Renaissance Mediterraneo Hotel Naples

From a perspective like this one, location is everything. This hotel is so central to pretty much everything, you could build a spiderweb outwards to go anywhere. Though after staying in a variety of hotels in sunny Napoli, I wouldn't rate this one the very best. Not even close.

The rooms are a typical italian style hotel room that is stuck in the 'Godfather' days. The telly is of the old fashioned kind, the furniture doesn't just look but actually is retro style, but the most annoying thing is the two single beds pushed together to make a king size. I'm glad I'm not here on a Romantic Weekend Break. One would most definitely end up on the floor between the 2 beds.

The best asset the Renaissance Mediterraneo has however, is the roof top restaurant. I just had breakfast there and the views are just stunning. Vesuvius mysteriously clad in misty clouds, the city behind, rising steeply up against the rocky coastline and the marina with it's resident yachts and guest cruise liners give you plenty to marvel at. The best thing at the breakfast buffet are the fresh loafs of bread. Probably the yummiest chewy soft crunch I've ever tasted. With some Italian cheese, buttery scrambled egg, or wafer thin Italian salami, I think bacon can move over.
I have to mention also how I love the Italian attitude of the waiters/waitresses. They are probably not the friendliest, but certainly the proudest to serve. In this morning's instance, I was just wondering what dreadful thing might be occurring in my waitresses life for her to look so stern, when the next moment she came over and offered me another cappuccino. Rest my case.
Perhaps the most peculiar thing about this hotel are the lifts. Lifts? Really? You may wonder. Get in and try to figure out how to operate it. There are no buttons to press, no card to swipe, you can try talking to it (well it maybe voice activated), but ... I will let you work it out for yourself :-)
Now just one quick word about the other resident restaurant O'Break. The menu looks very interesting high end fancy cuisine, as do the prices, and thats all I have to say about that. We are in Napoli! So I am opting to go to the place where Pizza Margherita was invented. You can read all about it, 'cos that's what my next story will be.

Here the Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/napbr-renaissance-naples-hotel-mediterraneo/

Traders Hotel Male, Maldives

Male, the capital of the Maldives, with over 103.000 people sharing just 2.2 square miles of space, is pretty crowded, in fact it is the most densly populated island in the world. What you'll notice straight away is the never ending stream of motorbikes going round and round and round. My brother has this theory that they have nowhere to go, but they drive because they like the cool breeze.
If you have to stay here for business or to catch your early flight home after coming from a resort island the Traders Hotel Male by Shangri-La is a smart choice.

Their rooms are comfortable and modern with big showers in a bathroom that is made of glass walls!
There are wooden blinds you could shut, but really it's much more fun if you don't.

Random Fact: When this hotel was first built they made sure it's foundation reaches deep down, so in an event of freak tidal waves or suchlike Traders will probably be the last building standing.

On the roof you'll find a popular evening hang out for locals and tourists alike. Smoking shishas, drinking tea and mocktails under the stars while listening to chill out tunes. In the daytime the rooftop converts to a swimming pool with double-bed sized sun loungers and a trendy sushi restaurant. They will bring your food on a cute little tray that sits over your lap, so you needn't move an inch from your sunny or shady spot.


I treated myself to Sashimi this afternoon. The Maldives being a world renowned Line and Pole Sustainable Fishing Community, what better to have then the freshest fish possible.
In fact the Azur Roof Top Restaurant staff will not serve it unless it is super fresh from that days catch.


Typically in the Maldives the variety of food include their own (spicy fish or meat curries, rice and roti breads), Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisines.

So when you come down to the breakfast buffet, you will find anything from Dim Sum to Nasi Goreng. Which of course makes my day!
What I find most intruiguing are the fruit steeped in spices. Every morning the chef comes up with new whacky combinations. Today we had Grapefruit with Cardamon and Pineapple with Cinnamon.
There is of course the usual continental and traditional cooked breakfast, too. Being a muslim county you won't find anything containing pork though, instead there will be chewy beef bacon and squidgey chicken sausages.

Whenever I come here I feel warmly welcomed, comfortable and relaxed. I don't know if it is the beautiful turquoise colour of the water but staying here in the Maldives always make me feel happy.

Click here for a link to their website: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/male/traders

A new venture!

I have been inspired by a talented journalist whom I met by divine intervention (otherwise known as chance) to do what I always wanted to, just didn't know how exactly.

So here is my old blog being transformed into a new travel food adventure blog that will have reviews of the places I visit and recipes I learn about or create by inspiration. I hope you like it :-)