Italy’s capital city is oozing with beauty, charm and sophistication. Why should your hotel be anything different? We checked in early morning to the fabulously grand Parco Dei Principi hotel & Spa on the edge of the city park. A leisurely ten minute stroll from the city centre and all that Rome has to offer, Parco Dei Principi, part of the Roberto Naldi collection of luxury hotels will give you old school grandeur on an whole new level. When our taxi pulled up at the hotel’s entrance, we were surrounded by waiting fans looking for autographs and photos. For us?! Sadly not, but this just further added to the excitement of what lay ahead! A quick browse through the hotels Instagram account confirms that Parco Dei Principi is where all the celebrities stay! Perfect 😀

  

Our marble adorned room on the top floor was luxuriously large, well appointed and had fantastic views over the city with Saint Peter’s Basilica towering majestically in the distance. The king size bed was probably one of the best and most comfortable beds we have ever slept in. The staff throughout the Conde Nast award winning hotel are a credit to themselves, nothing was a bother to them, from housekeeping to bar staff, from front of house to poolside. Old school luxury and attention to detail make this fine hotel stand out from the competition.

  
Our timing was perfect as the weekend we arrived marked the opening of the outdoor pool area for the summer season – a pool that would not be out of place in 1930’s Hollywood. 

We couldn’t resist the call of the water so we settled poolside sipping gin and soaking up the atmosphere. The attentive bar staff made sure that we had everything we needed including a choice of cocktail snacks to accompany our ice cold drinks.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, the birds were singing, and the sun was breaking through the towering palm trees that adorned the meticulously kept gardens. Our very own private oasis in the big city!

 
 
A weekend in Rome is never enough to see everything this historically steeped city has to offer, but it will give you a taste and a hunger for more. The quickest way we found to get your bearings in the city was to hire a private tour guide from Driver in Rome.com . 

Not only did it save the souls of our shoes, but also gave us valuable time to sample the delights that the city has to offer. 

 
  
There is a famous saying ‘ When in Rome ‘ though I doubt it meant us trying all the fabulous fresh pizza, pasta, wine and gelatto we could manage! 🍴❤️🍷

 Our buffet style breakfast on both mornings was a perfect start to the day. Of course accompanied by a glass of champagne to kick start proceedings. Unfortunately we did not get to visit the amazing looking Prince spa on site but our fellow guests had nothing but praise for it, next time we hope! We will be back for sure. We take our hats off to management for creating an atmospheric gem of a hotel and service comparable to no other. Your staff and the service they provide are a credit to you. Thank you all for a memorable stay. We look forward to our return trip and visits to your other establishments in the near future! ❤️❤️🍀✈️ 

   
 
 

Sunny Sundays call for the BBQ to be rolled out. We all love cooking burgers or steaks on the BBQ, or chargrilled sweet corn with a nice summery salad. Once you have mastered the BBQ the next level up is to smoke your own food. We recently took delivery of a Bradley Smoke Cabinet from the USA and have been experimenting with it ever since!

  
We marinated a shoulder of pork over night with smoked paprika, and stuffed full of smoked garlic with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and seasoning. Burgers take minutes on a BBQ. A joint of meat in a smoker can take 5 or 6 hours! Patience is key here.

  
Half way through the cooking time, we basted the joint with our homemade BBQ sauce, and returned it to the smoking cabinet for a further 2.5 hours. The smell coming from the cabinet often drives the neighbours crazy, in a good way! 

  
The finished product! Juicy, succulent and smoked to perfection with a crisp BBQ tang to it. Best served hot in a toasted brioche roll with lashings of the remaining BBQ sauce. Mouth-wateringly good!!

Making your own BBQ sauce is so simple. Check out our recipe, and do not be afraid to change things a little and throw new ideas at it. A good BBQ sauce requires constant tasting and tweaking. 🍴👌🏻😊

Our home made BBQ sauce recipe

6 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/2 cup of cider vinegar or white wine vinegar – or substitute this for ginger ale. 

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of strong mustard 

1 tablespoon chilli powder

2 teaspoons black pepper 

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 cups of ketchup 

1/4 tea spoon ground cloves 

1 teaspoon of ground all spice 

1/4 cup molasses 

Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan except for the ketchup. Once all ingredients are dissolved add the ketchup and bring to the boil stirring well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment with paprika, turmeric even ginger! You can even switch out the vinegar for Coca Cola! 

Carton House Hotel & Spa. This fine 18th century Manor has a colourful history spanning the last several hundred years. The entire walled 1100 acre estate was lost on a gambling debt at one stage! We are greatful that it is now in much safer hands and providing luxury spa and golfing breaks. Just seeing a picture of this impressive estate and Manor House was enough to get us down to visit! 

  
Just 20 minutes outside of Dublin City, and perfectly located to make the most of the ever growing Kildare Outlet village. Carton House has everything to please everyone. Along with a luxurious spa and leisure complex, the hotel has 2 championship golf courses on site. They hosted the Irish Open in 2013 and was voted Ireland’s No.1 golf resort in 2014. It is all there on paper, but not only that, it truly delivers. 

  
We arrived early Friday evening, weary from yet another week of hard grafting! The bill’s need paying, right!? A swift and friendly check in led quickly to snuggling up to the open fire place next to the kitchen bar. As we worked our way through the fabulous gin menu and cocktail list, we felt the weeks problems slowly dissipate. The hotel had a nice buzz about it and was busy with private events and a wedding, yet never felt crowded. Looking through the spa brochure after the Cocktail list was the best thing we could have done. I opted for the full body massage! We reserved our spa treatments and retired for the evening. 

  

Breakfast in bed? Of course! Who can refuse such a feast of authentic locally sourced Irish goodness after a few the night before? It certainly set us up for the day! 🍴

 

Spa time! We reappeared several hours later after being rejuvenated in the luxurious spa complex on site. I actually fell asleep in the relaxation room after my superb massage! We headed off once fully woken, relaxed and ready for some retail therapy in the nearby Kildare Outlets. Little did we know that the best was yet to come. Dinner later that evening was a total master piece in not only presentation, but flavour. Our friendly and informative server for the eveving – Michelle, was first class. Her knowledge and attentiveness made the evening for us. Throughout the three courses she fully explained everything right down to where the meat was sourced and rared. This is the standard that impressed us over the space of the weekend. From check in, to our spa appointment. From bar staff to restaurant staff. The quality and attention to detail is superb. We genuinely cannot wait to return. A flawless, luxurious and relaxing weekend spent admiring the history and surroundings which we felt lucky to be part of. Hats off to management. Your staff and facilities are a credit to your business. We we will be back!