All posts for the month March, 2011

Notable April Events

Fireworks over Hong Kong

April 9: Though not as famous as its popular Easter or Thanksgiving Day parades, New York City’s National Tartan Day Parade is a must for Scotland enthusiasts. On the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath (the Scottish declaration of independence), about 10,000 pipers, drummers and representatives of various Scottish clans parade down Sixth Avenue.

April 15: Shops along Armenia Street in Buenos Aires open their doors this evening for the Wine Tour Urbano, a monthly wine tasting street party. One hundred Argentine pesos (about $25) buys a wine glass that you take from shop to shop, each of which features tastes from different local wineries. April’s event focuses on Cabernet and Syrah.

April 15-21: Starting in mid-April, Romans proudly celebrate the birthday of their city with parades, banquets, gladiatorial exhibitions and even a “Goddess of Rome” beauty contest. The festivities culminate on April 21, when the Aventine Hill glows with innumerable candles and the Tiber shimmers with a spectacular fireworks display.

April 17: Soak up some small-town California charm along with world-class guacamole at the Fallbrook Avocado Festival, an easy drive from Harper-recommended hotels in La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe and Laguna Beach. In addition to strolling among the 300-some food, craft and art vendors, festival attendees can enjoy cooking demonstrations, performances and quirky competitions such as the “Avo 500,” a race of model cars constructed primarily from this surprisingly versatile fruit.

April 23: On Easter Saturday, residents of the Greek island of Corfu break the Lenten Fast in a most literal fashion. At 11 a.m., the sound of church bells warns pedestrians to take cover under the arcades, as hundreds of locals toss earthenware vessels out of their upper-story windows, smashing them on the streets.

April 25: In honor of Tin Hau, the Chinese goddess of the sea, Hong Kong stages fireworks displays, processions of multicolored boats and lion dances. The festival traditionally centers on the fishing town of Sai Kung, northeast of downtown, but events take place throughout Hong Kong.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 31, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 31, 2011

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The Restaurants of Poland: A Primer

Belvedere Restaurant, Warsaw

One of the unexpected pleasures of my recent trip to Poland was the excellent quality of the food in the country’s restaurants. With the Polish economy thriving, the dining scenes in Warsaw, Krakow, and Sopot are thriving, and we had some memorably good meals. Here’s a selection of addresses that I enjoyed, plus one to avoid.

Belvedere, Warsaw. Set in the white-painted steel-and-glass 19th century orangery in
Lazienki Park (pictured above), this formal restaurant offers both Polish and international menus. Start with Zurek, a soup of sour cream garnished with country ham and eggs and herring prepared two ways (with sour cream and onions and with prunes). Main courses include duck confit with currant jelly or beef tenderloin with cep mushrooms. For something less hearty, the international menu features Caesar salad, pumpkin soup and halibut roasted in miso with shrimp. Service in this elegant conservatory style dining room is excellent, and there’s a very good wine list. Ulica Agrykoli 1 (entry from Parkowa Street), Tel. 48-22-55-86-700. Dinner for two $160.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 30, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 30, 2011

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Recent Comments From the Members' Forum

Amantaka, Laos

Amantaka, Laos

“We just returned from a three-day stay in Amantaka. As usual with Aman resorts, specially in Asia, we were not disappointed with this excellent, small and intimate property. Impeccable grounds, great staff, oustanding service, attention to details. I have to specially commend the assistant GM Felipe who took great care of us. Cycling around town in the property bicycles was great fun and the best way to see Luang Prabang. Beautiful sunset Mekong River cruise upon arrival was the warmest welcome.”

The Grand Del Mar, California

“What a delightful resort! Elegant without feeling stuffy. Addison is a remarkable restaurant. Loved the Harper amenities. The staff and concierge were very professional, yet California casual. The complimentary beach service is one of the best hotel amenities we have ever encountered. We were driven to the gorgeous beach (appx. 15 min.), where beach chairs, towels, umbrella and cold bottles of water were set out for us. Then, at a prearranged time, were whisked back to the hotel. Glorious.”

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 29, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 29, 2011

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From the Travel Office: Unspoiled Eastern Europe by Luxury Train

Copyright Venice Simplon Orient-Express

The storied Venice Simplon Orient-Express diverts from its usual Venice-Paris route this July, making an eight-day foray into Eastern Europe. This itinerary presents a unique opportunity to explore some of Europe’s most fascinating and underappreciated cities in the high style of the golden age of rail travel.

Because of the extended length of this journey, all guests will have cabin suites with double the space of normal cabins.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 28, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 28, 2011

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News From Londolozi, South Africa

Varty Camp, Londolozi

March 2011 saw the completion of a four-year refurbishment program at Londolozi, one of the pioneers of the luxury safari lodge. Located in South Africa’s Sabi Sand private game reserve, Londolozi has been owned by four generations of the Varty family and the final phrase of the project was the reinvention of Varty Camp, the foundations of which go back to the original 1926 homestead.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 25, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 25, 2011

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Book Review: "Paris Was Ours"

The 19th-century American writer Thomas Gold Appleton famously said, “Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris,” and this is certainly the premise behind “Paris Was Ours,”an anthology of essays about the city by 32 writers, compiled by editor Penelope Rowlands. It struck me as the perfect read for a recent trip to Paris, so I happily cracked it open during the transatlantic flight and discovered a curiously mixed assortment of very personal vignettes about living in the City of Light.

Suffice it to say that a large number of the writers marveled at the ability of French women to tie a scarf, praised the city’s bakeries, and insisted that despite the thorniness of the locals, the city is a marvelous place to live. No one can argue with the other common themes in these essays — that Paris is a beautiful and romantic city, that the French live very well indeed (fantastic food, long vacations, good schools, excellent medical care), and that it’s a challenge to learn and master French codes of politesse, many of which are very different from those of the English-speaking world.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 24, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 24, 2011

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The Trouble With Crowd-Sourced Content

The Golden Well, Prague

TripAdvisor recently announced its Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Hotels in the World, as voted on by its millions of reviewers. Prague’s Golden Well is the top hotel in the world, followed by the Anastasis Apartments in Imerovigli, Greece. The United States is represented on the list by Seattle’s Cedarbrook Lodge and Baltimore’s Henderson’s Wharf Inn. Two of my recommended properties made the list (Cocoa Island in the Maldives and the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur), but they trailed in the rankings to Costa Rica’s Los Altos de Eros (“Even kings did not have it this good — perfection”) and The Tuscany in Turks and Caicos.

The list, of course, is profoundly silly. It is simply a ranking of the tenacity of various hotel marketing departments. Hotels game the system by sending in phony reviews from their employees, associates and distant relatives (and annoy their guests with obnoxious fliers begging them to write online reviews). Competitors routinely trash each other’s properties. Shady PR companies do it all for hire.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 24, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 24, 2011

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New Four Seasons Marrakech Accepting Reservations

Four Seasons Marrakech

The new Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech has begun accepting reservations for arrivals June 15 and beyond. The 40-acre walled-garden resort is adjacent to Marrakech’s famed Menara Gardens and a five-minute walk from the ancient Medina.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 22, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 22, 2011

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From the Travel Office: Business-Class Airfare From Silversea

Silversea

Cruising can be a blissfully relaxing, elegant way to travel, but because itineraries often start and finish in different ports, airfare can be expensive. Silversea, a favorite line of Andrew Harper, solves this problem with an unusually generous business-class airfare: $998 round-trip from the East Coast, taxes included, on numerous European voyages.

In addition to diabolically tempting airfares, Silversea throws in a $500 per-person shipboard credit on several itineraries, including:

July 2-9, 2011: Cannes to Civitavecchia (Rome) aboard Silver Spirit

July 15-23, 2011: Civitavecchia (Rome) to Piraeus (Athens) aboard Silver Spirit

July 20-30, 2011: Southampton to Copenhagen aboard Silver Cloud

July 23-30, 2011: Piraeus (Athens) to Istanbul aboard Silver Spirit

July 30-August 6, 2011: Istanbul to Piraeus (Athens) aboard Silver Spirit

August 9-20, 2011: Piraeus (Athens) to Barcelona aboard Silver Wind

August 16-26, 2011: Copenhagen to London aboard Silver Cloud

Add butler service for every accommodation as well as an additional $100 per-person shipboard credit exclusively for Andrew Harper members, and these cruises start to look too good to pass up.

Notes:

The business-class airfare special is available only until March 31, 2011. Travelers departing from smaller airports and those in the central and western United States may be charged a supplement of $100 to $300 per person, depending on the location.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 21, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 21, 2011

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Le Royal Monceau, Paris

Copyright Le Royal Monceau, Paris

Sometimes I visit hotels out of simple curiosity, with little expectation of discovering a place I can enthuse about to Harper members. Occasionally, I get a pleasant surprise. A recent one was Le Royal Monceau in Paris, which reopened last fall following a two-year, basement-to-attic renovation. Now owned by the Raffles group, it is part of the so-called “Asian invasion” that includes a new Shangri-La, plus a Mandarin Oriental that, after repeated delays, is now scheduled to debut this summer.

Although Le Royal Monceau is within sight of the Arc de Triomphe, its location on the avenue Hoche has never greatly appealed to me. This part of the 8th arrondissement has grand apartment buildings, but, to me, little Parisian atmosphere or charm. But it is undeniably convenient, and the Place Vendôme and the Louvre are both a pleasant 20-minute stroll away down the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

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by andrewharpertravelblog on March 18, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on March 18, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/le-royal-monceau-paris/

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