It seems that the number 13 is considered unlucky by many cultures around the world. And it's considered even more unlucky if the date falls on a Friday! There's even a psychological term for the fear of the number 13, which was supposedly coined by none other than...
Tea in the Sahara? Well, I didn't have tea, but I did enjoy myself in the remarkable desert of Morocco. It was a landscape out of the movies, and the bright colors worn by the guys leading the camels just made it all the more beautiful. A camel caravan in Morocco's...
If you've ever watched the TV show, The Zoo, on the Animal Planet channel, you've been behind the scenes at the Bronx Zoo, which is currently celebrating its 125th year. Covering 265 acres, it's one of the largest and oldest zoos in the United States. But did you know...
With indelible memories of a visit several decades ago, I planned a return to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, where Irish lore and history is preserved in a lovely landscape setting. Rescued and restored by Lord and Lady Gort in the 1950s, medieval Bunratty Castle -...
AIRLINE NEWS American Airlines news: Did you know that flight attendants aren't paid for their time during boarding? I was shocked to learn this. But American Airlines flight attendants just signed a new contract that will get them paid for this time. Delta Airlines...
There is a lot to love about Monastero Santa Rosa, the luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It’s the gardens that are my favorite part of this property, however. They’re spectacular, and I don’t use that word frivolously. The gardens of Monastero Santa Rosa...
Are you confused about the difference between port and sherry? Port is fortified during fermentation. Sherry is fortified after fermentation. Port tends to be sweeter, while sherry usually has a slightly higher alcohol content. Now, let’s talk about port in more...
I've seen the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas, but honestly, Morocco's Atlas Mountains may be the most beautiful range of them all. Judge for yourself! Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw....
I just published a piece about the Harriet Tubman historical sites in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, including her home, church, and gravesite. Besides visiting the numerous wineries in this Finger Lakes region, there are many wonderful restaurants where you can...
I’m sure you know about Harriet Tubman, who famously saved many enslaved people during the Civil War by personally transporting them through the Underground Railroad. But I’ll bet there’s a lot you don’t know about her, such as the fact that she settled in Auburn,...
I was aboard a small boat at the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge - 35,000 acres near the Caribbean coast of Honduras. From our boat, we could view the jagged top of famed Pico Bonito Mountain, peeking through the clouds. This quiet treasure of mangroves and waterways...
I have found that many tourists are unaware that they can often see some of their favorite Broadway stars up close and personal in small cabaret rooms in Manhattan. The likes of Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone, Jeremy Jordan, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Sutton...
A lot of visitors and locals aren't aware that you can watch whales from Manhattan and Brooklyn in NYC. And I'm talking some major whale watching! I recently took a cruise from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn with American Princess Cruises, where we saw seven humpback...
New international air routes: There are new routes internationally from the U.S.: Newark to Marrakech on United; Dallas to Brisbane on American; Portland, Oregon to Amsterdam on KLM; Minneapolis to St. Maarten on Delta; Providence to San Juan on JetBlue; Dallas to...
I just discovered a new service called Bounce that has a luggage storage network around the world. They work with local businesses that are willing to hold your bags for a set period of time. The business hours vary, but you can check that information on the website...
Pastitsio is the Greek answer to Italian lasagna, but what sets it apart from the Italian version is mostly the use of numerous aromatic spices in the meat ragù. The other difference is that pastitsio uses a thick, long pasta with a hole, topped by a hearty cheesy...
Towering jagged peaks rise like formidable granite columns, overlooking a pristine white sandy beach that seems at first to fade into low lying clouds further beyond the shoreline and the incoming receding waves. The Lofoten Islands of Norway have many transcending...
Just found another of my mother’s recipes - an aromatic sponge cake that is steeped in orange syrup. This one is a classic Eastern Mediterranean sweet cake called "revani" or "ravani" in Greek or "rebane" in Turkish. it's also very popular in Egypt and Yemen. While in...
Dispute with a travel-related company? Whenever you have a problem with a travel-related company that you're struggling to resolve, check out the contact information for executives in Christopher Elliott's handy list. Don't waste more time - go right to the top!...
Since the invention of alcoholic beverages, hangovers have become a universal curse that every culture has to deal with. From “hair of the dog,” to raw egg sucking, to the South American ceviche, both ancient and modern men and women have had to deal with “the Morning...
About 66 years ago, I got my first taste of European travel when my father said, “We should instill culture in the children.” At the time, I was living in Greece with my parents and younger brother, and I was still in high school. So my mother, a couple of her...
Some of the most beautiful rugged coastlines are within striking distance of San Francisco. I embarked on a private tour of Point Reyes with Eric's VIP Tours to have an encounter with the rugged and unspoiled Pacific coastline. Instead of taking the highways, I...
New Jersey offers some of the finest farmers' markets, and they're a great produce source for both home and professional cooks, especially the very fresh vegetables sold by the locals who grow them. In a previous life I must have been Neapolitan because I love pasta...
In my desire to taste some of the world's premier wines and savor some culinary specialties, I spent an exciting day visiting the famous grape-growing regions of Sonoma and Napa. My adventure with Tower Tours entailed a Wine Aficionado Tour to two different wineries -...
AIRLINE AND FLIGHT NEWS United Airlines news: United is adding live radar maps to its phone app to help passengers track weather delays. Sounds good to me! Emotional support llamas? That's right! PDX airport in Portland has 'em. Take a look:...
Friends of ours had invited my wife and me to a three-night stay in Gloucester, Massachusetts. They were housesitting for an old friend whose seafront home was well-equipped and spacious enough to accommodate several guests. We accepted, and embarked on a number of...
Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, is one of the largest and surely one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. Whether on your first trip or your fifth, the World Heritage Castle District draws you like a magnet to the Buda side of the Danube from which...
I have dreamed for decades of seeing a blue whale - the largest animal that's ever lived (as far as we know at least). When I first investigated the possibility, the only places to see them were remote and usually in very cold waters. Since then, they have become much...
The Joseph Magnus story began in the middle of the 19th century when he was informed that his father had been killed during the Civil War. His late father had been a merchant, and Magnus followed in his footsteps, becoming a liquor wholesaler and building a liquor...
In the very heart of the Mediterranean Sea ̶ south of Sicily, north of Libya, and east of Tunisia ̶ lie the islands of Malta. They make up a small archipelago with a 7,000-year-old history and the stunning physical evidence to prove...
Kudos to Lincoln Center’s continuing commitment to inviting cultures from around the world to New York City in their Summer for the City offerings. Thanks to this program, we were introduced to the mythic performance of Samsara by the Aakash Odedra Company at Lincoln...
The Thracians made the earliest wines and declared Dionysus the “god of wine.” The Egyptians made beer 5,000 years ago, and the Incas made corn liquor (chicha) 3,000 years in the past. The first recorded reference to cider dates back to Julius Caesar's Britain, where...
Viking River Cruises have some of the most appealingly seductive television ads. Often, when watching them, I wondered how accurate they were. Well, after having experienced a Viking Cruise, I can honestly attest to the fact that the ads are not...
Conde Nast Traveler has named its top 100 restaurants in the world, and Nuema in Quito is number 61. It's nestled in the Illa Experience Hotel & Spa, and I had the extraordinary opportunity to experience this restaurant firsthand. Run by Chef Alejandro Chamorro...
The 5-star Illa Experience Hotel & Spa opened its doors in December 2017 by Latin Trails in the historic part of Quito just a few blocks from the Plaza Grande and surrounded by artists’ workshops. In 2023, it won the Gold Travvy Award for Best Luxury Hotel in...
This quick and easy take on a Greek classic - shrimp and feta with orzo - will have dinner on the table in 20 minutes from start to finish if you use precooked shrimp as we now do! For a lengthier cooking-time version, you can use fresh shrimp that has to be boiled,...
If you're looking for something fun to do in New York City this summer, try the One World Observatory, which boasts the highest observation deck in the city with three floors and 360-degree views (sorry, Empire State Building). And this summer, it's collaborating with...
TRAVEL NEWS JetBlue news. Starting September 6, 2024, JetBlue will allow a free carry-on bag to those flying via Blue Basic fare. Good! It's ridiculous to have to pay more for a carry-on. Lufthansa Airlines news. Starting in 2025, the airline will charge an extra fee...
The 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City seems to have recovered the losses of exhibitors during the COVID period, making it as large as (or possibly even larger) than ever. There were exhibitors from all over the world, but I will...
If Washington State wines are not on your radar, they should be. It has a particularly ideal climate for winegrowing since it's 46˚ North latitude, which is the same as France’s Burgundy and Rhône regions. It also gets 17 hours of sunlight and has cool nights that...
First, the location: Holbox is a 26-mile-long island off the northeast corner of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, two hours north of Cancun, plus a 30-minute ferry ride - but worth every minute to get to this paradise on earth. Villas Caracol beach lounge. Photo courtesy...
Vermouth is an aged, aromatic, fortified European wine flavored with botanicals, such as citrus peel, star anise, basil, thyme, and wormwood, to name a few. According to ancient Greek folklore, very early versions of the beverage were actually used for their...
When I want a fine dining experience in Manhattan that's still within reason from a price perspective, La Grande Boucherie is my go-to restaurant - and has been for years. The French menu changes periodically, but everything we've ordered has been excellent without...
When Europeans of the 15th century tried to imitate the beautiful Chinese porcelain imported by traders through the Silk Road, they were not very successful. Clay pottery was used in Europe since time immemorial. Therefore, the early attempts combined clay and...
“The best thing about Milan is that it is on the way to Turin,” said one Torino to me. We were driving alongside the magnificent Alps that are a backdrop to Turin. This sophisticated, bustling city lies between better-known Milan and Bologna. I like its scale. It has...
Anybody who knows me well knows that I'm an avid fan of theater in NYC. I see almost all shows on Broadway (some more than once), and I can rattle off the names of numerous Broadway creatives from actors to choreographers to ensemble dancers to composers and more. I...
It’s the beginning of what is supposed to be a very hot summer, so we thought a cold glass of bubbly would be a great antidote to the heat. Sparkling wines, whether they are called Champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Cava, Lambrusco, Brachetto, Espumante, Mousseux,...
I sat down to watch the Tony Awards Sunday night, June 16, with trepidation. It had been a particularly stuffed season, especially with musicals, which is my favorite genre. I expected to be disappointed by some of the decisions. But I walked away happier with the...
Don't rely on AI to create your itinerary! A recent study found that AI itineraries are ridden with errors. They'll recommend visiting places when they aren't open or places that are permanently closed. Some of them even recommend places that never existed. Plus, they...
If you’re longing for a European vacation, but it’s not in the immediate future, why not get that taste of Europe by visiting the northeast mountains of Georgia where the tiny hamlet of Alpine Helen will quell your appetite for international travel—at least for the...
Beef is a cornerstone of traditional Argentine cuisine. The ideal land and climate to raise cattle made Argentina a leading producer of top quality, lean yet amazingly flavorful grass-fed beef. The cattle graze on las pampas, which gives Argentine steak a nice texture...
When you think of Louisville, Kentucky, you probably think horses and bourbon, but the city has a great deal to offer the traveler at any time of year – not just during the Kentucky Derby. You might be surprised to learn that it’s a large metropolitan city with a long...
I have struggled with motion sickness my whole life, and sometimes, I can be miserable on a boat, even while others think the water is nice and smooth. So over the years, I have found that a triple threat strategy works well for me: Meclizine. Sorry, Dramamine, but...
Hello, all you current and to-be dads, and welcome to our very first LuxuryWeb Magazine Father’s Day Gift Guide. We have a few suggestions that you might want to pass along to spouses and children who want to celebrate your special day with that extra-special gift....
I have been plagued with severe ear pain and popping on airplanes for many years, so I've found a few tricks that work well for me. Hopefully, they'll work for you, too. I'm sure you already know about chewing gum or sucking on candy. It's the swallowing action that...
Recently, exceptional cultured clams have been making an appearance in East Coast fish stores and supermarkets. They have unique regional flavors that stem from subtle water quality and salinity differences at each growing site. We love baked clams oreganata, as well...
“It’s so close to London. Come visit!” insisted my great-niece. “You can get around on foot or by bike on the cobblestones.” That sounded dandy, so off we went to Cambridge, England, a college town my niece assured us was full of history and charm. She had that right!...
Americans arrested: Five Americans have been arrested recently in Turks and Caicos in separate incidents because they've left firearm ammunition in their luggage, purportedly by accident. The sentence for such an offense can be as much as 12 years. One of the American...
The success of two films - Boy on a Dolphin (1957) with Sophia Loren, Alan Ladd, and Clifton Webb, and Phaedra (1962) with Melina Mercouri and Anthony Perkins - catapulted Hydra from a sleepy, quiet Greek island with a notable 19th century naval history to the...
Most Saharan Berbers are still living the same way they did 10 centuries ago in the Western Sahara and the Atlas Mountains. They are both a tourist attraction and an international lesson on “how to live in harmony with the land and the neighbors Allah gave you.” The...
Lisbon, Portugal has many wonderful museums, but my two personal favorites are the National Coach Museum (Museu National dos Coches) and the Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha). First, let's talk about the coach museum. It has an extraordinary collection of royal...
The unprecedented affluence of the early 21st century and the newfound willingness of the American public to try the pleasures of foods and fresh products from other countries has caused both restaurant chefs and home cooks to make exotic meals that were unknown to...
As usual, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) audience was buzzing with excitement and especially so because not only was it Mother’s Day, it was also a much-anticipated performance of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, featuring new works by...
Mona Lisa News: The Louvre in Paris is considering moving the Mona Lisa to a larger room in the basement to make it easier for the crowds to get a good look. Train between Spain and Morocco? Fingers crossed this happens! They might build a tunnel under the Strait of...
Risi e bisi is a traditional Italian dish from the Veneto, initially cooked as a special festive dish in Venice, Vicenza, and Verona. It was served to the Venetian Doges and the ruling families of Venice during the festival of San Marco every 25th of April. It's a...
“It is a new social and cultural reality in Spain” according to the Spanish Culture Ministry. This Friday, Spain scrapped their “Annual Bullfighting Award,” prompting a backlash from national conservatives against the abolition of the centuries-old tradition that is...
In a recovering country, “luxury” is a relative matter. And on those terms, the five-star Baghdad Hotel is one of Iraq’s luxury hotels. It was the property booked for five travel specialists by Cadence Travel, which organized a trip for us to tour the...
The day I had to leave Rapa Nui, I teared up. I so wanted more time there. While the island is part of the country of Chile, it’s actually in Polynesia and is similar to Hawaii in that it’s tropical, very green, and filled with volcanos. Read also about the resort...
One of the best known Istanbul restaurants is located in the space above the main entrance of the Egyptian (Misir) Çarşisi (Bazaar), one of Istanbul’s highly respected retail venues that specializes in spices from around the world, Black Sea caviar, and local sweets...
The 5-star resort property of Nayara Hangaroa on Easter Island, which I will call Rapa Nui for the rest of this article, is an exceptional experience that I can’t possibly recommend enough. Also read my article on visiting Rapa Nui in general. A portion of the...
Do wine bottle closures matter to you? Do you think that screw-capped bottles contain cheaper or lower quality wines? Are you a die-hard cork devotee? I think I have a definitive answer to the cork vs. high end screw cap closure question. At an André Lurton Wines...
Automatic airline refunds!: The Department of Transportation in the U.S. is instituting new rules that require airlines to give automatic refunds if a domestic flight is delayed by three hours or more or an international flight is delayed by six hours or more. The...
May is the month when flowering trees are in bloom. The air is permeated with fragrance, and the sounds of coughing and sneezing can be heard throughout the land. This Mother’s Day, we are more than ever before suffering from the effects of climate change and are...
I visited Iguassu Falls in the late 1990s, and I have wanted to go back ever since. I finally got my chance. As someone who has traveled the world and seen many awe-inspiring places, I have to say that Iguassu is still one of the most spectacular of them all....
In the late 1990s, I visited Iguassu Falls in Brazil for the first time, and I stayed at Hotel das Cataratas – a sprawling, bright pink, 1950s hacienda-style property right across the street from the Falls. I got a deal back then and paid about $100 a night. Hotel das...
Bolgheri is a central Italian village of Castagneto Carducci, a commune in Tuscany in the province of Livorno that is well-known to wine lovers for the exceptional quality of the bottles created in the region. The Bolgheri DOC became an internationally known region...
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be premiering two new works at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC): Amy Hall Garner’s first work for the Company, CENTURY, and former dancer Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s duet, Me, Myself and You, on Mother’s Day...
Monterey Bay Aquarium is perhaps the most celebrated aquarium in the U.S. and for good reason. Not only are there rare animals and other sea life on display, but all you have to do is walk outside and look out on Monterey Bay to see an area that is teeming with life...
It's hard to imagine that there was no museum about the history of Broadway until late 2022, but that's the truth. Thankfully, we now have the Museum of Broadway to commemorate the wonder of New York's theater and located in the Times Square theater district where it...
Even my Lyft driver didn’t know about the Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas, which is just a short drive from the strip. This little-known museum has a host of vehicles from TV and movies, as well as a room filled with cars and costumes once owned by Liberace. A...
Balmoral Castle News! According to The Royal Butler, King Charles has decided to allow the public to visit the interior of Balmoral Castle for the first time. It's located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and will cost more than $100 to visit both the castle and the...
Be sure to look up occasionally at the Museum of the American Revolution. There are exhibits over your head, such as this one of a Patriot working to rip down the statue of King George III in New York. Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution opened in the...
My friend and I were wandering around Lisbon one day and stumbled upon a beautiful Italian restaurant called La Mafia se Sienta a la Mesa. We couldn't have made a better choice for lunch. The interior of La Mafia in Lisbon. Photo by Melanie Votaw. The decor was...
New restaurants appear in Northern New Jersey all the time. However, some are just run of the mill eateries serving the same tired dishes that have been served for ages, while a few others are serving food of exceptional quality, rivaling Michelin-starred...
Southwest Airlines is planning to start its first red-eye flights within the next couple of years. Istanbul Airport has been named the best airport in the world for the fourth time in a row. United Airlines now allows you to combine your MileagePlus miles together...
The ultra-modern, 5-star Capitol Hotel Tokyu is located in the trendy Akasaka area of central Tokyo, not far from the Imperial Palace. The locale couldn’t be more convenient. There’s a subway station just under it where several Metro lines converge, so you can take an...
After the fire in 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen on December 8, 2024. Galapagos Islands entry fees are increasing as of August 1, 2024. They haven't increased these fees since 1998, so I think they're entitled to double them. They will go from $100...
At a recent major wine event in New York City promoting Barolo and Barbaresco wines and general tourism to Piedmont, Italy, I heard a rumor that one of the best and most influential Italian chefs, Davide Scabin, will be opening a new venue. His last renowned...
She comes in a tiny package but with a huge voice. Pretty as a picture and full of good humor, Emmy and Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth was in top form strutting her stuff on the NJPAC (New Jersey Performing Arts Center) stage during her recent appearance....
I don’t understand why there are so few articles written about sweet wines, except for articles about madeiras, ports, and sherries. It seems that a number of wine writers veer away from sweet wines and consider aficionados to have “uneducated palates that cannot...
The Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel is true to its name in more ways than one. Not only are the building and grounds palatial, but so is the ambience and the service. Of all the fine hotels I have had the good fortune of experiencing across the world, the Ciragan...
I did the "trifecta" in Ecuador, visiting the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon, and the Andes. It was my second time in the Andes region (the first time was about 13 years before), and it didn’t disappoint. As you can see, the bird life in particular is special in the...
The main draw of Tokyo’s Hotel Chinzanso is its 17-acre garden, and while that garden is nothing short of spectacular, there’s certainly a lot more to love about this hotel. Formerly a Four Seasons, Hotel Chinzanso has quite a history. The area was known for its wild...
Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) is considered one of the world’s premier beach destinations, prized for its exquisite sandy beaches, new hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and luxury rental villas. But its history was far less glamorous. The first European visitor there...
In only a few days, I covered a lot of terrain in Jordan. I was able to see several historical sites. Petra isn’t all there is to see by a long shot! It’s a stunning country with friendly people who are deeply saddened by the turmoil happening in the countries that...
January may be an odd time to visit Beijing because it’s very cold and dry, but the plus side is that the crowds are seriously reduced from the warmer months, when I’m told you can barely walk at the most popular sites. Since crowds are not my thing, I was happy to...
Don't use Google to look for airline phone numbers! It turns out scammers are putting bogus numbers on Google and posing as airlines. When you need a number, ALWAYS go to the official website of the airline! What's the "911"? Whenever you travel to a new country, be...
The town of Voss is within striking distance of Norway's most prominent fjords, the Hardangerfjord and the Sognefjord. Traveling from Bergen by train to Voss takes about an hour and takes in some distinct local scenery. I chose wintertime with fewer crowds and...
If you’ve never been to Asia, Singapore is a great introduction to the continent. I think of it as “Asia Lite.” Yes, you’re in Asia, but English is universally spoken and written on signs. Some Asian cities have given me a bad case of culture shock, so there’s a lot...
As far as this travel, food, and wine writer is concerned, Spain has surpassed most traditional European countries lauded by gastronomes for food and wine excellence. Whether your food preferences go toward classic dishes or innovative modern cuisine, Spain has many...