The Thompson Beach House had me at the word “beach”. Going to the city of Playa del Carmen, you expect to spend a lot of “toes-in-the-sand” time. Why not make it easy on yourself by booking a hotel that sits directly on the shore? Welcome to the Thompson Beach House in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Why… Read more
On my most recent visit to Singapore, a stay at the Amoy Hotel was not in my plans. In fact I had never even heard of this Amoy Hotel. I only had eyes (and a reservation confirmation) for the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. I had been seduced by photos of the grand and unique looking… Read more
A chance to visit Singapore for the second time?? I’LL TAKE IT! This past December, as part of my birthday trip, I decided to include Singapore in my itinerary. The choice was partially made on convenience as Singapore was a good hub for other stops I planned in Asia. But I was also excited to see… Read more
Timing is everything and this time the calendar gods smiled on me! A week before I left for my trip to Israel last month, a British friend asked if I had heard about the new Walled Off Hotel that was about to open in Bethlehem in the West Bank. The creative and extremely appropriately named hotel… Read more
In today’s over informed world of travel, its hard to go somewhere that is “off the grid” or unreviewed. Want to check out a hole in the wall taco joint in Ensenada? There’s a good chance there’s already a Yelp entry for it? Want to stay in a hut on a beach in Thailand with no electricity or… Read more
A few months back I heard about the opening of the first hotel under Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and I immediately thought, “I need to get there”. I’m definitely a loyal customer when it comes to brands I like, and in the world of travel, Virgin is one of my favorites. Ever since my first Virgin Atlantic flight… Read more
A few weeks back I found myself making a last minute, overnight trip to Denver, Colorado. No business to attend to, no friends or family to see, just an extended layover with plenty of time to head into the city. Since I didn’t have any agenda, I decided to make this quick trip about the hotel… Read more
While I did not really know what to expect of my trip to Armenia last month, one thing I definitely did not plan on doing was looking down the barrel of a gun with my finger on the trigger. How in the hell did that happen? Midway through my week long visit to Armenia in September… Read more
For a traveler who really enjoys a good hotel, the place where you end up laying your head at night can really make or break a trip. A dull business trip to a run of the mill city can become a luxurious excursion if you end up in plush accommodations with a kind staff. On the… Read more
Last night I got a burst of energy and I was up for hours cleaning, arranging flowers and straightening things up for my next guests. While I miss my dear friend and roommate who moved to Vermont a few weeks ago, her empty room has coincided with the high season around here at Hotel Hayward. Or… Read more