The top ten beach hotels of the world

by Scott Carmichael on

European hotel booking site Trivago, recently released the results of their guest survey to find the ten best beach hotels in the world.

The lineup has a bit of a European tint to it, and no hotels in North or South America made the cut. Still, the list has 10 hotels I wouldn’t mind spending some time, and I’m not even that much of a beach fan.

Most of the hotels offer their own private beach, which means you won’t have to share any of it with the commoners who were not lucky enough to stay at your upscale property. Prices for the rooms start around $500/night, with the most upscale rooms going for as much as $10,000/night in the high season (for a private over-water bungalow).

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Hotel du Vin smokin’ consistency

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I had a great cigar-smoking at the Bothy at the Hotel du Vin in smoke-phobic Glasgow. Well, the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge, England, I was pleased to learn, offers the same environment! Behind the hotel is a small, covered, and heated outdoor smoking lounge where guests are invited to light up and relax. Its name, the “Cigar Shack,” is only half accurate – fortunately, it’s the first half.

The Hotel du Vin (and Mal Maison) properties in Great Britain pride themselves on offering a unique guest experience rather than the homogeneity of the major chains. This is particularly true at the Cambridge hotel, where room numbers are eschewed in favor of names (I spent the evening in the Taylor’s Port room, which is appropriate, given how much I enjoy the drink).

At reception, I was told about the outdoor smoking space and proceeded to it immediately after dropping my bags in Taylor’s Port. Though it’s not a carbon copy of the Glasgow Bothy, the Cigar Shack’s similarities are striking. The covered space is of roughly the same design, though it is a bit smaller. Also, like its Scottish cousin, the smoking lounge offers a fireplace and ample seating. Cuban cigars are available for purchase (in case you forgot to bring your own stash).

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Outside the Cigar Shack, there is a large patio with four tables that seat four people – and a bench that handles two comfortably. The lucky rooms are Graham Beck, Concha y Toro and tk-Zapata, which open directly into the this outdoor space. Sure, you have to sacrifice a bit of privacy, but I’m a sucker for access to outside, probably because I live in a city that charges a premium for it. It can’t be too bad, as I smoked several cigars in a row (during which I saw people enter these rooms), and nobody complained.

If you’re a smoker, this is the best alternative to being able to light up in your room. In fact, I find it preferable. It’s a great environment, with covered, climate controlled areas, an dprovides a bit of a social scene.

As always, non-smokers are welcome, too!

Disclosure: Visit Britain paid for this trip, and British Airways picked up the flights. There are many other reasons to stay at this hotel, but I’m sure the other writers on the press trip will cover them. I’m unashamedly a cigar guy.

Storm the Bastille with Concorde Hotels

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need an excuse to head out to Europe this summer? Concorde Hotels & Resorts is ready to feed your jones for travel. The Concorde Summer package – just in time for Bastille Day – puts 22 hotels from around the world at your fingertips, from the Hotel Lutetia in Paris to the super-upscale Hotel de la Paix on the shores of Lake Geneva. You can join the party for as little as $115 a night ($165 in some cases), which, I assure you, is so insane that I half-expected to see Crazy Eddy’s name listed somewhere on the press release.

As has become common with deals from up-market hotels, the low room rate isn’t all you get. Concorde is throwing in some great extras, including a daily buffet breakfast, access to double rooms and a second room at an additional 50 percent discount. Also, Condorde’s throwing in a surprise gift for each stay.

But, you have to take advantage of it this summer. The deal stretches from July 10, 2009 to September 13, 2009.

Gadlinks for Friday 6.19.09

by Brenda Yun on


I don’t know about you guys, but this Friday feels like a much needed one. It’s been quite a week, especially with all of the revolutionary news from the Middle East and the world in general! My parents are embarking on their own month-long globe trot, so I hope they have happy and safe travels while I hold the fort here at home in sunny Hawaii (things could be worse!). Here’s a dose of Gadlinks to carry you through the weekend.

‘Til Monday, have a great weekend!

For past Gadlinks, click HERE.

Bench 2.0: the strangest seat in Bury St. Edmunds

by Tom Johansmeyer on

In 2001, sleepy Bury St. Edmunds, England received an interesting gift, ultimately from Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. In the Abbey Garden, the town’s centerpiece, is what the locals claim to be the world’s first internet-enabled bench. Sponsored by MSN.co.uk, the seat contains jacks for internet cables and is said to provide direct access to the web. Unfortunately, the development has been rendered irrelevant already, thanks to the ubiquity of wireless internet access in Europe and around the world. Since I no longer travel with an arm’s length of Category 5 cable, I don’t know if the access from the bench works … though tour guide Anthony Mitchell referred to its functionality in the present tense.

Today, two cultures coexist comfortably in the Abbey Garden. The latest generation bench sits amid ruins from more than half a millennium ago. I guess there are worst settings for checking your Twitter feed!

Disclosure: Visit Britain shelled out some cash for this experience, and British Airways supplied the flights. I do wonder, though, if they would have liked me to write about anything else from the four hours I spent in St. Edmundsbury. We spent about five minutes at the bench, after all.