One of my favorite “best of” categories, the Biggest Surprise award goes to the destination that surpassed expectations or defied preconceived notions. And in 2011, Lima, Peru certainly fit the bill. As I noted in one of my posts from the trip, everything I read in mainstream guidebooks about...

One of the more glamorous events of the Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine festival that I attended  last month in Mendoza was a decadent brunch at La Alboroza, the luxurious home of artist Sergio Roggerone.Sergio Roggerone greeted our group as we entered the front gate of his hacienda. Definitely...

 A Mayan pyramid in the middle of Argentina? Huh? That’s the first sign you have that Bodega Catena Zapata winery sees itself a little differently than the other Mendoza wineries.Luckily when you turn around, you get a sweeping view of the Andes….and the vast holdings of the Catena...

The highlight of any trip to Mendoza is leaving the city and heading out of town to the wineries. When you see the fields of grape vines up against the Andes, you realize that this is why you came all this way.The province of Mendoza has more than 1,000 wineries and produces 70% of Argentina’s...

I’ve had some gluttonous experiences in my day. A four-hour extravagant dinner at Guy Savoy Paris. A multi-day rampage through New Orleans’ po-boy shops. A tasting menu with wine pairings at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia that cost half our mortgage.But for sheer richness of food consumed,...

My trip to Argentina can only be described as whirlwind. With only 3 1/2 days on the ground, I saw as much as I could – and that included an action-packed day in Buenos Aires.When time is short, it helps to have a good guide. Luckily, my traveling companion Nicole Rodriguez (cousin to John DiScala,...

Leather goods are almost synonymous with Argentine shopping. It makes sense; after all, the country has the world’s largest consumption of beef and there’s about 50 to 55 million head of cattle kept mostly in the Pampas. That’s an awful lot of hide to have left over.I heard about...

By Michael K. Lavers, Contributing Writer I became a pescetarian nearly a year ago because I wanted to adopt a healthy diet that facilitated my weight loss. Traveling overseas can certainly prove challenging to anyone with dietary restrictions, but Chile’s nearly 4,000 miles of coastline provided...

Time for a little hotel porn, Easter Island style.Traditionally, the island’s accommodations have never been ideal, consisting primarily of guesthouses and small hotels in Hanga Roa, Easter Island’s only city. While most of these small hotels provide the basics, they are generally overpriced...

Before I left for Easter Island, friends who had visited the island before warned me that the Rapanui men were unusually attractive. “Think Polynesian Fabios,” one travel writer told me.And yes, the men, most with long flowing dark hair, tribal tattoos and well-developed arm muscles,...