I’ve enjoyed many of Cirque Du Soleil’s extravaganzas but I haven’t been to one recently, and I wasn’t sure how they would hold up over time. But “O”, (it’s all about the Water,) held at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, manages to combine artistry, surrealism and edgy street performance, providing…
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…
These next two are both good choices for dining in the Gaslamp Quarter: Currant Brasserie We loved the location of our restaurant the following night, Currant Brasserie, an “ooh-la-la” Parisian/American bistro, since it’s the featured restaurant at the newly renovated Sophia Hotel, where we were lucky enough to be staying! This smallish restaurant makes the…
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…
We’ve all heard of the slow boat to China. Here’s a Culinary Canal Cruise offered by my friend Chef Tom Herndon to the South of France from October 2-11. If fine wine, wonderful food, and warm fall breezes weren’t enough to entice you, he’s also offering a five-night extension for a Taste of Paris from…
What better way to get ready for the Oscars than treating yourself to some old-fashioned Hollywood glamour? A day at the Estrella Spa in the Palm Springs Viceroy Hotel is a day of star-worthy pampering. Even just stopping by for a single treatment leaves you feeling like a movie glamorpuss from the 30s or 40s…
It took years from blueprints to blue tower, but the Intercontinental San Francisco will open on February 28 at Fifth and Howard Streets in the popular SOMA district. It will be the largest SF hotel to open since the Marriott “Jukebox” was completed in 1989. And it will be 100% smoke-free. The Intercontinental’s numbers are…
I always just assumed that I had been to Glen Ellen since I’ve been to Sonoma umpteen times, but much to my chagrin, when I arrived there last week, I discovered that NO- I actually never had been there and what a major oversite on my part! Glen Ellen (a measly 60 miles from San…
Flying small jets to small towns generally makes me feel like an afterthought for the airline industry. Going to Grand Rapids or Cedar Rapids, Fresno or Pasco, Colorado Springs or Palm Springs more often than not means dark, dank regional terminals seemingly miles from the main airport concourse with snack machines as the only food…
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…