Destinations and attractions
A fusion of different cultures, the city of Georgetown on the island of Penang is one of the best foodie destinations in the world. Georgetown has been a major port in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years trading goods and spices throughout southeast Asia and the main Asian continent. Descendants of China, Malaysia, India and…
Deciding where to stay in San Miguel de Allende can be a tough decision. Location isn’t much of a problem since many choices are within a kilometer of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the pink church in the heart of San Miguel. Beautiful boutique hotels are on every street, all with their own particular…
In the 1970s, Tom spent a few of his summer vacations visiting his grandmother in San Miguel de Allende. Back then the roads were not as convenient as they are today, nor was the bus transportation. Roads were not always paved and potholes could swallow a small car easily. The bus was what you…
From Our Restaurant Archives: A few years ago we were in Copenhagen, where we met a food critic at Geranium who enthusiastically recommended going to Relae. We were glad we listened to her. Relae has it all; the food, the location, and the people watching. The restaurant has a casual atmosphere, while the food is…
From Our Restaurant Archives: We have had incredible restaurant experiences, but only a handful of restaurants stick in our minds as the”best”. Martin Berasategui is one of those. It’s a restaurant that is continuously on the cutting edge of new gastronomical techniques, and experiments with flavors and textures, but also offers age-old favorites from past…
Did you know that Spanish is either the official or majority language spoken in twenty countries and the territory of Puerto Rico? It’s true! A basic understanding of the language can get you around, but the different nuances of each country can throw a wrench into comprehension. When I lived in the Dominican Republic, I…
Most people are familiar with French and California wines. Oenophiles will rave about Italian and Spanish wines. Chile is known for its cheap, but very delicious wines. And Mexico? Yes. Mexico makes great wines, too. The country of Mexico may not be in the top 10 (or even 20) for producing wine, but that doesn’t…
Queretaro’s landscape and climate might not seem like ideal growing conditions with its summer hail storms, but if you look around the world, some of the best wines come from semi-arid climates and high elevations. Queretaro wineries plant their vineyards between 6200-7000 ft elevation which leads to hot days and cool nights. This drastic swing…
San Miguel de Allende has been named the Best Small City in the World in 2017, 2018 and 2020 by Conde Naste Traveler readers, and rightly so. Its location in the heart of wine country probably had something to do it. You can’t beat a combination of colonial architecture, colorful festivals, fine dining and wine…
The boutique hotel La Casa de la Marquesa is a landmark in Queretaro. It is one of the premium boutique hotels in the Colonial Highlands of Mexico, and it all began with a love story. You can ask any local and they will give you a slightly different version every time, but the foundation of…
Buyer beware, you get what you pay for… During my thirty-five years in the wine business, I often came across instances where you didn’t get what you pay for. Fifteen-dollar wines were often just as good as twenty-five-dollar wines. Sometimes fifty-dollar wines were better than one hundred- and fifty-dollar wines. But there is one area…
If you think it’s hard planning your own flight to your overseas location, planning your pet travel is even more difficult. As humans, we can deal with wonky flight times; leaving at 5am in the morning, or arriving at an unknown location at 11pm at night, hoping someone will be available at the hotel…