Skye and I rented Toscanini Apartment for a week in Barcelona through Friendly Rentals. (Click for link to website & pictures of Apartment). It was right in the heart of Eixample, which is a great area of Barcelona to stay in. I would highly recommend this apartment. The price was great, the location was great & it was modern and clean and had an elevator. We had access to our own private roof deck with fantastic views. The building itself was very quiet. Across the street there was a market and a grocery store. And when I say market, I mean like the largest green market you have ever seen. The apartment was a little smaller than it appeared on the website due to the wide-angle lens used to take the pictures, but otherwise the pictures were extraordinarily accurate. I am sure that any apartment you rented from Friendly Rentals would be great. I would definitely rent through them again.
Renting an apartment can be done for as few as 3 days. You can stay longer & make day trips to the Costa Brava or surrounding areas, or if you just want a taste of what Barcelona has to offer, 3 days is a great amount of time. Having an apartment will only enhance your experience. Being able to take home and eat the food in the Boquerias will make you wish our green markets were larger. It gives organic a whole new meaning. YUM!
Villa Scarpariello (Ravello, Italy - Amalfi Coast)
I have definitely found heaven on earth. It was the first villa that I rented. I was in charge of putting the trip together, so it had to be perfect. Villa Scarpariello surpassed every expectation I could have had. First let me say that the pictures on line are EXACTLY what you get. The villa sits on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean (I could stop right there). It contains 10 apartments ranging in size from 1 bedroom to 3 bedrooms. Every villa has an ocean view. The floors are beautifully tiled and the rooms are elegant, yet comfortable. The kitchens are equipped with everything you need to make a fantastic dinner.
You share the pool, grounds and the ocean with the rest of the guests, but each apartment is very private and we never heard anyone being noisy or felt that we didn’t have our own space. I went and picked the fresh figs from the trees outside our door to have with our cheese and prosciutto. I also had fresh lemons and limes at my disposal. The lemons do not taste the same in Italy. They are so sweet you will swear you have never had a lemon before.
Piero and Dominick, who run the place, are incredibly friendly and helpful. I am going back there again this year and can’t wait. If you are looking for the vacation you will never forget you should go here. It is truly a little slice of paradise. It was so amazing I almost want to keep it my little secret!
