houses and  hostels when I visited Tanzania in Africa.  This was my second trip to Italy and my first time visiting Lake Garda, Italy.  I have always been very impressed by the hospitality at the hotels I have stayed at in this country.  The Villa Cortine Palace is definitely in the top few hotels I have ever stayed anywhere. 

The photos I post and what I write can not do this little piece of heaven justice.  I truly felt like I was in paradise while I stayed there. They definitely provided the best service that I have ever encountered and the grounds are some of the nicest I have encountered.   The view is incredible as the hotel is set high up above the town of Sirmione.

Being a frequent traveler I have realized that I am pickier about my accommodations then I wanted to believe as I can usually find several things wrong even at the four and five star hotels I've been a guest at.  I cannot think of a single complaint regarding this hotel.  The food was amazing, the staff was extremely friendly, and the view was incredible throughout the hotel.  My bed was very comfortable and the property is very secure.  When you come through the gate you must be buzzed in either through the front or back of the property so one should feel very safe at this hotel. 

The location is also very central and just a few minutes from Scaliger Castle.  The price is quite reasonable for what you receive and if you book through the hotel's website they often have good prices available.  I stayed there in September and the rates were quite a bit less and if I had stayed there between June and August.  If you are someone who enjoys the finer things in life, this hotel could be the right one for you!  I really felt like I was in a museum when strolling through the hotel and around the beautiful and expansive grounds.

The following four photos were taken from the balcony in my room:

Below is the lovely breakfast room:

I am not a breakfast eater unless I'm in Italy.  Omelets were prepared fresh.  One can order fresh coffee or cappuccino.

This beautiful structure and garden were on the grounds of the hotel:
Here are a few other photos I took on the hotel grounds:

I found this beautiful garden on the walkway down to the hotel's private beach:
The pool has a beautiful view of Lake Garda
Guests can eat breakfast or dinner in this area:

The two photos below were taken in the hotel bar/lounge where you can have dinner and snacks throughout the day.

I am practicing using a tripod and timer to take photos.  I decided to take photos of myself in some of the beautiful rooms around the hotel which is full of gorgeous antiques.

I was hesitant to post a photo of my nice big room as it was a little messy, but I loved the chandelier over the bed!

The following two photos are of the hotel's private beach and restaurant:


I will leave you with just one of the lovely sunrises I saw:

Thank you for much for visiting my blog!  Have you stayed at any hotels that you absolutely loved?  I really appreciate comments and treasure every one I receive.  I hope you are having a fantastic week.

~Michelle