The Caesar Augustus Hotel on the island of Capri

Seriously.

I see myself on this chaise lounge.

I'm having breakfast here.

I'm having dinner here.

I'm sleeping here.

Wow.

This is the view I woke up to each morning at Capella Ixtapa

Your room will hang you out over the ocean.  The surf lulls you to sleep and night.

Enjoy your coffee on your private verandah.  Take a morning dip before breakfast in your private infinity plunge pool.

Here's a nice surprise every afternoon.

 At 5:00 you'll find this waiting for you on your verandah.

Stylish yet comfortable.  Wonderful food, service and spa facilities.

That's Capella Ixtapa.

Next stop, down to the beautiful beach of The Tides, Zihuatanejo.

This is a Pacific coast beach that offers warm, swimmable water.

There are several pools on property.  Infinity pools, lap pools, adult pools.

Your choice.

Beautiful rooms for a good night's sleep

My delicious Mexican breakfast

 Relaxing and stylish spot.

Welcome to The Pig

More than a boutique hotel, The Pig in Brockenhurst, England is a classic country house hotel

With a twist

Located in the heart of the Hampshires, in the New Forest National Park

Only 90 minutes by car from Central London

Surrounded by the 1000 year old New Forest National Park, you'll want to take some long forest walks

In your green wellies

Freshen up after your walk in this sizeable tub

Stop in for a drink Fireside

And then it's time for dinner.

At The Pig, it's all about the restaurant.

Whatever comes out of the walled garden on premises dictates the daily menu.

Doesn't this look deliciously British?

And at the end of the day, you can look forward to sinking into this.

Just a short drive from Atlanta can put you a world away in the mountains and meadows of Tennessee

Blackberry Farm, a premiere country inn

It's certainly not camping

World Class Dining

With this, right out your doorstep

A little closer, is the Old Edwards Inn, in Highlands, North Caroliina

Madison's, where dining focuses on Farm to Table food from Western North Carolina

Conde Nast's Top Hotel Spa in North America

And all of this to explore

Driving north from Atlanta towards Chattanooga will take you to the Barnsley Gardens Resort

How's this for romantic?

Spend your afternoons walking the grounds

Take a swim before dinner

Am I in Europe?

Longing for a trip to California Wine Country but can't swing the time?

Consider a visit to the Beechwood Inn, where the food and wine is a focal point.

Dinners at Beechwood on Saturday nights are a gourmet affair

Food sourced locally and paired with the perfect wines make it a unique Four Star

Bed and Breakfast experience

Complimentary Wine-Thirty will get you inspired to check out the North Georgia Wineries

Hearty breakfasts get you going before your mountain hikes

You don't have to go far to be here.

We all want to be stylish

Sometimes it's found on a beach

Sometimes it's the perfect placement of pillows on a bed

Or an arrangement of tea bags at the bar

The placement of your drink

Your setting for dinner.

These things don't just happen.

They show a perfection of place.

An attention to style.

A love of detail.

Perfection of a dream.

The Cloud Gate

A great representation of Chicago

Fluid, modern, exciting, reflective

The Four Seasons Chicago

I could have stayed here.

But I'm not the President.

So I stayed here.

The Ritz Carlton Chicago

It's also VERY nice.

The Ritz has a great lobby.

Loved having a drink under the stars in the evening.

But I digress.

Take an Architectural Tour on a boat on the Chicago River

The dye it green for St. Patrick's Day.

Eat a Chicago Style Pizza.  

You'll need some friends to help you finish it.

Get on the Metro and go to Chinatown.

Eat at this place.

Really amazing Chinese.

After all that, you'll want to head to the pool and spa at the Ritz Carlton.

Chicago

The perfect long weekend getaway.

Rosewood Mayakoba

Does this picture make you want to sit and stay awhile?

Just back from a too short trip to the Mayan Riviera, 45 minutes south of the Cancun Airport. 

Luxury has definitely arrived on the shores of Mexico.

Gorgeous at night.

Serene and beautiful during the day

Sleek and comfortable room

This is the living room of your beachfront suite.

 Privacy and sunshine at your private plunge pool

A dream choice for that perfect honeymoon or Anniversary

Lots of space, lots of style

And a great spa too! 

World class everything.

Next stop, the Banyan Tree Mayakoba

In the same development as the Rosewood Mayakoba, they share a golf course with one other hotel in the complex.

This is your completely private, walled garden, private pool accommodation for your stay.

Did I mention that is picture is of the "entry level" accommodation?

Enjoying fantastic meals will be a big part of your stay.  

And then there's the spa.  World Class, with Thai practitioners, you deserve to indulge yourself here.

Each massage is given in a private pavillion over the mangroves.

Here's an entrance for you.

The Lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya.

Just outside of the Mayakoba complex, it has a stunning visual statement to make.

Seven Art Courtyards and amazing architecture make this a spectacular spot to vacation.

(They also have a renowned restaurant, Ambar)

I really like the setting of the pool.

And if I may say so, it really did look just like this.

In keeping with the theme of the luxury hotels in this area, the rooms are clean, spare and ultra luxurious.

All of these beautiful hotels are just a short 40 minute car transfer from the Cancun Airport.

It's such a fantastic choice for a long weekend.

I plan on going back to Mayan Luxe as soon as I can.

I can't stop thinking about these.  Art Courtyards at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Riviera Maya.

 They have this.  So they didn't really need to do 

this.

And yet they did.  

The attention to art, the investment in art, the relevance of art.

It really spoke to me.

How great to know that you can have the best of both worlds.  

Art for art's sake and a gorgeous place to vacation.

Kind of reminds me of another place that blew my mind.

In West Texas, near the border of Mexico, near a town called Marfa, I found this.

The Chinati Foundation, a museum dedicated to the stainless steel boxes of the artist Donald Judd.

Art in an abandoned army barrack in the scrub of West Texas.

And when you visit, you will want to go back.

And when you visit, be sure to stay here.

Cibolo Creek Ranch.

(Pictures courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Chinati Foundation, Cibolo Creek Ranch.)

So I have a 24 year old and a 21 year old with very busy schedules.  I want to come up with a trip this summer for 4 or 5 nights, something sort of crazy and fun and not too terribly expensive. 

Here is my current plan.  First we will start at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

I know this sounds strange, but I honestly think they would both love spending a night here just so they can be immersed in this scene out of all of those books they devoured as young people.

Of course we will stay at one of the Universal Hotels, so that we can use our hotel key to go to the front of the lines.  Portofino Bay is nice.

But then we are going to have to head to the beach, and I'm picking the Four Seasons Palm Beach.

You can probably see why.

The rooms have just been redone.  I love the neutral colors, as they allow the focus to be on what's outside the windows, which is the gorgeous blue ocean.

The food at the "Cafe" with its outdoor terrace is fantastic.  I've never even made it to the "Big" restaurant!

And then there's the fun of Palm Beach in the summer.  Driving down the main road and looking at all of the beautiful old mansions, closed up for the summer.

Enjoying window shopping on Worth Avenue.  Every designer is represented, and the sales people are really glad to see you during their slow summer period.

I can see myself here.

There's something about the sound of the spoon going through the thin crisp of sugar on the top of a creme brulee

or the crunch you hear when you bite into that perfect chocolate croissant.

Going from a crisp, crunchy outside to that soft sweet interior.

I think that's how a lot of French people are...maybe just a bit hard and removed on the outside when they first make your acquaintance, but once you crack that thin exterior, you find a sweet, soft person inside who is more than willing to share some fun and experiences with you.

I ate a chocolate croissant this morning for breakfast.  Just me, the New York Times, some Costa Rican Coffee from my favorite roaster in Cost Rica, Cafe Milagro, and my perfect fat delivery vehicle.

It was great.

Small experiences such as this bring back floods of memories for me of my time spent in France, and Paris in particular.  I remember getting up before the rest of the family, and walking down the street to Laduree on the Champs Elysee for my solitary breakfast.  Or maybe popping in after a long day for a Macaroon.

Hotels can be like that.  Imposing on the outside, sweet on the inside.  Here are two of my Paris favorites.

The San Regis Hotel in the 8th

And the Four Seasons George V

Welcome!