Tag: hotels

  • TANGIER: Dar Nour Guesthouse

    TANGIER: Dar Nour Guesthouse

    After rockin’ the Kasbah to find it, I opened the door into the charming Dar Nour Guesthouse. The “House of Light” is actually five houses connected by passageways and flights of stairs leading to its seven guest rooms and the rooftop terraces that overlook the Bay of Tangier on one side and the city on…

  • TRAVELING SOLO [Tricks of the trade]

    TRAVELING SOLO [Tricks of the trade]

    I’m a woman and I travel the world. Alone. (With some occasional exceptions.) Alone, I’ve stayed in a stone cottage on top of a mountain in Tuscany, an 11th-century fort on an island off the coast of Brittany, an estancia in Argentina, and a riad in Tangier. Alone, I’ve shopped in chaotic flea markets in…

  • BEFORE YOU GO TIPS | Booking the trip

    BEFORE YOU GO TIPS | Booking the trip

    Before booking an international trip, there’s some research you can do to lay the foundation for success. This is a comprehensive list—I’m covering all bases. Take what you need from it.

  • IRELAND | Ballilogue

    IRELAND | Ballilogue

    A quiet lane winds through meadows of Queen Anne’s lace and tall grass, arriving at a graceful iron gate that leads to one of the most charming places I’ve ever stayed. In County Kilkenny, near the pretty little village of Inistioge, the location of Ballilogue is perfect for exploring the Southeast counties of Ireland…if you can…

  • LOS ANGELES | Come to Mama

    LOS ANGELES | Come to Mama

    There’s a new star in Hollywood and her name is Mama.  Mama Shelter, that is. As a designer, slash, travel blogger, I like to think that I have my finger on the pulse of, well, design and travel.  Imagine my delight when I discovered that I would be in Los Angeles just when the ultra-cool…

  • County Galway, Ireland | The Quay House

    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…

  • COOL HOTELS | Bordeaux | La Maison Bord’eaux

    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…

  • COOL HOTELS | Budapest | Hotel Palazzo Zichy

    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…

  • COOL HOTELS | Domincan Republic | Eden Roc Cap Cana

    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…

  • COOL HOTELS | London | Number Sixteen

    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,…