If you’ve ever stayed for more than a few hours at 9,000 feet of elevation or more, you’ve probably gotten light headed, dizzy or generally nauseous. It’s called High Altitude Sickness. Other symptons include trouble sleeping, unusual tiredness, a racing heart, and/or a cough. I got a touch of this the first night here in…
Meet Ian Schrager. He’s the trendsetting designer generally credited for pioneering minamalism in hotels from the Royalton in New York to the Delano in Miami Beach. Now, his latest hit is a $200 million upgrade of the 82-year-old Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. Without even seeing it, the press is buzzing that it’s…
The Hotel Monaco Denver is my first visit to a Kimpton Hotel, part of the one-of-a-kind San Francisco-based chain of terrific boutique hotels that channels the distinctive energy, personality and pulse of each individual hotel. The colors are bright and cheerful. The staff is energetic and knowledgeable. And it’s a true treat to stay here….
Breakfast in Utah… lunch in Wyoming… dinner in Colorado. Such is the thrill of a 540-mile road trip in one day. And we’re still speaking to each other! We left Park City in the morning after a brief stop at the Utah Olympic Park with a training run for hot dog skiers down one of…
On our summer road trip, today we drove over 580 miles. Most of it was across I-80 in Nevada and Utah. Of the former, our 12-year-old daughter said “it’s got to be the most boringest state in the world.” We passed over mountain passes and through high desert chaparral, but it was indeed boring and…
A boutique hotel with all the character and charm you’d expect, but where all profits go to charity? Here’s a place that really exemplifies my Pampering for Prosperity mission! The Green Hotel in Mysore, southern India, is a former maharaja’s palace, elegantly re-designed into a colonial-era crash pad. Enjoy slow cups of tea in wicker…
We’ve all done the EurailPass to criss-cross Europe during our penny-pinching college years. I recently rode the EuroStar in style through the Chunnel between London and Paris, marveling at how far train travel had come in style and fashion. Now, iconic French designer Christian Lacroix has been chosen by the French Railways to upgrade their…
About 18 months ago, the dollar had hit a new low against both the British pound and the Euro. Naturally, my wife, daughter and I chose that exact moment to visit England and France. In keeping with our family tradition of tragically bad timing, we’re leaving tomorrow on a 2,500-mile driving vacation during record-high gas…
Drum roll, please…. According to 11th annual readers poll of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s, the most popular city in the world for travelers is Florence, Italy. Rome is #2; Bangkok, Thailand, is #3; last year’s winner, Sydney, Australia, is now #4; and Chiang Mail, Thailand is #5. These are followed by: Cape Town, South Africa…
I had the opportunity to discuss “Vroom With A View” with its Aussie author who now lives in London, Peter Moore. It’s a hilarious account of his round-trip from Milan to Rome ona ’61 Vespa which he affectionately names Sophia –– after the legendary Italian actress and inspiration for his trip. Below are a series…
If you’re fed up with resorts that cater to thousands of guests, try the solo approach. Estate One is one KM from the main Pangkor Laut Resort on the privately owned 185-acre island, with one of the world’s most lush rain forests. By the way, the resort was named Number One in the World by…
The French are fanatics for drip coffee, champagne, croissants, chocolate, fine cuisine, sidewalk cafes,… and blogging. According to a story today by Thomas Crampton in the New York Times, “Les Blogs Herald France’s Newest Inalienable Right,” Comscore reports that 60% of French Internet users visited a blog in May, ahead of Britain with 40% and…