CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – A fashionable, sexy hotel with a perfect location on the beach. And just a two-minute walk to an adorable downtown. The Beach Terrace Inn is a sleek hotel that’s been given a just-right facelift, with tons of stylish touches and just the right amount of cheeky attitude. The check-in area is a bright spot at street level with big windows and an outside seating area with ocean views. Look for a minimalist design that’s still warm and friendly, with lots of light-coloured wood and a few tall, spiky plants. I loved the little paper Read more
March 2019
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – I’ve just finished a wonderful lunch at a place called Shorehouse Kitchen, and I’ve got time to explore the downtown area of this very walkable, compact city on the Pacific Ocean. I spot several nice, independent shops (if there are any chain shops downtown, I didn’t see them) and then poke my head into a marvellous Italian shop called Vigilucci’s. It’s one of those places that makes your head spin; filled with lovely meats (iberico ham, perfect Bresaola, pink prosciutto with just the right ribbon of fat), imported cheeses with deep, cheesy smells and Italian chocolates, olives Read more
PALM SPRINGS – A fabulous swimming pool complex. Some of the lushest landscaping in the valley. And an unbeatable location. The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage is hands-down the best family-friendly hotel I’ve stayed at in my half-dozen-or-so visits to the Palm Spring area; a truly wonderful spot I was able to enjoy with my wife, my Dad and his lady-friend. We were able to get a pair of units next to each other, so it was easy to corral folks for trips or to get together on the patio for our 5 o’clock glass Read more
PALM SPRINGS – We’re humming along a quiet suburban road outside this popular tourist destination on a clear, cool March morning. It’s only around 8 a.m., but already the dun-coloured mountains off to the northeast look like they’re already baked to a crisp. Our Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours guide, Mike Groves, tells members of our tour group (my wife, Barbara, plus my Dad and his ladyfriend, Lucy) to look more closely at some of the small valleys and impressions on the side of the hills. Sure enough, we fix our gazes and begin to make out a series of Read more
What do a leopard statue in Kenya made from re-cycled scrap metal, Finland’s crazy version of Dragons’ Den, a DC-3 airplane in Hong Kong, a giant moose statue in Canada and a street-skating event in Paris have in common? They’re just some of the more unusual participants in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative for St Patrick’s Day 2019. Tourism Ireland’s annual Global Greening initiative has gone from strength to strength – from its beginning back in 2010, when just the Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland went green, to this year, which will be the biggest Global Read more
