Chris Around The World: Your Guide to Value Luxury Vacations
Unique, chic, boutique: Vacations for Sophisticated Travelers
The craft beer brewed at the end of the world comes to the table in an official-looking bottle, emblazoned with the logo of The Singular hotel, where its Chilean creator, 27-year-old Dario Matus, works. Matus serves as the sommelier at the hotel outside Puerto Natales in Chilean Patagonia, making sure that the boutique property’s wine list [...]
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Earlier this year, I wrote a story for USA TODAY’s Green Living Guide about LEED-certified hotels. As I did my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find that one national park property, the Cavallo Point Lodge in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, had reached Gold certification. I resolved to check it out in person as [...]
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This is the latest in a series of travel photos inspired by #FriFotos on Twitter. This week’s Photo Friday theme is TREATS. It took me a while to think about what I consider my favorite travel treat. Your first instinct is to think about food. I have a big sweet tooth and nothing makes me happier than eating gelato [...]
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This is the fourth post about my Colorado roadtrip. “The Shining” Hotel Horror movies and scary books were a real problem when I was a tween. All my friends were plowing through Stephen King novels and going to flicks such as The Amityville Horror. But whenever I would try to do the same, I’d wake [...]
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This post is part of my recurring series of hotel trends I’ve seen on the road: One of the biggest problems I’ve had in recent years is being able to charge all of the electronic devices that I bring on trips. Between the iPad, the iPhone, one of my cameras and a laptop, the outlets [...]
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Many people don’t know that the Beverly Wilshire, made so famous as the hotel in Pretty Woman where Richard Gere wooed bubbly prostitute Julia Roberts, is part of the Four Seasons portfolio. The company has managed the legendary property, which has housed everyone from Elvis Presley to Warren Beatty to John Lennon to Barack Obama, since [...]
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California Dreaming month continues with a look at some Los Angeles luxe, appropriate for Oscar Week. When I was in southern California last month for the LA Times Travel Show, I partnered with the three Four Seasons properties in the Los Angeles area, spending a night at each one so I could compare and contrast [...]
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It’s only few days until Christmas, which means that 2011 is winding down. I’ll be spending the next two weeks going through my best and worst from a year that included stops in four continents, 11 countries and 10 states. All that time on the road, more than 120 days in all, meant plenty of nights [...]
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Hotel art is a funny thing. You usually don’t notice it unless it jumps out and hits you over the head, for better or worse. When I entered my room at the Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, one of Toronto’s newest boutique hotels, the picture above the bed made me stop short. I [...]
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One of the biggest arguments that I have with my husband when we’re on the road together concerns the hotel mini bar. I avoid them like the plague, preferring to save money by buying snacks and money at a nearby grocery store. Whereas he can’t seem to stay out of them, rationalizing that ease of [...]
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