Author Archives: mitchems

Comparing Caribbean and Central American Destinations

When speaking with a friend while traveling in Puerto Rico last week (a review to come shortly), I realized that Juliana and I have been to several different Caribbean or Central American destinations. I was doing a brief, informal “comparison” … Continue reading

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A Living Legend – The Hotel Del Coronado

In February, I stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego California. Like the Jekyll Island Club, the Hotel Del (as it is called by the locals) is a historic landmark and worthy of the robber baron lifestyle. The … Continue reading

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Love in the City

If you need to recharge your “relationship batteries”, one sure-fire way is a romantic weekend in the big city: New York City. With world-class restaurants, unsurpassed theater and entertainment, and the excitement of “Sex and the City” everywhere you turn, New York seems like a lover itself. Although some do not associate New York with romance, if you do the city right, you can get an understanding of why residents truly love New York. Continue reading

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Taking the Villa Route

Just the word emanates luxury: villa. Often, travelers don’t consider the option of renting a villa: it is usually considered too expensive or the travel agent does not provide the villa option. For an extended stay or for a vacation … Continue reading

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The Inn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee

When our travel agent told us that we just HAD to go to the Inn at Blackberry Farm, we were skeptical. A Relais & Chateaux resort near Knoxville Tennessee? It just did not seem possible. But it is. The Inn … Continue reading

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Live like a Robber Baron

The names include J.P. Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and Pulitzer… these families got together in 1886 and founded a hunting club on the Georgia’s faraway Jekyll Island. This club is the Jekyll Island Club, on of the most prominent resorts on … Continue reading

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Under the Tuscan Sun

On the banks of the Arno River, Villa la Massa offers luxury that seems a world away from the city. Seems a world away, but the resort is actually on a few miles from the center of Florence. As one … Continue reading

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Peace in the North Carolina Mountains

It isn’t cheap and it isn’t easy to come by, but it’s well worth it. “It” is the Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. About 50 miles Southwest of Asheville, NC and tucked into the foothills of the Blue … Continue reading

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Old World Elegance

When we went to Vienna to visit Juliana’s cousin, we were booked at the Hotel Bristol in the center of the city. But we really wanted to be at the Hotel Imperial. The Hotel Imperial is world-renowned as an elegant … Continue reading

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When the Land of Love becomes the Land of Family Fun

If Vegas can do it, so can Caesar’s Poconos Resorts. Do what? Make an essentially grown-up experience more kid friendly. Caesar’s, a perennial honeymoon and love-nest destination for the mid-American set, launched Brookdale to convert a vacation spent mostly indoors … Continue reading

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