It’s possible I love the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris because I have never been able to afford to stay there, so it remains a mythical hotel in my mind. However, there are many hotels I can’t afford to stay at…
Would you sleep with these men of Paris?
My first day in Paris and of course I’m looking at the men! Isn’t that the definition of sightseeing? Maybe jet lag has affected me just a teensy bit, or the weirdly-addictive Bachelorette has become ingrained in my psyche because I’ve…
More about renting a villa or apartment in France – affordably
Renting a villa in France must be a popular subject because my article on how I did it on a budget last summer in the Toronto Star today is getting mega hits. If you’re interested, read the article here. And…
My introduction to the Peace Memorial: John Lennon – 30th anniversary of his death
Thirty years ago today was that horrid day when John Lennon was shot and killed outside his home at the Dakota, the iconic building overlooking Central Park. No doubt a multitude of fans are gathering at Strawberry Fields, a 2.5…
Solo travel: hotel disaster in Rome
The pale unearthly-looking desk clerk hands me the key to my room. “You leave the lobby and take the elevator up. It’s a manual elevator, please be sure to shut the doors after you leave.” What the clerk failed to…
Travel hassles: eating alone
I’m just glad I brought a suitcase full of heels and skirts because spas in Italy – at least the ones I’ve been visiting – go by a drowned-rat-in-a-bathrobe look for day and Italian glam by night. (And if this post sounds like…
Planes, trains and taxis through Italy
You know a day isn’t going to be good when it starts at 3 a.m. But it takes a long time to organize 50 travel agents, tour operators and journalists for a 7:20 a.m. flight from Bari to Rome, so…
The high life in the Bahamas
Okay, I confess. My butler just brought me a glass of pink champagne. And now I’m going to Nobu – the celebrity-ridden Japanese restaurant that I keep reading about. Because, like, everyone famous goes there and then has a fight or…
The return
It’s one thing to go away on a trip. It’s another thing to come back. What happens when the dream trip is over? At first it’s okay. For one thing, you’re so exhausted you don’t care where you are. And…
A solo Valentine’s Day
I was reading O last night, not The Story of O, an erotic novel from 1954, but O – the Oprah Magazine, and came across an interesting article called Sex, Love, and Creativity – is romance the true mother of…