Posts Tagged ‘romance’

Romantic Adventure In Antigua Guatemala

Monday, September 20th, 2010

I love living in Antigua because in it you will find everything really close to you. In this case my husband and I wanted to have a romantic day out, so first we went out for lunch at a really cute restaurant called Cafe Flor where they serve really good Thai food. Then we went for a prvate salsa class which turned out to be an extra fun adventure.

And at the end of the day we visited a luxurious hotel of Antigua called Mezon Panza Verde for a romantic dinner. When we were making the reservation they suggested a dinner up in the roof of the hotel where they have a Cupula. This sounded great to me because it was just what I wanted: A super private and romantic evening so i took the oportunity.

When we got there and before they took us to our table we had to do some waiting in the lobby which was not what I wanted but it was ok because it wasn’t too long and it gave me some chance to take more pictures. Then a member of their staff took us to where our table was. To get there we had to walk across the terrace of the hotel, sadly it was a bit cloudy but we still could see the outskirts of the beautiful Agua Volcano.

When we got there I couldn’t believe how absolutely beautiful it was! La Cupula is this beautiful tiny room where they had a beautifully decorated table with candles and roses.

This ended up being a perfect day out and romantic dinner where my husband and I got the chance to relax and just be together after a long time of not having time for ourselves.

Bottom line is: Antigua isn’t just a beautiful city with lots of places to visit and photograph, it is also a great place for romantic getaways and family vacations.

Marina K. Villatoro, lives in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She has traveled all over these areas with her family and now she loves to organize vacations to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Honeymoon | No Comments »

The Answer To How Do I Select My Wedding Jeweller

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

The best part about the wedding day is selecting the rings. Women love this part as jewelry is a girls best friend. Yet, you want to make sure that you get the right thing for the right price and that you get the right service. So, for those of you wondering how do I select my wedding jeweller, we have the answers for you of things to keep in mind and check out before hand.

One of the first things you do is look for the jewelers that are closest to you. You want to make sure you aren’t driving all over Canada for this. There should be some pretty decent ones in your area. Just open your phone book and jot a few down to look up and do more research on.

The next thing is to see if there are any reviews of them. If you don’t have any reviews about the jewelleries that you have picked out, then ask around. Sometimes wedding blogs will have where people can post things. Other times, you can ask people who have been married about if they have heard anything. This will give you an idea about how reputable they are.

Another thing you want to check is the merchandise that they have available in the jewellery stores. When you do this, you should also be checking to see how they work with you. They should be asking you what you are looking for and you should be able to find something that pleases you. It should be top quality jewelry too.

Next, as we said above, you want someone who is willing to help you find the right engagement rings. You should get great customer service. Customer service is something that you must get. This is how you get what you are looking for. They should be willing to show you a few pieces and answer any question that you have.

When you ask questions, some of them questions should be about payment. If you are going to a high end jeweler, you might find that you might have to pay a pretty penny. However, you should be able to put the ring in layaway or find a payment plan that you might qualify for. This shows that they value your service. You might also want to find out about other things you might need like resizing and things of that nature.

The last thing that you really need to look into is to see how long it will take you to get your item. Make sure you order well enough in advance. You want to make sure that you have plenty of time because that can be a little awkward. There are policies and such for getting your items and you need to know that you will get your item and if you don’t or you have a problem with it, then they will take care of it.

Now that you have an understanding of how to go about looking for a jeweller then you are well on your way. You will have the best rings ever. They mean forever and therefore, you want to get something of quality. When you do your research, then you are well on your way to receiving the rings that you were destined to have.

Proposing to your loved one is an exciting and momentous occasion, so carefully shop for impressive Toronto engagement rings at the most trusted and dedicated jewellery retailer in Canada. Embark on the journey of love by purchasing Vancouver engagement rings today!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Weddings | No Comments »

A Devotion To Chocolate For The Connoisseur

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

I have a few questions for you first of all. Do you like chocolate? Or does it go further than that? Do you love chocolate are you what is called a chocoholic? And lastly, was that attitude formed by store-bought chocolate such as Mars Bars, Galaxy and Snickers?

I asked all those questions because, if you love chocolate and all you have ever tried is store-bought chocolate, you have a real surprise waiting for you one day. A really agreeable surprise. One day you will try gourmet chocolate and it will bowl you over. It will make you lament all those days of your life that you had not known it.

Gourmet chocolate is to a Mars Bar what fillet mignon is to a ham sandwich or what champagne is to cheap plonk. It sounds as if I am running Mars Bars down and I suppose I am in a way, but I do believe that they have their place in the hierarchy of the realm of chocolate, it is just not near the top and when you have tried gourmet chocolate, you will agree with me.

You will see the light and come to understand that perhaps you used to eat store chocolate for the sugar rush and not for the chocolate, because the store variety is actually a very watered down version of the real thing. If you do not believe me, look at the ingredients list on the back of the wrapper.

Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. The U.S. Government calls this “sweet chocolate”, and demands a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor. European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids. It does not sound very much, does it? (By the way, chocolate liquor is like lumpy gravy and if you pulverize the lumps and remove most of the fat, you get cocoa solids).

This is why European chocolate has a better reputation than American chocolate in general, although there are excellent gourmet chocolate makers in the USA (called chocolatiers; like a chef is to haute cuisine)..

Some inexpensive chocolates are even blended with wax and most bakery chocolate products have very little, if any, real chocolate in them! They contain mostly sugar of one kind or another and “partially hydrogenated palm oil.” On the other hand, gourmet chocolate will echo the quality of the ingredients, which includes high quality cocoa beans, no preserving agents or vegetable fats (other than cocoa butter) and sugar, which is also a preserving agent, should only be used in moderation.

Some chocolate is made from only one variety of bean, just like some wine is made from one kind of gape and some whisky is single malt, but most is made from a blend of several kinds of beans again lust like the cheaper wines and whiskeys. Gourmet chocolate has a far greater percentage of cocoa butter, and will be more extensively refined.

Aficionados of gourmet chocolate are like connoisseurs of fine wines and single malt whiskies, they appreciate the object of their attention. In time, they can talk about the advantages of one bean or process over another. If you want to go down this route, you could join one of the many good gourmet chocolate clubs on the Internet

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Romantic Gifts: Ideas. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gifts | No Comments »

Design a Wedding Ring, But Choose the Right Designer

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Any couple planning a wedding should remember how important their choice of wedding rings is. Whether they’re wanting someone to design a wedding ring, or whether they’re looking through antique stores for antique wedding rings or other ancient style wedding bands, or whether they’re looking specifically for unusual wedding bands or wedding ring sets, they will need to be chosen with great care because they will be worn for a long time. Find rings that symbolize your commitment to each other in the years to come. You may have to seek out a specialist wedding ring jeweler and undoubtedly so if you’re looking for a jeweler to design a wedding ring. If possible avoid one of the jewelers chains situated in shopping malls everywhere as it is unlikely any unique wedding rings or designers will be found there.

Although you will undoubtedly find you can buy this type of ring in a mall jewelers, they may not have the range or the quality of a specialist. When choosing, you will want a ring for the bride that will complement the engagement ring she is already wearing. That’s why having a designer design a wedding ring for you could be your best option.

Do not allow yourself to be swayed by a wedding ring that will, as soon as it is worn, spoil the look of the engagement ring; some rings have been made to complement each other and these should be the type you seek. Try on different wedding bands and sit them next to the engagement ring to see how they look together.

The most commonly sought after metals for rings are White Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Yellow Gold and Rose Gold, although increasing numbers of couples are choosing the longer lasting platinum over the white gold or titanium options. Obviously, if you’re after a yellor or rose colored ring, you’ll opt for yellow gold or rose gold, though.

Whilst it might not seem that important, the wedding rings will probably need to be adjusted,so make sure that you get professionally sized instead of making a guess. You want to be sure the ring will fit correctly and this will prevent it from being too tight or too loose and slipping off. Of course, if you have someone design a wedding ring for you, these problems should be taken care of as the ring is designed and made specifically for you.

If you want to make sure your rings are ready in good time for the wedding, give your jeweler plenty of time to complete any adjustments. He may have a number to complete and you do not want a problem on the wedding day. There are many different styles and materials to choose from when picking your wedding bands; it may take you some time to find the perfect one.

However, the most important aspect to remember when choosing a wedding ring is that its purpose is to show the love that two people have for one another. This is why it makes sense to choose something you will both enjoy wearing, whether you choose to have a designer design a wedding ring for you or whether you choose from pre-made diamond wedding rings, or go to an antique store in search of antique wedding rings.

Wedding rings are a lifetime investment. Whether you’re planning on having an expert design a wedding ring for you, or buying from the almost endless choice of ready made unique wedding rings or others, you will need a ring!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Weddings | No Comments »

Heart Jewelry…The Very Beginning…

Friday, November 6th, 2009

We thank you for all the kind response regarding the heart jewelry articles that we have written in the past. It’s very heart-warming. Today we would like to go back in time a bit further and write a more “generic” history of jewelry in general. The art form that we know of as “Jewelry Making” as been around for thousands of years, and different cultures have incorporated it in different ways. If we examine their pieces of jewelry we will gain some insight into the inner working of these ancient cultures.

The homo sapiens that lived in Africa provide us with the first sign of a culture using jewelry. They have found snail shell beads at Blombos Cave (situated in the side of a limestone cliff in South Africa) that date back to over 75,000 years ago. If we go to the other side of Africa, at Enkapune Ya Moto in Kenya, they have found beads made from ostrich egg shells that date back to over 40,000 years ago.

When we think of Egypt we think of the pyramids and the sphinx, right? What about jewelry? Well, it is here that we find the first signs of established jewelry making around 3,000 – 5,000 years ago. Egyptians made their jewelry out of the same materials that we make jewelry out of today. For example, gemstones, but they preferred to make their jewelry out of glass, which they could color to satisfy their particular tastes. This meant that for every gemstone that they could find in nature, they were able to manufacture a glass replication that could mimic it. Other cultures have used the template of Egyptian jewelry in their own jewelry making. Consider the Phoenicians for example, who copied many Egyptian designs.

To the Ancient Egyptians color was very important, not only for the beauty, but because it meant different things. The Egyptian Book of the Dead provides us with more details. For example, the necklace of Isis that was to be place on the neck of a mummy needed to be red in color. They believed that this red color would satisfy Isis’s need for blood. Green jewelry, on the other hand, was used to symbolize growth in the area of crops and fertility. The Egyptians made their jewelry in large workshops that were often attached to palaces and temples.

Around 4000 years ago we see jewelry development and production starting to spring up in the cities of Sumer and Akkad in Ancient Mesopotamia. This jewelry tended to be made from metal leaf, and was often set in a large number of brightly-colored stones, such as lapis, jasper, agate, and carnelian. They also incorporated various shapes, such as grapes, leafs, cones and spirals into their designs. Since the Ancient Mesopotamians were also masters in the area of record keeping, huge archives of detailed records relating to the creation and trading of jewelry have been unearthed in various archaeological sites.

We hope you have enjoyed this little departure from our regular heart jewelry articles. It’s very interesting to see how this art form of jewelry making has developed over the years.

Looking to find the best deal on Heart Jewelry, then visit www.BeautifulHeartJewelry.com to find the best advice on jewelry perfect for you.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gifts | No Comments »