1st Night In Hotel Bologna.. Dining At Datura Restaurant

If you are in Italy, remember to try out Italian and Venetian dishes.. one restaurant I would recommend is Datura Restaurant right on the ground level of our hotel, Hotel Bologna..

The restaurant has been around for about a century, preparing a range of Venetian and Italian dishes.. every month the one michelin star chef and his crew will prepare seasonal dishes..

For we who do not have a high budget, we took the degustation menu, a series of appetizer, first, second courses and dessert and always you can have a glass of red or white wine.. instead of ala carte so we can eat more and enjoy more.. there are two degustation menus so we ordered two each..

Our appertizer is..

Roasted pumpkin with sweet creamy sauce.. this is a complimentary healthy dish from the chef.. to give us a little surprise.. :)

Michelle, satisfied with the appertizer and her red wine..

We ordered their sashimi platter with Green tea sherbet ala carte as our 2nd appertizer... too tasty and sweet.. that I forgotten to take the photo of it before finishing the platter..

Following will be our first courses,

I forgotten the name of this dish, but they are pretty nice..

 

This is the seafood gratin using Venetian variety of seafood..Popular Venetian dish..

We thought that is all for the dishes but here are the second courses..

I still remember the taste although I can't remember the dish name.. hope I can go back again to savour this dish again..

This is a combination of duck and bacon dish.. it may not look good.. but it is outrageously tasty!

We will very full after the second courses.. however.. we try to make some room for our desserts!!

3 desserts in a plate.. and of course...

TIRAMISU!! This is the best tiramisu I ever had in my life.. the crispy coffee crusts and the creamy puff will make one longs for another plate again and again...

These sweet biscuits come in complimentary with our tea and coffee right after desserts.. We had an enjoyable dinner there and very satisfied with the attentiveness and friendliness of the wait staffs there.. although one thing is the food served is a bit slow but overall we have a wonderful experience there.

Footing the bill.. we paid 152 euros.. a lot but it is very worth for this quality of food.. we will come again next time..

Travel Tip: Shopping In Branded Boutique Shops In Europe

For Singaporeans, buying branded products in Europe is always less expensive than buying in Singapore. This is mainly because of the VAT refund and the boutiques' origin in Europe. You have to pay GST here but not in Europe..

We have about 12.9% refund.. and save a lot more money for us to do more shopping..

Here are the steps:

1. Remember to bring along your passport when you shop. Tell the retail assistant that you want to have VAT refund. He or she would ask if you want the refund to be credit to your credit card or refund in cash.

1. The retail assistant will produce a tax refund invoice and an original receipt. Remember, do not lose it.

1. When you are leaving EU, remember to get your tax refund invoice stamped by the custom before checking in your luggage, so it would be best to come early to the airport.

1. After checking in your luggage and pass by security check, remember to get your tax refund from the tax refund office in the departure hall.

Hope these information are useful to you!

Venice Vacation - Day 1

Before going to Venice, we read a lot about how romantic and beautiful she is. I also learn some simple Italian phrases so I can use them for the 4 days in Venice.

Our 1st day do not come well. It was drizzling and temperature is cold. The moment we step out of the station, took a quick picture moment..

Me and Michelle 1st 5 mins in Venice..

Took the waterbus route Number 1.the busiest and most popular water route.. Where you will be sailing along the Grand Canal.. Many photo opportunities..

Took a picture of Dad and an American tourist..

In Venice, you can either walk and get yourself lost in the city or you can take the water buses. Gondolas are expensive, 80 euros per person, however if you are going there, prepare to spend more to experience.. saw Hotel Contintental on the way..

Beautiful crafted gondolas along the Grand Canal..

Rialto Bridge.. where you can do some great shopping here..

Every view is like paintings to me... wish you were here as well..

Venetian buildings are kind of mystique and beautiful..

 

A gondolier sailing back to his floating home..

 

We stopped 2 stations before San Marco.. passing along branded boutiques shops on our way first..

Pigeons drinking the raindroplets on the cobbled floor..

Even thru walking to unknown spots in Venice, you can still take some great pic..

Many interesting shops you can find in Venice. Took a quick picture while walking..

A beautiful church along our leisure walk to San Marco..

When you are in Venice, you will feel that every little part of the town is a great photo opportunity..

Finally, we have reached San Marco square, after a 30 mins stroll.. FYI, most boutiques shops are here, that includes LV, Guess and many more.. Buying branded goods is better and less expensive in Europe than Singapore, will tell you more on the next post..

Mum and Michelle behind the highest point in Venice, the Campanile.. you can see a bird eye view of the most romantic town in the world from there..

If you are in Venice, remember to go to Basilica San Marco and The Doges' Palace.. San Marco is less crowded (but still a lot of tourists) in weekdays than weekends especially in San Marco..

The Doges' Palace..

Horizon view of La Salute from San Marco Square..

After wandering in Venice for hours, we decided to go back our hotel.Although it is about 3pm, but the jet laggedness is making us very tired..so took water bus ride back to the train station. And there is another great view of San Marco! :)

Sitting at the rear of the water-bus.. still have many great photos taking moments..

A nice Italian couple took a picture for us, while we took a picture of them with their camera.

Dad came for a great photo moment.. :)

We reached Ferrovia, this is where you will go to San Lucia Train station.. passed by this candy and bakery store.. wow yummy!
That's the end of our day 1 in Venice.. looking forward to tomorrow.. :)

Travel Tip: Cheaper Airport Transfer

Taking Buses to Your Hotel from the airport will be a cheaper alternative compared to taking private car transfer or taxis when you are in European countries.


This will save you a lot of money and use them on shopping.

During our trip to Venice, we stayed 3 nights at this fabulous hotel in Mestre, Hotel Bologna.. we took the bus ride at 3 Euros per person. (SGD 6.30) compared to 40 Euros to 80 Euros if we took the cab.

You can buy your tickets at the bus information counter at the airport. Or you can simply buy it from the blue machine. 

Remember to validate the bus ticket before you board the bus.

Taking Off

One beautiful sunday

Nov 3.. Having a light dinner in T2 Soup Restaurant.. with sis came to send us off.. took many photos before we part our ways..

 

My wife, Michelle calling her mum and grandma to tell them goodbye.. Using free local calls provided by the airport..

Still have 45 mins before our boarding time. Pamper myself with some foot massage provided free to the travelers in the transit area..

I now finally understand why our airport is one of the best in the world. Everywhere is Kodak moment.. and they really know how to take care of travelers needs, giving them a peaceful and relaxing environment before boarding the plane..

Another Kodak moment before we board our 11 hours 45 mins flight to Munich onboard Lufthansa Airlines.. Great service we have been enjoying..

After the long and tedious flight..

We finally arrived at Munich Airport for a 1 hour stop-over before taking another flight to Venice. Since it's only an hour stop-over, we do not have time for Kodak moment.. so I quickly took a snapshot of mum,dad and michelle while on the travellator..

Michelle took a quick picture of me and mum while we on an airport bus to our plane.. also from Lufthansa airlines but a smaller one.. I remember that time it was raining and the temperature outside is 6 degrees celsius.. freezing cold.. once the bus reaches the small, we quickly "run" to it..

Took a picture of Michelle before she sleeps in the one hour flight.. That time we are 7 hours behind Singapore time.. the jet-lagging feeling is happening around us... but I try not to sleep until their night time so I took some pictures outside the plane windows...

Beautiful scenery right outside my plane window.. I stare and admire at the wonders of nature..

It's my first time to see snow-capped mountains and it is right below me.. I am not sure but I think these are the mighty Dolomites of Italy.. beautiful rocks bathe under the warm and blue skies..

Another picture! :)

Finally, we arrived at Marco Polo Airport in Veneto.. we kinda lost our way in the airport, trying to find the public bus to our hotel..

Luckily we met one nice German family who are very helpful in helping us find our bus stops. They shared some wonderful accounts of their past travel experiences with us.. We are very grateful for their help..

 

Took a quick pic of Dad and Michelle while waiting for our buses. It is very cold.. Think about 5 to 6 degrees Celsius.. Finally the bus came, the ride is about 20 mins interval.

Situated right opposite Mestre Station, is a wonderful 4 star hotel, Hotel Bologna. We stayed there for 3 nights and we are very happy with the politeness and helpfulness of the staffs.

The rooms and hotel facilities are very clean and neat. 

Their room rates also include sumptuous breakfast buffets. Most hotels in Europe do not usually includes breakfast unless you pay more.

The price of staying 3 nights in Hotel Bologna is as good as staying 1 or 2 nights in Venice hotels. So that, we have one more day to enjoy our stay in Venice.

One more great plus point is that you only pay 1 Euro for the 8 mins train ride to Venice.

Two great surprises we received from Hotel Bologna, is they let check in  as early as 10am. And all my requests I had emailed to them a year ago were fulfilled. Service is superb.

After checking into the hotel, we quickly go to have our brunch in MacDonald's. The difference between Singapore and Italy's MacDonald's is no chilli sauce. They only have mayonnaise and ketchup.. Well still tastes good! :)

Amidst jet lag and the 7 hours time difference, we set off to Venice, with only a 7  minute train ride..Check out my next post! Ciao!