Reset search
Soifer FamilySoifer Family
SatelliteEdit route
Living in: New York, United States Read more New York, United States
  • TravelerItaly 2022
    Day 5

    Matera, Italy

    September 1, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Up early again for another travel day. We all felt that we spent JUST the right amount of time in Rome and were all ready to head down South for the week. We ate breakfast in our lobby before catching a taxi to Fiumincino. I was so impressed with how nice and new the airport was - so much better than gross JFK. We hopped on a bus to get to our plane and then, 40 minutes later, Bari! Luckily we had no trouble with our rental car (Matt got to relearn how to drive a manual transmission) and an hour later we pulled into the parking lot in Matera. Evie wasn't feeling well after the drive, so Matt and Hannah took a car to the hotel with the luggage while Evie and I walked in - and what a walk! Matera is literally built into the mountain and there are these caves carved all in the city, inluding our hotel - Sextantino - and it was absolutely breathtaking. Our room was in a giant cave - literally built into the cave the girls (and us) loved it so so much. We spent some time exploring our rooms and then went outside for some drinks and cards. Later in the evening we walked down the main street, twisting and turning past the big bascilicata until we reached our dinner destination at La Lopa. The restaurant was also built into a cave and at the bottom of the stairs was a cinema that played Italian movies shot in Matera (lots of bloody, naked guys). Then we walked home and went to bed (in the cave!).Read more

  • TravelerItaly 2022
    Day 4

    Rome, Italy

    August 31, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Another good night sleep and (relatively) early rise before heaing out to meet Paolo at the Colosseum! One crazy taxi ride and some insane ticket issues later, we were in and although the kids didn't care much about the history, the grownups loved it! We walked around, and then headed to the Forum where we found some merciful shade and Paolo shared the history of Rome and the tale of Romulus and Remus. We really loved him, but at this point the kids were DONE, so Paolo took us to a nearby pizza place where we sat outside and ate lunch and then got some gelati (of course). Everyone was feeling revived after lunch, so we decided to walk back to the hotel. On the way, we did a little shopping and I got a gorgeous mug from the sweetest Roman woman in this teeny shop and the girls got some H&M and Zara clothes ;) We finally made it back to the hotel and snuggled in bed to watch Gladiator on Matt's computer - a totally inappropriate kids movie, but they were super into the gladiator part of the day so we went for it. We headed back to the rooftop for a drink/snack before walking over to Babette for dinner - a restaurant recommendation from Paolo! We absolutely loved it and it was our favorite meal in Rome by far - even the kids ate! We let the kids run through Piazza del Popolo on the way home, and then fell into bed after an exhausting but wonderful day.Read more

  • TravelerItaly 2022
    Day 3

    Rome, Italy

    August 30, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Everyone slept well thankfully, and we set our alarms early so that we could eat breakfast on the patio before meeting our guide - Paolo - for a morning of walking through Rome. Paolo was amazing - he took us all over the old city centre, taking all the lovely back streets and teaching the girls how to drink from all the fountains like a local (this was, by far, their favorite thing to do in Rome). Hannah says Roman water is preferable to all others! Paolo shared so many interesting details about Rome, the history, art and culture and we all very much enjoyed it! He took us for a granita (crushed ice coffee with cream on the top/bottom) and to an art supply store for pencils and crayons before stopping in the big square for a tartufo for the girls. After, we went back to the hotel for a rest and then took the girls to the roof top bar for an early dinner (and drinks for us) before heading out to a fancy, solo, dinner for our anniversary (a day early because I am bad at anniversaries). The girls settled in with some Italian tv, and we went around the corner to Dal Bolognese which was fabulous. Definitely more fancy, but everyone was very kind and we had the biggest and most delicious t-bone steak (and SUCH good people watching). We went for a quick walk after dinner and back to the hotel where the girls were (miraculously) asleep. A lovely (faux) anniverary indeed!Read more

  • TravelerItaly 2022
    Day 2

    Rome, Italy

    August 29, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We landed in Rome, very uneventfully, at 10:30am and went to meet our car. We had a bit of trouble finding it, but once we did it was a quick drive to our hotel - Hotel Locarno - in the Piazza del Popolo district of Rome. The hotel was lovely and we had two interconnecting rooms which ended up working out really well. Once we checked in, we went to the garden and had a quick lunch and glass of wine before heading out to explore. We walked over to the Spanish Steps and then to the Trevi Fountain before heading in search of our first gelato! The concierge at our hotel had recommended a place across the river called Gelataria Romana and we were NOT disappointed. There was fresh cream on top of the cone, chocolate in the cone and only some mild stress trying to figure out how to order as it was strictly locals only. We headed back to the hotel for a little rest and quick nap (for the grownups) before heading up to the roof deck of the hotel for a drink. We had one of the best negroni I have ever had with the most beautiful views of Rome. Wow. We picked up the kids (we had left them watching Italian cartoons in the room) and headed to Osteria il Marche for dinner. This was by far our least favorite meal of the trip, but we were all starving and tired so didn't much mind. Then, a lovely walk back to the hotel for sleep!Read more

  • TravelerItaly 2022
    Day 1

    New York, NY - Rome, Italy

    August 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We had a big day at the farm getting ready to leave for our trip (a two year delay!!). We cleaned all the stalls, organized the barns, made tomato sauce - busy day! After doing all the chores we packed up the car, dropped the dogs off at the dogsitter's and drove the loooong and traffic filled drive to JFK. It was easier to park than we anticipated, so we had loads of time to kill before our flight. Luckily we had access to the Air France lounge so we could get some food and drinks and then, finally, we boarded the plane! We had one glass of champagne and everyone pretty much passed out before the plane had even taken off. When we wake up - Rome!Read more

  • TravelerPortugal & Spain 2019
    Day 14

    Lisbon

    April 28, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had about an hour drive to the Lisbon airport this morning so we set an alarm for 7:15 and packed out. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant and it was phenomenal - the best of the trip. Massive buffet with all these yummy juices and treats from the kitchen. Super special last meal. We had a pretty easy drive to the airport and then we returned our car and checked in! We snuck through the priority line in passport control even though the kids needed to be under two (whoops). We had to take an annoying bus to our plane but we are homeward bound. Until next time Portugal!Read more

  • TravelerPortugal & Spain 2019
    Day 13

    Comporta

    April 27, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Kids were up early-ish again but it was ok as we wanted to head out for our lunch in Comporta - a 2.5 hour drive away. Last stop of the trip! We packed and headed down for breakfast and the playroom (for the kids) before hitting the road. We powered through the drive (and had to do a looooooot of car passing on the two lane highway) before hitting Comporta and driving up a dirt road (again!) but....it was so worth it as we literally found paradise at the Comporta Cafe! The restaurant was right on the beach, the day was absolutely gorgeous and we sat outside on the terrace for almost four hours (literally - they actually asked us very politely if we could move to seats on the beach after three hours so they could use the table). We had the nicest server who gave the kids sunhats and bandaids and we had grilled fish and three (!!) bottles of delicious white wine from Comporta. It was the best. The kids played in the sand while we hung out and then we took turns taking them down to the ocean to jump in the waves. The water as freezing, but it was calm enough for them to jump in and out of and they had so much fun. Then it was the hard part of saying goodbye to Rin and Kyle who were heading back to Lisbon for an early flight out tomorrow. We headed out soon after with a pledge to return one day for the 20 minute drive to our last stop - Sublime Comporta. The hotel was gorgeous - probably too fancy for our dirty crew - set in the woods with the nicest staff ever. We played in the kids' pool (cold) and playroom for a bit before heading to our room. I showered with the girls and we snuggled in the big bed and hung out and napped/watched Portuguese TV for a bit. It was very nice. Later on we got dressed and had a drink outside on the patio - it was so nice out! We went into the gorgeous restaurant for dinner and it was super fancy. Of course the kids were awful but luckily they could run out to the garden and play outside a bit. The food was lovely but we thought just ok for the price which was very expensive for Portugal. We went back to the hotel to put the kids to bed and then Matt and I sat on our deck and had a final glass of wine!Read more

  • TravelerPortugal & Spain 2019
    Day 12

    Carrapateria

    April 26, 2019 in Portugal

    Kids were up before 8:00am again - what is up with this?? We dragged ourselves out of bed and headed down the hill for breakfast. It was surprisingly good for such a small place! The hotel has a really nice kids' playroom near the breakfast room so the children played there for a bit while we finished eating in peace. It was sunny out so we walked back up to the playground for a bit. Hannah had fun jumping as far as she could off the swing! After that we packed up a snack and our bathing suits and headed in the car for beach day at Bordeira Beach, about 15 minutes away. We got to the parking lot and walked through to find a huge natural lagoon like thing that we needed to cross to get over to the beach. The kids were nervous to cross it so Rin and Kyle put them on their shoulders and we all waded across. It was super windy out, but the location completely made up for it. The sand was perfect and we huddled behind a dune and the kids played in the calm river/lagoon thing. Of course they didn't mind at all that it was so windy. The actual ocean was about a 400 meter walk away and was quite rough so we were glad for the lagoon/river! The beach, though, was phenomenal and massive! Just a huge expanse of gorgeous, uncrowded beach surrounded by cliffs, reminding me a bit of the Northern California coastline. The kids played for a good long while - running up and down the dunes and building sandcastles. When we lay down behind the dunes it was "almost" warm enough to sunbathe :) After a few hours we waded back to the car (the kids did it themselves this time!) and drove back along the cliffs to view the unreal coastline. This part of the Algarve is on a national park so there is no building on it and most of the beaches you have to hike down to. One day we need to come back and explore it all. On the way back up to the hotel we stopped in Carrapateria to pick up groceries for the night. It was 3:00 in the afternoon but the store still wasn't open - ha! We stopped by a cafe with a ton of bicyclists in spandex for an ice cream before Rin and I walked over to the shop to scrounge up what we could for dinner - which wasn't much to be honest. The kids took a five minute dip in the pool before declaring it "too cold" and went back up to the room for a little rest time. I took a mountain bike out and went on a short ride of the property. I wish I could have gone longer! I came back and started dinner - Marcela Hazan tomato sauce and roasted zucchini and Kyle made chicken. We fed the kids even though the played the whole "we are starving" and then ate nothing game. We had a hard time putting them to bed and they ended up coming back out to play a game of cards before finally going to bed. The grownups ate a very civilized dinner and then played some cards (hearts - Kyle won and Rin was not pleased) before going to bed!Read more

  • TravelerPortugal & Spain 2019
    Day 11

    Carrapateria

    April 25, 2019 in Portugal

    On the way to the resort we passed through the cute village of Carrapateria - it was sort of like a little hippie/surf town and so very different from the massive, touristy resorts on the eastern side of the coast. We headed down a small dirt road (of course) with chickens and donkeys to our next spot - Monte da Villarhina - which was truly stunning - nestled in a valley and super rustic but modern at the same time - fantastic. We had Casa do Forno which was three connecting rooms with a huge living space and terrace - it was perfect for all of us. We set off to explore the property as it was (finally) sunny and found an amazing children's playground with a slide, swings and (best of all) a rope swing. The kids were in love and played for a good while before going to check out the lovely pool. There were frogs which the kids thought was really cool. Of course they wanted to go in the pool even though it was chilly and they didn't have their suits. They went in their undies and played until they got too cold and started screaming :) We went back to our rooms for drinks and new clothes and drove to a pizza place in a nearby "town". There were sheep and it was the cutest little place with DELICIOUS pizza. Hannah was complaining a bit about her stomach so we took the kids home to bed where (luckily) they seemed to fall asleep ok. The grownups had another drink at the house before heading to bed!Read more

  • TravelerPortugal & Spain 2019
    Day 11

    Moncarapacho

    April 25, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    For the first time this trip the girls woke up early - 7:20 (ugh). We got dressed and walked over to the breakfast building for one of our best breakfasts to date - so yummy! It was a bit chilly but not raining at least and the kids REALLY wanted to go swimming so we changed into their suits and went to the family pool. The space is amazing and I can only imagine how perfect it is when the weather is nice. Regardless, the girls had a super fun time swimming and played for almost an hour before they finally got too cold. Ana - the super nice kids club lady was there so they colored and ate cookies for awhile as they dried off. We stayed until about 11:30 then went back to the room to pack up while the kids played on this giant cow slide near our room. It was their favorite thing for sure! We hopped back in the car and started driving west along the coast to our lunch destination - BJ's Oceanside. The restaurant was RIGHT on the beach and the kids had fun playing in the sand and searching for shells but it was SUPER windy and chilly out. Again with the bad weather! The restaurant was a British joint which was kind of random/funny but the location was superb and the kids were able to play while we ate which was a bonus. We had grilled fish and froze our butts off :) We were happy to warm up back in the car and drove another hour and a half to the western Algarve and our next spot for two days - Monte da Vilharina.Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English