[LÜBECK, GERMANY] — It’s the eerie, fairytale looking architecture of Lübeck that hits you. Makes it almost surreal. Huge, squat high-hat towers dwarfing a bright green lawn. Rust colored tiles tipping to the sky. Little people, tiny in front. The buildings almost look like stone gnomes. Frozen Expedia gnomes, as they should be. As you’re adjust your zoom lens, trying to get a level angle, that’s when you realize it’s not you or your lens, the whole building is a little crooked. This was an old guard house, or toll house — the Holstentor (“Holstein Tower”), that used to protect this rich and prosperous city. They entire old city of Lübeck is built on an island, surrounded on all sides by gently flowing river. Going back
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[BERLIN] — I’ve only been to Berlin three times, but here’s my picks for what to do in Berlin over a long winter weekend. The best things to do in Berlin. How to spend 36 hours in Berlin. Where to eat in Berlin. _________________________ The first time I was last in Berlin it was so long ago, it’s scary. Back when I was in college in Rome, when the Wall was around. When Checkpoint Charlie was a real checkpoint. The city just seemed to be numb then, both sides. Mostly old people on the streets, not many. Can’t remember anyone young people. Everything seemed grey and colorless, broken. Eerie. You could roll a bowling ball down the main strassens and not hit a soul. The only
[BARCELONA] — I know I’m in the minority in being a steadfast fan of boutique hotels these days, whilst the rest of you are Airbnb’n, but I still am bullish on the whole hotel experience. In fact, I usually book my vacations around the hotel, often traveling far and wide just to visit a special place. Barcelona has been almost overrun by Airbnbs, so much so that whole apartment buildings are being converted by investors into full-on apartment rentals — much to the scorn of local residents, pushed out by reasonable growing rents. But just before the HomeAway trend hit BCN, a flurry of boutique hotels were built, high on style, funky design and cool restaurants, dramatically increasing this great city’s inventory of cool places
[PORTO, PORTUGAL] — I was only in Porto for two nights, on my way up the Douro River, and one of those nights was in bed with a brutal flu bug, so my time was short. But I did see some cool thing, here are my top sites in Porto. Cool things to see in Porto. When I came to Porto in Spring 2015, it was a completely different city than today. Many of the buildings were boarded up or in need of repair. Now nearly everything has been redone and the city is alive and jumping, rivaling Lisbon. When I came to Porto in Spring 2015, it was a completely different city than today (as is all of Portugal). I was just there one
[SANTA CRUZ, PORTUGAL] — Here’s my hotel review of Areias do Seixo boutique design hotel, one of the coolest design hotels in Portugal. And I would say the best design hotel in Portugal. When looking for a cool boutique hotel outside Lisbon during my second first tour of Portugal, I saw an article on Areias do Seixo, full of pictures of crazy looking, organic rooms with stained stone, wooden log furniture, swings, and just amazing details. Every room was a revelation. That’s when I had to go to Areias do Seixo. _________________________________ After pulling into a sparse car park, no sign of life. You walk up to the huge, heavy wood doors — all big and Asian-y and intimidating, makes you feel like a bible
[TOURRETTES-SUR-LOUP, FRANCE] — Here’s an overview of the best things to do in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, a stunning hilltop village over the Côte d’Azur, and one of the best villages Alpes-Maritimes. And a review of the delightful Histoires de Bastide guesthouse. ______________________________ I was on my way back from nine blissful days in Greece and heading toward the southwest of France. Having already done most of the coast, I wanted to find a new place to explore. I opened a new travel website I kept hearing about i-escape.com and started scouring pictures for something that grabbed my eye. And then BOOM. I saw a the picture above. That was all it took. This is in France? Looks more like Italy, or maybe Corsica. An ancient village perched
[FOLEGANDROS, GREECE] — I spent an amazing week on the Greek island of Folegandros, here’s my post of the best things to do on the under-the-radar Greek island of Folegandros. I think it’s the best Greek island. Where to eat on Folegandros. What to do on Folegandros and where to stay on Folegandros. And an overview of the best beaches on Folegandros. __________________________ On the quiet island of Folegandros, there are no cruise ships. There’s no airport. No big hotels. No hoards of tourists. They only got electricity a about 30 years ago. It wasn’t until the last 20 years that the island’s one road was paved — all 18 kilometers of it — and the first gas station arrived. There’s only one bus driver. Only
[SARTÈNE, CORSICA] — Here’s my overview of Domaine du Murtoli a luxurious secret hideaway on the French island of Corsica. The best luxury hotel in Corsica. The best luxury villas in Corscia. ______________________________ I was having dinner by myself the first night in Corsica at Domaine du Murtoli — one of the most exclusive resorts in France — and sitting back and grinning at all the natural wonder before me in this candle-lit treehouse of a restaurant hidden under the maquis trees. Barefoot waitresses in linen frocks darted under the leaves, bringing drinks, appetizers and cute smiles. Around the corner came a vision, the most perfectly tanned specimen on this planet. Valérie, the proprietress of this magical haven (and a former model and mother to four
[GÈDRE, FRANCE] — This is an overview of three great hikes in the French Pyrénées with details on three of the best cirques in the Hautes-Pyrénées: Cirque de Troumouse, Cirque d’Estaube and Cirque de Gavarnie. Here’s everything good I found. _______________________________ I always wanted to go on some great hikes in the French Pyrénées, but I could never figure out where. As I finally figured out after all these years, the Pyrénées aren’t just a single group of mountains, but a bunch of groups of Pyrénées spread all along the French/Spanish border. So when you think, as I stupidly did, “Oh I’ll just go hike in the Pyrénées” you’re instantly in over your head when you finally try to Google it and figure out where to go.
[EUGENIE-LES-BAINS, FRANCE] — A review of Les Prés d’Eugénie, the late Chef Michel Guérard’s amazing healthy living hotel, spa and three Michelin-starred restaurant in the countryside of Gascony. It’s one of the France’s best luxury hotels. And one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World. _______________________________ I had the best intensions… Looking to break up my random drive across France in the summer of 2015, I decided to sneak in to the famed Les Prés d’Eugénie hotel for a taste of what made Michel Guérard world famous — one of the pioneers of Nouvelle Cuisine who changed French cooking forever. Chef and his wife Christine built this magical spa hotel in the country as a destination for his 3 Michelin star restaurant. We’re talking
[MOLTIG-LES-BAINS, FRANCE] — Here’s a review of the beautiful Chateau de Riell a beautiful boutique hotel and spa in the mountains of French Catalonia and the best boutique Relais & Chateaux hotels in the region. _________________________________ So, here I was last April sitting in Skoura, an oasis town in Morocco, and I had to make a choice. Fed up with my stupid job, I’d quit and left for a little sabbatical for a month in Portugal and Morocco. My plane to the States left the next day, but I wasn’t ready to go back. So I cancelled it. I flew back to Barcelona, walked up to the Hertz desk and asked “Can I rent a car for a long time? Like two months?” “Si!” So they hooked
[PRAGUE] — This is going to be a pretty easy post for you, more of a postcard travelogue. I think I am the last guy to visit Prague, but I slapped it on to an over-Christmas trip to Brussels just to see what it’s like and have some beer. Pretty city. Too many tourists for me. Granted, it was a holiday, but I feel sorry that it was so overrun. But it definitely is a beautiful city. These are the best things I’ve found to do over a winter weekend in Prague. Especially during a Christmas holiday weekend in Prague. Click to open the slideshow and follow along. There are other, better, already-done guides to Prague, a million of them. Just think of this post
[BRUSSELS] — Trying to do a Mileage Run at the end of the year to top off the tanks, I found a cheap flight to Brussels, perfectly timed between Christmas and New Years, back by the end of the year. Just a couple of days before flying on to Prague. These are the best things I found over a Christmas weekend in Brussels. It was Christmas in 2015. The sad massive terrorist attacks in Paris had just occurred the month before and I wanted to show my support but not letting those acts change our world. Plus, my hunch was right that the airfares and upgrades would be cheap with a lot of cancellations. I left on Christmas Day, went to Brussels, a day trip
[ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM] — Here are some cool things to do on a day trip to Antwerp from Brussels. The best things to do in Antwerp. Cool things in Antwerp. What to on a day trip to Antwerp on a Sunday, when most everything is closed. ___________________________ So I was posting live pics of Brussels on my Instagram and someone who follows me shot back “You should go to Antwerp.” Hmmmm, never thought about going there. And this whole trip was a last-minute. “It’s a quick train ride and cooler, smaller and more artsy. Not boring like Brussels.” Really? “You should go to Antwerp.” my Instagram friend said. “It’s a quick train ride and cooler, smaller and more artsy. Not boring like Brussels.” I’d never even
[VAL BADIA, ITALY] — An overview of hiking in Alta Badia Italy and the Fanes-Senese-Braies Nature Reserve in the Dolomites. Best hikes Alta Badia. And hiking from San Cassiano and best hikes Italian Dolomites. Fanes-Senese-Braies. I know that’s a mouthful. But I didn’t name it. The Fanes–Senes–Braies Natural Park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’ve seen it called Nature Reserve, Natural Park and Nature Park… like everything around here, it has three or more names. I’m going with Natural Park. The Dolomites are aren’t just one range, but dozens. Kinda confusing really, trying to piece it all together. It’s all called “Dolomites” or “Alto Adige” and “Süd Tyrol” … and in a part of Italy that was once part of Austria. Some people here speak
[MILANO, ITALY] — I was sitting in a farmhouse in Provence reading Maisons Cote Sud thinking about where I wanted to go next. There was an article about this restored abandoned farmstead in the middle of Milan. I thought “wow, this is so cool.” I tore it out and added it to my Milan list. You’d never think there’d still be an old farmstead smack in the middle of Milano, but there is. Cascina Cuccagna is an old abandoned 18th Century agricultural complex that a group of local food lovers got together, hauled away the junk and turned the place into a cool food-centric hangout. It’s a culinary cultural center: a bar/cafe, a bookstore, a nice restaurant, an event space and an educational garden, all in
[MARRAKESH, MOROCCO] — Here’s my hotel review of Villa des Orangers the best boutique hotel in Marrakesh. Villa des Orangers is my vote for best luxury hotel Marrakesh. ___________________________ It was midnight on a full moon in Marrakesh. A late flight from Barcelona after a many-hours transfer in Casablanca. The driver pulls over on a very busy, unremarkable street, next to a gas station, an LP gas depot and about the world’s most frenetic bus stop and taxi stand, drivers wailing and waving, engines gunning. Everyone looked to be in charge, yelling at other drivers to be doing something other than what they were doing. Buses, trucks and loud scooters screamed by, drowning out the shouts of the cab stand. The luxury van stopped in
[CARMELO, 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 great place to relax, eat and take in the cool air of the wine region. It’s a Tablet Hotels and Relais & Chateaux property, so you know it’s good. And
[PUEBLO GARZÓN, URUGUAY] –We were in the tiny quiet village of Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay. Once abandoned, but bought by the famous chef Francis Mallmann who added a world famous restaurant and a small five room hotel. I’d been to Garzón several times by myself, but that year I dragged some friends along this time, “You gotta see how cool this place is.” After a week on the beach in nearby Jose Ignacio — my favorite place on earth — we were in Garzón for a few days to eat and bask in the wide green expanse of the Uruguayan countryside. And most importantly, eat Francis’s amazing food and stay at his cool little gem of a hotel. It was the First Weekend of March, at
[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