Trips posted in
Alfred O’Neill
-
The Hotel Gault of Old Montreal: hip, modern, sleek and oh so comfortable!
Old Montreal is displaced in time; the contrast of the 18-19th century granite architecture that command the entire district, runs counter to the hip vibe, cafes, stores with funky stuff you end up buying for a relative with a laugh. But it starts at The Hotel Gault, (www.hotelgault.ca)in Vieux (old) Montreal…approach it with the same…
-
The mysterious world of Big Sur lighthouse perched 1,000 High on its strange rock
Point Sur lighthouse; I had been to Big Sur for over 20 years and never knew this isolated, exotic monument to the sea was open for visits. A must.
-
Brasserie Lipp: A Fallen Classic, Do not go!
The hotel told us the Brasserie Lipp was probably the best one on the Left Bank, on Rue St Germain. It had great, classic Brasserie feel and decorations — and being over 100-years-old, it still held onto that legendary Left Bank feeling. Yes, it seemed a little worn, but it held the aspect of classic…
-
Paris and the Hotel Regina: Gracious, Warm, Luxurious With a Few Surprises
Ah, Paris. Having mainly stayed on the Left Bank, this time we chose the Hotel Regina. A 5-star, former Red Cross headquarters in the heart of classic Paris. The entrance faces the gold statue of Joan of Arc, and to the left of the entrance as you leave, the Louvre. Basically, it sits squarely between…
-
The Hotel Gault of Old Montreal: hip, modern, sleek and oh so comfortable!
A grand and stern edifice, opening to large open space and distinct lines of design
-
The Gilded Age architecture tour of NY; ground-up in the grip of history.
The massive St Nikolas barber shop, 1850’s NY.
-
Ft. Lauderdale’s shining light of authentic northern Italian food: POD!
POD, a northern Italian gem. Truly outstanding. Who doesn’t love good Italian food? And who doesn’t enjoy having the cute young husband (Marco, the chef) and wife dote on you, give you advice, stop by and visit and laugh with their thick English accent. Welcome to POD, Osteria Del Duomo. Marco, as he introduced us…
-
Spring Mill Cafe, a reliable French restaurant, takes the big dive.
A foodie cries in the dark — Spring Mill Cafe, what happened? Few things are sadder than when a perennial place, a restaurant you have always relied on for good food, takes a dive. You go year after year, you take guests, invite friends and family, and then one Saturday night, bam, the quality falls…
-
What makes a great hotel room? Ventana Inn cracked the code.
The view from the room over the mountains at sunset
-
The renewed, redone, rejuvenating Ventana Inn, Big Sur, California
The renovated Ventana Inn: what was always spectacular is now made better. Ventana is Spanish for window. As you enter the property, near the top of The Hill, you will see a circular sand colored circular sculpture with an empty center. You must pull over and take the time to explore this view, especially through…
-
Rocca Calascio: Where many movies were made…and the armies march across the plains
When it comes to driving, the Gran Sasso mountains are not for the faint-of-heart. Even the GPS couldn’t handle the remote roads leading in and out of tiny villages clinging like lichen to steep cliffs. Nonetheless, we maneuvered tiny roads the GPS could not find, through villages where you wondered how they survived, to the…
-
San Stefano di Sessanio: truly medieval, once deserted now reclaimed. (And not too far from Rome).
A view from the bulwarks.
Outspoken Traveler 