Our late summer stay at Casa Gallo, Porto Rafael

Yesterday, we featured the architect, Michele Busiri Vici, who’s credited as being the creator of the ‘Mediterranean Style’. The reason we highlighted him is because we believe he’s the man who designed the villa we stayed in recently – Casa Gallo, Porto Rafael in Sardinia.

In the early 1960s, Casa Gallo (circled in red) was one of the first villas to be built in the little coastal resort.

‘Gallo’ means cockerel in Italian, and the motif can be found throughout the house – beginning with the weather vane atop the roof of the villa.

…followed by a couple of vintage framed, hand-made paper artworks in the porch…

…and a metal figure in the former fireplace in the beautiful, white-washed lounge.

The vintage original Cerasarda floor tiles are stunning; they look like the surface of the sea and the pattern reminds us of shagreen.

…and there were other fabulous decorative tiles dotted throughout the property.

Each morning we woke up to this magnificent view through one of the arched windows in the master bedroom. A moving picture that we never got fed up of seeing!

Casa Gallo – as well as a number of other villas in the locality – is available to book via the Essential Italy website.

Summer holiday carry-on essentials

We all love foreign holidays – long weekend city breaks, festive trips to visit the Christmas markets, skiing & snow-boarding, culinary or cultural experiences. My all time favourite holidays, though, will always be ones that consist of hot sun, clear blue sea and white sandy beaches. To (almost) guarantee I get all three of these pre-requisites, I need to travel somewhere pretty far away… via an aeroplane.

I don’t like spending ages at airports – queuing to check in… waiting for bags to appear on the carousel. Travelling light, i.e. hand luggage only, cuts out lots of the stress and waiting around. These are my summer holiday carry-on essentials that ensure I get to my destination in a good mood, with minimum of fuss, looking forward to some R&R.

Documents

Everyone knows the age old situation of getting to the airport and realising you’ve forgotten your passport. As well as your passport (and those of the rest of your family) don’t forget all the other important paperwork you’re going to need. Before you set off, make sure you’ve scanned your important documents and put e-copies into a Dropbox folder. – just in case they get lost, stolen or destroyed while you’re abroad. Include your passport, driver’s license, travel insurance certificate, flight tickets and car and hotel booking confirmations.

If you have a smart phone you can also save copies of certain booking confirmations to your Apple Wallet or Wallet Passes (Android). Companies that are already signed up to these services include Booking.com, British Airways, Easy Jet and Airbnb.

Having some local currency prior to your arrival at a destination is always a necessity; you’ll always need cash for things like paying for a taxi or tipping a porter. It’s advisable, however, to not have all your spending money in bank notes. Taking plastic is a safe and convenient way of paying for things in hotels, shops and restaurants. The Halifax Clarity credit card is the most recommended card for using abroad. Unlike debit cards and most other credit cards, you don’t get charged fees for cash withdrawals or for using it to pay bills in a foreign currency. Just make sure you pay the balance in full when you return home or you’ll begin to accrue interest on the balance.

For the journey

We’ve spoken about carry-on cabin bags and their weight & dimension restrictions in a previous post. In addition to this hand luggage ‘case’ that goes in the overhead locker, you’re also allowed one other small carry-on bag that can fit under the aircraft seat.

We recommend the Pacsafe Venturesafe X Sling Pack. It’s the perfect bag for when you’re going out & about exploring or hitting the beach. It’s compact but roomy with lots of different compartments; it can hold a 10-inch tablet, phone, compact camera, passports, money, credit cards, keys etc. Most important of all is that it keeps all these items safe & secure. It has an anti-slash strap and extra secure PopNLock fasteners to prevent pick-pocketers and bag snatchers. It also has a locking system that allows you to tether it to an immovable object and it’s made of RFID blocking material which stops your credit/debit cards from being ‘skimmed‘ (although the jury’s out on the prevalence of this type of theft).

I find any flight over about an hour’s duration really uncomfortable. After a while, the seat seems to shrink and my legs grow! As for thinking I’m going to get any kip on a trans-Atlantic trip – forget it! That is, unless I’ve brought some support like this Cabeau Evolution memory foam travel pillow. It has a little pocket for slipping your smart phone into (helpful if you’re listening to soothing music or an audio book to pass the time in-flight), it can be used if you like lying face down on your sun lounger and it come in kids’ size too! It rolls up into a little pouch so doesn’t take up too much room. Combine this with one of the sleep masks that we featured last week – and I’m in dreamland!

If you’re travelling long-haul – 4 hours or longer – compression socks are recommended to avoid swelling in the feet, ankles and lower legs (oedema) as well as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Clothes

I won’t go into detail about the need to pack hot weather clothes such as swimming cossies, shorts, t-shirts etc. But what I will say is, as space in your hand luggage is tight, pick out what you’re taking carefully; then edit it down, and then edit it some more. Choose tops & bottoms that can mix & match with several other pieces of clothing; ditto any footwear and accessories that you pack.

The thing that will take up the most space in your carry-on luggage will be towels. Check prior to flying if they’re provided by your hotel, cottage or villa accommodation; if they are – bonus – more space for clothes! If they’re not, microfibre towel Microfibre towels take up a lot less space and are a lot lighter in weight than traditional cotton terry towels. They’re also anti-bacterial, dirt repellent and amazingly absorbent. The Fit-Flip microfibre towel comes in its own bag, is available in 12 colours and a variety of sizes from 50x30cm to 200x100cm.

Toiletries & cosmetics

With the strict hand luggage liquid restrictions, try to take as many of your toiletries & cosmetics as possible in solid form. It gives you more flexibility when you have vital items such as contact lens solution or medicines (or that bottle of HP sauce!) that cannot be substituted.

This citrus verbena deodorant stick contains no alcohol, parabens or aluminium salts. With its fresh lemony scent, it may even help repel the mozzies!

In addition to deodorant, I’ve invested in a few mini perfume atomisers into which I’ve decanted some of my favourite eaux-de-cologne.

If you’re going somewhere hot & sunny your going to need sun protection products. Depending on your skin tone and how well or badly you tan, you’re going to need sun tan oil/lotion, sun block, after-sun. Justin and I need completely different products as he burns much more easily than me. I love the Hawaiian Tropic range as it smells so… tropical! Justin is less fussy than me so this Malibu 3-in-one set is perfect for him.

Toothpaste and mouthwash will eat into your liquid allowance; take a bottle of Toothy Tabs instead, they’re available in various flavours and contain 100% vegetarian ingredients such as essential oils, baking soda, green tea powder, charcoal and menthol crystals.

Shampoo is another product that can come in solid form. Friendly Soap natural shampoo bar – lavender & tea tree is hand-made, cruelty-free and contains no parabens, SLS or palm oil.

For things you just need to take in liquid, gel or lotion form. So many sun tan oils and lotions (I’m looking at you Hawaiian Tropic!) come in bottles larger than the 100ml limit. Decant them into these containers, safe in the knowledge that your expensive moisturisers and other precious unguents won’t be confiscated at the gate.

Not only do your liquids need to be in 100ml containers, the containers need to be stored in a transparent, resealable bag no larger than 20cm x 20cm nor hold no more than 1 litre. To be on the safe side, I’ve bought a pack of these special flight bags.

Tech

Tropical holidays are a time for reading the latest bestseller on a sun lounger on the beach or beside the pool. Swap your heavy, bulky paperbacks for a tablet. With the Amazon Fire you can read books, listen to music, watch TV & films take photos and give orders to Alexa.

When you’re self-employed like us, you still have to check in from time to time and do a few hours work. That means that the ‘office’ needs to fit in our carry-on bags. Thankfully that simply entails packing our trusty old MacBook Pro. Have a look at some of our other tech travel essentials.

What are some of the summer holiday essentials that you just need to carry with you?

An afternoon in Spitalfields

We highlighted our visit to Dennis Severs’ House in London in a recent post. Having spent a wonderful hour there, we wandered around the historical Spitalfields and Shoreditch districts for the rest of the afternoon.

There was no danger of getting lost with the stunning Christ Church to help you keep your bearings. It often loomed into view as we criss-crossed the area.

It didn’t really matter if we got lost anyway. We weren’t in any rush and there was so much to see; every street had hidden gems.

In particular, it was the architectural details that were so interesting to us.

The brick & stonework, the paving, the door frames & windows, the shutters, the fanlights, the door knobs & bells, knockers and letter boxes; much of it original Georgian.

There’s a mixture of old industrial buildings, pubs, shops and domestic dwellings. It really is fascinating if you just take the time to stroll and soak it all in.

Another thing that really caught our eye were the ‘ghost signs’, the remnants of former factory and shop premises advertising signs with business names and products for sale.

Some have never really been hidden away, some rediscovered many years after being painted over, boxed in or covered with later signage.

They’re so atmospheric. That’s something that can be said of the area in general – especially once you get into some of the quieter side streets. There are famously busy areas like Brick Lane – full of shops, restaurants and bars. However, these quiet corners have a special attraction all of their own.

If you’re a fan of period architecture and detailing, particularly the 18th and 19th century, then set aside a few hours if you’re in this part of London… and take a wander.

Dennis Severs’ House visit

We’ve already written about our recent trip to London and visit to Chelsea Physic Garden. Another day that still burns bright in the memory is our afternoon in Spitalfields and, in particular, the time we spent at Dennis Severs’ House.

Dennis Severs was an artist and he created this world at number 18 Folgate Street. It’s a very special place – and somewhere we’d strongly recommend if you’re planning a trip to London. Perhaps you even live there and have never visited.

Dennis Severs created the house and it’s quite hard to describe – part theatre, part gallery. He wasn’t keen on the museum tag, although there’s an abundance of wonderful historical objects. It feels alive – as if the people who lived there have just stepped out for a moment… and you’ve been left to wander around their home during their brief absence. Perhaps they’re even in another room or part of the house close by. You’re invited into ‘a game’ – you’ve briefly interrupted a family of Huguenot weavers and you’re piecing things together – who was just here, what were they doing, how do they live.

Californian, Dennis Severs recalled:

Down deep, I always believed that one day I would travel past picture frames and into the marinated glow of a warmer, more mellow and more romantic light. There was one such light in particular, one that I saw in the combination of old varnish and paint, and that appealed to me as my ideal. By the age of 11, it was identified as English.

There’s dust and dishes to be washed, half-finished food & drink, unmade beds, clothes hanging to dry, candles flickering and fires burning.

It’s an imagined place, the Huguenot family named Jervis and their lodgers – however, it’s based on historical realities.

With a candle, a chamber pot and a bedroll, I began sleeping in each of the house’s 10 rooms so that I might arouse my intuition in the quest for each room’s soul.

It’s a complex, multi-layered thing. Have a read of the official website for a deeper exploration and explanation of Dennis Severs’ thought process.

You’re asked to wander around the house in silence, no electric light, no phones, no cameras. It’s very much about the atmosphere contained within the house and spaces within. An experience of sight, sound and smell.

Some rooms or spaces are very humble indeed – others a little more opulent. There’s the kitchen, eating parlour, smoking rooms, work rooms, bedrooms and boudoirs. There are fabulous details everywhere you turn – still lives almost.

It’s only open twice a week, generally. About 8 visitors are welcomed in at a time. The plus side of this is that the rooms are never crowded with people. The downside is that you have to keep moving through the house steadily – otherwise the next 8 would never get in! You’re not rushed, but we would have loved to just sit in each room for half an hour or so, to soak it all in.

In fact, Justin for one, would happily live there for a few days. Our own home gets more and more like Dennis Severs’ House with each passing month!

The average visit lasts about 30-40 minutes and costs £10; it’s well worth it. There are special events to look out for too, especially at Christmastime where you can linger a little longer, sit in the rooms – and even have mulled wine & mince pies. It’s also available to hire as a film and photography location.

We hope to return very soon. Have a watch of the interview below with Dennis Severs from 1998, a couple of years before his untimely passing.

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H is for Home Harbinger

Category: travel