Carol Highsmith
Great Danes!
Nestled in Southern California's Santa Ynez Valley, a 45-minute drive north of Santa Barbara and a bit over two hours from Los Angeles, this small town of just over 6,100 offers visitors a unique blend of nature and culture. One of Solvang's top attractions is its unique Danish, which you can explore by strolling its charming streets. Founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, and its downtown remodeled in the 1940s to reflect that country's architectural heritage, Sol
lodging (123)
When planning a visit to the Grasmere Lake District in the United Kingdom, one of the first things you need to address is the place to stay there so that you can spend some relaxing time during your holiday. A self-catering accommodation in Lake District can be just the thing you and your companions need, as it allows you the flexibility to choose what to eat and when.
Choosing a holiday accommodation is not that easy, as you need to think about many things before you zero in on a cottage or oth
Steps away from the Chappaquiddick ferry ensconced in the compact and pedestrian friendly village center of Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Kelley House stands as a testament to island life way before tourists dominated the scene with beach umbrellas and sunscreen.
Near the corner of North Water and Kelley Streets, the main 54-room historic inn was built in 1742 and now features an art gallery in the lobby with rotating exhibits featuring local artists. Onsite Newes From America Pub is on the grou
Best for a Night Out: The Savoy
If you want to book a special hotel for a big night out, you will no doubt need it to be near the West End, where the city's best restaurants, clubs, theatres and pubs are located. Where better to rest your head then than the fabulous Savoy, possibly the most famous hotel in London and located conveniently just a stone's throw from Covent Garden, along The Strand?
Best for Museums: The Gore Hotel
If your trip to London is all about covering the major museums inclu
After arriving at the superb Bethany Beach Ocean Suites by Marriott in Bethany Beach, DE (read about our excellent adventure here), the fam (two teen pups + my wife Sue) and I thought that it would be wise to dine in the hotel on our first night rather than venture out to explore the town’s eateries. Not that there weren’t lots of great choices in the area, but after driving for almost four hours from northern New Jersey and then unwinding for the rest of the day in our awesome rooms, we prefer
According to Forbes and other sources, London has become the most visited city in the world. If you are one of the many planning to travel there, let us recommend a charming boutique hotel which is reputed to be the essence of "Englishness" - discreet, personal, friendly, interesting, lavish, down-to-earth, brilliantly managed and with its own distinct personality - the Athenaeum Hotel and Apartments. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff of the Athenaeum. In the heart of elegant Mayfair,
The village of Clayton is situated on the St. Lawrence River where it begins converging with Lake Ontario in central New York State's Thousand Islands region. Seemingly untouched by time - not a chain outlet to be found among local shops in historically preserved storefronts along with grand Victorians in a walkable street grid - it's in this setting that an adjacent, long waterfront lot underutilized as a fuel depot was recently transformed into 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, a spendid, full-servic
When exploring Florida's coastline, there are definitive contrasts between the sugar-soft sands of Clearwater Beach; historic streets of St. Augustine; and the ever hip South Beach, shaped by Art Deco architecture, galleries, and clubbing. Florida's Gold Coast, a special stretch from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale is defined as much by waterfront mega mansions as by small walk able towns anchored by beach front parks perfect for pickup volleyball and reveling in the wide open Atlantic.
In recen
Historic Saratoga Springs in upstate New York is a fun place to visit any time of year. However, there’s a special excitement in the air with the approach of another annual opening day at the historic Saratoga Race Course – the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in America.
Health, History, Horses
That’s Saratoga’s slogan. The earliest recorded history goes back to the mid-1700s, when the area’s Native Americans were said to be using the healing powers of the naturally carbonated mineral springs that
Nestled in the heart of 6-million-acre Adirondack Park yet within walking distance to downtown Lake Placid, Whiteface Lodge looks remarkably historic for being built in 2005. Massive timbers still in the shape of tree trunks stand as support pillars buttressed by open wood beam framing. Much of this wood was milled on site with construction inspired by the Adirondack Great Camp architecture so popular across the region and in national parks throughout the United States during the 19th century.
The story of Amorgos Island is a tale of beauty. Folklore has it that adjacent islands in the Cyclades told a tale of a neighboring island where only beautiful women resided. This tale of omorfos (beauty) was folklore about the less traveled Amorgos Island.
The Main Port of Amorgos – From The Aegialis Hotel & Spa
Amorgos is one of the most alluring Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, yet unfortunately remains undiscovered by most travelers to the islands. This is a shame, as this island sanctuary lea
It was a few years back on a rainy night that we wended our way to Palazzo Manfredi and dinner at its Michelin-starred Aroma restaurant. A lot of hotel stays and superb dining experiences later, we still had a memory of that time and also of our meeting with the elegant Bruno Papaleo, general manager.
Now we were back in Rome, guests at the Palazzo Manfredi, a five-star Relais & Châteaux property (Via Labicano 125), right near the Coliseum. In the 17th century it became a villa of the Evangel
Spring break for my ninth-grade daughter Diz was scheduled for the middle of April. Since we had such a fantabulous off-season getaway at the Maryland beach resort town of Ocean City in November ‘16, a return trip during the week long spring vacation off was a no-brainer - so in February, I researched our options. We wanted to do our own cooking, so having a kitchen in our room was top priority. We also wanted to find a hotel that had an authentic O.C. feel, and preferably some history as we
Although only a 15-minute drive north of Long Island's chichi Hamptons, Baron’s Cove in Sag Harbor feels miles away from the full-court press of high society's playground of the rich and famous.
Sag Harbor's rich heritage as a whaling port and later in manufacturing, most visible in the elaborate brick Watchcase Factory now converted into loft-style town homes, shape the village's vibrant walkable downtown and reflect the community surrounding it.
Overlooking the tranquil harbor yet just a five-m
Recently opened at the corner of Smith and Schermerhorn Streets straddling downtown and the Boerum Hill neighborhood, Hilton Brooklyn is the first full-service hotel of its caliber to open here. Situated in a former two-block-long rope onetime factory owned by industrialist Peter Schermerhorn supplying Brooklyn’s shipbuilding industry during the 19th century, Hilton Brooklyn occupies the first six floors of what is now a 19-story commercial, retail and condominium mixed-use redevelopment.
The int
Take a right from Times Square's Father Duffy Square down West 47th Street for a short stroll and to your right, an early-20th-century hotel completely transformed into a four-star boutique hotel rises nine stories above the surrounding chaos. It's clear that father-and-son co-founders Hank and Brandon Freid took their 2010 creation of Sanctuary Hotel NYC, a luxury Buddhist-themed retreat, as a challenge and ultimate statement of creating the impossible here.
Although its original architectural f
The Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island, CA, opened its doors in February, 1888. It is known as the second largest wooden structure in the United States and it was at that time the largest resort hotel in the world. The Victorian resort has been listed as one of the Grand Old Hotels in our country. It showcases a beautiful beachfront with a storybook history. It came of age during the “Gilded Era” when America’s rich traveled from resort to resort with servants in tow. Guests used to stay for
Is Executive Club level worth it? It depends. The first thing to do if you are considering it is to join the hotel’s customer loyalty program. There are certain benefits such as free internet, preferred check-in, late check-out and often “member-only” rates. One of the very best Executive Club Levels I have had the pleasure to enjoyed have been at the Pan Pacific’s Pacific Club and Park Royal’s Orchid Club. Their Executive Club level is well worth it extra cost to upgrade.
One of my favorite
Newly opened this past August on Canada Street running through the heart of Lake George Village, Courtyard Lake George represents a community effort to expand this iconic seasonal lakefront retreat into a year round destination.
Each year during summer, thousands of visitors stream into this village of 900 full-time residents only to vanish from October through March. 1950s era motels still dominate and are lovingly patronized across generations of summer vacationers but for years, village offi
Few public inns in the United States can boast the patriotic pedigree of the Thayer Hotel at West Point, in New York State's Hudson Valley.
We paid a visit to the award winning Thayer Hotel during the holiday season, and felt it especially appropriate to write about this unique hotel on Veterans Day, when we honor the members of the military that have gallantly served our country.
General Douglas MacArthur stayed at the Thayer whenever he visited the military academy. Dwight D. Eisenhower did the
