Saturday, August 27, 2011

Cuccaro Club: 30x30 Outfit 13

  Dress: Victoria's Secret; Button-up: Consigned at Periwinkle (Calvin Klein) / Belt: Ruche / Shoes: Privo / Earrings: Thrifted / Necklace: Piperlime (Hive & Honey)

We left Lake Como to sunny rays beaming through dark clouds. I split two apples between a few  horses and a skittish foal along the road while the Husband stopped for the shot below...


...then we headed to Italy's Cinque Terre, five charming, cliff-hugging villages along the Med coast just north of Tuscany.

Driving in Cinque Terre is near impossible, so we planned to take the train from the nearby Levanto. We found a great deal on a room at the Cuccaro Club in Suvaro, about 20 miles from Levanto, so we headed there to drop off our luggage and settle in. The drive from Levanto ended up taking 40 minutes, going straight up the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We were pretty wary by the time we got there, but boy were we rewarded. This place was straight out of a 1940s-50s Hollywood film. A perfect blend of African safari and British elegance, complete with a parrot in the lobby, bright colors, a meandering black bear of a sweet dog, and plenty of vintage and safari décor.


Antiques decorate the many halls and verandas and several lovely dining areas spread throughout various levels.


One dining hall in particular, was even decorated with flowered trellises and carousel horses. Isn't it darling?


This dining hall runs along the glass wall of a heated indoor pool complete with water polo nets and old loudspeakers. A jacuzzi room is connected in the back, and to the right is the entrance to the outdoor terrace and pool:



This resort is a virtual maze of sundry treasures. We discovered exercise rooms, hallways with old couches and sewing tables, and partitioned rooms filled with old gaming machines, books, and artwork.


We scored a lovely little room with a balcony {photo up top} where we quickly changed to our swim/hiking gear before heading to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre merits it's own post, coming next. But after a long day of hiking and exploring the Italian Riviera, it sure was nice to return to such a darling little room...


...and all those amenities. First, we hit up the jacuzzi, then the heated pool, then the outdoor pool, and finally the jacuzzi again to warm up. We had them all to ourselves. That's the advantage of staying in the middle of nowhere on a weekday. And I'd say they were quite romantically lit just perfectly for us...


On our way back to our room, we passed a few Italians were playing Wii on a large screen in a room with pinball machines, pool tables, and a Foosball table. In the lobby, locals were chatting in the lobby, watching the equivalent of National Geographic as the parrot molted on his perch. Fancy guests dined as the scent of lemon tarts wafted down the halls. Heavenly, I tell you. Just heavenly.

The next morning we were delighted with a divine breakfast spread of homemade tarts and cakes and breads and jams and local cheeses with delicious juices like apricot and strawberry.


Even more spectacular, however, was that it was included in the room price. Typically, breakfast is extra in Europe.

Somehow we got all this for 57 euro. Thank you, Booking.com. We love you. :)

P.S. To top it all off, the staff was the friendliest we've had since the Normandy bed and breakfast. Very eager to please and friendly. Seriously people, if you ever go to this area, stay here.

1 comment:

Barbara said...

I find that most Italian hotels include breakfast more often than French ones. I love the B&B's in Italy - we stayed at an amazing one in Verona and we truly felt like part of a family. Your pictures are wonderful!

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