Have you ever stayed in a convent?  Surprisingly, many of our fellow travel fanatics out there have shared with us that they have, indeed, spent some time staying in converted nunneries or convents.  Besides the inherently peaceful aura that seems to surround these modernized convents, many of them are located in absolutely gorgeous…

Imagine my surprise, not long ago, to discover I wanted to write a glowing article for my travel series “Best of London” about a department store!  (Just when did I fall and hit my head, anyways)?  But no, there were no mishaps involved.  If anything, our discovery was what I would term a “happy accident” as we wandered down Piccadilly Street, the atmosphere…

We discovered Yal Ku Lagoon, in Mexico’s tiny, ecologically protected town of Akumal, quite by accident.  Driving down the bumpy, pot-holed main road of Akumal we were on a mission to explore.  As we drove, the road branched to the left, leading away from the ocean, rambling through thick jungle brush occasionally interspersed with beautiful villas.  Suddenly we could see water once more, glimmering between blossoming shrubs & landscaped yards.  Pulling over, we grabbed water bottles,…

55 miles northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15, a sign indicates  Exit 75, the turn off for the Valley of Fire, Nevada’s oldest & largest state park.  We love coming to this preternatural marvel of nature, named for the amazing red sandstone formations left after immense, shifting sand dunes were formed during the age of the dinosaurs, 150 million years ago.  The oldest rock in the park, though has been dated at about 600 million years old.  Imagine!  Once an ancient sea…

Our recent trip to Asia solidly cemented my opinion that South East Asia is still very grateful and anxious to encourage tourism.  Thailand, in particular, really set itself apart from any other place we have traveled to.  Our stays at both the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara-Devi in Chiang Mai, were superlative.  Having experienced these hotels first-hand, I can see why the Mandarin Oriental chain is consistently voted as having some of the top…