Valentine's Day ❤️ romantic adventures | client story - surprise engagement in Lake Como | Highlight - Il Capitello in Prosecco

WHERE TO NEXT?

Dear Traveler,

Friday is Valentine’s Day❤️.

What goes well with Valentine’s Day?

Surprises!

Today I’m sharing a client story of one of the most romantic surprises – a proposal on a lake in Italy.

If you are looking for other romantic and fun ways to surprise your loved one with a Valentine’s gift, read on for a few ideas. Easily these can be used for an anniversary surprise as well.

If you want to get creative in the gift giving, reach out. I love helping you come up with creative ways to surprise someone with an adventure.

Last week’s most popular article was 24 Wellness Resorts and Hotels You Should Book Right Now.

This week’s inspirational articles include finding the best powder in the Alps,
Valentine’s Day ideas and ski safaris in the Dolomites (my colleague is going on one next month and I know she will love it!),

Also articles on Slovenia, Morocco and India.

The informational articles include travel secrets by The Points Guy, an essential guide to carryons and understanding the 6 month passport rule.

Next week I’ll tell you all about gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? We are going to one of my favorite movies of the year – the Banff Mountain Film Festival (one day I’ll get there in person).

Where to next for you?

Warmly,

P.S. Reminder – the last 2+ years of newsletters are now fully searchable (the prior ones are just searchable on the title), so head over to this page and type in a destination you are interested in or a topic or a topic, to see what’s been written about it.

Below:

Romantic adventures
Client story – surprise engagement in Lake Como
Highlight – Il Capitello
Inspiration + Information

A handful of romantic getaway ideas for you below. Use them for inspiration for your next couple’s getaway.

Spend your days hiking in the Cotswolds and your evenings in a cottage with a hot tub overlooking a lake in the English countryside.

Is there a more romantic city than Paris?

A long weekend in Paris – with a guided visit to the Louvre, lunch at an outdoor table of a Parisian bistro, crepes at Brutus and a romantic cruise on the Seine.

📷 Ol Donyo

You know I love safaris. Yes for wildlife, but also because it’s the perfect place to snuggle up together next to the fire under the starry night sky looking for the Southern Cross.

Stay at a lodge with a starbed – a remote spot with just the two of you – surrounded by the sounds of nature.

A Caribbean escape or a Hawaiian hideaway.

Depending whether you live on the East coast or West coast – pick a resort with white sand beaches, breakfast in bed, an incredible spa, sunrise or sunset views and your choice of a quiet or vibey atmosphere.

Whether it’s for a Valentine’s Day splurge or a special anniversary, the Maldives are a quintessential romantic destination. There are over 100 resorts dotting the 1,000+ islands. I know all the best 4*-5*+ resorts. The right one is waiting for you!

Spend a few days luxuriating at a destination spa – in the desert, Mexico or in New England. Eating healthy, getting massages, taking workout classes or connecting with each other on a challenge course up in the air. You’ll feel amazing while you are there and when you come home.

Somewhere your partner has never been before.

If you want to really surprise your partner, then pick a place on their bucket list, come up with a few key ideas about where to stay and what to do and share it in a note. It will show them that #1 you pay attention and #2 you put some thought into it!

A SURPRISE ENGAGEMENT IN LAKE COMO

Last summer I received this message from my client…

Mimi,
I need to make some covert plans for Paige and a special trip. Please let me know when you’re available to talk. And again, please don’t tell Paige. It’s going to be a surprise.

I love planning surprises! So I was eager to hear what he had in mind.

A marriage proposal!

His next message…

Ok. Here’s the schedule.
Arrive in Milan Saturday, August 24th, 9am local time.
Depart Friday, August 30th, 11am, local time.
So 6 nights on Lake Como. 😊

Together he and I went into stealth mode to plan a week in Lake Como, Italy.

In August.

Peak of peak season.

It was already summer.

My hotel inventory platform showed so many zeros. (Meaning no availability. The best places in Lake Como book up very far ahead in summer).

It was a challenge.

But I scoured the options, reached out to hoteliers and found them a corner suite at Il Sereno.

His dream – to propose to Paige on a vintage boat in the middle of the lake.

His next message…
It took me a couple hours to decide on everything, but I think it’s straightforward and will make it easy to plan. You’ve been wonderful. Thank you thank you so much!! ❤️

Once on property he messaged me with this note and photo…

The plan is coming together!!!

📷 Il Sereno

He proposed.

She said yes.

They had a magical trip.

Their feedback is below…

What were you seeking help with in planning this trip?
I wanted to surprise the love of my life with an engagement trip/experience unlike any other. I needed help in the conceptual planning down to the details of every day…I also needed to keep it a secret as I wanted to surprise my soon to be fiancé. Mimi made it such an easy experience to plan and the result was magical.

The GOOD. What went well? What were your favorite and most memorable experiences? Any particular WOW moment or experience?
There were several experiences that were beyond memorable. First, Paige was completely ‘wowed’ with the boat taxi across Lake Como at sunset on the evening after our engagement, to a dinner on the patio, on the water, at Villa de Este. Incredible!!

Second, was a private Helicopter from Como to Milan (and back) to go shopping, that Mimi planned from to start to finish (which wasn’t easy) and a complete surprise to Paige and unforgettable.

Finally, the hotel was perfect. Evenings and breakfast on our private balcony, amazing service, right on the water, and our own Jetto boat at anytime for use on the lake, which Mimi scheduled perfectly for the proposal on the lake with a picnic lunch and bottle of Champagne.

The NOT SO GOOD. Was there anything that could have been improved? Anything we could do better in the future?
Nothing whatsoever.

Is there anything you would do differently next time?
No.

Was there a person or people that you met along the way that you’d like to recognize for being especially helpful?
Literally all of the staff at the hotel were amazing.

What is your favorite memory of the trip?
Walking from our hotel on several late evenings into a little town nearby for a slice of pizza from a little pizzeria owned by a local and adorable husband and wife…and then staying in our amazing suite listening to the sounds of the lake on the shore every morning and night.

If you have suggestions for how we might be able to make your experience working with us even better next time, please share.
Plan something like this every quarter of the year and for the rest of our lives. 🙂

Anything else you’d like us to know?
The VIP treatment/meet and greet at the Milan airport to take us through customs was incredible. Very helpful and took a lot of stress off of us that would have taken place without that personal help. We would want that every time traveling to a foreign country.

What a delight and honor it was for me to be a part of such a memorable moment in their lives!

IL CAPITELLO

This summer our clients, a couple, are combining several stops through Spain and Italy. One of the things I love about their trip is that they have both shared and different interests.

The wife, Beth, will be going to Spain first to explore around San Sebastián. Her husband will fly directly to Italy to go biking in the Dolomites before she gets there. Then they meet up in Cortina for their shared love of hiking, delicious meals and wine tasting.

After their adventure in the Dolomites, they will be transferring to Venice to continue their trip. It’s an 2 1/2 hour drive through the Prosecco region.

A stop for a nice lunch in Prosecco is always a great idea!

I gave them a few delicious options in the countryside and they chose Il Capitello.

Nestled in the hamlet of San Lorenzo, surrounded by greenery and silence, Il Capitello is a family owned restaurant serving traditional, refined cuisine based off of their family’s recipes. Three generations are dedicated to sharing their love of Italian cuisine with visitors in a structure dating from the 1800s in their little corner of Italy.

Lidia, in the kitchen for over 50 years, has inherited the traditional recipes from her mother-in-law. Over the years she has preserved traditions but also innovated recipes to incorporate new gastronomic trends and the result is delicious meals delighting the most demanding palates.

Lidia and Claudio could be enjoying a well-deserved retirement, but their passion for their traditions and love of sharing motivates them to continue searching for small producers throughout Italy.

A few highlights from the menu…

Pumpkin creme brûlée, onion jam and foie gras
Home made pappardelle and spaghetti
Braised beef cheeks
Seared octopus with artichoke cream
My favorite – OPS… Mi è caduto il vaso di cioccolato. It translates to Oops… I dropped the chocolate jar

Consider it as a stop on your next drive through Prosecco.