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
I am a self-professed hotel connoisseur. Even though I often stay with friends when I travel, given the chance, I will almost always go with the hotel option. Especially when it leans towards the luxury end of the spectrum. But after my two weeks in Morocco, I have to confess that I’m OK if I never… Read more
Last October I made what was probably my ten – jabillionth trip to my favorite city of London (give or take a jabillion). No matter how many times I step off the plane at Heathrow, I always feel some element of the “new”. Whether its a neighborhood I’ve never explored or a restaurant that just popped… Read more
Housed in one of the three Flame Towers that dramatically dominate Baku’s skyline, a visit to the Fairmont Baku Hotel is a must. Even if you only take the funicular up the hill from the Old Town to stand in the grand lobby with its chandelier that looks like a jeweled necklace, consider it time well… 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