AT THE FOUR SEASONS TENTED CAMP GOLDEN TRIANGLE, THAILAND – The service was exquisite. My tent was awesome. The trip to the Mekong River was fascinating. The water buffalo placenta at the nearby market was memorable. And the spa and the food and the setting were spectacular. But I’d be lying if I said the highlight of my one and-a-half day stay here wasn’t riding an elephant. As part of the experience, guests at the Four Seasons (voted best hotel in Asia recently by Conde Nast readers) are invited to try a two-hour mahout training exercise; learning a few basic Read more
hotels
CHIANG MAI – Bustling but still spiritual. As a fairly seasoned traveler I should’ve known a popular city such as Chiang Mai would be a big place. Somehow I had envisioned a big village or small city, perhaps on a hill, with a series of winding alleys and small food carts. Instead, I found a busy city of some 1.5 million people with large hotels and scattered high-rise towers and wildly coloured tuk tuks and red and white and yellow pickup trucks with covered backs for passengers to ride in and endless shops and markets. Still, there are some quiet Read more
SINGAPORE – Funny thing about travel. Some places you build up and build up in your mind, and then when you go you feel like Norm walking into Cheers and finding the taps have run dry. Other times, you’re not quite sure what to expect and end up getting bowled over by a place. The latter was how I felt about my recent trip to Singapore. I knew it was a small state with new, tall buildings and a Formula One race and the Raffles Hotel (home of the Singapore Sling). I knew you can’t chew gum and that there Read more
HONG KONG – I never cease to feel a sense of wonder when I get to this city. The airport gleams upon arrival, and it always seems to be a seamless, quick trip through customs, with nary a question to be asked. North American flights often arrive early in the morning, and you’ll probably see the mountains or hills of Lantau Island rising in the mist as you make your way into town by car or on the cheap (about $12) Metro express train. You then pass thousands upon thousands of red, green and blue shipping containers that line the Read more
DAYTONA BEACH – I hadn’t heard a lot about this part of Florida prior to my trip. I knew the usual clichés, of course; the driving on the beach, the bikers, the Daytona (duh) 500 car race. None of it got me all jazzed up, to be honest. But prior to this trip for Star Travel I read about some cool spots to enjoy nature. And I knew I’d love the beach and the small amusement park. Some folks turn up their noses but I’ve always taken delight in downscale, casual places that sell cotton candy and corn dogs and Read more
