Holiday Diaries: Burano Island, Venice

We were determined to squeeze in as much as possible into our 4 day break so after spending the morning in Murano we hopped on a water taxi to explore Burano. 

When we first started planning our trip one of my favourite bloggers The Londoner was in Venice and her post on Burano made me add it to our list immediately and it didn't disappoint. I fell in love with the rainbow of colour instantly. 

Each house we passed was prettier than the last and we took great delight in choosing which one we'd live in. With our choice changing every time we turned a corner or stumbled across a new street.

This bold pink house was my favourite.

With this trio of primary colours being Brett's.

The whole island burst with colour and the residents take such pride in their houses from keeping the paint fresh to the flowers in their window in perfect bloom.

Ancient legend says that fishermen painted their houses to see them from long distance when they were far away for fishing, now they are one of the biggest draws to the island and you have to apply to the government to be assigned a colour!

The island also boasts great food, we originally tried to get in Trattoria al Gatto Nero after being highly recommend by both the Londoner & The Lonely Planet guide book, but we learnt the hard way that booking in advance is crucial! 

So we set off on the hunt for good food elsewhere and came across Riva Rosa where the pretty pink exterior matched the cold Rosè perfectly.

 I had the gnocchi and Brett was sold by the prawn pasta after the servers mouth watering description, both were amazing washed down with Aperol Spritz and Rose. The restaurant is voted third best on the island and I would highly recommend if you're in the area, a great result to say we were sold by the colour!

Make sure you add Burano to your must see list if your heading to Italy soon!

Thoughtful Thursday #8

Ain't this the truth! 

I think we can all think of a time where the goings got tough and we just want to give up and I think we can all think of a time that once the tough part was over everything looked a lot brighter!

Recently something that I've been working hard towards that has caused, late nights, early starts, blood, sweat and tears has finally paid off and it makes all that hard work that much sweeter. 

I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that I didn't give up and it explains the hard times, as they say no rain, no flowers. So don't let a cloud burst ruin your day - keep striving for your flowers!

Holiday Diaries: Murano Island, Venice

Venice.. where do I even start, the last 4 days seems likes a dream! 

Venice has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and if you follow me on Instagram you'll of been inundated with beautiful photos but for those of you who have visited Venice you'll know just how beautiful it is and understand when I say I still how so many more to share which is I thought I'd do a mini holiday diaries series!

 I'm going to split the posts into days but as we fit a lot into our first day this ones going to be a biggy - maybe grab yourself a cuppa first!

Throughout our holiday we stayed on the Island of Murano, which is a short water taxi ride away from both Marco Polo airport and mainland Venice. 

We stayed in the LaGare Hotel on the island of Murano both for its luxury boutique feel on a budget and the location a short ride from both the airport and mainland Venice.

Murano is famous for its glass blowing and the hotel showcased pieces from the islands rich heritage everywhere you looked. 

The hotel perfectly blended a dark palette of modern boutique chic with classic Venetian style. 

The staff were amazing and couldn't do enough for you, from offering advice on the best restaurants to directions to must see attractions. When we checked in we were told we had been upgraded as we were celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary.

We weren't however expecting the sight that met us, luxury living set across two floors! 

Safe to say there was an excited squeal and jump on the bed moment when we first walked in!

When we were initially booking the hotel we found out they offered free speedboat transfers to and from the airport and Venice each day. We pictured ourselves stepping off the plane onto a speed boat that would make a James Bond villain jealous and it didn't disappoint.

Theres nothing quite like feeling the wind in your hair and sun on your face as you speed past some of the most beautiful architecture in history.

Got the wind in my hair bit down to a T!

Once we'd got over the excitement of the ride in and then stopped jumping up and down in the room we wanted to make the most of our short time and we set out to explore the island.

Everywhere you looked there were shops brimming with intricate and unusual glassware made on the island and huge sculptures, this one lit up on a night like a huge beacon.

We then hopped onto a water bus to another island Burano - but thats a story for another day.

Thursday Thoughtful #7

Ok, so bare with me with this one. Happiness to you might not be chips & guacamole like it is to me, but happiness is the little things. Sunshine in the car ride home after work, a great dessert, your personal best at the gym, catching up with a best friend. You get my drift, if you only measure life by the big things your highlights reel is going to be a short one but if you measure it by the times you belly laughed or just smiled to yourself it looks a whole lot better.

My Thursday has been spent with a glass of wine and catching up with an old friend which in my eyes is the perfect evening. Hope you had a good one too!