[BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA]– I’ve stayed in Buenos Aires three times now, sometimes for nearly a week, other times just for a night or two on the way for some beach time in Jose Ignacio Uruguay or some exploring in Salta and Jujuy provinces of northwest Argentina. Here’s my overview of the best things to do Buenos Aires. What to do in Buenos Aires. Where to stay and eat in Buenos Aires. And all the cool things to do I could find. Not everything under the sun, just the best things I’ve experienced and would recommend. I mostly omitted the typical stuff, except some of my favorite things to do. Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America Most people don’t have a visual in mind
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[ISTANBUL, TÜRKIYE] — I was in Istanbul many years ago and never got around to sharing tips. But Istanbul is more than 2,500 years old, so it never gets old, all the top sites live forever! I was there over the American Thanksgiving holiday in winter, so my stay was only for a few days — and it rained half the time — but it was a lively as can be… there are 15 million people that live there after all. Istanbul has really been on everyone’s radar lately, so here are the best things to do in Istanbul. And what to do in Istanbul over a winter weekend. Some of the top sites in Istanbul. A Very Quick History of What Makes Istanbul So
[ROME, ITALY] — Here’s a post all about my favorite things to do in Rome after studying there for a year and over a half-dozen other trips. Here are the best things to do in Rome. What to do in Rome and the Top sites in Rome. It’s not everything, other guides do that throughly, just my favorite sites. I studied in Rome my junior year of college way back in 1981. Those were different days then, Italy had yet to join the EU, the city was falling apart, everything was broken, trash was everywhere, communist street protests every week, the lira was 1000 to the dollar and everything was cheap. The city was a mess back then, but it was Our Mess to explore
[PUEBLO GARZÓN, URUGUAY] — A review of Francis Mallmann’s restaurant and hotel in Garzón Uruguay. One of the best restaurants in Uruguay. And one of the best hotels Uruguay. _______________________________ About 14 miles or so miles inland from the surf of Jose Ignacio Uruguay — the world’s best beach town IMO — is a sleepy little town called Garzón. There, in the middle of rolling green hills of gaucho country, Francis Mallmann (my favorite restaurateur in the world) has created a true destination place, El Garzón. In fact, he bought up a whole town around it. Francis Mallmann’s restaurant Garzón is one of the best restaurants in Uruguay. Only a few people realize that it’s also one of the best hotels in Uruguay. I’ve been
[BERLIN] — Several years ago I went to Berlin for a quick Thanksgiving getaway to scope it out for a possible move. I loved it so much I came back the next year over Christmas for a longer stay. I got a chance to stay at three great boutique hotels in Berlin — all were so completely different and in completely different areas, each felt like I was on a completely different vacation. Here are my favorites I found. And here’s a link to a long post I made about how to spend a long weekend in Berlin, with lots to choose from. Feel the Vibe at the Michelberger Hotel What a find. The Michelberger Hotel is up there in the top ten of my
[MÜNCHEN] — The Louis Hotel, a fabulous boutique hotel in the perfect Munich location, is my new favorite hotel. And I think the best boutique hotel in Munich. Understated and elegant, the insides are just as calming as a Japanese onsen. Warm woods welcome you in the lobby, with brown-on-brown-on-brown colors covering almost everywhere except for the windows and a stunning painting of the sky. I had no idea this hotel opened in 2009 — when I was last there in 2022 it felt like it had just opened. Everything was sparkling clean, felt brand new and the style, timeless cool. They have 72 rooms, which surprised me because I rarely ran into other guests — probably because the nondescript elevator from a short cove
[TORRES DEL PAINE, CHILE] — If you’re going to Patagonia the Tierra Hotel is the perfect base to explore Torres del Paine national park. Tierra Patagonia is one of the best adventure hotels in Torres del Paine. It’s actually inside the park, with stunning views of the steep granite mountains called The Towers. Tierra Patagonia–The best adventure hotel in Torres del Paine Okay, here’s the deal: the Tierra Hotels have an awesome setup, there are several in all the cool places of Chile, all built around the adventure side of travel. One is in the Atacama Desert in the north, another on the coast near Chiloé and this beautiful hotel, Tierra Patagonia, inside the incredible Torres del Paine national park on the Chilean side of Patagonia.
Brantôme is a sleepy little village in Périgord. A gorgeous little town on a u-turn bend of the river, originally built on an island, surrounded on all sides by the calm rolling waters of the river Dronne — which is why it’s called “Venice of Périgord”. This would be a great fort. It’s a great central base to explore Dordogne. Here’s a giant related post I made on exploring Dordogne. It really is one of the cutest list villages in France, I loved it. There’s only about two thousand people that live here and the immediate surroundings. Just loved walking into town in the morning to pick up the International Herald Tribune and a cafe au lait and sit by the river. It has all
[DORDOGNE & PERIGORD, FRANCE] — You don’t read much about Dordogne in the U.S. travel press. But the French & English know about it, almost keep it all to themselves. In fact, this was one of the great battlegrounds of the Hundred Year’s War between the nobles of France and England. Now wealthy Brits have snapped up a lot of the incredible houses and chateaus. I spent a week there several years ago and these are what I found to be the best things to do in Dordogne. Are there other places? Certainly. But this what I found in a little less than a week in an early June. I just want to give you a taste of what it looks, feels and tastes like. I
[MOUSTIERS-SAINTE-MARIE, FRANCE] — Moustiers in eastern Provence is the gateway to the great Gorges du Verdon, The Grand Canyon of France. (see my post on the Gorges du Verdon here). It’s an Adventureland of fun, with trekking, boating, canyoning, climbing and just plain gawking at all the natural beauty. Here’s my review of Alain Ducasse’s incredible gourmet Michelin-starred hideaway La Bastide de Moustiers in the beautiful town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, high in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Bathe in Lavender on the Valensole Plateau Driving up from southern Provence, you first drive over the high and flat Valensole plateau, home to some of the largest and most stunning lavender fields in France. Miles and miles of sweet purple flowers, as far as the eye can see. If you’re in Provence
[MILAN, ITALY] — Here’s my post of the best things to do on a weekend in Milan. What to see in Milan and where to eat in Milan. You should go here in Milan. ______________________________ When I was going to school in Rome, I was obsessed with Old Things. We zoomed all over Europe every weekend, compartments loaded up with beer, on our unlimited Eurail Pass looking for cool old stuff. The only thing I knew about Milan was our midnight stop at the train station, jolted awake from a drunk sleep each time by the same old man hawker each time, with a raspy smoker’s voice outside our drawn shades: “Birrrrrra. Acqua Mineraaaaale. Chocccolaaato. Orangiiiiiina. Aranciatttt-a. Coca Cooolaaaa.” repeated over and over until the
[AMALFI COAST, ITALY] — The whole Amalfi Coast is a string of towns south of Naples, roughly starting from Sorrento on down. Each town has its own charm and personality. Not a big fan of Sorrento, more of a modern city that cruise ships and tour buses visit and it’s the last train stop, so that’s as far as most people go. Keep going down farther, starting at Positano. This is my guide to Positano and the Amalfi Coast and why you should go here in Positano and and all the best things to do in Positano. You Should Go Here In Positano — I consolidated several posts into one comprehensive guide in one place, so it’s a giant post and dense with information. I’ve
[PORTO ERCOLE, TUSCANY] — Driving through the hills and ravines of western Tuscany, you find yourself in the little known coastal area of wild and woolly Maremma. The road rolls down to the sea, you drive across a causeway and lagoon to Monte Argentario, a hump of an island and now basically a peninsula connected by two bridges. Looking out at fishing boats and people bobbing along the shore, you wind through tiny Porto Ercole, pop up and over a hill, see the tiny pelican logo and pull into an ivy covered parking area. As the bellman grabs your things you glide through the lobby and head towards the sun on the terrace. It’s the view that hits you in the gut. Gah! Down a tumbling
[VERONA, ITALY] — Verona was never on at the top of my list, I always heard it was just a place where bus tours stop to all stand under the Romeo and Juliet balcony. Boy was I wrong. When my buddies were flying out of the Verona airport we spent a day and a half checking it out. I loved it so much, I came back by myself the following week. I was blown away how gorgeous, clean and manageable this Italian city is. Here are all my best things to do in Verona. What to do in Verona. Where to eat in Verona. Where to stay in Verona. The city has so much history beyond Romeo & Juliet. From Dante to the big Veronese
This is from a trip I took several years ago for an overnight in Athens. My sisters and brother just went through Athens after a Greek Islands charter sailboat trip and I realized I never made a post so I could share my tips. So here it is, my tips for a quick trip to Athens, including when is the best time avoid the crowds at the Acropolis and a review of the New Hotel. Whether on purpose (smart) or randomness, most flights and ferries coming back from the the Greek Islands invariably end up with a forced overnight in Athens. On my last trip coming back from the beautiful island of Folegandros (my posts on that trip are here), this stop was shorter than
[SAN CASSIANO IN ALTA BADIA, ITALY] — An overview of San Cassiano in the Italian Dolomites, the perfect base for exploring Val Badia and Alta Badia. And where to stay, where to eat in San Cassiano. The best things to do in San Cassiano. __________________________________ Wednesday nights are Festa Nights in San Cassiano in the summer. People come from kilometers away, tasting great foods from local restaurants, local craft beers (doesn’t everywhere have local craft beers nowadays?) and watching Ladin craftsman hone wood objects like they’ve done for centuries. (Cutting boards are big sellers.) And, perhaps appropriately, a country music band. Nothing like a little Hank Williams to make your strudel even more fun. Plus, you can waltz to it. You should have seen it.
[SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA, CHILE] — Here’s my review of Tierra Atacama, the best adventure hotel to explore the Atacama Desert. Located in San Pedro de Atacama, the Tierra Atacama is the best all-inclusive hotel to explore the Atacama Desert. ______________________________________ Chile is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, that few people know about. Dramatic, jaw-dropping landscapes and massive natural parks. Chile has been the leader in preserving their amazing natural wonders and packaging them up with adventure tour packages, made easy with outstanding hotels like the Tierra, Explora, or totally luxe Awasi, which is more for millionaires. All three brands have sister hotels in both the Atacama Desert, Patagonia and other regions (like the Lake District or Easter Island). I chose
[JOSE IGNACIO, URUGUAY] — There. I said it. Jose Ignacio is it. Jose Ignacio is the World’s Best Beach Town. Here’s my overview of everything I know about Jose Ignacio Uruguay. After almost a half dozen trips, here’s my guide to Jose Ignacio. The best restaurants in Jose Ignacio. The best beaches Jose Ignacio. The best hotels in Jose Ignacio. _____________________________ This is my favorite place in this world. If you’ve followed me for some time or talk to me over Negronis, THIS is the place I always talk about. This is a huge post, combing multiple visits over ten years into a single comprehensive guide in one place. All the reasons that make this the world’s best beach town. Jose Ignacio is my favorite place
[CASCAIS, PORTUGAL] — About a half-hour outside of Lisbon, Cascais is a great little beach town along the coast. Here’s my recaps of how to spend the perfect long weekend in Cascais, a great base to explore the entire Lisbon coast. What to do in Cascais. Where to stay in Cascais. Where to eat in Cascais. It’s hard to picture such a cool little beach town as a suburb of Lisbon; it feels like a world away. Where Lisbon opens onto the Targus river, Cascais is further out on the peninsula, just past the Monaco-like wealth enclave of Estoril. Out here, you are more open to the blue waters of the Atlantic. [Note: a lot of people think that Portugal is a Mediterranean country, but
[CANYON POINT, ARIZONA] — About 30 minutes outside of Page, Arizona — home of the Lake Powell dam — is the second Aman Resorts property in the United States. Amangiri, the best luxury adventure resort in the US. Here’s a review of the Amangiri hotel in Canyon Point, Utah, the best luxury hotel in the United States. And what to do at Amangiri resort. Based in Asia, Aman is the best of the best hotel chains on the planet and they’ve been rapidly expanding to dream destinations all over the world, almost always in distant and spectacular locations like this one. Aman Resorts are known for their understated Zen architecture and vibe and this one fits right into that. The location and buildings are the