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Whether for elegant shopping or hotels, Vienna Austria has become a hot spot in Europe. Hotels of all categories have been transforming and mushrooming for a while, with more and better places to sleep, at (still) reasonable prices. That makes the choice a little harder, and more people are looking for the most popular hotels in town. But does that reasonably narrow your search? The answer is no, as probably a third of all local hotels and B&Bs rank among the top 10 on different sites, and in di

Ever wanted to have your own private tropical island?

That was the dream of Argentinean Jorge Benatuel, co-owner of eco-boutique Hotel Laguna Azul in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

The intense city-life of Buenos Aires is a far-cry from the backwater southern Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro in northwestern Panama. But in 1998, Benatuel and his wife traveled from Argentina to Bocas del Toro on vacation. They spent 15 days boating around Bocas del Toro’s nine major islands and 200-plus islets, lo

“Honey, I still don’t see any action in the restaurant!”  

We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel high above the Adriatic with a view directly into a large, empty, open-air restaurant built in a cave which was also high above the crashing surf. For experienced independent travelers we were getting a little concerned. Did we just make a big leap of faith on a good friend’s recommendation to go to this isolated location for an exceptional dining experience?

The Journey of Faith and a Twinge

Once a humble Howard Johnson's overlooking I-95, JHouse is now Greenwich, Connecticut’s newest hotel and live-music hotspot. Resulting from extreme adaptive reuse, the property’s exterior footprint is the only discernible clue revealing its HoJo origins. The rest is a tricked out ultramodern architectural gem. A grand glassed entrance with a valet at the ready leads into a bright reception area. At first it feels as though you’re entering a museum and in some ways it is once you look up at the i

Or, Are Facebook and Twitter a Waste of Time for the Travel Marketer?

How surprising is this: In the second half of last year, fewer that 1% of visitors arrived at a hotel or travel booking site, "via a social media link or a link shared by by a friend," reports Hotelmarketing.com.

Does this mean hotels are wasting their time chasing the Holy Grail of Twitter and Facebook? Could be.

We love our friends' photos and status updates, the report goes on to say, and it's very true that social media

I had some business meetings scheduled in downtown Atlanta, and I wanted to find a top rated hotel in the area that offered character, class, and quality.

The Glenn, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection chain, promotes a boutique-ish vibe and looked appealing.  Ditto the upscale Courtyard by Marriott and swank Ritz Carlton.  While all were within walking distance of my confabs and appeared to be perfectly fine choices, I hesitated on the chain thing:  given the uniqueness of Atlanta, my pre

Walk down the Pacific beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica and you’re likely to see long, empty stretches of white sand, beautiful blue rolling waves, multicolored crushed seashells and interesting rocks and pebbles. What you won’t see so much is trash.

The southern Nicoya Peninsula beaches of Playa Hermosa, Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Carmen and Mal Pais all were honored once again with the Costa Rica Ecological Blue Flag Award by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being some of the cleanest beache

Are you looking for a​n ideal​ tropical paradise for an upcoming vacation?

One with a 10-acre pristine ,​sandy ​beach, superb food, a fabulous spa and fitness center, a nearby 18-hole championship golf course, yoga and tennis, a choice of three swimming pools with pool activities and tranquil waterfalls, and ​gorgeous lush​ vegetation?

How about a gaggle of friendly peacocks who will welcome you every morning to breakfast or a few resident iguanas to visit with you around the

It’s no wonder that Jacó Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Costa Rica. There is so muchto do on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica – beaches, surfing, outdoor adventure sports, the Carara National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, and the Tarcoles River with its famous huge crocodiles.

The thing about Jacó, though, is that it is one of the closest beaches to the capital city of San Jose, and is always really busy. If you’re like me, and you want to experience this spectacular re

Your next vacation needs to be to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panamá. Easy to get to from North America and Europe via Panama City, or combine with a trip to Costa Rica, Bocas del Toro has everything you could want in a Caribbean vacation – sun, clear turquoise Caribbean Sea, white sand beaches, coral reef, dolphins – but without the crowds.

Located off the Caribbean coast of northwestern Panama, very close to the border with Costa Rica, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago is an area of incredi

Surfing hotspot of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is a favorite among national pro surfers in Costa Rica. The award-winning beach was in the spotlight April 18-19, 2015 for the season’s fourth 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit competition, sponsored by ISAW Action Cameras of Australia.  Competitive surfers from all over Costa Rica came to Santa Teresa to compete. 

Surfing in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

On Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais draw visitors f

To countless monikers like " Rip City" , "Stumptown," and "Beervana,"  I have added Bridge City to Portland, Oregon's list. The Willamette River runs right through the center of the city, with a total of 9 bridges (not counting rail) connecting downtown to Eastside neighborhood districts like Buckman, Sunnyside, and Ladd's Addition. Some bridges are only doable by car, but others like the Burnside Bridge are pedestrian/ bike-friendly leading directly to streets flanked with former warehouses, fa

The hipsters in L.A. know where to hang out and where to find a good pool party. Los Angeles is trendy, warm and fun. On weekends, Los Angeles’ vibrant hotel scene becomes “party central” at some of L.A.’s luxury hotels have the vibe is everything but relaxing. Complete with hot girls and guys, tequila and jelly shots, sliders by the pool.

Summer has come and goen to most of the U.S., but from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica, the fun in the sun is just beginning.

Here are five opportunities t

After a big day of hiking, zip-lining, horseback riding or other adventure tours in Costa Rica, there is nearly nothing better than soaking in steamy thermal springs so hot they make you tingle all over. Your tired muscles are soon relaxed into spaghetti-like existence and the cares of the world melt away.

Mineral-rich hot springs have rejuvenating and therapeutic properties treasured for centuries by people all over the world. Travelers pay big bucks to visit famous spas with mineral springs. A

I was a longtime New Yorker and am now a Miamian, but on my most recent visit to Chicago this summer I rediscovered that despite its cold winters, there are some things that the Windy City does better than either of them. And now, since Halloween 2011, Chi-town’s  also the first city in North America to boast an outpost of the Radisson Blu brand (formerly Radisson SAS), which is run by a company called Rezidor and has taken Europe (and especially Scandinavia) by storm since it was introduced in

Spring means a return to sunshine; and if the sun is not shining yet in your part of the world, it’s time for a sunny Spring Break getaway.

There is a reason Spring Break is called what it is – a break from winter’s chill to tide you over until summer. But if you are looking to avoid the crowds of heavily partying spring break students and instead have a true getaway, then choose a destination not frequented by that set.

Costa Rica is being talked about everywhere for vacations, but is not a touri

When world traveler Susan Money chooses where to stay on vacation, she prefers smaller family-run hotels. Not as small as a B&B, but preferably not a corporate establishment.

“I feel taken care of at a well-run corporate hotel or resort, but I like the friendships you create at smaller family-run hotels,” said Money. “This is especially important to me because I travel alone a lot.”

Money is a hotel owner herself, in Costa Rica. She runs her fabulous beachfront hotel on Santa Teresa Beach – Pran

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years. I most enjoy the fall season in Greece, as the city is perhaps less crowded and one sees the true, hospitable and open, Athenian. It would be on a seasonably warm mid-October night that I would arrive in Athens historic center, at the comfortable Herodion Hotel, my digs for a four day sojourn in the city of my infancy and many summer visits. Upon arrival, I’m greeted at the front desk by

Article by Shannon Farley

Continuing to be a favorite with world travelers, beaches and hotels in Costa Rica were named among the best in the world according to the latest TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.

The popular global travel site announced on Feb. 18 its 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards for the best beaches and hotels in the world. The annual awards are based on traveler reviews gathered by TripAdvisor over the past 12 months. In addition to an over-all top 25 world winners list, top winne