New York’s Neue Galerie is a small but glorious museum specializing in German and Austrian art. The building itself — completed in 1914 by Carrère & Hastings for industrialist William Starr Miller — is an important part of New York’s architectural history, and the collection (and visiting shows) are superb.… Read the rest
The last time I stayed at Seattle’s Four Seasons Hotel, the brand was attached to the Olympic Hotel, a grande dame of a hotel built in 1924 and now a Fairmont property. The new Four Seasons opened last year, and is a modern building across the street from the Seattle Art Museum and about a block south of the Pike Place Market (it’s also next door to a beloved Seattle institution, the Lusty Lady peepshow and its irrepressible marquee).… Read the rest
I saw Murder on the Orient Express at an impressionable age, I guess — ever since, the Orient-Express train from London to Venice has seemed the acme of luxury to me. Someday I’ll go, but it won’t be with Chloe. The Orient-Express‘s extremely courteous Luxury Travel Manager tells me that dogs are not allowed on any of the Orient-Express trains (there are four in Europe and one each in Peru and Southeast Asia), or on either of their cruises (France and Myanmar).… Read the rest
The Kimpton Hotel Group has 54 properties in 16 states, and they’re all pet-friendly. We’ve stayed in a handful, in Boston, Seattle and Portland, and each has been a delight. They’re typically small- to medium-sized boutique hotels, each with a distinctive decor and an excellent attitude towards pets.… Read the rest
In a couple of previous posts, I described Relais & Châteaux and Grandes Etapes Françaises, two sources of luxurious and dog-friendly accommodations and restaurants in France (and around the world, in the case of Relais & Châteaux). Another company you should know about when you’re making plans for a glorious French vacation is the Châteaux & Hôtels Collection, which offers over 500 restaurants and places to stay located throughout France, with additional properties in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Andorra.… Read the rest
Loews Hotels & Resorts has fifteen properties sprinkled around the U.S. and two in Canada (Montreal and Quebec City). You’ll spend some money (in the $200-500 range per night), but you’ll be happy — the properties get consistently good ratings on TripAdvisor.… Read the rest
In an earlier post, I raved about Relais & Châteaux and their glorious hotels and restaurants, some of which welcome dogs as guests. A competitor, Grandes Etapes Françaises, owns ten 4-star châteaux and hotels in Alsace, Anjou, Burgundy, the Ile de France, the French Riviera, the Rhône Alpes, and the Val de Loire.… Read the rest
To be honest, we’re taking a (temporary, I hope) break from visiting and eating at Relais & Châteaux properties. It’s a crying shame, because R&C collects and puts its imprimatur on the finest restaurants and the most gorgeous and charming and luscious hotels around the world — and it’s a French company, so they know what they’re talking about.… Read the rest
