Tribewanted, Adventure Needed? Look No Further, My Fine Friends

Who doesn’t want to be a part of a tribe?

Welcome back, cronies! Yes, we’ve been off the grid for a few weeks jaunting around Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Maui, but we’re heading back to home base and feeling better than ever. We also had a morsel of eco-travel awesomeness to share with our loyal adventurers.

Having already built a successful eco-tourism project on a beautiful and barely inhabited Fijian island and then created another sustainable project alongside a Sierra Leone beach community, say hello to Tribewanted because now they’ll be opening a new project, Monestevole, in the Italian region of Umbria.

Monestevole was originally built in the 15th century as a watch-tower for the nearby Monestevole castle. The 38 hectare hamlet was bought in 1997 by Alessio Giottoli and Valeria Cancian as a ruin, but was then restored over the next three years.

Now, travellers are being invited to join the community either as visiting tourists or as “tribe-members,” as they participate in turning a 15^th century hamlet into a sustainable community. The project is open to everyone, and for those who prefer a more relaxing holiday, they can enjoy activities such as horseback riding and walks through the stunning surroundings, as well as the unique Umbrian food and music.

The family-friendly project, which opens in a few short weeks on March 21^st, will welcome Tribewanted members and non-members.

So, want to be a Tribe Member?

Check out: www.beta.tribewanted.com/join, members become part owners of Tribewanted and will have the chance to directly impact the direction the organization takes by taking part in online votes on future locations and will receive 20% discounted accommodation rates.

Ahhh… Umbria

From €60 ($77) a night or $457 a week for the bunk room, to between $127 a night and $762 a week for an apartment for non-members, including all meals and house wine.

www.Tribewanted.com

Sicily’s Eco Steal

Relais Torre Marabino - Sicily, Italy

This just in! Essential Italy is offering reduced rates in May at this fantastic eco-hotel in Sicily. For stays from May 15th -31st. If you  stay 5 nights and pay 4 nights on all types of rooms.

£135.00/night for 4 nights and £110.00/night for 5 nights B&B

(FYI – Usual price is £145/night)

Relais Torre Marabino

This small hotel is just a short distance from the sandy beach at Pozallo. The building dates back to the 1500’s and is now home to an eco-friendly and intimate hotel where all 7 rooms have been furnished and decorated originally; with each one given a different name of a wine produced in the cantina at Torre Marabino. The views across the Sicilian landscape from all rooms are, in one word, enchanting, and produce from the hotel’s farm is used in the kitchen. Did we also mention that they make their own fabulous organic wine – yep, the label is Torre Marabino.

Location: Ispica 3km, Siracusa 60km, Catania 110km, Palermo 302km, Modica 18km, Taormina 165km, Noto 22km, Pachino 20km

www.essentialitaly.co.uk

Italy on Valentine’s Day, Anyone?

Puglia, Italy

Here’s one amazingly cheap and romantic Valentine’s Deal in Italy!

Essential Italy are offering a Valentines Offer for January, February and March at this beautiful B&B in Puglia. Just £70 per room per night on a B&B basis for a minimum 2 night stay.

Masseria Due Torri, Monopoli, Puglia http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/puglia_hotels_masseria-due-torri.php

A traditional 17th century stone farmhouse set in the heart of the Pugliese countryside which has been converted into a wonderfully comfortable B&B with apartment accommodation.  The elevated location is perfect with fantastic views of the countryside and the sea. The recently finished room renovations are surrounded by lovely gardens with impressive age-old olive trees which encompass the pool.

Price: £70 per night B&B per room for a couple with private use of the main hall and sitting room with log fire, and a bottle of the finest Prosecco and chocolates on arrival. During Jan, Feb and March for a minimum stay of 2 nights. Packed lunches, suppers and taxi services also available.

Flights: RyanAir fly from London Stansted to Bari. Return prices start at £90 per person.

Location: Monopoli 4km, Castellana Grotte 6km, Fasano 12km, Alberobello 10km, Bari Airport 50km, Brindisi Airport 70km

Essential Italy

Tel: 01223 460100

info@essentialitaly.co.uk

www.essentialitaly.co.uk



Europe’s Best Oceanfront Camping

This week we came across some of the top European scenic camping picks from The UK’s Observer. After all, not everything has to be five star digs and a butler when you’re becoming one with nature. Extracted from Cool Camping Europe (£18.95) and Cool Camping France (£14.95), this book is a veritable wealth of information if gorgeous views and camping among exotic locales is your thing.

By Keith Didcock

Les Romarins, Cote d’Azur – France

This is as dramatic a campsite as you’ll find anywhere in France, and not one for those who don’t like heights. A few kilometres up from the village of Eze, you can pitch under olive and rosemary trees in a hillside setting on the French Riviera between Monaco and Nice. With fabulous views across the sea from the steeply raking site, Les Romarins is the perfect place to live the high life without breaking the bank.

• +33 4 9301 8164; campingromarins.com; from €17 to €20 for two people, tent and car plus €5.50 to €7 for each extra person and €3 to €4 for under-fives.

Cala Llevado, Costa Brava – Spain

Set among ragged cliffs in Spain’s Costa Brava, four beaches run along the stunning coastline. With everything from hidden camps to coves, there’s large bay, but keep in mind, some campsites are removed while others are on top of one of the beaches, giving you a bird’s eye view.

• +34 9 7234 0314; calallevado.com; from €16.50 to €27 for a person, tent and car plus €5.50 to €9 for each extra person and €3 to €5 per child.

Costiolu, Sardinia – Italy

This is a working organic farm – un’azienda biologica- in the island’s hilly heart. There aren’t beaches right on your doorstep, but the gorgeous waters of the Costa Smeralda are within striking distance. Run by the colourful Giovanni, the farm is a proper retreat from the trappings of modern life. Sardinia’s cultural capital, Nuoro, is visible from the azienda but the land around is mainly olive groves, fields of cereal and grazing land full of goats. To top it all, Giovanni does the cooking, too.

• +39 0784 260088; email: roccasagriturismo@tiscali.it; from €15 a night for two people, tent and car. Dinner €25 a head.

Mala Milna, Hvar – Croatia

Hvar is Croatia’s answer to the French Riviera, with exclusive beaches, designer hotels, cafes, bars and boutiques, so if you’ve brought your glad-rags you can always rub shoulders with the moneyed glamour on this island for an evening or two. Thankfully, you won’t be disturbed by Dalmatian WAGs and their designer poodles at Mala Milna, though, as it’s the budget option. There are two pebble beaches (the Croatian coast is notoriously rocky) on either side of the site and the coast is dotted with paths and ancient villages alike, so there’s everything you need.

• +38 521 643531; hvar.hr/mala-milna; about 140kn (£16) for two people, tent and car

Nicolas, Peleponnese – Greece

This southern region is the epitome of ancient Greece, a fancy mix of ruins, myths and classic tales. Nicolas campsite is a 10-minute stroll from the town of Tiryns, which hosts an annual classic Greek theatre festival, staged in its two ancient amphitheatres. So you might be sharing the site with actors rehearsing their lines between mouthfuls of moussaka. The camp is set in a former orange and mulberry grove with pitches in the hollows and under the canopy of the flowering trees and it’s all just a ripe orange’s throw from the waters of the bay.

• +30 275 304 1218; nicolasgikas.gr; from €16 to €20 for a tent and two people.