When I call Stephanie van Rappard, she is on a boat in Italy, on her way from Porto Ercole to Capri via Ponza. With family, boyfriend, and girlfriend, she is on vacation but gladly made some time to share her favorite spots with you for Amayzine’s Black Book. And she knows a thing or two about that, because together with her friend Céline Bent, she has been the owner of hotspot site www.gloobles.com.

The two know each other from high school in Haarlem, and even then, people often asked them if they had any nice tips for city trips. Soon, they both had long lists of places to go in their inbox and frequently exchanged them. Both were and are travel-loving types; Céline spent some time in Australia, visits Italy often, and now even lives in Rome, while Stephanie lived in New York and London, and that’s how you discover the nice spots.

What started as a blog is now a professional site where all the best of the best can be found. So no standard Lonely Planet-like situations. For them, it’s about quality, not quantity, and the plans for the future are grand. It’s going to be a travel platform, much broader than it is now. Although it’s already quite extensive with around 850 tips in more than 50 places worldwide.

“It’s also just a hobby, and we enjoy giving people a nice vacation,” says Stephanie. She looked a lot at other sites and was particularly less impressed with the lengthy descriptions of hotspots. That can be shorter and thus better. Enter: gloobles.com.

If you could only go to one place for the rest of your life, what and where would that be?

“I’m a huge fan of Copenhagen; it’s really an amazing city. My boyfriend lives in Malmö, Sweden, so I’ve been there quite a few times now. There are so many great restaurants; every day you discover something new. Those restaurants work a lot together, they are more friends than competitors. So they all tip each other about new and delicious things. What I can recommend is Gourmandiet, during the day it’s a very good butcher, and on Fridays and Saturdays, the fireplace is lit, you lie on an animal skin, and you can eat wonderfully there. Super romantic, really. Also a recommendation, Manfreds & Vin. It’s just outside the center in a small street with all kinds of nice places. Good for wine, lunch, and dinner, where you get all small mini-dishes and can taste a bit of everything.”

And in Amsterdam, where should we go?

“Yes, the ultimate favorite for food is still Toscanini, it’s just the best Italian in the city. Furthermore, Céline and I love the sculpture garden of the Rijksmuseum. Even if you’re not that interested in art, you can just sit there nicely with a book in the sun, on the same chairs they have in the Parisian Jardin du Luxembourg. Another beautiful garden is that of the Museum van Loon. Recently, there’s a coffee bar there, and you can also bring your own lunch and eat it there. For the tastiest cakes and quiches, you go to Small World Catering in the Jordaan.”

And do you have any nice fashion spots?

“Actually, everyone should know about Bella Janssens. She makes custom clothing, and it’s really incredibly beautiful. Judith Goudsmit, a good friend of both of ours, wore a dress of hers to the premiere of Hartenstraat for example. I also once had a dress made by her for a wedding, and I’m still incredibly happy with it.”

And outside Amsterdam, where are we going?

“In The Hague, there’s restaurant Oni, a fantastic Japanese place. If the weather is nice, you should go to Zandvoort for Tijn Akersloot, the food there is so good and not expensive at all. Just take your bike on the train to Heemstede-Aerdenhout station, and you also have a nice bike ride.”

Anyone looking for more tips for must-visit places should just check out gloobles.com. You get a map of the world and immediately see where the most is happening. A child could do the laundry!