PARIS – Its glamorous, decadent, and loaded with atmosphere. Theres so much to love about LHôtel in Paris. Ill try to limit myself.*The tucked-away location on a quiet Saint-Germain street one block from the Pont des Arts is important only if you want to leave the hotel — a decision you will struggle with.*The iron rams head hanging by a chain above the entrance and the open rotunda that ensures everyone speaks in low whispers.*The in

Christina Ohly has lived with her husband and two children in New York City and London, and has never been shy about shipping her crew to the far corners of the globe in search of memorable sights and tastes. So we never expected that, come summer, shes at her happiest so close to her American home in Rhode Island, the small state that delivers big. WATCH HILL, Rhode Island – There is no place more beautiful in the summer than New

Kerry Saretsky, the Paris-obsessive behind the blog French Revolution, shares her favorite hotel. PARIS – When I lived in Paris, I rented a closet on the rue de l’Odéon. When I visit these days, I don’t want to be anywhere else. Just down the street is my favorite place to stay: Hotel Odéon.Rue de l’Odéon stretches the short walk from the Jardins du Luxembourg, where all great Parisian picnics happen, to the Boulevard Saint-Germain, br

PARIS – Im a Francophile through and through. I did a little dance when I read that Ladurée is opening a New York City store, and decided to see Midnight in Paris based on the preview alone — even before I found out it was a Woody Allen film. In the trailer, the scenes depict an upper class American couple (as in most Woody Allen films) in which the dreamer fiancé strays from the attractive but tone-deaf girlfriend (as in mo

Everyone has their own little Parisian fantasy.  Mine goes like this...The black sedan pulls up in front of my pied-à-terre in the posh 16th arrondissement, and before I can touch on the handle, a tall man in tails and a top hat opens the car door. He extends a hand, helps me with my bags, and escorts me into the foyer.  Tall ceilings, crown moldings, old parquet floors, and a crackling fire in a little salon greet me. I am whisked to the top floor in a vint

I had a dream of Africa. Of vast stretches of tawny grassland teeming with wildlife. Of villages untouched by cheesy American commercialism and Chinese tchotchkes, but filled with friendly locals. Of action and adventure with splashes of old-world sophistication in the form of sundowners and high tea. Of Indiana Jones clones as my safari guides.I didnt know that I was dreaming of Zambia.IT BEGINS AT LUANGWA SAFARI HOUSELast September, after

Novelist Russell Banks is celebrated for his ability to recreate the world of the Adirondacks with words. Named an official New York State Author by the New York State Writers Institute, his novels often place mystery and intrigue into winding rivers and skyscraping pines. Read it for yourself.It was a cool, cloudless morning, the air so dry it felt like all the moisture had been wrung from it — what Jordan enjoyed calling a perfect A

Shuttling across the globe with my family from a very young age, I developed a wanderlust that defines my life today. Stepping off a plane into lush, humid air heavy with exotic scents in Antigua when I was seven years old. Strolling through a vibrant market overflowing with textiles while holding my Moms hand through the Plaka in Greece, my yearning grew for far away cultures and evocative experiences punctuated by intriguing design.Last y

American thriller writers James Patterson and Peter De Jong teamed up for The Beach House, a modern day murder mystery set in East Hampton, N.Y. Heres an excerpt to give you a lay of the land.Im sorry I have to confess, I turned twenty-one yesterday.Whatever the reason, Im slaloming through bloated SUVs at ninety miles per hour and I start to think about growing up out here, about being a townie in one of the richest zip codes on earth.A mi

MADHYA PRADESH, India – When we think of safaris, we think of Africa: lions, gazelles, the Serengeti, even Botswana. But if you want to see tigers, youre on the wrong continent.Native to Southeast Asia (where they can weigh 500-plus pounds of muscle, fur, claws, and snarl), half of the worlds wild population lives in India. The solitary hunters may now number just 1,400 — less than half of what they were a decade before — b

And so we introduce The Innkeepers Tales, an ongoing (as in, whenever they send dispatches) series written by the interesting, charming, and generous people who run the hotels we love and take such great care of us at our homes-away-from-home. First up, Tereasa Surratt, an advertising executive who runs Wandawega Lake Resort in Wisconsin.On a sunny July afternoon, one of our guests came striding up from the lake with several Band-Aids

Hemingways Paris is the one we all dream to see one day. The disregard for rules and lavish lifestyles of his characters cast a strange romance on the City of Lights that we modern Americans can only hope to experience. To live Hemingways reality might have been overstimulating, but instead, The Sun Also Rises transports us to the smooth and elegant Paris of the 20s.In the morning I walked down the Boulevard to the Rue Soufflot for coffee a

WINDSOR, England – I love a day trip from London. Its a chance to see the green countryside and the delicate little lambs that adorn that countryside.When tickets arrived for a Saturday at the Royal Windsor Racecourse, my heart skipped a beat. No, its not as fabulous as Ascot, but its a chance to dress up and gamble!Windsor is a lovely town. The crown jewel is Windsor Castle; Eton College is a nice second. The grand castle is one of th

Italians are, as far as I know, the only people on earth who worship a baby. While the adult, bearded Christ is a familiar figure around and about Italy, the baby Jesus is the deity in the peoples hearts. Sadly, there is a great dearth of babies in Italy, which has an an astoundingly low birthrate, just about the lowest in the industrialized world. This baby-worship compounded by baby-scarcity is clearly and presently felt by anyone who has

Amy Schoenberger went to Morocco to see firsthand the work done by Nest, a non-profit she works with. A reader story.FES, Morocco – We wake up in Fes and Rebecca leads us in a brief yoga practice in the lobby of our beautiful Riad Tizwa. We have a breakfast of homemade yogurt, fruit, and croissants. Rebecca Kousky is the founder of Nest, a non-profit that gives loans to women artisans in developing countries, provides education and business

In this winning entry to the Travel Fiasco Storyteller Contest, Jill Paris illuminates a universal truth: Romance on holiday is never what it is in the movies. Especially if Italian men are involved.Come on! Sarah snapped in a tone best used on disobedient pets. She pulled me by the wrist as we traipsed along another unfamiliar street. It was past three or four in the morning and there wasnt a creature stirring, not even a pigeon.

Going in, I imagine the experience will be like Extreme Makeover, with a horde of eager volunteers descending upon the neighborhood, cleaning up the ruins and leaving in their wake a cluster of five-bedroom Classic Victorians as well as lasting memories of brotherly love and the triumph of the human spirit. I imagine sobbing families seeing their new homes for the first time and Scott and I bursting through the front door, bounding across t

Axel Burla and Begum Tuna launched fashion label BEATRIXE in 2010. Though based in New York City, the pair travel often to their hometown of Istanbul, where their clothing production is based. We caught up with the duo after a recent trip.Just back from: IstanbulHow long were you there? A little over two months.Why did you go? Axel: We primarily go to check on our production and create samples for our upcoming collections.How did you resear

During a trip to London last year, my sister and I found ourselves outside the impressive gates of The Royal Hospital in Chelsea. Neither of us knew much about the place, but curiosity led us inside. As we turned into the courtyard, two elderly gentlemen in navy blue uniforms came up to us and said cheerfully, Hello, hello! Are you the new recruits?They were Chelsea Pensioners, friendly, impromptu guides pointing out the parts of the Hospit

Dear St. Regis,How you play with my heart. I fell in love with you in New York — the King Cole Bar, the Thornwillow press store that looks like a library, the house Champagne copiously poured by naughty waiters at Adour, the marble bathrooms with views that are absolutely perfect, and the logo that could double as my monogram. I fell, and I fell hard.But something happened in Kauai, like being on an island paradise with a lo