In travel, planning can be half the fun. So, I’m picking 10 places I am planning to visit this year. Who knows if I’ll actually get to them all…some are more unlikely than others. But if you don’t dream…
Here is my list. What’s on yours?
I now assume everyone knows all about Virtuoso. But the truth is I’d never heard about it until I became a travel advisor 3 years ago. And I have been obsessed with travel as long as I can remember. So maybe you don’t know about Virtuoso either.
And because in travel, as in most things in life, relationships matter. One of the best things about being a member of Virtuoso is the connections, with GM’s at hotels, with the leaders at brands like Aman, Peninsula & the Four Seasons, with the owners of private camps & people creating unique experiences. I have their phone numbers and emails. We connect at exclusive trade shows, on special webinars and when we travel… me when I visit their cities and them when they come to Vancouver. We have meals and meetings. We become friends. Any friend of mine is a friend of yours.
These benefits are not available to just anyone. They are only offered to clients who book through Virtuoso member advisors (like me!).
“Virtuoso” rates usually match a hotel’s best flexible rate. Occasionally, they are lower. You may be able to find cheaper rates that require pre-payment, through special promotions or on low-cost websites. Hey, we all know these can be the best solution sometimes. Still, I advise check “my” rates and compare the value. The special perks can really add up.
Decadent, decrepit and elegant, Palermo is the most conquered city in history, chock full of UNESCO heritage sites and a WOW. It is crowded, crumbling and loaded with beautiful people. This capital of modern Sicily also served as the capital of the Sicilian Emirate and rivaled Cairo for importance in the Arabian civilization.
Arab, French, Spanish & Greek influences are felt in the numerous churches & palaces and the famed cuisine. Graffiti here has history. Lots of typical modern tags but also drawings from the Paleolithic age & wall scrawl left by prisoners of the Holy Inquisition. Often boiling hot during the day, the city comes alive at night when people take the party to the streets.
STAY: Villa Igiea (
A Street Market (Ballaro, Capo, Vucciria Lattarini) unless your Italian you will not get any bargains, but they are worth the show, vendors sing, yell and tout… fruit, veggies, fish, meat, cooked food and cheap goods are all for sale!
I am so proud to announce I have been chosen as one of Travel + Leisure ILTM’s RISING STAR ADVISORS for 2021.
The Burgenstock Hotel is not just a place to sleep it is an experience like no other. From the second you get on the boat you can sense the magic that awaits. Ok, you can also drive, but trust me and take the boat. And then the funicular. Which opened in 1888. The development of the resort started in 1873. It became a favorite of European elite; Queen Ingrid of Denmark was a regular in the 40’s. During the heydays of the 50’s, Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in the tiny chapel which you can still visit. In the 60’s Sophia Loren made one of the villas her home. It’s now a restaurant. Sean Connery and the cast stayed for a month in 1964 while filming Goldfinger. By 2007, things were a bit tired. New owners invested $550 million reopening in 2017. WOW! WOW! WOW! The whole resort consists of 4 different hotels: the classic belle-epoque Palace Hotel, the wellness & health focused Waldhotel, the charming old school Swiss Taverne 1879 and the over the top wonderful, five star Burgenstock Hotel where I stayed. It is a very modern cube miraculously hovering on the side of the mountain 500 meters above Lake Lucerne. The views are beyond anything you can imagine. The hotel has been meticulously designed to fully take advantage of this incredible outrageous location. There are views from everywhere, even from the bath. Full length windows, double tubs with fireplaces…magic! Rooms have seats built into the huge window that make you feel like you are floating in midair. Dragging yourself away from this view is nearly impossible. Luckily you can enjoy it from the bed, the shower, the sink, the desk, the loo. And from the delicious Spices Kitchen & Terrace. And most importantly from the Alpine Spa… which is another must. Entrance is included with the room. 108,000 square feet of heavenly pampering and divine pools including the famous infinity pool which has, you guessed it, amazing views. Alpine Spa is the largest in Europe. They take spa-ing to a whole new level. It’s not just a massage and mani/pedi. Rather it is fireplaces, candles, fitness classes, steam, sauna and treatment rooms decorated in the same soothing contemporary style as the rooms. Just in case I haven’t gone on enough, there are also pools….indoor, outdoor, hot plunge, cold plunge, alpine eco and the Hollywood Garden Pool… a kidney shaped bit of old time glamour with an amazing windows-under-the-water bar beside it. I stayed one night, regretted having to leave and can’t wait to return. 
Ah Berlin… where the party goes for 24 hours, there are more canals than in Venice or Amsterdam and museums (180) out number rainy days (106). 70 million curried sausages are eaten each year. Bits of the infamous Wall sit beside glamorous 18th century palaces, a constant reminder of the cities long and checkered history. So much wall remains because there was so much wall built…it was actually two barriers built with a 140 m death strip between them to discourage anyone planning to hop this nasty fence. JFK’s speech was grammatically questionable but he never actually said “ I am a jelly donut”. For the gentleman on the go Berlin is packed with places to tempt and entertain. Start by withdrawing a gold bar from the ATM at Galeries Lafayette.
Top ten travel experience of the last ten years… no problem…this will be easy. I could not have been more wrong. Turns out this was one hell of a decade…narrowing it down incredibly challenging. After all, I went to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics, drank Dom Perignon out of the Stanley cup twice (two years apart), drove across Canada three times and visited 70 countries. I moved to Beijing, became a blogger and started a career for the first time in my life. After much deliberation here are ten of my top travel experiences in no particular order.
Mathieu Germond is one of the world’s great sommeliers though it is likely that you have never heard of him. He doesn’t have a column in the FT, write books or appear on reality tv shows. But finding the perfect wine is Mathieu’s super-power. Tell him what you like to drink, your budget and what you’re eating. He will find the right bottle. He is a wine savant.
While others were building their personal brands, Mathieu spent the last two years building Noize, a gem of a restaurant offering the best of French cuisine and English ingredients in the burgeoning central London neighborhood of Fitzrovia.best beds…find your perfect place to sleep
Figuring out where to go is easy, figuring out where to stay is not. I have carefully curated this list of places to sleep. I have stayed in each and every one. I have slept in the bed, eaten the breakfast and visited the pool, spa or ice machine. I have chatted with the who’s who in charge. These are the places I recommend… you don’t need to know about the others! Trust me!
I’d be delighted to connect you… my friends, my clients, my readers… with these hosts. Some offer special amenities due to my affiliation with the Virtuoso network and some offer perks because I am providing your introduction. Either way let my goodwill be your goodwill. Alternatively, you can click on the link and book or explore further on your own.
Some pay a commission to travel advisors, many do not. I’m transparent. I’ll tell you if you ask me.
