A visit to Siem Reap can’t be considered complete without a meal or two at Mie Café. The restaurant is in a traditional wooden Khmer house — that of the chef’s grandmother — a few minutes north of the Angkor National Museum, between downtown Siem Reap and the Angkor temples. It can be reached via a nice walk along the riverside from most Siem Reap hotels, or a short tuktuk ride.
Entering from the road, your eyes will be pulled through the garden into the wooden house and the areas set with tables and, in the evening, candlelight. But stop and linger in the courtyard before you sit down. Amongst the ponds and trees are organically-grown vegetables and herbs which are used daily in the kitchen. See if you can identify what’s in season for a preview of what might soon appear on your plate. Sit on the bean bags chairs in the garden for a pre-dinner cocktail (or if you’re in need of a between-courses cigarette).
While Buenos Aires and Argentina are popular vacation destinations, significantly fewer people visit next door neighbour, Uruguay. This is a grave mistake, but we know readers of Luxury And Boutique Hotels won’t make that mistake!
Most of the small number of people who do make it to Uruguay just visit on a day trip. A ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires will take you to Colonia del Sacramento, a pretty little UNESCO town. Here you’ll find UNESCO ruins to explore, a lighthouse to climb, pretty streets for strolling, cafés for lounging, and spectacular sunsets over the widest river in the world. Staying a few days in Colonia is essential, or you’ll miss the charm of this pretty town with a seaside feel.
In Whistler, there are so many activities to pursue, it can be hard to find time to sit down, let alone time to sit down for a good meal. But the food at this Olympic resort is so wonderful that you could just as easily spend a long weekend here and have difficulty finding time for the activities.
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The Kingdom of Morocco is an incredible country to visit. There is so much to see and do in this nation of 33 million. If you have the time, I recommend seeing three big cities — Marrakech, Rabat (the capital), and Fés — the Sahara desert, the Atlas Mountains, and two charming towns — Chefchaouen and Moulay Idris.
I’ll tell you more about the cities and towns in other articles, but let’s start with an overview of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s four former imperial cities and perhaps the most popular city for travellers. Continue Reading →