‘Tis the season and decade for green — even for festivals. The Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival, April 12-14 in downtown Palm Springs, is showing its cool colors. The event will be powered by Akeena Solar’s Mobile Solar Power Station and tastings will be served with eco-friendly plates, cups and napkins. All are made…
BKWine is offering three wine and gastronomy tours this autumn to France and Portugal. The tours, organized by Britt Karlsson of BKWine based in Paris, specialize in wine, food and gastronomic travel. The new tours on the program are: September 8-12: Bordeaux Focuses on ambitious and dynamic wine makers of this region. October 22-26: The…
Kor Hotel Group’s Maison 140 Beverly Hills has brought back its popular wine and cheese tasting series, Vin et Fromage, held Wednesday evenings in the hotel’s intimately stylish Bar Noir. Set in a rich palette of crimson, black and red, Bar Noir offers a chicly refined décor. The evenings are both educational and informal, featuring…
Ty Warner’s San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara is hosting two Secrets of the Grape six-course wine dinners this spring, featuring guest hosts from Far Niente and Sea Smoke Cellars wineries. Both dinners begin at 6:30 PM and are held in the San Ysidro Ranch Wine Cellar. Cost is $295 per person; dinner and one-night…
Here’s a fun way to experience the wonderful wines of my home state of Washington — on a cruise! AAA Washington and Holland America Line are offering the Wines of Washington (WOW) Coastal Cruise on board the ms Oosterdam. The ship departs San Diego on April 26 and arrives in Vancouver, BC on April 30….
Puerto Vallarta’s Buenaventura Grand Hotel & Spa has just undergone a $9 million renovation. Formerly known as Buenaventura Hotel & Beach Club, the 11-month rehab was complete in December 2007. A new website was also launched. The hotel and spa’s fresh look includes 236 newly renovated rooms and suites: 216 deluxe rooms, 14 honeymoon suites,…
Cote Nord Tremblant is nestled into 120 acres of pristine landscape in Quebec’s Laurentians, overlooking Tremblant ski resort. Featuring 55 luxury log vacation rental homes, each is situated on a minimum one-acre lot and within close proximity to a four-seasons outdoor wilderness. Inside, it’s all about luxury. The homes are constructed with rounded logs in…
The San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California underwent a $150 million renovation last year. Now they’re celebrating with a brand new package. Long known as a romantic getaway for such illustrious lovers as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh and the honeymoon haven of John and Jacqueline Kennedy, it’s a discreet hideaway in a very…
The province of Quebec has some classy casinos, and a very cool one across the river from Canada’s capital city of Ottawa is Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau. The adjoining Hilton Lac-Leamy offers more than a dozen packages, including the Awakening Senses package. The package includes one night’s accommodation in a deluxe room; buffet breakfast…
My husband and I spent two nights in Miami’s South Beach last week before going on a Cayamo songwriters’ cruise in the Caribbean. I hadn’t been to Miami for at least 30 years, and what a difference three decades makes. Most impressive is the preservation of the Art Deco District. Thanks to Barbara Capitman and…
It’s all about boutique. So no surprise that the cruise industry’s first boutique-luxury river cruise line is ready to set sail. Jewel River Cruises is launching the first all-suite, boutique luxury river cruise ship designed for discerning travelers. With the debut of the ms Jewel Imperial Blue, the line plans to add two more ships…
Paragon Tango Departures is a new luxury tango travel company. And yes, it’s all about tango — in Argentina! Amanda Gary is the force behind Paragon. She previously hosted cycling trips for Butterfield & Robinson in Argentina, Estonia and Italy. The Los Angeles native has replaced her “wheels with heels” to pursue her love of…