My husband and I like staying at boutique hotels to get some local flavor, and family-owned Hotel Gabbani serves it up in a literal way. The Gabbanis have been a Lugano fixture since 1937, selling gourmet, mostly local, food products. The hotel is above the cheese shop/wine shop/bakery/café, Bottega del Formaggio, which is across from […]
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Lake Country House
When the Hay Festival is on, there’s no chance of finding an available room in Hay-on-Wye. We took this opportunity to stay about 20 minutes away at the Lake Country House in Llangammarch Wells, a luxury boutique hotel in the countryside (thanks, Google search!). This hotel nicely achieves old-fashioned country charm with modern touches. The […]
Creative Lodging Ideas
Go!GirlGuides is one of my favorite travel sites and line of guidebooks. The guidebooks are fresh, fun and informative and the web content is inspiring, imagination-fueling and a touch irreverent. Order the newest Thailand guide (http://gogirlguides.wazala.com/), browse the blog for travel tips and get going! I recently published this article in Go!GirlGuides: http://gogirlguides.com/09/featured/cheap-accommodation-while-traveling/ Sleep on the […]
The Highlands, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, WI
Is it weird that I keep expecting to see Baby and Johnny when I turn the corner? There are two championship golf courses here: The Brute, a 7,000-yard par-72 killer course and the Highlands, a 6,200-yard Scottish-style par-71 course. Guess which one we played? Actually, we played the front nine twice since massive thunderstorms interrupted […]
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, WI
Or, Hugh Hefner and me. That’s right. This resort opened in 1968 as The Lake Geneva Playboy Club Hotel, built to attract big spenders in the Midwest. The 357-room resort was constructed in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style and amenities included stables, an airport, two championship golf courses, a 15-acre lake and wildlife refuge, skeet […]
Sofitel Brussels (Or, Mike Ness & Us)
Where else might you spot Mike Ness in the flea market going on right outside the front door? Aside from housing musicians during the Rock Werchter festival, this hotel is a great value and incredibly comfortable. It had a nice roof deck, a stylish bar and a Neuhaus chocolate shop. Place Jourdan 1, Brussels
Old Amsterdam
This weekend, we jumped in the car and drove to Amsterdam. And drove. And drove. The first Belgian town we drove through was cute. In the second town, the Belgian fry signs were charming. The next traffic light had us seeing red. What was wrong? How could a four-hour journey go so wrong? Ah, the […]
In Brugge, Part 2
Where we ate, drank and stayed: ‘T Bagientje: avoid the touristy cafes and sit on the porch to enjoy a Brujse Zot dubbel beer. Chocolat oe Praline: every chocolate shop claims it is the best. I didn’t try them all, but I can assure you Chocolat oe Praline was a standout. De Postilijon: lunch here […]
Desmond Tutu Center
As Angelo and I prepare to move from New York to Luxembourg, our apartment is a wreck. We’ve put all the things we’re not bringing such as electronics and old photo albums in one area and let the four movers quickly and efficiently pack up the rest. Since our place is unlivable, we were […]
