[MARRAKESH, MOROCCO] — A review of Amanjena luxury hotel Marrakesh, the best hotel in the Marrakesh Palmeraie. Amanjena is one of the best luxury hotels in Marrakesh. __________________________ The sun had set. The sky dimming a deep purple. Reflections on a giant dark pool shimmered back the endless repetitive patterns of grand columns across the water — embracing my pattern-OCD like a bear hug. A handful of people relaxed on pillows strewn about a manicured lawn, sipping cocktails amidst the growing light of the dozens of lanterns lit just so. Silently, five men in long robes and headscarves sat down in low chairs at the water’s edge. And then it started. A gentle bass drum, lithe strings join in, picking up the pace as a percussion resonated against all
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[STRONG CITY, KANSAS] — Here’s a post about a fantastic visit to the National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Thousands of acres of rolling green grasslands in Strong City, Kansas. And a review of the excellent Clover Cliff Ranch B&B, you should stay here. ____________________________________ What Are The Flint Hills? Out in the middle of Kansas lies the astounding Flint Hills, hundreds of thousands of acres of treeless, rolling hills with few fences and even fewer people. For generations these hills have remained the same, the soil so thick with rocks and limestone, they’ve never been plowed. You can read more on The Nature Conservancy website. Some of those thousands of acres have been preserved in the National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy and co-managed
[CARMELO, URUGUAY] — A review of Narbona Wine Lodge in Carmelo Uruguay. A nice boutique hotel in Uruguay. The best hotel in Carmelo Uruguay. And one of the best wine hotels in Uruguay. Along the cool banks of the muddy Rio de la Plata is the wine region of Carmelo, Uruguay’s top wine region. All the best Uruguayan vintners are here, including Finca Narbona. Restored to turn of the century newness, Narbona Wine Lodge is like a museum of the past, with antiques, buildings and charm that dates back over a century. With only and handful of rooms nestled right up along the vines, you feel like you’re staying in a period movie. The rooms are huge. The service minimal. The quiet is deafening. What a
[CHICAGO]– I’ve stayed now a half-dozen times at this hotel, originally designed by famous hotelier Ian Schrager and opened as the PUBLIC hotel, it’s now called The Ambassador “Chicago’s original boutique hotel”. It still ranks as one of my favorite places to stay in Chicago and certainly my favorite Ian Schrager hotel. It’s now run This is one of my favorite lobby designs I’ve seen — that great combination of classic architecture and modern design — and everything was white-on-white, with good looking people dressed in black as props. It still feels as fresh as when it opened more than a decade ago. It’s now a Hyatt boutique brand and they’ve added a little more color, but still retained a lot of the same core
[ROME, ITALY] — I’ve stayed at Hotel de Russie three times over the years, more if you count stopping in for a splendid martini. Here’s my review of the Hotel de Russie in Rome. Hotel de Russie is one of the best hotels in Rome and certainly one of the best luxury hotels in Rome. Walking by the skinny crowded sidewalks and fancy shopping around Piazza del Popolo, you’d never know this magical garden hides behind the understated entrance. A private Eden all to itself, 3,000 square metres of palm tree gardens climb up the steep hillside. (The same hill that leads up to Villa Borghese Gardens in my previous post) Rome is known for having small, cramped hotel rooms, but the Hotel de Russie doesn’t
[SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL] — On a long trip to the island of Fernando do Noronha off the coast of Brazil , I had a quick overnight in São Paulo. It was a very quick trip stopover coming and going, both on Sunday nights when many things are closed so I didn’t get to see a lot in a short amount of time, but there are my favorite things I found. Here’s my take on spending a quick 36 Hours in São Paulo. What to do in São Paulo. Where to stay in São Paulo. Where to eat in São Paulo. ___________________________ I remember my first trip to Brazil in the mid-90s, working for a Swedish printing press manufacturer as a freelance marketing consultant. At the
[SAO PAULO, BRAZIL] — Nicely tucked into the leafy Jardins neighborhood is the famous restaurant Figueira Rubaiyat, an outdoor restaurant set under about the biggest tree I’ve ever seen — a 200 year old banyan tree planted in the 1890s. Review Figueira Rubaiyat Sao Paolo. Figueira Rubaiyat is the best steak restaurant in Sao Paolo. And one of the best restaurants Jardins in Sao Paolo. There must be seats for a couple hundred people underneath its limbs, with an ingenious glass canopy built under it all. I first noticed it while taking a short walk from the Fasano, right around the corner and instantly knew I had to come back. I was there over a Monday lunch, and as I sat there a host of
[BARCELONA, SPAIN] — There are lots and lots of Barcelona guides, so I won’t go into much detail here, just think of this post like an old postcard rack at the train station, look for places that look good, then go find them. These are all my favorite places in Barcelona. The Best Things to Do in Barcelona, at least the best things to do over a winter weekend in Barcelona. I won’t go into much detail here, others have already done it. Just think of this post like a cluttered old postcard rack at the train station. Look for places that look good to you, then go find them. I’ve been in and out of Barcelona a half dozen times. Sometimes just as an
[BARCELONA] — El Born is a cool, quiet chill neighborhood away from the crazy crowds. It was super quiet when I first started coming to Barcelona in 2011, but has really filled in with many more cool shops, bars and restaurants. Now it’s become super hot and a bit swallowed up by Airbnbs, but still gorgeous. Perfect for walking around in summer or winter. Cool shops, mellow restaurants and beautiful streets. There’s a great little square with four or five outdoor cafes, perfect to just sit and watch Barcelona go by. You should go here. Here’s a good article from TimeOut on what to do in El Born and its trendy neighbor. — Last visited December 2011, May, June, July 2015 —
[BUENOS AIRES] — Continuing my pursuit of visiting all the restaurants of my favorite chef, Francis Mallmann, after an all-night flight, I had a five hour layover at the Buenos Aires airport. I planned to take a car into the city to have lunch at his famous restaurant Patagonia Sur in BA’s colorful La Boca neighborhood, then head back to the airport and continue my journey. Patagonia Sur is one of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires, if not one of the best restaurants in South America. I asked my travel agent to make a reservation and when I got there, I pushed a doorbell with a bzzzzzz, they unlocked the door and let me in. There was no one there but the extremely nice waiter,
[BAHIA, BRAZIL] — Here’s my overview of Trancoso, the former fishing village, then turned international hippie community in the 70s, then Trancoso turned into an international bohemian beach town on the coast of Bahia in Northeast Brazil. Trancoso sits above some of the best beaches in Bahia and all of Brazil. ____________________________ Trancoso–a Former Fishing Village, Now an International Destination I’d read about Trancoso for some time, it just kept popping up in the right places. But when I was in a small Uruguayan hotel and met a photographer from Wallpaper who had just come from a week-long shoot there, he said it was one of the coolest places he’d been, I knew I had to go. So I did. A once-isolated fishing village in
[AMSTERDAM] — I’d never been to Amsterdam before – was never that interested in the coffeeshops and sex shops and drunken British lads. But after working like a fiend all year, I decided to make a Mileage Run over a Thanksgiving, booking two weeks before and doing very little research. I jumped on a plane and just decided to wing it, knowing I just needed to get out of the country, fast. I came for five days, but I was kinda done after three. It’s a small city. Best here are the best things I found to do in Amsterdam. Cool things to do in Amsterdam November is, I discovered, the absolute rainiest month in the year. No big deal, I was expecting that, I like going places when hoards of
[BAGNOLS, FRANCE] — I booked a Christmas trip to Paris many years ago and had a couple of extra days of exploring before flying back on my NYE flight — the best times for an upgrade BTW. I booked a quick TGV to Lyon and then rented a car to go to this cool castle hotel outside of town that I’d read all about. Chateau de Bagnols. A fortress of a castle, turned into a luxe hotel and destination-dining Michelin-rated restaurant. What a perfect place to spend a cold couple of days between holidays. At the time I was there in 2004, it was managed by the lovely Rocco Forte hotels, my favorite, which is how I got to know about the hotel. It has