[MANHATTAN, NEW YORK]– There are over 715 hotels in New York City, some grand, some giant, some dumps, some humble. Some cost a fortune. Some cost a lot and are dumps. I’ve stayed in a LOT of them, in every category, but these are my favorite hotels in New York, the best boutique hotels in New York City. And the best design hotels in New York. Bear with me, this is a long post with lots of photos from lots of trips, but I wanted to show you as much as I can to give you a real feel for each of my favorites. And point out things I love about each. Sorry, this is a giant post. These are my favorite boutique hotels in
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[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
[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
[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
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
[LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLION | FRANCE] — I first came to the Aude region in Languedoc, never having heard of it before, nor that I was even going there! But realized I was in Aude during a four day stop at a cool friend’s place outside Carcassonne. I thought I was in greater Languedoc, but turns out Aude is the appropriate subregion in Languedoc. I spent most of my time hanging at my friend’s super cool gîte, so I didn’t get everywhere, nor get to spend great bits of time, but these are the coolest places I found in the southwest of France. And now that I have the lay of the land, I can’t wait to go back. The Aude Region This area used to be called
[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
[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
[SALTA, ARGENTINA] — Here’s a post about a roadtrip through Salta Argentina, the far northwest province of Argentina. All about exploring Salta province and the famed Ruta 40, which is one of the longest, notorious roads in the world. And what to do touring Salta Province. You probably haven’t heard much about Salta, in the far northwest quadrant of Argentina and a roadtrip on its famed Ruta 40 highway, but word is starting to spread. This is one of the great roadtrips in the world. While everyone knows of Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Patagonia, it seems like Salta has just barely opened up. You take a two hour flight from Buenos Aires to the city of Salta which you can use as a base, driving around the
[SALTA, ARGENTINA] — There aren’t a ton of hotels in Salta province, it’s such a vast place, but there are several really cool ones. I only stayed in three, but here are my favorites for best boutique hotels in Salta. You should stay here in Salta. The best luxury hotels in Salta. After doing lots of research, these are my choices for 3 best boutique hotels in Salta from a trip I took to Salta in March 2011. [Note: As I continue to improve my website, this is an updated and enhanced post from a trip I took in 2011, with better pictures and information from my previous lame posts, now consolidated into one comprehensive guide.] To be clear, there is the city of Salta and
[BAVARIAN ALPS, GERMANY] — On my last return trip from Verona to Munich, I remember flying over some killer mountains in Germany, just south of Munich. They were stupendous looking from the air as we headed in for final approach. “Wow, wonder what those are called…” This year, I was headed back to the Italian Dolomites and realized that they were only a three hour drive from my Denver>Munich direct flight. I could save a day of travel, an extra flight and just drive directly there. Genius. But, passing through Bavaria, I thought I’d stop and see if I could find those mountains I saw before. I did. Even better, I found this stunning hotel location. Schloss Elmau. I was researching cool places to stay
[MÜNCHEN, GERMANY] — If you’re flying in/out of the ultra cool Munich airport — which looks more like an Apple store than airport — make sure you take a long overnight in Munich. Rated one of Europe’s most livable cities, you can see why when you walk around. Clean. Everything works. Nice Bavarian people. Gorgeous trees and parks all around. Here are some cool things to do if you have 36 hours in Munich. The last time I was in Munich was waaaay back in the early 80s when I was a backpacker making the wet slog to Oktoberfest. I don’t remember much besides the massive beer tents, sleeping in a down sleeping bag in the rain without a tent and spending the night cuddled
[LISBOA, PORTUGAL] — A review of Palacio Ramalhete in Lisbon Portugal. An affordable boutique hotel in Lisbon. In my opinion one of the best hotels Lisbon, full of character and charm and feels like staying in a villa. __________________________ In planning for a trip to Portugal with a bunch of friends last month, I was in charge of looking for a cool boutique hotel. Some in the group I knew, others were going to be New Friends. Some I assumed were wanting somewhere special, others (cough cough) were a little more “I’ll just use my points.”-type. The pressure was on… to find an affordable boutique hotel in Lisbon. Holy cow, it’s amazing how fast Lisbon changes. I remember the first time I went in 2013
[DOURO VALLEY, PORTUGAL] — A review of Vila Galé Douro Valley hotel and Douro Exclusive Wine Tours. The perfect way to explore the Douro Valley. Best luxury hotel in the Douro River Valley. _____________________ After a harrowing Google Maps-led hair-brained shortcut through curvy mountains roads (umm guess who was Navigator ), we arrived with our seasick passengers… ready for a drink. We drove through a gated entrance to a wine estate, wound up the road straight into the vines. A teeny sign on the right said “Reception ↘︎”. We slammed on the brakes. (Groans from the back) “That can’t be it…”. What we couldn’t see was the building built into the side of the cliff below us. Unlike Google Maps, we trusted this little sign.