Nice menu. Nice handwriting. However, don't look too closely – it's being changed every day.

I believe it's one of their standard appetizers. Ham with egg. Or egg with ham. Quite potent.

Grilled monkfish served with hake, mussles and a dollop of aioli.
Simply the best prepared fish I've had in Stockholm in a long, long time!

Sure, I have had many more exciting wines but this dry riesling entered the marriage with the monkfish with a lot of grace.

Sweet stuff. Soon, there will be songs written about this tarte tatin.
Feels like going on a trip to Sologne region with someone you love.

Not exactly shouting 'Here we are!' to passers-by. No neon sign. Not even the name on
the window. Just a small street talker and two candles. But now you're in the know...

It happened where you’d least expected it…
I know the surroundings quite well. Not because there’s a well-known strip club nearby but because my brother live kitty-corner to this place. This is a rather remote corner of Stockholm. The city sort of ends at the end of the next block. In this unlikely place, Linus Ahlstedt and Mikael Gröndal created a different kind of bistro. Or maybe it’s not that different. The difference is that this is your quintessential, simple, local bistro where everything is better executed than you’d expect.

It’s in the details.
The tiny establishment have room for some 25 guests seated around six tables. The menu is changed daily and you will be carefully informed that there are only three plɑː də ˈʒʊə remaining (this evening it’s the monkfish). A choice of beef will always be available, says Linus: ”You can’t run a place like this without it”.
Water is served in tiny Tintin glasses. Meat knifes are from Laguiole and the wine is selected with fingerspitzengefühl. The restaurant is manned by just Linus and Mikael. They work hard and their care and good spirits are all around this establishment.

It’s in the kick-ass monkfish.
Ordering the egg with ham meant that I soon had quite potent appetizer in front of me. My friends were full of praise for the grilled mussels and the anchovies. Myself, I wasn’t at all disappointed, but the next time I’ll go for a slightly lighter starter.
Enter the grilled monkfish. Almost lobster-like in texture, it proved to be the perfect match for the light hake and the mussles, with the aioli adding the subtle edge and acting as a nod to the Provencale restaurants where the owners obviously gathered loads of inspiration. The perfect balance between lightness and taste.
Some of my friends ordered the pizza, baked in the massive wood burning stove, and there were zero complaints, but I suppose they all wanted my monkfish. Together with a dry riesling, it was my ticket to the feelgood zone.

It’s in the tarte tatin.
Weight watchers, beware! Having a tarte tatin at Chez Betty means that you will be attacking an apple tarte where the apples have been caramelized slowly in an ocean of butter and sugar later to be baked upside down in the wood burning stove covered by puff pastry. An orgasm for dessert lovers. The vanilla sauce also played its part remarkably well.
So, looking for a non-pretentious bistro experience in Stockholm? Then you’ve found it. In my opinion it will be very hard for anyone aspiring to enter the category to top this. However, I’ll wait with the 5th star until a few more visits.

Note to the owners: Just remember to fix the hasp on the door to the restroom, OK?

Chez Betty
Roslagsgatan 43
S-113 54 Stockholm

+46-8-292293
restaurant@chezbetty.se

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 6 PM to 10 PM.

Here's where everything begins – the mandatory little fountain around which the world revolves.

Quite minimalistic. Quite nice. The Talaa 12 is a pretty good representative of the modern riad. However, expect no such things as TV or mini bar. More importantly, the AC was very good. And the room had a fan in the ceiling as well.

A rather modern-looking and spacious bathroom but it also has some room
for improvement: When you take a shower, you're flooding the area. Not cool.

Clean and stylish. The balcony on the 1st floor of the Talaa 12

Rooftop comfort: Under this Berber tent you may sip on a... lemonade or similar while watching the sun set in the west. This was windy evening which meant that the rooftop was empty.

Talaa 12 may sound like a rather small riad with only 8 guestrooms. But compared to other riads and ordinary hotel rooms your living space at the Talaa 12 is either size large or x-large.

The driver created a mess for himself…
I blame it all on him. While trying to get his car through the narrow, winding streets of the Marrakech medina, he simply got stuck between a stone wall and a shop, turning a short taxi-ride into an unwanted tourist attraction. It costed him his right rear mirror. Therefore, arriving to the Talaa 12 was an even bigger relief. It’s located next to the souk and just an olive’s throw from the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the former theological college in Marrakech. This riad isn’t exactly yelling ”Here I am”, so drivers don’t know about it. Not many folks in the neighbourhood were able to just point it out.

With just 8 rooms the service level is the expected.
You WILL be well taken care of at the Talaa 12. When asking Ibrahim, the manager on duty, how to get to Café Arabe, he just said ”Come on… follow me!” The followed a 10-minute guided tour through the souk. What Hilton hotel manager would personally walk you through this maze to make sure that you arrive to your restaurant? I suppose that would be impossible at any larger establishment, but this was probably just another day at work at the Talaa 12 with only 8 rooms, (and maximum 18 guests).

A traditional riad that is not very traditional.
This is not the place for those who want to take the time machine a few centuries back in time. Rooms and public spaces are furnished in a rather contemporary fashion. Quite minimalistic but yet not 100% functional. Taking a shower that lasts more than 2 minutes means the bathroom floor gets flooded. Also rooms come with no keys. ”This is such a small place”, was the explanation. And true enough, it is impossible to get inside without the staff admitting you in.

It should be awarded with more stars…
It certainly has its qualities – the staff being the most outstanding one. I’d recommend the Talaa 12 if you want something that doesn’t feel like a hotel but more like a very well run B&B. I’d also recommend it for anybody who doesn’t want their piggy bank smashed.
Also, before coming here, call the riad and ask them to arrange with porters bringing your luggage to the door. On departure, they did just that and the system worked like a charm although Obi-Wan Kenobi spent an eternity pushing a cart with my heavy bags to the waiting car. Make that a 70-year old Obi-Wan with bad shoes and a severe back problem. Or maybe not. He got an hefty tip and danced away. Maybe he was just a good actor?

Talaa 12
N° 12 Talaa Ben Youssef
40000 Medina Marrakech
Morocco

+212-524-429-045

Click here to book Talaa 12 through TabletHotels.com!

The entire Dar Les Cigognes revolves around the funky fountain in the courtyard. On the whyteboard: Tonight's 4-course menu.

This photo doesn't lie: The bed takes up most of the main room in the suite.

It's not a temple or a house of worship. It's a bathroom. There's also a hammam in the riad, (which I didn't try).

This, I dubbed 'The Useless Room'. It has a so-so-functional place for reading and a fireplace. The latter should come in handy on winter nights. Friendly note to management: New carpet needed!

I suppose that this is exactly how you'd picture a riad in the old Medina. In this case the brochures and websites told the truth.

Dar Les Cigognes means 'the House of Storks'. Views from this rooftop terrace made it quite clear why, (see image below). Wasn't able to catch any of them while they were swooping in, though.

Wanna do some birdwatching from the rooftop? Sometimes you're successful, sometimes you're not. When bringing my camera to the rooftop, the storks weren't too eager to put on a show.

Riads normally don't have windows facing outwards. Instead, they have a courtyard facing inwards. Traditionally, you'll there find four orange trees, (or lemon), and possibly a fountain.

Now, listen class: Cigogne is French. It translates to stork.
Location: The rooftop of Dar Les Cigognes. There are quite a few white storks (Ciconia ciconia) nesting on the walls of the royal palace, which is across the street. Big birds they are, with a wingspan of 200 cm (79 in.). If air-traffic control gives them an OK for a final approach from northeast, you hear them swoop in, their necks stretched in flight. When I bring my camera upstairs no swooping is taking place. I return from the rooftop with a pic of one taking a stroll on top of his nest. Poor show!

This is a riad that comes with a few advantages.
It’s possible to get to its doorstep by car. This may sound like one of the lesser advantages for a better hotel, but now you’re in the Medina which dates back to the year 1071 – more or less the antidote of modern urban planning. At other riads, elderly men have pulled hand-drawn carts with my baggage to a waiting car through this maze of alleys and walkways.
More importantly, the Dar Les Cigognes itself is a very well managed riad with a very helpful staff. Miss Hayat, who is in charge during my visit, is a real gem, making you feel extremely well taken care of. Under her supervision, restaurants get booked, cars are ordered and everything, including the time for meals, feels tailored to suit your needs. She’s like a Swiss watch with a warm heart.

It looks quite good! Somebody must have called in an architect.
Even though it consists of two houses connected with a walkway over a narrow alleyway, the Dar Les Cigognes has only 11 rooms. This means you won’t have a problem finding yourself private spaces for meals, work or contemplation. The tadelakt plaster walls also makes it feel quite stylish. A tadelakt mixture typically includes pulverized marble, which is then polished by hand, making the surface is smooth as Teflon. Charles Boccara, a French Tunisian-born architect, have added his quite classical touch of style to the riad, which means that it is not suffering from minimalistic design.

You may put your trust in the restaurant as well…
Dinner at the hotel means that you’ll be served a pre-ordered menu of four different courses. This is common practice for most riads. Served on the rooftop, everything tastes great; the chicken tagine in particular. Just have realistic expectations on the wine list, which is quite short. It should be mentioned that despite being a Muslim country, wines of quite decent quality have been produced in Morocco since the mid-90s, (and they’re getting better every year).
The Dar Les Cigognes has one foot in the medieval Marrakech and the other in the tourist industry of the 21st century. In this reviewer’s opinion, it’s a very well working combination. Recommended. Four stars. Oh, yes.

Dar Les Cigognes
108 rue de Berima
Marrakech 40 000
Morocco

+212-524-38-27-40

Click here to book the Dar Les Cigognes at TabletHotels.com!

In the foreground: The Ouirgane valley and Kasbah Tamadot. The backdrop: Adrar N'Dern or Jemal Toubkal (4,167 m). Google that, kids! It's a two day hike to the top.

This is part of my room, #31, named "Tarrat" which means Virgin. Of course, it wasn't named after a virgin but after Sir Richard's business empire.

The crime scene in the room that has been named 'Tarrat'. That's Berber. For the translation, see caption underneath the picture above.

Ideal for an afternoon drink with 15 or so friends. We're still in room # 31. Or rather; we're outside 'Tarrat', on my private terrace.

My temple. My bathroom. I suppose that this is the first place where Sir Richard shat after buying the place from Luciano Tempo in 1998.

The High Atlas aside, I have to say that the biggest attraction at the Kasbah Tamadot is... (drumroll!) the Kasbah Tamadot

The rooftop. When the winds are not too strong, you may have dinner here; or book it for a private dinner; or have a drink; or just watch the stars through the telescope.

Note to self: If you want to survive the summer in the dry climate of the Atlas Mountains, always book a place with a pool. For winter travellers, there's one indoors as well.

I always wanted to know what it is like…
…to be a globe-trotting billionaire with a preference for neatly ironed denim shirts and wavy hair. My visit to Kasbah Tamadot in the High Atlas Mountains gave me a tiny glimpse of the life of Sir Richard Branson, (no, he wasn’t around). But I slept in the room where he first slept after his mother talked him into going up the dry Ouirgane valley to buy this place. Sir Richard was in these hoods to do a little balloon flying when Eve Branson found this kasbah. Originally built in the 1940s, it now belonged to the Californian artist and antique dealer Luciano Tempo who had modernized it. She convinced her boy to present the cash and the rest is, as they say, hotel history. I guess it sometimes comes in handy having a son who is a globe-trotting billionaire.

It doesn’t fit into any known category.
Is luxurious but it’s not glitzy. In many ways it’s modern but it’s certainly more traditionally Berber than hi-tech. Sir Wavy Hair obviously preserved a lot of what Signore Luciano Tempo had created. As you’ve probably already figured, this is not a place created by some kind of ‘agency’ and presented in PowerPoints. It’s the result of a creative relay-race involving some extraordinary minds. Apart from the magnificent backdrop formed by the High Atlas, the most obvious attraction around here, is, (drumroll… fireworks!), the Kasbah Tamadot itself.

Among the most friendly and hospitable people I’ve ever met…
Those who’ve been following this page for a while, know that I’m always ranting about the importance of the staff. In the case of the Kasbah Tamadot, some 90% of the staff members have been reqruited locally from the surrounding Berber villages. The hotel management proudly tell you that they have been trained by the Kasbah Tamadot ”…in all aspects of hotel operations” as well as in the English language. A very clever move as hospitality must be in the DNA of the Berber people. This goes for everybody I met during my three-night stay, from the concierge to housekeeping. You will be extremely well taken care of.

I say, anyone for ping-pong?
With only 18 bedrooms and suites plus six Berber tented suites you’d expect the service level to be nothing but top-notch. It is. The remote location also means that the kitchen must be amazing from breakfast to late night dinner. It is too. Executive chef Lee Cowie, (a Kiwi), knows his game and – I shit you not – his interpretation of tagine is a serious challenge to even the best local chefs. Another honorable mention goes out to Navindran Sukumaran, the super-friendly restaurant manager. But it’s the local Berber waiters who really deliver throughout the entire stay. Also, on a concrete platform, under a shading roof, stands something that says a lot about this hotel. It’s a table; a blue ping-pong table! What other luxury resort will you offer you that?

Yes, I hereby award it the expected five stars.
Expectations on this place were very high. Not being a badass guest but a critical minded guest, I’ve been scanning everywhere for imperfection. I didn’t find any. This is by no means a cheap place to stay at, but the fantastic staff make you feel a little like, well… a globe-trotting billionaire. I’m glad that my hair is still intact.

Kasbah Tamadot
BP 67
Asni 042150
Morocco

Reservations: Virgin Limited Edition (UK)
T: +44 (0)208 600 0430

Quite nice, eh? The buildings represent the traditional lafta style, meaning whole interwoven, crossing logs stacked by craftsmen. They look old but were built as late as 2007.

The day when I'll feel Hemingway-ish, I'll write my next trilogy here. Yes, I'll definitely consider it.

Even with a bed like this it was tough to sleep through one of those bright Norwegian summer nights. Oh, well... in the month of June it could have happened in any hotel on this latitude.

I don't want to go into details here and now, but some pretty deep thoughts emerged in this room.

This must be the wet dream of any local tourist office: Mirrorlike, deep fjords. Dramatic mountains with little speckles of snow, added for decoration.

Unfortunately the kitchen doesn't deliver what the impressive dining room interior promise.

In theory, it’s nothing but amazing.
Is it for real? Is it a shooting location? Is this something that the folks at Disney dreamed up? The nearby Sunnmøre Alps form an incredible backdrop with little speckles of snow garnishing the mountains. It feels like being trapped in the world’s largest screensaver with amazing views in every direction. The landscape looks like designed around this hotel. It’s built in the lafta technique, or handlaft to be more accurate, where whole crossing logs, as thick as underaged fashion models are stacked by craftsmen, interwoven and insulated with lambswool. Inside, the logs remain largely exposed. There’s actually nothing Disney-ish about it. It’s a traditional Scandinavian technique for house-building.

Let’s continue with the good stuff. Such as the rooms.
The Storfjord Hotel is probably one of the greatest matches of design, location and concept I’ve ever experienced. It’s comfortable. It feels genuine. Apparently, no expenses have been spared to create a cool, rural idyllic outpost. Rooms are spacious. Rooms come with a four-poster bed. Rooms come with a writer’s desk. Room must be some 40-45 square meters. At least.

There used to be only six guest rooms…
After the first step of the hotel’s expansion, there are now thirteen rooms and apparently the hotel has even more ambitious plans, including a large conference space and then additional rooms. I just hope that the homey feeling they provide today will not be lost in the developing process. Kristina is a gem. She spends more time with us than I think is written in her job description. I’m amazed. It was long ago since I felt this well taken care of at a hotel. She gets six stars out of five.

Room for improvement.
To put it bluntly, the kitchen is a problem. If present, Gordon Ramsay would let the f-words penetrate the room’s airspace like Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives. Ordering a set-menu should give the kitchen a chance to shine, yes even to overperform. Not here. What’s on the plate makes me embarrassed. The Double Cheeseburger at that odd Denny’s joint in Parsippany, NJ, felt more inspiring. Also, the remote location of the Storfjord Hotel means that you have zero alternatives. The chef can simply not afford to have a bad day.

It feels strange to give out just three stars.
It’s not right that a place as remarkable as Storfjord Hotel should be awarded only three stars, but the ongoing construction works takes away some of the pristine feeling. Plus; more than anything else, the hotel should concentrate on finding a competent chef. Being served this boring excuse for a dinner in the magnificent dinner hall fills this reviewer with outright sadness.
So, please get your sh_t together, Storfjord – you are blessed with so many things that other hotels can only dream about!

Storfjord Hotel
Ovre Glomset
Skodje, Sunnmore Alps, 6260
Norway

+47-7027-4922

Coordinates:
Lat: 62.470256 Long: 6.625614

Click here to book Hotel Storfjord through TabletHotels.com

Read on the sign: There are 22 different brands to be found at The Mall.

When you're here, you don't need any more direction. Go for it! You're at The Mall!

On the left: Valentino and Bottega Veneta. On the right Armani and Gucci. Among others.

”Oh, they enlarged the parking space.”
It’s precisely three years after my first visit. The Mall is getting less and less hidden, less and less a mystery for travellers. It’s also less mythical than the Space Prada Outlet in Montevarchi. Maybe it’s because it looks a lot like an outlet is supposed to look?
Still, a GPS from Hertz can not find the address. Still, when checking some interactive maps, it is strangely missing. But a simple search on Google Maps shows that the street view was updated not too long ago. Also, going to The Mall is a little bit of a lottery compared to the Prada outlet. Here, you never really know what to find. Don’t let that put you off, though. In my opinion, The Mall is worth a visit, (and I’m certainly not an outlet guy).

Twenty-two brands. Whoa.
It’s quite a collection of brands. In fact, very few department stores will carry all these luxury labels. But it requires a little bit of browsing. It’s impossible to not again compare it with the Space Prada Outlet. Finding three shirts in my size took me less than 15 minutes at Space, where members of the pretty motivated staff helped me finding the item I fancied in the same colour but in size 42 instead. In the Armani store at The Mall, I am on my own. When asking about different sizes a gorgeous young woman replies ”It’s stuff you see on hangers”. Gorgeous or not, she clearly doesn’t care whether I’m a customer or a salmon. Thanks a lot, dear.

My advice: Ignore the ignorant staff…
Prepare for being treated like a problem and to spend more time than you’d expect in a fitting room, and you may find that there are bargains to be made. I walk out with a grey suit from Armani Collezioni, my card oozing from being charged EUR 395. After checking online I think it was quite a steal. On the high street, a suit from the same label comes with a EUR 1300 price tag. An Armani Collezioni shirt is mine for EUR 85, which seem to be exactly 50% off the suggested retail price. Now y’all know why I will look like a million bucks this fall.

A mixed review, huh?
The Mall has its ups and downs. It should be mentioned that not all the stores will give you any great offers. Some places have this year’s collection on display with the usual hefty price tag. It’s an outlet yes, but everything at The Mall is not outlet-y. Just arrive with realistic expectations and chances are that you will leave with the feeling that it wasn’t a waste of time after all.

The above was written by a male, age 44. Those of you worshipping selected brands of handbags may have a completely different opinion.

The Mall
Via Europa 8
50060 Leccio-Reggello
Firenze, Italy

+39-055-8657775

Regular opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 10.00 AM — 7.00 PM.

SPECIAL OPENING HOURS 2011:
Aug 15:10.00 AM — 7.00 PM
Oct 29-31: 10.00 AM — 8.00 PM
Nov 1: 10.00 AM — 7.00 PM
December 8-10: 10.00 AM — 8.00 PM
December 24: 10.00 AM — 4.00 PM
December 24: 10.00 AM — 4.00 PM
December 25-26: CLOSED
December 31: 10.00 AM — 2.00 PM

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
If you drive there on your own, you may find that the GPS will not recognize the address (mine didn’t, thanks so much, Hertz). Don’t panic. It’s way much easier to find The Mall compared to the Space Prada outlet. Still, I find it a bit odd that the address is missing as The Mall opened on August 4, 2001. Does it has the same status as a military installations on Google Earth?

1.
Make sure that you’re on A1 (E35), the Autostrada del Sole. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming from the north (Milan/Florence) or from the south (Rome), the exit to look for is marked Incisa. You’ll find this exit about 29 km south of Florence.

2.
Take the road on the right (SS69) towards Pontassieve. This road, the Via Aretina, starts with a short serpentine climb uphill and downhill. Follow this road (it’s still called SS69) until reaching Leccio.

3.
Continue through Leccio. Most of this little town will be on your right. Yes, it’s a small place, so don’t drive too fast. There will be signs for The Mall and these days the roundabout is impossible to miss. That roundabout is your key. That’s The Mall on your left. No, not the white building with the Diesel Jeans logo on it. Go down the hill and pick any of the three car parks. There are The Mall-logos everywhere. Good. You’re there. Congrats! Now, shop ’til you drop..

Prepare. You're getting close to The Mall in Leccio-Reggello.

Si, it's here! Centro Commerciale – The Mall. That's it.

This road exists on some maps, but The Mall doesn't.

FINAL NOTE: I first visited The Mall in July 2008. I had only written driving directions and when checking the roundabout where you get off the SS69 was not found in any maps, (although I promise you, it was there the first time). Since then, I’ve checked both maps and satellite images numerous times, but they have been quite slow on updates. I found it even more confusing when The Mall was marked on the maps as a name, but with no buildings visible. Just now, around my 2nd visit, I realized that things have changed. I leave you with this image from Google’s street view, which means that it must exist after all…

In this Google Street View image, you can see the mall, the lawn and the female Japanese tourists outside their chartered tour bus. Actually, it looks just like in June, albeit with less sun.

Stepping out on the balcony and... when confronted with a view like this, gathering the pile of cash necessary to buy an apartment in Nice, makes absolute and total sense – no matter the pricetag!

The image above is short for: ”Whatever you do when booking
yourself in at La Pérouse, make sure you'll get a sea view room!”

Not big. Not designed. No problem, but they need to fix their beds soon, or it won't matter how charming Valerie in the reception is!

Just guessing now, but it was probably not too long ago they renovated this bathroom
in that 1998 French style. Sorry to say that it already looks slightly jaded.

A classic, charming Mediterranean hotel on the Côte d’Azur.
La Pérouse has it all. It has the undersized lobby. It has the quirky floor plan where you will have to take two elevators and walk through winding corridors before you find your room. It has the not so new wall-to-wall carpets. Yes, charming is synonymous with not overly practical or not shiny brand new. But it’s quite impossible to not like La Pérouse. The first reason is blond, all smiles and goes under the name of Valerie.
It was quite a while ago since I felt as welcome in a hotel, (it also helped that Valerie’s English is perfect – my French is, ahem… limited if you want to be polite).

I agree with the folks on TripAdvisor.
Charming is the word here. It’s just like you were imagining what charming French hotels would be like, before you started to go to France. When I write this, La Pérouse is ranked as #5 out of 214 hotels in Nice. It’s not at all hard to understand. The location, the view and, above all, the staff are good reasons. The hotel seem to be willing to walk the extra mile. I’m arrived to breakfast with only minutes to spare and was met with nothing but smiles. They even managed to find a me parking space where there was none. That is; I got an overnight permit for the no-stop zone just outside the hotel, (thank you again, Nicholas!).

Room for improvement.
The 63 rooms are squeezed in between the waterfront of Baie des Anges and the castle hill, (hence the lack of parking spaces). In aerial photos the patchwork is an excuse for a floorplan becomes very visible. However, that patchwork is not an issue. Its location makes it special, (and this I say without even dipping my toe in the pool; nor did I get that free drink from the rooftop bar). Its staff makes it special. But the guestrooms come with a bit too much glumness. Bathrooms look/feel somewhat old and the blanket on the bed didn’t feel like belonging in the year 2011.
On the other hand, those things are fairly easy to fix. And the should be taken care of quickly, as La Pérouse is in possession of exactly the things that other hotels – with more sleek and thought-out interior designs – can only dream about. And sacré bleu, the charm is there… as if you haven’t gotten that message already.

Hotel La Perouse
Nice Baie des Anges
11 Quai Rauba Capeu
06 300 Nice
France

+33-4-9362-3463

Click here to book a room at La Pérouse through TabletHotels.com.

* * * DRIVING DIRECTIONS AND MUCH MORE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST! * * *

(No. 1) The not so glamorous entrance to the Space Prada Outlet at least comes with a sign these days. And this image is garnished with a blue Ferrari, (yes, ”No. 1” refers to the aerial pic below).

(No. 2) Here, they used to have a vending machine where they sold mineral water – now Space has been upgraded with a proper café. The outlet entrance? See the folks under the little overhang? That's it.

(No. 3) You're now very near your destination. No, the outlet is not behind these gates – instead, follow the arrow and continue a few hundred meters. The entrance is located at the northern end.

An mythical place. Apparently.
It used to be almost completely hidden and only whispered about. Today, it’s slightly less so, as they have erected large signs on Via Levanella (SR69). There are also chartered bus tours coming here from Florence. Plus, you may now get yourself a cup of coffee or even a glass of wine in the café on the corner instead of refueling at a vending machine. But it’s still a place that you may drive past if you don’t know what to look for. And there seems to be a massive need for information, as the previous post I wrote about this place is the most visited page on this website. By far.

Is it worth going there?
There are many reasons to go to Tuscany, (wine, food, scenic landscape and romance, among others), but prior to the Space Prada Outlet, there weren’t many reasons to make a stop in Montevarchi. The town is the equivalent of Slough, UK, or Scranton, PA, in an otherwise very picturesque region. As an outlet it surely stands out, with high quality merchandise on the shelves in many sizes. I am NOT an outlet guy and I’m no good at hunting for bargains, but I’ve happily walked out of this store with items that were sold at 30-70% lower prices compared to the high street.

Why Montevarchi of all places?
It’s a factory outlet located within the Prada manufacturing facility. Outlets mix badly with the Prada name, so they call the place Space. You will find that there are Space bags and Space pricetags. The only thing Prada is the actual merchandise.
I’m often asked things like Do they have a website where you can see what’s in stock? Do they ship? My response will be no and no. It’s an outlet. At Space they sell only stuff that is about to be phased out or irregular items that can’t be sold with a premium pricetag. Prada can not and will not tell what’s in store and they will never ship anything anywhere. If they did, they would soon kill their brand and upset retailers all over the world.

(No. 4) At the Prada Space Outlet you need a ticket – and you need to know what to do with it.

The not so normal procedure of shopping here.
Before entering through the glass doors, you’ll collect a ticket from the machine above. The number on the ticket is your customer-ID, and as soon as you’ve selected an item, a staff member will ask you for that number. Your items will then be brought to one of three counters, which in turn means that you won’t have to carry your stuff around. When you had enough, you approach the counter, check-out with your number and pay. The system works fine. The ticket also comes in handy when creating a queue, as no more than about 100 customers are allowed into the store at the same time. The staff in the store is helpful and reasonably multi-lingual. In fact, there’s not much that is outlet-y about this outlet. It’s like Neiman Marcus, but with numbered tickets.

So, Mr. Guidebook, you sound quite positive?
Yes, I am. Again, I’m not an outlet guy but thanks to the Space Prada Outlet I’ve been able to buy stuff in quantities that I wouldn’t even have dreamed of before going to Tuscany. But of course a visit doesn’t make this writer’s pulse race; not like those pretty young, mostly Japanese, fashionistas I watched go wild in the women’s shoe section.

I’m sure that there’s something with shoes, but my Y-chromosome will prevent me from ever understanding it.

Lo Spaccio – SPACE
Via Levanella Becorpi
Località Levanella
S.S. 69 – 52025 Montevarchi (AR)
Italia

+39-055-978-94-81

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UPDATE: OPENING HOURS
- Monday through Friday: 10.30 AM – 8 PM (last entrance 7.30 PM)
- Saturday: 9.30 AM – 8 PM (last entrance 7.30 PM)
- Sunday: 10.30 AM – 8 PM (last entrance 7.30 PM)

- Closed on January 1st, Easter, August 15th and December 25th-26th.
- On December 24th and 31st there could be reduced opening hours.

These hours were e-mailed to me by the Prada Client Service
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* * * THE HEAVY DRIVING DIRECTIONS SECTION STARTS HERE! * * *

GPS COORDINATES
Latitude: 43.512222 N
Longitude: 11.598794 E

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO MONTEVARCHI:
First, let’s deal with getting to the area of Montevarchi, (scroll down for more detailed, local descripions). The secret is to drive on the A1, the Autostrada del Sole or ”Motorway of the Sun”, the spinal cord of Italy’s road network that runs from (Milan-Naples).

If you’re driving from…
• Florence (Firenze, Tuscany) – follow this link.
Distance: 57 km. Time: 52 min.
• Pisa (Tuscany) Aeroporto Pisa-Galileo Galilei – follow this link.
Distance 157 km. Time: 1 h 40 min.
• Lucca (Tuscany) – via A11 and the A1 passing Firenze – follow this link.
Distance: 128 km. Time: 1 h 24 min.
• Rome (Lazio) – Aeroporto Roma-Fiumicino Lionardo da Vinci (main airport) – follow this link.
Distance: 274 km. Time: 2 h 38 min.
• Rome (Lazio) – Aeroporto Roma-Ciampino, (used by most low cost airlines) – follow this link.
Distance 255 km. Time: 2 h 25 min.
• Milan (Lombardy) – Aeroporto di Milano-Malpensa (main airport) – follow this link.
Distance 409 km. Time: 4 h 00 min.
• Milan (Lombardy) – Aeroporto di Milano-Linate – follow this link.
Distance: 358 km. Time: 3 h 28 min.

No matter if you’re coming from the north or the south, on the A1 you must pinpoint the Valdarno exit. Don’t worry, those signs are hard to miss.

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DRIVING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Start with the site Viamichelin.com. It is your best friend. Type in Levanella in the ”Town, City, Postcode…”-field. Levanella is the local industrial area where the Prada factory is located.

ALMOST IN MONTEVARCHI – LOCAL DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
As soon as you’ve left the A1 autostrada, there won’t be many signs until you’re really close to the outlet. In between the motorway and those signs, follow step A to F listed below:

A)
You drive on the Autostrada del Sole (A1). Pinpoint the Valdarno exit and leave the A1 there. No matter which direction (north or south) you come from, just after exiting the autostrada you’ll get to a roundabout. Take the first exit in the roundabout. It’s the Via Poggilupi (SP11).

B)
The Via Poggilupi will soon turn into the Strada Lungo l’Arno (but it is still the SP11). Turn right. For a brief moment the road will be named Strada della Penna (SP59). Then turn left on the Via dell’Olmo and then right again. You’re now back on the Strada Lungo l’Arno.

C)
Continue on the Strada Lungo l’Arno (SP11) for quite a while, (it’s a matter of kilometers), driving parallel to the A1 autostrada. On your left side of the road you will pass an industrial area with some shops. Finally the Strada Lungo l’Arno will take you underneath the autostrada. Turn right. A sign should say Montevarchi. Pass the river Fiume Arno. The road name will now change to Via Arno. You are now entering the town of Montevarchi.

D)
At the first major intersection (traffic light) you turn right. You’re now on Via Leona (SR69). In no time the Via Leona will change its name to Strada d’Arno (it’s still SR69 though); Via Levanella on many maps. Continue on this road and pass underneath the railroad track, (now check the aerial view below).

The aerial view of what to look out for when you get there. Click this image to enlarge it.

E)
When you’ve passed the railroad track it’s time to slow down. Here’s the intersection on the right. There used to be trees here but they are now gone. If you come from the south, keep your eyes open for the little roadside shrine with the cross on top (image No. 6 below). See it? Turn right and leave the Strada d’Arno/Via Levanella. You’re almost there.

(No. 5) A real improvement: If you're driving south on the Via Levanella, this sign will prepare you for turning left. Driving north while following these driving directions? This sign means you've missed the intersection and driven too far. Please, make a U-turn where it's legal.

(No. 6) The trees that were here are now gone. Instead, this little roadside shrine – highlighted in this image – with the cross on top is the landmark where you'll turn right to get to the outlet.

(No. 7) This little sign is visible when coming from the north. It's located opposite of the roadside shrine.

F)
You are now entering an industrial area, driving on a street named Via Levanella Becorpi. Take the first left. On your left side you’ll now see the large factory building (No. 3 in this post), and the sign on the façade saying ‘Space Outlet’. Follow the road as far as you can go. There are a lot of spaces to park here, but there may be one closer to the entrance as they’ve enlarged the parking. Park. It should now be safe to follow the crowd, especially if the majority of the crowd is young Japanese women. Congratulations, it’s shopping time.

This image was taken by a half naked man, (that would be me, then) who followed the driving directions and later walked away with three shirts, with 65-85€-pricetags.

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TWO OUTLETS IN ONE DAY?
For those of you wanting to visit the Space Prada Outlet and The Mall in the same day, it’s 35 km from the Space Prada Outlet to The Mall. It will take some 35 minutes to drive between these locations. To get an idea of the route follow this link!

GETTING TO THE SPACE PRADA OUTLET BY TRAIN:
If you don’t want to rent a car, you may board a train at the Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence. In the daytime there’s typically one train to Montevarchi every hour, (sometimes even three times/hour). Timetables and prices can be found at Trenitalia using this link. An English version of the site is available by clicking on the Union Jack displayed top middle.
The trip from Florence to Montevarchi takes either 36 or 59 minutes, depending on the number of stops and the fare is either 4,30 € or 6,50 € one way, (prices may change, so please check online before going).
In Montevarchi, you will have to take a taxi to the outlet. Be prepared that taxi services may be sporadic.

OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORT (TAXI, CHARTERED COACHES)
I’ve been asked a few times what it will cost to take a cab to the outlet. I’m sorry but I will not even try to answer as I’ve been using a rental car myself, (hence my detailed driving directions). There are also a myriad of chartered shopping tours to the area, but that’s different field of science. The above link to the railway company, owned by the Italian state, is as far as I will go, as I’m never happy to post anything that I can’t verify myself.

WANT TO STAY IN THE AREA?
I’ve stayed at two hotels, one close and one reasonably close to the Space Prada Outlet. These are the alternatives if you want to stay in a better place, as Montevarchi itself will not offer you much:
Villa Sassolini –  9.5 km from the Levanella industrial area where the outlet is located.
Villa Fontelunga – 51 km from the same Levanella industrial area.

These shoes were tried on but not selected at the 50€ per pair section. Yes, I was a witness.

Feels like a hotel. And for what is essentially a palace I'm not particularly sure that is a great thing.

The park, overlooking the Mugello valley is one of the greatest assets of the villa.
Beneath the umbrellas you'll find not one but two swimmingpools and a spa.

It's actually not badly designed at all, but I can't but wonder why they tapped into the business-boring style that has become so common? This image could be taken anywhere in the world!

Functional and almost antiseptic. That's the bathroom of room # 201. No complaints about that.

Main course of the set-menu dinner: Rack of lamb. I'm sorry to say but dinner was... not really up to par. Wine recommendations were sketchy as well. This is where this hotel lost another star.

The lobby where old building meets new stuff. Designed by the owner Milva Fusi. Apparently
she wanted to be a female Philippe Starck. Tasteful? Well, it's a matter of taste, isn't it?

Impressive. That’s the first word that comes to mind…
While driving up the hill after having passed the manned gate, you can’t but think ”Hey, this is the kind of place where Berlusconi goes partying with his teenagers…” That’s what it looks like. Presidential. Or in Berlusca’s case Prime Minister-ish. A porter storms out to collect the cases. Good start. Upgrade to a Superior room? Thank you. That’s even better. This palace starts out with collecting points, stars and whatever you want to use for reviewing.

Everything on the inside is modern.
The bar is made from Corian®, which would be the antidote to anything of the High Renaissance. A glass elevator takes you up to the second floor. The room interior is strict and almost on the minimalist side, the bedposts being the only notable exception from the norm. It’s a room that you will soon forget. What makes the Villa Les Maschere stand out is the bold exterior and the 44-acre park surrounding it. Built in the second half of the 16th century it’s been a posh retreat for wealthy and well-fed owners. In 2009, after decades of neglect and after five years of (obviously) costly renovation, it had been turned into a hotel with Milva Fusi acting as both owner and designer. She hasn’t done a bad job as the latter, but her efforts supports my theory that money can’t buy you taste, nor can it create atmosphere.

When the hotel started to lose points:
I wouldn’t consider myself a grumpy reviewer, but I’d say that the members of staff at Villa Le Maschere that I met, were bloody uninterested in their job. The people tending at the bar, (yes, the one sculpted out of Corian®), were very busy communicating internally. At dinner, the waiter did his best to keep up but was unable to produce a proper wine recommendation, (or a sommelier). ”Something red”, was his response when asked for something that would go well with the lamb racks. OK, ”red” it was. Thanks. Upon checkout, the staff at front desk obviously wished to get kidnapped and brought away to be tortured. Anything but manning the reception. Where the hell is Matt Foley when you need him?

It must happen from within.
I often let hotels make mistakes to see how they deal with them. There are not too many actual interactions between a guest and the hotel staff, so it is fairly easy to pinpoint the actual events and occasions where it goes wrong. But in the case of Villa Le Maschere, it’s the overall impression more than anything else. Something is lacking; the service puzzle is still missing crucial pieces.
You will notice that the hotel management quickly responds to any complaints aimed at this hotel on TripAdvisor. Nice one. I wish that they could be as swift addressing the lack of motivation among staff members. Staying at the Villa Le Maschere was like dating a beautiful fashion model with no personality. An attractive exterior without a heart.

This piece of knowledge came at a cost of 348 € (breakfast included). Should I send them an invoice?

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EXCEPTIONS: I’ll be fair. The staff at the relatively new spa, opened in 2011, stood out as helpful and nice. The porter who struggled with the bags from my car to the room (Superior, thanks!) kept a brave face despite all the struggling. Thanks for making a difference.

Villa Le Maschere Resort
Via Nazionale 75
50031 Barberino di Mugello
Italy

+39-055-847432

Wanna stay in a palace like High Renaissance Tuscan villa despite my rather lukewarm review?
Click here to book the Villa Le Maschere through TabletHotels.com!

Picture proof that Guidebook.se is now good friends with your mobile.

You probably spend more and more time on your super-duper-smart phone and its ultra-crisp screen… I’m the first to admit that reading Guidebook.se on those thingies has been somewhat a challenge, (yes, even for those of us who claim to have a vision comparable with the average high-ranking fighter pilot). Despite this, I’ve seen more and more people accessing the site from their mobile devices.
Since Guidebook.se is your friend, (and always will be), an app-like little layout for your phone is installed since… yesterday. It’s never been easier to get your daily fix of posh hotels.

Hope y’all enjoy!

Hakan Nyberg
[the guy behind Guidebook.se]