DAILY TRIP HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOWED BY ORIGINAL ARTICLE…SCROLL PAST DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR SUMMARY OF OUR DREAM ANNIVERSARY TRIP WITH INSPIRATO.
Day 1 – Let’s Talk About the Langham London With Inspirato
And we’re off! The 25th Anniversary Vacation Extravaganza is off to a wonderful start. After flying SNA>DFW>LHR, we arrived early morning London time headed directly to our home for the first number of days of our trip, The Langham London. This property is hands-down my preferred hotel the world over. I exaggerate not.
The Langham London: a most perfect blend of elegance, charm, tastefulness, comfort, old-world, contemporary…and the most wonderful service we’ve experienced…anywhere.
And the aroma! Yes, I’m serious. If you’ve had the opportunity to be a guest at the Langham London, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Arrive at the porte cochere, inhale a few deep breaths of the cold wet London air, head up a small set of grand stairs, through the rotating doors, and arrive into the glory of that which is the Langham London Hotel lobby. Of course, it’s a beautiful physical space. But the Aroma! This is no gimmick. It’s a real thing. You can purchase their candles and room spray to reproduce this smell in your own home. (rest assured we’ll be attempting this very thing). Kudos to the genius hospitality mind who had the thought, “what if our hotel lobby aroma is so extraordinary that it becomes iconic…our trademark, that it leaves an indelible mark on our guests?” Well done, madam or sir.
And from the lobby, things only manage to get better. The service is exquisite at the Langham London. Doormen, Front Desk, Bellmen, restaurant servers, and Langham Club staff (more on then shortly). Then, there are the rooms. We checked into the lovely one-bedroom suite of which Inspirato has exclusive use of. Inspirato has five different units at this property that can only be enjoyed by Inspirato members. The front desk attendant at check-in made a point to mention that the Inspirato team visits the property in person and selects the best rooms for their clients. As we walked into our suite, I do not doubt it. Delightfully perfect. Exceedingly comfortable. Surprisingly generous welcome amenities. I’ll let the photos explain…
Now, let’s get down to the exact reason why this hotel is my favorite in the world (of course of those we’ve visited and experienced). The Langham Club Lounge. This Club is my happy place. Throw out every thought or concept you have of a hotel Club Lounge. Full a la carte breakfast menu with a wide range of items to choose from. Large breakfast buffet as well. Served 6:30am until noon so you will never need to miss out. Then in the evening, canapes and solid wine selection and full cocktail service. As a guest with Inspirato, regardless of your room type, access to the Langham Club Lounge is included (not the case with hotel guests who must stay in a qualifying suite). As great as they food and beverage are at the Club, the team of servers are what take this spot over the top. Kindness, thoughtfulness, and professionalism that is hard to capture in words. I recommend you come experience it. The servers effortlessly engage in all matter of conversation, answer questions knowledgably, and have great care to not bother you if you are sitting down with you head into your laptop pounding out a blog entry (exactly what I find myself doing now). The Langham London Hotel is spectacular without the Club Lounge. However, the Club Lounge, and even more so the team that staff it, is what makes this property a global standout and our favorite. I recommend this property without reservation. In my rating system, it deserves ALL the stars.
A bit of a lengthy first day write-up, by my pen (err…keyboard) can’t help itself to gush about this gem of a property. Thank you, Langham London, for providing the most perfect place for my wife and I to kick off our 25th anniversary vacation extravaganza. You have our most profound gratitude. I leave you with the view from our suite. 🙂
Day 2 – Logging miles, War Rooms, Chinatown
A surprisingly sun shiny morning greeted us this day, always a welcome yet rare occurrence in London in winter. It was a perfect day to lace up the walking shoes and hit the streets. I know I’ve mentioned this from previous Inspirato trips to NYC, but walking around the leading urban centers of the world is my favorite way to explore. Taking in the sites, sounds, and smells (which turn out to be much more pleasant in London than NYC) gives you unique access to the heartbeat of a city. For my wife and I, today that meant walking a total of over 7 miles. It was lovely. You can see the sun shiny sky in the photo of the two of us strolling around Buckingham Palace area.
The historical portion of our day centered around a visit to the Churchill War Rooms. I’ve wanted to do this tour for several years and so was excited when we finally had the opportunity. Our tour started at 2:00 and there were very few people visiting the war rooms at this time. Except for the potential of inclement weather, we have loved being here in the down season. It appears plenty busy for our tastes, but the important touristic historical sites are so calm and free of crowds.
The War Rooms were fascinating. Standing in the exact spots from where Churchill operated the British war effort was incredible. We saw his office/bedroom down in the bunker, the map room where offensive and defensive strategies were assembled, the radio where from Churchill’s famous war time speeches were delivered. It was all so well done that it was easy to imagine what those war rooms must have been like during such an important time in history.
After a brief and lovely late afternoon respite at the Langham Club Lounge, we set out walking down to Chinatown to try Plum Valley restaurant, recommended by the Langham Club Lounge concierge. Dinner was…fine. Atmosphere was pleasant and we enjoyed the authenticity of this Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant. Not likely a spot we’d visit again, but sometimes the mediocre establishments are necessary to allow the great spots to really shine. Hoping we’ll do better tomorrow night when we finally visit Dishoom!
Day 3 – Dishoom & Les Mis
Okay my friends, prepare for hyperbole. This day was epic! There was a full day of city exploring even before the two things that made this day one to remember. Let’s start with Dishoom. Goodness me. This restaurant had been referred to us by what seemed like every single person we talked to at home about our upcoming trip to London. Further, from the taxi driver to the hotel concierge, everyone here in London spoke of Dishoom as being a place not to miss. I was intrigued. I was frankly concerned about the hype and the high expectations that had been created in my mind.
Not to fear, Dishoom delivered…more than that, it overdelivered and exceeded my exceedingly high expectations. As the host directed us toward our table upon arrival, you’re swept up into the atmosphere and the experience as servers hustle past you serving up steaming hot dishes of all sorts. The aromas of Indian spices and meaty sauces fill the air. This already feels like a treat. But the star of the show is the food. Still a day later I’m compelled to say it was the most delectable dinner I’ve ever had. I still haven’t come down from the experience yet. We enjoyed the Dishoom House Chaat, Chilli Chicken, Chicken Berry Britannia, Roomali Roti, House Black Daal, and when we decided we couldn’t eat another bite, we managed to share a Dishoom Chocolate pudding to finish things off. Each dish was spectacular (the Chicken Berry Britannia was good…but not the level of excellence of the others). Dishoom – thank you!
It was a short walk with very full bellies over to the Sondheim Theatre. We’ve seen Les Mis several times and this was our second time seeing it in London. I’ve loved this work since I was a young teenager. Somehow, it got equal playtime with AC/DC, Metallica, Guns N Roses, and the like in those formative years. The story – so beautiful and redemptive. The music – the orchestral and lyrical move your soul. It’s perfect. This particular cast was as impressive as ever. We chatted with an older English man sitting next to us who claimed that, of the many performances he’s seen over the years, this was the best show yet. We had absolutely no reason to doubt that. I’ll likely see Les Mis as often as I visit London. That’s coming from a super fan I realize, but every London visitor should experience Les Mis at least once.
Travel day to Rome tomorrow!
Day 4-6 – Rome
I’m departing from the daily update here to cover Rome with one entry here. Why? Rome was complicated for us. We had some travel details in Rome that weren’t a highlight. Some times when you travel to far off places, not everything goes perfectly well. You get sick. You have some logistic issues…whatever. That being the case, there is no need to review each day. But, let’s hit the highlights!
Our private tour of the Roman Forum and Coliseum was off the charts fantastic. Our tour guide, Dino, picked us up from The Rocco Forte House (our accommodation with Inspriato…more shortly on that) at around 8:30am and we set off on our tour. Dino was a PhD in history! As the time with him progressed, it became clear how deep his knowledge was. Further, even as a tour guide, he was so passionate about all that he talked to us about. We learned a ton! I always highly recommend private tours as I find then to be so valuable. Dino was case in point. Not only were we able to skip ALL of the lines, Dino was able to get full access tickets for us to see the coliseum dungeons that were only open to the public this last year. It as all amazing. The coliseum has been a bucket list item for both my wife and I so it was a special day indeed.
I must highlight our accommodation with Inspirato as well. The 2 bedroom 3 1/2 bath Piranesi residence at Rocco Forte House was beautiful! Huge by European standards and located about a hundred meters from the Spanish Steps. My favorite thing about our residence was the rooftop patio area. The views were extraordinary and I enjoyed testing my mixologist skills at the rooftop honor bar.
Day 7 – Travel Day Rome -> Florence
We opted to rent a car rather than take the train to Florence. The drive sounded fun and having a car would allow us to explore Tuscany a bit over the next few days. We loved our restful day driving in the Italian countryside and arriving late afternoon to magnificent Florence!
Day 8 – Baglioni Relais Santa Croce & Florence Private Tour
Our Inspirato stay in Florence was at the Baglioni Relais Santa Croce. We had the Florentine Suite for four nights. It was adorable! Luxurious and cozy with impressive views of the Duomo and much of Florence. It was a short walk to everything we did in Florence, just perfect for us. Concierge was great, the included breakfast was delicious, it was the perfect Florentine home base for us.
It was time for another private tour. Isabella was on par with Dino. We did a three hour walking tour and then she joined us to tour us around the Uffizi Gallery. It was about 5 hours of learning history through a firehose, but we loved it! One important thing to mention about Inspirato that is perhaps underrated or not spoken of too much; the Inspirato members Facebook Page. This is a place where the member community comes together to seek and give advice and recommendations on travel around the globe. I found Dino and Isabella both through inquiries to fellow members on Facebook. It’s a wonderful resource. The group provides trustworthy recommendations and we have had outstanding experiences 100% of the times that we’ve followed advice from fellow members. There’s such a great peace of mind about booking a tour guide with full confidence once you’ve heard detailed recommendations from someone who recently enjoyed their time with them. Anyway, the Facebook member page is just another way in which Inspirato provides unique value for its members.
Day 9 – Florence food adventures, Duomo, more churches, more museums
The Duomo is spectacular. As was Santa Croce Cathedral, Medici Chapel, etc. etc. I did love seeing more and more beautiful churches and other historic buildings today. However, you get to a point where these incredible historic wonders seem so similar, at least for a guy like me. That’s why it’s so important to touch on some eating!
There is much hype around All’antico Vinaio sandwich shop in Florence. It’s big on Instagram, YouTube, and recommended by seemingly everyone who visits Florence. I felt it was my duty to give it a try. Holy Moly, it did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, it outperformed the hype! I consider myself a connoisseur of the sandwich, having eaten 1000’s over the years. And the All’antico Vinaio sandwich comes in at numero uno. Un-freaking-believably delicious sandwich. I just learned they’ve opened a shop in Venice Beach (about an hour from us) so I’ll be hitting that place up in the next few weeks for sure. It won’t taste as good without the Florentine ambiance, but I can’t wait. Believe the All’antico Vinaio hype!
Another delightful culinary experience was at Il Francescano, a short walk from Baglioni Relais Santa Croce. This charming and small traditional Tuscan restaurant was our favorite in Florence. This is where we enjoyed Florentine steak accompanied by fresh bread, roasted potatoes, and a wonderful bottle of Brunello de Montalcino. We had a lovely time chatting it up with the owner who does such a great job. Our server told us that he is the hardest working person she’s ever known! Please visit Il Francescano when you are in Florence.
Day 10 – San Gimignano
This was our day to explore Tuscany and we decided we’d make the drive out to San Gimignano. The drive was gorgeous and the medieval town of San Gimignano is something to see. Keeping it real though, this was a bit of a tough day. It was freezing cold and rainy and the only thing to do in San GImignano is walk around, look at old buildings, and shop. That being said, we still had a nice day and enjoyed some Tuscan pasta with truffles and a few scoops of gelato. I know I said it was freezing cold, but that doesn’t make gelato any less delicious. We were happy to crawl into our warm car and drive back to Florence. Frankly, I could take or leave San Gimignano. I found it a bit overrated, but being cold and wet the whole day certainly colored our experience.
Day 11 – Florence to Paris & Laura Pausini concert
Neither my wife nor I had been to Paris before. Frankly, it had for some reason not been at the top of my list. So many people speak poorly of it. And many people love it of course. It is Paris after all! We wanted to experience it for ourselves and were further motivated to make the trip to see my wife’s favorite Italian recording artist, Laura Pausini at the Accor Arena in Paris. Our travel day was pleasant and easy.
The Laura Pausini concert was a surprise treat. My wife and I both loved it! Going to see an Italian popstar in Paris a surreal experience. Everything was in French and Italian, two languages neither of us speak. It was just a fun thing to experience. And Laura Pausini puts on a great show. I think we now qualify as super fans! We’re already considering going to her show in Los Angeles next month when her tour hits the US.
Day 12 – A sunny day in Paris and Les Papilles!
Considering it being mid February, beautiful sunny Parisian days are few and far between. But we were able to have one full day of sunshine. What a gift! I’ve already mentioned our favorite way to explore cities is to walk them, and this day delivered the perfect opportunity. We set out from the beautiful Hotel Regina just across the street from the Louvre and walked and walked…and walked. We most wandered the path next to the River Seine, arriving up by the Eiffel Tower and then wandering around in neighborhoods until we stumbled on a quintessential street corner Parisian cafe. It was a bit chilly, buy I insisted that we sit outside to have the classic Paris experience. It was wonderful. Good thing we got miles of walking in, as dinner would add all those calories and more back into our bodies.
Dinner at Les Papilles was the culinary highlight of our entire trip. No menu. You just eat what they bought in the market that day and got creative in the kitchen with. I’m not going to go into detail on the cuisine, I won’t do it justice. I’ll simply share some photos. And I highly, highly recommend this spot when you visit Paris!
Day 13 – Last Day: Louvre and Le Petit Pontoise
It was a melancholy day. The last day of what may be the trip of a lifetime. But our spirits were high and we were ready make the most of our last 24 hours. It started with an express tour of the Louvre which gave us priority entrance and then an hour guided tour focused on Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, and another sculpture that I quite frankly don’t remember, oops! By this point in our trip, I had seen more artwork and old buildings than you can shake a stick at. I reservedly agreed to do this visit with my wife because I love her lots and she wanted to see the Louvre. So glad I listened to her (I’m generally always glad when I listen to her). What a gigantic and spectacular place. It was crowded and exhausting, but worth it. So much wonderful art, and there is something to be said about seeing the Mona Lisa in person. That being said, I was quite content when it was time to leave and transition our thoughts towards dinner at Les Papilles.
Recommended by our Hotel Regina concierge, this was the perfect last supper of our trip. And even better, it was Valentine’s Day! Another traditional French restaurant, it was lovely. Our servers were so fun and kind and the food, once again, was incredible. Artichoke tarts, frog legs, lamb roasted for 7 hours, tarte tatin, and a perfect bottle of burgundy made this an all time Valentine’s Day. I certainly raised the bar for all future Valentine’s Days.
Day 14 – CDG>LHR>LAX
What an incredible couple of weeks. We headed home feeling so blessed and thankful for this trip we had together to celebrate our 25 years of marriage. I wanted to add a bit about our travel day. It was special. I splurged (with miles) to get us First Class on British Airways from LHR to LAX. We had a couple of hours in the Concorde Lounge (exclusive to only long haul F passengers on BA) and then boarded our A380 for the 11.5 hour flight home. What a restful way to end a trip. Everything was over-the-top wonderful.
What a trip!! Thank you Inspirato for making this a trip filled with luxury and service that allowed us to restfully enjoy our travels without worrying about the details. We were in the very best hands with Inspirato. Now, it’s time to get over this jet lag and start thinking about what our next adventure might be with Inspirato! I can guarantee you it will be for fewer days and closer by. Thankfully, our options with Inspirato are almost endless.
Happy Travels Friends!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PLANNED VACATION THAT BECAME REALITY!
I know it’s customary to share trip reports of trips that have already happened. That’s what I generally do. But sometimes, you get so excited about an upcoming trip that you want to share the details about it. This is especially true when you’ve pulled off planning a European dream vacation for your 25th anniversary solely using your Inspirato Pass and Club membership. Not only does Inspirato offer absolute luxury and 5-star service, it also has the flexibility to plan very creative and customized itineraries.
This trip is going to be over two weeks long with each day filled with new adventures! Rather than writing a post-trip trip report, I’ll be writing a short summary of each day and having each day’s report go live that evening (or the following morning, depending on what the night had in store for us). It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope you tune in the first couple of weeks of February to join us in the adventure. I’d love for more people to see the incredible value that comes along with Inspirato membership. There is simply nothing like it out on the market today.
So here we go, here’s the itinerary for our European 25th Anniversary Trip Extravaganza!
February 1-5 at the Langham Hotel in London
We stayed at the Langham London last New Year’s as a family and this property is quite possibly our favorite hotel in the world. Seriously. It’s so British, so luxurious, and able to maintain a universally appealing vibe. What puts this property over the top, however, is the Langham Club Lounge. Oh my goodness. This is my happy place. But wait, this is not about the properties themselves, it’s about how you can put together amazing dream vacations with Inspirato. Tune in during our travels in February and I’ll share all about the Langham Club Lounge. If you’ve experienced it, you already know. Below is our actual reservation on Inspirato Pass. This trip cost 15 Pass Days…a fantastic value, especially considering that all Inspirato reservations include the Langham Club Lounge. I’m not going to explain Inspirato Pass and how Pass Days work here, but you can read all about it here.
February 5-8 at the Baglioni Hotel in Rome
After 4 nights in London, we’ll head over to Rome for a few nights. My wife and I have never been to Rome together so we’re really looking forward to this. My wife is a history buff and loves to learn about all things Rome. I’m particularly looking forward to delectable and romantic Italian dinners after long days walking all over the city. We’ve already got our private tour guide all set up. Still working on figuring out best spots for dinner reservations. Our three nights in Rome were booked with our Inspirato Club membership with attractive nightly rates.
February 8-12 at the Relais Santa Croce Hotel in Florence
From Rome, we’ll hop on the train and head up to Florence. We’re doing 4 nights in Florence as it’s a favorite spot of ours. Did I mention my wife loves history? Well, she’ll be thrilled to walk the same streets and wander into some of the exact building where the Medici and so many other Renaissance superstars hung out. I’ll bring some balance to our stay in Florence as my tendencies tend to lean more towards the food and beverage history of these important cities. I’m always down for some good historical touring, but often see those times as simple interludes between wonderful meals. Thankfully, this all works out and my wife and I travel wonderfully together. it’s a good fit. Our four nights in Florence were booked with 21 Inspirato Pass Days. Again, incredible value for a large suite.
February 12-15 at the Hotel Regina in Paris
What better way to celebrate that last few days of a 25th anniversary trip than with a few nights in the most romantic city in the world. We’ll fly from Florence to Paris and arrive in time to see one of our favorite Italian artists perform live in concert. This was mostly serendipitous and not something we planned around. However, we were thrilled to find out that Laura Pausini will be performing our first night in Paris. We’ll do a day out at Versailles and a day wondering the city…eating all the croissants and crepes…drinking all the French wines…and of course also seeing the historical sites. :). Our 3 nights at the Hotel Regina were reserved using 21 Pass Days. You got it…amazing value!
We’ve been Inspirato Pass members now for 4 years. We’ve enjoyed so, so many incredible trips. I take pride in planning incredible trips for our family and friends with Inspirato. You can read all about our various adventures here. That being said, this trip may be my “Couronnement de l’exploit”.
There was nothing too unique about planning this trip. All of these reservations were out there and available to all members. The total cost for this entire trip was 61 Pass Days (which is the equivalent of around $4,500) and $2,200 for our stay in Rome through Inspirato Club. This is a total cost of around $6,700 for 14 nights. Had I booked this all online without Inspirato, the total cost would have been (for all of the exact same unit types at the same properties) over $11,000. That’s over $4,300 of savings or a discount of over 40%! We achieve this kind of value with Inspirato on a regular basis, so it’s not too surprising to us. Become an Inspirato member and you can jump right into to enjoying luxury vacation value as well. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions whatsoever about our experience with Inspirato. Always happy to share.
Happy Travels My Friends!
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Luxury Pass Review 
Can’t wait for the daily reports!
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