PJ Travel Savvy

Staying:

Three different price points and “feels”:

Hotel de Russie. Luxurious. Fabulous service and concierge. Via de Babuino 9 06/328 881.

Grand Hotel de la Minerve. Not as pricey, yet very nice. Ask for Room 456. Piazza della Minerva 69 06/695 201.

Daphne Inn. Not really luxurious, no bar. But a terrific place to stay. Is great for a family, as there are entire areas that can be shut off to make a sort of living area. The staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. They even give you a phone to use for your time there, in order to call in to the hotel for restaurant recommendations, directions, or any other advice you made need while you are out sightseeing. Good location. Via di San Basilio 55 06/8745 0086.

Two other new hotels to consider: The Aleph. Very cool. If you don’t stay there, certainly stop in for a drink to check it out. Via di San Basilio 15 06/422 901. Hotel Fortyseven. Via Petroselli 47 06/678 7816.

Eating:

So many good places and so few days, alas.

Bakeries:

Giovanni Riposati. Thin crust white pizza. Via delle Muratte 8 06/679 2866. Il Forno Campo di Fiori. Crunchy salty white pizza. Campo di Fiori 22 06/6880 6662. Antico Forno Roscioli. White pizza. Via dei Chiavari 34 06/687 5287.

Cheese:

Avenati. Via Milano 44 06/488 2681.

Chocolate:

Confetteria Mariondo e Gariglio. Via di Pie’ de Marmo 21-22 06/699 0856.

Gelato:

Il Gelato di San Crispino. Yum. Multiple locations. Go.

Bars:

href=”http://www.fluideventi.com/”>Fluid is a scene, but don’t go there for a meal. Via del Governo Vecchio 46/47 06/683 2361.

Two bars in bookshops: Il Tiaso Enolibreria Via Perugia 20 06/70 1570, and Lo Yeti Libreria. Via Perugia 4 06/702 5633.

Wine Bars:

Casa Bleve. Lavish cold antipasto assortiment; point at what you’d like. Via del Teatro Valle 48-49 06/686 5970.

Moma. Via San Basilico 42/43 06/4782 1058.

Restaurants:

Arcangelo. Good food and wine list. Via Guiseppe Gioacchino Belli 59 06/321 0992.

Augustarello. Inexpensive, simple tratt. Outside patio. Via Giovanni Branca 98 06/574 6585.

Crudo. Eclectic. Via degli Specchi 6 06/683 8989.

Dal Bolognese. Super. Piazza del Popolo 1 06/361 1426.

Doppio Zero. Meals from morning until 2 a.m.. Via Ostiense 68 06/5730 1691.

Glass. Roman cuisine. Vicolo del Cinque 58 06/5833 5903.

La Rosetta. Superb seafood. Via della Rosetta 8 06/6821 5116.

L’Infernetto Enoteca Ristorante. Airy trattoria. Via del Pigneto 31-33 06/703 0404.

Maccheroni. “Hot” restaurant. Piazza delle Coppelle 44 06/6830 7895.

Pizzeria ai Marmi. Terrific thin pizza and fried cod fillets (I know, what a combo). Viale le Trastavere 53 06/580 0919.

Recafe. Good lunch spot offering Neapolitan cuisine. Piazza Augusto Imperatore 06/6813 4730.

Ristorante Taverna Angelica. Atypical. Piazza Amerigo Capponi 6 06/687 4514.

Santopadre. Good apps, pasta. Via Collina 18 06/474 5405.

Trattoria Monti. Delicious homemade pasta. Via di San Vito 13 06/446 6573.

Uno e Bino. Marvelous meal and veers off the traditional path a bit. Via degli Equi 58 06/446 0702.

Shopping:

Well, this isn’t really shopping but is just as important. Noi, a beauty salon, has American owners who speak English. Piazza del Popolo 3 06/3600 6284.

To Stay:
Casa Delfino. 9 Theofanous Str 28210 96500. Lovely suites in a perfect location for exploring the old town. There is a travel agent with no personal agenda in the lobby for a couple of hours each morning and evening to help you plan your excursions. The people at the front desk were also very helpful.

To Eat:
We found that the best course was to ask our waiter what to order. The only thing of which you have to be careful is that fresh fish, charged by the weight, is very expensive. Everything else was incredibly reasonable. Also, no one eats before 9 p.m., and the restaurants are at their most crowded around 10:30.

Tamam Zambeliou 49 28210 96080. Delicious local cuisine. The inside of the restaurant was a Turkish bath.

Antigoni on the old harbor 28210 45236. Where we had fresh grouper. Very fresh, very tasty, and very expensive.

Portes, owned by an Irish wife and Greek husband. Their food was the most creative we had in Crete. Be forewarned: cash only.

Karnagio 8 Katechaki Square 28210 53366. Good food and the best stuffed eggplant we had in Greece.

Delightful area where you can have a lot of fun trying wine.

Hotels

Aloxe-Corton (near Beaune): Hotel Villa Louise. Indoor pool. 9 rue Franche 03 80 26 46 70.

Dijon: Hotel Sofitel Dijon la Cloche. 14 pl Darcy 03 80 30 12 32.
La Bussiere-sur-Ouche(near Dijon): Abbaye la Bussiere. A luxurious country house hotel with a one star restaurant. Member of Relais & Chateaux. 03 80 49 02 29.

Nitry: Hotel de la Beursaudiere. Rustic and restful. 9 Chemin de Ronde 03 86 33 69 69.

Restaurants

Auxerre: Restaurant JL Barnabet. A new restaurant from an innovative wine maker. 03 86 51 68 88.

Beaune: Delicious dinner and superb wine. Les Milles et Une Vignes. 61 rue de Lorraine 03 80 22 03 02.

Chablis: THE wine bar to go to is Bar a vin Domaine Leroche. 18 rue des Moulins 03 86 42 47 30.

Pernand-Vergelesses: Restaurant le Charlemagne. Route des Vergelesses 03 80 21 51 45.

Prenois: Eat excellently at La Auberge de la Charme 12 rue de la Charme 03 80 35 32 84.

Puligny Montrachet: Le Montrachet will bestow upon you first-rate traditional french food. 10 place des Marronniers 03 80 21 30 06.

Over the bridge from La Rochelle, France’s answer to Martha’s vineyard but with salt marshes.

Hotels

Two splendid places to stay are Hotel de Toiras. in St Martin-de-Re 05 46 35 40 32, and Le Richelieu in La Flotte 05 46 09 68 70.

Restaurants

In Les Portes-en-Re, you can choose between La Bazenne 14 place de la Liberte 05 46 29 52 20, and La Case a Vent 8 place de la Liberte 05 46 29 65 31.

In Ars-en-Re, try Cafe du Commerce 6 Quai de la Criee 05 46 29 41 57, or Le Bistrot de Bernard 1 Quai de la Criee 05 4629 40 26.

Although closer to Italy, this wild island is governed by France.

Bonifacio

Marina di Cavu. A beautiful resort overlooking the sea, with good Mediterranean food. 04 95 73 14 13. Enjoy the seafood in the port’s Restaurant les Quatre Vents. 04 95 73 07 50.

Calvi: Hotel La Villa. Relais & Chateaux hotel overlooking the Calvi Citadel. 04 95 65 10 10. Or, for something more country, try the Auberge Relais La Signoria. 04 95 65 93 00.

Corte: You can eat inexpensive traditional Corsican food at U Museu. Ramp e Ribanelle, Vieille Ville 04 95 61 08 36.

Erbalunga: Hotel Demeure Castel Brando. Sleep in a picturesque fishing village. 04 95 30 10 30. Eat wonderful food at Le Pirate 04 95 33 24 20.

Near Murato: Make a reservation to eat at La Ferma de Campo di Monti, a remote traditional farm. 04 95 37 64 39.

Palasca: Enjoy simple, tasty food at Restaurant La Agriate Domaine de La Ostriconi RN 197 04 95 60 53 29.

Porticcio: Hotel Le Maquis. On the bay, with a good restaurant (La Arbousier) located on a beautiful terrace, and an indoor pool. 04 95 25 05 55.

Porto Vecchio: Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa. A Relais & Chateaux property with forty-two beautiful rooms a pool and a spa. 04 95 71 61 51.

Try The Hotel Belvedere for its sophisticated, (expensive), one star restaurant. Rte de Palombaggia 04 95 70 54 13.

St Florent: Eat seafood at La Rascasse Rue Strada Nova 04 95 37 06 99.

Sartene: Try Auberge Santa Barbara, a modest country restaurant. Route de Propriano 04 95 77 09 06.