Barcelona, Spain

Eat This:
Tapas and Sangria! You can't go to Barcelona without indulging in both of these. There is great sangria in many places but our favorite tapas were at the Cerveceria Catalana.

Do This:
Barcelona is a large city and the touristy sights are spread out around the city. The Hop On/Hop Off bus was incredible way to see the sights without taking the subway or hiring multiple taxis. Highly recommend.

At some point, you will want to take a break from being a tourist. Find a nice spot in the Gothic Quarter to order a pitcher of Sangria and relax.

Touristy things: All of the Gaudi buildings are incredible. Must see Sagrada Famlia, Park Guell and La Pedrera. The Picasso Museum is also a delight.

La Serena Villas, Palm Springs, CA

If you're looking for a quiet oasis in the desert you should take a look at La Serena Villas in Palm Springs.

The rooms are spacious, well appointed and each has a private outdoor area with a claw-foot soaking tub, a fire-pit and a lounge chair.

The pool area is quiet. Really quiet. Perfectly quiet. Chill music and respectful guests. Doesn't hurt that there's no cell phone talking allowed in the pool area.

The restaurant and bar were not open as of May 2017 but with a little creativity, the Postmates app, and the Bevmo literally across the street, nobody is going hungry or thirsty. The hotel offered nice salads for sale at lunch time and a complimentary continental breakfast basket every morning.

http://laserenavillas.com/

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Eat Here:

Enchilada Plate with Green Chili, Pink Adobe

Outside Casa Sena

La Plazuela- Inside the La Fonda Hotel. A Santa Fe classic.

Casa Sena- An upscale outdoor lunch spot, food is good, but ambience is best. Good burger and sangria. Rez is a must.

Pink Adobe- Enchilada Plate. Seriously. Also, make a rez. (Pictured)

Tomasitas- 2 locations, not fancy, all about the green chili, and they will freeze it for you to take home if you call ahead.

Maria's- Off the beaten path. Green chili, less expensive, lunch came with sopapillas.

Tia Sofias- Breakfast spot. Burritos!

Stay Here:

La Fonda- recently renovated, right in the middle of the main square.

La Posada- it a Starwood, nice outdoor breakfast and nice spa. Nice place to sit outdoors at night with a glass of wine.

Do This:

Sunset at La Fonda Hotel

Wheelwright Museum- $5 entry, small museum, nice new jewelry wing gives great quick history of jewelry making in the SW.

Walk Canyon Road- Many galleries

Sunset and a cocktail at the top of the La Fonda hotel (Pictured)

Bandalier- Cliff Dwellings near Santa Fe, really incredible

Visit Pueblos

These ones should be interesting to visit:
San Idelfonso
Santa Clara
Acoma

Look at this map to give you an idea of the layout of the pueblos...
http://www.indianpueblo.org/19pueblos/pueblomap.html

Trieste, Italy

Trieste is a lively little town, within an hour of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. It is a lovely town to walk and explore. Full of cafes, architecture, music, and lively happy hours.

Stay Here

Starhotels Savoia Excelsior Palace is located right on the water front in the center of town. Great location and views. Contemporary rooms. Accommodating staff. http://www.starhotels.com/en/our-hotels/savoia-excelsior-palace-trieste/

All of the Eating:

Al Bagatto was the best meal in town. A few highlights were the amberjack, red shrimp pasta, eggplant pasta and homemade Tiramisu. 

There are a ton of great spots for a quick espresso, but I really liked Adoro Cafe.

Pizza is a big deal in Italy and Trieste does not disappoint. Must try Marinato and d'Napoli, both were amazing.


Must try local wine varietals, Schioppettino, Friulano, Ribolla gialla and Verduzzo.

Outside of town:

Castello Miramare is just a few minutes outside of Trieste, an incredible castle built by Maximiliano and Carlotta, but also used by the Allied forces in WW2 as a base. .

Portopiccolo Sistiana is a small vacation community, looks a bit like Greece with white washed buildings. Lovely beach club, can rent a bed by the pool with service for the entire day.The Adriatic is amazing. http://www.portopiccolosistiana.it/en/_1.htm

Rovinj, Croatia

Rovinj:

Roving is a lovely Croatian seaside town, that you could cozy up in for a few days, or tackle all in one day. There are a few touristy sites to see, but the highlight was eating at Kantinon. 

Kantinon specializes in Istrian delicacies and local ingredients, and of course, local wines. Really lovely staff. Good for just an appetizer even and a glass of wine, though they have a whole menu of tapas which are worth trying. http://www.maistra.com/things-to-do/kantinon-tavern

Venice, Italy

If you can only do one thing (or two):

Go to the Hotel Danieli, its just past the main square. Take a left, cross a tiny bridge and then its on the left side. Go into the lobby, and there is a nice lobby bar, but go straight past it, past the sign that says hotel guests only, take the elevator up to the rooftop terrace. Super expensive drinks, but the view and peace and quiet are worth it. Great escape from the tourists. 

You'll want to visit St Marks Basilica, its the main attraction in Venice, and its free, but there was an HOUR line to get in. Forget waiting in that line- go to this website, choose individual traveller, and its 2 Euros for ZERO wait time. There is an entrance in the front of the building, no line. You show them either a printed confirmation from this or just a barcode on your phone. 

http://www.venetoinside.com/attraction-tickets-in-veneto/tickets/skip-the-line-saint-marks-basilica/

That website has other skip the line tickets etc. for other sites in Venice too and I believe that they have deals on taxis etc.

Rome, Italy

All of the eating:

Roscioli is one of the best restaurants and is a favorite with locals too. Very un-pretentious, great service. You walk in and there are cases in the front, and it almost looks like more of a market. They specialize in a few things: highest quality mozzarella and charcuterie that you order a la carte, marinated tomatoes that are outstanding (and they sell bottled), and they are known for having the best Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara pasta dishes in all of Rome. Decadent but worth it. Lovely meal. You may want a reservation. http://www.salumeriaroscioli.com

Dal Bolognese  is a very nice restaurant. You get the sense that its a bit more dressy, but still casual and popular with locals. Wonderful Bolognese obviously, and their nut ice cream dessert is outrageous.

Pizzarium Bonci is a bit off the beaten (very beaten) tourist path, but so worth checking out. You can a slice of pizza and a slice of real Rome. This is where the locals eat, and they will be surprised that you've found it. Very good slices of pizza with awesome toppings.

Touristy Stuff:

Get a guided walking tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, just so that you don't have to wait in line for tickets. Or book your tickets ahead of time. Its a crazy line for tickets and to go through security. You skip security if you buy through a tour. Don't really eat at any of the places near there, total tourist traps, not good food. 

The Hop on Hop off bus in Rome isn't a bad way to see things. But mostly recommend walking around at night. Everything is open late, and is less crowded, and its much less hot. 

If you just do one thing:

Eat at Roscioli. There's two ways to heaven in this town. One has super long lines, and one is heaven in a bowl of pasta. So, I say, skip the Vatican, and book a table instead.