Hotels

Finding good hotels remains a challenge. There are floods of cheap and popular hotels availbale that do not satisfy the selective traveler. Money is not a guiding factor, but allows for a slightly better selection. I am particularly fond of small hotels that do not make an enourmous dent into the travel budget.

To find a higher standard of hotels, I recommend The Leading Hotels of the World. Most listed here have earned the title and charge accordingly. http://www.lhw.com.

Another recent find is Design Hotels: http://www.designhotels.com.

Small Luxury Hotels of the world: http://www.slh.com

Australia

Austria

Wien:

  • Hotel Sacher – This hotel is part of the Leading Hotels f the World and certainly deserves it. The café is a classic to watch people eat their original sacher toret and read the paper. The Blue Bar and Red Room are both famous locally and internationally. An excellent choice when staying in Wien. http://www.sacher.com/sacher/HotelSacherWien/index_en.jsp.

There is also a second Hotel that opened in Salzburg.

Bahamas

Harbour Island

  • The Landing - Small boutique hotel on the islnd of Harbout Isalnd. Only a few rooms next to the harour. The hotel also has an excellent restaurant. http://www.harbourislandlanding.com

Germany

Hamburg:

  • East – restaurant and bar. Both are worth going for the ambiance alone. Drinks and food are excellent as well. http://www.east-hamburg.com
  • The Tower Bar at the Hafen Hamburg Hotel – a must for the view. Get a birds eye view of the inner city and the harbour. It is a small bar that gets crowded but is worth the hassle.

Muenchen:

Berlin:

8 propeller Island City lodge - Berlin. Looks really intresting. This was completed after my time. http://www.propeller-island.com/index.html

Italy

Sued Tirol

Monte Carlo

Switzerland

Zuerich:

  • The Widder Hotel bar – impressive for the selection of Scotch, Bourbon and Whiskey. A seat by the window is overlooking the adjacent street. Good for a drink.

USA

Connecticut

Delray Beach

Miami:

  • The Biltmore – hotel and restaurant. 1200 is a fantastic place to enjoy a lunch or dinner. Courtyard seating is a particular treat, weather permitting. They also have an excellent Sunday brunch. The later tends to get very busy. http://www.biltmorehotel.com
  • Hotel St. Michel – Here is an excellent combination of hotel, restaurant and bar. The later is frequently blocked for events. The restaurant is small with an excellent chef and also features a exquisite Sunday brunch. The hotel rooms are small and individually decorated. Highly recommend a stay here. http://www.hotelstmichel.com
  • Four Seasons Hotel – Brickell. The pool deck on the fifth level has an excellent bar and also serves some appetizers. Noteworthy are the Thursday night movies, were the hotel projects a movie onto the artificial water wall and serves drinks inspired by the movie.
  • The Conrad Hotel – Brickell. Bar and restaurant are both good and pricey. On weekend nights it is getting quite full, in part because of the view of the Islands from the 25th floor. The restaurant is overlooking downtown.

New York:

  • SoHo Grand – SoHo. This recently opened hotel exceeded our expectations. Reasonably priced for New York is one of currently only two hotels in this area. Walk to the Broadway shops and countless galleries. The rooms are small but well thought out. A complimentary iPod can provide your soundtrack while gallery hopping. http://www.sohogrand.com
  • The Waldorf Astoria – Hotel and Bar. The first does not need any explanation, the later is also worth the time to enjoy comfort, luxury and solid drinks.
  • The Times Hotel – located in the Theatre district this hotel offers affordable rooms with neat design. They use the basic colors and squares to allude to the proximity to Times Square. A great find. http://www.thetimeny.com

Virgin Islands, British

Virgin Gorda