When, after an absence of several years, I walked into my favorite London restaurant, Denise’s (79 Southampton Row, London, Greater London, WC1B 4ET, U.K.; phone +44 20 7436 1562), I was warmly greeted by the owner, who never forgets a face!
Denise asked about my family and proceeded to insure that my daughter and I enjoyed our meals.
My favorite city is Bucharest, Romania. From my 18th trip there, I have some wonderful hotels and restaurants to recommend.
May 1-5, 2013, I stayed at Hotel Scala (C.A. Rosetti nr. 19, 020011, Bucharest, RO; phone +40 31 104 11 11, fax 31 814 61 48), a beautiful boutique hotel in a former architect’s home in a location very handy to the center of the city.
Arlene Lighthall — Del Mar, CA
Sapporo, Japan, has 1.9 million people and is the centerpiece on the northern island of Hokkaido, known in winter for its skiing and in summer offering golfing and hiking. Because of the long, harsh Hokkaido winters, the people of Sapporo have many spring, summer and autumn festivals to celebrate the great weather and relax, enjoying food and drink in famous Odori Park.
In Italy, a 7-night “Florence for Foodies” tour is offered by Tourcrafters (Libertyville, IL; 800/482-5995). This land-only package includes arrival transfer; 3-star hotel; buffet breakfasts; a food-tasting walking tour; hands-on cooking classes in English; dinner in a Florentine palace, and a full-day tour of Siena, medieval San Gimignano and the Chianti wine district.
At $915-$1,266 per person, double (depending on hotel), it’s available Nov. 1, 2013, through March 2014 (with some holiday blackout dates).
(Second of two parts)
In my humble, resident-expat opinion, the best places to visit around Port Vila, Vanuatu, are (in order)…
by Inga Aksamit; Kenwood, CA
In New Zealand, you can stay at a vineyard overnight in a stationary motorhome that sleeps two (double bed), with facilities en suite, as offered by the motorhome company Maui (phone 011 800 200 80 801).
Vineyards are located on the North Island at Mercury Bay (Coromandel Peninsula, near Auckland), the Linden Estate (on the coast near Napier) and Coney Wines (near Wellington) and in central South Island at Carrick Wines.
When I’m far from home, I become a cultural chameleon. I eat and drink regional specialties with gusto, feasting on steak and red wine in Tuscany and stuffing down tapas at midnight in Spain. So when I travel to countries that are known for their beer, I morph into the best beer aficionado I can be.
When my husband, John, and I were making arrangements for a March ’13 hotel stay in Bali, Indonesia, we were advised that we could not arrive on March 12th because that was Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of silence, a 24-hour respite from all noise. Even the airport is closed.