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Airport Lounge Review: Sala Montale, Milan Malpensa, Terminal 1

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On our way out of Milan in October 2024, after a fabulous trip to Cinque Terre, Lucca, Florence & Milan, we spent 90 minutes in the Sala Montale lounge in Milan Malpensa’s Terminal 1. This post reviews our time at the Sala Montale. In sum, Sala Montale was much nicer than I expected, especially for a lounge on Priority Pass, and we had an enjoyable experience. I would certainly return, but I would not leave extra early to visit the Sala Montale Lounge. There is better food and drink to be had in Milan!

Here is the group on our trip to Italy!

THE SALA MONTALE LOUNGE

The Sala Montale Lounge is one of five “Vip lounges” (that is a brand, not description) in Milan Malpensa’s airport. As of October 2024, it was not associated or run by any particular airline. Rather, any person flying can purchase lounge access online. Sala Montale is also on Priority Pass, which is how we accessed the lounge.

The Sala Montale Lounge is located in Malpensa’s Terminal 1, post-security in Boarding Area B. Sala Montale is only open to Non-Schengen flights. There is a maximum stay of 2 hours per both its website and a sign on checkin.  I would note, however, I am not sure who this policy could be actually enforced given the size of the lounge.

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The Nessun Dorma Pesto Experience: An Extremely Detailed Guide

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On our recent trip to Cinque Terre with Dan’s Uncle and Aunt, we spent an afternoon in Manarola learning to make pesto at the Instagram famous Nessun Dorma’s Pesto Experience. This article provides a very detailed review of the Pesto Experience and if its worth the time and money.

Dan & I at the Nessun Dorma Pesto Experience.

RESERVATIONS AT NESSUN DORMA

The first step to enjoying the Pesto Experience is making a reservation. Reservations are complimentary and can be made on Nessun Dorma’s free phone application. You simply enter your information on the application and done! Nessun Dorma emailed us a reminder the day prior. Also, you don’t pay until the actual event, and credit card is accepted.

Nessun Dorma!

GETTING TO NESSUN DORMA FROM MANAROLA

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An Afternoon Eating Real Guatemalan Street Food In Antigua.

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Of course we took a food tour when we visited Antigua, Guatemala earlier this year. The tour was exclusively street food focused, which Dan loved. You can easily recreate the tour yourself if you are a bit adventrous and speak a little Spanish. Otherwise, I will link the tour below.

Antigua, Guatemala.

Our first stop was at a real Antiguan bakery that has been around since 1940 (and opens daily at 5:00 AM). And, it was delicious. The name of the bakery is San Antonio Panaderia Lo de Cuchi Cuchi. It is famous for its homemade bread, and its take away only. Located right in the center of Antigua, San Antonio is super popular with both locals and tourists. If you are visiting, bring cash and know a little bit of Spanish.

The entrance to San Antonio.

San Antonio’s sweet counter.

We tried two dishes at San Antonio. The first “bite” of our tour was something that a tourist can pretty easily find all over Antigua, particularly in restaurants and shops offering traditional Guatemalan food (such as Rincon Tipico),Colochos de Guayaba.  Colochos for short are gummy-like circles made from guava fruit and topped with powdered sugar. These were midly sweet and very tasty. They were also super cheap. A definite must try in Antigua.

A Colochos de Guayaba from San Antonio.

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Airport Lounge Review: Lufthansa Business Lounge, JFK Terminal 1

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The Lufthansa Business Lounge at JFK’s Terminal 1 has been on Priority Pass for a while, and I think its a respectable option at JFK’s Terminal 1 if you can get in. We visited twice in the last year and both visits were pleasant, although I wouldn’t arrive early to visit the lounge. This post reviews my experience in the Lufthansa Business Lounge at JFK. I would also note that this post only reviews the Business portion of this lounge, as that is all I could access. Apparently first class passengers have a better lounge in Terminal 1…

LOCATING THE LUFTHANSA BUSINESS LOUNGE AT JFK

The Lufthansa Business Lounge is located in JFK’s Terminal 1, to the left just after one clears security.  To reach the lounge, proceed through security and go left (with your back to security) for like 1 minute. The lounge is tucked away right before all the upscale shops in Terminal 1.

Lufthansa Business Lounge, JFK.

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An Aegean Cruise From Çesme, Turkey!

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When we visited Turkey last summer (July 2023), I really wanted to visit the proper Turkish Riviera. We seriously looked at the towns Bodrum, Kos, Alaçati, Çesme, and Izmir, and choose  Izmir, even though its not the real Turkish Riviera, due to its proximity to the airport and Ephesus historical site and reasonable price. We also needed Marriott nights, and Izmir has a lovely Marriott. I was fine with our decision but wanted to experience the Turkish Rivera, at least for a day. Enter a boat tour from Çesme and an afternoon strolling the town. This article details our experience. In brief, Çesme is a cute tourist town and the boat showed us gorgeous coast, but I am not sure I would squeeze a Çesme day into an Izmir itinerary again – it deserves its own couple days!

Çesme. This reminded me a lot of Rhodes, Greece (which is quite close by).

ÇESME, TURKEY

Çesme, apparently meaning “fountain”, is a small Turkish town on the Aegean sea at the tip of the Çesme peninsula. The name Çesme also refers to the greater Çesme area and includes the popular destination town of Alaçati.  Çesme is a favored holiday destination with Turks, is slowly becoming more well-known with the international crowd, and can get quite crowded in the summer. Numerous tourist lodging options crowd the area, with a modern highway connecting the town of Çesme to Izmir, the closest big city and international airport.  In terms of a destination, Çesme is a very cute little town and enjoys gorgeous views of the Aegean. One could easily waste away a few days enjoying the sun and sea.

A ship statue in Çesme. Everything seems to have a nautical theme here.

For tourist purposes, Çesme is most famous for its Ottoman old town and its ruined castle, of which the walls are fairly well preserved. Tourists can visit both on foot in a couple hours. The real point of Çesme is to relax and enjoy the day.

Welcome to Çesme!

We got to Çesme by taking an Uber (yes, the American app) from our hotel in Izmir. The ride took about 45 minutes. We took a taxi coming back, as we could not find an Uber. Alternatively, a bus runs regularly between Çesme and Izmir (we probably should have taken this but were lazy).

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