The Best Places to Travel on a Family Eurotrip

On July 2019 me and my family went to a surprise trip for my sister's sweet 15 organized by a travel agency in Argentina and paid reservations and flights months in advance to just arrive and enjoy. I highly recommend this when you expect nothing but pleasure! This time, they set up an itinerary for my sister with all the destinations, hotels, ferries and trains to take; along with the history of each of the countries, places to meet, restaurants, beaches and more. All of my Eurotrip is highlighted on my Instagram stories!

First destination: Monte-Carlo- Principality of Monaco

To get to the first destination, we take a direct flight from 2:00 pm to Rome, and taking another flight to Nice. We flew with the Alitalia airline in Business class. The reality is that it was an excellent trip, the seat was super comfortable and you could program the massage and you could recline until you made a full bed. Thanks to that I could arrive with all the batteries. They gave us a toiletry bag super complete! Also, you had a menu from which you could choose starter, first course, main course and dessert. Then you had drinks and snacks like pizza, fruits and many more to order when you want on the flight. I have a fanaticism for the Aperol so that was the first (of many).

From the airport to the hotels they came to look for us in combis already coordinated previously to take us, in this case to the Hotel of Paris Monte-Carlo. Amazing crystal chandeliers, wide and bright corridors and luxury attention.

The hotel breakfast was not a buffet as it usually is in other hotels, but they presented you with a menu where you could choose between what you wanted from the menu, usually more elaborate as pancakes, french toast, omelettes, among others ... or you could opt for some armed menu that were continental, american or well-ness. They were super complete and together with breakfast, they received you with the typical French pastry, croissants, breads, cupcakes, among others and every day a small glass of a different smoothie every morning.

Monte Carlo is a very luxurious city, from cars, views, locals and even the same people. In fact, I spent the day at the Beach Club which was about 10, 15 minutes from the hotel and we moved in a combie that offered the same hotel and left every 15 minutes, as well as back. Being there was like being in a series or TV show when they usually go on vacation, full time attention, elaborate drinks, several pools, sea and many uniformed personnel and lifeguards for everyone. In the largest pool, 3 meters deep, you had trampolines at different heights.

One of the restaurants offered a pool service and ate very well. The best of all is that everything you consumed there was loaded in the hotel room so it was not necessary to carry a lot of cash or card, just for the tips of the beach. The same as for the tip of the bar or restaurant, you could add it to the account. It is seen that they had a type of agreement with the hotel and that was fantastic, super practical.

As for the beach, it was made of stone, not sand and super small, so you either entered with flip flops or on your legs and you suffered a bit or directly threw yourself into the water to float from a platform that was placed on the zone of the chairs on a gangway of chairs and reached the height of the sea where it was already deep.

The best place where we had dinner was Buddha bar. A dark place, with lights pulling blue, oriental and high-end. We ate very good fish and sushi. On average 80/100 euros were spent per person

We went to see the principality of Monaco through the City Tour where we sat up and for 24 hours for only 15 euros per person you could take it whenever you want and move on as a bus. In the palace were the guards walking from one end to the other (as a tradition of wartime) and were showing the tanks, weapons and bullets they used.

In Monaco I had the great honor (for a craft beer lover) to try the best beer I have ever tasted. His name was Gomey and he was from the Biere de Monaco brand, called Gomey. It was a blonde beer with a lemon syrup.

Now.. to the next destination!! Rome!

Segundo destino: Roma

We arrived in Rome for noon and stayed at the Russie Hotel. It was very oldish with corridors full of paintings of ancient Rome and small sculptures, everything you could expect to find in a place with so much history. The rooms were very nice and comfortable, but the most surprising thing was the warm welcome they gave us upon entering the hotel, the Italians are super friendly and even call Argentine’s "cousins." The breakfast was buffet and you had everything you can think of. It was in an outdoor stone patio, pretty amazing and with very good attention.

Rome is an all vintage and well preserved city. Of course, that is pure history, all the walls had a memory. In Rome we toured the Vatican, Plaza de San Pedro and we did not reach the Vasilica due to the heat stroke and the number of people (38 to 40 Celsius).

I must admit that the only thing that caught my attention was the ceilings, all eyes were taken there. It is surprising to think that at that point of the history they have been able to make the art they made with so many details and to perfection at that highest degree. We went to see, inside the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, where you could not speak or use the telephone. On the other hand, I was impressed with St. Peter's Square, it has a spectacular fountain and is super wide but the 40 degrees played against. Also that source was the scene of my best photos.

We also went to the Pantheon. “The Pantheon in Rome is one of those places that you cannot miss. The word pantheon is of Greek origin that means "temple of all gods." In Italian it is known as Il Pantheon. It was imposing to look at and inside there are several chapels dedicated to the main Roman gods. Similarly, inside it is quite small but with great height.

What also struck me was going to the Colosseum. I went through it with great intrigue and in fact, there were people in the lower central part, working to find new remains to continue investigating the events that occurred in history. I found it excellent! Also, a great stage for my photos. In front of the Colosseum, there was the emperor's house and a huge garden that we traveled with difficulty due to the heat, but it was worth it. There they were also located, what were the central markets at the time and building that story in your head is a great experience.

Now.. Florence (Firence)!

It was the first time I traveled on a train at 300 km per hour. They are amazing, super clean and it was very pleasant to read there. They received you with water, towels, hand hygiene and snacks. In fact, you could also have lunch or dinner for 10 or 15 euros the menu there. Arrived at the station, a combie took us to the Four Seasons Firenze hotel.

A really amazing hotel with the largest garden in all of Florence. It had 2 entrances, the main one that was not large but inside was a world and another annex located in the back, crossing the garden. That second part was how extension of the hotel but smaller and with a couple of rooms.

It had a super nice pool with inflatables that we did not hesitate to use and a Jacuzzi, but what stood out the most was the attention received. This was not a hotel but a Resort, and even though the drinks and snacks were paid they received you with water with lemon, orange or cucumber and you could serve yourself as many times as you wanted . Also, they brought you refreshments, mini shots of orange juice or super fresh smoothies of the day.

Breakfast was buffet or à la carte if you wanted something in particular french toast type. But it was super complete. Of the best I saw.

At first, we didn't have much idea what there was to do in Firenze but we started walking and ended up in a street where we finally found a Dome that I later read was the Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral. "Its importance is not only given by the beauty of its forms, but that it acquires larger dimensions when we observe it through the architectural perspective" By far, the best I saw. Spectacular details on its walls and it was of a really tremendous dimension. In front, it had a smaller annex that was the museum.

We passed several bridges between them the renowned Vecchio Bridge but the one that caught my attention was that of Trinita. We grabbed the golden hour (type 8 / 9pm) and it was really beautiful. Still, we continued with 40 degrees.

We did a small excursion in a canoe across the Arno River at about 9pm because that's the time it gets dark, and in my opinion, where you can appreciate the beauty of a city as such. The river culminates with a waterfall.

We used to have dinner at several restaurants around Piazza Della Signoria, where there were fabulous fountains like Neptune's and David's replica. While we had dinner, I sang a choir and it was a beautiful experience. David's story has many turns. But in summary, at first it was in this Piazza, it suffered several attacks and they transferred it to the Della Accademia Museum, where it is today and in the Piazza Della Singoria a replica was placed.

Now.. VENECIA (Venice)!

We went to the station and we took the first train. I had high expectations to go to Venice, but at first impression I didn't like him. I found dirty streets, lots of people and the overwhelming heat didn't help. The only nice thing was the streets near the Adriatic Sea.

The first mandatory stop was St Marks Square. We had a snack in front of the Basilica of St Marks, in the Cafe Florian that was the oldest in the square, from the year 1700.

We made the classic trip in Gondola that lasted about 1 hour through the sea streets of Venice. There I learned that the large channels have a depth of 10 meters and the small ones of 2. It was very crazy that the gondolas should go sideways through super narrow streets, where the gentlemen maneuvered standing, pushing the walls and giving signals with the voice in the streets mouth. We pass under the bridge of sighs, where the myth is that when you pass you have to receive a kiss to ensure the return.

After the trip in Gondola, we had lunch in a restaurant that we didn't like since the fish were full of thorns, but we really stopped there because it was one of the only ones that had air conditioning.

Compared to my expectations, I left quite disappointed, it is not a place I would return to but I must emphasize that I need to know it at night, which makes it a completely different city.

Now.. PARIS!

We stayed at the Hotel Peninsula Paris for 2 nights. Upon entering the hotel there was a super fabulous structure, promising and very luxurious. Which greatly raised the expectations of my stay there. But unfortunately, we failed to relax in that hotel. Although we arrive before check-in time, we have lunch and at 3 pm we return to the hotel to order. My parents’ room was not until 4 or 5pm and they did not fill the frigobar at the exit of the previous ones, which led to confusion when leaving the hotel, remaining of previous guests with ours. Breakfast was good, but they didn't have enough staff. The buffet had a little of everything, plus menu, but the tables to serve you were very distant between them then they did not show off the breakfasts.

We had dinner on the rooftop floor 6 of the hotel where you could see the Eiffel Tower flash from the window and the terrace. We had a reservation there outside but for possible rains we could not, we also had a very nice place next to the window. The menu was super gourmet, in fact I could not understand any of the dishes, but the waitress told us that there was the possibility that if the whole table chose him (yes no no) we could make a dinner by surprise steps of the chef. We opted for that option.

The hotel was located one block from the Arc de Triumph and two or three from the Champs Elysee. The famous avenue, had all kinds of premises and seemed incredible. But what caught my attention and did not help with my mood, was that with a 42 degree heat wave, no restaurant had air conditioning

We ate twice at the Vesuvio restaurant, which my parents had already gone on their previous trip to Paris. All dishes were excellent with very good prices and wonderful attention.

The Eiffel Tower turned my head, it is imposing and with an infernal structure. At night, for the first 5 minutes of each hour it flashes. Obviously I sat on the grass with full view to wait for that moment.

Before going on a trip again, the manager wanted to talk to my father and apologized to him and then to us for the bad experience we had in the hotel. He told him that the rooftop dinner would be courtesy, in apology mode and told us to come back, to be in touch by mail and that when we came back he would receive us with the best possible attention!

Now.. Palmas de Mallorca (Spain)!

We took a flight by the airline called Air Europe and it took about an hour and a half. The good thing is that it is paid by suitcase and is super covered because you can travel for very low price to different destinations, when you do not carry luggage.

We arrive the hotel at night. We stayed at the Jumehira hotel, which was on a cliff. The best of the whole trip without a doubt. They welcomed us with squeezed orange juice that they claim to have the best citrus in the world ... and it's confirmed! THEY ARE.

Check in was super fast and the staff was very friendly to us. As it happened, there was Spanish night for dinner in one of the restaurants of the hotel. This was, all seafood buffet and Spanish fish for 50 euros per head. In my life I ate shrimp as much as garlic that day, there was also sirloin and local fish. Everything was incredible. The attention at all times was luxurious. Unfortunately I realized that we would only spend one day. We should have done 3 days Mallorca at least.

The driver on the way was our tour guide. He told us all about the island, its charms, history and characteristics. Clearly we left without visiting Menorca, the coves and much more, but it will be for the next trip. The breakfast was fantastic, you had absolutely everything and more, you could also order from the menu and everything was included. The views of the hotel were magical, you saw the sea and the other side of the mountains, watching the water pass through them. Epic.

The first day after breakfast we went down to the market. It overlooked the sea and you had all kinds of excursions and activities. There were many super cheap stores, bars and restaurants. We took a train of film that went through the city and got off at the municipal market, super picturesque with crafts and beautiful things. But it takes how long 10 minutes to go through it and buy. The municipal beach that was on the waterfront next to the market was beautiful! With rocks on the sides and crystal clear water.

I spend the afternoon in the infinity pool with a few drinks and eating peanuts and corn watching the beautiful scenery they offered. We had dinner at the hotel again because it was better than the food of any other restaurant and really had the best views of the island. Of course, we didn't even visit the entire hotel because it was extremely large.

Last destination.. IBIZA!

This ferry trip was an odyssey, it was the worst trip on the planet. It is not usual for it to move so much but oh god, it really moved! We started by shielding and ended up all on the floor (they say you feel less panic). The attention of the ship's staff was excellent, they have brought us up to 10 bags for each in case we need to vomit. The whole trip was tortuous but thank God it was 2 hours (express ferry).

We arrived at the Nobu hotel, it was a very picturesque beach club and they treated us very well. All very Caribbean and white, which gives a feeling of relax.

It is one of the few hotels that face the beach but unfortunately it was one of the worst. Full of seaweed and very small. Nothing to see what they showed in their website photos.

We dined in the Japanese restaurant Peruvian mix of the hotel an exquisite sushi with great attention. The hotel breakfast was very complete too and everything was tasty. They prepared you omelettes in sight and you had pastries, fruits, gluten-free sector, continental breakfasts, squeezed juices, coffee within reach and more.

The next day we went to explore the coves, we started by the Saint Vincent that we loved. The widest of all I saw and not being so well known for now, you took place. Do you know what was best of all? The restaurant at the tip of the cove, on the beach. The best restaurant in all of Ibiza seems to me.

At night we went to eat downtown where it was a waterfront. On one side the sea with super luxurious boats and yachts and on the other side bars, restaurants and lots of fun. We went through several coves, there were more than young people (where I would have loved to stay) like Cala Bassa, which had a beach club, Cala Benirras that was made of stones, Salty Creek and Saladeta that were full and small but very pretty, and a couple more but the vast rocky majority and my family did not like to stay there.

One day we went to Formentera, an island 30 minutes away by ferry (this ferry was super quiet and also express, in fact I slept until arriving). In formentera you can see totally crystalline waters, many rocky coves that are worth appreciating. We stayed at the Cala Saint Agusti which was a pool.You could get many meters from the shore and followed the water by the knee.

It was an amazing trip!!

By Camila Jazmin Abuin

My name is Camila Jazmin, i'm from Argentina but my family lives in Miami so i come and go. I love traveling and sharing my experiences, not only in foreign countries but in towns with history too! In my instagram highlights i share all the trips i've done this last year and i'll keep posting a lot more!!
Link: https://www.instagram.com/camiabuin/