London Tower Bride and HMS Belfast on Thames

4th Annual Travel Review: A Rebuilding Year with the London Hat Trick

Another year over…a new one yet begun. So for this year’s blog summary & travel review (it’s four years now!), I look back at the year that was 2016.  If you are a sports fan, then you’ll understand that 2016 for me was a rebuilding year.  I was decimated in […]

Santa hat, stockings on sale in Paris

Thanksgiving in Paris, the Year Mom Boycotted Our Turkey Dinner

Growing up in my small family, Thanksgiving dinner meant that we pulled out the dining room table to add a leaf to seat six.  The china cabinet was opened and the dishes on display most of the year were carefully removed and set for dinner.  Pulling out the silver drawer […]

Eiffel Tower Paris

How To Visit the Eiffel Tower with Mom? Patience and a Slushee Required

      When planning Mom’s trip to Paris, I asked “Do you want to visit the Eiffel Tower” and she said “No, my friends said it wasn’t worth it.”  (who are these friends?). On our first day in Paris we met our Versailles tour at the Eiffel Tower and […]

Hotel Therese Paris lobby lounge design

Hotel Therese Paris Review – Luxury, Chocolate and Style in the 1st Arr.

Paris boutique hotels continue to impress me with their style, warmth and service levels.  Finding a new luxury gem to add to my Parisian collection has become my new obsession in Paris (it takes hours of research before I commit to try a new hotel).  Hotel Therese in Paris made […]

Hotel Atmosphere Double Room Paris

The Paris Boutique Hotel – Three Stylish and Affordable Options

You want to go to Paris?  Great, now where to stay?  If you are like me, you often default to the US chain hotels such Marriott, Hilton and Starwood first and then have massive sticker shock when you find a room and do both conversions –  Euro € to US $ […]

Platine hotel Paris

Paris Boutique Hotel: Hip Glamour in the 15th at the Platine Hotel

Marilyn Monroe was glamorous and her image lives on in Paris at the Platine Hotel, a four star boutique hotel find on Hotel Tonight under the “hip” category.  I booked a week in advance ($215 a night was awesome deal saving over $100 a night) which is a nice feature […]

Palace of Versailles

My Paris Mistake – Versailles with my Tween Niece

It was a gorgeous Sunday in June and my niece and I were up early to catch the train to Versailles. It was our last day in Paris and I wanted to show her the beauty of Versailles especially the garden fountains. The grand palace and gardens are one of […]