Best Travel Finds of 2006
By sharing their favorite finds for the year—undiscovered hotels and restaurants, outstanding guides, shops and sights worth seeking out—the agents reveal the enthusiasm, curiosity, and sense of adventure that gives them the edge over the competition.
Hotels
France: "A small boutique hotel in Burgundy—Bernard Louiseau—with a 3-star Michelin restaurant"
Scotland: Boath House—"a delightful six room hotel with an absolutely wonderful restaurant near Nairn"
Paris: Esprit St.-Germain
Cambodia: Hotel de la Paix, Siem Reap
Sri Lanka: The new Aman resorts, Amangalla and Amanwella
Miami: The Setai in South Beach
Connecticut: Thomas Henkelman's Homestead Inn in Greenwich
Costa Rica: Villa del Sueno—"an oasis of Tico charm only 30 minutes from the newly opened Liberia Airport. A terrific alternative to airport hotels"
New Zealand: The Lodge at 199, Rotorua
Morocco: Dar Ahlam
Restaurants
Austria: "I found this GREAT restaurant in Salzburg: Pfefferschiff (Söllheim 3)..My clients loved it"
London: The invitation-only downstairs casino at the Ritz (150 Piccadilly); Babylon at the Roof Gardens (99 Kensington High Street); The Lanesborough restaurant (Hyde Park Corner)
Estonia: Olde Hansa Restaurant (Vana turg, 1) in Tallinn "serves dishes made from 15th-century recipes. Wooden plates and utensils. Very unique and fun!"
Paris: "Classic—Papillon restaurant (84, rue St Honoré), menu under 35 Euros; Bistro—Chez Paul (22, Rue de la Butte aux Cailles); Bakery—Poujauran (20, rue Jean-Nicot); Coffee—Verlet (56, rue St-Honoré); Cabarets—Crazy Horse (12, av George V)... still a must !!! Tea Room—Grande Mosque de Paris (2, bis place du puits de l'Ermite) or Institute du Monde Arabe (1, rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard, Place Mohammed-V)"
Greece: Koukoumavlos in Santorini (below the Hotel Atlantis). "I expect this chef to become wildly famous"
Hungary: Malomtó (II. Frankel Leó u. 48) in Budapest
Ireland: The pub in the basement of Dublin's Merrion Hotel (Upper Merrion Street)
Italy: "In Umbria a dinner I had at Vissani (SS 448 Todi-Baschi) in Baschi was the highlight of my year..." Ristorante La Penna (Via della Penna 53), Rome. "The owner/chef prepares amazing dishes and a fabulous soufflé"
Russia: Turandot Restaurant (26/5 Tverskoi Bulvar) in Moscow
South Africa: Blues Restaurant at Camps Bay (The Promenade, Victoria Road), Cape Town. De Waterblommetjie (at the Castle of Good Hope) in Cape Town. "The best Cape Malay cuisine in all of South Africa. Cape Malay cuisine is very trendy and everyone is trying to do it, but this is the place to enjoy it"
Vancouver: Bin 941 (943 Davie Street)
Southern California: "The Dining Room at Jack's in La Jolla (7863 Girard Avenue) is a high-energy scene that offers a sophisticated atmosphere and impeccable service..."
New York City: Del Posto (85 10th Ave.), "Mario Batali's new restaurant, elegant and amazing"
South Carolina: Fig (232 Meeting Street) in Charleston
Japan: "Michiba (Kanematsu Bldg. 8F 6-9-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku) in Tokyo. He was one of the Iron Chefs"
Shops
Farm shops in England. "They are popping up throughout the countryside and offer a wide range of local products, often with outlets in London shops"
London: "The sales at Turnbull & Asser each year in January and July"
Italy: "The outlets! Foxtown and The Mall near Florence"
Switzerland: L'Art du The, Lucerne and Lugano
Paris: Le Louvre des Antiquaires
Chile: The gift shop at Explora Lodge in Torres Del Paine
South Africa: "Peace River Trading in Cape Town has a fantastic selection of upper-end African fabrics and artifacts"
Thailand: Shopping village and spa in Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Chiang Mai
Guides and Tour Companies
World: "Absolute Travel...they are amazing to work with. They can turn on a dime for a client mid-trip if necessary...I love them and so do my clients"
"Tie: Exeter International and Absolute Travel"
Europe: European Connection
Berlin: Guenter Friedenberg
Ireland: Dublin Hop On Hop Off Tour Bus
Italy: Spirit of Places: "Secret Routes of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence; Musica in Maschera musical performances in Venice; and the olive oil and wine tastings on the Amalfi Coast." J&J Services for guides and chauffers. In Rome: Alan Epstein
Moscow: Nina Zonina, professor of English literature, St. Petersburg State University
Turkey: "Sea Song Tours in Istanbul ...Karen Sefer, the owner, is well connected in Turkey, and she has great access to things that the ordinary tour company doesn't have"
Canada and Alaska: Entree Canada
Latin America: Claudio Vidal of Fantástico Sur; Chile Carlos Gomez of Costa Rica Expeditions; Ladatco Tours Luis Segura of Trogon Tours in Argentina; A & K, Santiago, "especially Sara, the most knowledgable, interesting, and kind guide"; Via Venture for active travel in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
Sri Lanka: "Tea Trails offers hiking from colonial house to colonial house through the lush, green tea fields was a fabulous way to enjoy the scenery and interact with the local culture...The homes are quaint little 4-6 bedroom British colonial plantation homes with rich wood floors and antiques and the staff is very warm and inviting"
Australia: Epic Expeditions run by Brad Horn; Australia Yacht Rental: Outback Encounter; Oz Dive, (SCUBA)
New Zealand: First Light Walking Tours, "an excellent 3-day hike from Queenstown"; Seasonz run by Sam Porter
East Africa: Africa House Ltd, Nairobi, run by David Sugden; Classic Africa Safaris, Entebbe, Uganda
India: Peirce and Leslie, run by Shonali Datta
Cruises
Clipper Cruise with Valor Tours "WWII commemorative cruise tour to Solomon Islands including Sydney, Australia; Port Moresby, Bougainville, and Rabaul in Papua New Guinea; Guadalcanal; and Guam. Truly outstanding"
Sights
Bangkok: "A private tour of the Prasart Museum, a private collection of Thai antiques from around the country. Set in beautiful gardens, it is one of Thailand's best kept secrets"
Kyoto: "I was thrilled to see its award-winning train station, a destination in itself. The outstanding building comprises a station, hotel, 13-story department store, museum, theater, numerous shops, restaurants, food courts, tea salons, etc." Samurai Movie Land (Toei Uzumasa Eigamura Movie Museum)
"My favorite find this year was Tasmania. I traveled there with my family for Christmas and New Years. Cradle Mountain Lodge at Christmas is truly a treat—its own wine cellar, cozy cabins, excellent hikiing...I fell in love from the time my plane landed"
Other Great Finds
Skype internet telephone service"..@ .02 cents per minute while traveling you can easily and cost effectively reach out and touch/taunt someone from a far"
"Use of Platinum Fine Dining Restaurants for my clients when they ask"
www.flycheapo.com "Web site for all low cost airlines in Europe. Extremely helpful"
