Favority Stays: Hotel Mezzanine

In beautiful Tulum, we stayed at Mezzanine, a boutique hotel owned by New Zealanders that comes with a talented Thai chef and a friendly and helpful staff.  It is hip and stylish without the pretension. 

The only warning: every Friday night, the hotel hosts a party complete with a famous guest DJ from around the world.  The party attracts lots of revelers and the music plays until the early hours.  So if you will be in Tulum on a Friday night and are not exactly a night owl, consider staying elsewhere. With the exception of Friday night, Mezzanine is quiet and chill.

The hotel is located just a few yards from the ocean.

Mezzanine has only nine rooms, and none of them have alarm clocks, AC, TVs, and telephones (the hotel does provide Wi-Fi). It is completely solar-and wind-powered (most of Tulum's beach-front hotels are off-the-grid). Every part of the hotel is absolutely beautiful.





We opted for one of the ground-level rooms, which has the cheapest rate. It has an open floor plan, which took awhile to get used to. Other than that minor issue, we found our room comfortable, and I loved its modern decor.



The hotel allows free use of its bikes.



Mezzanine has a restaurant that serves delicious Thai-inspired food





To put it simply, this place is heaven!

Favorite Stays: The Argonaut Hotel

During a long weekend trip to San Francisco (October 2008), we stayed at the Argonaut Hotel, which was exceptional.  I decided on this hotel partially because of its high rating among reviewers on Tripadvisor.com and partially because I have had great experiences with Kimpton Hotels.  Our room and the public areas were clean and stylishly decorated (the hotel has a nautical theme).  The employees were so friendly and helpful.  Even though the neighborhood is crowded and busy (Fisherman's Wharf), it was quiet inside the hotel.  There is also complimentary daily evening wine reception. The four-story timber and brick landmark building was built in 1908 as a warehouse for the California Fruit Canners Association. 

The lobby:







I think these chairs are adorable.  People sat here during the wine reception.

The building:

The hotel is located on the corner of Jefferson and Hyde.



Our room:




I love the L'Occitane toiletries the hotel provides.



Our delicious California-style chowder with French sourdough bread (a meal can't get more San Franciscan than that!) at the hotel restaurant, Blue Mermaid Chowder House:

Four years ago: Puerto Rico

In March 2006, I was given the chance to work in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks. Besides having someone else pay for my air/accommodations/food expenses, there were plenty of other reasons I enjoyed this trip.

OLD SAN JUAN:
This area of San Juan is breathtakingly beautiful and to this day, retains a lot of its colonial character. It is a Unesco World Heritage site, and I was charmed by its colorful architecture and the cobblestone streets.  Most of San Juan’s significant attractions, such as El Morro and Fuerte San Cristobal, are located here.      

El Morro is the New World's oldest Spanish fort and in 1983, it was declared a Unesco World Heritage site. It played a large role in preventing various attacks by the British, Dutch and US against Puerto Rico. Besides its fascinating history, El Morro offers picturesque views of the Caribbean Sea, Old San Juan, modern San Juan, and the island's rain-forest and mountains.


Fuerte San Cristobal is a 5-minute walk from El Morro. It is San Juan's other major fort and was built to protect the city from land-side attacks. Its attractions include the dungeon, the tunnels and the troop headquarters.

Besides these forts, Old San Juan offers plenty of other highlights.  For instance, the charming and elegant Gran Hotel El Convento.  Hopefully, next time I am in San Juan, I will stay here. Gran Hotel El Convento is located in a beautiful section of Old San Juan, and I would categorize it as a must-see.  It was built in the 1600s as a convent for wealthy women from Spain widowed in the New World.  It has a beautiful atrium and a couple of restaurants (we dined at El Picoteo, which I discuss below).   

Other Old San Juan attractions:
1) Plaza de Armas, which was built in the 16th century, is the city's most significant square.  It was great for people-watching.   

2) Paseo de la Princesa , which is a 19th-century esplanade (restored in the 1990s) lined with antique street lamps, palm trees, statues, fountains, benches and live entertainment on weekends.  It leads strollers to the San Juan Bay.  

3) Puerta de San Juan is where Spanish ships once achored to unload colonists.   

San Juan has fantastic restaurants. I had memorable meals at these restaurants:
a) Tantra is located in Old San Juan, serves Indo-Latin fusion cuisine, and has a unique vibe.
b) El Picoteo is also located in Old San Juan. It is an authentic tapas restaurant with a wonderful, low-key atmosphere .
c) Yerba Buena is located in the Condado section of San Juan and the perfect spot for Puerto Rican food, drinks and music.

EL YUNQUE:
Besides Old San Juan, a popular Puerto Rico attraction is El Yunque, which is about a 2-hour drive east of San Juan.  It is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. We came here to hike for a few hours.  There is nothing as exhilarating and rejuvinating as hiking in a rainforest. 


RIO CAMUY CAVE PARK:
Another attraction I enjoyed is Rio Camuy Cave Park, located 1.5 hours west of San Juan.  It is a network of subterranean caverns carved out by the Camuy River over one million years ago.  It is the third-largest cave system in the world.  Our visit started with a tram ride down a sinkhole lined with dense, green tropical vegetation.  It was scary in a good way. 

Of course, there were beaches to soak up some sun!  The beaches improved as you head east of Old San Juan.
In Liquillo:

In Condado area:

Travel Wish: San Miguel de Allende

I love Mexico and its cuisine, so it is no wonder I am hoping to take a class at Hotel Casa Sierra Nevada's Sazon Cooking School, in San Miguel de Allende, which is one of Mexico's beloved colonial cities.  This boutique hotel offers cooking classes in its state-of-the-art kitchen complete with TV monitors and overhead mirrors.  After a stroll through the city market, students can learn from well-known Mexican chefs, visiting star chefs (like Rick Bayless!) and traditional home cooks with their tried-and-true recipes.

Besides offering cooking classes, this 37-room boutique hotel is within walking distance of San Miguel de Allende's highlights--El Jardin, the main town square and social hub; the Gothic, pink-colored Parroquia cathedral; and its various boutiques, restaurants and art galleries.  The hotel features multiple courtyards with jacaranda trees and bougainvilleas.  The rooms are individually decorated with stucco walls, copper sinks, Talavera-tile bathrooms, fireplaces and terraces.  Yes, please!!!

image/itmco.com