Category: DON’T MISS
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Dublin | The Fumbally
On the corner of New South Street and Fumbally Lane in Dublin is a large, modern apartment building. Follow your nose into the door at its corner, and step into the cavernous, cozy, warm, welcoming café that is The Fumbally. Here’s the exterior: And here’s what you encounter when you step through the door: The…
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County Galway, Ireland | The Quay House
A fortuitous change of plans led my sister and I to a memorable stay at The Quay House, the remarkable, welcoming country home of Julia and Paddy Foyle. The Quay House sits at the edge of the windswept moors of Connemara, below the cliffs towering over the Atlantic, overlooking the harbor, just down the road…
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HGTV | The Brian Boitano Project
In a tiny hamlet called Favale di Malvaro, on top of a mountain in Northern Italy, was a house where time stood still. An abandoned stone house, crumbling and derelict, was still filled with the furniture and personal relics that had belonged to countless generations of one family – the Boitanos. No one had lived…
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Edinburgh | One Royal Circus
Technically, One Royal Circus falls into the category of “bed and breakfast,” but it’s not like any bed and breakfast I’ve ever stayed in…it’s more like being a guest in the fabulous house of very hip friends. In 1823, renowned Scottish architect, William Henry Playfair, designed the Royal Circus, an elegant circle of Georgian houses…
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Just One Suitcase
“He who would travel happily must travel light.” Antoine de Saint Exupéry (1900-1944) French poet Just one suitcase. It’s the name of the blog, but it’s also my rule of thumb for travel. One carry-on suitcase. That’s all I take, regardless of destination or length of trip. You can do it, really you can. Don’t…
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COOL HOTELS | Bordeaux | La Maison Bord’eaux
Behind an unassuming gray door (you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there) on a quiet backstreet, is La Maison Bord’eaux, a stunning boutique hotel in Bordeaux, France. Within this typical 18th century limestone building, is a playfully designed contemporary interior. Thierry, the manager, opens the door with a welcoming grin and efficiently…
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COOL HOTELS | Budapest | Hotel Palazzo Zichy
I have learned that a hotel can set the whole mood for the experience in a foreign city. Hotel Palazzo Zichy, in Budapest, is a perfect example of a “great experience” hotel. The 19th century building was the former home of Hungarian noble, Count Nándor Zichy. In the brief biography on the hotel’s website was…
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COOL HOTELS | Domincan Republic | Eden Roc Cap Cana
Two words. Paradise found. The Eden Roc Cap Cana, in the Dominican Republic, is the best beach vacation I’ve ever had. To make clear just how blissful it really was, this is our private pool. And this is our very own villa. I don’t usually write about beach vacations, but this is definitely an exception…a…
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COOL HOTELS | London | Number Sixteen
I love this hotel. I want to live in this hotel. I won’t go to London unless I can stay in this hotel. At 16 Sumner Place, in the South Kensington neighborhood of London, in a row of white houses that all look the same, is Hotel Number Sixteen. There’s no “hotel” sign out front,…
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COOL HOTELS | Madrid | Casa de Madrid
It’s like staying in the home of a well-traveled, aristocratic aunt. Casa de Madrid is located in a landmark 18th century building across from Madrid’s Royal Opera House. Massive ornate doors lead to a diminutive elevator, and up to the apartment of Marta Medina: art historian, architect, curator, designer, and world traveler. Doña Medina restored…
