Extravigator

Dining out in Bermuda

Dex — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:43:09 -0400

We very much enjoyed Blû in Warwick. A wonderful meal with a wonderful view. I've heard very good things about the Hamilton dining scene and we'll be sure to explore it more thoroughly next time. Thanks for the rundown!

Cool Hotels in Bali, any tips?

Abbott — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:15:54 -0400

I would consider the Ritz Carlton if you want an great rate for one of the top hotels in Bali. Unlike some of the more exclusive Bali resorts, like Amankila or Amandari, you'll have more options for standard-room rates at the Ritz Carlton. And, it's located in Jimbaran, which may be another reason for the good rates. You may recall that there was a terrorist attack in one of the restaurants in Jimbaran back in 2005. Nevertheless, Jimbaran is a wonderful seaside village to stay at. You won't be disappointed.

However, if you do find yourself splurging for a villa, which can go upwards of $800-$900 a night, then I would start looking at Amandari, Amankila, Como Shambala or either of the Four Seasons, which take things up to the next level. Enjoy your trip!

Charming Restaurants in Montreal

blondee47 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:00:36 -0400

Two more: you must try true Lebanese food rarely seen outside of the middle east and for that I recommend either Daou or La Sirene of which there are two locations and I prefer the one on Dresden Ave in TMR and I have been to both. All are easily googled

Charming Restaurants in Montreal

blondee47 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:42:25 -0400

I live in Montreal and I love Santropol - it is a throwback to the 60's with its indoor furnishings but try to sit outside in the backyard - amazing salads and sandwiches....also my two favorite brunch/breakfast places are Beauty's and Orange on Decarie blvd but be prepared to wait in lines for all.

These are off the beaten track for visitors (except perhaps Beauty's)...if u want the restaurant every foodie who visits goes to it is Le Pied de Cochon (I think I went once about 5 years ago)

Charming Restaurants in Montreal

Dex — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:38:13 -0400

Anyone know of any charming restaurants in Montreal that they would recommend? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Where to stay in Tuscany?

jeannesilbert — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:41:23 -0400

You can rent some lovely 2 bedroom apartments very close to Sienna in the countryside. The website is www.vicodarbia.com
I believe the minumum rental time to be is one week. This is on a wonderful farm, olives, vines, corn. We have been going to this location for about 10 years.

Oman

gilvalz — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:47:43 -0400

thanks for your advice!

The Hotels with the Best Toiletries

WHS — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:53:50 -0400

Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston also features Quercus products.

Prague Restaurants

antwerpalan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:24:58 -0400

You'll have to ask people in Prague as I cannot give directions (it is not in the centre), but do not miss the restaurant at the Hotel Diana. Great food, especially the meat dishes, at a price that will not make your eyes smart.

The Hotels with the Best Toiletries

jacquline — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:28:57 -0400

The best hotel toiletries:

The Carneros Inn in Napa - Red Flower organic toiletries in an amazing Italian blood orange scent.
The St. Regis in San Francisco - Laboratorie Remede toiletries.
Elbow Beach Bermuda and Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong - Aromatherapy Associates

Eigensinn Farm

David Futransky — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:59:48 -0400

Has anyone visited this restaurant in Ontario? I am heading that way in a few weeks and have heard good things, but would like to know if there are any recent visitors.

Glamping- Glamorous Camping

lymbuj — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:48:45 -0400

four seasons tented camp in northern thailand is an amazing destination. great meals, lots of time with the elephants, and still very much a four seasons experience. The "tent" was bigger than my first apartment in NY, with climate control (which we turned off). No TV or radio though.

Do You Repeat Your Vacations?

frankidurbin — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:55:21 -0400

We try to take one trip that spans a few locations (Rome, the Amalfi Coast, the Cote d'Azur) and then another trip later that year (or early the next) where we can linger for a long time in one of those locations (such as Rome or Sorrento). I agree with an earlier commenter, that the world is too large to repeat locations. But destinations such as Rome are begging for 10-day stays rather than short expeditions (as we'd be restricted to with out initial agenda).

The temptation is great to return, but we'll explore other continents next.

Cool Hotels in Bali, any tips?

Andries — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:25:58 -0400

Want to go to Bali/Lombok and would love to hear sometips on cool or nice hotels ( that are not necassary the most expensive)

Let met know..

Rgds,

Andries

Advice for Renting Apartments in Europe

pagode — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:30:24 -0400

I spent 10 nights in a Paris vacation apartment called Balthazar. I rented it through Paris Luxe Apartments, http://www.parisluxeapt.com
I have have to admit I was extremely pleased with not only the apartment but the greeter that welcomed me into the apartment.

Boutique hotels in London

TravelGretta — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:15:13 -0400

The Covent Garden Hotel is part of a fabulous hotel group - Firmdale Hotels:

http://www.firmdale.com/

One of my Happy Places is the Soho Hotel (also part of that group). It is gorgeous, and is quietly tucked away, down a small quiet street in the middle of the Soho bustle.

Prague Restaurants

TravelGretta — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:52:25 -0400

I have to second the recommendation for Hergetova Cihelna. The food was spectacular, and the ambience was really lovely.

http://www.cihelna.com/

Purchasing new luggage

TravelGretta — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:46:03 -0400

I'm partial to Tumi, but you'll definitely want to visit a store and test-run the suitcases so you can see/feel how they'll work with whatever you're packing.

Platinum Amex - Worth it?

marcie — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:42:41 -0400

It's not so much that the concierges are doing something that only they can do. Of course you can make reservations on your own. And they can't just muscle you in somewhere. But, if you're extremely busy, or at the office and don't want to make a bunch of international phone calls, you can rattle off a list of places you'd like to go to, or even get recommendations from them, and they'll just take care of it. Then they send you a little itinerary with everything you need to know. It's nice to feel like someone is watching out for you.

Also, they don't just do reservations. If you want flowers sent to someone, anywhere in the world, they know who to call to make it happen. I wouldn't have time to research that kind of thing on my own.

Glamping- Glamorous Camping

marcie — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:31:33 -0400

Personally, I think the word "glamping" is kind of a mistake. Some people absolutely hate the idea of camping on a luxury holiday, and that name evokes the idea of roughing it.

And I think based on frankidurbin's comments, the name actually gives false impressions. Some of these glamping tents actually have climate control in them. And I've seen these properties have pools as well. It's the idea of camping in a glamorous manner that turns some people off. You still think that because there's no latch on the door, the bugs are going to come in. But as we all know, the bugs come in even when there is a latch on the door!

Do You Repeat Your Vacations?

loml95 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:33:20 -0400

we do repeat often, but try to get someplace new at least every other trip. we really only take one big trip a year, but we try to make it fabulous! hence, we always have such a great time, that we want to return. but sometimes we just enjoy the comfort of knowing what to expect, rather than the great adventure. that is when we forgo europe and return to the four seasons hualalai.pure tropical luxury....

Do You Repeat Your Vacations?

J.L. — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:30:35 -0400

No. We try not to repeat sites, despite serious temptation in the past.

The world is just too big! There are too many cool new places and hidden jewels, just waiting to be discovered!

Restaurants in Tuscany

Vanessa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:48:09 -0400

My family lives in the area around Montevarchi. When I was last there we had a FABOLOUS dinner at a restaurant not too far away from there called "Il Canto del Maggio", http://www.cantodelmaggio.com/. I highly recommend the dining "Al Fresco" and the wonderful Bistecca alla Fiorentina!

Where to stay in Tuscany?

Vanessa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:42:02 -0400

I have discovered this amazing property at the gateway of Chianti called Borgo di Fontebussi. The rooms are magnificent, the place is a jewel, and it is off the beaten path enough for you to enjoy the real Tuscany!
I also stayed twice at Hotel Villa San Paolo. in San Gimignano, is you want to be closer to "mainstream" Tuscany. I loved this property!

Shipping Your Luggage Ahead to Your Destination

loml95 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:14:13 -0400

you know i have researched this rather extensively, pricing out alot of the companies that offer this service. i LOVE the idea of having my luggage, not just waiting for me on my arrival, but actually unpacked and hung up and my toileteries(sp.?)all arranged as well. however, it is fairly expensive to ship luggage using these service companies and/or UPS etc. i would rather save the $1000, or so, and dine extravagantly at alain ducasse or something like that.....

Shipping Your Luggage Ahead to Your Destination

batesbarley — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:17:56 -0400

I haven't used Luggage Forward, but I've heard from friends that it makes shopping things like golf clubs or other large pieces a lot easier. Always nice not to have to wait at that baggage carousel for an hour!

Do You Repeat Your Vacations?

The Rover — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:10:55 -0400

We try to take two long international vacations a year - one to one of our "favorite places" that we've been to many times before, and one to a new destination. (However, since we have acquired so many "favorites" over the years, lately, we've been doing more of the former and less of the latter.)

Do You Repeat Your Vacations?

dbw — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:03:34 -0400

My wife and I are usually not the type of people who like to travel back to a place we've been before. After years of always traveling to new destinations and almost never repeating a trip, we've been thinking of returning to some of the places where we've had fond memories. I'm curious if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation or regularly returns to the places they love most.

Do you prefer to repeat your vacations? Or always travel somewhere new?

The Hotels with the Best Toiletries

DonPablo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:44:19 -0400

Forager - my wife actually commented that she really liked the fragrance of the Quercus hair conditioner. (I'm not that much into fragrances, but I do know that my hair looked really good when I was using it.) On the other hand, rather than use the Quercus products that were provided by Le Meurice, she opted to take her own (Mario Badescu) toiletries with her on our recent trip to France and we had to lug them all around Europe, despite my protestations. (She took along relatively large containers of shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, etc. and, needless to say, our baggage was a lot heavier than it should have been.)

The Hotels with the Best Toiletries

forager — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:46:46 -0400

Actually, Quercus is one of Penhaligon's many fragrances. By no means is it an independent brand.

For what it's worth, the Chanler Hotel in Newport also uses Penhaligon's Quercus.

Personally, Quercus is my least favorite of the Penhaligon's frangrances. I much prefer Blenheim Bouquet, or Endymion — which have more body and character, in my opinion.