This Renewed Five-star Hotel in Paris Has Some of the Best Eiffel Tower Views in the City Hôtel Balzac’s sleek new redesign sets the standard for tech-savvy luxury, with loads of personality and meaningful interactions. By Kristy Alpert When I arrived at Hôtel Balzac for its opening day post-renovation and rebranding,…
BEAUTY IN BLOOM By Kristy Alpert The Butchart Gardens throughout the seasons boasts a kaleidoscope of botanica. Photos courtesy venue A great garden does so much more than appeal to the aesthetic in us all. Destination gardens are beds of inspiration and modes of meditation; they have even been, at times, symbols of power….
Upper East Side Story By Kristy Alpert An A-lister fave, The Mark boasts a one-of-a-kind hotel experience. Moreover, guests are chauffeured to the city’s top shopping spots, museums and galleries via the hotel’s black-and-white striped pedicabs, should a day of sight- seeing be on the agenda. There’s a distinct hush…
What Lies Beneath By Kristy Alpert Discover amazing cave formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, box work and helictites that were sculpted by millions of years of geological activity at Colossal Cave (photo courtesy Visit Tucson). Sparkling caverns hold Arizona’s hidden splendor. Like many, my first encounter with Arizona took place a…
Surrender to Indulgence at Maine’s White Barn Inn By Kristy Alpert The smell of pine needles, brine and campfire smoke released into the air as I lifted my sweater over my head, and the scents once woven into the woolen fibers now lingered faintly on my bare skin. I had spent…
Oh, Canada! By Kristy Alpert I HAD TO REMIND MYSELF I WAS NOT IN EUROPE AS I VEERED OFF THE PAVED SIDEWALK ONTO A COBBLE-STONED SIDE STREET IN MONTRÉAL’S HISTORIC DISTRICT. The gas lamps were glowing with pure Parisian panache against a backdrop of gothic architecture that towered above lively town…
Why Wait For The Honeymoon? by Kristy Alpert The newest complimentary wellness experience at this luxury resort lets brides bliss out before the wedding Sunset at the Sanctuary Spa Even though I didn’t arrive at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa as a bride, a honeymooner, or even…
ECO-CHIC IN THE BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST OF UGANDA A LOOK INSIDE THE LUXURIOUS VOLCANOES BWINDI LODGE Posted by Kristy Alpert It’s 3PM in the village of Bwindi and the afternoon rain ceasing prompts a chorus of African tree frogs to chirp blissfully, serenading a group of local children as they…
Santa Fe Expressed by Kristy Alpert I arrived late in Santa Fe, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains already shaded to a deep indigo hue as my plane made its approach, the moon’s glow highlighting the sharp outline of the distant mountain range. The magical setting all seemed like something out…
Four Seasons Hualālai Spa Photo: Treatment room © FOUR SEASONS HUALALAI SPA By Kristy Alpert I WAS STILL GETTING RE-ACCUSTOMED TO WALKING on solid ground as I took my first step into the refreshingly cool waters of the Waiea (“Water of Life”) stream running through the open-air gardens at the…
