Travel & Hotspots
7 more things may-Britt learned on capri
I was laying in bed with my laptop opened. The day prior to this started off the exact same way until I suddenly saw two beach bed in my eye sight. Oh, my room must be beside the pool, is what I thought. So as soon as I got dressed in something appropriate, I walked towards the beach beds heading towards a pool party. But, turned out… I had my own pool. I repeat: My. Own. Pool. I had to sit down to let the idea sink in. Luckily the beach bed I sat on was still damp from the humidity of the night before. It sobered me up a little. Just a teeny tiny little.
My Capri trip is over and yes, I definitely learned a few useful pointers. Duly noted so hopefully you can learn a thing or two too.
1. Remember the word ‘attenzione’
No, it’s not to save your ass when you’re heading passed that small road going up the steep hill with a singing cab driver. Nope, ‘attenzione’ is the codeword on Capri for discount. “Fammi un attenzione, per favor?” or “What about my attenzione?” and you’ll get a ten percent discount. The marketing manager at Glamour negotiated for a pair of Miu Miu sunglasses and ended up paying 160 instead of 260 euros. So now you know what you’re up for, attenzione is the word.
2. Italians and wifi is a tough combo
From a thorough amount of field research, I’ve learnt that the more expensive a hotel is, the more complicated (and expensive) it is to ask for a bit of wifi. In Italy, getting this done requires three more extra steps. So I have a bedroom that is fourteen meters long, a private pool (yes, I’m just adding that in here casually and lightly) but every time I close my laptop and open it back up again, I have to ask for a new wifi code. The one phone in my room doesn’t work (beside my bed) and so I, laptop in hand, have to walk fourteen steps to the bathroom (I know I know, it’s not a sinecure) to use the crackling phone to call the reception. Followed by receiving three codes that don’t work, only to then sign in as ‘guest’ with a new number. Guys. Throw that wifi account wide open, what the hell can happen? Or think of a word everyone can remember and type. It’s just wifi. Or am I supposed to start signing up the next time I want to flush my toilet too?
”Guys. Throw that wifi account wide open, what the hell can happen?”
3. Bodyism is the new Pilates
Since we’re here to kick off the Glamour Health Challenge (a month organized by Glamour to get us all to be a bit fitter and bikini ready), an hour long workout was on the menu. Which took place on the roof of the hotel with a view that you could only refer to as ‘meravigliosa’. Bodyism is a type of sport that combines yoga, pilates and a bit of Ballet Beautiful and it even has it’s own nutrition program. They train Hugh Grant (not that I would want his body, but I bet it’s still a party nonetheless), Elle Macpherson and Lara Stone. Soooo….
4. Leave your heels at home
I’ve worn my heels twice since I arrived. I wore them when I walked towards a cab, only to take them off twice while I was in it. Capri and heels are not a match. Perhaps a wedge heel, but on a steel rode I wouldn’t even recommend that. Go for a sandal or something. Just remember this theory.
5. Italians lay out on hard pebbles
Two days ago we had lunch at Fontalina, a restaurant that requires a boot to get to. We left from Marina Piccolo (the small harbor) that also consisted of a piccolo beach. Definitely one with the prettiest view in all of Europe, but still. Pebbled. And there they were. Guys gleaming of grease, grandma’s with hats on, couples, tutti. Towel on the ground and no sign of complaints. They ate pizza’s from boxes and drank Peroni beer and long story short, it was all more Italian than I could have imagined.
”Definitely one with the prettiest view in all of Europe, but still.”
6. Sailing on a boat is not an easy ride
Don’t be a fool and think you can rent your own boat and moor at the harbor of Fontalina. It’s like the Pirates of the Caribbean water ride in Disneyland. The restaurant isn’t located in the bay, so the waves are fierce and since the passageway is small, the waves have an added amount of power. We needed three men to hold onto us to help us make the tiny jump from the boat to the bay.
7. Sing, sing, sing
They do it everywhere. The cab drivers, the guys in the rowing boats that bring you to the Grotta Azzurra, in the cafés. And everyone is great at it too.
Moral of the story is: go to Capri. Book a flight to Naples, take a boot and you’ll be at the most romantic and photogenic place ever. With the best food. Although you shouldn’t be shocked when you pay a standard extra ten euros because someone made sure to give you a bread basket and cutlery. And if you’re lucky enough to have Danie Bles organize your trip, then you’ll know every detail of the trip has been taken care of, leaving you one step closer to heaven.
